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With the DMNO (aka Domino), UDO Audio presents a dream of a synthesiser brought to life as hardware, whose appearance lies somewhere between the Oberheim Matrix-12, the Oberheim Two Voice and the Roland Jupiter-6. First things first: the DMNO doesn’t sound like any of these classics. There have been several synthesisers with two or more identically configured voices or parts, but in terms of the complexity on offer here, the DMNO takes pride of place.
The DMNO is a treasure trove for synth enthusiasts, starting with the superb 44-key FATAR keyboard with aftertouch, and underpinned by excellent build quality and high-grade components.
The DMNO’s hybrid sound generation is consistently designed for stereo, starting with the oscillators, which are capable of binaural voice distribution across the panorama, and ending with the 32-bit effects processor. The DMNO is 8-voice polyphonic and 2-part multitimbral. Unlike most other synthesisers, the parts on the DMNO are duplicated on the panel. Each part consists of two digital oscillators along with a VCO modulator, an analogue stereo multimode filter and an analogue stereo VCA, two envelopes and an LFO. The eight play modes are crucial for controlling the two parts and the eight voices.
This already extensive range of features is rounded off by ingenious elements such as a modulation matrix, an arpeggiator, a polyphonic step sequencer, 128 patches and 128 performances.
The sound generation is hybrid, meaning it consists of both digital and analogue elements. The signal path begins with the two digital FPGA oscillators. Both offer the five classic analogue-style waveforms: sine, sawtooth, square, triangle, pulse and noise. Oscillator 1 has six alternative waveforms and Oscillator 2 has three further waveforms, which can be swapped by the user. The second oscillator has three classic waveforms that are decoupled from tracking. Modulations at the oscillator level include Hardsync, Detune, Wave/PWM, Pitch/Crossmodulation, which can be controlled manually, via Envelope 1 and/or LFO 1.
Next comes the filter section, where the levels for Oscillators 1 and 2, as well as the ‘External’ input, are first set. ‘External’ can be an external audio signal or the adjacent synth part, depending on which part you are currently working on. The filter itself is a top-quality analogue stereo multimode filter, offering a choice of low-pass, band-pass, high-pass, all-pass and phase-shifter models with various pole configurations. Filter tracking, Envelope 1, LFO 1 and Oscillator 2 are available for modulating the filter; VCO 2 in particular produces extreme sounds – also known as filter FM. Due to the consistent stereo signal path, there are two filters per part; these can be configured in stereo, parallel or series. Stereo mode has a direct influence on the binaural voice distribution, whereas the other two modes do not. In all three cases, the Alpha Cutoff control affects the second filter. The signal path of each part concludes with the stereo VCA, which is also analogue.
When it comes to modulation options, UDO Audio leaves nothing to be desired. There are a total of three envelopes and one LFO per part. The first envelope is a Hold-ADSR with loop mode and inversion, intended primarily for the filter and the VCO modulator. The other two are ADSR envelopes; ENV2 controls the VCA, whilst ENV3 can be assigned to any target via the modulation matrix. LFO1 offers 10 waveforms, delay (onset delay) or phase in binaural mode for counter-phase modulation of the left and right sides, BPM sync, and serves as an FM source for oscillator 1 or 2.
This is where the two synth parts come together! The mixer, with volume, pan and FX send controls for each part, is all too obvious. For the first time in a UDO Audio synth, a display with additional encoders has been fitted, which is probably ‘inevitable’ given the wealth of functions on offer. :) The Control section houses the memory management for 128 patches and 128 performances, the modulation matrix with six slots, all parameters for the polyphonic step sequencer and arpeggiator, settings for Voice, VCF and System, and the effects.
The effects section shines with studio-grade 32-bit algorithms and distinguishes between insert and send effects. The insert effects are available individually for each part and form a signal chain comprising multimode distortion, chorus and a 3-band EQ. The send effects cover delay and reverb and are routed to the Main Out independently of the parts and the selected routing.
The PLAY MODE control is essential for voice usage. The eight modes – Single, Dual, Split, One-Two, Cycle, Random, Chaos and Series – thus also influence the overall sound, even though, in essence, only the notes played are assigned to one or both parts. One special feature is Series mode, which routes Part 1 entirely into the oscillator mixer of Part 2, where it can be processed with additional filters, envelopes and effects.
To the left of the keyboard, the second LFO is integrated into the joystick controller; visually and haptically, this is designed in the style of old Roland classics from the 1980s. This LFO is primarily intended for pitch and cutoff, but can be assigned to other targets in the modulation matrix.
As far as connections are concerned, you’ll find everything you could possibly need in the studio and on stage: MIDI In/Out/Thru are available as usual for communication with other MIDI instruments. MIDI is transmitted in both directions via USB, and a 2-in/2-out audio interface is integrated. Audio is output via the Mix, Aux and Headphones outputs and fed via the input (including USB In) for processing by one or both synth parts. The two CV/Gate pairs are configurable via the menu; amongst other things, they can output the most recently played voices of the two parts as control voltages. Three pedal inputs for volume, expression and a single or dual footswitch expand the control options for players who like to use foot pedals.
