Someone is offering to trade the OP-1 + 100€ for my AK (which is shelved atm.).
My setup comprises:
OT, AR, DT, Nord Modular G2, Nord Electro 5, Roli Block, and the regular FX suspects.
Cheers!
An ultra portable sketch pad.
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I’ve considered adding it to my live setup, but the midi sync requires another box, sorta diminishing it’s lean form factor.
Are you happy with it’s time stretch algorithm?
There’s no time stretching on the OP-1 (you can achieve some ghetto timestretch techniques with the sampler and lfo modulating the start point, but it’s really limited)
Alrighty. Let’s compare the OP-1 to the DT then 
I don’t have a DT so I can’t compare to that. for me, the OP1 gives some of the digital sounds I loved in synths like the Monomachine, Rozzbox and OSCar, while being as simple to use as a Casiotone. it’s great fun to use and there’s a lot of awesome sounds in there.
the downside is it can be a little tough to integrate into a setup, depending upon what you use. I use an iconnectmidi with a primarily hardware-based setup, and will either synchronize the sequencer to midi clock (via OT) or sequence it via midi from the OT. it would of course work directly with a computer/daw setup though.
now, would I trade my AK for it…? probably not, since production/availability of the AK is questionable right now. at the moment, I consider both to be mainstays of the studio, and going nowhere. so I’d probably save up for an OP1 before trading for one. they’re also quite easy to find used, so you can grab a deal on one or re-sell the one you get here if you don’t like it.
The OP-1 is unique and standalone. Incoroporating into a set up means your just using it for the novelty factor.
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OP-1 will offer:
Pros-
a multitude of music creation methods, portability, convenient footprint.
Cons- Difficult to sequence on board. You’re layer audio recordings/not sequences- once you store a sound on the tape, that’s the way that track is unless you replace it overdub it. AK offers patterns that you can conveniently jump inbetween abandon and return to. OP-1 is very present based. If you abandon a sketch it’s mostly gone unless you’ve backed it up and loaded it back up.
Also, OP-1 only creates one sound at a time. It’s not like sequencing an AK where you can have different tracks being sequenced at one time.
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The portability of the OP-1 is amazing. Not just in its size, but in its battery life. 18 hours or so on a charge? It really lasts forever and you can set it aside for weeks or months and pick it up and it still has life left.
Many AA battery powered “portable” synths (Novation Circuit, Korg Monologue, Volcas) offer nowhere near that. I’ve been disappointed multiple times by picking up the Circuit to take outside only to find the batteries are dead despite hardly being touched for weeks.
I think the upcoming OP-Z (which looks like it might FINALLY be released in the coming weeks) might offer even more portability - longer battery life, even smaller form factor, an ultimate ‘toss in the pocket/backpack’ groovebox (aside from maybe an iPad). And the OP-Z is more sequencing based and may be more familiar to someone from an Elektron background.
The OP-1 is a whole different paradigm. That’s the good thing that I think it can bring to a lineup. There’s nothing else that sounds like it, that looks like it, that records like it, etc. But it’s not the thickest sounding synthesis engine. The tape workflow is something I generally love, but sometimes I miss parameter lock style sequencing. With a USB-Midi thingy (I have the TE Oplab, which I got in a bundle with my OP-1), it can be a fun and powerful extra voice to accompany an Elektron box.
Then again, if you have a Nord Modular G2… Man I want want of those… if you have that, you have a very powerful and unique sound engine at your disposal.
But as an example of some of the more extreme things you can do on an OP-1 and basically only an OP-1, there’s this. If I recall correctly, it was basically written and recorded all in one morning (was having a bit of a manic episode), all on the OP-1, using its internal 4-track recorder and ‘album’ feature (records up to six minutes of stereo audio into an AIFF file you can then copy to the computer when connecting OP-1 via USB):
Drums, synths, effects, everything, all done on the OP-1, turned into a short live performance, using the tape transport controls and track muting as performance tools. Maybe the Organelle could do something similar, but not without a lot of custom programming. Maybe Octatrack and G2 could…? Anyways, it’s a bit of an extreme example, but the OP-1 can be pushed into some extreme directions that other synth’s can’t. For better and worse.
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These are the reasons I am interested in the OP-Z, as the cons are no more.
@jaschar , I’d wait for the OP-Z
Try to sell your AK for cash instead.
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I don’t have an AK but have A4mk1 - I do have an OP-1.
I would not trade an AK (or A4) for an OP-1.
It will add ‘noise’ to your setup for sure. You can get it to sound tight and polished but it’s definitely a noisy unit. So if you don’t want that you can forget it.
I use mine mostly in a setup with DT, A4, MM and NordDrum II - but I tend to restrict myself to 2 or 3 machines at a time. I’d miss the OP-1 if I didn’t have it but not in a static setup as such - I would miss being able to take it anywhere with me knowing I can fire it up whenever and wherever an idea kicks in.
In many ways it’s more of a multitude of instruments than anything else I own and it’s great fun to use. The current retail price is extortionate… that certainly makes no sense to me.
The OP-Z demo’s I’ve seen are pretty cool but I find that a lot more gimmicky and R O B O T I C - which for me would make it less ‘personal’ in terms of being an instrument. It’s a lot cheaper though.
Bottom line - keep your AK whatever you do.
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If I was soley looking for something to incorporate into my live rig, personally I wouldn’t choose the Op-1, all tho it can be done, just depends on how you would want to use it & what your live workflow is.
My Op-1 is not noisy, I get a clear signal except when charging, so I don’t use it when charging. But I’ve heard others say they have a noisy unit & also heard people having issues with a wiggly output. Someone stated in the Op-1 forum that they are hand assembled, I guess it’s possible some were not assembled as good as others? Not sure.
I love using the Op-1 on it’s own, but I also love using it in my main set up. Even tho it’s midi implementation isn’t great, I love using it with a “workhorse”. I find it so inspiring & fun & I come up with creative ideas on it, but when it comes to full complete polished songs, I’m used to a different workflow. I love the MPC workflow, so I combine the strengths of an MPC with the Op-1. Op-1 has a unique sound, it’s a digital synth & I love it’s samplers. It’s great at sound design & I come up with crazy rhythms on it, it’s just so inspiring. Combine the Op-1 creativity with a workhorse & magic happens.
I don’t midi it, if you have a decent sequencer with a decent sampler you can sample loops & 1 shots from the Op-1 really fast & then you can mess with the sounds again as samples inside the “workhorse”. I also have an Analog Heat & a few guitar pedals inbetween all ready to go if I want to add to the sound. I love workin with samples tho. But you can get a smooth workflow dumpin sounds back & forth.
I also love dumping my tape tracks into an MPC or sp404sx or Maschine Mk3 or whatever & makin new material with it. Or expanding on the original idea.
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built-in radio
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Mine was kinda noisy. The noise floor was pretty high, sampling was gritty and the synths all had noticeable aliasing. I assumed this was just part of its character.
surprised to hear reports of noise. never noticed that with mine, on battery power or plugged into a power supply. but yes, there’s supposed to be some aliasing and gritty samples; that is part of its charm.
OP-1 is fun and excellent for sketching/fiddling. The main con is sync/midi. I use it almost only unsynced. It can sync other synth via CV (like the operators) but cant take sync in … Pity!
But its still an excellent, joyful and god looking synth!
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Yea it def has it’s own character… but as far as I can tell I don’t have any noise. A little aliasing yes, but this is something I think of as a plus. I love the way it sounds. Plus it has a way of gluing sounds together, partially due to the tape, but also I think it’s due to it’s converter (pretty sure that’s what it is, whatever gives the Op-1 it’s own character, the way it converts audio).
But when I think of noise I think of sound that shouldn’t be there. Like air…hissing…crackling…a quiet sssssssssssssss in the background.
I do admit tho, I don’t use vst’s… I use instruments & sounds which could be considered “gritty” & noisy. Like vinyl, guitar/bass, field recordings/found sounds, Ms-20 mini, things of that nature. Normally ran thru a guitar pedal &/or Analog Heat. So me being used to dirt & grit could be a factor 
Never had any in your face noise issues sampling with the op-1, obviously its cheap connectors and 3.5mm i/o board, but with good cables its pretty transparent (til you use that awesome drive/compression and its other mangling power).
Many people are having noise when it’s usb connected (even with the option to disable usb charging wheon). Adding a ground loop isolator will fix it Amazon.ca
You can sync it with a quality usb host (computer, kenton, iconnect, retrokit). Obviously some weird stuff goes on if you’re trying to use the tape with syncing, but arpeggiator, sequencers and lfos will all sync nicely to an external clock.
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To the OP: I think the op-1 is basically the opposite of the Octatrack, extremely immediate and intuitive, hands-on, but also hard to recall/redo stuff in automated ways. It can be an awesome happy accident machine within a bigger setup and embracing it that way, as something organic that you can use on top of more structured stuff is quite interesting.
It’s obviously a whole different story using it as a self contained production unit.
At the end of the day, what’s missing from your setup? More digital sounding synths? Sampler? Granularish stuff? FX units? A Radio? A weird digital tape looper?
It can kinda be these.
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I think it’s worth mentioning that the OP-1 supports MIDI over USB. If you already own an iPad, you can sequence it with apps like ModStep, Patterning, etc. without the need for a somehow costly MIDI host.
But this brings up the ground loop noise problem at another level: since the OP-1 is connected via USB, the audio ground loop isolator you suggest does not solve the issue (even when the OP-1’s not charging).
Fortunately there are USB ground loop isolators on the market. I use the HifimeDIY USB-Isolator and it does the trick
You get pristine sound quality (and the OP-1 does sound good) + easy MIDI sequencing
As a bonus you can also use the MIDI LFO to sequence 4 envelopes withing the iPad app