DSI / Prophet Forum

[The Analog Organist]

MoPho = MonoPhonic.

[Tubeampguy]

[SCI-DSI]

Just WOOD and BLUE !

[tixxican]

The Mopho is yellow.

The keyboard version should have yellow also.

The only thing that I am unsure about is the gloss finish.

[tixxican]

Come on!...645 views and so little votes.

[Tom_1970]

Although I prefered black, I do like this version.

http://www.dsisynth.com/images/mokey/fake_mopho_key_lg.jpg

[jimtheswede]

I guess the poll results didn't factor in the final decision.......
http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/news/index.php

[The Analog Organist]

I'm disappointed that DSI went with the yellow color for the MopPho Keyboard. Yes, it does make sense, considering the MoPho module itself. But - goodness gracious - it is ugly, even moreso than the original module, and for that reason alone I wouldn't buy one. Could you imagine that pasty yellow sitting atop the deep blue of an Evolver? But even more, the keyboard is too small. Anything smaller than three full octaves is out of the question for my needs.

Again, I wish DSI would produce a three or four oscillator monophonic synthesizer with a four-octave keyboard that complimented the Prophet '08 and was designed to look like it. Or even a Tetra Keyboard, since Dave seems to produce instruments in pairs. I do think there's room in the synthesizer world for a high quality monophonic instrument with all the standard DSI capabilities. Certainly, the Prophet '08 can be used as a monophonic instrument, but this isn't its strength. The monophonic mode is handy, but also a bit unnatural for it.

Moog Music need not own the monophonic market. Besides, some of us actually prefer DSI equipment over Moog. I've gradually become one such musician. I have a Voyager Old School and think it's a fabulous instrument. But the sound? Hmm.... It just sounds 70's archaic - that thick but kind of whiny tone that shouts, "Minimoog here!" Amazingly, I'm starting to get sick of it, and may even sell the instrument once and for all and liberate myself from the Moog cult. On the other hand, DSI equipment does not sound like the musical past. Its fairly unrecognizable tone gives you a fresh start in producing music that isn't associated with an era many of us would like to avoid or altogether forget.

I certainly like my Voyager, but I do loath the unmistakable sound of the 1970's. The Minimoog - even the new Voyager - definitely has that sonic association. I only hope Dave Smith gives us one more fresh full-sized professional quality analog mono synth to replace that old icon.

[NV]

My humble opinion: I LOVE how it looks.

[Pym]

You know what's fascinating... we had Tetras and Mophos up at NAMM this last year and originally had them on separate tables. It was a landslide with people going to the Mopho table. After talking with people, it seems the yellow makes them look a hell of a lot more FUN. The Tetras are the more mature big brother, slightly more sophisticated but still dirty as hell deep down

Also, the pictures really make it look horrible... I didn't like the yellow until I saw it in person

[The Analog Organist]

Then I guess my issue is that I take music seriously, and I want my instruments to reflect that seriousness regarding both capabilities and appearances. That's why I like the Prophet '08 so much; it looks dignified and sounds fabulous. Whereas the MoPho Keyboard looks like a big bumble bee, like a bright little toy you'd give your kids to play with on the floor. I realize its design makes good marketing sense, since the bright color is easily identifiable and makes for much free advertising. But for me, it's a total turn off in terms of both appearance and keyboard size. I'm a DSI fan, so it's not so easy for me to say these things.

Since I'm in the field of classical music, I have no interest in the"fun" or "dirty as hell" aspects of music. They're qualities to be shunned in the pursuit of the beautiful. DSI might be wise to keep people like myself in mind. As a church organist who uses his instruments for practicing, recording, and performing outside of church, I can thoroughly enjoy both the Prophet and Evolver lines. Add a hefty set of bass pedals to the DSI set up, and you have a potential for beautiful music that rivals organs, pianos, harpsichords, and so on. All I'm saying, DSI, is that, as you design future equipment, you should consider musicians who play something other than rock and jazz, who have no use for "distortion," "hack," "feedback," and so on, but who otherwise are thrilled with your instruments. If you go the direction only of "dirty as hell," you'll certainly lose our business. Perhaps it's not a concern to you, but I wanted to put in a word for us. If you search the internet, and especially Youtube, you'll find that there is a surprising number of us who produce classical music on professional synthesizers. In designing future instruments, please don't dicount us. We're the ones who will always buy your most expensive instruments - if they're fine musical instruments. And don't forget, the loss of the Andromeda A6 has left a huge vacuum in the polyphonic analog synthesizer world, and many of us are searching for an instrument to fill it.

Two more things: notice the voting results above. The vast majority of those of us who actually BUY DSI equipment favored the black design, rather than the bumble bee yellow. Perhaps you could offer the two designs at the same time. Also, I think a reasonably priced Tetra Keyboard with a four-octave manual would be an instant hit and would offer Moog some serious competition. Afterall, Dave has made keyboards out of his other desktop modules. Why not finish the job?

[Pym]

It's not quite that simple, the people who post on the forum seem to like the black, yeah, but we've had pretty overwhelming positive response to the yellow color from all sources combined. Not to say I'm not listening but we're trying different things, each has pros and cons, one of the next products will likely return to the more 'professional' color scheme.

I'm also a classical pianist originally and definitely understand your point of view on this one, the feel of the instrument aesthetically influences the way you treat it as an instrument. A synth that looks professional, you treat like a professional synth... same goes with one that looks like a toy, even if it doesn't feel or sound like one. I wish we had more flexibility in the design area but we're a small company and a lot of the corners we cut to get the synths out end up influencing the design heavily. In the end, the sound ALWAYS comes first.

[The Analog Organist]

Thanks, Chris. I appreciate your time and thoughts.

[CowboyINC]

[The Analog Organist]

All true, CowboyINC, and reasonably said. But I thought I'd put a word in for a class of synthesists that is relatively invisible, quiet, and yet, quite active and dedicated to their craft.

By the way, don't get the impression that I'm a snooty highly skilled virtuoso. By no means. Some of you could probably run circles around me on a keyboard. I simply love classical music, rather than rock, jazz, or any other contemporary style. It often comes with age and life experience!