Minicon

Back in the late 1970s, Steiner-Parker squeezed a full-blown analog monosynth into a pint-sized package with the Microcon, creating one of the most compact complete synthesizers of its era—think big brother Synthacon vibes in a desktop module that fits anywhere.

It packs a single analog VCO with sawtooth, pulse, and noise waveforms, a classic 2-pole multimode Steiner filter for low-pass, high-pass, or band-pass action that self-oscillates without losing volume punch, plus VCA, LFO, and a single envelope generator for shaping sounds. Controls are dead simple with knobs for frequency, filter cutoff and resonance, LFO rate and depth, envelope attack/decay, plus switches for routing sample-and-hold and portamento—everything patchless via clever switching. The sturdy metal chassis is featherlight at under 5 pounds, with mono audio out, CV/gate ins, and a mini keyboard option for portable jams.

Vintage players love its rock-solid tuning, gritty tones rivaling pricier Minimoogs, and endless tweakability for leads and effects, though some note the limited polyphony keeps it strictly mono fun. A true gem for modular heads or anyone craving pure analog in a tiny footprint.