Dato DUO Synthesizer

General

So, most synth-gurus start their quest for infinite synthesis-knowledge as music-focussed whiz kids. But how old is your typical whiz-kid-come-synth-geek these days? Perhaps, the answer depends on when they're introduced to the Dato DUO: a fun, vintage-styled desktop synthesizer for kids and grown-ups. Don't be fooled though, this is no toy that only plays back animal sounds. Sure, you won't find a Dato DUO in Hans Zimmer's studio, but this fairly-fledged synthesizer does boast MIDI functionality, a filter, a sequencer, a stack of effects and more in a unique, user-friendly form.

The Dato DUO Synthesizer: Team Up With Your Kid to Make Sounds

The way the various functions are described define the child-friendly design of the Dato DUO. Rather than slow to fast, the speed can be dialled up from tortoise to hare, while the expression is measured in what looks like the length of the neck of some goat-giraffe hybrid creature. Hilariously, even the glide effect button is indicate by a little graphic of a slide, and so you can team up with your kid, the DUO features a control lay-out on either side where one controls the timbre while the other shapes the notes - a playful way to learn how to make sounds and music.

Less of a Toy Than You Might Think

To illustrate once more that the Dato DUO is less of a toy and more of an actual synth than you might think, you're getting a 12-bit oscillator with adjustable pulse width and selectable saw-tooth and square wave forms plus the aforementioned filter. On top of that, Dato have loaded in a delay effect and a bit-crusher, and the built-in 8-step sequencer can be used to add some energy or dynamics as you and your kid see fit. The keybed is pentatonic, meaning it only comes with the black keys of a standard keyboard, and sounds great even if you have no idea what you're doing because you never took any music lessons! An all-Dutch design, the Dato DUO is clearly well thought-out. Happy synthesising!