Stimming presents modern classics: Teenage Engineering OP-1
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- We once again return to our Modern Classics series with host Martin Stimming taking a look at Teenage Engineering’s infamous OP-1.
This cult classic has been lauded by many a producer since its initial release back in 2011. The toy like interface and portability of this synthesiser and sampler made it a perfect on the road accompaniment for many touring acts.
The featuring 24 keys, built in microphone, fm radio and eleven synth engines open up a world of possibility from this compact and versatile synthesizer/sampler.
Here we see Stimming look under the hood to dissect his likes/dislikes and dig deeper into the work of Stockholm-based Teenage Engineering’s most iconic machine.
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It's like I'm at school. Thank you for another lesson, Martin 🚸❤️
honestly i sold mine 10 years ago due to limitation. today my love is synthstrom deluge, wich is exactly what I was dreaming with the op1….but…. 10 years after I bought it again ( and keep the deluge too) . why… just for the fun to use it .
and I keep my deluge but bought back the op1 in march 2022…. cause it is a fantastic ultra portable machine.
Much respect for Stimming, I love the subtle humour and the presentation! Solid dude, no nonesense here :)
I love the OP-1 and would readily buy a replacement if my device stopped working. I have written several independent game soundtracks using ONLY this instrument and it has been my constant song writing travel companion for the last four years. The sequencers are just fantastic and it has been my go to drum machine in the studio to jam along to with another guitar/synth. My only criticism is that it is too expensive. Even with multiple synth engines, drum machines, sampler, sequencers, and four track recorder it is priced a bit too high. Other than that, I love it.
@41:24 🤣 It always a pleasure to ear you poetic insight about music gear
As a happy OP-1 owner because I don’t want a lot of gear & love playful constraints, I liked this video because I’m fine with how it wouldn’t be good for others; but also liked this video because I watch Stimming reviews for his own criteria, high standards, keen insights, and for when he gets his elbows up
Edit: I agree on the velocity sensitive keys. I don’t miss it per se, but it would hugely augument the playful variables, well in the spirit of the machine
That intro montage is a modern-classic itself!
That is the best summary of the OP-1 I've heard. The OS design makes it do much fun to use, but sometimes it comes at the expense of the sound design 🙌
"the designers had a little bit too much to say instead of the musicians in the company." Gold
It can do all the main things I need, but like a little of each thing. The sample chopping is fun and the synth is cool too. I sequence from ipad for complex stuff or iphone.
Amazing review thanks! Very inspiring use of the effects
Yes about the Blackbox as a proper sketch pad!
I have finished more track that I started on the BB than any other device.
Just watched the intro stoned and wasn‘t ready 😂
Stimming could be an actor in old-fashioned romantic comedys.
Like Hugh Grant?
45:00
Exactly , couldn't have said it better
I had one a couple of years ago ( 2014) when they were priced 700 euro , which imho was the right price
It's a funny device that's for sure but DO NOT expect hi quality algoritms ( the frequency shifter is the only good exception , coded by magnus lindstorm from sonic charge )
The cpu is pretty underpowered to deliver that kinda stuff
There are issues and zipper noise , modulating the sustain phase of an evelope by an lfo produces zipper which means the upate rate is slow .
I returned it after 3 weeks becasue of the lo-fi sound , 1500 euro is way overpriced for what you get , sure the design is sexy but that's it .
Better spend your money elsewhere , teenage engineering has been riding the hipster waves for way too long and doublng the price to 1550 is just pure greed
If you want high quality dsp (mutable isntruments code) with an actual usable fm engine in a nice case at half the price check out the dirtywave m8 tracker
"the designers had a little bit too much to say instead of the musicians in the company." After owning two of these, I think this is the most accurate description. Pricing for the new Field is out of the park for a limited device, imho.
I feel like teenage engineering was a stepping stone for the company makers into consumer tech (seen with nothing for example). Still, it’s hard to not give te credit. They have made some wonderful devices. The PO-32 for example. God damn magic box. That and the OP-1 running via an analog drive is the reason why I am never letting go of either of them from my setup!
What is the analogue drive you mention?
OP-1 and PO-32 are the only two TE devices I've kept so you could say I agree with you. 😁
Love my OP1🙌🏾 what brand is your recorder?
After owning the OP-1 multiple time and having a love/ hate relationship with it, I find its strength/ superpower is sound design. I use it primarily as you would any synth that didnt have any of the sequencer, tape or the like.
Me too. For me is a portable, easy and fun synth, with another extra features. I like sampler for sample manipulation and I enjoy very much the effects on the synth and samples.
Yeah thats how I'm approaching thinking of buying one. It's cool that it has a drum machine and shit to play with to get ideas down if they come, but I think a lot of people are expecting a DAW that isn't a DAW.
I just want something portable to bring places and be inspired in unusual ways, and use its synth engines in some songs if I find something I like. I have a Moog Grandmother, but theres no way I'm bringing that anywhere with me like you can with this.
I love my OP-1 as it was the device that inspired me to make the jump into electronic music.
I do, however, actively dissuade people from purchasing it as I don't think it's appropriate for most people in 2021.
It was ahead of its time in 2011 and deserves its place in history as a pioneering device that inspired many modern grooveboxes but it just can't hold up against things like the Deluge and others.
I disagree with the second part of your statement. OP-1is still state of the art to jump in electronic synth music , and still very unique and fun.
Of course Deluge or MPC are more powerfull, or any laptop or ipad…but this is not the point. Portable fun synth…. my deluge is not so fun to tweek synth sound or portable and guess what, the magnetic tape just deserve number one idea.
the stimming drum "packs" are still on the teenage engineering soundcloud page but they aren't downloadable directly...
Yasss!! Been looking forward to this!!
So I really love it when Stimming presents or reviews hardware. Unfortunately I had never the chance to work with this device. Since the release it was too expensive for me. And since then it‘s price stable. It feels like a mixture between Sugarbytes & Native Instruments VST Workflows. A different and new approach of a creative workflow. And until today we guess I got some kind of the idea behind it but if you ask me about it I couldn’t explain anything. Today you (Stimming) was very fast and hectic on the machine, wich I understand absolutely how much fun it is to have the routine of using it. There might be only one way for me: try to get the hardware for some time and use it.
This you should always do to build your own opinion
Honestly this thing never managed to look anything more than an expensive toy. It's pure looks and charm
As an instrument, it's anything but a toy, though.
If I got a dollar for every time I heard OP-1 being called a toy I would be a millionaire
dude I want one...again
Same here
I would like to see this series evolve into Stimming reviews synths from prison. Make it so!
What?
@@Neucougar Stimming talks about what synth he would use in a prison in this review. I think this idea has legs!
@@NeoLudditevisons Ah I somehow missed that lol. I was scarred he was going to prison for real.
@@Neucougar hahaha yeah gear space mods are sending him to siberia for being too critical of synths in general. The russian federation agree to impound him in a medieval cave prison where Stimming will have to fend for himself while reviewing synths in between times. 10 year sentence
@@NeoLudditevisons Ahh you're finally awake Gopnik. We heard you said unfavourable things about the octatrack... cyka blyaat!
Gotta sample that “thwack thwack!” at 13:07!!
OP-1 is an incredibly fun musical instrument/device for people who just want to play around and experiment and have fun. for sure you could make full tracks on it but it's a very bizarre and awkward workflow compared to everything else out there. imo buying this for an all in one production machine is the wrong mentality to have. this is first and foremost for experimentation and fun.
but in the hands of the holy master, Stimming, it can do anything.
also, the sounds are very aged let's say. you can definitely tell this was made in 2010. compare this to the OP-Z which imo sounds LEAGUES BETTER
You can make it sound however you like with samples…no?
Sample away…
Thanks Martin for your take on the OP-1! Now I'm sitting here and fooling around with the monkeys :D
I wish the OP-Z had the build quality of the OP-1
does it have similar function to the OP-1?
The Opz its an amazing machine, but I sold it for the very low quality construction. It’s an absolute scam. In the first moths i sent to repair with warranty, and I sold it inmediatly.
@@ivang2490 damn.... i just bought one used. I saw that double trigs will happen occasionally, but im willing to take the risk
@@chromecrowns9288 very different machine
Hab kein Wort verstanden aber ich gebe dir trotzdem ein Daumen nach oben 😉 Wie sieht es mit der Langlebigkeit aus? Der Preis ist auch nicht ohne
from this video I like the sound of it🤔 workflow looks messy, maybe a nice percussion machine
Ahhhh Im in ♥♥♥
Finally someone speaking some sense on this machine. All the fawning reviews of this thing, which from day one sounded to me like you describe (Thin and digital), made me even question my own judgement for a little while.
Your final statement sums up perfectly why I don't like Teenage Engineering. Their instruments don't seem to be made to create music, but to be some sort of design-based piece of art in itself. I don't want my musical instrument to have funky monkeys playing drums through a cow. I'd much rather have a proper sequencer and a concise and clear display of the parameters I'm editing within a synth or effect. Salvador Dalí didn't need his brushes to have animated cartoon animals on them to paint surreal and absurd masterpieces. Let artists be artists and instrument builders build instruments.
Despite all of that, and despite the fact I didn't get on with the OP-1, it's worth noting that Stimming has toured with the OP-1 and used it as a live instrument. So it is very much designed to be an instrument as well as a design piece.
Watch the op-1 videos of red means recording too, music can come from anywhere. We’re too spoiled by technicalities, we forget that music was fun.
@@oranjeegreen8388 Sure, but if music can come from anywhere, surely then the sensible thing to do is to just grab a couple of pans and a spoon. You'll be amazed how far a five euro note goes at the thrift store. You could end up with an entire drum kit, and still have money left to buy food. Or you could waste your money on something you don't need anyway, because music can come from anywhere, not just from 800 dollars worth of pretentious drivel.
From Sweden, swedish house Mafia uses it in the video for One (I wanna know your name)
sailor tattoos, beard, skinny jeans and fixie essential
For good examples of how to use the tombola sequencer, check out Hainbach and Elin Piel. It's possible to make it sound a lot better than Stimming's demonstration, but then again, he's against randomness in music so he'd hate it no matter what.
Based on some reviews, the keyboard does not last all that long for many users. Then it costs around 200 euros to get it fixed. To me the thing has only one feature that makes it interesting, which is the virtual tape deck. The only other piece of physical hardware that does something like that (virtually) is the Instruo Lubadh. I have had no problem resisting the OP-1 for ten years and I think I will continue to give it a hard pass.
Can Stimming plz review Elektron Monomachine :) ?
Guess we had enough Elektron stuff now. Only if there is something new.
These would be rad $350 synths.
When you realize that the best sound OP1 provided in this video was the voice of Stimming
I had one, I sold one
Now that there are more groove box options with way more practical function and far better pricing,
this thing is the equivalent of buying a love hulten housing for your minilogue. All looks, little practicality.
I only came to see the faces that stiming would put, because I know that I will never buy this thing.
😂
Das Ding ist ein Witz für 1300 Tacken
It's just a toy.
And toys are fun
We love Stimming! Best reviews. Never a sales pitch.
What I’ve noticed is that acoustic musicians seem to enjoy it more than electronic ones. Acoustic musicians really appreciate its ability to act as a multitrack recorder overdubbing vocals, guitars, and then *sketching* percussion and synths. Whereas, electronic musicians miss the control and versatility of other boxes like the elektron’s.
I thought @AudioPilz was supposed to be in charge of the Bad Gear channel.
Nice
This video is a relief. If *the* master has only a 30% success rate, then I don't feel so bad about my "results" with that machine…
Classic sober Stimming conclusion! I like the anti-hype honesty, it‘s against the trend of all these omg-look-at-this-new-device-influencerism that only some few steady artists like Benn Jordan share with Martin
Most „artists“ are Marketing „machines“ and make their living out of it. Martin is doing it for fun and therefor 100% independent. Guess that’s the main difference.
Yeah, it’s sad to see how more and more synth reviews become indistinguishable from iphone reviews. Also it’s when you actually focused more on music rather then gear acquisition it’s amazing how far you can get with very basic stuff
I sold mine years ago. It’s a toy (to me).
@@LB-pp7pu that’s why we have a hard time doing this as it’s a minus business.
Great advice. Check the description for our Paypal link and spend enough money so that we can stay independent and out of „business“ 😂
"the designers had a little bit too much to say instead of the musicians in the company." After owning two of these, I think this is the most accurate description. Pricing for the new Field is out of the park for a limited device, imho.
I’d love to see Stimming reviewing the OP-1 Field
32:51 instant minimal techno track ala studio 1. absolutely awesome
Watching Stimming reviews keeps me company while I'm having lunch or dinner
loop at 26:18 is SUPER DOPE!!! Release-worthy tbh. These videos are always such a treat and offer endless inspiration
STIMMING! Another classic. Your English is impeccable. Keep up the great work sir. We're depending on you.
Ok.
Bought it 6 years ago at Schneidersladen of all places!! Mr. Schneider made a comment about it being just a digital toy, and I was disagreeing, until I tried to use it with my live setup and found no way to synchronize it with the rest of the machines. That alone made me sell it immediately.
There are ways to do this.
HAHA - what an amazing final sentence.
I got one a few years ago before the price hike. Loved the design and display but like you found the sound of the device cold. Had the fortune to sell it for a profit and get a synthrom deluge.
same. deluge is 100000x more powerfull… but it is different product and I finally buy it again … like a lot of guys …. love/hate love love
Please review the Jomox Alpha Base :)
Really enjoyed the review as I never bothered to research what it can do. Also, it might have been shitty for him, but it's kind of cool and very honest to see Martin have a bit of an off day. Normally every little jam is really fantastic! Also the machine sounded to me like everything was high passed a lot of the time, like I was listening to the internal speaker. I am not against digital stuff at all, but this thing sounds way too thin for the price. I am not sure if that's just the machine or also Martin's use of the filter/sounds in this episode. He says himself the sound is a bit meh, though.
He has toured with it as a part of his performance setup
Danke!
I did look at this devise a year ago but the price was even more then a Synthstorm Deluge and when I looked up the spec of the Deluge I ended up buying a Deluge instead .
The OP-1 is a very unique machine but the price is so high for a 10 year old machine.
Great video...funny too
....
Jim.
42 year old 808 drum machine is sold for $7-8 thousand now, so I don't think the age has anything to do with the price - OP-1 is 10 years old and still holds up for what it does.
I swear this thing is overpriced by 500$.
Fabulous and highly amusing (I mean that in a nice way). Thanks very much. Cheers. Lee (I’ll wait a bit longer before deciding whether to buy one)
I read the price is still high because these guys did lots of redesign and revamping before going to the market. They were about to kill the project. Anyhow, For me way to expensive and I never understand having a joy working with really tiny haptics. No analog component build in, seems all digital, they could make a great plug-in or app out of it. Sry not for me spending 1100Euros. Anyhow thanks for presenting it!
Why don't they put some of these processors and functions into a plugin. That would be a smart move. As a synth never considered it as ,well you know toy.
These things always reminded me of Mario Party. I really wanted one for a while but Im glad I went with something else.
Ja nice , thank you Stimming some very nice tips for op users !
Love my OP-1. It is a little magic box
It looks fun, maybe something to take along to a jam or on holiday.
Love the sparkly melody sped up at 40:25
Thanks for another awesome video!
I'm here for the carrying case. Don't care about the thing that goes in it.
Glad you like it 😉
as far as i know its not an arm cpu. its based on the blackfin/sharc cpus made by analog-devices together with intel. also they have an additional DSP part... which were back-in-the-days more powerful
Yes it isn’t a smartphone board inside and isn’t using a cpu which is related to smartphonesy
@@MrVoonix but ofc it has a cpu
You see this Messer ..
I expected to hear the S word at some point but yeah.. Accurate review anyway! :) This is a full session done with nothing but op-1 and some mastering stuff: ua-cam.com/video/ZOLKMpEkB7c/v-deo.html
You can load any sample which helps to get around the thin digital sound. I’d also reccommend pairing with the analog and then it sits well alongside it. Also pairing with modular is good, works well going through data bender for example while your modular is also doing some interesting stuff alongside.
I'm not sure what exactly is turned on, on your drum LFOs, or what exactly is your mixer setup, but the gain and the volume of your drum samples are so low, by the way, you still can record as you run the tape by hand you don't even have to hold the record for it you just arm the by pressing shift+record and move the tape forwards or backwards
Can you assign the LFO’s to the Blue scrub knob...
Your English is great! Those are press-studs. 🙂🤘🏽
11:43 Remove Marx
Yeah marxism is bad
Actually, Marx was wrong.
The poor did not 'get poorer', after all. They multiplied and acquired celphones instead.
Removing Marx is the best feature on this device. If only it were so easy in real life!
Always considered getting one of these, but I find nothing more distasteful than ramming politics where it doesn't belong, especially when it's so ill-informed a message.
Pass. I'd end up spending my time editing that page to say wrong instead of making music, anyway.
Rip off and terrible customer service, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a gang of hipster commies, I wish I had never bothered.