Over 600 studio quality samples
The E-mu Mo’Phatt, released in 2000 by E-mu Systems, stands as a definitive piece of hardware for turn-of-the-millennium urban music production. Following the success of the original Planet Phatt, this rack-mount synthesizer was specifically engineered to provide the gritty, polished, and ready-to-use sounds required for Hip Hop, R&B, and Acid Jazz. It quickly became a staple in professional and home studios alike due to its specialized library and ease of integration into MIDI-based setups.
At the core of the Mo’Phatt is a 32 MB "Pure Phatt" sound ROM, which contains a diverse array of samples including deep sub-basses, sharp synth leads, multi-sampled drum kits, and authentic vinyl scratches. Unlike general-purpose synthesizers of the era, every preset in the Mo’Phatt was tuned for the "urban" aesthetic. The unit features 64-voice polyphony, which could be doubled to 128 voices with a Turbo upgrade, allowing producers to layer complex arrangements without notes cutting out prematurely.
One of the most praised technical features of the module is E-mu’s proprietary Z-Plane filter technology. With 50 different filter types available, users could shape sounds with a level of movement and texture that traditional resonant filters could not achieve. Additionally, the Mo’Phatt introduced "SuperBEATs" mode, a performance-oriented feature that allowed users to trigger and manipulate rhythmic grooves and loops in real-time, making it as much a live performance tool as a studio sound source.
The success of the Mo’Phatt led E-mu to expand the line into different form factors. The MK-6 Mo’Phatt Keys offered the same internal engine in a 61-note keyboard format, while the MP-7 Command Station placed the sounds into a powerful desktop sequencer and pad controller. Even decades after its release, the Mo’Phatt remains respected for its specific sonic character, with many of its distinctive patches continuing to appear in modern retro-leaning productions.
