This is a cover of Jean Michel Jarre’s Chronologie 6, via syntesen:

I decided to do a quick cover version of Jarre’s Chronologie pt. 6 to test out my new studio routing, deciding to make everything with my hardware synthesizers (the used ones are the Nord Lead 2X, Blofeld, D-50 and MoPho)

.It’s quite close to the original, but has a slightly more modern sound, which i think fits it nicely.

Image: Gtechture

Just “a Mopho keyboard speculation”…….but we can dream, can’t we?

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

It’s the weekend, so it’s time for a bit of Saturday Synth Porn, right?

This is a bit of unofficial, underground synth goodness, the first shot of Dave Smith Instruments’ #Tetr4 synthesizer.

There’s no announcement for the #Tetr4 at the DSI site yet, so we can’t vouch for the accuracy for this info, but the #Tetr4 is rumored to be like a 4-voice Mopho, and to be priced at $800.

Hot or Not? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

via Oliver Chesler, Sequencer.de, Keyboard Editor

This is a demo of the Dave Smith Instruments Mopho Sound Editor LE.

via gearwire:

Normal-named dudes Dave and Bill combine forces to make abnormal-sounding synth madness in this video on the Dave Smith Mopho and its included MIDI patch editor.

Marielle Jakobsons (of DarwinsBitch, Myrmyr and Triometrik) demonstrates her unique performance setup which includes:

• Custom Violin and bow with MIDI controllers, built by Keith McMillen
• Computer with Max MSP & Ableton Live
• 2 hardware synths
• Hardware pedals

For more information about Marielle and her projects, visit www.mariplasma.com

via RibosomeMatt

Bill Holland demonstrates what the Dave Smith Instruments Mopho Push It button does.

via gearwire:

If you were wondering what that strange button that says “Push It” does, let Bill Holland test it out for you.

That way, if it sets off a bomb inside the unit or summons the four horsemen of the apocalypse, you won’t pay the price.

“Push the button!”

This image of the unreleased Dave Smith Instruments Mopho Keyboard comes via Jabberwalky on flickr.

Is it a real photo of an unrealeased synth or just some create Photoshop work? And would you buy a Mopho Keyboard?

You make the call – and leave your reasons!

via syntesen:

After having realized other Bach pieces on very diverse gear, I decided to try and do a full scale electronic realization of a movement of a Brandenburg concerto on the Dave Smith Instruments MoPho analog synthesizer, in the style of Wendy Carlos.

This is the result – the third movement of the fourth concerto.

The MoPho was controlled by a Novation ReMOTE 61SL, and everything was recorded straight into Ableton Live 7 as audio (24-bit, 48 KHz) – no MIDI sequencing. Effects (mild phasing on some sounds, reverb and delay), equalization and mastering was also applied in Live.

All the patches were programmed by me, and there is a lot more timbral variation to the individual instrument voices than in my earlier realizations.

Some pretty impressive switched on work!

Dave Smith – the father of MIDI – introduces his latest synth: the Dave Smith Instruments Mopho.

The Mopho is like a monophonic Prophet,with some unique additional features, for $400!

I had the chance to check this out at NAMM, and it’s a Mopho alright!

Here’s a demo video that features the Mopho presets:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’ve had a chance to play with the Mopho, let me know what you think!

via GearWire

The Dave Smith Instruments Mopho is a $399 compact monophonic analog synthesizer, with a voice architecture identical to a single voice of the Prophet ‘08, but with a couple of unique twists.

Overview:

The Mopho offers two sub-octave generators—one per oscillator—for additional girth and crushing basses. It also has an audio input that lets you process external audio and mix Mopho’s own audio output back in pre-filter for feedback effects that can range from subtle distortion to extreme skronk.

The Push It button is a manual trigger that lets you play a specific note or latch notes and sequences on. It can also step through a sequence to play short melodic lines without a keyboard. Mopho can also be used with a MIDI controller or external sequencer.

Mopho is fully programmable and all the parameters can be tweaked from the front panel. The four Assignable Parameters controls are assignable per program for optimum performance control.

A free editor is available for Mac OS and Windows to facilitate programming. (And, if you already have a Prophet ‘08, most of Mopho’s parameters can be controlled from the Prophet’s front panel via MIDI!)

Mopho is perfect for people who want to learn the ins and outs of real analog synthesis without spending a bundle, DJs looking to add some old school sonic spice to their setups, and musicians who will appreciate a great-sounding, very portable mono synth.

• Affordable, fully programmable mono synth with a 100% analog signal path.
• Classic, real analog sound—including legendary Curtis analog low-pass filter.
• Process external audio through the filter and envelopes.
• Just 7.5″ x 5″ (19.05 cm x 12.7 cm).
• Free editor for Mac OS and Windows.

Specifications:

• 100% analog signal path
• Two oscillators
• One classic Curtis low-pass filter (switchable 2- or 4-pole)
• Analog VCAs
• Three envelope generators (ADSR plus delay)
• Two sub-octave generators (one octave down and two octaves down)
• External audio input with feedback
• Four assignable performance controls per program
• Gated 16 x 4 step sequencer (one sequence per program)
• Arpeggiator
• Fully programmable (includes free downloadable software editor for Mac OS and Windows)
• 384 programs
• I/O: MIDI In, MIDI Out/Thru, Audio In, Left and Right Audio Out, Headphone Out
• 7.5” L x 5” W x 1.4” H (19.05 cm x 12.7 cm x 3.56 cm)
• 1.5 lb. (0.7 kg)

Those of you who are paying attention (and we know there are at least a few of you…) may have noticed a relationship between how often the site gets updated and how busy we are. In fact, you might even be able to speculate when we’re getting ready to release a new product by the general lack of activity here. The absence of recent updates can mainly be attributed to the annual distraction of preparation for the NAMM show. We won’t be showing or announcing any new products this year (unless you count Mopho, which continues to fly out the door and is still backordered), but it takes a lot of work to get ready anyway. If you’re coming to the show, please stop by booth 6948 and say hello.

And, since we’re talking about NAMM and new products, you might ask, “What’s happening with the LinnDrum II?” Dave and Roger have been hard at work on the new design of LinnDrum II and now have a better idea of the ship date, which we currently estimate to be during the third quarter of 2009. We wish we could ship sooner but there’s still a lot of work to do and it’s important to us that we get it right. As a result, we don’t anticipate showing it—in any form—at the NAMM show. Thanks so much for your patience. We think it will be worth the wait.

In Mopho news, there is a new version of the OS that squashes a few annoying bugs. Go to the Current OS page for details. Also, the Mopho Pro editor is now available. Additional features include patch librarian functionality, program genetics, phantom banks, and automation for the sequencer section. We are also pleased to announce that Soundtower is working on VST and AU support with a projected release sometime in Q1 of 2009.

2008 has been action-packed, but fun. The Prophet ’08 received numerous honors and that is extremely gratifying. Mopho has already racked up a couple, as well (though only one we can talk about right now…). And Future Music has had the Prophet as the #1 recommended hardware synth on their gear chart for several months running. (Mopho just appeared in the latest issue at #4!)

Last, but not least, the ranks of DSI employees have swelled by an astonishing 33% in 2008. That’s right: there are four of us now. Chris Hector (AKA “the new guy” and “the young guy”) has joined us as Audio Engineer. Chris has already proved his worth by filling some significant “knowledge gaps” at DSI. Welcome, Chris!

Thanks to all the faithful for your continued support and to all of you who have more recently taken the DSI plunge. We literally couldn’t do it without you. We hope you have as much fun with our instruments as we have making them. All of us at Dave Smith Instruments wish you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2009.

Congratulations to Dave Smith Instruments for a fantastic 2008! We’re looking forward to seeing what they have up their sleeve for next year.

A demo of an audio feedback loop with the Dave Smith Instruments MoPho. 

Run one audio out into the external audio in. Make a weird patch. Push the button.

BigCityMusic demos the presets on the Dave Smith Instruments MoPho:

“This is a bad little synth. The sub-oscillators make for a super beefy low end and the internal sequences are inspiring right out of the box.”

Here’s another sexy video for Sexy Day – a demo of the new sexy Mopho synth from Dave Smith Instruments.

You gotta love a synth that screams “Push it! Push it!”

World – my finger is on the button! Push the button!

If you’re looking for sexy Russian Girls, though, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

A demonstration of the Mopho analog synthesizer from Dave Smith Instruments. Lexicon MX200 used for delay and reverb effects.

Mopho is a compact but powerful—monophonic analog synthesizer. The voice architecture is identical to a single voice of the Prophet ‘08, but with a couple of unique twists to distinguish it from its award-winning sibling. DSI has added two sub-octave generators—one per oscillator—for additional girth and crushing basses. It also has an audio input that lets you process external audio and mix Mopho’s own audio output back in pre-filter for feedback effects that can range from subtle distortion to extreme skronk.

The Push It button is a manual trigger that lets you play a specific note or latch notes and sequences on. It can also step through a sequence to play short melodic lines without a keyboard. Mopho can also be used with a MIDI controller or external sequencer.

Mopho is fully programmable and all the parameters can be tweaked from the front panel. The four Assignable Parameters controls are assignable per program for optimum performance control. A free editor is available for Mac OS and Windows to facilitate programming. (If you already have a Prophet ‘08, most of Mopho’s parameters can be controlled from the Prophet’s front panel via MIDI!)

Mopho is perfect for people who want to learn the ins and outs of real analog synthesis without spending a bundle, DJs looking to add some old school sonic spice to their setups, and musicians who will appreciate a great-sounding, very portable mono synth.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It looks like the latest synth from Dave Smith Instruments is going to be a Mopho.

There’s no official word on this from Dave Smith yet, but this is too good to miss.

Here are the rumored specs:

• 100% analog signal path
• Two oscillators
• One classic Curtis low-pass filter (switchable 2- or 4-pole)
• Analog VCAs
• Three envelope generators (ADSR plus delay)
• Two sub-octave generators (one octave down and two octaves down)
• External audio input with feedback
• Four assignable performance controls per program
• Gated 16 x 4 step sequencer (one sequence per program)
• Arpeggiator
• Fully programmable (includes software editor for Mac OS and Windows)
• 384 programs
• I/O: MIDI In, MIDI Out/Thru, Audio In, Left and Right Audio Out, Headphone
• Out
• 7.5” L x 5” W x 1.4” H (19.05 cm x 12.7 cm x 3.56 cm)
• 1.5 lb. (0.7 kg) •

Pricing: $439 US

via Matrix