Teenage Engineering OP-1 (Page 2 of 3)

YEAH

i've been drooling over this for a year now! the fm sounds so sweet... you have to wonder though, with the VL look and size, is the idea to revolutionize micro music and make it commercially viable gear? it's oddly chimera then: an expensive, futuristic micro keyboard that has all the functionality of a bunch of old, cheap keyboards, only with a slick interface... which completely goes against the DIY aesthetic of micro-music in general

i totally think its amazing, beautiful, and in the right hands could be all the musical tools one needs to compose and perform... but its still oddly... neither here nor there? i really look forward too seeing how it is received... perhaps, like the monome, something for collectors and a very specific type of musician, but not "musicians friend" material?

Yeah it's not DIY in the usual sense, as in the end user isn't the DIYer, but it's got the DIY roots, it's not a big brand, which is always cool, i mean, it's a small group of people doing this, it's just got that more friendly feel, it doesn't mean anything really, but it's kinda nice.

I think the idea is to basically make the kind of music we make more doable. the way LSDJ and all that stuff is, it's very geeky, that's not a bad thing, but it is very geeky. something like this might open up the lo-fi, crunchy feel of chip music to the less technologically adept, but who still understand music.

as for the musician's friend bit, i've been thinking about it a lot actually. i've thought if i had one of these, how would i use it? I personally rely heavily on software sequencing as my sense of timing isn't great, but i've always loved the feel of a real button way more than any computer software. Even though not a musician in any way other than with LSDJ and a gameboy, I could see myself switching to one of these. at least assuming it's usable

it may be apparent that i'm really excited for this bit of hardware (and the software) it's a beautiful machine, and i'm hopeful that it'll meet expectations for real use.

I might be going a bit too crazy for this thing at this point, but it just seems like it's everything i've ever wanted in a synth... even though it probably won't be that great, i think it could be something pretty damn good.

activated... i want one !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxuEl8qkErs this video i just saw on tv features the OP1 pretty exclusively.

are we getting closer to a release?

I'm sure you're all on the mailing list, but anyway

Op-1 Newsletter, Sept 25, 2010

Thank you for signing up for OP-1 news.
This Newsletter is about the OP-1 portable synthesizer from Teenage Engineering.

Project status

When it comes to functionality, 90% percent is completed and working.
Some parts of the system is still being fine tuned and optimized. Overall we are extremely happy with what we have.
The OP-1 will be shipped with 6 synthesizer engines and 2 sampler types. Pulse was shown at the NAMM show, the other synthesizer
engines are DrWave, FM, Phase, String, Digital, Cluster. Further it will include 8 effects, 3 LFO types and 3 original sequencers.
The Mixer section has a dedicated EQ and Drive as well as Master Balance and an additional Master Effect slot.
The Sequencers can be matched to the tape speed with a feature called Beat Match.
The Tape also have additional ONE-KEY features added that will be revealed at launch.

Beta test

The beta test is approaching. The beta sign up has been closed for quite some time. So wait and see if you are one of those we invite to participate.
When the beta machines will be released those invited have the option to buy a machine, get all updates and be credited in the manual.
Unfortunately we cannot give beta machines away for free or reduce the price.
We are very excited about this final phase when the feature set will be locked down and to get feedback from fresh eyes and ears.

Hardware

We just received the golden sample for the keyboard module / plastic parts from the factory. And we are very satisfied with the look and feel of it.
The complexity level of the OP-1's electronics makes component sourcing a bit tricky. As soon as we get the missing chips we will go into production with the first beta batch.
Shortly after, the first full production run will be started. So keep your fingers crossed that all this works out.

Feedback

We have got a lot of mails lately regarding the shipping date and the final price of the OP-1.
So we felt it's time for us to provide you with some details:

Estimated street price: $799 / Euro 799 (includes EC-VAT)
Estimated release date: TBA (Depending on the last components to arrive)

Where to buy the OP-1

Initially the OP-1 will be sold exclusively in the TE store (store.teenageengineering.com)

Note! Come visit us at the 2011 NAMM Show in Los Angeles.

Thank you for signing up for the OP-1 Newsletter.
Have a nice day.

-Teenage Engineering.

TL;DR -
Estimated street price: $799 / Euro 799 (includes EC-VAT)