Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

scandinavianmind.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 207 posts

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#41

Post by wyager »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #25
neilv wrote: post #19

The photography of this is interesting. I'm not sure I'd know how to approach this assignment (I might start with rapport and portraiture in the space), but some things I noticed on different photos: * Warm vintage color cast on the '70s-looking gear wood panel. * On-camera-flash-like directional lighting, with harsh shadow (maybe to separate person from gear background, but both in focus?). * Contrast and saturation…

All of which says "stylised and arty" and is a look much used in The Wire and similar publications. I'm kind of irritated by this. TA are legendary for super-expensive toy-like products that must have insanely high margins. So somehow the "I was never into money (but now I collect antique synthesizers with four or five figure price tags)" line doesn't ring entirely true.

Seriously, comparing my OP-1 ($1400, made in china, buggy, bad QC, small and simple hardware) with my Analog Rytm mkII ($1700, made in sweden, reliable, impeccable QC, larger and much more complex hardware) - the margins on these TE gizmos must be insane.

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#42

Post by Simon_O_Rourke »

Would like to know when they'll start selling their pocket operator synthesizer and sequencer again. Rumors that a chip shortage has negatively impacted on their production, but who knows!

It's been months now that they've been out of stock on their website - https://teenage.engineering/store/po-20/

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#43

Post by bondarchuk »

smoldesu wrote: post #40
kubb wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

shouldn't there be a normally priced equivalent product on the market? it's not like we're talking about cutting edge silicon here

There are. Much like the Disney analogy, there are other cheaper theme parks on the market. The OP-1 is "unique" though, in the sense that (thankfully) nobody else is making a 4-track digital tape recorder anymore. There are hundreds of products like it, but much like the Star Wars hotel, nobody is dumb/rich enough to build a replica of Disney's attraction. I could name a dozen grooveboxes that can be had for under $…

What are the options with similar portability, sampling, synthesis, fx, and multitrack recording, that you can buy new, and is not just an ipad or something, for under 300 dollars?

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#44

Post by xdfgh1112 »

wyager wrote: post #41
TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of which says "stylised and arty" and is a look much used in The Wire and similar publications. I'm kind of irritated by this. TA are legendary for super-expensive toy-like products that must have insanely high margins. So somehow the "I was never into money (but now I collect antique synthesizers with four or five figure price tags)" line doesn't ring entirely true.

Seriously, comparing my OP-1 ($1400, made in china, buggy, bad QC, small and simple hardware) with my Analog Rytm mkII ($1700, made in sweden, reliable, impeccable QC, larger and much more complex hardware) - the margins on these TE gizmos must be insane .

There was nothing like the OP-1 at release and still nothing like it now. It is overpriced, but they arguably deserve it. They have the Apple business model.

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#46

Post by duxup »

bookofjoe wrote: post #35
malthaus wrote: post #30

I too would live in a pinterest-ready castle filled with toys but i dont have the stomach to rip off customers as shamelessly as TE is. The B&O of our generation.

I dunno, I have always believed that something is worth exactly what someone else will pay for it. Value has no objective correlate: it is a construct agreed upon by the seller and buyer. "Overpriced," "rip-off," and their ilk seem to me ad hominem attacks by people who don't meet at "sold."

Most people comparing products have a good understanding of what they mean by “value”.

Isn’t what you’re describing more of a “market price” or something like that?

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#47

Post by ancientworldnow »

neilv wrote: post #19

The photography of this is interesting. I'm not sure I'd know how to approach this assignment (I might start with rapport and portraiture in the space), but some things I noticed on different photos: * Warm vintage color cast on the '70s-looking gear wood panel. * On-camera-flash-like directional lighting, with harsh shadow (maybe to separate person from gear background, but both in focus?). * Contrast and saturation…

All of that is just the current photography fad. Sinna Nisseri is the poster boy of the look at the moment though he gets better performances out of his subjects.

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#48

Post by smoldesu »

bondarchuk wrote: post #43
smoldesu wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are. Much like the Disney analogy, there are other cheaper theme parks on the market. The OP-1 is "unique" though, in the sense that (thankfully) nobody else is making a 4-track digital tape recorder anymore. There are hundreds of products like it, but much like the Star Wars hotel, nobody is dumb/rich enough to build a replica of Disney's attraction. I could name a dozen grooveboxes that can be had for under $…

What are the options with similar portability, sampling, synthesis, fx, and multitrack recording, that you can buy new, and is not just an ipad or something, for under 300 dollars?

You've sorta missed my analogy. You can get a Novation Circuit, Electribe or even a brand-new Model: Samples for less than $300, but none of them are the "Star Wars Hotel" that the OP-1 is. I could show you a product that is exactly the same and cost's half as much, but people will balk at it complaining that it doesn't have a cow animation like the OP-1 does.

They've "productized" an instrument that shouldn't cost more than $200 to manufacture at their scale. I'm mostly mad at how consistently stupid their target audience is, not the fact that they exist.

Re: Interview with the founder of Teenage Engineering

#50

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

bondarchuk wrote: post #43
smoldesu wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are. Much like the Disney analogy, there are other cheaper theme parks on the market. The OP-1 is "unique" though, in the sense that (thankfully) nobody else is making a 4-track digital tape recorder anymore. There are hundreds of products like it, but much like the Star Wars hotel, nobody is dumb/rich enough to build a replica of Disney's attraction. I could name a dozen grooveboxes that can be had for under $…

What are the options with similar portability, sampling, synthesis, fx, and multitrack recording, that you can buy new, and is not just an ipad or something, for under 300 dollars?

> and is not just an ipad or something

That's the rub. I have no interest in the TE stuff (or, for that matter, most other manufacturer's stuff), but what we can do on our hosts, these days, is amazing.

I remember using a Tascam recorder for our sessions, where you keep remixing tracks, until the hiss becomes your "signature sound."

Nowadays, you can have a 24-track, digital system on your handheld, for peanuts.

Post reply on HN