MusicRadar

• Review

At a price of £550, the Mopho Keys is positioned between the Mopho module and the Mono Evolver Keyboard, nicely filling a gap in DSI's monophonic range. The improvements to the programming interface and addition of the excellent keyboard really allow you to get the best out of the Mopho's fantastic synth architecture.

There's no doubt that the Mopho desktop module sounds great but it's hampered by the menu-based programming system.

Since its announcement, many people have been hoping that the Mopho Keyboard would be a modern version of the Sequential Circuits Pro-One. Comparisons are inevitable, but the Mopho Keyboard isn't a Pro-One. For a start it has patch memory, more flexible modulation routing, sub-oscillators, MIDI as standard and modern reliability. More importantly, the Mopho can create sounds the Pro-One could never achieve.

Ultimately there's no need to look to the past for comparisons. The Mopho Keyboard is a classic in its own right. If you're thinking of buying a Mopho module, we'd strongly advise you to keep saving until you can afford the Keyboard version.

Listen to our selection of demo clips showing off some of the range of the Mopho Keyboard:

The Mopho's sub-oscillators and modulation options make it easy to create interesting patches:

The velocity and aftertouch features come in handy for modulating sounds such as this filtered lead:

A simple bass part can be manipulated with variations in glide and PWM:

The Mopho's arpeggiator and excellent filter come in handy for creating rhythmic bass parts:

The programmable feedback control allows some seriously evil leads to be achieved:

Manipulating a kick drum sequence using the 4-pole low pass filter to create some dramatic special effects: