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Medieval

teenage.engineering

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Re: Medieval

#161

Post by rigonkulous »

inciampati wrote: post #158
rigonkulous wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not a fan of Teenage Engineering (Disclaimer: I make audio products too). The reason is, they set a standard for useless gimmicks which are far, far too expensive, designed to appeal to style over substance. The OP1 is one of the most over-rated 'instruments' out there. It has a fancy, expensive OLED, a fancy, expensive casing, and useless gimmicks. The OLED never really shows you anything useful to the act of m…

I am over TE. Just today I was looking at the OP-1 that's had a dead key since it was about a year old and been completely non bootable since a year or so after that. With the EP-133 I made the mistake of believing TE would do a better job of the practical design of their instruments. But it broke with interface problems reported by thousands of people. TE wasn't very supportive of my repair request and I don't have…

Yes, this is a common refrain I have heard from musicians and hobbyists lured in by the aesthetics, only to be frustrated with the actual functionality after a week or two.

Fortunately, there are other manufacturers who "get it" and make instruments, not toys.

Re: Medieval

#162

Post by hnlmorg »

camillomiller wrote: post #159
maccard wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> However, I do think there is a case to be made for falling into the trap of being more interested in the gear than the thing you're meant to do with the gear. Have you ever met a guitarist[0], or a golfer? I play guitar, and as a teenager I spent _years_ playing a cheap encore guitar plugged into a no-name 15w amp imaginable with a zoom 505 [1]. I practiced for hours upon and hours and sounded awful. Now as an adul…

I think this can be generalized to any hobby. When you sorta know you can't really aspire to the art for your own normal limitations, expanding gear knowledge becomes part of the enjoyment, as a sort of surrogate. Nothing wrong with that, though, as it really keeps the economy of some niche gear producers going for the benefit of everyone! :D

I'm pretty sure that was the GPs point. He just exampled two specific hobbies to illustrate his point.

Re: Medieval

#164

Post by dkdbejwi383 »

I love the blackletter style 7-seg display.

Seems like the people at TE have fun over-designing gadgets that are more aesthetic than usable. Good for them that they've managed to make a viable business out of it.

Re: Medieval

#165

Post by elaus »

WatchDog wrote: post #44

Has anyone began dabbling in music production, just to play with some of teenage engineering's gadgets? I'm pretty sure if I bought one, it would just sit in my cupboard, but I'm looking for an excuse to buy one, has anyone here gotten more use out of one of their gadgets than they expected they would?

A Pocket Operator was my entry drug to hardware music making. Having only dabbled with DAWs which never felt quite right (still sitting in front of a computer, having nearly infinite choices between plugins and sounds).

After playing with the PO-33 for a few weeks I quickly reached its limits and bought a groove box (not from TE). Still have the PO-33 lying around, ready to be played by me or guests that find it intriguing.

Re: Medieval

#166

Post by iamsaitam »

rigonkulous wrote: post #103
stitched2gethr wrote: post #31

I'm a fan of Teenage Engineering. I think they make some really cool products but they have a few that really makes me wonder, who is this for?

I am not a fan of Teenage Engineering (Disclaimer: I make audio products too). The reason is, they set a standard for useless gimmicks which are far, far too expensive, designed to appeal to style over substance. The OP1 is one of the most over-rated 'instruments' out there. It has a fancy, expensive OLED, a fancy, expensive casing, and useless gimmicks. The OLED never really shows you anything useful to the act of m…

The problem of TE and self admitted by their CEO (in Figma's Config talk) is that they won't listen to users feedback. They are really good in design and terrible in compromising. They make toys, which can be used as musical instruments (like anything else that makes sound), the reason I call them toys is because they have the most glaring blind spots which prevent them to just be called "music instruments". Even their flagship OP-1 suffers from this and it has a ridiculous price tag. Till they get down from their high horse and start implementing basic functionality for musicians, these machines will never reach their potential.

Re: Medieval

#167

Post by yungporko »

samrolken wrote: post #130
yungporko wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

unless you're a really big fan of TE there really isn't ever a reason to buy anything they make other than maybe the pocket operators. it's all overpriced shit which doesn't make sense to buy when compared with competing products. for example this thing makes zero sense when the sp404mk2 exists.

I’m not a fan per se of TE, but I did get the OP-Z as a continuation of playing with the POs. I still like it but I’m already trying to find something to eventually replace it with. But is there really something out there with similar size, features, and price as the OP-Z? I would like to find something.

i'd definitely prefer to buy an mc-101 over an OP-Z personally if you want something in the same sort of price range. if you can spend a bit more, i'd look into the dirtywave m8 if the workflow appeals to you. i have one and it's my favourite piece of audio hardware that i own.

of course virtually any computer with a DAW is the real best answer in terms of features and price, but i understand the urge to want to be away from a computer while creating.

Re: Medieval

#168

Post by iamsaitam »

danpalmer wrote: post #41
stitched2gethr wrote: post #31

I'm a fan of Teenage Engineering. I think they make some really cool products but they have a few that really makes me wonder, who is this for?

Me too, which is why the whole Rabbit R1 debacle was so surprising, not just that they did the design for it, but that some of their leadership was so deeply involved in it.

It's not surprising when you think that design is all that matters to TE. Functionality is a byproduct not the end goal.

Re: Medieval

#169

Post by pgt »

lewisflude wrote: post #132

I know many musicians who love using Teenage Engineerings products for making music, performing live etc. However, I do think there is a case to be made for falling into the trap of being more interested in the gear than the thing you're meant to do with the gear. At the very least, Teenage Engineering hardware is generally very well designed, high quality and built to last. At least this product has some creative sp…

“Regular people use their speakers to listen to your music. Audiophiles use your music to listen to their speakers.” — Alan Parsons

Re: Medieval

#170

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

maccard wrote: post #141
lewisflude wrote: post #132

I know many musicians who love using Teenage Engineerings products for making music, performing live etc. However, I do think there is a case to be made for falling into the trap of being more interested in the gear than the thing you're meant to do with the gear. At the very least, Teenage Engineering hardware is generally very well designed, high quality and built to last. At least this product has some creative sp…

> However, I do think there is a case to be made for falling into the trap of being more interested in the gear than the thing you're meant to do with the gear. Have you ever met a guitarist[0], or a golfer? I play guitar, and as a teenager I spent _years_ playing a cheap encore guitar plugged into a no-name 15w amp imaginable with a zoom 505 [1]. I practiced for hours upon and hours and sounded awful. Now as an adul…

I played for years, on a cheap, short-scale, Univox bass, and getting a used Rick[0] (don’t judge the hair. It was in style, back then) made a huge difference.

I no longer play, but did get get pretty good. In that case, the tool made the difference (and a buttload of daily practice. I felt I needed to earn the right to play that thing).

But I think everyone knows some rich bastard, that has a handmade bespoke axe, and is absolutely terrible.

[0] https://cmarshall.com/MulletMan.jpg (I still have that guitar, and the neck is still true.)

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