Teenage Engineering OP-1 Synthesizer

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 3:12 am

Ha, looks like the first run is sold out. I was actually a little bit tempted by this, will def check it out when it's in stores.

Sir Ruff · Post by **Sir Ruff** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:05 am

I'm not really sure I get what it's supposed to be? I've looked over the features, but the best I can understand is that it's a little keyboard with multiple simple synths, a sampler and a 4-track recorder. The demos are hardly inspiring either (though I blame the makers, not the synth). The whole thing seems a little disjointed. Maybe I don't understand how one would implement this into a normal setup, unless the whole "portable mini-synth/performance" vibe is the whole point?

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:22 am

Sir Ruff wrote:Maybe I don't understand how one would implement this into a normal setup, unless the whole "portable mini-synth/performance" vibe is the whole point?

Yes, that's the whole point. It's made to be self-contained more than integrated into a regular studio setup.

Dogboy73 · Post by **Dogboy73** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:07 am

Pre-orders being taken, nothing much else happening for 8 weeks, yet it's apparently sold-out already! Is this another Chimera BC-16 in the making? Great idea completely let down by poor marketing & production.

Post by **prinsen** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:54 am

Dogboy73 wrote:Is this another Chimera BC-16 in the making? Great idea completely let down by poor marketing & production.

Huh? What!?
Poor production? Did you try it out yourself at NAMM? I haven't myself but from the looks of it it seems like a solid and well made product.

Poor marketing? Apparently they did their marketing well enough to sell out the first batch of OP-1s in about a day and a half.

I don't get the Chimera comparison at all. Didn't Teenage Engineering open for pre-orders just this weekend?

Post by **prinsen** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:28 am

The boxer and tape graphics may be a bit gimmicky. But as a visually oriented person I can certainly see the relevance of the OP-1. I can see how the signal flow, envelope and harmonic content visualizations may help a lot of people get a better understanding of how sound and synthesis work.

I hope and think we'll see more of this in the future - products that make sound(generation) a little bit less abstract. Blofeld took one small step in that direction and the OP-1 has taken the next.

Dogboy73 · Post by **Dogboy73** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:51 am

prinsen wrote:
Dogboy73 wrote:Is this another Chimera BC-16 in the making? Great idea completely let down by poor marketing & production.
Huh? What!? Poor production? Did you try it out yourself at NAMM? I haven't myself but from the looks of it it seems like a solid and well made product.

It does look well made. What I meant by production was their ability to produce enough units to meet demand. This is a new company with a fairly radical new product. it has the potential to all go horribly wrong if they don't get it right. There's your Chimera BC-16 comparison

Poor marketing? Apparently they did their marketing well enough to sell out the first batch of OP-1s in about a day and a half.

How many were in the first batch? Could have been half a dozen for all we know!

Mush · Post by **Mush** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:25 am

Dogboy73 wrote: It does look well made. What I meant by production was their ability to produce enough units to meet demand. This is a new company with a fairly radical new product. it has the potential to all go horribly wrong if they don't get it right. There's your Chimera BC-16 comparison
...
How many were in the first batch? Could have been half a dozen for all we know!

Numbero Uno: You compare a company that consists of more than a handfull of people to a one-man-operation. And you do also compare a company that has been smart enough to out-source the production of the hardware to the chinese to a one-man-operation doing his own construction. So the points you made fails to be valid.

Second fact: It was 500 units in the first batch, and that is a fact I DO know. And selling 500 units within a window of 36 hours at a price of 800U$D is quite remarkable for a machine that people only seen on the computer screen and that only a few of us that has played with it really has a good grasp of how it works.

Post by **Roby31** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:58 am

Hey it was in the SHM video. That'll automatically make me cool.

anoteoftruth · Post by **anoteoftruth** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:26 pm

I really like the idea of the OP-1... a small portable production unit.. Personally, I would really just have to see it and touch it in person to see if I'd want to spend 700$ on it... The price is quite high imo. And just by looking at it, it looks like it could possibly be made kind of cheaply... I'm not saying I think it is, I'm just saying I really would have to see it in person, or get some trustable users opinions, to put that concern to rest for myself.

I can't wait to hear what some people make with it though. I really like some of the features and effects it has.. I love the tape simulator.. Reminds me of when I worked with old 4 track cassette recorders. It would be awfully handy to be able to bring it anywhere and make decent music... synthesize and sample from scratch anywhere you go etc.

Dogboy73 · Post by **Dogboy73** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:38 pm

Mush wrote:
Dogboy73 wrote: How many were in the first batch? Could have been half a dozen for all we know!
It was 500 units in the first batch, and that is a fact I DO know.

Cool. So I was wrong. That's good because this is the coolest looking music tech thing I've seen in years. So I really, really want this thing to work & do well. So, how long do I have to wait before I can get one? I'm signing my name on the website? Anyone got there OP-1 yet?

Mush · Post by **Mush** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:28 pm

There are some units around, but the first production-batch is due to ship in 6 weeks, so no one of the 500 people that ordered one has got their's yet.

Soundwave · Post by **Soundwave** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 3:45 pm

a gimmic for the iPad crowd with disposal income and no real talent

its a sad fact that materialism and hype are the only clever things involved with this toy or that maybe some are seeing it as some kind of investment if the company flops

kuroichi · Post by **kuroichi** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:24 pm

Soundwave wrote:a gimmic for the iPad crowd with disposal income and no real talent

its a sad fact that materialism and hype are the only clever things involved with this toy or that maybe some are seeing it as some kind of investment if the company flops

To be fair though, it has shown an ability to make some solid sounds, and while I do think its a bit gimmicky, I also think it could be used in a half decent way from what Ive seen.

Plus having one would make me feel like Penny from inspector gadget with her little dictionary thing....

balma · Post by **balma** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:38 pm

$800 is not a bad price.

500 * 800 : $400.000

If they were sold, maybe wait for 3-6 months to get a decent video, if we consider that the 10% of those buyers are good music producers.... and the 10 % of them, upload a video to show its features.

It has radio, a mic, a speaker. It can work with batteries. You can tune radio and sample it! tape recordings can be merged into sampler. Plus FM and a 8 bit sound engine. 512 Mb Flash...

Does somebody knows what means with a 3 axis motion sensor G Force? Something like a horizontal-vertical D beam controller?

It's a truly interesting new synth, with a different concept of the standard market, the price is good for many.... all these stuff into a single unit can end with real interesting new music. I see it with hungry eyes, me wanna

Teenage Engineering OP-1 Synthesizer

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