Dave Smith Instruments Tetra Multitimbral Four-Voice Analog Synthesizer

Dave Smith Instruments Tetra Multitimbral Four-Voice Analog Synthesizer Review

Dave Smith Instruments Tetra Multitimbral Four-Voice Analog Synthesizer Feature

• Affordable, fully programmable poly synth with a 100% analog signal path
• Four-part multitimbral capability with four separate outputs
• Combo mode for huge unison patches, stacked sequences, and modular-style poly sounds
• Multitimbral four-voice analog synthesizer

The Dave Smith Instruments Tetra Multitimbral Four-Voice Analog Synthesizer takes the award-winning sound and features of the Mopho, multiplies them by 4, and packs them in a box less than a 1/2" larger. Tetra has multiple personalities. It is a 4-voice, analog poly synth, plus it's a 4-part, multitimbral synth with separate outputsessentially 4 Mophos in one very compact box. In addition, Tetra is a voice expander for other Tetras or Dave Smith Instruments' Prophet '08.Outside the boxPhysically, Tetra is similar to the Mopho, with 4 assignable parameter controls per program and a row of controls dedicated to the most commonly used performance parameters. All of the parameters can be accessed from the front panel and Tetra is fully programmable. Dave Smith Instruments offers a free, downloadable editor for Mac OS and Windows to make more comprehensive tweaking availaable.Most of the rotary controls on Tetra are detented encoders, but the cutoff and resonance are potentiometers, for full sweeps with a single turn. The "push it" button is a manual trigger to play notes and latch sequences on without the need for a MIDI controller.Audio is output in mono, stereo, or per voice through the four audio output jacks, plus there's also a headphone out. MIDI communication is by standard MIDI in and out jacks or USB. Poly chain out is a special, dedicated MIDI output to chain multiple instruments together for increased polyphony.Under the hoodThe voice architecture is based on the Dave Smith Instruments' Prophet '08, but with the addition of a sub-octave generator for each oscillator and a fully programmable feedback loop for each voice. That breaks down to two DCOs (digitally-controlled oscillators), a resonant low-pass filter, three DADSR (delay, attack, decay, sustain, release) envelope generators, four LFOs (low-frequency oscillations), deep modulation routing, an arpeggiator, and a 16 x 4 analog-style step sequencer per voice. Feedback is capable of producing effects rang