Teenage Engineering OP-1

The Lounge Other Gear
#608

The OP-1 is great.
Proper inspirational

But it has many faults. That needed sorting before the next batch was released… oh!

When I first bought mine i wondered why they gave you access to the connector board on the rear of the unit.?
Then my microphone died - iFixit - easily fixed.
Then my output died - iFixit - easily fixed.

All good but cost me more money on top of the premium price.

Oh, its crashed a few times and doesn’t turn on sometimes when the USB cable is plugged in… But after 9 years of owning it you can forgive these little blips… can’t you… its like Russian roulette when you pick the fucker up.

The line out noise is annoying.

Even worse is the line in. Oh my! proper shit!

But when you sample from radio, pitch it down. record to tape with fx. then resample and pitch it up and add the fx.Its a beautiful thing. really is. and then slow the tape down. . . . . for the grains. and that mad in-between LFO that modulates the forwards/backwards. Yes!

At this price? FAR too much. But it is a really good thing.

The best thing TE have done so far.

Everything else is daft! Al the lego add-ons. Pocket operators. wireless speakers. sneakers. OP-z, Modular, that midicv thing, them little pressure sensitive things that triggered stuff… daft.

DAFT!

4 Likes
#609

Everybody talking about noisy inputs & outputs. Mine might have a tiny bit of air… but it’s very minimal. It has it’s own sound. It’s considered lofi. I absolute adore its sound. I feel the effects can be a little noisy. But it adds to the lofi sound & Im just careful with effects.

I like using cheap gear, I like to record sounds thru the mic, I sample records, I sample cassettes, I don’t use vst’s or other peoples samples. Maybe that made my ears more accepting. Maybe all the practice got me good at controlling noise. I like to overcome challenges too tho.

If you were trying to sell your unit when TE made a statement saying not to buy used & you had to sell your unit for a lot less than you paid… I understand why you would be upset.

1 Like
#610

PSA: there’s one for sale over at Muff’s for $1k (USD). not mine, no affiliation, etc.

mods if this is disallowed, feel free to delete. just trying to help out anyone interested, with what now may be a deal.

#612

The OP1 Synths tend to distort in a nasty digitally way very quickly.

#613

Whilst certain settings of drive, eq and fx can make the OP-1 have a noisy output, with care it can sound very clean, it also helps to use a ground loop isolator on the output - the same can be said for many other synths too OP-Z, Roland Boutiques, and most other stuff powered/charging by USB.

You can get decent ground loop isolators from £10-£20.

1 Like
#614

(by the by, apparently Pioneer are the worst company for the stores to make a profit, only 10%)

#615

I don’t know. I guess I see what you guys are saying.
But when something doesn’t sound right I adjust it until it sounds right.
I keep the compressor really low as well.
Maybe that’s the issue? You have to put more work in… To get things sounding right?

When it comes to its sound the only thing that bothers me a little is its low noise floor (I think that’s what it is). When you try adding sounds but can’t hear them… It happens a lot with me on hi hats… When the hi hat hits while certain sounds are playing you can’t hear it.

I think a lot of people’s issue is the price. That for $900 it shouldn’t have these issues. But I think it’s part of its charm. That being said… If it distorts easily…low noise floor…noisy inputs… charms or not… it is what it is.

I just try to learn what a piece of equipment is capable of & I try use it for what it does best. Op-1 has a Lofi sound. I try to make the sound shine. I flow with the equipment instead of forcing it.

#617

Fair enough. But you already bought one for i guess a lower price. If you dont own one right now… would you pay 1400 for it now?

1 Like
#618

This might sound odd but I would pay $2,000.
If I’ve never played with one? Never experienced it? No way.
It took me 3 years to final buy it (bought it for $1,000 used…with a case).

I completely understand why people wouldn’t like the Op-1.
Even understand people thinking $900 was too much for it.
it sucks that you now have to pay $1,400 just for a new screen when it was once $900.
& I understand people’s gripes with noise, distorting, ect, ect…especially for the price. But Personally I adore the little guy. It’s my favorite piece of gear. I love its quirks & all.

2 Likes
#619

The OP-1 is one of the most marvellous electronic gadgets ever produced imo. I’ve bought and sold one, and to be honest wouldn’t buy one again. If I was a kid, dear god I would love it to death. But I dunno, the OP1 has changed a lot over the years. It’s had so many OS updates it’s not funny. I dunno if I’d say it’s worth the new price, it sort’ve is and it isn’t. It’s truly brilliant. From a collection standpoint it’s probably worth anything. But for a Mum or Dad that wants to get their kid something cool… I dunno 1k is probably a limit (currency depending).

Im happy to have the OP-1 in my memory as something I used at a particular point in life. I remember it really made me feel amazing. Such a futuristic product. I do remember thinking it was a bargain when I bought it back in the day. It is absolutely feature packed.

Money’s weird. You’d be better off with a DT and a DN for the same price imo :slight_smile:

But the OP-1 is ALL about portability. It’s the ultimate tray table instrument.

I think it’s pretty amazing they’re not discontinued altogether.

6 Likes
#620

Price in the TE Store was on a black friday Sale once 679€…

#621

Ipad with Korg Gadget and/or some other apps is way better.

#622

I don’t mind saving to pay out for a premium product. Elektron gear always feel ace. The AS-1 feels amazing. Even the Tascam DP-32…fantastic build (but, ok, maybe not premium price). What IS a premium -priced device is the OP-Z. I’ve had it since Xmas. Fcking adore it. Sounds fantastic, uber-sharp design/workflow, the one thing i`d save from a fire etc. But that wee machine, for me, sums up TE to a tee; it feels cheap. Beautifully designed and rendered with a satin-finish plastic. This is true bittersweet love. It’s been made to be handy, take anywhere, yet encased with a really undurable shell. TE’s aesthetic seems to be: make it pretty. I just think that (more than any other company) they are very pretentious, and so far have gotten away with murder. Notice how the OP-Z is not a PO-branded product when it certainly warrants that moniker? Yep, i’m bitchin’, but only because i can see they have cut corners to maximise their profit margin… Premium price, super design, shoddy body. They got everything right with those Pocket Operators. Superb value, cool design and really playable. And i understand that the both the op-1 & z had far longer r’n d time before coming to market, and the design allows for updates that run deeper than just bug fixes. Not a problem. But why make something so elegant and beautiful, something that requires a lot of tactile usage, only to wrap it inside such a tacky cost-cutting case? Sod the car analogies, it’s delicious fish 'n chips served up in The Sun.

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#623

ps; Elektron, please show them how it`s done.

#624

Okay. Say nobody buys at those prices. What happens then?. Discontinued. They cant lower it because that would look bad and they would make no profit.

#625

I’m sorry but I don’t understand your comment? It’s one of the most marvellous electronic gadgets ever produced, yet you sold it and would not buy it again? The op1 had changed a lot over the years, so many updates it’s not funny! It’s superb that these guys gave us some things new like, the arp thing, the cwo filter, new cool presets to reverse engineer, drumsample banks on the site, etc Who can’t be happy about that!!!

I don’t think if I would have a kid I would buy him an Op1, 1k is probably a limit!!! Do you live in Dubai or something? I think a kid would be happy when giving some Lego and not some high end synth they wouldn’t appreciate!!! I think you need to let the kid be a kid! Do you remember being a kid playing continuously with the same toys???

Better of with a DT and DN? Why? You can’t compare OP1 to nothing else! It’s nothing like that on the market!

#626

I might remember it wrong, but wasn’t the original price at launch “well over a 1000€” ? Took a few years to settle around this “close to 1000€”. When it came out just about everybody told me “door, this is your synth, go get one!”, but it took 3 years until I found a used one for 550€ (<- which is the price I WISH it would go for, I mean, that would just be the sensible price for mostly broke noise musicians :slight_smile: )

I’m very glad the OP-1 isn’t discontinued, 'cause I kind of need it for my concerts. It’s also the ONLY machine I can give to anyone and they get it in under 10 minutes and make lovely noises, grinning from ear to ear (<- NOT possible with my main instrument, the OT :wink: )

So, yeah, in case I need a new one I can order one, hurray. The new price sucks! Would take me around 6-7 gigs to be able to afford a new one…oh dear…

And hey, I had a Casio Sk-1 as a kid/teen! Not saying the sampling function did get boring or anything, but an OP-1…or maybe anything with a sequencer…but especially the OP-1 would’ve been, well…just marvellous

#627

I remember preordering mine, before they were released, for about $750. They initially retailed for $799.

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#628

correct when release it was 799euros in Belgium.

#630

thanks for clearing that up!

1 Like