Teenage Engineering OP-1: Anybody tried these things out?

[Whiny Minotaur]

I'm going to an exchange student program to Japan for a year, and the commute from the dorms to classes is a whooping 50 minutes. That's almost 2 hours worth of wasting time on the train, so I thought I'd get one of these so I could generate some ideas on the fly without having to balance my gigantic, scaldingly hot laptop on my legs. Seems pretty interesting, and a lot of artists that I respect like James Blake, Thom Yorke etc. seem to be fans.

The price is a pretty damn high, but I'm thinking of selling one of my guitars anyway, I'm fully on the electronic music train and playing the guitar is more of a hobby than being my primary outlet of creativity.

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEupFYK9aKg

Presentation is a bit dumb but it seems to give a pretty good idea of it's capabilities. The sampling aspect is appealing to me too, it's a pain to sample shit on Logic, while this seems to be a lot more intuitive and has a better workflow in that regard.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I started a thread on them some time ago. They do look great, though very spendy. As far as I remember the Shadowplay family own a brace of them, so maybe he will chime in.

[cestlamort]

From what I've heard, they're spendy but worth it and surprisingly inspiring. A newer model came out this year, so the OP-1 may have deals used.

[Whiny Minotaur]

I started a thread on them some time ago. They do look great, though very spendy. As far as I remember the Shadowplay family own a brace of them, so maybe he will chime in.

Ah, did a search for it and couldn't find that thread, seems like people found it to be good enough, that's great to hear.

From what I've heard, they're spendy but worth it and surprisingly inspiring. A newer model came out this year, so the OP-1 may have deals used.

The OP-Z? As far as I know it didn't come out yet, and people seem to be massively disappointed at it. Seems to lack a lot of what made the OP-1 great at the first place, and at a price of $600 I'd rather pay $100~$200 more to get a second hand OP-1.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Sonicstate - Teenage Engineering OP-1 Full Review
The Sonicstate review is a really good one. Nick touches on it a bit, and for me personally, it's kinda how I feel. They look like a toy, which although that's part of the charm, it's kinda made me avoid looking into one for the money.

I've heard from a number of people that they're really solid, and they definitely sound cool. I love how they have all the attachments for them, and crazy peripherals as well. The portability is something I'd use as well. If I get my full attendance bonus this year from work, I might look into one, but it's more money than I want to spend from my paycheck...

[mgeek]

My girlfriend has one- they are a serious piece of kit, despite the size, feel reassuringly solid and sound really good without having to use pedals or anything, so they are perfect for creating stuff on the fly.

My only complaint about them would be that like loads of modern synths, they use a minijack, which is a pain in the ass for live things.

[Shadoweclipse13]

My girlfriend has one- they are a serious piece of kit, despite the size, feel reassuringly solid and sound really good without having to use pedals or anything, so they are perfect for creating stuff on the fly.

My only complaint about them would be that like loads of modern synths, they use a minijack, which is a pain in the ass for live things.

Pretty easy to use/get started, or pretty steep learning curve?

[mgeek]

Getting cool sounds is very instant, but the hidden depths take some time, according to her.

I'm a bit thrown by the fact the knobs do different things depending on what setting you're on...I like things simple though. MS10 is my happy place.

[eggwheat]

Bought one about 7 years ago as it looked cool..sold it a year later as was full of annoying bugs and too fiddly for me...there's way better stuff out now to be honest.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

Bought one about 7 years ago as it looked cool..sold it a year later as was full of annoying bugs and too fiddly for me...there's way better stuff out now to be honest.

That's interesting; I've only ever read good things about them. Is it possible that any bugs were ironed out soon after you bought yours?

[eggwheat]

Yeh, I would’ve thought so by now, been a long time.

[aliendawg]

Y'all know OP stands for overpriced right? Lol

[Maggieo]

My girlfriend has one- they are a serious piece of kit, despite the size, feel reassuringly solid and sound really good without having to use pedals or anything, so they are perfect for creating stuff on the fly.

My only complaint about them would be that like loads of modern synths, they use a minijack, which is a pain in the ass for live things.

Pretty easy to use/get started, or pretty steep learning curve?

It's so deep with features, especially after several firmware updates, that it's hard to fully understand the instrument. At least it is for me. Oh, and be careful of breaking off a key- you'll have to replace the entire keyboard assembly. Which is why I haven't played mine in over a year.

[Singlebladepickup]

I’ve heard people say there are devices that do more for less money. What are they, and are they less intuitive or fun to use?

[Whiny Minotaur]

I’ve seem the Deluge by Synthstorm being toted as a somewhat cheaper alternative to the OP-1, but I’m not really looking for a grid based synth at the moment.