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I love everything Teenage Engineering make. My first impression is always "eh, that's too weird, who would want that... who is their target market?", and over t

I love everything Teenage Engineering make. My first impression is always "eh, that's too weird, who would want that... who is their target market?", and over time end up at "OK, I WANT ONE!". I own way too many of their Pocket Operators now. Though, I REALLY think I'm not their target market here: "designed to be played outdoors, in public spaces and at high volume"... that's exactly situations I now try to avoid. Hmm, unless I have it playing "GET OFF MY LAWN" on a loop?

comboy 6y ago
I understand say OP-1. But how much time on average have you spent on each of those pocket operators? And are you able to use it productively after leaving it alone for some time without checking manual?
- vageli 6y ago
  Personally, when I was commuting for work I would spend the 90 min ride in or back working on some things, though I spent more time with the OP-Z. Sure it takes time to reacclimate to the controls but these things are not simple machines like bicycles. The overlays with the OP-Z for example are really handy for quick reference.
  - sanitycheck 6y ago
    I was going to mention the OP-Z - I was uncertain about it until I got one, but it turns out to be a really good example of an "expert" UI. No screen, lots of button combos to memorise, an enormous amount of functionality. Completely unapproachable without hours of studying the manual, but when you know it it's very efficient to use.
- tweetle_beetle 6y ago
  The Pocket Operators are genuinely pretty inuitive, simply because they have so many buttons, and each one has at most two functions (from memory). The labelling is also pretty good for the first 2 series at least, I haven't tried any of the third. That said, the original official case hid the LEDs which reduces usability substantially - the only useful elements on the screen are the BPM and sync status in the corner. My issue with them is the lack of a case makes them not very ergonomic and not very portable, for the sake of an aesthetic. All the after market cases have a major downside: doubling the volume (size), hiding elements of the interface, requiring gluing components, price, etc. Also they're pretty expensive for what they are - you really want at least two, by which time you could buy a Volca. I've thought about desoldering all the buttons and pots to build a more durable unit with bigger mechanical Cherry style switches and bigger LEDs, but I'll never get around to it.
- gambler 6y ago
  I got one by accident. PO-13. Very fun device. I can use it without a reference, no problem. I'm a bit hesitant to give one as a gift for a child, though. OP-1 had lots and lots of visual feedback, which facilitated learning and experimentation. I wish they got back to that philosophy of design.
- danielrpa 6y ago
  The pocket operator (don't remember which one) was an impulse purchase for me and one of the very few musical instruments I've ever returned. I couldn't use it productively and honestly I didn't even really like the best youtube videos made with it.
- meowface 6y ago
  I have 2 and used them fairly often, but I later grew tired of sequencers in general (in favor of trying to do as few quantized/beat-synced things as possible, most of the time). I really liked the little effects each button had.
- somesortofsystm 6y ago
  I have a friend who has made an entire album with the OP-1 and as well full tracks with his Operator collection. As always, its not the instrument - its the musician.
  - AgloeDreams 6y ago
    For what it is worth, your friend would be in addition to most modern artists. Chvrches' first album was mostly OP1, Death Cab used it heavily on their latest, The national made aggressive use, TS's Folklore is layered with it everywhere and It was used in Billy Ellish's latest works too. the OP1 is basically standard equipment for most modern bedroom to indie producers.
    - munificent 6y ago
      > the OP1 is basically standard equipment for most modern bedroom to indie producers. That's going a little far. The thing with music gear is that if you look for people using it, you see it everywhere. But you don't see people not using it. You can't easily google "albums recorded without using an OP-1" and get useful results. So that gives you a very skewed impression about how popular any given tool is. I'd be surprised if more than 1% of indie releases in the past few years used an OP-1. Heck, it's be surprised if more than 10% used any hardware synth, much less a quirky boutique one like the OP-1.
- powersnail 6y ago
  A friend of mine has a bunch of them and his opinion is that if you are well-versed with drum machines, synthesizers, etc., pocket operators are fairly intuitive to use.
rupertdev 6y ago
They're kinda making fun of that with the next line: "designed to be played outdoors, in public spaces and at high volume; carried on one shoulder with speaker elements facing the head. note: it is assumed that passers-by share the same musical taste."
jes5199 6y ago
I always have the opposite experience! I find the designs attractive but ultimately I find the actual sound effects kinda dull
jimbokun 6y ago
> Hmm, unless I have it playing "GET OFF MY LAWN" on a loop? Guess that's why they're teenage engineering?
inquirerofsorts 6y ago
This reads like an ad, as do many of the replies. Please read the site guidelines my friends. > Please don't use uppercase for emphasis. If you want to emphasize a word or phrase, put asterisks around it and it will get italicized. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- riffic 6y ago
  You created an account twelve minutes ago to nag people on minor site rules? Let the moderators do their job.
  - dang 6y ago
    It's great when users point out the site guidelines to each other. The one thing I'd add (hot tip from bitter experience) is that it's best when not combined with swipes like "This reads like an ad".
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

comboy 6y ago

I understand say OP-1. But how much time on average have you spent on each of those pocket operators? And are you able to use it productively after leaving it alone for some time without checking manual?

vageli 6y ago
Personally, when I was commuting for work I would spend the 90 min ride in or back working on some things, though I spent more time with the OP-Z. Sure it takes time to reacclimate to the controls but these things are not simple machines like bicycles. The overlays with the OP-Z for example are really handy for quick reference.
- sanitycheck 6y ago
  I was going to mention the OP-Z - I was uncertain about it until I got one, but it turns out to be a really good example of an "expert" UI. No screen, lots of button combos to memorise, an enormous amount of functionality. Completely unapproachable without hours of studying the manual, but when you know it it's very efficient to use.
tweetle_beetle 6y ago
The Pocket Operators are genuinely pretty inuitive, simply because they have so many buttons, and each one has at most two functions (from memory). The labelling is also pretty good for the first 2 series at least, I haven't tried any of the third. That said, the original official case hid the LEDs which reduces usability substantially - the only useful elements on the screen are the BPM and sync status in the corner. My issue with them is the lack of a case makes them not very ergonomic and not very portable, for the sake of an aesthetic. All the after market cases have a major downside: doubling the volume (size), hiding elements of the interface, requiring gluing components, price, etc. Also they're pretty expensive for what they are - you really want at least two, by which time you could buy a Volca. I've thought about desoldering all the buttons and pots to build a more durable unit with bigger mechanical Cherry style switches and bigger LEDs, but I'll never get around to it.
gambler 6y ago
I got one by accident. PO-13. Very fun device. I can use it without a reference, no problem. I'm a bit hesitant to give one as a gift for a child, though. OP-1 had lots and lots of visual feedback, which facilitated learning and experimentation. I wish they got back to that philosophy of design.
danielrpa 6y ago
The pocket operator (don't remember which one) was an impulse purchase for me and one of the very few musical instruments I've ever returned. I couldn't use it productively and honestly I didn't even really like the best youtube videos made with it.
meowface 6y ago
I have 2 and used them fairly often, but I later grew tired of sequencers in general (in favor of trying to do as few quantized/beat-synced things as possible, most of the time). I really liked the little effects each button had.
somesortofsystm 6y ago
I have a friend who has made an entire album with the OP-1 and as well full tracks with his Operator collection. As always, its not the instrument - its the musician.
- AgloeDreams 6y ago
  For what it is worth, your friend would be in addition to most modern artists. Chvrches' first album was mostly OP1, Death Cab used it heavily on their latest, The national made aggressive use, TS's Folklore is layered with it everywhere and It was used in Billy Ellish's latest works too. the OP1 is basically standard equipment for most modern bedroom to indie producers.
  - munificent 6y ago
    > the OP1 is basically standard equipment for most modern bedroom to indie producers. That's going a little far. The thing with music gear is that if you look for people using it, you see it everywhere. But you don't see people not using it. You can't easily google "albums recorded without using an OP-1" and get useful results. So that gives you a very skewed impression about how popular any given tool is. I'd be surprised if more than 1% of indie releases in the past few years used an OP-1. Heck, it's be surprised if more than 10% used any hardware synth, much less a quirky boutique one like the OP-1.
powersnail 6y ago
A friend of mine has a bunch of them and his opinion is that if you are well-versed with drum machines, synthesizers, etc., pocket operators are fairly intuitive to use.

rupertdev 6y ago

They're kinda making fun of that with the next line: "designed to be played outdoors, in public spaces and at high volume; carried on one shoulder with speaker elements facing the head. note: it is assumed that passers-by share the same musical taste."

jes5199 6y ago

I always have the opposite experience! I find the designs attractive but ultimately I find the actual sound effects kinda dull

jimbokun 6y ago

> Hmm, unless I have it playing "GET OFF MY LAWN" on a loop? Guess that's why they're teenage engineering?

inquirerofsorts 6y ago

This reads like an ad, as do many of the replies. Please read the site guidelines my friends. > Please don't use uppercase for emphasis. If you want to emphasize a word or phrase, put asterisks around it and it will get italicized. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

riffic 6y ago
You created an account twelve minutes ago to nag people on minor site rules? Let the moderators do their job.
- dang 6y ago
  It's great when users point out the site guidelines to each other. The one thing I'd add (hot tip from bitter experience) is that it's best when not combined with swipes like "This reads like an ad".
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]