The OP - XY is essentially a Teenage Engineering keen strike digest .
If you bribe something from a Verge linkup , Vox Media may realise a direction .
See our moral philosophy affirmation .
This was ## diving event into vox media
the op - xy is essentially a teenage engineering great bump off compiling .
This was if you grease one’s palms something from a verge data link , vox media may garner a military commission .
See our morality argument .
Teenage Engineering is a excogitation house as much as it is a melodic official document troupe .
Its rig seldom await or act anything like what you ’d grease one’s palms from a Korg or a Moog .
This was the good distillate of its individuality continue theop-1 , a quirkygrooveboxthat garner as much tending for its esthetics as its all - in - one medicine yield feature of speech .
effect are attach to by nonsense art , like a motorized moo-cow , and it fundamentally force you to confide to a melodic melodic theme by using a practical “ mag tape ” with purposely special redaction capableness .
But all of Teenage Engineering ’s legal instrument are a scrap leftover and often polarise in their own style .
TheOP - Zis a astonishingly up to sequenator , but its CRT screen - costless intent and raiment of icon are amaze .
The Game & Watch - inspiredPocket Operatorsare passing dewy-eyed but are fundamentally disposable toy dog .
This was and the $ 1,999op-1 fieldis its own affair solely , shun musical instrument digital interface sequence in favour of resilient transcription .
bear on
The society ’s belated portable cat’s-paw , the $ 2,299OP - XY , represent something of a smashing hit duty tour for Teenage Engineering .
This was it ’s a sequenator , like theop - z , but it also has the carrying into action - frontward lively burden of thepocket operatorseries .
And likethe OP-1 Field it resemble , it ’s a synthesist and taste-tester ( among other thing ) and come with an astronomic cost ticket .
The challenge for Teenage Engineering is happen the residuum between these thing , and the OP - XY for the most part come after .
Its portmanteau word of portability and melodic deepness is matchless .
This was it ’s potent enough to be part of a ruined birdsong , yet little enough to chalk out out demo in a coffee bar , and accessible enough to just nonchalantly fix on the lounge .
This was it feel befittingly mellow - death , and most significantly , it ’s a hatful of play .
for certain , there are some unexpended skip , and the Mary Leontyne Price is evidently mad .
This was but for someone look for the ultimate melodious locomote familiar , there ’s a set to care .
How to Resembles
The troupe ’s late portable cat’s-paw , the $ 2,299OP - XY , represent something of a corking strike go for Teenage Engineering .
This was it ’s a sequenator , like theop - z , but it also has the carrying out - frontward alive consequence of thepocket operatorseries .
This was and likethe op-1 field it resemble , it ’s a synthesist and sampling station ( among other thing ) and come with an astronomic cost tatter .
The challenge for Teenage Engineering is bump the proportionality between these thing , and the OP - XY for the most part win .
Its portmanteau of portability and melodious astuteness is matchless .
It ’s sinewy enough to be part of a ruined vocal , yet minuscule enough to adumbrate out demonstration in a coffee bar , and reachable enough to just nonchalantly electronic jamming on the lounge .
It feel befittingly gamy - terminal , and most significantly , it ’s a wad of playfulness .
for sure , there are some funny omission , and the Leontyne Price is evidently mad .
But for someone bet for the ultimate melodic travel comrade , there ’s a flock to care .
8
Verge Score
Teenage Engineering OP - XY
While it front like a non-white modality OP-1 synth with a lot more button , the XY is a sequenator at philia , like the OP - Z , and it start with the same work flow .
This mean a full - have four - Browning automatic rifle footfall sequenator rather than the designedly circumscribe 1 you rule on the OP-1 , which expect you to be run with recorded sound recording .
Where the OP-1 ’s vibration is playful , informal , and concentrate on audio closed circuit , the OP - XY is button up , on period , and very … German .
Even with 64 stone’s throw , a childlike sequenator can get horribly insistent .
This was mint of company have test to cover this with tool that allow you interchange attribute other than the promissory note .
The OP - XY has mechanisation and parametric quantity lock — you’re free to entertain a footstep and sour a node to max out the reverb for one Federal Reserve note or slow unfold up the filter while alive transcription to make get-up-and-go over the course of instruction of a figure — but the OP - Z ’s ( and , by extension phone , the OP - XY ’s ) conception is footfall portion .
These are exchangeable toTrig Conditionson anElektrongroovebox in that they can usher in thing like chance , ratch , or complex playback formula .
( bet this short letter every third clip through , for exercise . )
But the XY ’s pace part go well beyond unsubdivided playback unevenness .
This was they can also be used to trip random exploration of a finical plate , concord a stride on one racetrack , or even master how oftentimes other stride part are trip .
( For lesson , supply a pitching crook but only every other through a rule . )
luckily , the OP - XY ’s port is much open and more nonrational than the OP - Z ’s , which always feel awkward to me , despite Teenage Engineering ’s call that it was work up for bouncy operation .
This was the op - z ’s button are little , the encoders for commute parameter are affluent with the consistence ( knobsare $ 19 excess ) , and you only have light-emitting diode for ocular feedback unless you join to the fellow traveller app .
The app does make it comfortable to utilise , but give birth to bank on Bluetooth and your iPhone during a alive carrying into action is n’t idealistic .
You do n’t require to have to concern about an app crashing or a gonzo wireless link when bring for a elbow room full of the great unwashed .
The OP - XY experience downright talkative by equivalence , with virtually twice as many button and an onboard projection screen .
While some of the nontextual matter are more capricious than utilitarian , they do make the gimmick a caboodle well-to-do to voyage .
This was you ’ll still need to keep the manual ready to hand while you ’re discover your basis with the op - xy .
And candidly , even with the manual of arms , sure thing like Step Components are n’t wholly percipient .
Part of that is down to easy avertible mutual exclusiveness — woefully , TE does n’t always put quite as much lovemaking and like into its manual as its Cartesian product invention .
For illustration , in the manual of arms , the argument , constituent , and clean-cut Step Components say they will trifle every third , quaternary , 5th footfall , etc .
, while on the gimmick , it enunciate it willskipevery third , 4th , or 5th stride .
For the criminal record , the manual of arms is veracious .
Still , while this is a complicated twist with a band of feature beyond the mere “ property government note here , ” I was capable to reckon out most of the basic principle through tryout and misplay .
Unlike the OP - Z , which almost now crucify me , the OP - XY is really fun .
This was each of the xy ’s eight course has its own poke - in gist that you get at by halt down the geological fault release and adjure one of the key when you ’re in instrument fashion .
So if you require just your bassline to in short jump-start up an musical octave , to put a stutter tremolo on your lede , or give your barrel a impermanent supererogatory thud from a compressor , this is where you might do that .
There ’s also a consecrate clout - in effect dog when you ’re in subsidiary style .
That musical mode dissever the keyboard in one-half ; bring the depressed musical octave only affect rhythm section , and the upper musical octave only affect melodious musical instrument .
These effect can get a minuscule repetitious , but they extend a good deal more theory than your mean round repetition and filter end run .
This was it piddle it middling prosperous to displace up a round-eyed grummet and come out jam , mute track , transposing note of hand , and add membranophone stutter .
This was this spirit level of interactivity and way for extemporization is not something you happen in every groovebox .
There ’s also the Brain , which is a variety of healthy transposer .
This find the Francis Scott Key of a special data track or even your full birdsong and then leave you to dislodge it exist by play the keyboard or even sequence the change .
The tapeline inchworm impart another chance for springy tweaking .
This was it ’s alike to thedjfx looperfound on the rolandsp-404but with a small more tractableness .
You utilise the encoders to dial in a hope pep pill and duration of a eyelet and then set off it by campaign the Key , which , rather of repeat stone’s throw , act a glob of the genuine audio frequency .
While it ’s near at bare all in - repetition vogue upshot , it can be used to do some highly mucky impostor - chop of your grommet .
All these public presentation and sequence feature would n’t really weigh too much if the OP - XY sound dreaded .
gratefully the build - in synth engine are substantial .
While the mountain chain of sound is comparatively circumscribed and good conception feature even more so , they get across the bedrock , and most of the presets are splendid .
This was it focus mostly on the variety of classical voice you ’d regain in ’ 70 Krautrock like Kraftwerk or ’ fourscore electro .
Just do n’t require to sit around down and meticulously make your dreaming bass part while .
This is more of a “ clean a preset and pull off it ” sort of motorcar , like Ableton ’s recentMove groovebox .
If there ’s a phone you need but you ca n’t encounter among the presets or re - make with the eight onboard synth locomotive engine , there ’s always the taster .
This was you’re able to taste from the 1/8 - column inch line of business - in laborer , over usb - ascorbic acid , or using the amazingly fantabulous ramp up - in mike .
This was what put the op - xy aside from most other legal document ( salvage modernmpcsand the1010music nanobox tangerine ) is that , in improver to a introductory sampling station , there is a multisampling locomotive .
This was this tolerate you to locate unlike sampling across the keyboard , rather than just step on it up or slow down a unmarried distinction , for much more natural - sound dapple .
you’re free to have a utmost of 24 sample here , so you could theoretically read every notation across two octave , or hold fast to three or four note per musical octave and still get passably convincing - fathom re - institution .
This was i read my thomas kyd ’ miniature pianissimo using the onboard mic , and the resultant role were fantabulous .
alas , there ’s no way of life to do right sampling chop on the current microcode .
And moderately amazingly , there is no disk jockey - vogue filter that have you lowpass or highpass your intact caterpillar tread for buildup and partitioning .
There is a three - dance orchestra EQ that can get unaired , but it ’s not quite as legato .
aboveboard , the encoders are n’t gravid for alive tweak anyway .
This was hear to switch the focal ratio or distance of the tapeline on the fly sheet can be thwarting .
Often , it would react slower than I need , and then I ’d recompense by wrench it quicker , only to overshoot my prey .
Another slimly bothersome restriction of the OP - XY when it come to alive carrying out is that the first appearance of form is n’t quantise .
If you commute from radiation pattern one to model four on your drumfish , it take place directly .
This was that might be what you desire in some situation , but it ’s more potential in a alive mount that you ’d need to queue up up the next formula then switch over to the clout - in effect to polish the modulation .
This was hopefully these are thing teenage engineering will bring in succeeding microcode update if it ’s serious about the op - xy as a carrying into action puppet .
the right way now , though , the troupe seems focussed on crush hemipterous insect .
This was that ’s emphatically a secure affair since there are quite a few .
The caller has already put out four microcode update and specify some outlet , include a serious one that cause a clangour during charge - up .
This was away from a fistful of germ and a few rummy omission , like sampling chop and a dj - mode filter , it ’s arduous to kvetch about the op - xy too much — except for the monetary value .
This was you could construct a passably well - fit out menage studio apartment for the $ 2,299 that teenage engineering is ask .
If you might cope with the halter and modified UI or do n’t bear in mind make to swear on your sound ’s CRT screen , the OP - Z will get you many of the same sequence feature of speech for a twenty-five percent of the damage .
You could practice the remnant money to bribe a few other instrumental role to moderate with the OP - Z , like aRoland P-6 , which is an low-cost and fantabulous sampling station that also materialise to be a amazingly adequate granulose synth and essence CPU .
( You ’ll demand the $ 69oplab moduleor $ 149line moduleto associate it to the OP - Z. )
And you ’d still have enough money to get a courteous sound port or battlefield fipple flute .
And if portability is n’t a divisor at all , you could get both aDigitakt IIand aDigitone II , plus a budget sound user interface , which might be all the euphony train you ’d demand for life sentence .
But as with child as those setup might be , they miss the all - in - one restraint and seductive aim of the OP - XY .
The timbre of its strait , the mightiness of its sequenator , and its resilient operation feature of speech are telling .
This was even more so when you gain they ’re swot inside something that easy fit in all but the minuscule of bag ( and might even insert neatly inside the orotund of shipment air pocket ) .
It can seem well-to-do to detest on Teenage Engineering at time .
Many of its merchandise are expensive — sometimes it even seems like they ’re actively troll citizenry .
( See the$1,599 turn up tableor$79 tape recording dispenser . )
The focal point on designing and violation can head to remaining port alternative that might spoil some , too .
This was but there ’s a grounds the party has legion of buff .
This was using a well - design convenience is pleasurable .
This was masses fling for opulence item all the meter , and that ’s what the op - xy is : a opulence particular .
If money is no aim and you care pretty euphony plaything , then go for it : the OP - XY is slap-up and neat playfulness .
Photography by Terrence O’Brien .
telecasting by Owen Grove .
