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Teenage Engineering OP-1, a music synthesizer. Really well built, buttons and knobs feel fantastic, and the display is super fun. The OP-1 in action: https://ww

by kevinqi 10y ago

Teenage Engineering OP-1, a music synthesizer. Really well built, buttons and knobs feel fantastic, and the display is super fun. The OP-1 in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umatbZ0n4mE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umatbZ0n4mE

jordiesaenz 10y ago
I just got one of these for Christmas, and it's honestly one of the most beautiful and intuitive devices I've ever used. It's such a creative and inspiring tool.
- pidg 10y ago
  Oh no! I've been ogling these since they came out, and only recently convinced myself I really didn't need one. Now it's back on the table...
kfrzcode 10y ago
Hey, Justin Vernon and I both agree with you. Best small-scale synth ever.
cheerioty 10y ago
Was going to say the same here ;)
provemewrong 10y ago
Only thing bothering me about it is the keyboard. It fits in the overall aesthetic, but I feel like they chose style over substance and regular keys would be more usable. Any comments from first hand experience?
- stoic 10y ago
  It's a bit tough to play by itself, but I'm okay with the tradeoff for the portability. FWIW it works quite well if you connect it to a MIDI host and use another controller to play or sequence the synths on it. ...just don't connect your 12v AC adapter to the OP-1's USB hub that wants 5v, or you'll lose all data connectivity (USB disk mode and MIDI) to the unit. :(
JepZ 10y ago
Impressive!
omegote 10y ago
1k bucks for that device seems a little bit on the pricy side.
- ohitsdom 10y ago
  $850 USD, and most products on this list are on the pricey side. You usually get what you pay for.
ohitsdom 10y ago
I came here to also vote for the OP-1, and I don't even own one. Sure it's a bit expensive at ~$850, and you can get similar functionality at a lower budget with hardware and software. But the OP-1 provides an amazing tool in a standalone device, in a great experience and form factor. I'll be saving up for one for awhile, but it'll be worth it.
jedimastert 10y ago
I have coveted the OP-1 since before is came out, but I've also been college poor the entire time. It really hurts my heart.
hxta98596 10y ago
Great recommendation. For those folks balking at the $850 price, I agree it's very expensive. But a decent synthesizer is going to start around $500 anyways and it goes up very fast from there (synths can easily cost +$3000 with full size keys). The OP-1 is not ridiculously pricey when compared to competitors products. I wanted to suggest another option that is much less expensive and worth checking out if you are interested in this type of music is Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators [1]. These are just a fun instrument/toy to play around with and they only cost $50! From the same company too...I wouldn't say the Pockets are a "best-design thing" but I do think they are an easy and inexpensive way to start messing around creating your own music on a hardware instrument before deciding on a bigger purchase like a $1000k synthesizer. The website is great and has sample sounds of each model: [1] https://teenage.engineering/products/po https://teenage.engineering/products/po

by kevinqi 10y ago

jordiesaenz 10y ago

I just got one of these for Christmas, and it's honestly one of the most beautiful and intuitive devices I've ever used. It's such a creative and inspiring tool.

pidg 10y ago
Oh no! I've been ogling these since they came out, and only recently convinced myself I really didn't need one. Now it's back on the table...

kfrzcode 10y ago

Hey, Justin Vernon and I both agree with you. Best small-scale synth ever.

cheerioty 10y ago

Was going to say the same here ;)

provemewrong 10y ago

Only thing bothering me about it is the keyboard. It fits in the overall aesthetic, but I feel like they chose style over substance and regular keys would be more usable. Any comments from first hand experience?

stoic 10y ago
It's a bit tough to play by itself, but I'm okay with the tradeoff for the portability. FWIW it works quite well if you connect it to a MIDI host and use another controller to play or sequence the synths on it. ...just don't connect your 12v AC adapter to the OP-1's USB hub that wants 5v, or you'll lose all data connectivity (USB disk mode and MIDI) to the unit. :(

JepZ 10y ago

Impressive!

omegote 10y ago

1k bucks for that device seems a little bit on the pricy side.

ohitsdom 10y ago
$850 USD, and most products on this list are on the pricey side. You usually get what you pay for.

ohitsdom 10y ago

I came here to also vote for the OP-1, and I don't even own one. Sure it's a bit expensive at ~$850, and you can get similar functionality at a lower budget with hardware and software. But the OP-1 provides an amazing tool in a standalone device, in a great experience and form factor. I'll be saving up for one for awhile, but it'll be worth it.

jedimastert 10y ago

I have coveted the OP-1 since before is came out, but I've also been college poor the entire time. It really hurts my heart.

hxta98596 10y ago

Great recommendation. For those folks balking at the $850 price, I agree it's very expensive. But a decent synthesizer is going to start around $500 anyways and it goes up very fast from there (synths can easily cost +$3000 with full size keys). The OP-1 is not ridiculously pricey when compared to competitors products. I wanted to suggest another option that is much less expensive and worth checking out if you are interested in this type of music is Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators [1]. These are just a fun instrument/toy to play around with and they only cost $50! From the same company too...I wouldn't say the Pockets are a "best-design thing" but I do think they are an easy and inexpensive way to start messing around creating your own music on a hardware instrument before deciding on a bigger purchase like a $1000k synthesizer. The website is great and has sample sounds of each model: [1] https://teenage.engineering/products/po https://teenage.engineering/products/po