October 6, 2008—The response to Mopho has been astonishing. They are selling faster than we can make them, so we appreciate your patience. Because they are currently backordered, we have not yet begun to sell them from our Web store. We're doing our best to fill the existing orders as quickly as possible.
Hot Chip's Felix Martin wrote to give us some first impressions: "We're very proud to be the first official owners of the Mopho! It certainly is a powerful little box with an incredibly immediate, rich sound. The first time I got it hooked up and run through a big PA, I cranked up the Sub Oscillators and they sound absolutely amazing—gives Joe's Voyager a run for its money! I have already programmed some sounds and sequences...will send over a photo of it in my little machine world once it is fully integrated. I hope it's a success and that it finally convinces people to stop paying hundreds of $s for bashed up tb303s. I really do like this little machine, it's a great thing to have on the tour bus and on stage as well."
Andrew Everding of the band Thursday has already used Mopho on the band's upcoming release. That's the first report we've had of someone recording with it and we're really looking forward to hearing it!
Andrew Everding: "He seemed like such a nice young man, always kept to himself..."
Dave Featured at AES Panel Discussion
October 6, 2008—Dave, Roger Linn, Tom Oberheim, and Don Buchla took part in a panel discussion at the AES convention yesterday, moderated by Gino Robair of Electronic Musician. The topic of discussion was "The Evolution of Electronic Instrument Interfaces: Past, Present, Future." (Photos courtesy of Michael Barber.)
AES Panel (L to R): Tom Oberheim, Dave, Don Buchla, Roger Linn
Synth mofo
(in the best possible way) meets Mopho synth
Prophet '08 Wins TEC Award
October 6, 2008—Wow! The awards keep coming! This past Friday we were very honored to be presented with the 2008 TEC Award for outstanding technical achievement in the Musical Instrument Technology category. Thanks to the Mix Foundation and especially to all those Mix subscribers who voted for the Prophet '08. It really means a lot and we're very grateful.
Prophet '08/Evolver Keyboard Cases Are Finally Here!
October 6, 2008—We know some of you have been waiting a long time and we appreciate your patience. The initial sample we received needed a few tweaks, so we went back to the drawing board and came up with something we think everyone will be happy with. The only feature change from the previous announcement is that the final case has no wheels. (We didn't think they were necessary—the case is very light and maneuverable without them.)
The cases are available direct and can be purchased using our Web order form. Cost is $299 plus $20 shipping and handling in the US ($40 to Canada). Shipping outside the US and Canada is available but, due to the size of the case, costs at least $100. (Shipping to some countries or certain locations within some countries may be more.)
October 6, 2008—One of the great joys of making musical instruments is when somebody uses them in a way that would never have occured to us. J and DJ Quest of The Opposite of Faith are using an Evolver as a synth, controller, and signal processor in a truly unique way. Check out their online press release.
Evolver or Pro-One?
October 6, 2008—With the wealth of features and digital goodies packed into the Evolver desktop, it might be easy to overlook the fact that the Evolver is a great little analog synth. Evolver owner Hans Laubreiter makes a pretty good case for the Evolver as a Pro One surrogate with his take on the Yazoo classic "Don't Go."
Say Hello to My Little Friend...Mopho is Shipping!
September 24, 2008—The cat is out of the bag, and it's yellow. It's not exactly a well-kept secret any more, but we have a new addition to the family: a little analog mono synth called Mopho. According to Dave, "The challenge was to deliver the renowned sound quality of a single voice of the Prophet ’08 in a package that would be affordable for a much broader group of players and recording artists without sacrificing the performance features so important to making an analog synth really sing.” To achieve that end, the user interface was pared down to certain essential controls and four user-assignable controls per program. The assignable parameters can control any of Mopho’s parameters, so the synth is fully programmable from the front panel. Mopho also includes a basic software editor for Mac OS or Windows.
Never content simply to repeat himself, Dave wanted Mopho to be more than just a monophonic Prophet: “I wanted to give it a character of its own, something to distinguish it from its big brother.” Each of the oscillators has a suboctave generator; oscillator 1’s is one octave down and oscillator 2’s is two octaves down. Mopho also features an external audio input that allows processing of external audio sources as well as the ability to mix the output back in pre-filter for feedback effects. By varying the mix amount, feedback effects can range from a subtle distortion to completely trashed. “It has taken on a life of its own,” enthused Dave. “It’s an inexpensive, feature-rich mono synth
that really excels at basses and big, fat lead sounds.”
And it's just plain fun to play with. Need proof? Mopho made its live debut Saturday, September 13 in Santa Cruz, California. We took a prototype to show the members of Global Noize, including Jason Miles (who was playing his Prophet '08), Bernie Worrell, and DJ Logic. DJ Logic liked it so much he used it at the gig! And when we took two production units to the Treasure Island Music Festival this past weekend, Hot Chip's Felix Martin and Al Doyle bought them on the spot, becoming the first official Mopho owners.
Suggested retail price is US$439.00. For more information, go to the Mopho product page.
Hot Chip's Felix Martin, known synth abuser, and his accomplice.
Dave Smith In-store at RobotSpeak
September 19, 2008—Dave will be making a rare in-store appearance at RobotSpeak in San Francisco at 2:00 pm on Friday, October 3rd. If you're in town for AES (or just in town) stop by to see Dave and get the lowdown on what's up at DSI.
A Farewell and a Price Increase
June 2, 2008—As of June 1st, the Poly Evolver Rack is no longer available. The current production run had reached its end and we made the difficult decision not to do another one.
We have also had to raise the price of the Evolver Desktop $50, due to greatly increased costs. We still think it's a bargain at a US MSRP of $649.
Why We Like Thursday
May 22, 2008—Andrew Everding of the band Thursday is our kind of guy. Performances feature his Poly Evolver Keyboard, but he also owns an Evolver, an Evolver Keyboard, and a Prophet '08. When he's not busy running all over the planet with the band, Andrew tells us he has been using his DSI gear for commercial work. So if you're agonizing over which Dave Smith instrument to get, just follow Andrew's lead and get one of everything! Just kidding. Sort of...
Prophet '08 Nominated for TEC Award
May 21, 2008—The Prophet '08 has been nominated for the 2008 TEC Award for outstanding technical achievement in the Musical Instrument Technology category. Founded in 1985, the TEC (Technical Excellence & Creativity) Awards is the foremost program recognizing the achievements of audio professionals. Presented annually by the Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio, the TEC Awards honor the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind the sound of recordings, films, TV shows and live performances. The Poly Evolver Keyboard was honored with a nomination in 2006 and Dave was inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame in 2005. The 24th Annual TEC Awards ceremony will be held October 3, 2008 in San Francisco to coincide with the AES show.
Expression Pedals Now Available
May 16, 2008—Expression pedals are now available direct from DSI. These pedals are compatible with all DSI products that have pedal inputs (and probably most other manufacturers' products, as well). We are only able to offer them to customers in the US and Canada at this time, as the shipping costs make them prohibitively expensive elsewhere. They sell for $39.99 plus shipping and handling.
Hot Chip's Felix Martin and his Poly Evolver are "Ready for the Floor"
April 25, 2008—Last night we all attended the sold out Hot Chip show at the Fillmore with Felix Martin manning the mighty Poly Evolver Keyboard. These guys are a blast and are making some very original and fun pop/dance music. The Poly Evolver is prominently featured on their hit "Ready for the Floor." They told us they also have a Prophet '08 and a Poly Evolver Rack. Thanks to Felix, Al, Alex, and the rest of the guys (Fiona, too) for making us feel welcome and showing us a good time.
Jason Miles: Prophet '08 Makes Global Noize
April 25, 2008—Keyboard great and Prophet '08 player Jason Miles (Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson) is playing live dates in support of Global Noize, his latest album project with DJ Logic and many special guest artists. The album is set to be released on 4/29/08 from Shanachie Entertainment. For photos of Jason performing with his Prophet '08, check out the Global Noize Pics page on MySpace.
Jason Miles: Soundcheck at The Highline Ballroom, NYC, 4/7/08
Morgan Page's "Go-To" Synth
April 24, 2008—Producer/DJ/remixer/recording artist Morgan Page—whose remixes for Nelly Furtado, Jody Watley, and Delerium all hit #1 on the Billboard Dance chart—sent us his remix of Natalie Walker's "Over and Under," which pretty obviously (in a good way) features his Prophet '08 Special Edition. Morgan tells us, "The Prophet is now officially my go-to synth for everything from major label remixes to original productions." Thanks Morgan! Check out his new album "Elevate," out now on Nettwerk and available for download from iTunes.
Ray Subject and the "Blue Wizard"
April 24, 2008—Marek "Dendy" Dendes—AKA Ray Subject—sent along an edit of his track "Blue Wizard" [blue_wizard_edit.mp3, 5.33MB] (Hmmm, I wonder where the title comes from...?) With the exception of the sampled drums and percussion, all of the sounds were produced with his trusty desktop Evolver. Visit the Ray Subject Web site to download a high bitrate version of the entire track.
The Keyboard Wizard Meets the Prophet
April 24, 2008—Michael Walthius, "The Keyboard Wizard," has been generating a lot of buzz with his demos of the Prophet '08 on YouTube. If you haven't been able to lay your hands on a Prophet, it's the next best thing. Good stuff!
Coming Soon: A Case For Your Prophet/Evolver Keyboard
April 24, 2008—While adequate "off-the-shelf" cases are available for the Poly Evolver Keyboard, cases for the Evolver Keyboard and the Prophet '08 Keyboard are somewhat difficult to find due to their unusual sizes and people have generally had to resort to getting custom cases made. In 90 days or so, we will have available a case that will work for both the Prophet and the Evolver Keyboard. It is a molded, polyethylene case with wheels, with a 2.25" wide accessory compartment. Because the Evolver Keyboard and the Prophet have essentially the same profile, the case will work for either instrument. A 9" tray is included to fill the extra space not occupied by the smaller Evolver Keyboard and to provide additional storage (and who doesn't need that?). Check back for further information.
Ghostland Observatory: Close Encounters with the Prophet '08
April 18, 2008—One of the great joys of making musical instruments is getting to see and hear the artists who use them. Last night we saw new Prophet '08 Module owners Ghostland Observatory when they played to a sold out crowd at the Mezzanine in San Francisco. This other l'il ol' band from Texas was dynamic, great fun (Lasers! Cowboy boots! A CAPE!!!), and very gracious. Thanks to Thomas and Aaron for letting us share in the fun.
April 24, 2008—Producer/DJ/remixer/recording artist