New Teenage Engineering products

The Lounge Other Gear
#930

I bought a TC Helicon Blender for around 120 bucks not too long ago.
6 stereo mini jack inputs, works as a soundcard, 4 headphone outs, built-in compressor, funny little mic thingy to talk with your friends while jamming, battery powered, pocket sized.
Yeah, this has a few more features - but not 1080+ dollars of them, no matter how beautifully built (for ME, that is - I know I know…).

EDIT: It’s kinda funny how I always wanted somebody to come up with a portable DJ mixer with 3 band EQ, and oh my luck - it’s TE Engineering doing it… damn!

4 Likes
#931

It actually looks even smaller than I imagined from the publicity shot:

Grabbed from the video

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Turning those middle knobs with any precision, and without bumping the others will make entering step components on the OP-Z look like ergonomic nirvana.

12 Likes
#932

Screen Shot 2022-04-22 at 7.48.45 am

27 Likes
#933

It makes eurorack look spacious to me… the menus don’t seem too bad though, pretty similar to some ALM might do. The video did make the sliders look easier to use than I expected, though I feel like knobs should have like a key to turn them or something. Perhaps like a 4 channel stereo version, space out the knobs a bit and cut the price 50% would make sense. Even then USB power I feel like is always a questionable choice on a mixer, lots of potential headaches with ground loops, I suppose it might just work but I bet it will straight up not work with some peoples setups.

#934

Looks cool, but the Bluebox is almost perfect so the competition is stiff.

I’ve come around on the OB-4, it sounds amazing for its size. The low end it can produce surprised me.

3 Likes
#935

So I think the dealbreaker for me is going to be the cables. If I could plug in any old quarter-inch Y to 3.5mm TRS cable for each channel, that would be one thing.

But due to the spacing of the jacks, it looks like I’d need to spend an additional $90 to get six of these, each of which is barely long enough to reach halfway across a small desk, so then we’re talking two TS extension cables for each instrument…

I mean, I’m still thinking about it. :see_no_evil:

2 Likes
#936

Yeah, OB-4 is actually a really dope Bluetooth speaker. I know people are like “it’s just a Bluetooth speaker” but it’s comparable to other speakers in its price range. Do you need a $600 Bluetooth speaker? No. But I was already in the market for one and I figured I could just pay the premium and check it out and I love it. And the gimmicks it has are fun (though I don’t use them much anymore).

3 Likes
#937

The TX-6 is perfect for what I’m aiming for. It replaces the need to get a few different machines that basically added up to around $1096. It’s nice to have all them in one, even if I never user the synth or drums.

I think what’s also exciting is this that I’ve seen posted around on various shop listings: “Field system began with the idea to create a series of products that look, feel and function as part of a whole. Every item in the collection is designed with portability, compatibility and durability in mind. More than an engineering challenge, field system is driven by a desire to rethink the way we approach music making. TX–6 is the first release in the system, with more devices and accessories to come.”

6 Likes
#938

You’re definitely the guy I was talking to about this on Reddit lol

#939

Just plug 3 normal cables in - :joy:

1 Like
#940

Weird quirks aside, I definitely think this is cool, but agree with the comment above that if you don’t want all of the features just grab a TC Blender for cheaper.

The thing that drives me nuts though with this and the Blender (and a heap of other things) is why the audio interface is always 12 in 2 out. Especially the blender with its 4 separate headphone outs!!! Just give me a couple more usb outs for daw sends!

#941

The OP-Z has turned me off TE. Mine is a bent brick so I have a big grudge.

7 Likes
#942

I’ve come to believe the entire company is one big elaborate troll.

10 Likes
#943

A bent brick is even pretty useless as a brick

3 Likes
#944

What is this? A mixer for ants?

15 Likes
#945

Indeed lol

#946

My OP-Z is still mostly straight, but sadly, I heard the bend makes it sound more analog.

1 Like
#947

I’m so sorry, but I want you to suffer as I have so you will feel my pain! Won’t you please hate the OP-Z with me?

1 Like
#948

Why am I still going to buy this mixer I don’t need! :sob:

1 Like
#949

Sorry I don’t get the cable criticism. Blue box suffers from this exact issue and people were just fine with purchasing new cables…

2 Likes