Do you know where you are in the queue? Supposedly they are receiving 12 of each. I’m confirmed in the first batch and PC is telling me another 1-2 weeks.
After 2 weeks I seriously consider to return mine. It’s a lovely machine, full of potential and it sounds nice. I had great fun so far. But I still have way more fun with my Redshift 6. I’m at the stage I try to force myself to play with the DMNO because it looks so nice and it has everything one should love.
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Not inspired, mate?
Sorry to hear it didn’t click. Sometimes some synths just don’t work out for certain setups
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I did not find yet anything that sounds better or is easier to produce with DMNO than with other synth I already own. So in my case, I have to consider the substantial size and cost.
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One more question sir. Did the workflow feel like using an Oberheim SEM ? Years ago I got to play with a four voice in a studio and was amazed that I had each voice doing its own thing.
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My only experience with a SEM is with a unique SEM pro module 15 years ago, but it is indeed great to have an independant interface for the two parts on the DMNO. To be noted that the DMNO interface looks like the one of a SEM but is more rich (and complex).
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I hear you, man. The more I listened to the demos I came to a similar conclusion.
We love instruments in this house. But there’s plenty of sonic coverage that doesn’t require owning one at the cost of space and a decent vacation budget.
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So I got a Super 6 to take the spot of the DMNO (for now) as my first UDO synth. Eventually they’ll be side by side so I can compare them and decide which one stays. Interesting that the Redshift 6 was mentioned. When I tried it, I found it sounded a little generic at times, and it was a bit hard to push it away from those classic, musical Japanese poly synth sounds. The Super 6 gets much weirder (which makes sense since it’s half digital), but it still sounds warm and polished at the same time. I’m mainly looking for a synth that can do digital sounds with an analog style interface, something that’s very quick to work with, so I guess UDO is the best option. I hope I don’t end up keeping both the Super and the DMNO. It’s quite challenging to get an in your face bass sound out of the Super, and hopefully the DMNO will be better at that and won’t suck at pads.
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Did Detroit Modular end up getting their shipment? Mine from Alto seems to be delayed again. Meanwhile, I’m really happy with the Super 6 - makes me wonder why I didn’t get this synth sooner over the last five years.
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No, DMs shipment was delayed also.
EDIT: Just 15 mins after I posted that I got my DMNO shipment notification from Detroit Modular. Woo hoo!
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Ok, I’ve had a few hours with my DMNO so far, enough to share some impressions as there still is some lack of information out there.
Great Stuff
- As expected and hoped, I am really happy with the DMNO - how it sounds, feels & looks. Especially how great it handles all things audio rate modulation and having all the filters one could ever wish for :-). Often with other synths, going down octaves with audio rate mod the patch falls apart, not so with the DMNO as far as I’ve experienced. It’s a joy when creating a patch and then just knowing that I can jump through 22(?) filter types and discover completely new characters of the same patch.
- I was disappointed at the quick loss of resonance when driving the oscillators into the filters, until I realised I can just drive the oscillators of Domino 1 into filter 1, switch to cascade mode and feed them at a lower level into the filter of Domino 2
- When you don’t care about bitimbrality: Stereo width can be had for serial and parallel filter modes as well: Just copy Domino 1 into Domino 2 and then pan them in the mixer section.
- It has a lot of character, but when working surgically it can be a chameleon too. I have this quirk where I just need to try to recreate certain patches I love from other synths in a new machine, and this performed way better than other complex synths I have/had.
- I really started to like working on a patch, then copying it into Domino 2, continuing to work, compare and swap the two, etc.
- There is a learning curve to the layout, but after a few hours it is a breeze and a lot of fun to tweak. I really find it as inviting to explore as others have claimed.
Somewhat neutral observations:
- Some parameters have a huge range - e.g. the sweet spot for Resonance needs surgical care.
- The mixers (OSC & Main Mixer) behave in a way that they can drown out other parts, meaning if I turn up the volume past a certain point the other part mixed in will start to get quieter, so there is some level interaction going on.
- Tempo sync for arps is OK, but at least from Reaper (DAW) I needed to send out the MIDI data at -15ms to properly trigger the arp. From Digitone (via USB MIDI) it triggers fine (because there were some concerns out there).
- It happened to me multiple times that I used the “Load”/“Comp” functionality (the Load button can be used to compare patches). But when you try to cycle the comparison more than once, it just loads the original patch and the work is lost. Just something to be aware of.
Minor gripes:
- Some minor instability to the firmware (posted in detail in the UDO forum), at least when I sat down with it for 3–4 hours, but not since.
- I wanted to love the drive effect – and I still do – but it has its limits: Especially if a patch already has high levels, turning on drive can cut the volume significantly. Also it cannot really “thicken” the sound. It cuts bottom end, and when I reduce it in the mix to regain the bottom end, it just feels like a second layer beneath the sound. I hope there will be more options down the road, e.g. a more saturation type of drive.
- Some voice mode limitations are OK, but irritated me at first: Voice panning only works in Poly mode, with the stereo filter types and binaural “off” — does not work for unison. Of course binaural is practically another version of voice panning, but still it is kind of a strange limitation.
- There should be more mod destinations. I put in a feature wish at UDO’s forum to add the “wiggle mode” of the Supers (select destination by wiggling the knob/slider) into the mod matrix.
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Just a few hours into ownership, and I’m really digging the sound palette. So far, the filters are the real stars of the show! 
Mostly been exploring the built in performances/patches but I’ve started to somewhat blindly create a few of my own patches. Easy to get into unique and satisfying sonic territory quickly. None of the “stay within the lines” sense that I felt constrained by when I owned the Super 6; the DMNO let’s you be beautiful or beastly.
Interface is excellent and intuitive and I love the display. Everything feels logically laid out.
A few minor gripes so far:
- Data transfer (firmware, patches) over USB is dog slow – a few Kb/sec it seems. Why?! Posted about this on the UDO forum
- Switching the OSC waveforms knob takes some serious turning force! I’m hoping this wears in a little with use.
- While keybed action feels nice, the keys themselves are those hollow bottom models that feel like a couple steps down from what you’d expect at this price point. The Fatar keybed on my TEO-5 is definitely a nicer model.
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Here’s a quote from UDO’s website:
‘‘Where the Super Series synths knock politely and enter with elegance, DMNO kicks the door down. It is unapologetically bold, deeply expressive, and (most importantly) immensely fun.’’
To those of you lucky enough to own a DMNO, do you find this to be true?
I have had some doubts since I bought it. It comes at a steep price and is not finished. No MPE and sequencer yet, and they don’t want to give a timeline. Some minor annoyances, like no catch / pickup mode, no fixed time portamento, switching between channels sometimes loses ARP or hold (might be user error), no release slider, no control over ENV curves.
It’s also too big for my setup - my fault of course. I have a rhodes, an osmose a mixer, mpc live 3, LXR02 and some effects in one corner and want to have everything within reach. The dmno is a bit too wide, too deep, another keyboard I don’t really need. Been looking at the redshift 6 as well, but no audio in is a big disadvantage. And not too fond of the looks…
But while I’m typing this, I have a drone going on, with the dmno’s in series and the output of dmno 2 as external input to dmno 1 via the aux. It sounds so deep, intense and organic, it just keeps breathing and evolving.
It can knock very politely, but it can also kick the door down. I’m more into playing, improvising and experimenting then an expert in synthesis and sound design. One of the pittfalls for me is endless noodling and tweaking instead of making music. That’s certainly a thing with the dmno. Yet, the results you get are always interesting and musical. It can go very rhythmic, can do great pads, it can drone, and it sure can kick the door down.
It’s a great instrument. If it fits your setup and you know the compromises, you won’t regret it.
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Unfortunately not, but I’m sure it will be immensely fun for others. I personally found it gorgeous but a bit too boring for its price. It’s now packed and ready for the post office
To be honest, as a Super 8 owner, I also have doubts regarding the software follow-up et obviously, the DMNO is not finished yet.
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Ok, I recorded some Patches I made with mine, because some I think are kicking doors down material 
Some are more conventional to illustrate this side as well… cheers Stream UDO DMNO Custom Sounds - Demo by Wulli | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
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Thanks for sharing those patches!
Sadly I had to cancel my pre-order. I learned yesterday from my retailer that even though I queued up months ago, that wasn’t nearly soon enough to nab one of perhaps 12 units.
I’m certainly 1) happy UDO is selling enough of these to create a dearth of availability–at least here in the US–and 2) disappointed I wasn’t going to experience one for myself… At least, I won’t for quite some time.
That said, I did repurpose the funds to grab a NINA. Melbourne Instruments caught my ears/eyes (again) at Superbooth with their demo of the Mutable Braids addition! That was easily one of my favorite modular voices, and to have 12 of them through an analogue signal path?! Yes, please. 
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In the upper tones it sounds too “virus ti” for my taste, but it seems to be really good for new bass sounds.
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