DSI Mopho

The DSI Mopho Keyboard

After weeks of internal debate, I decided to buy the Dave Smith Instruments Mopho Keyboard. The battle came down to two challengers: The Moog Slim Phatty and the Mopho. I knew i wanted an analog synth, and I knew I didn’t want to shell out $3k. That pretty much limited me to these two machines. I have tons of software synths, and an Ultranova VA (which I love to death); but I wanted something really raw and “phat”.

Thanks to YouTube there are tons of videos on both products, from professional reviews to people playing them in their basement. I was really torn. First off, I love the look of the SP. It’s a Moog! That name alone brings with it a ton of weight. I also liked the ease of use. All the knobs are right there in the four large pots. It sounded warm. But then I starting listening to the Mopho. At first, I was not impressed. It was yellow. It looked cheap. It wasn’t a Moog. Everywhere I looked synth geeks were saying that if you wanted that “Moog sound” you had to buy a Moog. Nothing else would do. So then I started asking myself: Do I really want the Moog sound, or do I just want an analog synth?

I ened up going to Guitar Center (I really hate going to GC) to play them both. I sat down at the SP and had a blast. It was easy to play, easy to adjust sounds and it had that analog sound I was wanting–but no keys. No worries, I have a controller at home. Then I went over to the Mopho. It was electrifying. It was gritty, it looked like it was made in shop class, and it had a ton of knobs. I found myself tweaking the sounds quite a bit. The SP has one LFO, the Mopho has FOUR! The Mopho has two oscillators and a sub. You can also do the feedback trick on both machines. But most of all, the Mopho was more fun! And it had keys and a neat wood panel frame. So I bought the Mopho (online, not from GC hee hee).

On the first day I had buyer’s remorse. It was monophonic. It wasn’t a Moog. I should have bought a new dishwasher. But after I got used to all the knobs and the modulation settings I was in love. She sounds great. Yeah, the Mopho is gritty, but you can ungritty it just by knowing your way around a synth. Below I’ve listed my loves and my knocks. Enjoy!

LOVES
1. 4 LFOs
2. Plenty of knobs for real-time modulation
3. Sequencer (basic, but good for patterns)
4. Sub oscillator
5. Build

Knocks:
1. Quirky way to get back to sound programs
2. No “init” bank
3. Presents are pretty bad
4. Keys could be a little heavier
5. No VST editor (you can buy one for $70 from a third party)

All-in-all, very happy with my purchase. I hope to make many blippy-clicky things in the future with her!