Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08 / Tetra / Mopho
Single Patch Editor
This editor is meant to work with the Prophet '08, Prophet '08 Desktop, Tetra, Mopho, Mopho Keyboard, Mopho SE, and Mopho x4. It has been tested successfully on the Prophet '08, Tetra, and Mopho Keyboard. If you have other models, please provide me with bug reports. This editor will not work with the Rev2. For Tetra Combo patches, see Edisyn's Tetra Combo editor.
Communicating with Edisyn
Set the MIDI channel to the same as being used in Edisyn. Set MParamSend to NRPN. Set M Param Rec to All or NRPN. Set MIDI Program to ON. Set MIDI Sysex to ON. And set MIDIParamLCD to ON.
Setting the Synthesizer Type
These synthesizers are approximately compatible with one another, but there are differences. The biggest one is of course that the Mopho series does not have the two layers present in the Tetra and Prophet '08. If you load a Mopho patch, the (missing) Layer B will be set to a copy of Layer A.
There are other differences. Some units have feedback; others have audio input; and the Prophet '08 has neither. The Prophet '08 also doesn't have sub-octave generators, unlike the others. Some synths have certain destinations and sources that others do not.
Before you work with your synthesizer, you need to set Edisyn to the proper Synthesizer Type. Edisyn will remember your choice next time. Setting the Synthesizer Type affects the following things:
- You can select the proper bank (the Mopho x4 has 8 banks, the Tetra has 4 banks, the other Mophos have 3 banks, and the Prophet '08 has just 2 banks).
- You can upload patches properly (different synth have different sysex)
- You can request patches properly (again, different sysex)
- You can batch-download from your synth properly (correct banks and sysex)
- If you have a Prophet '08 or Tetra, you can access the Oscillators, Modulation, and Sequencer in Layer B.
If you load a patch from a different synthesizer type, Edisyn will load the patch but won't deviate from your original choice.
Because different synths have different numbers of patches, if the incoming patch is set to a bank higher than your current synthesizer type can handle, the current bank will be unchanged. If you manually change the synthesizer type and the current bank is incompatible with the new type, the bank will be reset to bank 1.
Per-Synthesizer Parameters
The Tetra and Mopho series have several additional parameters not present in the Prophet '08. Some of these appear under the Extras tab.
Several parameters, destinations, and other settings are specific to certain synthesizers. The synthesizer in question is marked as follows:
- [P] Prophet '08
- [T] Tetra
- [M] Mopho
- [K] Mopho Keyboard and SE
- [X] Mopho x4
A few parameters are shared. For example, "Feedback Volume" on the Tetra is "Audio Input Level" on the Mopho series. And "Spread" on most machines is "Pan" on the Mopho (which is monophonic).
But most importantly, Mopho variations will completely ignore the Oscillators and Filters B, Modulation B, and Sequencer B tabs, since they have only one layer (A). They will also ignore the Tetra Layer B category under the Tetra / Mopho tab.
About the Menu
The menu has several options that are useful for Prophet '08 and Tetra owners.
- Copy A->B, Copy A<-B and Swap A<->B These menus allow you to move the A and B layers to each other.
- Load Both Layers, Load Only A>, and Load Only B When you load a sysex file, receive a dump or merge from your Prophet '08 or Tetra, or reset your patch, your setting here will dictate whether this will effect both layers, or just Layer A or Layer B (keeping the other one intact). This way, for example, you can just clear out Layer A. Or you could make a patch consisting of the Layer A of two different patches, by first loading one patch, then copying its Layer A to Layer B, then restricting loading to just Layer A, and then finally loading the second patch.
- Build Tetra Combo constructs a Tetra Combo patch out of this patch. This is done by copying Layer A to Voices 1 and 2 in the Combo, and Layer B to Voices 3 and 4. All voices will share the same patch name. The four "assignable parameters" will be distributed to the four voices.
- Send Assignable Params toggles whether Edisyn sends real-time parameter change messages in response to changing any of the four "Assignable Parameter" parameters. This is because doing so triggers a bug in the Tetra Beta firmware, which causes the parameter to be reset to Osc 1 Freq. If you're running a Tetra using the Beta firmware, you might like to turn this on; otherwise you can ignore it.
These menu options are not useful for the Mopho variations, as they have only one layer.
Hints
- When you set the destination for a sequencer track to "Osc 1 Freq", "Osc 2 Freq", or "Osc 1&2 Freq", the track dials will change from number values to notes. The lowest note, C0, corresponds to the note being played by the user -- that is, all sequenced notes are equal to or higher than the played note. If you need notes lower than the played note, pitch the oscillator frequencies down.
- On the Tetra, the assignable parameters "[Invalid 5]" and "[Invalid 6]" are, on the Beta OS only, "Osc 1 Wave Reset" and "Osc 2 Wave Reset" respectively. But they're still subject to the serious assignable parameter crash issues discussed in Gotchase, next.
Gotchas
- The Assignable Parameters (in the Extras tab) have several problems:
- There is a hole in the middle of the Tetra's parameters -- you'll see parameters labelled "[Invalid ...]". These are invalid settings right in the middle of the valid range, and on top of it, the Tetra can crash if it uses them! So I have opted to do the following. You are permitted to set to these values in Edisyn, but Edisyn will send, write, or save patches by silently substituting value 0 ("Osc 1 Frequency") instead.
- Likewise, there is a different hole in the middle of the Mopho's parameters, with the same dangers, and so I have elected to follow the same strategy.
- If you are using the Tetra's Beta OS, setting any of the assignable parameters in real-time just sets the parameter to "Osc 1 Frequency" due to a bug in the OS. However you can send or write a patch with the assignable parameters set and it'll work right. See discussion of the Send Assignable Params menu option above.
- Even if MIDIParamLCD is set to ON, any real-time changes you make won't be reflected on the LCD unless you first twiddle a knob so the synth is in its edit mode. On the Prophet '08 I suggest twiddling the Misc Parameters Select knob.
- Additionally, even if MIDIParamLCD is on, and the Prophet '08/Tetra is displaying parameter edits, you won't see parameter changes from Layer B unless you press "Edit Layer B".
- If you change Key Sync for some LFO other than #1, the Prophet's Key Sync light won't change properly, even if that LFO is currently selected on the Prophet '08 front panel. You have to press some other LFO button, then go back to the LFO in question to see the Key Sync button light properly.
Thanks to Will Taylor for his considerable help in debugging the editor for the Tetra and Mopho Keyboard.
Thanks also to Francois Dussaud for his significant work in debugging the Mopho and Tetra portions of the editor.
By
| Sean Luke
|
Date
| June 2018, Updated May 2020
|