have it listed for €420 with official soft bag & new oversynth overlay.
dunno exactly what it’s worth. seemed about right but I’m open to correction 
here’s the ad:
http://www.adverts.ie/25266383
that’s not too bad actually
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Wondering what people’s thoughts are on a logical next step ‘up’ for a sequencer/heart/brain of a setup is from an OP-Z? Doesn’t have to be as tiny, but portable is a bonus.
I’ve been thinking about MPC One (I used to have an MPC2000XL way back so I’d guess it would make sense to me). But the video I watched involved a lot of screen time.
Alternatively I’m curious about a Circuit Tracks with a Circuit Rhythm. 4 drums, 2 poly synths, 2 midi synths, 8 sample tracks. A lot to play with.
Never tried Elektron.
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I “upgraded” (not really, I kept the OP-Z and still love it) to a Deluge. It feels like it very much fills the holes that OP-Z had for me:
- Bigger sample library
- Easier sample chopping
- More sound design possibilities/more flexible synth engines
- Fluid/arbitrary sequence length
- Ability to zoom in the sequence resolution! (probably my biggest gripe about OP-Z sequencing)
- Scale mode
- Isomorphic button layout (I’m a guitar player originally, not a keys player)
I’m a bit of an apologist for the synth engines on OP-Z, actually, but the synths on Deluge just provide a lot more control and way more modulation sources and effects.
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it depends what ya like most about Z and what your budget is
the novation boxes seem nice
also either elektron M:S or Digitakt might be what you’d enjoy (if trying to avoid to much done on screens)
polyend tracker maybe??
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I´ve had no issues with the FREKVENS pillow.
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The thing is that the OP-Z is unique as a sequencer.
I’ve never heard of those step components on any other device or plugin. Using the sequencer is so fluid and intuitive, even compared to Elektron boxes.
And I love that there’s a keyboard for note entry as well as the sequencer buttons.
Where it fails is in the sound design (I don’t like the synths, and controlling them is awkward; and in sampling. The OP-1 sampler is amazing. The OP-Z adds too many barriers.
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One thing people dont really talk about is using sequencers to record into other sequencers…
For instance if you have a really Nice stundom synth with an internal sequencer which is a spin to program (looking at you Tempest) using a groovebox like the OP-Z which can land you awesome results really fast is a great way to record sequences onto that other synth…
Right now I’m using the OP-1 to record sequences onto my Tempest and the process is really enjoyable…
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I have used the OP-Z to sequence the OP-1, and recorded the result to the OP-1’s tape. It works surprisingly well.
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Here is an interresting example of how the opz can be used as a sequencer with an external sound module (here ableton and u-he diva) https://youtu.be/oS5rRuWC1ok
I have been considering using the same approach but with Drambo on an ipad as the sound module.
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Good shout I’d forgotten about the Deluge. I’d need to re-investigate…
This is what the OP-Z needs. I like and use about 50% of the synth engines, but really I just want deeper control of the synth, a second LFO which can target more parameters (and while we’re at it an EQ).
Yeah I use very few of the internal synth engines, mostly use samples in mine, I have a bunch of tone kits for use in the ]|>- track which allows an extra melodic track.
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I think a super simple SH-101 style synth engine would work really well. Four encoders assigned to ADSR, wave form / noise mixer, cutoff/resonance/env/key track, usual lfo page. Pretty much covers it.
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Interested to know how you manage your own synth track samples, because I find 10 (including a few of their engines I do like) quite limited…
Are you constantly backing up and changing up synth engines?
Or I’ve heard about people flipping kits using the app but I didn’t quite understand so maybe I misunderstood…
I unload all the engines I don’t use (which is all except 3 or 4) then load in synth samples which have enough scope to shape a bit using filter, envelope, LFO etc.
And I also load hihat track and wave track with tone kits, which allows for more additional sounds, for example short plucks, arp sounds, acid, staccato bass, etc.
Here is a link to one of my sample packs which use these techniques Operator202 MC-202 sample pack for OP-1 and OP-Z - Payhip
Demos here:
That was all done with the same sample pack (actually a portion of it) no synth engines, you can load quite a lot in there, but the whole pack won’t fit, IIRC around 30 synth samples, 30 tone kits and 3 drum kits were what I loaded in.
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Nice! I saw the mc202 pack posted in op-forums a while back. Sounds cool. On the list to get!
Not sure I understand what a tone kit is though? Individual synth samples on a drum track that you manually pitch up or down to make hits and melodies in the correct key?
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24 samples of the synth at the same key as they are assigned, so you use them for melodic rather than drum/percussion.
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All good suggestions. Before getting OP-Z I considered model:samples (a bit limited as a midi brain with only 6 tracks) a digitakt (a bit expensive) and polyend tracker (not familiar with trackers).
Digitakt would make sense. I think polyend are working on a new groovebox based on pics from an event.
I think the circuit intrigues me most because it is dual poly synth so could integrate with op-z purely for that and be a gateway to a new sequencer setup…
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never used the other two but i have DT and it could be a good choice…i just never paired it w/ z for making a track
personally i use norns as my main companion for opz
not sure it’s worth recommending but i use them together all the time (if you’d considered it already maybe this is a slight nudge to try for yourself)
i actually forgot about this, thanks for jogging my memory…and yes i definitely wanna try that
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