Dave Smith Instruments MOPHO X4 User Manual

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Operation Manual

Mopho x4

Operation Manual

Version 1.0

July 2012

Dave Smith Instruments

1527 Stockton Street, 2

San Francisco, CA 94133

USA

www.DaveSmithInstruments.com

Floor

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 may cause undesired operation.

This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian InterferenceCausing Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numerique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Reglement sur le materiel brouilleur du Canada.

For Technical Support, email: support@davesmithinstruments.com

Contents

Quick Start ................................................................................................ 1

Getting Connected .................................................................................... 3

Basic Operation ........................................................................................ 4

Global Parameters .................................................................................... 8

Oscillators ............................................................................................... 12

Mixer ....................................................................................................... 15

Filter ........................................................................................................ 16

Envelopes ............................................................................................... 17

LFO ......................................................................................................... 18

Sequencer ............................................................................................... 20

Modulators .............................................................................................. 25

Miscellaneous Modulators ...................................................................... 26

Clock ....................................................................................................... 27

Miscellaneous Parameters ...................................................................... 30

Modulation Sources ................................................................................ 32

Modulation Destinations .......................................................................... 33

Using USB .............................................................................................. 35

Using Poly Chain .................................................................................... 37

Support ................................................................................................... 40

MIDI Implementation ............................................................................... 42

MIDI Messages ................................................................................... 43

NRPN Messages ................................................................................. 46

Global Parameter Data ........................................................................ 47

Program Parameter Data .................................................................... 49

Sysex Messages ................................................................................. 56

Packed Data Format ........................................................................... 58

“Hidden” Functions .................................................................................. 59

Quick Start

Thanks for purchasing your Mopho x4 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.

Powering Up

Plug in the power supply, connect (in stereo!) to your mixer/sound system, and start playing!

Try applying keyboard pressure (aftertouch) and the mod wheel. Many sounds are fairly simple at first, then come alive when you use the controllers. With other sounds, you may need to hold the notes a while to let the sound unfold. Playing in different ways has a big effect on the programs.

Selecting and Editing Programs and Global Settings

You can use the increment and decrement (I step through the programs. Use P

ARAM 2 changes banks. There are eight banks of 128 programs: four banks of

ARAM 1 to scroll quickly through the programs.

NC/YES and DEC/NO) switches to

user programs (U1 through U4) and four banks of factory programs (F1 through F4). The user banks are initially copies of the factory banks. You can edit any of the programs, user or factory, but you can only save changes to the user banks. The factory banks are read only.

To edit a program, just turn any knob. The new value will be displayed in the bottom line of the LCD (the top line displays the programmed value for handy reference).

After turning knobs, just hit P

ROGRAM so the LCD goes back to the

program/bank screen, allowing you to change programs again.

Press and hold P

ROGRAM briefly to display the Global menu and change higher

level parameters such as MIDI channel number, Transpose/Detune, and so on.

ARAM 1 knob changes the displayed page and PARAM 2 or increment and

The P decrement change the values. These settings are remembered when the synth is turned off.

Summary

You should be up and running now; for more operation information, read on. Or, just look up specific parameters for detailed notes. Pages 32 and 33 contain a handy reference for mod sources and destinations. At some point you should read through the manual to discover all the little features that you might not notice at first.

Download the free LE version of Soundtower’s Mopho x4 editor from www.soundtower.com/mophox4.

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.

Fortunately, these days it is quite easy to find such resources on the Internet. If you want to learn the lingo and the basics, just try a search in Google (or the search engine of your choice), something like “analog synthesizer tutorial.” You’ll find plenty of good reading material.

Have fun!

Dave Smith

Special thanks to:

The DSI Team: Carson Day, Chris Hector, Tony Karavidas, Mark Kono, Andrew McGowan, Joanne McGowan, and Tracy Wadley.

Getting Connected

Mopho x4 has several inputs and outputs on its back panel.

Power Input — Connect the power supply included with your Mopho x4. The

power supply comes with different AC adaptors that enable it to work almost anywhere in the world. If for whatever reason you need to use a different supply, it must match the specifications printed on the back panel.

USB—Mopho x4 transmits and receives MIDI data via this standard, Type B,

USB receptacle. See Using USB on page 35 for more information.

MIDI In—To receive MIDI data from another device, connect this to the other

device's MIDI Out.

MIDI Out/Thru—To send MIDI data to another device, connect this to the other

device's MIDI In. This output can also be configured as a MIDI Thru using the MIDI Out Select parameter in the Global menu.

Poly Chain—Multiple synths can be poly chained for increased polyphony. For

details, see Using Poly Chain on page 37.

Note: When Poly Chain is turned off in the Global menu, the Poly Chain output simply mirrors the MIDI Out and transmits the same data.

Sustain—Accepts a momentary, normally open or normally closed footswitch

to control sustain or to latch the arpeggiator. See “Sustain” under Global Parameters on page 8 for more information.

Pedal/CV—This input can be connected to two types of controllers: a standard

expression pedal that has a variable resistor on a TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) ¼ inch phone plug, or a synthesizer or other device capable of producing a control voltage. The control voltage range is 0 to 3.3 volts DC, and the input is protected against higher and negative voltages. For more information, see “Pedal” in Global Parameters on page 8 and Miscellaneous Parameters on page 30.

Note: This input is heavily filtered for smooth, clean operation, so there is a limit to the speed at which it will respond.

Left Out/Right Out—

Phones—A ¼ inch stereo headphone jack.

Mopho x4’s unbalanced left and right outputs.

Basic Operation

If you’re familiar with analog, subtractive synthesis there shouldn’t be anything that looks terribly foreign or strange about Mopho x4’s front panel. All of the basic building blocks are there. But one of the challenges of making a compact synth is giving the user access to all the parameters within a limited amount of panel area. Mopho x4 has most of the parameters of the Prophet ’08, plus a couple more, with a front panel that is almost 40% smaller!

Fortunately, several of the synth components have similar control requirements. For example, Mopho x4 has two oscillators and both oscillators have identical control parameters. With a switch to select oscillator 1 or 2, one set of controls can do double duty. Another set of controls handles most of the parameters for all three envelope generators. And you can select both oscillators or all three envelopes to edit a parameter simultaneously in all of them.

Other, less frequently used parameter names appear in light gray above the corresponding knob or switch. Turn on S

And finally, program-level parameters that are not typically performance oriented are found in the Miscellaneous Parameters section.

The front panel is arranged so that the basic signal path components are in order from left to right in the row closest to the keyboard: oscillators into mixer into filter. The second row consists of various modulators, including envelopes, LFOs, and the sequencer. The remaining programmable parameters are for turning the arpeggiator and sequencer on and off, setting the tempo and note value, and the aforementioned Miscellaneous Parameters.

HIFT to access those parameters.

Non-Programmable Controls

The front panel controls can be divided into two groups, programmable and nonprogrammable. Everything contained within a black “module” is programmable. The non-programmable controls are for things like selecting programs and transposing the keyboard. Their state—on, off, transposed, whatever—is not saved along with the program.

Transpose—Allows the keyboard to be transposed in one octave increments

two octaves up or down. When transposed one octave, the corresponding LED will be lighted, but dim. If the LED is brightly lit, Mopho x4 is transposed two octaves.

Shift—Used to access the shifted parameters.

Program—Press to return Mopho x4 to program mode. Hold to select global

mode.

Compare—When editing a Program, press COMPARE to hear the saved version.

OMPARE off to return to the edited version. COMPARE can also be used to

Turn C audition write destinations when moving a program.

Write—Press WRITE to save the program and write any edits to memory. You

can write the program to the same location or choose a different program number using P the write and D

ARAM 1; PARAM 2 chooses the bank. Press INC/YES to confirm

EC/NO (or WRITE again) to abort.

While there is a write pending, press C destination prior to saving. Just be sure to turn C hit the I

Param 1— Used to scroll through programs in program mode. In global mode,

NC/YES switch to save.

OMPARE to hear the program in the target

OMPARE off before you actually

used for scrolling through the global menu items.

Param 2—Used to change banks in program mode and edit the displayed

parameter in edit and global modes. There are eight banks of 128 programs: four user banks (U1 through U4) and four factory banks (F1 through F4). The user banks are initially copies of the factory banks, but any program—user or factory—can be edited and saved to any location in the user banks. The factory banks are read only and cannot be overwritten.

Note: To copy the factory banks to the user banks, hold C

POLE. Be aware that this will overwrite any custom programs in

press 4

OMPARE and

the user banks and all changes will be lost.

Inc/Yes and Dec/No—Increment or decrement programs in program mode or

values in edit mode and global mode. Also used to confirm or cancel/abort an operation.

Push It—PUSH IT is a manual trigger. Its behavior depends upon the Push It

Mode, Note, and Velocity settings, which are programmable. Why is a manual trigger necessary when there are already 44 other manual triggers (that is, the keys)? It is surprsingly handy, especially in Toggle mode. It can be used to start and stop the sequencer or to just latch a droning note on. And that frees up both hands to twist knobs!

Tap Tempo—With SHIFT on, PUSH IT becomes TAP TEMPO for setting the

internal clock’s BPM.

If P

USH IT is set to Toggle mode and SEQUENCE and SHIFT are on, tap five times

to set the tempo and toggle the Push It Note on, starting the sequencer. That is, a 4-count to set the tempo and then a tap on beat 1 to start. To stop, turn S and press P

USH IT again.

HIFT off

TAP TEMPO can also be used to change the tempo while a sequence is playing. If

HIFT is on while a sequence is playing, tap the button 5 times and the sequence

S speed will change to the tapped tempo on the fifth hit. You can continue to tap the button, slowing down or speeding up, and the sequence tempo will adjust accordingly. The sequence will average and smooth out any small timing differences.

Modes of Operation

Mopho x4 has three operating modes: program, edit, and global. In program mode, P

ARAM 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. That is edit mode. To exit edit mode and return to program mode, just press P

ROGRAM.

To enter global mode, briefly press and hold P and a global parameter is displayed on the LCD. P items in the global menu and P

ARAM 2 and INC/DEC change the values. For

ROGRAM until the light goes off

ARAM 1 scrolls through the

more information, see Global Parameters on page 8.

Global Parameters

Display

MIDI Clock Setting

Internal

MIDI clock is neither sent nor received

MIDI Out

MIDI clock is sent

MIDI In

MIDI clock is received

Midi In/Out

MIDI clock is received and transmitted

Mopho x4’s Global parameters affect all programs globally. Examples include MIDI channel and fine tune. To edit the Global parameters, hold down the

ROGRAM switch until Global Parameter is displayed. The PARAM 1 knob

P changes the global parameter and P buttons change the value.

Transpose: -12…+12—Master Transpose control, 0 is centered. Steps in

semitones.

Fine Tune: -50…+50—Master Fine Tune control; 0 centered. Steps in cents (50

cents = 1/2 semitone).

MIDI Channel: ALL, 1…16—Selects which MIDI channel to send and receive

data, 1 to 16. All receives on all 16 channels.

Clock: see table—Sets the clock status.

MIDI Parameter Send: NRPN, CC, Off—Changes to the values of Mopho x4’s

front panel controls are transmitted via MIDI as Non-registered Parameter Number (NRPN) controllers or as Continuous Controllers (CC). Transmission of parameters can also be turned off. See MIDI Implementation on page 42 for details.

ARAM 2 knob and increment and decrement

Note: NRPNs are the preferred method of parameter transmission, since they cover the complete range of all parameters, while CCs only handle the main parameters.

MIDI Parameter Receive: All, NRPN, CC, Off—Sets the method by which

Mopho x4 receives parameter changes via MIDI. As with transmission, NRPNs are the preferred method, though some controllers may only be able to send CCs.

MIDI Control: Off, On—When On, the synth will respond to MIDI controllers,

including Pitch Wheel, Mod Wheel, Pedal, Breath, Volume, and Expression.

MIDI SysEx: Off, On—When On, the synth will respond to received MIDI

SysEx messages, and will transmit them, when prompted, to the MIDI Out. See Sysex Messages on page 56 for details.

MIDI Out Select: Out, Thru—MIDI Out can be switched to MIDI Thru to

daisychain multiple MIDI devices.

Poly Chain: Off, Out 1, Out 4, Out 5, Out 8, Out 12, Out 16

—Used to expand the polyphony via the Poly Chain output and one or more DSI synths—Mopho, Tetra, or Prophet. See Using Poly Chain on page 37 for more information.

Local Control: Off, On—When on (the default), the keyboard and front panel

controls directly affect Mopho x4. When off, the controls are transmitted via MIDI but do not directly affect the “local” synth (that is, Mopho x4). This is primarily useful for avoiding MIDI data loops that can occur with some external sequencers.

Audio Out: Stereo, Mono—Mopho x4 defaults to stereo operation. When set to

Mono, this parameter defeats all pan settings and modulation, effectively making each of the outputs a mono output.

PotMode: Relative (default), Passthru, Jump—The rotary controls on Mopho

x4’s front panel are a mixture of “endless” rotary encoders and potentiometers or “pots.” The pots are identifiable by their lined knobs and the fact that they have about 300°of travel. There are three pot modes to determine how the synth reacts when the programmable parameters are edited. (Master volume is not programmable, so these modes don’t apply.)

When set to Relative, changes are relative to the stored setting. In Relative mode, the full value range is not available until either the minimum or maximum value and the respective lower or upper limit of the pot’s travel is reached.

For example, the R the physical position of the R

ESONANCE parameter has a value range of 0 to 127. Let’s say

ESONANCE pot is the equivalent of a value of 100.

If you switch to a program that has a stored Resonance setting of 63 and turn the pot all the way up, it will only go to 90. To get to the maximum value of 127, you first have to turn down until the value is at the other extreme and the pot is at the limit of its travel (in this case, 0 and fully counter-clockwise, respectively).

In Passthru mode, turning the pot has no effect until after the edited value equals the preset value (that is, until the edited value “passes through” the stored value).

Jump mode uses an absolute value based upon the position of the pot when

Display

Pedal Routing

FootCtrl

Routed to the Foot Control Modulation

Breath

Routed to the Breath Control Modulation

Expressn

Routed to the Expression Modulation

Volume

Controls Master Volume

LpFilter

Routed to the low-pass filter

LpF Half

Routed to the low-pass filter, but with half the range

edited: turn a pot and the value jumps immediately from the stored value to the edited value.

Sustain: Norm +, Norm -, Arp +, Arp - —A momentary footswitch connected to

Mopho x4’s Sustain input can be used either as a sustain pedal or to latch the arpeggiator. Mopho x4 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.

Pedal: see table—Sets the destination for the Pedal/CV input. Note that this

input is heavily filtered for clean operation, so there is a limit to the speed it will respond to changes.

The input will also accept control voltages in the range of 0 to 3.3 volts DC. It is protected against higher or negative voltages.

MIDI Pressure: Off, On—When On, the Mopho x4 will respond to received

MIDI pressure (aftertouch) messages and will transmit pressure from the keyboard to MIDI Out.

Pressure Curve: 1…4—Sets one of the four pressure curves for the keyboard to

adjust the aftertouch to your playing style.

Velocity Curve: 1…4—Sets one of the four velocity curves for the keyboard to

adjust the velocity response to your playing style.

ArpLatch: Normal, ReLatch—Sets the arpeggiator latch behavior. See

Arpeggiator on page 27 for more information.

Basic Patch—Press the WRITE button to load a basic patch into the edit buffer.

The patch will not actually be written to the current program location unless intentionally written to memory in program mode using the W

Reset Globals—

Select this parameter and press WRITE to reset the global

parameters to their factory defaults.

RITE button.

BalanceTweak1 - BalanceTweak4: -14…14—Adjusts the left/right output

Display

MIDI Transmit Operation

Current Program

Dump current program

Current Bank

Dump all 128 programs in current bank

All Banks

Dump all programs in all 4 user banks

Current Prog P08

Dump the current program in Prophet ’08 format

CurrentProgMopho

Dump the current program in desktop Mopho format

CurrentProgTetra

Dump the current program in Tetra format

Current Bank P08

Dump the current bank in Prophet ’08 format

CurrentBankMopho

Dump the current bank in desktop Mopho format

CurrentBankTetra

Dump the current bank in Tetra format

balance of each voice by approximately +/- 4 dB.

MIDI SysEx Dump: see table—Allows dumping of Programs in SysEx format

via MIDI. Also enables the translation of Mopho x4 programs into formats readable by other DSI synths. The Mopho Keyboard and Tetra voice architectures and voice program parameters are basically the same as the Mopho x4’s. The desktop Mopho’s Feedback Gain is not programmable, so some tweaking of that control may be necessary to match the sound to the keyboard. And the Prophet’s voice architecture is almost identical, but lacks the sub octave generators and feedback.

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 x4 via a direct MIDI connection. The dumps include Program and Bank numbers, so when received, the programs will be stored in the same location.

Oscillators

Mopho x4 has two digitally controlled analog oscillators, or DCOs, per voice. “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. The audio signal path is still completely analog.

Oscillator Select—Choose oscillator 1, oscillator 2, of both. When both 1 and 2

are selected, changes made to the other oscillator parameters affect both oscillators.

Frequency: C 0…C 10—Sets the base oscillator frequency over a 10 octave

range, from 8 Hz to 8KHz, stepping in semitones. C3 is middle C, the first octave is 0 (C0, C#0, etc.), the second octave is 1 (C1, C#1, etc.), and so on.

Fine Frequency: -50…+50—Fine tune control with a range of a quartertone up

or down. Zero is centered. Steps are in cents (50 cents = 1/2 semitone).

Shape Select: Sawtooth, Triangle, Saw-Tri, Square, Off—Selects the oscillator

waveshape. If none of the shapes are lighted, the oscillator is off.

Pulse Width: 0...99—Sets the pulse width or duty cycle of the square wave. A

value of 50 results in a true square wave with equal alternating high and low levels. Increasing or decreasing the value from 50 causes the waveshape to become asymetrical. Lower values narrow the postive-going portion of the

wave, higher values widen it. At the extreme values, the pulse goes completely flat, which allows for some interesting possibilities with pulse width modulation.

Glide: 0...127—Sets the oscillator glide (portamento) rate. Glide can be set

independently for each oscillator. Low values are faster. See also “Glide Mode” in Other Oscillator Parameters.

Sub Octave: 0...127—Controls the level of a square wave pitched one octave

below oscillator 1 or two octaves below oscillator 2.

Other Oscillator Parameters

These additional, less performance-oriented oscillator controls are found in the Miscellaneous Parameters section.

Oscillator Sync: Off, On—Turns oscillator hard sync on. With sync on,

whenever oscillator 2 resets, oscillator 1 is forced to restart.

Tip: Try routing an envelope or the mod wheel to oscillator 1 frequency for the familiar sync sweep sound.

Oscillator 1 Keyboard Tracking: Off, On—Turns keyboard tracking off or on

for oscillator 1.

Oscillator 2 Keyboard Tracking: Off, On—Turns keyboard tracking off or on

for oscillator 2.

Oscillator Slop: 0...5—The amount of random oscillator frequency tuning slop.

The analog oscillators in Mopho x4 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 white noise mod.

Glide Mode: FixRate, FixRate A, FixTime, FixTime A—Determines how the

oscillators respond when G

FixRate: The time to transition between notes varies with the interval between

LIDE is on.

the notes; the greater the interval, the longer the transition time. The glide rate is fixed.

FixRate A: The same as FixRate, but glide is only applied when playing legato.

That is, glide only occurs when a note is held until the next note is played. This effectively allows glide to be turned on and off from the keyboard.

FixTime: Glide is set to a fixed time, regardless of the interval between notes.

FixTime A: The same as FixTime, but glide only occurs when playing legato.

Pitch Wheel Range: 0...12—Sets the bend range, in semitones, of the pitch

wheel. The setting is the range in the positive or negative direction. For example, a setting of 7 lets you bend a note up or down by a fifth.

Key Assign: Low Note, LowRetrig, HighNote, HighRetrig, LastNote, LastRetrig

—Key Assign (aka note priority) determines what note gets priority when more than one note is played on the keyboard or via MIDI. Low-note priority is most common in vintage synths and is often used for playing trills by holding a note and repeatedly tapping a lower note. LowRetrig causes the envelopes to be retriggered with each keystroke. HighNote and HighRetrig are similar to the low note settings, except that the highest note is given priority. And LastNote and LastRetrig give priority to the last note played.

Mixer

The Mixer section balances the levels of the outputs of the Oscillators section and noise generator, and the Audio In/feedback loop before routing the summed signals to the low-pass filter.

Mix: 0...127—Mixes the outputs of oscillators 1 and 2 in varying amounts. A

setting of 0 is equivalent to 100% oscillator 1 and 0% oscillator 2. A setting of 127 is just the opposite. A setting of 64 is a 50/50 mix of both oscillators.

Feedback Amount: 0...127—Increasing FEEDBACK AMOUNT causes more and

more of each voice’s left output signal to be fed back into the audio path prefilter. As the level increases, so does the effect of the feedback.

Feedback Gain: 0...127—FEEDBACK GAIN boosts the level of the feedback

signal and is interactive with and dependent upon F

EEDBACK AMOUNT is set to 0, then FEEDBACK GAIN has no effect. (There is no

F feedback signal to boost.) However, F levels of F

EEDBACK AMOUNT can result in effects ranging from pleasing

EEDBACK GAIN combined with higher

distortion to squirrelly harmonic weirdness.

EEDBACK AMOUNT. If

Noise: 0...127—Controls the volume of the white noise generator.

Filter

Mopho x4 features a selectable 2- or 4-pole, low-pass filter per voice.

4-Pole—Selects the filter configuration. When lighted, the filter is in 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.

Frequency: 0...164—Sets the base filter cutoff frequency over a range of more

than 13 octaves.

Resonance: 0...127—Emphasizes a narrow band of frequencies around the

cutoff frequency. In 4-pole mode, high levels of resonance can cause the filter to self oscillate. In 2-pole mode, resonance is much more subtle and self oscillation does not occur.

Audio Mod: 0...127—Controls the amount of audio from oscillator 1 used to

modulate the filter cutoff frequency. For filter-only audio, set the oscillator Mix to 127, oscillator 2 Shape to Off, and oscillator 1 Shape to the desired waveshape. This is useful for bell-like FM sounds. A wide range of sounds can also be made using A filter.

UDIO MOD with the oscillators routed normally through the

Key Amount: 0...127—Sets the amount of modulation from the keyboard to the

filter cutoff. A setting of 64 will step the filter in one semitone increments for each note, 32 would be quartertones, and so on.

Envelopes

Mopho x4 has three 5-stage (Delay + ADSR) envelope generators per voice. Two are dedicated—one to the filter and the other to the amplifier—and the third is assignable to any modulation destination.

Envelope Select—Selects the envelope to edit. When all three are lighted, the

other envelope parameters control all three envelopes simultaneously.

Amount: -127...127—Sets the amount of modulation from the envelope to the

destination: filter, amplifier, or the selected destination for envelope 3. The modulation amount can be positive or negative, allowing for inverted envelope control. (For the VCA, the range is 0-127, since you can't have a negative gain on a VCA!)

Delay: 0...127—Sets a delay between the time the envelope is gated on and

when the Attack portion actually begins

Attack: 0...127—Sets the attack time of the selected envelope(s).

Decay: 0...127—Sets the decay time of the selected envelope(s).

Sustain: 0...127—Sets the sustain time of the selected envelope(s).

Release: 0...127—Sets the release time of the selected envelope(s).

Velocity: 0...127—Sets the amount of key velocity used to modulate the

envelope amount.

Other Envelope Parameters

There are two additional parameters for envelope 3 in the Miscellaneous Parameters section.

Envelope 3 Destination—Sets the destination modulated by envelope 3. See

Modulation Destinations on page 33 for a list of possible destinations.

Envelope 3 Repeat: Off, On—When on, causes the delay, attack, decay, and

sustain portions of Envelope 3 to loop for as long as the envelope is gated on. With repeat on, envelope 3 can even be used as a sort of complex LFO.

LFO

Mopho x4 has four low frequency oscillators (LFOs) per voice. 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.

LFO Select: 1, 2, 3, 4—Chooses the LFO to edit.

Tip: The four numbered lights above the Frequency knob pulse at the frequency of the corresponding LFO. This can be a great aid in knowing which LFO to select for editing.

Destination—See Modulation Destinations on page 33 for a list of possible

destinations.

Amount: 0...127—Sets the amount of LFO routed to the destination.

Shape: Triangle, Reverse Sawtooth, Sawtooth, Square, Sample and Hold—The

waveshape of the LFO. Sample and Hold generates a random value that changes once per cycle.

Frequency: 0...150—Sets the LFO frequency. Speed ranges from slow (30

seconds) to very fast—at 90 (8 HZ, C-2) and above the speed steps in semitones, up to 150 (261 Hz, middle C).

Note: Some of the analog functions may not respond well to the fastest LFO speeds, due to speed limitations of the control voltages; but they will certainly generate some interesting sounds.

Clock Sync—When on, the LFO syncs to the sequencer. When synced to the

internal clock, BPM and Clock Divide both affect LFO frequency. When synced to an external clock, the external clock rate and Clock Divide affect the LFO frequency.

Tip: The sequencer must be on for the LFO to sync, even if all four

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

Sequence speed divided by 2

1.5 Step

Sequence speed divided by 1.5

1 Step

One cycle per step

2/3 Step

Two cycles every three steps

1/2 Step

Two cycles per step

1/3 Step

Three cycles per step

1/4 Step

Four cycles per step

1/6 Step

Six cycles per step

1/8 Step

Eight cycles per step

1/16Step

Sixteen cycles per step

sequence destinations are set to Off. The sequencer will still gate the envelopes, so if you don’t want to hear the discrete sequencer steps, adjust the envelopes accordingly. (In other words, turn Amp and/or Filter Sustain and Release up as needed until you don’t hear the steps.)

Editing F

REQUENCY shows the values in the following table.

Tip: Use CLOCK SYNC to modulate a parameter in time with the sequencer. For example, an LFO set to a triangle wave and a frequency of 16 steps can modulate the filter frequency for a sweep that is perfectly synced to the sequencer.

Key Sync—When on, the LFO is re-started each time a new note is played. KEY

SYNC is set independently on each LFO.

Sequencer

For many musicians, the term sequencer has become synonymous with MIDI sequencer; that is, a computer-based application or dedicated hardware device for recording and playing back notes and performance gestures via MIDI. But sequencers were around long before MIDI. Mopho x4’s sequencer is much more like the original analog sequencers typically associated with modular synthesizer systems. The sequencer comprises four 16-step sequences that play in parallel. Each sequence can be routed to a chosen destination, and each step in a sequence can be set to a different value used to modulate that destination.

Strictly speaking, Mopho x4’s sequencer does not play notes, nor does it transmit MIDI data. If none of the sequence destinations are routed to oscillator frequency, the sequencer may not even affect the pitch. In Mopho x4 terms, a sequence is just a series of events at timed intervals that changes the value of one of the synth’s parameters in discrete steps. Because the four sequences play in parallel, up to four parameters can be affected by each step, one per sequence. For the most part, the sequence destinations are the same as the modulation destinations, which is appropriate: a sequence is just another modulation source.

For each sequence step, the envelopes are gated on for half the step’s duration. The duration varies according to the BPM and C

LOCK DIVIDE settings (or the

MIDI clock, if synced to an external source). The envelope settings of the current program ultimately determine how long each step plays, though, and longer (more legato) or shorter (more staccato) effects can be achieved by editing the envelope rates.

Mopho x4’s sequencer is a gated sequencer. That means it requires a note to be gated on—that is played from the keyboard, the P

USH IT button, or via MIDI—

in order for the sequencer to run. There is no dedicated start or play button and it

does not respond to MIDI start/stop/continue messages, but it can still sync to an

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9

Steps

v = step value; R = Reset

Dest. 1

Dest. 2

Dest. 3

Dest. 4

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

S e q u e n

external clock. Simply turn on the sequencer and then play and hold a note to start. Or use the P and release it with another; in this case, the P

USH IT button’s toggle feature to latch a note on with one push

USH IT button is essentially a

Start/Stop control.

Reset and Rest

Sequences have a maximum of 16 steps, but they can have fewer—from 1 to 15—using Reset. (Sequences of 16 steps reset automatically.) Reset appears immediately after the highest value setting for a step. Setting a step to Reset causes the sequence to jump back to the first step and continue playing.

Reset is set separately for each of the four sequences, so it must be set at the same step in all four sequences to shorten all the sequences equally. The following illustration shows an example in which all the sequences are eight steps in length.

Tip: Using Reset while programming a sequence can be helpful. For example, when programming a specific melodic line, start by shortening the sequence to four or eight steps until those steps are set, and then gradually move the reset point to lengthen the loop until the desired number of steps is playing.

Sequences do not have to be the same length, however, which makes for some very interesting, less repetitive patterns, particularly when sequences are set to odd and even numbers of steps.

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. If the sequences are different lengths, the rests in sequence one apply to whatever the current step happens to be in sequences two through four, resulting in a more random-sounding pattern (which can be really cool). In the following example, sequence one is 16 steps long and rests occur at steps 2, 6, 9, and 12. However, sequence two is only eight steps long, so rests occur at steps 2 and 6 the first time it plays through and then at steps 1 and 4—corresponding to steps 9 and 12 in sequence one—the first time it repeats. As sequence two loops, the rests will continue in the same alternating pattern.

Programming the Sequencer

Programming the sequencer is easy, but there are a few things to consider before you start. Most importantly, what do you want the sequence to do and what modulation destinations will provide the results you’re seeking? For example, is the sequencer going to control oscillator frequency? One sequence can control the frequency of both oscillators or one sequence can control oscillator 1 and another sequence can control oscillator 2 for harmonies or countermelodies. A typical application of the sequencer might have sequence one routed to the frequency of both oscillators, sequence two routed to filter cutoff, sequence three routed to filter resonance, and sequence four routed to amplifier envelope amount for accents. Many of the factory programs have sequences programmed, so you can refer to those to see how certain effects are being achieved.

To program a sequence:

1. Turn the sequencer on.

2. Choose S

EQUENCER in the Modulation section.

3. Choose the sequence to program: 1, 2, 3, or 4.

4. Play a note to start the sequence playing.

To avoid having to hold a key down, set the Push It Mode (Misc. Parameters) to Toggle. Then use P

USH IT to start and stop the

sequencer. You may also want to change the Push It Note, the BPM, and the C

LOCK DIVIDE.

5. Choose a destination for the sequence.

6. Use the S

TEP and VALUE controls to enter the desired values.

As the sequence loops, you will hear your edits.

7. Choose another sequence and follow the same basic steps until you’re

happy with the results.

8. Dont forget to write your edits to memory! Sequences are saved with

the related program. Just press W

RITE and then YES to save the

program and sequences.

More Sequencer Parameters

The previous section covers the basics of sequencer programming, but there are some additional parameters that affect the sound and user interaction with the sequencer.

Slew

In modular analog synthesizers, a lag processor or slew limiter is used to create a time-varying change—a smooth transition—between successive, discrete control voltage levels. The rate of change is called the slew rate and one common application is to create a glide (aka portamento) effect between notes.

Among the possible destinations for Mopho x4 sequences two and four is a sequence-only parameter called Slew. Slew behaves a little differently from the other modulation destinations, in that it is not really a destination at all; instead, it affects the sequence above it. That is, if Slew is the chosen destination for sequence two, it controls sequence one, and Slew in sequence four controls sequence three.

In Mopho x4’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 sequence two to Slew. Increasing the Slew value for step four will cause the oscillator frequency to glide from the step three value when step four is gated on. The higher the Slew value, the slower the slew rate. And the slew rate can be different for each step. But its not just for oscillator glide. Slew can be applied to any of the destinations. For example, sequence three could be routed to filter cutoff with Slew in sequence four used to create a less abrupt transition from one step to the next.

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. If that’s not what you want, simply reduce the Slew value.

Sequencer Trigger Modes

The Sequencer Trigger mode determines how the sequencer reacts to triggers and what constitutes a trigger. Sequencer Trigger is found in the Miscellaneous Parameters section. The different modes are:

Normal–A note on, from either the local keyboard or via MIDI, causes the

sequencer to play from the first step. The sequencer resets to step one each time a new note is played. Each sequence step gates the envelopes.

No Reset–As above, but the sequencer does not reset to step one for each note

played. The sequencer is effectively free running.

No Gate–The keyboard gates the envelopes, but the sequencer does not. The

sequencer resets to step one each time a new note is played.

NoGateNR–As above, but the sequencer does not reset to step one for each note

played. Again, the sequencer is effectively free running.

Key Step–Striking any key or playing a note via MIDI advances the sequencer

one step.

Syncing an LFO to the Sequencer

One very useful way to modulate a parameter in sync with a sequence is using an LFO with Clock Sync. A setting of 16 Steps for LFO Frequency with a triangle wave selected and routed to the filter will provide a clean filter sweep over a 16-step sequence, perfectly in sync! This is much easier (and smoother) than manually programming a sequence to sweep the filter.

Modulators

Modulators lets you configure the modulation routing and amount for Mopho x4’s four general-purpose modulation slots.

Since each Mopho x4 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. There are also additional mod sources available here, such as Noise, allowing a wide variety of possibilities.

To configure a general-purpose modulation slot, select M choose the appropriate modulator: 1, 2, 3, or 4. Then use the S

ESTINATION, and AMOUNT parameters to route the modulation as desired.

Source—Selects a modulation source. See Modulation Sources on page 32 for

ODULATORS and

OURCE,

possible sources.

Amount: -127…+127—Sets the amount of modulation.

Destination—Selects a modulation destination. See Modulation Destinations on

page 33 for a list of possible destinations.

Miscellaneous Modulators

There are certain standard controllers that Mopho x4 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 x4-specific applications. Select M Modulation section to get started.

Source: Mod Wheel (MIDI CC#1), Pressure, Breath Controller (MIDI CC#2), Velocity, Foot Controller (MIDI CC#4)

—Selects the modulation source. The source can also be changed using the 1-4 button, though the 1-4 LEDs do not change.

Note: There is a global parameter called Pedal for routing an expression pedal to various controllers or directly to the filter cutoff. See Global Parameters on page 8 for more information.

Destination—Chooses the destination to which the modulation source is routed.

See Modulation Destinations on page 33 for a list of possible destinations.

ISC MOD in the

Amount: -127…+127—Sets the amount of modulation.

Clock

Mode

Behavior

Plays from lowest to highest note.

Down

Plays from highest to lowest note.

Up Down

Plays from lowest to highest and back to lowest.

Assign

Plays notes in the order keys were pressed.

Random

Randomly plays notes.

Plays keyed notes and the same notes one octave higher, from lowest to highest.

Plays keyed notes and the same notes one octave higher, from highest to lowest.

Plays keyed notes and the same notes one octave higher, from lowest to highest and back to lowest.

Plays a keyed note, then the same note one octave higher, in the order keys were pressed.

Randomly plays keyed notes and the same notes one octave higher.

Plays keyed notes and the same notes one and two octaves higher, from lowest to highest.

Plays keyed notes and the same notes one and two octaves higher, from highest to lowest.

Plays keyed notes and the same notes one and two octaves higher, from lowest to highest and back to lowest.

Plays a keyed note, then the same note one and two octaves higher, in the order keys were pressed.

Randomly plays keyed notes and the same notes one and two octaves higher.

The Clock section contains the controls for the internal clock tempo and the note value for the arpeggiator and sequencer (and LFO, when C There are also switches to turn the arpeggiator and sequencer on and off.

Arpeggiator—Turns Mopho x4’s arpeggiator on and off. The tempo and note

value are determined by the BPM and C

LOCK DIVIDE settings. ARPEGGIATOR

MODE is set in Miscellaneous Parameters. The different modes are:

2 Octaves Up

2 Octaves Down

LOCK SYNC is on).

2 Octaves Up Down

2 Octaves Assign

2 Octaves Random

3 Octaves Up

3 Octaves Down

3 Octaves Up Down

3 Octaves Assign

3 Octaves Random

Briefly hold the ARPEGGIATOR switch down to turn note latch on. (The light will blink when on.) The latched behavior is different depending upon the ArpLatch setting in the Global menu.

When ArpLatch is set to Normal and latch is on, pressing one or more keys and

Display

Tempo

Timing Division

Half

BPM/2

Half note

Quartr

BPM

Quarter note

Eighth

BPM x 2

Eighth note

8 half

BPM x 2

Eighth note, half swing timing

8swing

BPM x 2

Eighth note, full swing timing

8 trip

BPM x 3

Eighth note triplets

16th

BPM x 4

Sixteenth note

16half

BPM x 4

Sixteenth note, half swing timing

16swng

BPM x 4

Sixteenth note, full swing timing

16trip

BPM x 6

Sixteenth note triplets

32nd

BPM x 8

Thirty-second note

32trip

BPM x 12

Thirty-second note triplets

64trip

BPM x 24

Sixty-fourth note triplets

then removing your hands from the keyboard will latch the played notes. Playing additional notes while latched adds them to the notes already playing.

When ArpLatch is set to ReLatch, pressing one or more keys and then removing your hands from the keyboard will latch the played notes. Subsequent notes or chords played will cause the previously latched notes to stop playing and be replaced by the newly played note(s). While one or more keys is held, playing additional notes will add them to the latched notes.

To turn latch off, press A

RPEGGIATOR again.

The Arpeggiator can also be latched with a footswitch connected to the Sustain jack. See “Sustain” in Global Parameters on page 8.

The Arpeggiator (and Sequencer) can sync to MIDI clock from an external sequencer or other device. See “Clock” in Global Parameters on page 8 for more information.

Sequencer—Turns Mopho x4’s gated sequencer on and off. See Sequencer on

page 20 for more information.

BPM: 30…250—Sets the tempo for the sequencer in BPM (beats per minute).

The accompanying light flashes on the beat. When syncing to an external MIDI clock source, the BPM control has no effect.

Clock Divide—Sets the note value for each sequencer or arpeggiator step

relative to the BPM. Also affects the LFO frequency when LFO Clock Sync is

LOCK DIVIDE works with both internal and external clock sources. The

on. C following table lists the C

LOCK DIVIDE values.

Note: BPM is based on quarter notes, so clock divisions are relative to a quarter-note beat. For example, when C

LOCK DIVIDE is set to Eighth, two

notes or steps will play per beat.

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.

Voice Volume: 0…127—Sets the volume of the current program to match

volumes between programs.

Note: There is enough gain in the synth voice that with some settings, some mild clipping distortion may be heard. If this happens, try lowering

OICE VOLUME, and/or the AMP ENVELOPE AMOUNT (or AMP

the V ENVELOPE VELOCITY).

Name—The lower line of the LCD displays the name of the current program.

Use the N blinks to indicate that it is active. To edit the character, use the V

ARAM 2 knob, or the +/YES or -/NO switches. Use the PARAM 1 knob to edit

P another character.

AME parameter to edit the name. When NAME is selected, a character

ALUE knob, the

Oscillator Sync, Keyboard Tracking, Slop, Glide Mode, Pitch Wheel Range,

Key Assign are described under “Other Oscillator Parameters” in

and Oscillators on page 13.

Sequence Trigger is described under “Sequence Trigger Modes” in Sequencer

on page 24.

Arpeggiator Mode is part of the Arpeggiator description in Clock on page 27.

Envelope 3 Destination and Envelope 3 Repeat are described under “Other

Envelope Parameters” in Envelopes on page 17.

Pan Spread: 0…127—There is a pan circuit after the VCA in each voice that

pans the audio in stereo. With a P

AN SPREAD setting of 0, all four voices are

panned in the middle (before any modulation is applied to pan position). As you turn up P

AN SPREAD, the audio in each voice is gradually moved away from the

center by different amounts. Every other voice goes in a different direction. This provides a wide stereo field as you play. Any modulation to the Output Pan

destination will individually move each voice from its static position as set by

Display

Mode

1 Voice

Classic, two oscillator, monophonic mode

All Voices

All four voices in unison

All four voices in unison with increasing levels of detuning among the voices

AN SPREAD.

Push It Mode: Normal, Toggle—When set to Normal, PUSH IT responds like a

key: press it and a note plays, release it and the note ends. But when set to Toggle, P

USH IT turns the note on with one press and off with a second press.

This is handy for making a note drone or for latching a gated sequence on.

Push It Note: C0…C10—Sets the note that plays when PUSH IT is pressed.

Push It Velocity: 0…127—Sets the MIDI note-on velocity.

Unison On/Off—When on, Mopho x4 behaves like a monophonic synthesizer

and only one note will play at a time. See also “Unison Mode,” below.

Unison Mode—Sets how voices are allocated and tuned when unison is on.

AllDetune1-3

Modulation Sources

Display

Source

Off

No source selected

Sequence1

Sequence 1

Sequence2

Sequence 2

Sequence3

Sequence 3

Sequence4

Sequence 4

LFO 1

LFO 2

LFO 3

LFO 4

Filt Env1

Filter Envelope

VCA Env 2

Amp (VCA) Envelope

Envelope3

Envelope 3

PitchBend

Pitch Bend

Mod Wheel

Pressure

Pressure (Aftertouch)

MidBreath

MIDI - Breath Controller

Midi Foot

MIDI - Foot Controller

Midi Exp

MIDI - Expression

Velocity

Keyboard Note Velocity

KeyNumber

Keyboard Note Number

Noise

Modulation Destinations

Display

Destination

Off

No destination selected

Osc 1 Freq

Oscillator 1 Frequency

Osc 2 Freq

Oscillator 2 Frequency

OscAllFreq

Oscillator 1 and 2 Frequency

Osc Mix

Oscillator Mix

NoiseLevel

Noise Level

Osc1 PulsW

Oscillator 1 Pulse Width

Osc2 PulsW

Oscillator 2 Pulse Width

Osc All PW

All Oscillators Pulse Width

Low Pass

Low-pass Filter Frequency

Resonance

Audio Mod

Audio Mod Amount

VCA Level

VCA Amount

Output Pan

Stereo Pan Position

LFO 1 Freq

LFO 1 Frequency

LFO 2 Freq

LFO 2 Frequency

LFO 3 Freq

LFO 3 Frequency

LFO 4 Freq

LFO 4 Frequency

LFOAllFreq

All LFO Frequencies

LFO 1 Amt

LFO 1 Amount

LFO 2 Amt

LFO 2 Amount

LFO 3 Amt

LFO 3 Amount

LFO 4 Amt

LFO 4 Amount

LFOAll Amt

All LFO Amounts

Env 1 Amt

Envelope 1 Amount (Level)

Env 2 Amt

Envelope 2 Amount (Level)

Env 3 Amt

Envelope 3 Amount (Level)

EnvAll Amt

All Envelope Amounts (Levels)

Env1Attack

Envelope 1 Attack Rate

Env2Attack

Envelope 2 Attack Rate

Env3Attack

Envelope 3 Attack Rate

EnvAll Att

All Envelope Attack Rates

Env1 Decay

Envelope 1 Decay Rate

Env2 Decay

Envelope 2 Decay Rate

Env3 Decay

Envelope 3 Decay Rate

EnvAll Dec

All Envelope Decay Rates

Env1Releas

Envelope 1 Release Rate

Env2Releas

Envelope 2 Release Rate

Env3Releas

Envelope 3 Release Rate

EnvAll Rel

All Envelope Release Rates

Mod 1 Amt

Modulator 1 Amount

Mod 2 Amt

Modulator 2 Amount

Mod 3 Amt

Modulator 3 Amount

Mod 4 Amt

Modulator 4 Amount

Fback Amt

Feedback Amount

Sub Osc 1

Sub Oscillator 1 Level

Sub Osc 2

Sub Oscillator 2 Level

Fback Gain

Feedback Gain

Slew

Sequencer Slew*

*Appears as a destination in sequences 2 and 4 only.

Using USB

Mopho x4’s USB 2.0 port enables bidirectional MIDI communication with a computer. A MIDI interface and MIDI cables are not necessary, just a USB cable. Mopho x4 is a Class Compliant USB device. That means it does not require any additional drivers to be installed to communicate with a Mac or Windows computer.

Mopho x4 transmits and receives MIDI data via USB, but does not transmit audio.

Note: MIDI In and USB should not be used at the same time, as overlapping messages from different sources may cause Mopho x4 to respond unpredictably. MIDI Out and USB can be used at the same time and transmit the same data. Poly Chain Out is an independent MIDI bus and can be used regardless of the “normal” MIDI connection.

USB Notes

Under Mac OS X, Mopho x4 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).

Under Windows XP, the first time Mopho x4 is connected via USB, the “Found new hardware” alert appears and Mopho x4 is automatically installed— somewhat misleadingly—as “USB Audio Device.” If there is already another Class Compliant USB device installed, Mopho x4 will show up as “USB Audio Device(2)” (or 3 or 4 or...).

To determine which USB Audio Device is Mopho x4:

1. Open the System Control Panel

2. Click the Hardware tab.

3. Click Device Manager.

4. Expand “Sound, video, and game controllers.”

5. Right-click any “USB Audio Device” and choose Properties from the

pop-up menu.

The General tab of the USB Audio Device Properties window displays the Device Type, Manufacturer, and Location. For Mopho x4, the Location should read “Location n (DSI Mopho x4).”

Windows Vista and Windows 7 behave the same as XP, but the device name is DSI Mopho x4 rather than USB Audio Device.

In Windows, if you unplug the USB cable and plug it back in while a program has the Mopho x4 port open, you may have to resync. That usually means going to the USB Audio Device (or DSI Mopho x4) Properties, as in the procedure above, and clicking OK. If Mopho x4 is no longer listed in the Device Manager under “Sound, video, and game controllers,” power Mopho x4 down and back up again while it is connected via USB. It should be detected on power up.

Using Poly Chain

Mopho x4’s Poly Chain output enables it to be connected to other DSI synths for up to 20-voice polyphony. Products that can be chained include the Tetra, Prophet '08 (module and keyboard), and desktop Mopho. It will not chain with the Evolvers and Poly Evolvers due to the different voice architecture.

Note data from Mopho x4’s keyboard is intelligently processed so that, when one synth’s maximum polyphony is reached, additional notes are passed through the Poly Chain output and routed to the next synth in the chain. All that is required is a single MIDI cable for each of the chained synths and a mixer or audio interface for combining the audio outputs of each synth.

Tetra is the best candidate for poly chaining with the Mopho x4; the voice architecture and programmable parameters are identical. The desktop Mopho or Prophet ’08 will also work, but there are some differences between these synths and the Mopho x4:

 The desktop Mopho’s Feedback Gain control is not programmable and may

need to be tweaked manually to match the Mopho x4. Programs that don’t use feedback sound the same on both models.

 The Prophet does not have feedback or sub octave generators.

 Both the Prophet and Tetra have two layers for stacked and split programs;

Mopho x4 does not. When Prophet or Tetra programs are loaded into Mopho x4, layer B is ignored.

You should have the same programs loaded into all the chained synths. The easiest way to do that is to use the Dump command in the Global menu to dump the programs via MIDI from one synth to the other(s). We also recommend that you have the latest OS installed in all the synths. For information about checking your OS versions and, if necessary, downloading and installing the latest OS, visit davesmithinstruments.com/support/.

The Poly Chain parameter is in the global menu. On the Mopho x4, set 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 38 for examples of the Poly Chain settings on the slave units.

You can now virtually ignore the slave unit or units, since the controls on the master will control all units as if they were a single synth. This includes saving a program; if you save an edited program on the master, it will also save the program on the slave(s).

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.

Support

Troubleshooting

Here are a few suggestions for resolving problems that may occur.

The sequencer has stopped running.

Make sure Clock in the Global menu is set to Internal.

Some of the programs sound different.

Check the Mod Wheel position. The Mod Wheel can do a lot more than just add vibrato. Also, some of the programs use the sequencer to shape the sound so make sure Clock in the Global menu is set to Internal.

There is a ground hum in the audio output.

USB can cause ground loops, so try to resolve any grounding issues between the computer and Mopho x4. Or use MIDI, which is opto-isolated.

Mopho x4 is behaving erratically.

This is almost always caused by a MIDI data loop. Make sure that any MIDI Thru functionality is turned off on the MIDI interface/hardware or in the MIDI software application (sequencer or whatever). Disconnect all Mopho x4’s MIDI connections—MIDI and USB cables—and see if the problem persists. You can also monitor the MIDI traffic with MIDI Monitor (Mac OS) or MIDI-OX (Windows) to see if Mopho x4 is being overrun with duplicate messages.

An oscillator or the filter sounds strange or out of tune.

OMPARE and press OSC SHAPE to run the calibration routine.

Hold C

Note: It is not necessary to run the calibration routine on a regular basis. You should only run it if you are experiencing problems.

Still experiencing a problem with Mopho x4? Reset the Global parameters (in the Global menu).

Contacting Technical Support

If you are still having a problem with Mopho x4, contact Technical Support at support@davesmithinstruments.com. Please include your Mopho x4’s serial number, the version of the operating systems (Main and Voice displayed on startup), and the purchase date.

Note: If you have not already reset the Global parameters and run the calibration routine (see Troubleshooting above), you should do it before contacting Technical Support. It’s probably the first thing they’ll ask you to do.

Warranty Repair

Dave Smith Instruments warrants that Mopho x4 will be free from defects in materials and/or workmanship for 1 year from the date of purchase. Please register your product online at www.davesmithinstruments.com to establish the date of purchase. (This is not a requirement for warranty service, but it will help expedite the process.)

Please contact support@davesmithinstruments.com to determine the best course of action for getting your Mopho x4 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:

 Your name

 Your return address

 Your email address

 A phone number where you can be reached

 Your Mopho x4’s serial number

 The date of purchase and where purchased

If you need to return your instrument for repair, you are responsible for getting it to DSI. We highly recommend insuring it and packing in the original packaging. Damage resulting from shipping a product with insufficient packaging is not covered by warranty.

MIDI Implementation

Display

MIDI Clock Setting

Internal

MIDI clock is neither sent nor received

MIDI Out

MIDI clock is sent

MIDI In

MIDI clock is received

MIDIn/Out

MIDI clock is received and transmitted

Mopho x4 receives MIDI data according to the mode controls under GLOBAL. In addition, there is interaction between some of the Program parameters that determine the overall response of Mopho x4 to MIDI data.

Following are the Global parameters that affect response to MIDI:

MIDI Channel: ALL, 1…16 — Selects the MIDI channel to send and receive

data, 1 to 16. All receives on any channel.

Clock: see table — Selects the MIDI clock status as follows:

MIDI Parameter Send: NRPN, CC, Off —

front panel controls are transmitted via MIDI as Non-registered Parameter Number (NRPN) controllers or as Continuous Controllers (CC). Transmission of parameters can also be turned off.

MIDI Parameter Receive: All, NRPN, CC, Off — Sets the method by which

Mopho x4 receives parameter changes via MIDI. As with transmission, NRPNs are the preferred method, though some controllers may only be able to send CCs.

Changes to the values of Mopho x4’s

MIDI Control: Off, On — When On, the synth will respond to MIDI controllers,

including Pitch Wheel, Mod Wheel, Pedal, Breath, Volume, and Expression.

MIDI SysEx: Off, On — When On, the synth will respond to received MIDI

SysEx messages, and will transmit them, when prompted, to the MIDI Out.

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

Polyphonic Key Pressure

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Control Change; see “Received Controller Messages” table following

1100 nnnn

0ppppppp

Program change, 0-127 for Programs 1-128 within current Bank

1101 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Channel Pressure

1110 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Pitch Bend LS Byte then MS Byte

Received Controller Messages

Status

Second

Third

Description

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Mod Wheel — directly assignable controller

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Breath Controller — directly assignable controller

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Foot Controller — directly assignable controller

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Volume — Combined with Master Volume and Voice Volume

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Brightness — Added to low-pass filter cutoff frequency

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Expression Controller — directly assignable controller

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Bank Select — 0 - 3 select user banks 1 - 4; 4 - 7 select factory banks 1 - 4; others ignored

1011 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Damper pedal — holds envelopes in Sustain if 0100 0000 or higher

1011 nnnn

123

0vvvvvvv

All Notes Off — clear all MIDI notes

1011 nnnn

121

0vvvvvvv

Reset All Controllers — clears all MIDI controllers to 0, MIDI volume to maximum

Notes: 0kkkkkkk Note number 0 — 127

0vvvvvvv Value

nnnn Channel number 0 to 15 (MIDI channel 1-16). Ignored if MIDI

channel set to ALL

See sections below for additional Continuous Controller (CC) and Nonregistered Parameter Number (NRPN) messages received.

Transmitted Channel Messages

Status

Second

Third

Description

1000 nnnn

0kkkkkkk

0000000

Note Off.

1001 nnnn

0kkkkkkk

0vvvvvvv

Note On.

1011 nnnn

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

Channel Pressure

1110 nnnn

0vvvvvvv

Pitch Bend LS Byte then MS Byte

Transmitted Controller Messages

Status

Second

Third

Description

1011 nnnn

0000 0001

0vvvvvvv

Mod Wheel

1011 nnnn

0000 0010

0vvvvvvv

Breath Controller – when assigned to Pedal/CV

1011 nnnn

0000 0100

0vvvvvvv

Foot Controller – when assigned to Pedal/CV

1011 nnnn

0000 0111

0vvvvvvv

Volume – when assigned to Pedal/CV

1011 nnnn

0100 1010

0vvvvvvv

Brightness – when assigned to Pedal/CV

1011 nnnn

0000 1101

0vvvvvvv

Expression – when assigned to Pedal/CV

1011 nnnn

0010 0000

0vvvvvvv

Bank Select – 0 to 7

1011 nnnn

0100 0000

0vvvvvvv

Damper pedal – sends 0 if off, 0100 0000 when on

1011 nnnn

0000 0111

0vvvvvvv

Volume knob

Notes: 0kkkkkkk Note number 0 - 127

0vvvvvvv Value

nnnn Channel number 0 to 15 (MIDI channel 1-16). Ignored if MIDI

channel set to ALL

See sections below for additional Continuous Controller (CC) and Nonregistered Parameter Number (NRPN) messages transmitted.

Additional Continuous Controllers

(CCs) Transmitted/Received

Parameter

CC#

Osc 1 Frequency

Osc 1 Freq Fine

Osc 1 Shape

Glide 1

Osc 2 Frequency

Osc 2 Freq Fine

Osc 2 Shape

Glide 2

Sub Oscillator 1

Sub Oscillator 2

31 Osc Mix

Noise Level

Feedback Amount

Feedback Gain

53 Filter Frequency

102

Resonance

103

Filter Key Amt

104

Filter Audio Mod

105

Filter Env Amt

106

Filter Env Vel Amt

107

Filter Delay

108

Filter Attack

109

Filter Decay

110

Filter Sustain

111

Filter Release

112

Pan Spread

114

Amp Env Amt

115

Amp Velocity Amt

116

Amp Delay

117

Amp Attack

118

Parameter

CC#

Amp Decay

119

Amp Sustain

Amp Release

Env 3 Destination

Env 3 Amt

Env 3 Velocity Amt

Env 3 Delay

Env 3 Attack

Env 3 Decay

Env 3 Sustain

Env 3 Release

78 BPM

Clock Divide

The following table details how CCs are mapped onto Mopho x4’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.

NRPN Messages

Transmitted NRPN Messages

Status

Description

1011 nnnn

Control Change

0110 0011

NRPN parameter number MSB CC

0vvv vvvv

Parameter Number MSB

0110 0010

NRPN parameter number LSB CC

0vvv vvvv

Parameter Number LSB

0000 0110

NRPN parameter value MSB CC

0vvv vvvv

Parameter value MSB

0010 0110

NRPN parameter value LSB CC

0vvv vvvv

Parameter value LSB

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. Below is the format used for transmitting a NRPN parameter:

The parameter number can be found in the two tables below, one for Global parameters, and the other for Program parameters. The parameter numbers and the parameter values are broken into two 7-bit bytes for MIDI transmission; the LSB has the seven least-significant bits, and the MSB has the seven mostsignificant bits, though in most cases the MSB will be zero or one, and never more than two.

When receiving an NRPN, all messages do not necessarily need to be transmitted, since the synth will track the most recent NRPN number, though it is usually good practice to send the entire message above.

Once an NRPN is selected, the synth will also respond to NRPN Data Increment and Decrement commands, which some controllers utilize. Finally, it responds to one RPN (Registered Parameter Number) command, the RPN/NRPN Reset command, which can be handy for resetting the currently selected parameter to a known state.

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

0110 0000

0xxxxxxx

NRPN parameter value Increment

1011 nnnn

0110 0001

0xxxxxxx

NRPN parameter value Decrement

1011 nnnn

0010 0101

0111111

RPN parameter number MSB CC - Reset NRPN

received)

1011 nnnn

0010 0100

0111111

RPN parameter number LSB CC - Reset NRPN

received)

Param

NRPN

Range

Description

384

0 - 24

Master Transpose; 0 = -12 semitones (1 octave), 12 = 0 (no transpose), and 24 = +12 semitones.

385

0 - 100

Master Fine Tune; 0 = -50 cents, 50 = 0 (centered), 100 = + 50 cents

386

0 - 16

MIDI Channel; if = 0, data received on all MIDI channels. Otherwise = channel number 1 - 16.

388

0 - 3

MIDI clock select*

3 Use MIDI clock In, and retransmit MIDI clock out

390

0 - 2

Parameter Send*:

2 Off

391

0 - 3

Parameter Receive†:

3 Off

394

0 - 1

MIDI Controller Send/Receive Off/On

395

0 - 1

MIDI Sysex Send/Receive Off/On

parameter number (when both MSB and LSB

Global Parameter Data

The following table shows the Global data that is sent and received on global parameter dumps, and the corresponding NRPN number when sent/received individually.

0 Use Internal clock, don’t send MIDI clock 1 Use Internal clock, send MIDI clock 2 Use MIDI clock In

0 NRPN 1 CC

0 All 1 NRPN only 2 CC only

Param

NRPN

Range

Description

406

0 - 1

MIDI Out Select*:

0 MIDI Out

1 MIDI Thru

387

0 - 6

Poly Chain*:

6 Out 16

389

0 – 1

Local Control* Off/On

400

0 - 1

Audio Outputs:

1 Mono

404

0 - 2

Pot Mode:

2 Jump

397

0 - 3

Damper Polarity:

3 Arpeggiator latch, normally closed

396

0 - 5

Pedal Destination:

5 Filter Frequency/2

393

0 – 1

MIDI Pressure Send/Receive Off/On

399

0 – 3

Pressure Curve

398

0 - 3

Velocity Curve

414

0 - 1

Arpeggiator Latch Mode:

1 ReLatch

Basic Patch

Reset Globals

21 0 - 28

BalanceTweak1‡ (0 = -14, 14 = 0, 28 = +14)

22 0 - 28

BalanceTweak2‡ (0 = -14, 14 = 0, 28 = +14)

23 0 - 28

BalanceTweak3‡ (0 = -14, 14 = 0, 28 = +14)

24 0 - 28

BalanceTweak4‡ (0 = -14, 14 = 0, 28 = +14)

0 Off 1 Out 1 2 Out 4 3 Out 5 4 Out 8 5 Out 12

0 Stereo

0 Relative 1 PassThru

0 Sustain, normally open 1 Sustain, normally closed 2 Arpeggiator latch, normally open

0 Foot Control 1 Breath Control 2 Expression 3 Volume 4 Filter Frequency

0 Normal

*Controller received, but not transmitted.

†Controller transmitted, but ignored when received.

‡Controller neither received nor transmitted, but value sent as part of a global parameters data dump.

Program Parameter Data

Param

NRPN

Range

Description

0 0 0 - 120

Oscillator 1 Frequency, 0 - 120 in semitones (10 octave range)

1 1 0 - 100

Oscillator 1 Fine Tune; 0 = -50 cents, 50 = 0 (centered), 100 = + 50 cents

2 2 0-103

Oscillator 1 Shape

4 - 103 Pulse Wave, Pulse width 0 - 99

3 3 0 - 127

Oscillator 1 Glide

4 4 0 - 1

Oscillator 1 Keyboard Off/On

114

0 - 127

Sub Oscillator 1 Level

6 5 0 - 120

Oscillator 2 Frequency, 0 - 120 in semitones (10 octave range)

7 6 0 - 100

Oscillator 2 Fine Tune; 0 = -50 cents, 50 = 0 (centered), 100 = + 50 cents

8 7 0 - 103

Oscillator 2 Shape

4 - 103 Pulse Wave, Pulse width 0 - 99

9 8 0 - 127

Oscillator 2 Glide

10 9 0 - 1

Oscillator 2 Keyboard Off/On

115

0 - 127

Sub Oscillator 2 Level

0 - 1

Sync off/on

0 - 3

Glide Mode:

3 fixed time auto

0 - 5

Oscillator Slop

0 - 12

Pitch Bend Range

0 - 127

Oscillator 1 - 2 Mix

0 - 127

Noise Level

116

0 - 127

Feedback Amount

110

0 - 127

Feedback Gain

0 - 164

Filter Frequency, steps in semitones

0 - 127

Resonance

The following table lists Mopho x4’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.

0 Oscillator Off 1 Sawtooth 2 Triangle 3 Sawtooth/triangle mix

0Oscillator Off 1 Sawtooth 2 Triangle 3 Sawtooth/triangle mix

0 fixed rate 1 fixed rate auto 2 fixed time

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

0 - 127

Filter Envelope Decay

0 - 127

Filter Envelope Sustain

0 - 127

Filter Envelope Release

0 - 127

VCA Envelope Amount

0 - 127

VCA Envelope Velocity Amount

0 - 127

VCA Envelope Delay

0 - 127

VCA Envelope Attack

0 - 127

VCA Envelope Decay

0 - 127

VCA Envelope Sustain

0 - 127

VCA Envelope Release

0 – 127

Pan Spread

0 - 127

Voice Volume

0 - 166

LFO 1 Frequency; 0 - 150 un-synced frequencies

151 Sequence speed divided by 32

166 Sixteen cycles per step

0 - 4

LFO 1 Shape

4 Random

0 - 127

LFO 1 Amount

0 - 47

LFO 1 Mod Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 1

LFO 1 Key Sync Off/On

0 - 166

LFO 2 Frequency; same as LFO 1

0 - 4

LFO 2 Shape; same as LFO 1

152 Sequence speed divided by 16 153 Sequence speed divided by 8 154 Sequence speed divided by 6 155 Sequence speed divided by 4 156 Sequence speed divided by 3 157 Sequence speed divided by 2 158 Sequence speed divided by 1.5 159 One cycle per step 160 Two cycles per three steps 161 Two cycles per step 162 Three cycles per step 163 Four cycles per step 164 Six cycles per step 165 Eight cycles per step

0 Triangle 1 Reverse Sawtooth 2 Sawtooth 3 Pulse (square)

0 - 127

LFO 2 Amount

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

LFO 3 Mod Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 1

LFO 3 Key Sync Off/On

0 - 166

LFO 4 Frequency; same as LFO 1

0 - 4

LFO 4 Shape; same as LFO 1

0 - 127

LFO 4 Amount

0 - 47

LFO 4 Mod Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 1

LFO 4 Key Sync Off/On

0 - 47

Envelope 3 Mod Destination; See Mod Destination list below

0 - 254

Envelope 3 Amount; -127 to +127

0 - 127

Envelope 3 Velocity Amount

0 - 127

Envelope 3 Delay

0 - 127

Envelope 3 Attack

0 - 127

Envelope 3 Decay

0 - 127

Envelope 3 Sustain

0 - 127

Envelope 3 Release

0 - 1

Envelope 3 Repeat Off/On

0 - 22

Mod 1 Source; See Modulation Source list below

0 - 254

Mod 1 Amount; -127 to +127

0 - 47

Mod 1 Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 22

Mod 2 Source; See Modulation Source list below

0 - 254

Mod 2 Amount; -127 to +127

0 - 47

Mod 2 Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 22

Mod 3 Source; See Modulation Source list below

0 - 254

Mod3 Amount; -127 to +127

0 - 47

Mod 3 Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 22

Mod 4 Source; See Modulation Source list below

0 - 254

Mod 4 Amount; -127 to +127

0 - 47

Mod 4 Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 254

Mod Wheel Amount; -127 to +127

0 - 47

Mod Wheel Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 254

Pressure Amount; -127 to +127

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; -127 to +127

0 - 47

Foot Control Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

0 - 4

Unison Mode:

4 All voices detune3

0 - 5

Key Assign Mode:

0 - 1

Unison; off/on

111

0 - 120

Push It Switch Note Number

112

0 - 127

Push It Switch Velocity

113

0 - 1

Push It Switch Mode:

1 Toggle

101

30 - 250

BPM tempo

102

0 - 12

Clock Divide:

12 Sixty-Fourth note triplets

0 1 voice 1 All voices 2 All voices detune1 3 All voices detune2

0 Low note priority 1 Low note priority with re-trigger 2 High note priority 3 High note priority with re-trigger 4 Last note hit priority 5 Last note hit priority with re-trigger

0 Normal

0 Half Note 1 Quarter Note 2 Eighth Note 3 Eighth Note half swing 4 Eighth Note full swing 5 Eighth Note triplets 6 Sixteenth Note 7 Sixteenth Note half swing 8 Sixteenth Note full swing 9 Sixteenth Note triplets 10 Thirty-second Notes 11 Thirty-second Notes triplets

103

0 - 14

Arpeggiator Mode:

0 Up

14 Random 3 Octaves

104

100

0 - 1

Arpeggiator; Off/On

105

0 - 4

Sequencer Trigger:

4 Key Step

106

101

0 - 1

Gated Sequencer; Off/On

107

0 - 48

Sequence 1 Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

108

0 - 48

Sequence 2 Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

109

0 - 48

Sequence 3 Destination; See Modulation Destination list below

110

0 - 48

Sequence 4 Destination; See Modulation

Destination list below

120 - 135

0 - 127

Sequence Track1, steps 1-16

127 Rest

136 - 151

0 - 126

Sequence Track 2, steps 1-16

126 Reset

152 - 167

0 - 126

Sequence Track 3, steps 1-16

126 Reset

168 - 183

0 - 126

Sequence Track 4, steps 1-16

126 Reset

184 - 199

32 - 127

Name characters 1-16, in ASCII format

1 Down 2 Up/Down 3 Assign 4 Random 5 Up 2 Octaves 6 Down 2 Octaves 7 Up/Down 2 Octaves 8 Assign 2 Octaves 9 Random 2 Octaves 10 Up 3 Octaves 11 Down 3 Octaves 12 Up/Down 3 Octaves 13 Assign 3 Octaves

0 Normal 1 Normal, no reset 2 No gate 3 No gate/no reset

0 to 125: Normal sequence step value 126 Reset

0 to 125: Normal sequence step value

The following tables list the values used with the program parameters to specify

Mod Destinations

Value

Off

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

Filter Audio Mod Amt

VCA Level

Pan Spread

LFO 1 Freq

LFO 2 Freq

LFO 3 Freq

LFO 4 Freq

All LFO Freq

LFO 1 Amt

LFO 2 Amt

LFO 3 Amt

All LFO Amt

Filter Env Amt

Amp Env Amt

Env 3 Amt

All Env Amounts

Env 1 Attack

Env 2 Attack

Env 3 Attack

All Env Attacks

Env 1 Decay

Env 2 Decay

Env 3 Decay

All Env Decays

Env 1 Release

Env 2 Release

Env 3 Release

All Env Releases

modulation destinations and sources.

Mod 1 Amt

Mod 2 Amt

Mod 3 Amt

Mod 4 Amt

Feedback Amt

Sub Osc 1 Level

Sub Osc 2 Level

Feedback Gain

Slew*

*Appears as a destination in sequences 2 and 4 only.

Mod Sources

Value

Off 0 Sequence Track 1

Sequence Track 2

Sequence Track 3

Sequence Track 4

LFO 1

LFO 2

LFO 3

LFO 4

Filter Envelope

Amp Envelope

Envelope 3

Pitch Bend

Mod Wheel

Pressure

MIDI Breath

MIDI Foot

MIDI Expression

Velocity

Note Number

Noise

Sysex Messages

Universal System Exclusive Message (Device Inquiry)

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0111 1110

Non-realtime message

0vvv vvvv

If MIDI channel is set to 1 - 16, 0vvvvvvv must match (unless MIDI Channel = ALL); always responds if 0vvvvvvv = 0111 1111.

0000 0110

Inquiry Message

0000 0001

Inquiry Request

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0111 1110

Non-realtime message

0vvv vvvv

If MIDI Channel = ALL, 0vvvvvvv = 0111 1111. Otherwise 0vvvvvvv = Channel Number 0 - 15.

0000 0110

Inquiry Message

0000 0010

Inquiry Reply

0000 0001

DSI ID

0010 1001

Mopho x4 ID (Family LS)

0000 0001

Family MS

0000 0000

Family Member LS

0000 0000

Family Member MS

0jjj nnnn

Main Software version: jjj - Minor rev; nnnn - Major rev

0000 0000

Voice firmware version LS

0000 0000

Voice firmware version MS

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Request Program Dump

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0000 0001

DSI ID

0010 1001

Mopho x4 ID

0000 0101

Request Program Transmit

0000 00vv

Bank Number, 0 - 7

0vvv vvvv

Program Number, 0 - 127

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Mopho x4 responds with:

Mopho x4 will respond by sending out the Program Data in the format described below in Program Data Dump.

Request Program Edit Buffer Dump

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0000 0001

DSI ID

0010 1001

Mopho x4 ID

0000 0110

Request Program Edit Buffer Transmit

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Request Global Parameter Dump

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0000 0001

DSI ID

0010 1001

Mopho x4 ID

0000 1110

Request Global Parameter Transmit

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Program Data Dump

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0000 0001

DSI ID

0010 1001

Mopho x4 ID

0000 0010

Program Data

0000 00vv

Bank Number, 0 - 7

0vvv vvvv

Program Number, 0 - 127

0vvv vvvv

256 bytes expanded to 293 MIDI bytes in “packed MS bit” format (see page 58.)

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Mopho x4 will respond by sending out the current Program edit buffer in the format described below in Program Edit Buffer Data Dump.

Mopho x4 will respond by sending out the current values of Global Parameters in the format described below in Global Parameters Data Dump.

Program Edit Buffer Data Dump

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0000 0001

DSI ID

0010 1001

Mopho x4 ID

0000 0011

Edit Buffer Data

0vvv vvvv

256 bytes expanded to 293 MIDI bytes in “packed MS bit” format (see page 58.)

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Global Parameters Data Dump

Status

Description

1111 0000

System Exclusive (SysEx)

0000 0001

DSI ID

0010 1001

Mopho x4 ID

0000 1111

Main Parameter Data

0vvv vvvv

50 nibbles (LS then MS) for 25 Global parameters. Global Parameters are listed starting on page 47.

1111 0111

End of Exclusive (EOX)

Note: The Global Parameters Data Dump is not recognized when received; it is only transmitted when requested. NRPN messages are used to change Globals.

Packed Data Format

Data is packed in 8 byte “packets”, with the MS bit stripped from 7 parameter bytes, and packed into an eighth byte, which is sent at the start of the 8 byte packet.

Example:

Input Data Packed MIDI data

1 A7 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 A0 1 00 G7 F7 E7 D7 C7 B7 A7 2 B7 B6 B5 B4 B3 B2 B1 B0 2 00 A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 A1 A0 3 C7 C6 C5 C4 C3 C2 C1 C0 3 00 B6 B5 B4 B3 B2 B1 B0 4 D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 4 00 C6 C5 C4 C3 C2 C1 C0 5 E7 E6 E5 E4 E3 E2 E1 E0 5 00 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 6 F7 F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1 F0 6 00 E6 E5 E4 E3 E2 E1 E0 7 G7 G6 G5 G4 G3 G2 G1 G0 7 00 F6 F5 F4 F3 F2 F1 F0 8 00 G6 G5 G4 G3 G2 G1 G0

This explains why it takes 293 MIDI bytes to transmit 256 Program data bytes.

“Hidden” Functions

The term “hidden function” has an air of mystery and secrecy about it, but it simply refers to commands that are rarely used and don’t warrant dedicated buttons or menu items.

Calibration Routine—Mopho x4’s calibration routine should not be confused

with the autotune function on vintage polysynths with VCOs. Mopho x4’s DCOs don’t go out of tune (unless they’re programmed to). The calibration routine sets the waveshape symmetry and calibrates the low-pass filters. Generally speaking, this is a “set and forget” function. In other words, once the calibration has been run, it doesn’t need to be run again. But, if you suspect there may be a problem with your synth, try running the calibration routine. It’s probably one of the first things DSI technical support will ask you to do if you contact them.

To run the calibration routine, hold C

OMPARE and press the Oscillators SHAPE

button. The display will show the progress and prompt you to restart Mopho x4 when calibration is complete.

Copy Factory Banks to User Banks—To restore Mopho x4’s program banks

to their initial state, in which the user banks are simply a copy of the factory banks, hold C

OMPARE and press 4 POLE. Be aware this this will overwrite any

custom programs in the user banks, so if those programs are not backed up, they will be lost!

To completely reinitialize the synth’s settings, use Reset Globals in the Globals menu in addition to copying the factory banks to the user banks.

Dave Smith Instruments

1527 Stockton Street, 2

Floor

San Francisco, CA 94133

USA

www.DaveSmithInstruments.com

Dave Smith Instruments MOPHO X4 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual