Beatportal reviews Dave Smith’s Mopho

Beatportal reviews Dave Smith’s Mopho

12 November, 2008 | 2.00PM

• Written by: francispreve
• Filed under: Music News: dave smith, mopho, prophet 08

Few synths – other than the Prophet 08 and the Moog Voyager – have created as much advance buzz as Dave Smith Instruments’ new Mopho.

Based on the sound engine of the Prophet, the Mopho is a monophonic (one note at a time, not chords) synth that features a fully analog signal path and more features than other synths costing three times the price.

And it’s only $439 MSRP.

We’re among the first to get our hands on one, and after a few weeks of tinkering, here are our findings.

Design

The Mopho is almost absurdly small – about the size of a hardcover novel – and comes in love-it-or-hate-it bright yellow.

While we’ve heard a number of users suggest that it would look way cooler if it came in the same black as its big brother, the Prophet 08, the sound is really the only thing that matters.

We’ll tell you right now…

Other than polyphony, the Mopho sounds exactly like a Prophet 08, which means that the Mopho is quite possibly one of the best sounding analog synths ever made.

We have both models and played them simultaneously through a mixer.

Identical.

Interface

Because of the Mopho’s tiny size, there’s simply no room for the Prophet’s 50+ knobs, so there are several ways to program it.

First off, it has four dedicated knobs for the most common synth parameters: filter cutoff, filter resonance, attack and decay/release.

Above those are four assignable knobs that can be used to control any parameter in the Mopho.

These assignable knobs can be changed on a per-preset basis, so on a pad sound they could modify the oscillators and do something completely different on a bass patch.

Since programming a sound from scratch using only eight knobs can be a tad tricky, Dave Smith Instruments generously includes a software editor that allows computer control (Mac or PC) of every parameter.

This isn’t the same as softsynth-style integration, like the Virus TI, but it’s damn close – making it blissfully easy to create and edit patches on your computer.

Finally, Prophet owners will be delighted to know that connecting a Mopho to a Prophet 08 allows the Prophet knobs to control the Mopho directly via MIDI.

So there’s something for everyone in the Mopho user interface options.

Oscillators

The Mopho’s oscillators are actually better than those of the Prophet.

In addition to the saw, square, triangle and saw-triangle options, each oscillator also includes a sub-oscillator that can generate an additional square wave, one octave lower than its primary oscillator’s pitch.

In simple terms, that means that this synth has low-end for days, weeks, months… okay, years!

Of course, standard tuning and mixing functions are included for both oscillators, so they can be blended at intervals for Deadmau5 and D. Ramirez type sounds.

(Deadmau5 uses a Prophet 08, incidentally, so if you’re after his sound too, a Mopho will nudge you on your way.)

If you’re a hardcore sound designer, you’ll be pleased to know that the Mopho’s oscillators also include hard sync, which is great for electro and trance leads.

Filter

The Mopho’s filters are low-pass only, but are fully resonant and can be switched between 2-pole and 4-pole mode.

All the standard amenities - like keyboard tracking and a dedicated filter envelope - are included, as is the ability to modulate the filter frequency via one of the oscillators.

The filter’s sound is unique and a bit different than a Moog.

Some have said that their design allows a Prophet to cut through a mix more aggressively, but while that’s certainly the case, the filters are also really creamy sounding at lower cutoff settings.

Ultimately, it’s all a matter of taste, but Richie Hawtin likes ‘em so you should too.

Envelopes

The Mopho’s envelopes are of the ubiquitous ADSR variety, with the addition of a delay segment at the beginning, which allows for unusual morphing and evolving effects when used creatively.

There’s a dedicated envelope for the amplifier (loudness), filter (mentioned above) and a third envelope that can be used for almost any other parameter in the Mopho.

You can also route any of the three envelopes to multiple destinations, so if you want the filter envelope to modulate pitch as well, it’s quite simple to do.

LFOs

There are four LFOs on the Mopho.

Each can be synced to a MIDI clock at a wide range of note values, so throbbing, synchronized sounds are available if that’s your style.

All of the standard LFO parameters and waveforms are present, as is the ability to increase the frequency of the LFO into the audio range for insane FM effects like the lead sound that drives BSOD’s ‘Choplifted’.

As with the envelopes, you can use each LFO to modulate multiple parameters, rather than just one destination for each.

Sequencers

In addition to all of the above synthesis amenities, the Mopho includes four discrete step-sequencers on every patch.

What’s a step-sequencer?

In simple terms, it’s like a little Roland TB-303 that creates patterns within the synth, which then can be routed to pretty much any useful sound design parameter.

For example, one sequencer could control the pitch - like a standard 303 - while another controls the filter cutoff for percussive pulsating bits.

The third sequencer could control the amount of FM modulation to the filter cutoff.

And there’s still one left for other madness.

Audio In

If the Mopho’s feature set stopped here, it would still be a total knockout.

But Dave wanted to give users a little something extra.

There’s also an audio input that allows you to route any external audio into its filters and amplifiers, along with all of the associated modulation goodies listed above.

That doesn’t mean you can sing into it and turn your voice into a synth, as is a common misconception.

What it does, is allow you to treat an external signal, like guitar or voice, as if it were one of the Mopho’s oscillators, processing that sound through the filter and adding it to the existing synth.

Here’s a terrific real-world example of how to use it.

Wolfgang Gartner has a Moog Little Phatty, which also has an external audio input (but nowhere near the modulation possibilities of the Mopho).

He routes the output of his Roland V-Synth – an all-digital synth – into the Little Phatty, then uses the Little Phatty’s filters to fatten the sound of the V-Synth, creating a tone that’s more complicated than the Moog but just as warm and rich.

But wait, there’s more!

When nothing is plugged into the quarter-inch audio input jack, a feedback circuit kicks in, allowing you to add drive and distortion to any Mopho sound just by cranking up the external input parameter.

Conclusions

When we say that Dave Smith thought of everything, he really did think of everything.

The Mopho is a badass real analog synth for the price of a software emulator.

At a street price of $400 (US), we can confidently predict that nearly every dedicated electronic music producer will have one by the end of next year.

A bold statement, but we’re standing by it.

Need more proof? Here’s a few video demos.

Sold? Well, get on the waiting list at: davesmithinstruments.com/sales/buy.php

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