Dave Smith TETRA 4 voice - analog poly synth !!

::BLM:: · Post by **::BLM::** » Wed May 12, 2010 1:09 am

So how have people found this synth then? Now that I have no debts I'm thinking of getting one of these. People's thoughts?

tone-def · Post by **tone-def** » Wed May 12, 2010 3:14 am

i've decided i don't like Dave Smith synths.

i'll be selling my evolver within the next few months.

::BLM:: · Post by **::BLM::** » Wed May 12, 2010 9:36 am

tone-def · Post by **tone-def** » Wed May 12, 2010 2:16 pm

it's just too polite

DCO
too stable
sound thin and lifeless

VCF
very clean and boring

ENCODERS
sh!t
you can hear the steps when you slowly open the filter up (or anything else).
you have to turn the thing at least 6 times for the filter fully closed to fully open.
although mine are ok, lots of people have encoders that jump.

USER INTERFACE
i'd rather have a pot for every parameter than have to press a few buttons to find something.

on the plus side you get a lot of features for the money, modulation options are really cool and apart from the encoders the build quality is really good.

i think your better off getting something like a juno 60/106, JX-3P or wait to see if Korg make a VCO ploy in the tetra price range.

pheek · Post by **pheek** » Wed May 12, 2010 2:55 pm

I won't pay for that one! I'll find it on the torrents!

hydrogen · Post by **hydrogen** » Wed May 12, 2010 3:00 pm

pheek wrote:I won't pay for that one! I'll find it on the torrents!

honestly, i wish i had done this. just like i did for all the hundreds of VST's that I tried and threw away.

Some say i'm nuts but i don't think the tetra sounds any better than many of the digital synths i've used. i can make better sounds with ableton operator.

gosh · Post by **gosh** » Thu May 13, 2010 2:10 pm

tone-def wrote:it's just too polite

DCO
too stable
sound thin and lifeless

VCF
very clean and boring

ENCODERS
sh!t
you can hear the steps when you slowly open the filter up (or anything else).
you have to turn the thing at least 6 times for the filter fully closed to fully open.
although mine are ok, lots of people have encoders that jump.

USER INTERFACE
i'd rather have a pot for every parameter than have to press a few buttons to find something.

on the plus side you get a lot of features for the money, modulation options are really cool and apart from the encoders the build quality is really good.

i think your better off getting something like a juno 60/106, JX-3P or wait to see if Korg make a VCO ploy in the tetra price range.

I think it's what you make it. Tetra doesn't suffer from a lot of the nags you mention..mopho and evolver but not so much tetra..

DCO. too stable: slow random lfo to osc pitch and osc slop.
sound thin: add sub-osc and feedback

VCF. clean and boring: Add filter modulation

Encoders: Cut-off and res are pots and as smooth as you like. As for the others, yes they step. however any standard controller would step values for your soft-synth too. Use a 14-bit controller and assign 14-bit values; no stepping.

Can't argue on user interface..yes more controlls would be rad but then that's what the prophet is..and you sacrifice live-set ability..

oblioblioblio · Post by **oblioblioblio** » Fri May 14, 2010 12:48 am

i don't know how I feel about the new Dave Smith stuff.

I havne't actually used any of it, so I can't talk on too much authority.

But it seems like he's filling a gap created by the number of people using computers, and are used to the high value for money of software, but want some analogue personality.

However, I don't think is that possble without making some decent sacrifices.

The days of cheap analogue, like finding Rolands for bargains are long gone, unless you are super lucky. If you want proper analogue, you're gonna need to spend some decent money.

But that's not to say that this DS stuff is a complete waste of time.