5 ms·

Indeed, usually hobbyists don't buy professional gear since they are not professionals. Same goes for many other industries too (TV production cameras too expen

Indeed, usually hobbyists don't buy professional gear since they are not professionals. Same goes for many other industries too (TV production cameras too expensive for hobbyists and so on). OP-1 is a tad expensive even for professional gear, but it is also a neat little machine. Elektron gear is maybe more powerful, but it also costs more. Cheaper gear exists as well. Up to each musician to decide what is too expensive for them in the end.

kazen44 6y ago
do you know any good hardware for hobbyists to get started?
- TheMagicHorsey 6y ago
  Roland MC101, Roland MV1, Elektron Model Samples, Elektron Digitakt, Novation Circuit, Ableton Push 2 + Ableton Live, Roland SP404 series, Fruity Loops software, Ableton Live software.
- capableweb 6y ago
  Novation Circuit is a great starting point for electronic music. Just released a new version too. Step up from that would maybe be a Digitakt (from before mentioned Elektron), basically Circuit but even more powerful in probably every way. If you have the money to spend, go for a Octatrack.
- romwell 6y ago
  There's just so many! Korg Mini/Monologue and Volcas, any Behringer analog stuff, Arturia Mini/Micro Brute/Freak, Roland Boutique, Yamaha Reface CS/DX, Modal Electronics Skulpt, Waldorf Rocket.... And Teenage Engineering has a more affordable OP-Z, and not to mention their Pocket Operators that are wonderful machines for $60 or so (I use PO-12 as a drum sequencer for jamming). And that's not even going into the old/used gear market. I got a Soviet analog polysynth for under $500 off Reverb last week. However, I feel like getting started, the newer stuff is both cheaper and better. We are living in the synthesizer renaissance era. If I were to pick just ONE synth to recommend, it would be Korg Monologue. It's a masterpiece with a lot of depth, but simple to get started on, and super hands-on. For other recommendations, see articles like [1]. [1] https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-cheap-synthesizers https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-cheap-synthesizers
  - moron4hire 6y ago
    I love my Korg Minis, both the monotribes and the kaoss pads. They don't have a lot of features, but I see them kind of like musical Lego. You just plug them into each other in different ways and then just play around all day. And I think buying all of them, plus enough cables to connect them all, would only set you back about $800 total.
- coldpie 6y ago
  Synthstrom Deluge (or any good DAW on the home computer you already have if you don't actually care about hardware).
- intrasight 6y ago
  Axoloti Core comes to mind http://www.axoloti.com http://www.axoloti.com http://www.axoloti.com/examples/ http://www.axoloti.com/examples/
- smoldesu 6y ago
  Stock up on Behringer gear. Haters will call you everything from cheap to anti-semetic, but their synths hold up just as good as some of the biggest contenders on the market.
  - capableweb 6y ago
    Just because Uri Behringer happens to be antisemitic[1] doesn't mean that people buying Behringer gear are also antisemitic, so I don't think people would call you that if you buy it. Although I personally stay clear from their gear for lots of reasons. - [1] https://www.musictech.net/news/is-this-how-behringer-responds-to-criticism/ https://www.musictech.net/news/is-this-how-behringer-respond...
- tom-thistime 6y ago
  Sure, iPad and Garageband.
- fit2rule 6y ago
  Zynthian: http://zynthian.org/ http://zynthian.org/ 1010Music Blackbox: http://1010music.com/ http://1010music.com/
- semi-extrinsic 6y ago
  Modal's CRAFTsynth and a cheap USB MIDI keyboard. Together with an OTG adapter for your phone/tablet, Modal's app and a USB hub, it's a really fun and cheap setup to play with. It is more finicky to control than more expensive synths, but the range of sounds possible and the quality of those sounds is downright astonishing.
- JansjoFromIkea 6y ago
  Might be worth getting a PO-12 or PO-32 Pocket Operator (the drum machine models). Beyond one of those and the PO-33 I wouldn't go too deep into that range as they're way more toys than full fledged synths but that could be all you want (it was all I wanted tbh) and they're a lot of fun and will retain their value if bought used. I keep a PO-32 beside my desk to mess with when I get frustrated coding.
Toutouxc 6y ago
Do professionals use the OP-1? I can imagine a person doing music production for a living not willing to do any significant part of their job on a device the size of a chocolate bar. Who's the thing even for?
- capableweb 6y ago
  > Do professionals use the OP-1? Of course, you can find lots of "boutique" instruments being used by a range of creators. I don't think there are a lot of them only using a OP-1 for full tracks though, although I have seen some live performances made with it together with other instruments at the same time. Actually this submission seems to be about a few pages, one of them being "made on OP-1" where you can see just that, artists using the OP-1 in different scenarios: https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/anniversary/made-on-op-1 https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/anniversary/made-o... Edit: one specific example: Diplo claims the OP-1 is one of the ten "essential" items he owns, has to count for something at least :) > not willing to do any significant part of their job on a device the size of a chocolate bar Heh, tons of people fiddle with modular synths and I can imagine that being even worse sizes (or "smaller" rather).
  - rozab 6y ago
    This is the most insane approach to responsive design I've ever seen. Just scale down everything, including the text, as the window gets narrower?
    - capableweb 6y ago
      They (TE) make musical instruments and gear, they are not a technology web 2.0 startup so of course they won't build the greatest websites. For something truly insane, see how Moog built their website, lots of fun and confusion, even though their equipment is ace: https://www.moogmusic.com/ https://www.moogmusic.com/
- avhon1 6y ago
  Sure, Dan Deacon comes to mind. Most of the instruments he uses in his performances are smaller than a computer keyboard. Here's a picture he posted of his gear: https://twitter.com/ebaynetflix/status/442078506655023104/photo/1 https://twitter.com/ebaynetflix/status/442078506655023104/ph... In his NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, you can see an OP-1 on the near-right of his table. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heFRwLfjVXI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heFRwLfjVXI edit: I found a website which catalogs musicians and the equipment they use. It lists 190 users of the OP-1. https://equipboard.com/items/teenage-engineering-op-1-portable-synthesizer https://equipboard.com/items/teenage-engineering-op-1-portab...
jabroni_salad 6y ago
The novation launchpad is in pretty much every studio and it's only $400 or so. Teenage Engineering makes some really cool stuff and they charge boutique prices for it.
- capableweb 6y ago
  > The novation launchpad is in pretty much every studio > it's only $400 or so Sounds like you answered your own question :) TE sure make some expensive gear, but they also make cheap gear, checkout the Pocket Operators. They are deceivingly good for the price (and aesthetics). The OP-1 does have it's use case though, and it can definitely been seen in the wild, although cheaper gear can of course be even more popular.

kazen44 6y ago

do you know any good hardware for hobbyists to get started?

TheMagicHorsey 6y ago
Roland MC101, Roland MV1, Elektron Model Samples, Elektron Digitakt, Novation Circuit, Ableton Push 2 + Ableton Live, Roland SP404 series, Fruity Loops software, Ableton Live software.
capableweb 6y ago
Novation Circuit is a great starting point for electronic music. Just released a new version too. Step up from that would maybe be a Digitakt (from before mentioned Elektron), basically Circuit but even more powerful in probably every way. If you have the money to spend, go for a Octatrack.
romwell 6y ago
There's just so many! Korg Mini/Monologue and Volcas, any Behringer analog stuff, Arturia Mini/Micro Brute/Freak, Roland Boutique, Yamaha Reface CS/DX, Modal Electronics Skulpt, Waldorf Rocket.... And Teenage Engineering has a more affordable OP-Z, and not to mention their Pocket Operators that are wonderful machines for $60 or so (I use PO-12 as a drum sequencer for jamming). And that's not even going into the old/used gear market. I got a Soviet analog polysynth for under $500 off Reverb last week. However, I feel like getting started, the newer stuff is both cheaper and better. We are living in the synthesizer renaissance era. If I were to pick just ONE synth to recommend, it would be Korg Monologue. It's a masterpiece with a lot of depth, but simple to get started on, and super hands-on. For other recommendations, see articles like [1]. [1] https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-cheap-synthesizers https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-cheap-synthesizers
- moron4hire 6y ago
  I love my Korg Minis, both the monotribes and the kaoss pads. They don't have a lot of features, but I see them kind of like musical Lego. You just plug them into each other in different ways and then just play around all day. And I think buying all of them, plus enough cables to connect them all, would only set you back about $800 total.
coldpie 6y ago
Synthstrom Deluge (or any good DAW on the home computer you already have if you don't actually care about hardware).
intrasight 6y ago
Axoloti Core comes to mind http://www.axoloti.com http://www.axoloti.com http://www.axoloti.com/examples/ http://www.axoloti.com/examples/
smoldesu 6y ago
Stock up on Behringer gear. Haters will call you everything from cheap to anti-semetic, but their synths hold up just as good as some of the biggest contenders on the market.
- capableweb 6y ago
  Just because Uri Behringer happens to be antisemitic[1] doesn't mean that people buying Behringer gear are also antisemitic, so I don't think people would call you that if you buy it. Although I personally stay clear from their gear for lots of reasons. - [1] https://www.musictech.net/news/is-this-how-behringer-responds-to-criticism/ https://www.musictech.net/news/is-this-how-behringer-respond...
tom-thistime 6y ago
Sure, iPad and Garageband.
fit2rule 6y ago
Zynthian: http://zynthian.org/ http://zynthian.org/ 1010Music Blackbox: http://1010music.com/ http://1010music.com/
semi-extrinsic 6y ago
Modal's CRAFTsynth and a cheap USB MIDI keyboard. Together with an OTG adapter for your phone/tablet, Modal's app and a USB hub, it's a really fun and cheap setup to play with. It is more finicky to control than more expensive synths, but the range of sounds possible and the quality of those sounds is downright astonishing.
JansjoFromIkea 6y ago
Might be worth getting a PO-12 or PO-32 Pocket Operator (the drum machine models). Beyond one of those and the PO-33 I wouldn't go too deep into that range as they're way more toys than full fledged synths but that could be all you want (it was all I wanted tbh) and they're a lot of fun and will retain their value if bought used. I keep a PO-32 beside my desk to mess with when I get frustrated coding.

Toutouxc 6y ago

Do professionals use the OP-1? I can imagine a person doing music production for a living not willing to do any significant part of their job on a device the size of a chocolate bar. Who's the thing even for?

capableweb 6y ago
> Do professionals use the OP-1? Of course, you can find lots of "boutique" instruments being used by a range of creators. I don't think there are a lot of them only using a OP-1 for full tracks though, although I have seen some live performances made with it together with other instruments at the same time. Actually this submission seems to be about a few pages, one of them being "made on OP-1" where you can see just that, artists using the OP-1 in different scenarios: https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/anniversary/made-on-op-1 https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/anniversary/made-o... Edit: one specific example: Diplo claims the OP-1 is one of the ten "essential" items he owns, has to count for something at least :) > not willing to do any significant part of their job on a device the size of a chocolate bar Heh, tons of people fiddle with modular synths and I can imagine that being even worse sizes (or "smaller" rather).
- rozab 6y ago
  This is the most insane approach to responsive design I've ever seen. Just scale down everything, including the text, as the window gets narrower?
  - capableweb 6y ago
    They (TE) make musical instruments and gear, they are not a technology web 2.0 startup so of course they won't build the greatest websites. For something truly insane, see how Moog built their website, lots of fun and confusion, even though their equipment is ace: https://www.moogmusic.com/ https://www.moogmusic.com/
avhon1 6y ago
Sure, Dan Deacon comes to mind. Most of the instruments he uses in his performances are smaller than a computer keyboard. Here's a picture he posted of his gear: https://twitter.com/ebaynetflix/status/442078506655023104/photo/1 https://twitter.com/ebaynetflix/status/442078506655023104/ph... In his NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, you can see an OP-1 on the near-right of his table. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heFRwLfjVXI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heFRwLfjVXI edit: I found a website which catalogs musicians and the equipment they use. It lists 190 users of the OP-1. https://equipboard.com/items/teenage-engineering-op-1-portable-synthesizer https://equipboard.com/items/teenage-engineering-op-1-portab...

jabroni_salad 6y ago

The novation launchpad is in pretty much every studio and it's only $400 or so. Teenage Engineering makes some really cool stuff and they charge boutique prices for it.

capableweb 6y ago
> The novation launchpad is in pretty much every studio > it's only $400 or so Sounds like you answered your own question :) TE sure make some expensive gear, but they also make cheap gear, checkout the Pocket Operators. They are deceivingly good for the price (and aesthetics). The OP-1 does have it's use case though, and it can definitely been seen in the wild, although cheaper gear can of course be even more popular.