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ATTN: Pbone - How are you liking the Morpho X4?


Aristotle

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And the thing is that vintage units are about as expensive as these ones. The X4 is great. I use it every day. Ultimately I'm going to stick with it because it's just a really fantastic piece of equipment, but there are some limitations. Versus the Prophet, you're missing out on keyboard split (which can be very useful), an extender key range, twice the voices, whatever. The whole Mopho x4/Tetra/Prophet line up presents you with some difficult choices. I settled on the x4 because the money was worth it for me over the Tetra, but I can't afford the step up into Prophet range right now. The x4 offers you everything laid out in front, which takes so much of the stupidity out of software programming. The presets are pretty cool and serve as really nice tutorials to see how they got those sounds. Ultimately I didn't want to be bothered with programming {censored} through a computer and not being able to do it on board, and also thought that the whole set up of having an extra keyboard to hook up was a lot more trouble than it was worth as well. The X4 definitely satisfies both of those. I think it's a fantastic synthesizer with a lot of capabilities and is very strong, and the limitations (no keyboard split, the key range, 4 voices only) are not really that insurmountable as to prevent you from playing. The fact that it has DCOs gives it a different texture--I think--than my Moog but a good complement nonetheless. It's so {censored}ing easy to turn knobs on this thing and get totally different sounds, and the layout is very easy to understand too. I'm still pretty noobish at the whole thing but so far I'm very satisfied with my purchase. Having a Prophet would be obviously the best thing ever but I'll reserve that for when someone's paying me to get it haha!

Here's something I did with it a few weeks ago! (the thing at the end is the moog, though)
http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/797...dntrealize.mp3

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I guess I'm looking for the m9 of (modern) synthesizers. Something that does a lot of sounds decently-pretty good. I understand synthesis can be a money pit, and so I'm trying to be realistic with expectations. I work with computers and so I'm not real interested in programming software when it comes to this - so I'm really more looking at hardware. MIDI would be nice, but range of possible sounds is much more important than functionality and communication capability with other units. I haven't really assigned a budget, but the $1300 for the X4 is about what I'd realistically be looking to spend.

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Quote Originally Posted by Aristotle

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I guess I'm looking for the m9 of (modern) synthesizers. Something that does a lot of sounds decently-pretty good. I understand synthesis can be a money pit, and so I'm trying to be realistic with expectations. I work with computers and so I'm not real interested in programming software when it comes to this - so I'm really more looking at hardware. MIDI would be nice, but range of possible sounds is much more important than functionality and communication capability with other units. I haven't really assigned a budget, but the $1300 for the X4 is about what I'd realistically be looking to spend.

 

The X4 is the m9, pretty much. The Prophet is the m13. I'd definitely suggest going analog; it is so much more fun to work with. It has a ton of great sounds (all analog!) but the DCOs make programming it incredibly versatile. And dude, try to snag an x4 for $1100 or under. It is possible. I got mine brand new from Pro Audio Star for exactly that amount.
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Quote Originally Posted by Aristotle View Post
I guess I'm looking for the m9 of (modern) synthesizers. Something that does a lot of sounds decently-pretty good. I understand synthesis can be a money pit, and so I'm trying to be realistic with expectations. I work with computers and so I'm not real interested in programming software when it comes to this - so I'm really more looking at hardware. MIDI would be nice, but range of possible sounds is much more important than functionality and communication capability with other units. I haven't really assigned a budget, but the $1300 for the X4 is about what I'd realistically be looking to spend.
There are plenty of virtual analogs and workstations around for a lot less than that $1300 that will get you 90% of the way there.

I'm also the type that works with computers, and so has hardware.

Do you have to have "analog?"
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Quote Originally Posted by pbone View Post
The X4 is the m9, pretty much. The Prophet is the m13. I'd definitely suggest going analog; it is so much more fun to work with. It has a ton of great sounds (all analog!) but the DCOs make programming it incredibly versatile. And dude, try to snag an x4 for $1100 or under. It is possible. I got mine brand new from Pro Audio Star for exactly that amount.
The DCdeprive help prevent oscillator drift under stage lights/temperature fluctuations, but still give you that "analog" sound. They were designed this way to help prevent tuning instability.

If you want to be really anal, VCOs are actually considered analog because they are voltage controlled, and so the oscillators naturally tend to drift due to voltage fluctuations. DCOs are digitally controlled, and inherently more stable. Back in the day, this made them more desirable stability wise, but less desirable sound wise.

They all have their good and bad points. smile.gif
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Well I guess I couldn't really go into specifics but I'd imagine having DCOs makes things much easier for routing. Like having a 4 oscillator modulation matrix with like 4 times the number of sources and destinations than compared to my slim phatty.

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Quote Originally Posted by pbone View Post
Well I guess I couldn't really go into specifics but I'd imagine having DCOs makes things much easier for routing. Like having a 4 oscillator modulation matrix with like 4 times the number of sources and destinations than compared to my slim phatty.
Nah, that's just really about the design of the architecture. Whether a synth has DCOs or VCOs really don't have much to do with those options you describe. My Evolver has more modulation options than my Voyager, but that doesn't have anything to do with which one has VCOs or DCOs.

That's like saying that the EHX micro synth has more more adjustment parameters than the Digitech Synth pedal because its analog.

Consider that you can buy the same oscillators that are used in the Slim Phatty and use them on a modular system to have almost limitless modulation capability.

Not trying to bust your chops, BTW pbone. smile.gif
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Quote Originally Posted by Aristotle View Post
Lot of good insight here - looks like the X4 will be the way to go. Thanks guys.


Just saw this video: looks like a really cool synth. Something to dream about at this point but still thought I'd share.
I used to have a Mono/Poly. It was a very cool synth. There was an industrial band that swore by them in my area, and I traded it to a guy in that band for a Nord Lead 1.

The coolest thing it did was in mono mode, it would cycle between all 4 oscillators. So you could tune each oscillator differently, and just press a single note over and over and cycle through a 4 step sequence.

I've owned a few old Korgs.
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Quote Originally Posted by pbone

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The portamento was really the facet that brought that patch together. Sounds great. Thanks for the complement, appreciate it!

 

Yeah, I can see that. I like how it kind of just slides all of the individual notes together until they align as the chord. It definitely works well in the context of the song. smile.gif
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Nice job on the recording pbone. I've been interested in the Mopho keyboard for quite a while now - which is apparently similar to what you have, but monophonic. Then I saw the X4, which is obviously "more better", but I'm still kind of interested in the other one - simply because it kind of reminds me of my old Pro One - the one keyboard I most regret selling.

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