5 ms·

their stuff is awesome, but so expensive! I've wanted an OP-1 for a long time, just can't fork out that kind of cash for a "toy"

codetrotter 6y ago
The OP-1 is kind of a weird thing. I remember a few years ago I was almost convinced that I should have one, except for the price tag which was way over my league. And back then it was still being sold for about $900 in stores I think and now it’s like $1500. On the bright side though I picked up a decent Korg Triton Le 88 waveform keyboard with weighted hammer action keys a couple of years ago second hand, and for that one I paid $300 which I think was a pretty good price. Online websites seem to indicate that these often sell for $550 to $600 second-hand, or at least that people are listing them asking for that amount. But the greatest thing for my music making happened a year later when I was able to pick up an Akai MPC X second hand in excellent condition for $1000. The guy that sold it to me had barely even used it. The retail price for those things are $2000, and I love my MPC X to bits. The MPC X combined with the aforementioned keyboard make for a wonderful time when I work on music. I have always preferred working with my music without using a computer for it when I play, and with the MPC X you get something that is still very tactile while at the same time also having quite a few of the features of a DAW. My keyboard is connected to the MIDI in and MIDI out of the MPC X, and I play on the keyboard, record MIDI notes, make changes to them and do all kinds of stuff. Now you may be wondering why I am bringing this up. Like, an 88-keys keyboard and a piece of other hardware sitting on top of it, all on a keyboard stand, it’s not portable so it’s not an apples to apples kind of deal quite. But the point is that I paid $1300 for this music gear and even though I don’t have the portability that an OP-1 would give you it just gives me so infinitely much personal joy to be making music with. The OP-1 meanwhile, I think even if you picked it up second hand you’d be unlikely to find it for less than $1000 anytime soon. And I think for me personally, yeah the OP-1 looks neat I suppose, but I am lucky that I could not afford it because this setup that I have instead I think is giving me much much more than the OP-1 ever would for me. When in the distant future I can afford to buy anything more for my music making, I don’t think I would actually ever buy the OP-1 at this point tbh. Because whereas I used to be intrigued by it and inspired by some of the videos I was seeing and the music people make with it, I think for me the truth is that it would not really help me musically. Not saying the OP-1 isn’t good or anything. Like I said, some people make cool music with it. Just think that for me I have found a different path to music for myself than what the OP-1 is for. And I feel like with my MPC X and my keyboard I can do all of what I would have been able to do with an OP-1 but not only that but so much more.
- pbronez 6y ago
  100% It's tempting to think of Teenage Engineering as a frustrating synthesizer manufacturer, but they're really a design studio. They're much more interested in exploring new ways to integrate sound, life and technology than excelling at a particular product segment. It's pretty much the opposite of what Behringer is doing. That company is totally focused on scale, reducing consumer prices, and bringing synths to the mass market. (with all the ethical corner cutting that brings with it)
  - IvanGoneKrazy 6y ago
    Indeed Teenage Engineering is a design studio which just happens to have some synthesizer products. One of the TE founders, Jesper Kouthoofd, used to work with Elektron, a Swedish synthesizer firm. While there he designed the Machinedrum product's UI. https://www.elektronauts.com/t/elektron-and-teenage-engineering/955 https://www.elektronauts.com/t/elektron-and-teenage-engineer... EDIT: clarify what JK designed and added link.
- amagumori 6y ago
  Yeah it’s a weird situation where I feel like a lot of the people who the OP-1 is aimed at either can’t afford it, period or aren’t going to pay $1300 on a “toy”. Because of its market positioning it ends up being this unattainable luxury item that only professional/ established musicians use, instead of a MPC-esque everyman’s tool. The “toy” design positioning and huge price tag work in tandem to keep it unattainable- it’s not that people can’t afford it (although a lot of people can’t afford it) but at the high price tag, people start seriously min-maxing what they’re getting for their money. People are really reticent to spend an entire paycheck on something that’s even somewhat limited, and possibly the best “feature” (the high level of polish in design and UX) is sort of invisible and not looked at as a utilitarian “feature”.
  - sanitycheck 6y ago
    I'm not going to try to defend this expensive radio thing, but regarding the OP-1 I don't think $1300 is an "unattainable luxury item", I'd reserve that label for something like a proper Leica camera. There are plenty of ways to spend a lot more on a musical instrument - buy a decent saxophone, or a Moog One! I just found a ukulele online for $1500. The OP-1 seems overpriced because it's very small, but that's also the whole point of it.
strictnein 6y ago
First time I saw one it was in a music video and I was convinced that it was a fake gadget. Didn't realize it was a real thing until a year or two later. Which sort of makes sense, since I think the OP-1 didn't come out until a year after this Swedish House Mafia video came out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk I still want one, even though I have absolutely no use for such a device.
nxpnsv 6y ago
I've had one since the dawn of OP-1. I love it. My 3 year old loves it. It can be a toy, but it certainly is more than a toy.

codetrotter 6y ago

The OP-1 is kind of a weird thing. I remember a few years ago I was almost convinced that I should have one, except for the price tag which was way over my league. And back then it was still being sold for about $900 in stores I think and now it’s like $1500. On the bright side though I picked up a decent Korg Triton Le 88 waveform keyboard with weighted hammer action keys a couple of years ago second hand, and for that one I paid $300 which I think was a pretty good price. Online websites seem to indicate that these often sell for $550 to $600 second-hand, or at least that people are listing them asking for that amount. But the greatest thing for my music making happened a year later when I was able to pick up an Akai MPC X second hand in excellent condition for $1000. The guy that sold it to me had barely even used it. The retail price for those things are $2000, and I love my MPC X to bits. The MPC X combined with the aforementioned keyboard make for a wonderful time when I work on music. I have always preferred working with my music without using a computer for it when I play, and with the MPC X you get something that is still very tactile while at the same time also having quite a few of the features of a DAW. My keyboard is connected to the MIDI in and MIDI out of the MPC X, and I play on the keyboard, record MIDI notes, make changes to them and do all kinds of stuff. Now you may be wondering why I am bringing this up. Like, an 88-keys keyboard and a piece of other hardware sitting on top of it, all on a keyboard stand, it’s not portable so it’s not an apples to apples kind of deal quite. But the point is that I paid $1300 for this music gear and even though I don’t have the portability that an OP-1 would give you it just gives me so infinitely much personal joy to be making music with. The OP-1 meanwhile, I think even if you picked it up second hand you’d be unlikely to find it for less than $1000 anytime soon. And I think for me personally, yeah the OP-1 looks neat I suppose, but I am lucky that I could not afford it because this setup that I have instead I think is giving me much much more than the OP-1 ever would for me. When in the distant future I can afford to buy anything more for my music making, I don’t think I would actually ever buy the OP-1 at this point tbh. Because whereas I used to be intrigued by it and inspired by some of the videos I was seeing and the music people make with it, I think for me the truth is that it would not really help me musically. Not saying the OP-1 isn’t good or anything. Like I said, some people make cool music with it. Just think that for me I have found a different path to music for myself than what the OP-1 is for. And I feel like with my MPC X and my keyboard I can do all of what I would have been able to do with an OP-1 but not only that but so much more.

pbronez 6y ago
100% It's tempting to think of Teenage Engineering as a frustrating synthesizer manufacturer, but they're really a design studio. They're much more interested in exploring new ways to integrate sound, life and technology than excelling at a particular product segment. It's pretty much the opposite of what Behringer is doing. That company is totally focused on scale, reducing consumer prices, and bringing synths to the mass market. (with all the ethical corner cutting that brings with it)
- IvanGoneKrazy 6y ago
  Indeed Teenage Engineering is a design studio which just happens to have some synthesizer products. One of the TE founders, Jesper Kouthoofd, used to work with Elektron, a Swedish synthesizer firm. While there he designed the Machinedrum product's UI. https://www.elektronauts.com/t/elektron-and-teenage-engineering/955 https://www.elektronauts.com/t/elektron-and-teenage-engineer... EDIT: clarify what JK designed and added link.
amagumori 6y ago
Yeah it’s a weird situation where I feel like a lot of the people who the OP-1 is aimed at either can’t afford it, period or aren’t going to pay $1300 on a “toy”. Because of its market positioning it ends up being this unattainable luxury item that only professional/ established musicians use, instead of a MPC-esque everyman’s tool. The “toy” design positioning and huge price tag work in tandem to keep it unattainable- it’s not that people can’t afford it (although a lot of people can’t afford it) but at the high price tag, people start seriously min-maxing what they’re getting for their money. People are really reticent to spend an entire paycheck on something that’s even somewhat limited, and possibly the best “feature” (the high level of polish in design and UX) is sort of invisible and not looked at as a utilitarian “feature”.
- sanitycheck 6y ago
  I'm not going to try to defend this expensive radio thing, but regarding the OP-1 I don't think $1300 is an "unattainable luxury item", I'd reserve that label for something like a proper Leica camera. There are plenty of ways to spend a lot more on a musical instrument - buy a decent saxophone, or a Moog One! I just found a ukulele online for $1500. The OP-1 seems overpriced because it's very small, but that's also the whole point of it.

strictnein 6y ago

First time I saw one it was in a music video and I was convinced that it was a fake gadget. Didn't realize it was a real thing until a year or two later. Which sort of makes sense, since I think the OP-1 didn't come out until a year after this Swedish House Mafia video came out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk I still want one, even though I have absolutely no use for such a device.

nxpnsv 6y ago

I've had one since the dawn of OP-1. I love it. My 3 year old loves it. It can be a toy, but it certainly is more than a toy.