16th April 2011
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#1 | | Gear interested
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 5
Thread Starter | Buying my first synth - DSI Mopho? Tetra?
Hi everyone!
I'm so happy I found this forum - it looks great! =)
I've been playing the drums for over 10 years and I absolutely love it! However, I've gotten really interested in songwriting and electronic music lately.
I have no experience what-so-ever with electronic gear (All I've got is a Wavedrum!), but I love to learn! =)
I work on a Mac and bought Ableton Live the other day and I'm starting to get the basics down.
The music I want to do is ambient, spacy, electronic stuff. I want to create melodic, beautiful music combined with raw, "dangerous-sounding" synth sounds.
I've been playing around with soft-synths, but I really, really want knobs. REAL knobs.
I want to learn creating sounds like I've done with other instruments I've learned - hands on!
That's why I've been looking at different synths lately, especially those phat-sounding analog synths.
I've been thinking about getting a DSI Tetra, and then buy a Mopho Keyboard later on to control it (+ one more voice! Yay!). Do you guys think this could be a good fit for my musical goals? Would I, as a complete beginner, be able to learn and grow using these instruments, while not getting overwhelmed by a really steep learning curve?
I'm currently thinking about using soft-synths for pads etc, while using the Tetra/Mopho for bass/leads/processing external signals. Maybe I could use the tetra for some ambient, soft stuff as well? It can do 4 voices at a time, so I'm just thinking out loud here,  e.
I'm really sorry if I ask stupid questions. But we all have to start somewhere! =)
Please tell me what you think, maybe give me other options, suggestions on how to learn etc. The price-range I'm thinking about is 600-700 USD..
Thank you guys so much! =)
Z.
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16th April 2011
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#2 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,237
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The MoPho + Tetr4 will definitely give you the raw/ripping/dangerous end of the spectrum. As far as the melodic spacey stuff, there are other things that can probably do it better, though the Tetr4 is capable of some very Vangelis sounding pads and both can do weird satellite/computer noises.
You basically just need to decide what you want first - the MoPho will give you the control, the Tetr4 will give you more aural possibilities up front. Can't go wrong with either, and once you have all 5 voices going at once you'll have a lot of sonic power at your fingertips. It sounds like you're generally on the right track with your thinking.
The other thing you should look into is a proper MIDI controller for Ableton, there are dedicated keyboards that'll have a bunch of assignable knobs that can control your softsynths, and can be set up to control the Tetr4 too if you get that first.
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16th April 2011
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#3 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Dec 2009 Location: Canada
Posts: 215
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The Tetra is a great sounding analogue synth but not one would call fully hands on as most of your editing would be via your computer. The Mopho kybd would be able to control the Tetra and you would have a lot of fun with it. I'm not sure what you mean by "dangerous - sounding" so maybe you could post a youtube link of those types of sounds as many here would easily give you excellent advice. Welcome to the forum!
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16th April 2011
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#4 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2010 Location: Great White North
Posts: 2,218
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I'd probably go the other way around and get the Mopho keyboard first, then the Tetra. Since the Tetra will involve menu diving and without a keyboard, you'll have the rely on your PC to trigger it.
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16th April 2011
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2007 Location: USA
Posts: 1,423
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DSI + Dangerous = Evolver
It can sound both beautiful and brutal. Even at the same time.
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16th April 2011
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#6 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2010 Location: Great White North
Posts: 2,218
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Originally Posted by plaid_emu  DSI + Dangerous = Evolver
It can sound both beautiful and brutal. Even at the same time. | Bit out of his price range, though.
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16th April 2011
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#7 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 958
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+1 for Mopho Keyboard thumbsup
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16th April 2011
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#8 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2007 Location: USA
Posts: 1,423
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Originally Posted by shponglefan Bit out of his price range, though. | I know it's not as fun but there's always the desktop version, Soundtower editor and a MIDI controller with lots of knobs.
In my opinion it would be worth the sacrifice either way. Save for the mono keyboard PE or go the MIDI controller route.
The Mopho and Tetra sound excellent no doubt. The Evolver...... that thing is seething with mojo.
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17th April 2011
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#9 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,237
| Quote:
Originally Posted by plaid_emu I know it's not as fun but there's always the desktop version, Soundtower editor and a MIDI controller with lots of knobs.
In my opinion it would be worth the sacrifice either way. Save for the mono keyboard PE or go the MIDI controller route.
The Mopho and Tetra sound excellent no doubt. The Evolver...... that thing is seething with mojo. | I just bought a MEK off a user here (rids), just waiting for the Paypal to clear. You're getting me excited here. Then I will have both worlds!
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17th April 2011
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#10 | | Gear addict
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 329
| Quote:
Originally Posted by shponglefan Bit out of his price range, though. | It's cheaper than a Mopho keyboard and a Tetra combined, actually 
Though the OP would have to save longer for the first purchase. AudioMIDI.com has B-stocks for about $1100 as well, that's even cheaper.
Going with the original plan, though, I'd get the Mopho keyboard first to learn synthesis on since it's much more knobby than the Tetra. It'd be kinda cool to see DSI do a Tetra keyboard.
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17th April 2011
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#11 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2010 Location: Great White North
Posts: 2,218
| Quote:
Originally Posted by KryoShift It's cheaper than a Mopho keyboard and a Tetra combined, actually | The Mono yes, the Poly no. I guess it depends on whether the OP would be happy with a mono.
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17th April 2011
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#12 | | Gear interested
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 5
Thread Starter |
Thank you guys so much for your replies! =)
I want to go poly in the future, so I might just go for the Mopho keyboard now and expand later and poly-chain it to the Tetra.
I'd love an Evolver Poly, but that's a bit too expensive for me right now!
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17th April 2011
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#13 | | Gear addict
Joined: Mar 2011 Location: New York
Posts: 311
| Quote:
Originally Posted by KryoShift It'd be kinda cool to see DSI do a Tetra keyboard. | Because of the Prophet 08, I'm not sure that a 4 voice keyboard would find much of a market.
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17th April 2011
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#14 | | Gear nut
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 98
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OK. If it must be analog then the Mopho keyboard is going to be fantastic sounding synth and a blast for you, especially if you are more into sculpting sounds than playing complex passages. The Tetra addition later would be dope!!! Add a BOSS phaser, reverb and delay pedal, as well as some other analog type delay pedal and you will be off the charts huge sounding. This is a rig that any level musician could be proud of and are, just ask and watch the pros.
Now, another immediate and far cheaper solution is to give the M-Audio Venom and/or the Novation Ultranova a listen and you can forgo the soft-synths and extra effects.
The Roland GAIA has a very traditional sound especially with Sweetwater's extra sounds that are available at Roland's sight right now.
The KORG R3 is great for landscaping. Just a thought...
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17th April 2011
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#15 | | Gear addict
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 329
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Originally Posted by shponglefan The Mono yes, the Poly no. I guess it depends on whether the OP would be happy with a mono. | Yeah, my brain wasn't quite functioning  Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodfellow Because of the Prophet 08, I'm not sure that a 4 voice keyboard would find much of a market. | Really? The Poly Evolver Keyboard is 4 voices. I don't know how sales compare to the Prophet '08, though.
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17th April 2011
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#16 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2009 Location: Colorado
Posts: 1,238
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Goodfellow Because of the Prophet 08, I'm not sure that a 4 voice keyboard would find much of a market. | Being that the Tetra is superior to the Prophet 08 in every way except polyphony, I'm more in the boat of wishing they made a "Octra" keyboard and discontinued the '08 line entirely.
Personally, I would love a 37-key Tetra with all the knobby goodness the Mopho has to offer, and can confirm plenty of other GS people feel the same. Heck, a knobbier desktop version of an "Octra" would also be rather awesome. Polychain is a neat idea but sloppy in practice. I'd much rather pay ~$1600 for a 8-voice "Octra" than polychain two Tetras up and only be able to edit on a computer. Likewise, a Tetra w/ 37-keys & knobs for say ~1200-1400 would be a dream.
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17th April 2011
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#17 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,237
| Quote:
Originally Posted by KryoShift Really? The Poly Evolver Keyboard is 4 voices. I don't know how sales compare to the Prophet '08, though. | I think a Tetr4 keys & P08 might trip over one another more than the PEK & P08, which are seen as fairly different. And the MoKey is clearly intended as the key controller for that line. There wouldn't be an appreciable difference from just getting a MoKey + a Tetr4 or two unless they really made a robust interface with more keys...at which point you've almost rendered the P08 obsolete.
I'd kind of rather see DSI create something all new for the next project after the Tempest like they did with the Evolver, change the game a bit.
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17th April 2011
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#18 | | Matrix Modulator
Joined: Jan 2009 Location: Vibration
Posts: 1,247
| Quote:
Originally Posted by LiveFromKyoto
I'd kind of rather see DSI create something all new for the next project after the Tempest like they did with the Evolver, change the game a bit.
| DSI have indicated multiple times that this will be their strategy.
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17th April 2011
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#19 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2011 Location: Montréal
Posts: 1,727
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your first keyboard should probably be an Alesis Andromeda A6 - then you wont ever have to look back with regret  | |
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18th April 2011
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#20 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2010 Location: Athens, GA
Posts: 787
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+1 mopho kybd first tetra second. The computer editor is not fun and kinda glitchy, sadly. I think "dangerous-sounding" could be pretty apt for these synths. You could also name your patches "Hacksaw", "stabbin-lead", "shiv-bass"  | |
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18th April 2011
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#21 | | Gear interested
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 20
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Originally Posted by Zombie Holocaust your first keyboard should probably be an Alesis Andromeda A6 - then you wont ever have to look back with regret | I wish I could get one, there's none selling on ebay atm. Actually, there's one, but it's at $5000. Ridiculous
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18th April 2011
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#22 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2011 Location: Montréal
Posts: 1,727
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Originally Posted by cmknight I wish I could get one, there's none selling on ebay atm. Actually, there's one, but it's at $5000. Ridiculous | yea I saw that lols - but it's RED!  | |
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18th April 2011
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#23 | | Gear nut
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 98
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I don't think the Mopho keyboard could ever be a regret. Granted the poly chaining process is a bit sloppy, often requiring 2-4 separate channels on a mixer just to get the levels right, but it is a keyboard, it's analog, has aftertouch, and it's $700.00.
If I had a budget to allow for an analog speciality piece, this would be on my short list, with the intent to purchase the Tetra down the road. Plus it looks compact and killer.
I will throw one other choice your way. The DSI MEK PE with the DSI case is what I would take first of all.
I owned a PEK for a while and miss it extremely.
I just wish the MEK's PE version had the Tetra/PO8 knobs, but oh well it is still great.
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18th April 2011
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#24 | | Gear addict
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 329
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Originally Posted by LiveFromKyoto I'd kind of rather see DSI create something all new for the next project after the Tempest like they did with the Evolver, change the game a bit. | I'm not sure I agree completely on the rest of it, but this, this I do agree with 100%. I still think a Tetra Keyboard would be nice, but something completely new/innovative would be nicer still thumbsup
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19th April 2011
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#25 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jan 2011 Location: Miami to New York
Posts: 665
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Best part about the Mopho, is that Novamusik has them on a special deal for $685 (keyboard). Better deal than questionable Ebay used ones for $650. http://www.novamusik.com/search.aspx...mid=399&lbs=15 | |
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19th April 2011
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#26 | | Gear addict
Joined: Mar 2011 Location: New York
Posts: 311
| Quote:
Originally Posted by KryoShift Really? The Poly Evolver Keyboard is 4 voices. I don't know how sales compare to the Prophet '08, though. | More exactly to the point. While there is a 4 voice Poly Evolver Keyboard and an 8 voice Prophet 08, there won't be any Tetra keyboard. The functionality and price point would battle two other keyboards that they still have in production.
This isn't a synthesizer issue, it's a business one. They'd effectively be designing competition for themselves.
Not to mention that damn Tempest taking up all of their time. Need to get it into my life.
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19th April 2011
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#27 | | Gear addict
Joined: Aug 2006 Location: London
Posts: 357
| Quote:
Originally Posted by ctrlshft I'd much rather pay ~$1600 for a 8-voice "Octra" than polychain two Tetras up and only be able to edit on a computer. | I'm sure you would, given that's an 8 voice synth with a more complex voice architecture for $400 less than the P'08... | |
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