Pronk I use tape bouncing technique like tape tracks of old - track 1 recorded to track 3 with fx jam.
Hey all, Iām having issues figuring out a good workflow with the OP-1, and hoping one of you can help!
I like the form factor/mobility, the quirky interface/sequencers, and even the synth engines. I donāt really care for some of the effects, and I find the IO frustrating to the point where I have given up syncing it. Whenever I try to make a song, recording to tape results in me creating repetitive, relatively plain sounding track. Iām not a strong keyboardist, so it is difficult for me to get a good take without a few practice rounds which involves a really tedious cut/paste each time, and if you are short on tracks, your takes are destructive overdubs.
I want to love the OP-1, but I need it to be productive beyond being an idea groovebox for what it costs. Maybe sampling it might help, or not relying on the tape so much. Whatās your secret? What niche has it met for you?
Other gear I have includes: A4, Rytm, DN, Peak, and am interested in getting an OT (this might be the missing pieceā¦ or maybe just GAS 
)
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This is exactly why I sold mine.
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Selling it is definitely on the table, but I want to give it the best chance of finding a nice workflow.
For those that absolutely love their workflow with it, do you have any other ārequiredā partners for finishing up a track? Octatrack? iPad? If so, what role does the OP-1 play?
I do have a Zoia, and so that can definitely help with the effects portion, and I think the OP-1 does make for a nice āleadā instrument.
Iāve owned 3 Op-1s, at different times.
I sold 2 of them due to many of the reasons you mentioned but this time round itās been a charm and I realised that I didnāt want to incorporate it into any other set up.
I have an Akai Force and I do sample back and forth between the two, but I donāt use them in combination.
The Force is my main tool for āSeriousā music making. But I really appreciate switching to the Op-1 when I feel burnt out, or overwhelmed. And I mean that from a musical and personal perspective. Op-1 is like a tonic. It feels dreamlike when I use it. In fact itās the 1 piece of kit that Iāve repeatedly dreamt about when I was without one. It enables me to make music in a completely care free and personal way. Thereās something really private about it too. Without ego and expectation I can switch it on and repeatedly make stuff thatās enchanting and unexpected.
Edit. Realised that this is actually my 4th Op-1.
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OP-1 is a bit of a loner.
Poor MIDI implementation, hard to sync without an intermediate boxā¦
Still, itās a bit one of a kind, and itās limitations push to create IMO.
Lately, I have been recording the Model:Cycles in it.
But indeed you basically have 4 tracks, and you destroy when you fail.
OP-1 sequencers can help you a bit if you want more precision. But they are not that forgiving either 
I use mine less and less, Elektron has just spoiled me I guessā¦
Still, I just canāt get rid of it: each time I have it in my hands I have so much fun!!
My favorite thing is Finger sequencer on drums. So cool to be able to smash patterns one agains each other, and switch octaves!!
Another one is CWO. Very cool FX.
Try participating to battles on op-forums, that might help you with your decisionā¦
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I sequence it via Cirklon but one could use OT or DN or something as well. itās connected to my computer to get midi to it. I donāt like the tape much either. and obviously if youāre sequencing it externally, you can only have one voice going from it, so youād have to employ the tape to get more. I do like the effects, but I also like running it through external effects. my favorite engine is probably the FM one, even though I also have a Digitone. almost all my other synths are analog, so itās a nice contrast to those.
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The op-1 isnāt for everyone. Iāve had mine a few years & Iāll never sell it, I think its absolutely brilliant. It took me awhile before I was able to make a full track on it (like 2 months), but I love using it with my other gear too. Iām big on sampling, so I either bounce my tracks to an MPC or Maschine Mk3, to finish the song up there or I use it with other gear & just sample as I playā¦ for example, make a drum beat, sample the beat into MPCā¦ make a synth sound I love, sample notes or entire melody into MPCā¦start putting song together in MPCā¦ add tweaks & changes to drum beat on Op-1 & sample into MPCā¦ make 1 shot sounds I like on Op-1, sample into MPC. Real time effect the drum beat &/or melody & sample it into the MPC. I think itās absolutely amazing for that. It can be considered just an overpriced sound generator when using it that way, but if you also use it to make beats, melodies & use the effects, sample real time tweaks, ect. it makes it much more than that.
With the gear you listed it sounds like you have experience with hardware, so maybe the op-1 just isnāt for you. But there are MANY ways to incorporate it into your set up, so if there are a lot of things you like about it, I would give it a little more time before selling it. Maybe join a battle on the Op-1 forum. Itās VERY possible to make fully fleshed tracks on an Op-1ā¦ IF you enjoy the workflow. If the workflow is just frustrating for you, well, itās probably not worth the cost.
Edit: The Op-1 is also a great way to learn how to play melodies & drum beats without using quantize. But if you want to quantize you can use 1 of the MANY sequencers it has. Make tweaks to the sequences, record to tape, make more tweaks, record to tape, thereās your song. It can take extra work to make a song with it, but I think itās very satisfying, it makes me feel like Iām actually creating the musicā¦ not just āenteringā it.
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Definitely get a USB host if you want to integrate into a midi setup. Also remember that you can kind of have an undo function if you lift then drop in place before recording new stuff, then if the new part went wrong just drop again. (Lift = copy, Drop = paste)
Using tape markers in combination with recording allows you to place with precision, for example make a cool sequence that you like play it over the tape and set your level, figure out where you want it to start, then stop tape, move to desired tape marker, hold record then press key to insert it exactly in place.
Then keep in mind the number of ātricksā or edits you can do, for example:
If you have say an sequence recorded to tape, now change the sound and maybe the octave or whatever, now lower the record level and using tape marker overdub the new copy with a time offset for interesting echo type variations.
Or if you have a hihat pattern recorded to tape, go to drum edit and change the pitch of the hihat slightly or use the LFO, then overdub at a slightly lower level to give your hihats some movement, you can do phasing/flanging type fx and other stuff.
Using such techniques you can achieve many interesting things, octaves, detuning, drones, echos, flange/phase, panning fx (using 2 or more tracks) dense rich sounds, etc etc.
Also remember that you can move the tape manually whilst recording, in either direction, this can yield some interesting flourishes if used sparingly, or nutso glitches if not so sparingly. 
The list goes onā¦
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I have an OP-1 that I pull out for fun every now and then but never used all that much. However I find charging it to be a huge pain. It can only charge via connecting to a computer AFAIK, but it often stops charging if left aloneā¦
Almost every time i turn it on the āchargeā meter on the LEDs show that itās already half spent, and it gets down to 1 led of charge very fast - itās like the battery is mostly dead. Strange considering itās less than 2 years old and with little use.
Makes it pointless and not portableā¦
Is there any way to replace the battery and is this typical?
The charging meter isnāt really a good indicator, it is buggy, you can kind of reset it by leaving OP1 on until the battery runs out, but it will eventually start acting up again. I just charge mine when not using it via a USB charger and ignore the battery meter.
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I think @darenager is right about thisā¦ I have a 6 yr old OP-1 and itās started doing this.
I was woken up by it turning itself on in the night a few weeks ago and it freaked me out. I found out online that the connector boards can sometimes end up dodgy too - they can be easily replaced. I havenāt done this yet as I managed to recharge it (seemingly) fully after a full discharge and since then the ghost in the machine hasnāt showed up.
Tricks like these really show that you can approach recording and creating sounds in really unique ways on the op-1. The tracks are mono, but so much can be achieved by recording, say a percussion sequence on a track panned right and then using the same sequence with another kit on the other side. Lately, Iāve been using the op-1 exclusively for recording variations of percussion loops to later feed into the OT.
The album function is great for adding and tweaking another master effect (cwo or filter are great for this).
Iāve never finished a song on the op-1 alone, but it is usually providing me with the skeleton of a song I can then finish on another device (usually the OT).
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That seems interesting. Itās not something Iād considered as possible. Iāll give that a try.
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What you and a few others have said makes a lot of sense. I should remember that the Tape can be a creative, unquantized sketch pad that can be further processed somewhere else, instead of trying to treat the tape as a DAW timeline. I also was taking it at face value instead of considering layering sounds in different ways.
Since posting, Iāve connected up my OP-1 with my iPad, and Iām starting to see the magic again. I donāt imagine Iāll make the iPad part of my normal setup, but it has given me a taste of what using the OP-1 with a good sampler might be like.
Now just gotta sell something to get that OTā¦
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Yeah the overdub in place/micro edits/manual rec transport and so on are what interest me most about the OP1, and as far as I can tell are fairly unique.
It is interesting in the way it can be exploited.
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Agreed. I think it is probably one of the best ways to add in unquantized recordings.
An unquantized take on an Elektron machine typically results in some micro-edits on the steps, or a not-too-pleasant clear and retake process.
The OP-1 basically lets you create that ādrunkā sample/drum loop without relying on other peopleās samples.
Thanks everyone!
I donāt know if itās just me, but for some reason I found it easier to play unquantized on the Op-1 compared to even an MPCā¦ that probably sounds weirdā¦ but with the Op-1 I can get a good unquantized loop going in 1 take. With my other gear it can take me a few tries to get it how I want it to sound.
It could just be that my skinny fingers fit nice on the mini op-1 keyboard. hhmmmā¦ but it feels like the Op-1 helps me out with timing in some magical way.
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Iāll often create some chords on my OP-1, record them on to the tape, and then sample directly into the Digitakt to sequence or enhance with effects or LFOs.
Personally, I do find the sound a bit thin and noisy (a few pops, crackles or high-pitch whines here and there) but the portability is really hard to beat.
Iām frankly on the fence about keeping my OP-1, given I work from home exclusively now, and find myself on the road far less than anticipatedā¦thinking about selling it and scooping up one of the new Analog 4s, but appreciate the grass isnāt always greener on the other side.
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The main difference between the two is that the OP-1 allows you to start the loop when you want it and loop it when you want it also. This makes for nice loops which are closer than what your brain wants, than following a metronome on the MPC.
Making unquantized loops using a metronome defeats the purpose as youāre trying to sound natural while following a rigid mechanical structure.
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