"UNO is heralding a new age of analog hardware synthesisers. There’s a wide palette of sound design possibilities, a useful built-in performance interface in the keyboard and sequencer, and it’s super handy to use on the move."
AskAudio has been taking a close look at UNO Synth, courtesy of executive editor, Rounik Sethi - who was so excited by the UNO that he insisted on personally reviewing it himself! And he was not disappointed with what he found:
"It’s hard not to keep coming back to its price point - just 199 EUR before tax. It surely must be the most affordable mono analog synth ever."
"The unit works great when connecting to other MIDI gear and this was really simple to set up via the sync button on the device."
"Thanks to tiny red lights above each “key” or “button”, UNO gives immediate and direct feedback detailing what is being pressed and this makes it surprisingly effective to use as a keyboard."
"UNO sounds good. Very good in fact. How many more times can or should we reference the price."
"Where UNO shines in my book is as an all-in-one, portable synth that would fit in almost any bag."
"Unlike the Behringer Neutron or Model D, the UNO comes with its own keyboard, arpeggiator and sequencer. And really, despite being limited to 16 steps, the onboard sequencer is a joy to play and program. It makes using the UNO as immediate as it could possibly be."
"One nifty feature is being able to change the direction of the sequencer from forward to reverse to back and forth, which is always just a button press away."
"The arpeggiator is very easy to use. Simply press a key or two or more and you can switch between 10 directions including up, down, up/down, random, as played, and other curiously cool modes."
Rounik's final verdict is:
"There’s a wide palette of sound design possibilities, a useful built-in performance interface in the keyboard and sequencer, and it’s super handy to use on the move thanks to running on battery power and/or via USB direct to a computer, power adapter or portable battery. The IK Multimedia UNO is almost a no-brainer at this price point."
Key Plusses:
+ 2 analog oscillators and filter
+ Super affordable
+ Built-in sequencer, keyboard and arpeggiator
+ Sounds better than its price would suggest
+ Very portable
+ Software editor
Watch Rounik's video review:
Read the full review in AskAudio
Learn more about UNO Synth