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From: sonicstate
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  • The reason to get this and poly-chain a tetra instead of just getting a P'08 is that the voice architecture is improved for the mopho and tetra over the P'08 via the sub-oscillators and the feedback. Granted the feedback could be kludged by a little creative patching. I agree that a 5 voice version priced in the range of about $1200 US would be nice. Even better would be a P'08 mark 2 with sub oscillators and feedback (+ state variable filter, +...).

  • I just can see the advantage for the educated consumer here. I feel like I can get the same for less and a lot more for a little more. The Doepfer is pretty awesome though.

  • can you hook up a vocoder to this?

  • "It's monophonic, so you're not gonna get polyphony out of it."

    REALLY?

    Epic review

  • This or moog little phatty

  • @MrEvilPenguin22 Get the moog. Unless it would be easier to afford this.

  • Moog and korg had a child called mopho.

  • Nice! I need to my set up some analogue synth, probably it will be MOPHO, thanks for this video

  • is there any way to win it? :D

  • @JSprayaEntertainment routing external audio through the filters

  • Why don't DSI release a tetra keyboard? Same layout as this but 4 voice and black? Id buy that in an instant.

  • @aikighost Why don't they release a Tetra hands-on module: like half a prophet 8 with 2 sub. And no more shit from that crappy soundtower editor.

  • What are you talking about? Hit record on an audio track and record your knob twiddles. In PT just keep recording as a new region and vary your twiddles. Can't get more real time than that. ;)

  • this has no realtime recording capabilities; what a fucking joke- save your money

  • AnyOne Know Whats The Audio In For ???

  • I am a non-musician but interested in these things..but every synth introduced on any demos are more or less bass instruments only with varying amounts of distortion. OOOMMMBRRRAAAOORRR..funny how Rick Wakeman used synths for his great bright solos.

  • <3

  • The great thing about the Mopho Keyboard/ Tetra combo as a 5 voice polyphonic is that it fits in a back pack, which is great for these gigs where having too much or too large gear is a pain

  • "feels like polysynth trapped inside monosynth" You are so right on that! I was so relief to play Prophet 8 after monoevolver!

  • meh id save my money and buy a korg monotron, which i did 

  • Nice vid and very nice synth. Im seriously considering purchasing one of these. All parrameters of the tetra 4 can be edited with the Mopho keyboard, correct?

  • Sorry but I would never spend any amount of money on a monophonic synth, I don't care how fat it sounds, how analog it is and how full the filters are..

  • This MOPHO looks like one bad MoFo! Gots to get me one :)))

  • jesus christ..i think i know what i want for my birthday :D

  • Yo my bad you guys lol that was my stupid donkey brained ass of a brain who wrote this under my account. sorry lol

  • @4659SAINT

    wtf?

  • @4659SAINT i lol'd

  • what do i have to do to get your job?

  • I'm Gona buy 128 MOPHOS & Poly Chain them all so I will get a 128 Note "Polyphonymopho" mwa ha ha!

  • I cant quite put my finger on what it is. But I just don't really like the sound of this synth. It has a cold sound about it, not analog sounding at all. I think this synth would have difficulty blending in the mix....My hunches are rarely wrong...

  • @harrymerchant456 The video doesn't do it justice, dude. Go out and play one at Guitar Center or wherever. It is most certainly analog-sounding. Not quite the super-warm Moog sound, but to say it doesn't sound analog is quite frankly bullshit. I'm personally getting the desktop version when I have the money.

  • @HolyKatana Do you think we all have music stores in every city in every country of the world and each and every one of those stores stocks a vast array of synths? I can get almost any VST to sound like this and I stand by what I say in that this is not a good sounding analog synth. I wouldnt buy it.

  • Comment removed

  • Are the arpeggios tempo based? So, can you turn the tempo up and down, for example on 180?

  • Which is better Mopho box or Dark Energy box?

  • @haikousei

    I'd buy mopho module.

  • Looks like an alright synth, but the yellow case makes it look like a pre-school toy. lol

  • would you say the MoPHo KB or Prophet '08 DT would be a better surface controller for a TETRA?

  • Need a little help, guys! I'm looking to get a good analogue synth! I was thinking about the Mopho, but there is of course also the Moog Little Phatty Stage II.

    I'm dissapointed that I can't control the Mopho from within my DAW (Pro Tools 8), is that possible with the Moog Little Phatty Stage II?

    What should I get, guys?! HELP

  • have you ever done a prophet 08 demo? ive had one for some time now but i still feel like i could learn more about it from watching a demo of yours

  • This seems like a very specialised synth, no effects, no polyphony and therefore limited application. It looks stunning, and for bass and leads it sounds fantastic.

    If like me you are new to synthasisers and want an all round performance low-mid price synthasiser with effects and polyphony you should check out the Korg R3, or the Roland Gaia, Novation Ultra Nova or the Waldorf Blofeld and leave this synthersiser to the dedicated professionals.

  • Can you tell me about the Mopho and the Tetra a bit more...I have tried to contact DSI but I'm confused about the reply. "You cant access the COMBO mode of the Tetra with the mopho"...dose this negate the brilliant COMBO mode of the Tetra if I hooked it up to this Mopho KB??!!

    Please post a video about this

  • A very thorough, well explained, cogent, sane, pleasing review. I just picked up a new one Open box for $550!!

  • This is a really good example of where modern synth technology should go. "Learn from this Roland!" Truly, my only gripe is the price of these (full retail) is a bit steep. However, a great machine! Thanks for the review!

  • They had one of these set up at Guitar Centre and I thought it was cool but I had no idea how to work the damn thing

  • A similar packaged KEYBOARD VERSION OF THE TETRA would be close to perfection, i think.. great review man. Thank you.

  • I was wondering why the editor is not vst...only stand alone, the sequencer looks very good and very fast for programmin every parameter...that's a shame you can t use on a daw...

  • getting one soon, can't wait!

    can it send audio over usb as well? and if so can it send the aux audio?

  • Comment removed

  • Hi,

    It's mono but can it play polyphonic sounds (for example ac.piano) via MIDI. In other words, is this working like any other midi controller. Can you play piano with it?

  • @Ecaroh74

    Yup.

  • How does the pots/knobs feel? Rock solid (like access Virus/ nord lead) or loose and cheap? (like the poly evolver)

  • great review, jealous of your collection :-D

  • Oh! I this solve some of my questions I had about this and the little Mopho, like the poly chain... Great ReviewS!

  • Thank you for yet another really smart, great and informative review!

  • I like how this review covers the things a synthesist needs to know. It's informative and interesting, quite unlike Gearwire, who flip through presets and turn one knob, call it a review, and then do things like compare a Roland Gaia to a Jupiter 8.

  • hi , the mopho sounds great for basses and leads ,. can it do soft evolving pads too ??? thanks

  • @jackgasgill its a mono synth so not really.

  • @sonicstate hi, i love the synth by the way. i only have two questions.

    1. can the mopho by manually changed to a poly synth ?

    2. what vintage synth would say the mopho is most similar to ?

  • @sonicstate I see you've reviewed both the MoPho and the Gaia, how do you feel about them? You seemed generally more excited about the Gaia, but made a few passing comments regarding the trebly, digital sound of its generators. Comparatively, which would you recommend? (Mono/Polyphony isn't a big deal)

  • @jackgasgill

    You could if you separate each note of the chord, and record them track by track... like if you write for a string section, separating violins, cellos, etc. It's not a convenient process but it can be fun (I did it with a Novation bass station)

  • @jackgasgill

    And if you don't mind having an expander, you can buy DSI tetra (=4 mophos in one machine=polyphonic 4 notes)

  • Hi! lookin for an analog synth with key I'm going in interest with this, but after your great enthusiasm in this review I'm not really sure. I like so much the sound seem good fatting and noises but is the only good value? The "poly chain" work only with dsi instrument or I can use it with my dark energy, neptune 2 or modular? What do you advice in this range of price then is better then this for you? Thanks!

  • That's a cool review! 

  • Hey man do you know anything about the access virus indigo 2, it wad made in 2002. I'm wanting to get a new synth for trance music so could you give me some information. Thanks

  • wow really nice review! I have MOPHO Desktop! can you share the sequencer preset used on minute 7? it´s really nice like Vince Clarke sequences!

    Thanks.

    PS.: for those that compare with Microkorg or Micron... sorry, but these synthis are really plastic sound... no comparison with the pure analog path on MOPHO.

  • forget the soundtower editor, there's a free vst editor (pc and mac) available at code.google.com/p/ctrlr/

  • Nice review, thanks!

    There's another diff between Mopho / Tetra and Prophet 08 that you didn't mention. Mopho and Tetra have sub-oscillators; don't think Prophet has any. So depends on what you want. I'd personally prefer to start with Mopho keys, then add Tetra later for polyphony, not going for the Prophet 08. Though I wish they have a Tetra keyboard, maybe with 3 octaves to allow for as many knobs as Prophet 08 desktop. That would be just awesome...

  • The tetra keyboard is going to be the money machine.

  • @TheHexeract I doubt that. Extrapolating the price difference between the DSi modules and keyboard versions so far, will put the keyboard Tetra too close to the Prophet '08 module in price. The Prophet '08 module doesnt lack controls like Mopho/Tetra modules do, and everybody has a midi keyboard anyways.

    Why do you think they rolled out a Mopho keyboard only, when adding a Tetra keyboard to the line would've been a snap?

  • When comparing the Mopho Keyboard/Tetra combo with a Prophet08 Module in price. He failed to point out that the Prophet08 does NOT have sub oscillators. That is one feature YOU DO GET with the combo. Good review otherwise!

  • This keyboard would be great for bass lines. The Mopho desktop units were impossible to program without the software editor and seemed like analog toys to me, not instruments. This is a big step forward for Dave Smith. Cannot wait to see the 4 voice Tetra keyboard:) Bravo Dave

  • When I sat with the mopho, I was underwhelmed. I couldn't put my finger on it until this reviewer said it. The mopho is like a poly synth trapped in a mono synths body. Its just not good as a mono. If connected to a Tetra, then I could really see myself buying it. Also, compared to older instruments, such as the Pro One (some people call this Pro One 2), the oscillators and filters sound very bad, and way too bright and harsh. As far as mono's go, stick to vintage. My opinion.

  • Does the Mopho include the Portamento Glide?

    Can you layer WaveForms within each of the two Oscillators...i.e. like you can with the Prophet 5.  Or can you only select one waveform per/oscillator?

  • @1980sCoverband

    The new DSI (which uses a variation of the Curtis CEM3396 chip) only allows for one waveform to be selected at any one time per oscilator. The ProOne and Prophet 5 allowed for all waveforms to be used simultaneously.

  • Great review, as always. Just want to know if the pots feel like doepfer ones or like MFB. I need a good sounding but also well built synth.

  • i don't know why dave didn't bring out a tetra keyboard, i really hope he does cos the sub osc is a must and a larger keyboard for pad sounds

  • Thanks - your reviews are always so informative and fun to watch!

    About the Mopho: makes me wonder, are there people out there who actually prefer the arguably tamed and polite sound of these modern analogues (DSI, Moog etc.) to the sound of old Pro-Ones and Minimoogs... Or how come, after 30 yrs of technological progress, the old synths still sound a lot warmer, ballsier and more organic?

  • @twelvebits

    i heard it has to do with old electronic components who are not produced anymore,but it shouldn´t be impossible to make them sound real old school.

  • Thanks for another straightforward well rounded review.

  • "It's got an analog filter"... mmmmmmmmmmhhh - and it sounds so good!!!

  • Thanks for the review! Does the editor come with it? I just can't seem to get past how it looks; I'd be too tempted to re-paint the whole thing.

  • @dadruben I, on the other hand, really like the way it looks :) Different strokes for different folks, eh?

  • Awesome review Nick! 

  • ...in other words, bring on the tetra keyboard :) thanks for the review Nick

  • Question. Is there some reason why most of these synths have terrible displays?

    I guess I come from using VST's, but I just can't seem to get why synth makers don't make their display screens bigger and more detailed. If its a cost reason, that don't make sense since most of these synths are already expensive as is, whats a coupla hundred more for a bigger display?

  • Yeah, I played with one in Sam Ash in NYC, and I couldn't figure out how the heck to choose a program. Thanks for clearing that up.

  • Great review, but you didn't seem particularly enthused by the keyboard. I realise its not exactly a revolution, but in terms of getting a fully analog synth for this kind of money, is it still a good buy? How does the overall quality of the sound compare to similar sized machines, such as the Micron or the Microkorg, for use as a lead instrument?

  • @Benoldinho well I guess thats true, I wasnt truly excited by the instrument, but the depth of synthesis available is quite remarkable.

    In terms of the comparisson, the MicroKorg (XL) has built in fx and is an extremely capable synthesizer for the money, though you need to use the editor to unlock the sonic possibilities.

    Where the Mopho scores is the interface, and you can also (as I have been doing today while reviewing a software synth) map the controls - though thats a bonus,

    

  • @sonicstate

    Are you not impressed by its analog sound? Do you really think the oscilators and filters suck or something?

  • @sonicstate for the same amount of money, what synth would you recommend? 

  • @sonicstate the mopho sounds quite a bit better than the MicroKorg XL. I believe it comes with an editor as well but maybe that's just the smaller one they came out with a while ago

  • JMO, but Dave Smith designs the most aesthically pleasing keyboards of any manufacturer. The sound quality is gorgeous, as well. Definately a must have !

  • Great review Nick! Thanks!

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