Out of all the Pocket Operators the PO-16 Factory is by far THE LOUDEST! :O If you chain Pocket Operators together, make sure the PO-16 is last in the chain to avoid unwanted distortion.
I'm really enjoying this little series of videos. Also i'm sure others have noticed this, but there's a colour pattern to the different symbols, numbers etc. at the buttons. Have you tried holding down the keychain button and turning the knobs? Or perhaps when it's not playing there's an alternative key-combo. Because the chain symbol has the same colour as some of the symbols at the numbered keys, and particularly on this unit, those symbols seemed to have some correlation to the actual effect it provided while playing. But that doesn't explain why it says "Key" in another colour. So my guess is there's a combination that'll allow you to change key, and perhaps scale.
is it possible to use this as effect or modulator in my signal chain? like can I just put a different signal through the line in and use filters/modulators to alter that?
If they weren't so cheap I'd say they really are gonna be limited to the same old sounding stuff. I won't be buying them personally but for the money they will be a fun thing. If they had sharps and flat ability it'd be another story. But for the price you really can't complain
with the K.O. you can sample anything.. so yes, it sounds a bit lofi-y, but with DJs making music by clicking midi notes and people dancing to it I think the standard there as an instrument is, say compared to a guitar, which will always sound like a guitar, high enough I'd say.. But to be honest, I find them pretty expensive..
+Riley McKelvie Just from the vids and as a total noob, I would be steering towards the sub probably. It gives you a wide variety of base-y sounds and a rudimentary drum machine, to spice things up. Depends on what sounds you wanna play with obviously. I'm really interested to get one to dip my toes into synth music
+Riley McKelvie honestly I think the PO-12 is the most versatile, Drum machines don't need to be big and I think 60 dollars is a great price especially considering how powerful it sounds. It's also a little weird being stuck with a sequencer on a melodic instrument
You mean can you set a phrase or pattern to be only 10 steps instead of 16 if you want to make 5/8ths music for instance? I've contacted the guys at Teenage engineering about odd time signatures and they said you can do some things, but you need to send a sync pulse from a different device (or your pc) I think every click made the loop progress by 2 or 4 steps. So I guess if at the end you place a lot of clicks you could make it go from step 10 to step 1, but I'm not sure how closely you could put those clicks together. If it takes more then 20 mili seconds you should be able to hear it. So that's probably not an ideal solution. 7/8ths however is probably less noticable, if at all. So... I think in theory you can, but in practice it's a little bit of a pain.
But that also means you can't use other effects over the notes you want to pitch up. So in a pinch it'll work, but it's hardly an ideal solution. Personally I have the PO-14 sub and I don't think it's a big problem, considering the price, but then I'm not using it for anythign serious. It's just a creative toy for me.
Have most of these lovely gadgets, love them but this one seems to have many harsh sounds- it’s my least favourite, however I do like 2 or 3 of it’s pretty noises:)
Seeing all these "toy" synths come out in the past year or so makes me think the market is so starved for actual hardware synths that there is a huge demand for them. Probably why companies are pumping out entry level models so fast. They wouldn't do it if there was no demand of course.
I don't think that the Pocket Operators are meant to satisfy the general demand for hardware synths but for inexpensive small-footprint devices meant for hands-on performances, DIY/circuit bending and alternative studio work. Exposing yourself to machines with a limited set of features can stimulate your creativity and may lead to the conclusion that in the end, creating something fresh and exciting but also musically or aesthetically pleasing is not a matter of size, CPU power, or super-savvy modulation options.
TheRealTakumaji No no, not general - Entry Level. Some young guy on a budget gets this and a Volca or a Monotribe, a used MoPho or Waldorf, cheap mixer a few used guitar effect pedals and suddenly it's a mini production studio. Get a reasonable recording DAW like Reaper or stick with Garageband and suddenly making music on hardware is within budget and starts a journey towards many more synths.
I have a nice live music production setup, but I have been thinking about all of the small synths lately. I like how easy it would be to toss everything in a backpack, and just go. I plan on traveling around the world long term, and my music setup is too large to travel with. With all these small synths coming out these days I could travel without giving up my passion for live music production. I don't really enjoy making music on a laptop, so these maybe the answers to my prayers. 👽
Don Blair Not really. But if you look into something like OP-1 then you got a pretty much complete setup, It's the traveling synth of choice for a lot of modern musicians. There is also a new Electribe 2 from Korg coming out for less money with similar approach to OP-1.
I have esx-1SD and I love it. I would like both of the new electribes also. But I need to narrow my life down to fit in a carry on bag and backpack. I need clothes, laptop, and my music setup. So the smaller the better.
4:20 I'm gonna choose a Patton, I'm gonna choose PATTON thirteen, I'm gonna just wipe that PATTON, holding down this queue button, and hittin PATTON, so we've got a blank PATTON! XD
:D ! -I've become pretty obsessed with these things :D ...actually this whole account of mine is an outlet for playing within them. -I've just begun to unlock more depth in the sound of this unit than I'd experienced before (you can see that in on of the most recent posts I just added - has 3 dudes dancing) Anyway, I'm going to be pumping out a few [free/ open] DIY mod kits for the operators (my background is in product design) -I'll definitely give you a heads up, if you'd like to check out the progress when I start posting that stuff :D Thanks for posting! -great inspiration :D
Sonicstate sure makes good demos, but I was very disappointed that he rushed the drum sounds on this thing and was a bit sloppy in general. Didn't give me the informational value it could have given.
Goth108 Fair enough, but considering the Pocket Operators are basically the cheapest synth toys out there, I think Gaz put one hell of an effort into covering them. He did five ten minute videos!
no accidentals makes it pretty worthless. Its obvious they didn't need to since there are 16 notes (2 and a bit octaves). Except it does sound good for it's price, how annoying.
Two things about this machine: 1) Changing the pitch of the drum sounds will not affect the pitch of the sounds once you create a pattern. They revert back to the preset pitch. This makes it pointless to even have the ability to change the pitch of the drum samples. 2)The batteries are essentially impossible to remove without destroying the device.
+electronicexposure "The batteries are essentially impossible to remove without destroying the device." literally what "Changing the pitch of the drum sounds will not affect the pitch of the sounds once you create a pattern. They revert back to the preset pitch. This makes it pointless to even have the ability to change the pitch of the drum samples." you should actually learn to use the thing before you write something like this, you can write the pitch of the drum sounds
Teenage Engineering are taking the piss with these POs. Imagine going to buy a mobile phone only to be told "yeh it's just a naked PCB. You have to pay a further 1/3 of the original price for a cover."This is extra odd to me considering the remarkable build quality of their OP1.
+Ryan Luck This is a _very_ low price for a device of this sort. I honestly don't know how they're paying for parts and all other costs. They must be just about giving them away on zero profit.
![АЛАУДИНОВ у Скабеевой: эти их ВСУ нас НЕ ДОГОНЯТ 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/an0anqU4WGQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Out of all the Pocket Operators the PO-16 Factory is by far THE LOUDEST! :O If you chain Pocket Operators together, make sure the PO-16 is last in the chain to avoid unwanted distortion.
PO 20 is also loud. The less loud is PO28. Drums are barely heard even on maximum.
Gaz has very wizard-like mannerisms
He is like the wizard from Shrek, Mr. Merlin :)
Geez, Mr. Williams' enthusiasm is infectious!
I'm really enjoying this little series of videos.
Also i'm sure others have noticed this, but there's a colour pattern to the different symbols, numbers etc. at the buttons. Have you tried holding down the keychain button and turning the knobs? Or perhaps when it's not playing there's an alternative key-combo.
Because the chain symbol has the same colour as some of the symbols at the numbered keys, and particularly on this unit, those symbols seemed to have some correlation to the actual effect it provided while playing.
But that doesn't explain why it says "Key" in another colour. So my guess is there's a combination that'll allow you to change key, and perhaps scale.
I LOVE ...these things. So much.
Not Keyoo, maybe Key chain? Cause the symbol looks like a chain rather than an oo. Also, kind of makes sense with the function.
I think it's "Key Link" as in linking an effect to a key.
Excellent presentation. I am just learning these great little devices. :)
is it possible to use this as effect or modulator in my signal chain? like can I just put a different signal through the line in and use filters/modulators to alter that?
i personaly would choose the synth in the background at 0:15 ;P
Is it just me or is the little pcb pictures the main draw to get one.
Is it just me, or was the 14th sound not played?
If they weren't so cheap I'd say they really are gonna be limited to the same old sounding stuff.
I won't be buying them personally but for the money they will be a fun thing.
If they had sharps and flat ability it'd be another story.
But for the price you really can't complain
with the K.O. you can sample anything.. so yes, it sounds a bit lofi-y, but with DJs making music by clicking midi notes and people dancing to it I think the standard there as an instrument is, say compared to a guitar, which will always sound like a guitar, high enough I'd say..
But to be honest, I find them pretty expensive..
Maybe it means key chain?
KeyO-O means = Keychain :-)
If you had to pick one out of them, which would you chose? Which of the PO's is the most versatile?
+Riley McKelvie Just from the vids and as a total noob, I would be steering towards the sub probably.
It gives you a wide variety of base-y sounds and a rudimentary drum machine, to spice things up.
Depends on what sounds you wanna play with obviously.
I'm really interested to get one to dip my toes into synth music
+Riley McKelvie honestly I think the PO-12 is the most versatile, Drum machines don't need to be big and I think 60 dollars is a great price especially considering how powerful it sounds. It's also a little weird being stuck with a sequencer on a melodic instrument
Whats the plastic hanger all about? Do they come with no packaging?
The ad has been broken on this video for a couple days. I can't get to the review.
Key-finity?
Two questions: 1. How do you record PO's to your computer? 2. Can you clear a live recorded sound?
How do you determine the number of beats in each phrase?
You mean can you set a phrase or pattern to be only 10 steps instead of 16 if you want to make 5/8ths music for instance?
I've contacted the guys at Teenage engineering about odd time signatures and they said you can do some things, but you need to send a sync pulse from a different device (or your pc)
I think every click made the loop progress by 2 or 4 steps. So I guess if at the end you place a lot of clicks you could make it go from step 10 to step 1, but I'm not sure how closely you could put those clicks together. If it takes more then 20 mili seconds you should be able to hear it. So that's probably not an ideal solution. 7/8ths however is probably less noticable, if at all.
So... I think in theory you can, but in practice it's a little bit of a pain.
great video! thanks
It reminds me of"Catweazle - electrickery" ;)
having this synth stuck in C MAJOR is a serious draw back. weird.
Easily changeable with pitch bend in DAWS, and won't make it sound weird because these are all basic waves.
But that also means you can't use other effects over the notes you want to pitch up.
So in a pinch it'll work, but it's hardly an ideal solution.
Personally I have the PO-14 sub and I don't think it's a big problem, considering the price, but then I'm not using it for anythign serious. It's just a creative toy for me.
And A minor.
Have most of these lovely gadgets, love them but this one seems to have many harsh sounds- it’s my least favourite, however I do like 2 or 3 of it’s pretty noises:)
Can I sync it with kaoss pad 3?
+denis romanenko Maybe with the OP-lab?
+denis romanenko If you have a volca, you can connect it midi to the KP3. Then sync PO to Volca.
Damn dude. Time to switch to decaffeinated!
Seeing all these "toy" synths come out in the past year or so makes me think the market is so starved for actual hardware synths that there is a huge demand for them. Probably why companies are pumping out entry level models so fast. They wouldn't do it if there was no demand of course.
I don't think that the Pocket Operators are meant to satisfy the general demand for hardware synths but for inexpensive small-footprint devices meant for hands-on performances, DIY/circuit bending and alternative studio work. Exposing yourself to machines with a limited set of features can stimulate your creativity and may lead to the conclusion that in the end, creating something fresh and exciting but also musically or aesthetically pleasing is not a matter of size, CPU power, or super-savvy modulation options.
TheRealTakumaji
No no, not general - Entry Level. Some young guy on a budget gets this and a Volca or a Monotribe, a used MoPho or Waldorf, cheap mixer a few used guitar effect pedals and suddenly it's a mini production studio. Get a reasonable recording DAW like Reaper or stick with Garageband and suddenly making music on hardware is within budget and starts a journey towards many more synths.
I have a nice live music production setup, but I have been thinking about all of the small synths lately. I like how easy it would be to toss everything in a backpack, and just go. I plan on traveling around the world long term, and my music setup is too large to travel with. With all these small synths coming out these days I could travel without giving up my passion for live music production. I don't really enjoy making music on a laptop, so these maybe the answers to my prayers. 👽
Don Blair
Not really. But if you look into something like OP-1 then you got a pretty much complete setup, It's the traveling synth of choice for a lot of modern musicians. There is also a new Electribe 2 from Korg coming out for less money with similar approach to OP-1.
I have esx-1SD and I love it. I would like both of the new electribes also. But I need to narrow my life down to fit in a carry on bag and backpack. I need clothes, laptop, and my music setup. So the smaller the better.
4:20 I'm gonna choose a Patton, I'm gonna choose PATTON thirteen, I'm gonna just wipe that PATTON, holding down this queue button, and hittin PATTON, so we've got a blank PATTON! XD
yeee 6:53 is exactly as sweaty as i get with this
yo gaz. can i be your assistant? can i get your job?
:D ! -I've become pretty obsessed with these things :D ...actually this whole account of mine is an outlet for playing within them. -I've just begun to unlock more depth in the sound of this unit than I'd experienced before (you can see that in on of the most recent posts I just added - has 3 dudes dancing)
Anyway, I'm going to be pumping out a few [free/ open] DIY mod kits for the operators (my background is in product design) -I'll definitely give you a heads up, if you'd like to check out the progress when I start posting that stuff :D
Thanks for posting! -great inspiration :D
So what did you discover as far as depth?
key chain button
Key chainning
i don't suppose theres cv out?
there are patch points on the back. who know what can happen
Well, what we do know is it's a digital machine. . . so additional DACs would be required for cv outs. I.e. not gonna happen.
There might be a way to connect it to op lab eventually, but who knows.
Except you need midi or cv to plug into oplab, and this has neither!
Whoever lit this video should look again at all of the really annoying shadows it shows and try better next time.
I love this machine! Check out my track that I made with the PO-16: ua-cam.com/video/3KwXHdTmYEM/v-deo.html
That's a bad demo. Missing out on a lot of things to cut time. Then again, that's how sonicstate always is.
+Goth108 Please, tell me who does better reviews than sonicstate?
Sonicstate sure makes good demos, but I was very disappointed that he rushed the drum sounds on this thing and was a bit sloppy in general. Didn't give me the informational value it could have given.
Goth108
Fair enough, but considering the Pocket Operators are basically the cheapest synth toys out there, I think Gaz put one hell of an effort into covering them. He did five ten minute videos!
no accidentals makes it pretty worthless. Its obvious they didn't need to since there are 16 notes (2 and a bit octaves). Except it does sound good for it's price, how annoying.
sry it has to be, but you look like cuckoo's dad!
Two things about this machine:
1) Changing the pitch of the drum sounds will not affect the pitch of the sounds once you create a pattern. They revert back to the preset pitch. This makes it pointless to even have the ability to change the pitch of the drum samples.
2)The batteries are essentially impossible to remove without destroying the device.
Hold down 'write' whilst you turn the knobs dummy.
+electronicexposure
"The batteries are essentially impossible to remove without destroying the device."
literally what
"Changing the pitch of the drum sounds will not affect the pitch of the sounds once you create a pattern. They revert back to the preset pitch. This makes it pointless to even have the ability to change the pitch of the drum samples."
you should actually learn to use the thing before you write something like this, you can write the pitch of the drum sounds
If you owned any of these you would literally know.
I tried that, I read the manual. Sometimes it works, normally it doesn't. It's dodgey as fuck.
electronicexposure they’re a little difficult to remove but if you destroy the device you are an idiot.
I think this one sounds absolutely awful
Teenage Engineering are taking the piss with these POs. Imagine going to buy a mobile phone only to be told "yeh it's just a naked PCB. You have to pay a further 1/3 of the original price for a cover."This is extra odd to me considering the remarkable build quality of their OP1.
Who buys a pocket operator not knowing what they’re buying? Muppet
And the build quality is good
These tiny little things are so overpriced :(
Ryan Luck Troll ^
+Ryan Luck actually no its cheap af
+Ryan Luck This is a _very_ low price for a device of this sort. I honestly don't know how they're paying for parts and all other costs. They must be just about giving them away on zero profit.
Sounds terrible
I find these reviews to be ad-hoc and with no logical flow. Stop waiving your hands around, it's distracting.