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Ten years of OP-1

teenage.engineering

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Re: Ten years of OP-1

#101

Post by agloeregrets »

This page is nuts: https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/anniversary/made-o...

The crazy part about it is that they only really mention the bits that show the OP1 in a primary means, you can find every case of a modern musical team making something and find an OP-1 somewhere. Taylor Swift? Easy.

Despite the clear flaws and price, the OP-1 just does something for creativity.

Also: This is not seen in the list as they picked the cover they did instead, but you get to see the OP-1 used in force here by Chvrches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haunJARHPm4&ab_channel=NPRMu... After seeing what's going on in that you begin to hear where the OP-1 is used by them in creation of the album.

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#102

Post by coldtea »

thenewwazoo wrote: post #63
smoldesu wrote: post #56

Teenage Engineering is a frustrating company. On the one hand, they set out to create some of the most fun music equipment you can own: their Pocket Operator line is awesome for beginners of the hardware world, and they've consistently innovated with their grooveboxes. The problem? They have absolutely no respect for their pricing model. The OP-1 used to cost $800, which was already a big ask for a microprocessor, OL…

Sorry for the meta-discussion (which I know is against the guidelines), but I'm finding it really hard to respond kindly to your comment, given the overarching tone ("no respect", "hard to swallow", sarcasm about parts, "shitty pricing"). I'd love to engage with you on the merits of pricing for what the market will bear, CoGS including software and craftsmanship, etc, but I am not able. Perhaps that's my failing, but…

>I'd love to engage with you on the merits of pricing for what the market will bear

Well, there's also the level of pricing and milking it that poorer consumers will tolerate without hating the company, so there's that...

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#103

Post by brandonmenc »

smoldesu wrote: post #56

Teenage Engineering is a frustrating company. On the one hand, they set out to create some of the most fun music equipment you can own: their Pocket Operator line is awesome for beginners of the hardware world, and they've consistently innovated with their grooveboxes. The problem? They have absolutely no respect for their pricing model. The OP-1 used to cost $800, which was already a big ask for a microprocessor, OL…

I've owned an OP-1, Octatrack, and Digitone at various points.

They aren't comparable to the OP-1, which is more of a quirky, fun, expensive toy, and there's nothing else like it really. I wasn't getting anything done with it, so I sold it. But, I can definitely see how someone could have a lot of fun making songs with it.

Is it worth a thousand bucks? Nowadays you're probably better off spending half that on a Roland MC-101 or Novation Circuit Tracks.

But I always kind of wish I never got rid of my OP-1 - it was definitely the most fun I've had on a self-contained hardware device - the tape interface for recording was just awesome.

But as for the price increases, I never understood why people complain about this. They can charge whatever they want. This not a necessary item.

> Elektron is one of the few companies that pushes the envelope of digital sequencing

I think the Elektron sequencer workflow is overrated. Software is better. I understand thinking the restrictions encourage creativity (I don't personally subscribe to this idea), but the sequencer isn't "pushing the envelope" compared to what you can whip up in software.

So I guess I kind of think some of the Elektron machines are also quirky, expensive toys.

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#104

Post by semi-extrinsic »

kazen44 wrote: post #11
capableweb wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, usually hobbyists don't buy professional gear since they are not professionals. Same goes for many other industries too (TV production cameras too expensive for hobbyists and so on). OP-1 is a tad expensive even for professional gear, but it is also a neat little machine. Elektron gear is maybe more powerful, but it also costs more. Cheaper gear exists as well. Up to each musician to decide what is too expens…

do you know any good hardware for hobbyists to get started?

Modal's CRAFTsynth and a cheap USB MIDI keyboard. Together with an OTG adapter for your phone/tablet, Modal's app and a USB hub, it's a really fun and cheap setup to play with. It is more finicky to control than more expensive synths, but the range of sounds possible and the quality of those sounds is downright astonishing.

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#105

Post by brandonmenc »

thenewwazoo wrote: post #82
smoldesu wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If my tone comes off as "acerbic", I guess I'm a little surprised. I love Teenage Engineering (and own a few Pocket Operators too), but I gotta call them out on the pricing issue here. When the price of the OP-1 did start to skyrocket in 2012, Teenage Engineering said absolutely nothing, and then discontinued it in 2013, sending the secondhand market soaring again. Of course, their response is to put it back into pro…

There are schools of (microeconomic) thought that would encourage them to raise prices even further in order to reduce demand to match their supply capability. If the second-hand market prices a good higher than the original seller, that's a very clear signal to increase the price. At least that way the profits end up in the manufacturer's pocket (which they can use to increase volume) instead of a speculator's. That…

> You seem to be seeing something nefarious in their discontinuing the OP-1, and then re-continuing it at a higher price.

This is typical behavior of a certain large class of musicians, particularly electronic ones.

The message boards are full of people complaining that these companies charge "too much." They will also then complain that Behringer sucks for "stealing" ideas and pricing them affordably.

Meanwhile, it has never been cheaper to buy music equipment and software. And there are tons of high quality free software out there.

I would hesitate to enter into the business of selling music software or hardware. It seems pretty thankless.

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#106

Post by sneak »

epse wrote: post #99
dylan604 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel kind of like I'm being trolled with this one, but it is kind of awesomely bad that I sort of want one.

I feel the same way. 32 GB of storage??

Dual SIM, too. You can even use it solely as a bluetooth headset paired to a normal phone to look like Gordon Gecko while on a call on your yacht if you want.

I bought two for less than the AppleCare+ on my iPhone 12 cost. (One as backup, as I can't imagine these are going to be in production for much longer.)

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#107

Post by cush »

I own an OP-1 and it is my absolute favourite piece of industrial design. I don't know of a more complete single consumer electronics product. It reminds me of an old digital alarm clock radio - the ones with the fake wood paneling. It does all the things it needs to perfectly and nothing more. Big, clicky, robust buttons melded with the perfect software.

Cant believe it's 10 years old already.

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#108

Post by cush »

smoldesu wrote: post #56

Teenage Engineering is a frustrating company. On the one hand, they set out to create some of the most fun music equipment you can own: their Pocket Operator line is awesome for beginners of the hardware world, and they've consistently innovated with their grooveboxes. The problem? They have absolutely no respect for their pricing model. The OP-1 used to cost $800, which was already a big ask for a microprocessor, OL…

Have you ever used an OP1? It was underpriced at $800

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#109

Post by squarefoot »

Beautiful, although I'd prefer a real keyboard, but the problem is the price. With the same money I could purchase a number of these Open Source and Open Hardware synths.

https://electrotechnique.cc/

Demos here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCA2L7CeWSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jk79WchWcQ

Re: Ten years of OP-1

#110

Post by [deleted] »

musicalynejd wrote: post #88
smoldesu wrote: post #56

Teenage Engineering is a frustrating company. On the one hand, they set out to create some of the most fun music equipment you can own: their Pocket Operator line is awesome for beginners of the hardware world, and they've consistently innovated with their grooveboxes. The problem? They have absolutely no respect for their pricing model. The OP-1 used to cost $800, which was already a big ask for a microprocessor, OL…

You don't understand their pricing because you don't understand what they are actually selling. They don't sell musical devices, they sell status symbols. You buy an OP-1 to look cool, not to actually make music with it. It's a bit like with the iPhone, but on a whole different level. Some buy fancy sneakers, others buy fancy pens and Moleskine, others buy an OP-1. And you can't have a cheap status symbol. This is al…

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