Dave Smith Instruments Mopho Operation Manual
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Dave Smith Instruments Mopho Operation Manual

Mopho synthesizer
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  • Page 1 Operation Manual...
  • Page 3 Mopho Operation Manual Version 1.1 August 2010 Dave Smith Instruments 1210 Cabrillo Hwy N Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1449 ©2010 Dave Smith Instruments www.DaveSmithInstruments.com...
  • Page 4 Tested To Comply With FCC Standards FOR OFFICE USE This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Contents Quick Start....................1 Getting Connected ..................3 Basic Operation..................5 Global Parameters ..................9 Oscillators....................13 Mixer......................16 Filter ......................17 Envelopes....................18 LFO ......................19 Sequencer ....................21 Modulators....................26 Miscellaneous Modulators............... 27 Clock ....................... 28 Miscellaneous Parameters..............30 Modulation Sources ................

  • Page 7: Quick Start

    Quick Start Thanks for purchasing your Mopho synthesizer! Listen to the sounds, twiddle some knobs, have some fun! Please Register! Please go to www.davesmithinstruments.com and register your synth. If you purchased directly from us, there is no need to register—we already have your contact information.
  • Page 8 Don’t forget you get a free editor for Mac OS or Windows with your purchase. Download it from www.soundtower.com/mopho. I should mention that this manual does not include explanations of basic analog synthesizer functions. It assumes you already know what an oscillator is, how a low-pass filter affects the sound, what an ADSR envelope looks like, and so on.

  • Page 9: Getting Connected

    Note: This input is heavily filtered for smooth, clean operation, so there is a limit to the speed at which it will respond. Mopho can be used as a signal processor. Audio is routed through the Audio In— filter, envelopes, and VCA and...
  • Page 10 Audio can also be used to advance the sequencer when Seq Trigger is set to Audio In. See Sequencer on page 21 for more information. Mopho’s unbalanced left and right outputs. Left Out/Right Out— A ¼ inch stereo headphone jack.

  • Page 11: Basic Operation

    Mopho has most of the parameters of the Prophet ’08, plus a couple more, with a front panel that is more than 55% smaller! Fortunately, several of the synth components have similar control requirements.
  • Page 12 —Press to return Mopho to program mode. Hold to select global mode. Program —When editing a Program, press Compare to hear the saved version. Compare Turn Compare off to return to the edited version. Compare can also be used to audition write destinations when moving a program.

  • Page 13: Modes Of Operation

    Modes of Operation Mopho has three operating modes: program, edit, and global. In program mode, Param 1, Param 2, and Inc/Dec are used to change from one saved program to another. As soon as any of the programmable parameters are edited, that parameter is displayed on the LCD, with the programmed value on the top line, and the new, edited value on the bottom line.

  • Page 15: Global Parameters

    Sets the method by which MIDI Parameter Receive: All, NRPN, CC, Off— Mopho receives parameter changes via MIDI. As with transmission, NRPNs are the preferred method, though some controllers may only be able to send CCs. When On, the synth will respond to MIDI controllers, MIDI Control: Off, On—...
  • Page 16 - —A momentary footswitch connected to Sustain: Norm +, Norm -, Arp +, Arp Mopho’s Sustain input can be used either as a sustain pedal or to latch the...
  • Page 17 Mopho can be configured for use with either normally open (+) or normally closed (-) footswitches. When set to Arp+ or Arp-, the footswitch will act as a sustain pedal when the Arpeggiator is off. Sets the destination for the Pedal/CV input. Note that this Pedal: see table—...
  • Page 18 Dump the current bank in Tetra format Press Write to start transmission. This feature is handy for saving Programs on a computer in SysEx format, or for sending them to another Mopho via a direct MIDI connection. The dumps include Program and Bank numbers, so when...

  • Page 19: Oscillators

    Oscillators The Oscillators section contains the primary controls for Mopho’s two digitally controlled analog oscillators or DCOs. “Digitally controlled” does not mean the oscillators themselves are digital, just that the oscillators’ frequencies are under digital—rather than voltage—control. The advantage to that is that the tuning is exceptionally stable over a ten-octave range without having to compensate for variables like temperature.
  • Page 20 —The amount of random oscillator frequency tuning slop. Oscillator Slop: 0...5 The analog oscillators in Mopho are very accurate, and will not drift. This works great for accurate sounds, and allows precise de-tuning. Oscillator Slop allows subtle amounts of frequency drift. For larger amounts, use a random LFO or...
  • Page 21 —Determines how the Glide Mode: FixRate, FixRate A, FixTime, FixTime A oscillators respond when Glide is on. The time to transition between notes varies with the interval between FixRate: the notes; the greater the interval, the longer the transition time. The glide rate is fixed.

  • Page 22: Mixer

    When an audio cable is inserted in Audio In, the feedback loop is broken and the audio is processed by Mopho’s filter and VCA. In conjunction with the gain control, Audio In will accept a fairly wide range of signal levels from low-level sources like guitars to hotter, line-level signals.

  • Page 23: Filter

    Filter Mopho features a selectable 2- or 4-pole, low-pass filter. —Selects the filter configuration. When lighted, the filter is in 4-pole 4-Pole mode. A 4-pole, low-pass filter rolls off frequencies above the cutoff frequency at a slope of 24dB/octave. When the light is off, the filter is in 2-pole mode and has a slope of 12dB/octave and a more gradual rolloff of the higher frequencies.

  • Page 24: Envelopes

    Envelopes Mopho has three 5-stage (Delay + ADSR) envelope generators. Two are dedicated—one to the filter and the other to the amplifier—and the third is assignable to any modulation destination. —Selects the envelope to edit. When all three are lighted, the Envelope Select other envelope parameters control all three envelopes simultaneously.

  • Page 25: Lfo

    Mopho has four low frequency oscillators (LFOs). The LFOs can be free- running, synced to keystrokes, or synced to the sequencer and MIDI clock. To edit the LFO parameters, choose LFO in the Modulation section. —Chooses the LFO to edit.
  • Page 26 Display Timing Sync 32 Steps Sequence speed divided by 32; one LFO cycle takes 32 steps 16 Steps Sequence speed divided by 16 8 Steps Sequence speed divided by 8 6 Steps Sequence speed divided by 6 4 Steps Sequence speed divided by 4 3 Steps Sequence speed divided by 3 2 Steps...

  • Page 27: Sequencer

    (more legato) or shorter (more staccato) effects can be achieved by editing the envelope rates. Mopho’s sequencer is a gated sequencer. That means it requires a note to be gated on—that is played from the keyboard, the Push It button, or via MIDI—in...
  • Page 28 does not respond to MIDI start/stop/continue messages, but it can still sync to an external clock. Simply turn on the sequencer and then play and hold a note to start. Or use the Push It button’s toggle feature to latch a note on with one push and release it with another;...

  • Page 29: Programming The Sequencer

    Sequence one has an additional value, Rest, that appears in the list after Reset. Rest prevents the envelopes from being gated by the corresponding step, so a rest in sequence one affects all four sequences. If the sequences are the same length, rests will occur in the same place in all four sequences as they loop.
  • Page 30 Slew in sequence four controls sequence three. In Mopho’s sequencer, Slew sets the slew rate between the previous step’s value and the current step’s value when the step is gated on. Confused yet? This should help: let’s say sequence one is routed to oscillator frequency and...
  • Page 31 Note: Depending upon the BPM and Clock Divide settings, the slew rate can actually exceed the time the envelopes are gated on, causing a step in the affected sequence to not reach its set value. For example, if Slew is applied to oscillator frequency, high Slew values may cause a step to sound flat or sharp.

  • Page 32: Modulators

    Modulators lets you configure the modulation routing and amount for Mopho’s four general-purpose modulation slots. Since each Mopho modulation source has a single destination, the four general purpose modulators provide a way to send a mod source (such as a sequence or LFO) to additional destinations, with a different amount.

  • Page 33: Miscellaneous Modulators

    Miscellaneous Modulators There are certain standard controllers that Mopho consigns to dedicated modulators, things like mod wheel, pressure (aka aftertouch), and velocity. The most obvious benefits to doing this is it provides a shortcut to setting up commonly used controllers and it frees up the four general-purpose mod slots for other, more Mopho-specific applications.

  • Page 34: Clock

    (and LFO, when Clock Sync is on). There are also switches to turn the arpeggiator and sequencer on and off. —Turns Mopho’s arpeggiator on and off. The tempo and note value Arpeggiator are determined by the BPM and Clock Divide settings. Arpeggiator Mode is set in Miscellaneous Parameters.
  • Page 35 The Arpeggiator (and Sequencer) can also sync to MIDI clock from an external sequencer or other device. See “Clock” in Global Parameters on page 9 for more information. —Turns Mopho’s gated sequencer on and off. See Sequencer on Sequencer page 21 for more information.

  • Page 36: Miscellaneous Parameters

    Miscellaneous Parameters Miscellaneous Parameters groups together programmable parameters that do not conveniently fall into any obvious section or, if they do, are parameters that are less frequently used. They are important, but generally not required for performance. Sets the volume of the current program to match Voice Volume: 0…127—...
  • Page 37 Mopho to process external audio, turn the VCA Level up. When set to Normal, Push It responds Push It Mode: Normal, Toggle, Audio In— like a key: press it and a note plays, release it and the note ends. But when set to Toggle, Push It turns the note on with one press and off with a second press.

  • Page 38: Modulation Sources

    Modulation Sources Display Source No source selected Sequence 1 Sequence1 Sequence 2 Sequence2 Sequence 3 Sequence3 Sequence 4 Sequence4 LFO 1 LFO 1 LFO 2 LFO 2 LFO 3 LFO 3 LFO 4 LFO 4 Filter Envelope Filt Env1 Amp (VCA) Envelope VCA Env 2 Envelope 3 Envelope3...

  • Page 39: Modulation Destinations

    Modulation Destinations Display Destination No destination selected Oscillator 1 Frequency Osc 1 Freq Oscillator 2 Frequency Osc 2 Freq Oscillator 1 and 2 Frequency OscAllFreq Oscillator Mix Osc Mix Noise Level NoiseLevel Oscillator 1 Pulse Width Osc1 PulsW Oscillator 2 Pulse Width Osc2 PulsW All Oscillators Pulse Width Osc All PW...
  • Page 40 Modulator 3 Amount Mod 3 Amt Modulator 4 Amount Mod 4 Amt Feedback Volume Fback Vol Sub Oscillator 1 Level Sub Osc 1 Sub Oscillator 2 Level Sub Osc 2 Feedback Gain Fback Gain Sequencer Slew* Slew *Appears as a destination in sequences 2 and 4 only.

  • Page 41: Using Usb

    “normal” MIDI connection. USB Notes Under Mac OS X, Mopho will appear as a MIDI port when connected via USB and can be configured using the Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup application (typically found in Applications/Utilities).
  • Page 42 In Windows, if you unplug the USB cable and plug it back in while a program has the Mopho port open, you may have to resync. That usually means going to the USB Audio Device (or DSI Mopho) Properties, as in the procedure above, and clicking OK.

  • Page 43: Using Audio In

    External Gain for low-level signals. You can have a ton of fun playing with just Mopho and patches like this, but if you sync to an external sequencer or delay or both, things really get interesting!

  • Page 44: Using Poly Chain

    Poly Chain to the number of additional voices that will be chained: Out 1 (for poly chaining a Mopho), Out 4, Out 5, Out 8, Out 12, or Out 16. Refer to the illustration on page 40 for examples of the Poly Chain settings on the slave units.
  • Page 45 Note: If syncing to an external MIDI clock, set MIDI Clock (Global menu) on the master and any intermediate units to MIDI In/Out. Set the last instrument in the chain to MIDI In. When Poly Chain is set to Off, the Poly Chain MIDI out jack simply duplicates the MIDI out jack.
  • Page 46 Mopho Kybd. Mopho Poly MIDI 2 Voices: Chain Out 1 Mopho Kybd. Tetra Poly MIDI 5 Voices: Chain In End Out 4 Mopho Mopho Kybd. Tetra Poly Poly MIDI MIDI 6 Voices: Chain Chain Out 5 InOut4 Mopho Kybd. Tetra...

  • Page 47: Support

    Still experiencing a problem with Mopho? Reset the Global parameters (in the Global menu). Contacting Technical Support If you are still having a problem with Mopho, contact Technical Support at support@davesmithinstruments.com. Please include your Mopho’s serial number, the version of the operating systems (Main and Voice displayed on startup), and the purchase date.

  • Page 48: Warranty Repair

    Please contact support@davesmithinstruments.com to determine the best course of action for getting your Mopho repaired. For your own protection, as well as ours, please do not return any product to Dave Smith Instruments without a return authorization (RA) number. To issue an RA number, Technical Support needs: •...

  • Page 49: Midi Implementation

    MIDI Implementation Mopho receives MIDI data according to the mode controls under G . In LOBAL addition, there is interaction between some of the Program parameters that determine the overall response of Mopho to MIDI data. Following are the Global parameters that affect response to MIDI: Selects the MIDI channel to send and receive MIDI Channel: ALL, 1…16 —...

  • Page 50: Midi Messages

    MIDI Messages System Real-time Messages Status Description 1111 1000 MIDI Timing Clock Received Channel Messages Status Second Third Description 1000 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Note Off. Velocity is ignored 1001 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Note On. Note off if vvvvvvv = 0 1010 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv...
  • Page 51 Transmitted Channel Messages Status Second Third Description 1000 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0000000 Note Off. 1001 nnnn 0kkkkkkk 0vvvvvvv Note On. 1011 nnnn 0vvvvvvv 0vvvvvvv Control Change; see “Transmitted Controller Messages” table following 1100 nnnn 0ppppppp Program change, 0 – 127 for Programs 1 – 128 within current Bank 1101 nnnn 0vvvvvvv...
  • Page 52 Additional Continuous Controllers (CCs) Transmitted/Received The following table details how CCs are mapped onto Mopho’s controls. They are transmitted when MIDI Parameter Send is set to CC in Global, and recognized when received when MIDI Parameter Receive is set to either CC or All in Global.

  • Page 53: Nrpn Messages

    NRPN Messages The Non-Registered Parameter Number (NRPN) MIDI messages are used to transmit and receive both global and program parameters. They are transmitted when MIDI Parameter Send is set to NRPN in Global, and received when MIDI Parameter Receive is set to either NRPN or All in Global. The messages are handled in standard MIDI format using the NRPN CC commands in running status byte format.

  • Page 54: Global Parameter Data

    Received NRPN Messages Status Second Third Description 1011 nnnn 0110 0011 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter number MSB CC 1011 nnnn 0110 0010 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter number LSB CC 1011 nnnn 0000 0110 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter value MSB CC 1011 nnnn 0010 0110 0vvvvvvv NRPN parameter value LSB CC 1011 nnnn...
  • Page 55 Param NRPN Range Description 0 - 1 MIDI Out Select*: 0 MIDI Out 1 MIDI Thru 0 - 6 Poly Chain*: 0 Off 1 Out 1 2 Out 4 3 Out 5 4 Out 8 5 Out 12 6 Out 16 0 –...

  • Page 56: Program Parameter Data

    Program Parameter Data The following table lists Mopho’s voice parameters. The parameter number in the program and edit buffer dumps are different than the NRPN numbers as seen; this was to maintain NRPN compatibility with the Prophet ’08 as much as possible.
  • Page 57 0 - 127 Filter Keyboard Amount 0 - 127 Filter Audio Modulation 0 - 1 Filter Poles 0: 2-pole; 1: 4-pole 0 - 254 Filter Envelope Amount; -127 to +127 0 - 127 Filter Envelope Velocity Amount 0 - 127 Filter Envelope Delay 0 - 127 Filter Envelope Attack...
  • Page 58 0 - 47 LFO 2 Mod Destination; See Modulation Destination list below 0 - 1 LFO 2 Key Sync Off/On 0 - 166 LFO 3 Frequency; same as LFO 1 0 - 4 LFO 3 Shape; same as LFO 1 0 - 127 LFO 3 Amount 0 - 47...
  • Page 59 0 - 47 Pressure Destination; See Modulation Destination list below 0 - 254 Breath Amount; -127 to +127 0 - 47 Breath Destination; See Modulation Destination list below 0 - 254 Velocity Amount; -127 to +127 0 - 47 Velocity Destination; See Modulation Destination list below 0 - 254 Foot Control Amount;...
  • Page 60 0 - 14 Arpeggiator Mode: Down Up/Down Assign Random Up 2 Octaves Down 2 Octaves Up/Down 2 Octaves Assign 2 Octaves Random 2 Octaves 10 Up 3 Octaves 11 Down 3 Octaves 12 Up/Down 3 Octaves 13 Assign 3 Octaves 14 Random 3 Octaves 0 - 1 Arpeggiator;...
  • Page 61 The following tables list the values used with the program parameters to specify modulation destinations and sources. Mod Destinations Value Osc 1 Freq Osc 2 Freq Osc 1 and 2 Freq Osc Mix Noise Level Osc 1 Pulse Width Osc 2 Pulse Width Osc 1 and 2 Pulse Width Filter Frequency Resonance...
  • Page 62 Mod 1 Amt Mod 2 Amt Mod 3 Amt Mod 4 Amt External Audio In Level Sub Osc 1 Level Sub Osc 2 Level Feedback Gain Slew* *Appears as a destination in sequences 2 and 4 only. Mod Sources Value Sequence Track 1 Sequence Track 2 Sequence Track 3...

  • Page 63: Sysex Messages

    Request Program Transmit 0000 00vv Bank Number, 0 - 2 0vvv vvvv Program Number, 0 - 127 1111 0111 End of Exclusive (EOX) Mopho will respond by sending out the Program Data in the format described below in Program Data Dump.
  • Page 64 0000 0110 Request Program Edit Buffer Transmit 1111 0111 End of Exclusive (EOX) Mopho will respond by sending out the current Program edit buffer in the format described below in Program Edit Buffer Data Dump. Request Global Parameter Dump Status...

  • Page 65: Packed Data Format

    Status Description 1111 0000 System Exclusive (SysEx) 0000 0001 DSI ID 0010 0111 Mopho keyboard ID 0000 0011 Edit Buffer Data 0vvv vvvv 256 bytes expanded to 293 MIDI bytes in “packed MS bit” format (see page 59.) 1111 0111...
  • Page 68 Dave Smith Instruments 1210 Cabrillo Hwy N Half Moon Bay, CA 94019-1449 www.DaveSmithInstruments.com...

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