Bad Gear - Worst Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator???

[@AudioPilz]

Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz Support the channel regardless of what your G.A.S. tells you to buy: EU: www.thomann.de/de/index.html?offid=1&affid=3105 US: link.perfectcircuit.com/t/v1/8-12626-261103-9759

[@audiocoffee]

... you're clearly going through all my gear.................

[@AudioPilz]

Great minds...

[@gr4phic3r]

ROFL

[@BuddhaPhi]

Same. I think I've seen 5 or 6 gear pieces I still own that have been featured on this channel and I haven't even gone through most of the videos. lol

[@MilesBeatsLive]

Dude .. when he did the novation x-station 49.. I didn't know it was bad gear I got it when it first came out.. I cried a little I have one tattooed on the inside of my right bicep .. .. but fuck this man makes absolute bangers of videos and makes me question everything

[@illford]

​@@MilesBeatsLivegood musicians can make anything good, gear will not make you good

[@solidkeys]

I can't quote how great this series is.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!

[@BsYtHandle]

You are so right.

[@anthonybernero9720]

That statement doesn't make any sense.

[@-pmh-8074]

You really mean because it's not that great.

[@RussSmith]

I can't subscribe any harder. Even after this long, I'm still mashing Dat button. Three times every time.

[@Shampoid]

everything is good gear if youre good enough

[@AudioPilz]

But some gear makes it easier than other

[@droidon]

That's what he said on earlier videos, don't be embarassed if your gear is featured here.

[@420gravy4]

You've obviously never played the keyboards Peavey Guitars made in the early 90's.

[@RubyWalker-j1n]

you can do an amazing fine art piece with crayola crayons, but you're going to break a lot of crayons....

[@Coolasfonzie]

The mirror shot is hilarious at the end

[@ozd1803]

yeah lol

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@Buttafingaz]

That mirror shot was a hilarious reference to Cuckoo, right? lol

[@phdj535]

Omg, the mirror! :-)

[@ToyKeeper]

@@Buttafingaz Not just the mirror. Also the kiddie letters spelling out "BAD GEAR" on the Beatstep.

[@jayrvento4116]

Synth nerds back in the day: Fuck, this sounds like shit. Love it. Let's make some music with it. Synth nerds now: A powerfull pocket sized synth engine? Ugh, can't work if it isn't Moog :'c

[@AudioPilz]

We're spoiled, aren't we? ;)

[@yungvarg2301]

teenage enginering is just too expensive for me considering they're all so simple and only able to pretty much one thing

[@mopanda81]

@@yungvarg2301 people are still huge on the K-O because it's a pocket sampler, honestly get a kick out of having a mega powered yak bak in my pocket

[@mrz80]

@@AudioPilz Welcome to the 21st Century, where being jaded is a way of life :D

[@mrz80]

@@rorz999 Coming from a ham radio background, where lots of homemade gear finds a home in the handy little metal shells, I'd say see if the POs fit in an Altoids tin.

[@ali14chahrour]

This has become my favorite show on KZbin. The combination of your sense of humor and knowledge/enthusiasm about the subject is unmatched.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@smellymala3103]

“...random trash like fake plants or cheap Asian toys...” 🤣

[@AudioPilz]

It's everywhere...

[@jonaseggen2230]

@@AudioPilz Buzz Lightyear?

[@kokopelli314]

"Weird, but I'm pretty sure there are people who would dance to this."

[@AudioPilz]

People dance to everything when they're in the right "mood" ;)

[@ОстеопатияЭто]

I purchased a PO-33 about 7 months ago. I really liked this thing, it's really a very powerful, interesting, inspiring tool. But a few days ago, for no apparent reason, it stopped turning on. I found him with a completely dead screen and couldn't resuscitate him. I did everything that is written on the manufacturer's website, but it did not give any results. I began to study this issue and it turned out that this is a common problem faced by po owners, it just stops turning on for no apparent reason. As far as I understand there is some error in the design or program. I wrote to the support service of teenage engineering, to which they replied that they could not replace my tool and could not repair it, and threw off a list of components so that I could order them and repair them myself. This is strange. Because absolutely nothing happened to PO, it just lay idle for a few days, and stopped working. If even the specialists of teenage engineering can't fix this flaw (judging by how often PO owners face this problem), why do they offer to fix it for me on their own? Then they stopped replying to my messages. I was very disappointed. I paid $ 90 for a piece that didn't even work for half a year. I was refused replacement, technical support, and no response at all.

[@AudioPilz]

I've heard about this issue, as well. Strange reaction, though...

[@barcodezombies4862]

Thanks for the info , I think based on that I will keep my ££ in shiny groovebox fund

[@scamlikely1442]

I had a prob where the battery connectors bent and weren't making contact, but it was hard to tell cuz they were held in tight by the holder anyway. Maybe check that out otherwise best of luck haha

[@planetpoog]

@@scamlikely1442 yeah I was gonna say that too. my po-33 “died” like he said but I adjusted the connection of the batteries and it has worked fine since

[@plantain.1739]

You ought to buy a case man. Touching a bare PCB only works for so long. I just wish Teenager Engineering weren't trying to nickle and dime you.

[@lobstrosity7163]

It's so strange, fresh, and liberating to watch episodes without memes flashing by every third second.

[@MarshalArnold]

Fake plants and cheap Asian toys, haha that has me rolling on the floor laughing out loud 🤣

[@AudioPilz]

I'm just jealous because I'm bad at decorating ;)

[@MarshalArnold]

@@AudioPilz me too lol

[@DrGrooveBeat]

It’s true though, damn hipsters.

[@GarHoover]

I am part of that statistic. I am sorry that I have contributed to making KZbin a wasteland of IKEA plants and cheap synthesizers.

[@MarshalArnold]

@@GarHoover is all good, I couldn't stage a synth set to save my life. If I had plants, even fake ones they'd surely shrivel and die 😆

[@badpioneer]

I love vintage Bad Gear episodes! Amazing how much your production quality has improved in a little over a year. Still, your sense of humor has always been winning.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@telophasemusic]

Found this channel a week ago and binged like an alcoholic falling off the wagon on any non-denominational holiday.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!

[@maxmatson1578]

I got a few pocket operators myself the "PO-12" Rhythm really Help me out in a few tight scenarios. I would appreciate a video on all of them. Thank you.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Will take a look at it

[@rjframe4410]

yes please, love to see you attempt a PO jam with the entire range

[@noth606]

@@rjframe4410 the whole range might be pushing it a bit far, I have a Tonic, Sub and Rhythm, all together with my main synth gets pretty busy. I can easily make pretty decent tunes just with the Tonic, putting a bunch more together doesn't sound like the best of ideas, in both ways you can interpret that.

[@lenonel3286]

I play my PO-12 into a Korg Monotron Delay and it sounds out of this world

[@BoxOfSnoo]

Loved the cuckoo-style mirror. You grew extra hands just for that!

[@AudioPilz]

No, I'm a MUTANT!!! ;)

[@darkraft1020]

"Awailable" - It felt satisfying hearing you struggle to pronounce that, I had to rewind it a few times. Satisfying, after years of you shitting on all my hardware xD

[@beezzarro]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Mine is that I've seen so many people pull amazing things out of not only POs but bad gear in general that I'm convinced that actual bad gear is hard to find

[@AudioPilz]

I'd say there is quite some overlap in our opinions!

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

I love these things. I have the KO and I barely use it but it is super cool to play around with sometimes.

[@patrickmiller2579]

Please cover more of these, It's so nice to see videos like these, including the drumbrute video, that go against the general review feeling of "they gave this to me for free so i'll try not to say too many bad things about it"

[@AudioPilz]

Don't get me wrong, those are great instruments but it's good to be critical

[@RegebroRepairs]

The KO-33 is completely amazing, though.

[@AudioPilz]

Most of them sound pretty nice

[@gelatinous6915]

It's like an MPC-1000 condensed into your pocket

[@yingtianfu]

Agree!

[@yingtianfu]

@@gelatinous6915 Agree!

[@gapster77]

Agreed I feel like the PO-32 & PO-33 are the best choices.

[@xtalviper]

I think we're in dire need of the PO-69, the *Bad Gear Pocket Operator*

[@AudioPilz]

Comes with multiple outputs and cowbell sounds;)

[@stevenshea990]

3:07 "I always wanted to have Justin Roiland as a voice actor on the show but he never answers my calls" Dodged a bullet there dude

[@AudioPilz]

True that

[@damienleferve241]

Here is a vote for covering all of them. Great series.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Voting means caring!

[@kenfusion]

Second

[@minimal.camera]

Great series, definitely some fun riffs on synth/youtube culture! As for future bad gear ideas, how about the worst 90s or 2000s digital keyboard? Casio, Yamaha, etc. Perhaps an episode on guitar/effects pedals as well. Keep it up, great fun!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Great suggestion!

[@jdssurf]

“But I’m sure there are ppl who would dance to this” lmfao

[@AudioPilz]

Somewhere, there's a dancer for every beat

[@leewightman8619]

I don't get the LCD screen they should have put a grid on it or sample waves instead of useless animations

[@AudioPilz]

That screen is reserved for the marketing department;)

[@RaquelFoster]

3:57 🍒🍓🍑🥨🍎🍐🍌💊🪩❄️🚀🤯💥🪐✨🌙☀️🌵🤠🐴💬Hell yes! Is that the Carl Craig remix of Autechre's Foil?

[@itsbrainnotbrian]

I have absolutely no idea how this video was recommended to me considering I have really no idea about making music or anything audio related but that was interesting

[@AudioPilz]

Happy to hear that! Stick around!

[@BadBeard]

Ich hab jetzt jedes Video von dir geschaut und dein Output und deine Qualität sind außergewöhnlich. Ich bin mir sicher, dass dein Kanal noch explodieren wird - Synth-Tube hat jetzt selbstreferenziellen Meme-Status erreicht. Das Cuckoo Spiegel Ding - *chefs kiss*

[@AudioPilz]

Vielen herzlichen Dank!

[@TayTayMakesBeats]

I know everyone says this but I have no idea how you get these out so frequently with such high quality. Absolutely insane.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks. Well, sleep is the enemy;)

[@zorbanongreco]

@@AudioPilz "sleep is the enemy" 😂 so funny and maybe true ¿?!?¡¿🐂💨💨💨💨

This was the episode that introduced me to the show and I'm so happy that I found it! The PO24 Office was my first one and now I've become a big fan of the series as someone who is both combating and giving into GAS on a very tight budget! Curious if you've ever tried the PO33 or any others in the series, the PO33 really got me started on making my own music and it's super fun. I've also used the PO24 on a few industrial/noise projects as the centerpiece since it can get really gnarly sounding actually! Anyways enough rambling out of me, love the show!

[@bose5160]

Right now I own the 20, 32, and 33. Those I feel are the best combo for setting up a full track. Right now I could be done buying TE gear but.......that OP-1 tho....

[@AudioPilz]

The "big" TE gear is interesting but sooooooo expensive

[@Roomer645]

@@AudioPilz Yes it is … with these prices the majority starts looking at other gear.

[@johnm.5913]

Got a sub factory and 33. They are incredibly cool and fun.

[@CargoShorts7]

4 years later and those are the exact 3 that I bought as a guitar playing looking to take his first baby steps into the world of synths/samplers/sequencers/drum machines. Did I make a mistake by getting these? I missed the wave of controversy with these and instead bit right onto the bait hook thinking that they just looked so cool and fun, and they are a lot of fun to be fair!

[@rars0n]

OH MAN! Great video! Definitely my new favorite KZbin channel, I'm so glad I happened to be recommended a Bad Gear video and decided to click on it. Your humor cracks me up every time. On a side note, referring to a previous comment I left on another video about your pronunciation of the letter V, I hope it did not come across as critical or mocking, I didn't mean that in any way. When you responded, I re-read my comment and felt a little bad because I thought maybe it might have read differently than I intended. I love your accent and your English accent is much better than my German accent. I think what surprised me is that I hadn't really heard the W sound after several videos until it suddenly became noticeable, and after watching more of your videos, including this one, I think I get it. The way you sound the letter seems to be at least partially determined by where it's located within a word. English is a tough language to learn, and idiots like me often forget that when we hear other people speak it as a second language. So again, I really apologize if it sounded in any way mean-spirited or critical, I certainly did not intend it! However, I do appreciate your humor about it, very funny to see you throw those things into the wideo. Keep up the great vork.

[@AudioPilz]

No problem. Feedback is always welcome

[@AudioPilz]

More Worst of? YES!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaKWaXdmf9SBfsk

[@MarshalArnold]

Yes, more please!

[@alancarmody8848]

Moar!

[@matthewcody1757]

Yes sure ,

[@Musikkeller-Innsider]

Count me in!

[@EnviroDouglas]

AudioPilz this is the schwiftiest

[@smthngbd]

Curious question, what does the "Yeah" sample come from? (2:29)

[@AudioPilz]

I think it came with the machine

[@ramseydoon8277]

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that Florian will bless us with videos for the other pocket operators. #ALLOFTHEM

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Hope I'll find time for that in 2021

[@AalbertTorsius]

@@AudioPilz #ALLOFTHEM seconded.

[@Music-tg5is]

They're basically all the same. If you've been ripped off by one of them, you've been ripped off by all.

[@zoned7609]

​@@Music-tg5ishahahahahahaha I think you got ripped off in the brain department :)

[@ZZEROO99]

This has easily become my favourite youtube series right now the jabs at other youtubers and editing is just really good.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! I love both Cuckoo and Ricky but I am just extremely bad at decorating;)

[@Bj5m17h]

Nice video and good use of the little fellow.I have the Arcade and PO-137. As a guy who started with screamtracker on an IBM 386 I dig the lofi and can work with minimalist. And frankly, it nice to be able to take an inexpensive mini-synth/sampler/drum-machine/sequencer with you in your pocket on the go. I wrote a song with the Arcade that turned out kinda ok, kinda chillwavey spacey.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Oldschool!

[@Bj5m17h]

@@AudioPilz well, back then very young and very poor, the computer was a hand me down from my older sister :) There is an art to working with little though and no amount of money or technology can replace passion

[@jennoscura2381]

I do photography. I LOVE using low res cameras. They have a fantastic artistic quality if used right. I have been taking the same approach to electronic music. Use lofi gear to produce something that has that lofi artistic quality. So the POs are right up my alley. And I love that you can easily take them with you. I just got a PO Sub and look forward to carrying it with me wherever I go. It will give me something to do while on the bus.

[@noth606]

@@jennoscura2381 I have gotten really nice pics out of my old Nikon D1x, far better than anything a normal smartphone can do. I also have a PO rythm, a sub and a tonic. Haven't done much with them yet as I'm waiting for cables, should arrive soon, then I can get them hooked up to my Gaia and an amp so I can get decent volume out of them, as-is they sound too quiet to me.

[@ilikeitwhatisit]

Do you have an opinion on the OB-4 speaker/radio/weird thing?

[@AudioPilz]

Not really but I don't think I'm the target group for stuff like that;)

[@BuddhaPhi]

I have a PO-137 and immediately changed all the sounds. (A factory reset will restore the built-in Rick and Morty sounds.) I also have 5 other PO models. So I might have a problem. I inevitably just resample loops or hits from the toys into the Digitakt.

[@AudioPilz]

They are great sampler fodder!

[@LoserDub]

Which one should I buy? MegaMan or street fighter

[@AudioPilz]

The answer is: YES!

[@xisotopex]

its like going to a gabber rave in belgium except everyone is on zanax instead of meth

[@AudioPilz]

Sounds healthy ;)

[@bigkik]

I began learning using hardware music with the PO-12 exactly two years ago now... I really enjoyed it and it was the starting point of an incredible journey. But i must recon i switched to more powerfull devices. I understand that a price point of 50-60 €/$ leads to necessary compromises, but with say midi in and full range notes these could be the best devices to begin dawless music. Maybe a version 2 soon or later ?

[@AudioPilz]

...or get an OP-Z;)

[@bigkik]

@@AudioPilz not sure about the OP-Z... I prefered the Roland Aira path :-)

[@bigkik]

@@AudioPilz (2nd) hahaha, now I understand 😆 genius !

[@fairviewfar2262]

dude this is amazing hahahahaha i was initially interested in just the bad gear but your editing and humor keep bringing me back

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@validcore]

1:39 6 ppl voted for the Arcade? It's a 8 bit chiptune workstation for $50...the preferred platform for that is the Gameboy. It's like the PO was designed just for that & what it looks like it should do.

[@AudioPilz]

Well, the beauty of democracy ;)

[@big_b_radical3985]

Yeah but it was melodically nerfed so they could sell the robot separately.

[@validcore]

@@big_b_radical3985 haven't played the robot. I do like how the Arcade has alot of options for the beat sequence & how the chords seperate from the chiptune sounds.

[@sts0-101]

I just got my first PO a few weeks ago, and by coincidence it is a PO-20 Arcade exactly for the reasons you mentioned. But I am very disappointed about being trapped in a limited section of scales for what seems like no good reason, and in the inability for me to shape any kind of sound on my own. I am definitely not getting more POs and would not recommend anyone to get them either. I definitely find the POs overpriced and somewhat artificially limited.

[@jeredalmeida1880]

Using in conjunction with Digitakt or MPC? LOL "Sounds like sampling with extra steps."

[@AudioPilz]

It is pretty nice sample fodder tbh;)

[@zydiz]

arrrgghhhh i hate pocket operators because everyone can use them and have fun with them, i hate them all. -guy on synth group with 5 retro synths costing 1500usd each

[@AudioPilz]

Soundwise, they put a lot of pro gear to shame

[@ShouriSeifuku]

People hating on the 137 don't realize it's just a themed 35.

[@AudioPilz]

I think it's the theme they're hating

[@Niven42]

I got a PO-32 because I heard they were great. Didn't see what all the fuss was about. Then, I discovered you could change the stock sounds via community generated patches even if you don't own Microtonic.

[@AudioPilz]

Ah, I have to try that!

[@callumalston5755]

It’s the bass, the lack of being able to play outside certain keys is a product destroyer

[@AudioPilz]

The scale thing is indeed a bummer

[@johnnysmith379]

Yeah I thought they'd be flimsy. While to me seeming okay-ish , it seems like quite a bit of money for a hit or miss product (I was thinking of getting the sampler)... But it's size and simplicity is perfect. What would you lot recommend instead? I have zero knowledge in synths.

[@AudioPilz]

The Volcas, while a bit more expensive, are still compact and can be used in more advanced setups too. Maybe start with the Sample and get a Keys a little later. You can make entire arrangements with just these two

[@TheMCCraftingTable]

PO-20 is pretty much a tiny standalone groovebox. Has polyphonic drums, melody, live effects, and easy chords. It's a bit limited, yes, but personally I find it a great place to get started. Also, in increasing price: Korg NTS-1 (monophonic synth / effect box, you can upload custom patches so very expandable), Volca drum (drum machine but capable of melodic stuff as well), Volca fm (full fledged FM synth minus proper keybed), Arturia Microfreak (crazy feature-packed synth!). Or maybe a stylophone :)

[@tuesss]

As an owner of Volca FM, NTS-1 and PO-33, I can say NTS-1 is definitely the best value/money (many different oscillators, beautiful reverbs, there even is an open source looper which you can install in e.g. delay effect slot), but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to a beginner. PO-33 is quite the opposite - very limited functionality and the manufacturer doesn't want people to enhance it in any way (e.g. backup format is a secret), but even a total beginner should be able to create some music with it without any additional equipment on the first day. Using NTS-1 without external MIDI keyboard or sequencer is a pain, although you could probably use a smartphone for that, but then you could just as well replace PO-33 with a smartphone app. As for Volca FM, it is definitely easier to use than NTS-1 while still being a very powerful synth with a built-in sequencer and somewhat usable keyboard, but it's the most specialised out of the three and also the most expensive. I don't think it's possible to create a full song with Volca FM alone, no matter what genre. BTW, my next mid-priced synth purchase is going to be Microfreak, most likely. But I already have two devices with decent FX.

[@Chris6741]

The absolute best content of the synth KZbinrs. Always entertaining.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@annakonda6289]

My spouse is making me watch your series. It has clearly uplifted our marriage to new heights. 😂 In all seriousness: love your content and your sense of humour. Should we ever cross paths, you will be invited to a beverage of your choice. Greetings from Germany

[@AudioPilz]

Vielen Dank & liebe Grüße!!!

[@s3th3d]

nice video, btw the po-33 is amazing

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! The 33 is on my list

[@sidneiribeiro3883]

On My PO35 the key 8 does not come out any sound What Can it be ? Thx

[@AudioPilz]

Given the build quality it just might be broken😔😔😔

[@carlos_martinezzz]

I have a PO20 and is very fun to play with it. The case makes a huge difference in my opinion, buttons are more responsive and accurate. Once you learn how to use it you dont need to see the screen. For my setup (3 synths, 3 drum machines, Ableton & two midi controllers) is useful to add a few sounds here and there. I agree that is not for everybody and you need more gear (Reverb, delay, modular/sync out hardware) to play live with it and make it sound not just like a toy. As a standalone it sounds like a Gameboy. I had to be creative to make it usable for my setup. Pd: Your channel is very cool 😎

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! I thought about just using it as a kick synth ;)

[@kkoma4119]

Can somebody explain me what moomba Schranz is?

[@AudioPilz]

The lovechild of Moombahton and Schranz(and it's not actually a thing;)

[@busyak]

i only have the 33 (KO) and 12 (Rhythm) and i love them but I've only been able to seriously use them a handful of times. Everything is really finicky and the knobs are so loose it's impossible to get accurate values. That being said, the 12 has great click-clack drums that i managed to even use in a track of mine, and they're super fun to just jam to. The 33's drum parts choke each other out making it great for sequencing breaks, so i sampled a bunch of classic breaks in to keep plenty of jungle sequences on hand just to test drive sounds and ideas over

[@AudioPilz]

Jungle breaks are a great idea for the POs capable of sampling

[@fitzdigital7534]

The PO-12 does have just fucking amazingly dope drums. It's not as sophisticated as some of the others, but none of the others sound as good to me. (The string modeling voice on there is also fucking fire. The PO-14 has a bass version of that string instrument which is also good. They may both be based on the OP-1's string instrument, but I think I like the PO ones more.)

[@PHeMoX]

​@@fitzdigital7534 Some of them are just sample based though (PO-12 is 100% sample based, only the FX uses an FX engine)... And some of the 'sampling' POs are not samplers, but do frequency modulated synthesis like the PO-35 Speak (it's why it can sample much longer and not just 40 seconds). Pretty sure the PO-14 uses that as it's main synth engine as well. So it definitely is not the 'same' instrument. The OP-1 has a modelling engine for its FX and synths. There's no FM synthesis. The drum sampler/sequencer is actually sample based on the OP-1. The synth stuff is all digital modelling. The OP-Z does have FM synthesis, which would be closer to the PO-14 sub I guess. Not sure 500-900 bucks worth of gear would ever truly sound the same as a sub-100 bucks synth / sampler like the POs. Not saying they are not capable, but in terms of voices alone there's no comparing with the OP-1 and OP-Z.

[@fitzdigital7534]

@@PHeMoX aha, thanks for the fact check. The strings on the 12 and 14 do really feel modeled to me, but I have no reason to doubt what you’re saying other than that perception. No doubt the Z and 1 are much more capable.

[@Bod8998]

I have the PO16factory never understood the battery both the same way now my screen broken apparently they still work not bothered to be honest confined to the back of the cupboard

[@AudioPilz]

Mine don't get much use either...

[@MontiRock]

the PO K.O. sampler is actually pretty good, along with the tonic. The sampler actually can cut samples up like an MPC.

[@AudioPilz]

I have still to try the whole range. Didn't know the cutup feature

[@MontiRock]

@@AudioPilz when you choose one of the slots on the bottom two rows it'll cut them up into 16 sections that you could use them for drums. I made a few tracks using the K.O. One lesser known fact: while you can chain patterns, you can chain up to 100+ measures/patterns so if you want to actually record a song you already have a complete layout of what your song. (this feature is on mostly all of them). Just saying... :D

[@CargoShorts7]

I'm coming from the guitar playing world, where I've heavilyyy nerded out on all things guitar for years and I'm sort of ashamed to admit that my very recent interest with synths/sequencers/samplers/drum machines started with the fake plant and cheap Asian toys PO videos lmao. In the last couple weeks, I bought a PO-33 KO and a PO-32 Tonic... am I a dummy for going with these two pieces as a means to dip my toes into this fascinating new world? Should I have gone a different route?

[@AudioPilz]

Buy a Microbrute and hook it up to all your FX pedals;)

[@CargoShorts7]

@@AudioPilz ooo I like the sound of that already. Gonna look into it more for sure. Thank you, good sir

[@DA-nk6gx]

Damn! If this is how you sound on "Bad Gear" then I want to hear your stuff on good gear. Do you have an album? I would love to give that a listen.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Working on "real" releases atm!

[@mcstabba]

I've been thinking about getting a few of these (KO, Speak and either Tonic or Rythm I think) but are they fragile? They seem pretty fragile.

[@AudioPilz]

They are indeed a bit fragile

[@JoshuaKennedy321]

UGH .. I have a PO-12 and although it does sound pretty good I rarely use it because the interface is just too perplexing. Each button does at least 3 different things and the display was deliberately designed NOT to provide any useful information. What parameter am I tweaking right now? Who cares!! Just enjoy the cute animation of a little man and a giant sewing machine.

[@AudioPilz]

Just push record and randomly tweak it. Then sample. Success!

[@themadsamplist]

I don't see the problem. You're making music, you can use your ears

[@annother3350]

Themadsamplist - If the tools hamper creativity it's no fun

[@JoshuaKennedy321]

@@rorz999 Actually the inclined plane is one of the simplest machines, but that's not important right now. Different people have different spheres of understanding. I played with the PO-12 for a LOT longer than half an hour, and never could master the interface because it just didn't make sense to me .. the display screen was totally unhelpful and I was constantly looking at the info sheet trying to figure out "how do I do X again?" .. however the Empress ZOIA, arguably much more complicated, was a breeze to me and I understood it right away.

[@superchroma]

I feel you.

[@fran95lp]

Favourite series on youtube, keep it going man

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@marcoabyss]

HIGHdea: get all the Pocket Operators. sync and set them up on a guitar pedal board. go on tour as a Pocket Operator DJ. profit.

[@AudioPilz]

Let's have a decaf latte on that!

[@marcoabyss]

@@AudioPilz i already have the pedal board :P

[@Barnet310]

Nice to see your views going up! Great videos

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!

[@MGoolas]

Your sense of humor is unironically great.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@S374PH]

love how much of a trolling of the youtube synth scene this video is lol

[@AudioPilz]

❤️❤️❤️

[@Stadsjaap]

"All of them." Thank you, internet! Had my PO-33 for less than a day before I put up the ad to sell it. Music just sounds better without a PO(S) in the mix.

[@AudioPilz]

Well, it seems like it has to be😅

[@GrumpyStormtrooper]

To be fair it's for a specific kind of music. The PO33 is usually used in Lo-Fi and hip hop

[@anthonybernero9720]

Why? What did you not like about it?

[@dzonnyblue3065]

Hey what about TE PO20 Arcade ?????

[@AudioPilz]

There have been quite some votes for me making all of them so I will most probably squeeze it into one of the Wednesday episodes

[@dzonnyblue3065]

@@AudioPilz i wanted to know is it good or no , i am retro obsessed 80s maniac

[@bradyscher7224]

Really laughed at the callout of the yuotube hipster style of random desk knicknacks haha

[@AudioPilz]

Cuckoo and Ricky are great, I deeply respect them but I never really understood that decoration thing (and I am not very good at it)

[@bradyscher7224]

@@AudioPilz Knobs as well, I guess I'm not hip on that aesthetic

[@bradyscher7224]

@@carnmarth334 hey man, this was four months ago, and you know absolutely nothing about me, are you alright?

[@ThathousecatSHC]

I've got three of the PO's, robot, arcade, and mega man. I don't understand how people use these for live sets, as a noise maker/sample source/fun solo jam session they great. Take it on an airplane or long car ride along with a field recorder and time flys by.

[@ap0ria]

"They seem to attract random trash like cheap plants or cheap asian toys" is what finally made me subscribe.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@StephenMcLeod]

The book in the mirror. 😂

[@AudioPilz]

Most I know I learned from comic books ;)

[@StephenMcLeod]

@@AudioPilz Love it

[@Qbays]

This episode really nails it! I had tears in my eyes from laughing :D

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!

[@brainsplosion3000]

ooh please cover more of these! Maybe the bass synth, the Sub?

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, more to come, thanks!

[@chriswareham]

Bad gear suggestion - the Yamaha QX-1 sequencer. It's as though someone wrote a specification for the most awesome MIDI sequencer ever, and then a sociopath implemented it. Don't quite know what it says about me, but I own one and use it in preference to a software sequencer or any other hardware sequencer, but man it's a weird machine.

[@AudioPilz]

According to what I've heard this thing doesn't like people

[@Rayndalf]

I don't have much of an explanation, but I bought a QX3 on a whim (people usually tear them apart for the unique key switches) and grabbed a QX1 to keep it company. Unfortunately I need to find a 5.25 inch floppy to get it to boot. I guess if I try one and hate it I'll hate the other one in different ways?

[@chriswareham]

@@Rayndalf Both the big QX sequencers share the job menu approach to accessing commands, with a reference printed on the front panel. Apart from that the QX1 and QX3 are quite different. Yamaha definitely streamlined the workflow of the QX3, but there are quirks to the QX1 that I quite like. Check out Espen Kraft's video on using the QX3 if you've not already, as he made a great demonstration of how to use it. As for the QX1 floppy drive, I have a HxC floppy emulator in my machine. You need an adapter to convert the 5.25" floppy connector but they are cheap and easy to find. You'll also need a mounting bracket, but those are also readily available.

[@voltijuice8576]

I nearly bought a QX-1 several times, but always chickened out.

[@Channel9001]

Is there a full version of that Rick and Morty remix? I don't know anything about music synths and I don't know how I got here.

[@AudioPilz]

Happy to have you around. Working on full tracks atm!

[@andrewkirk6452]

Please cover all of them, but if you don't do all of them id love to have an episode on the sub!

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, I've heard some complaints about the sub

[@pabloplato]

@@AudioPilz I really liked the Sub, so I would be curious to learn what people hate about it. I also really liked Factory. But admittedly I did not get Robot, it took a while for me to finally understand that it's for live laying, but I don't consider these to be instruments for live playing but rather for sequencing, so while it's fun to fiddle with, a proper sequencer on it would have been far more appreciated imo.

[@ChrisSmout]

Still happy for you to do all of them. I have three of them and very rarely use them.

[@AudioPilz]

Seems like I have to😅

[@ChrisSmout]

@@AudioPilz for science!

[@tesco24]

Why wasn't the text in the mirror reversed?!

[@AudioPilz]

Magic!

[@voltijuice8576]

He was reading the rare, exclusive mirror-printed edition of the book. So it looks normal in the mirror.

[@hey_dont_cry6047]

Can i get download link for "phat bass" jam with the office and rick and morty pocket operators?

[@AudioPilz]

Let me see if I can still find them...

[@hey_dont_cry6047]

@@AudioPilz Thanks in advance

[@kookyrobot]

Reading the Lustiges Taschenbuch broke me. You have to have a pretty high IQ for coming up with that ...

[@AudioPilz]

...or a youth wasted on comic books😂 Thanks!

[@nolram]

@AudioPilz who said that it’s a bad thing ?

[@gustavgnoettgen]

I'm equally curious and lazy about using synths. Are these good machines to get to start? I tried mobile apps and some PC stuff but I really want at least one knob to turn with my actual fingers.

[@AudioPilz]

They sound great and are a nice starting point but it's not always easy to integrate them into a larger setup

[@themagikian4237]

Please do all of the Pocket Operators man!! 🙏

[@AudioPilz]

I'll try to squeeze it in

[@djthedarksider]

OMG - just discoverd your Channel some days ago and had to watch all the vid´s . Simply awesome. Maybe you could do a Bad Gear review on the AKAI MPC Live (nachdem du eh in Wien bist könnte ich dir meine dafür borgen ;-) )

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Da komme ich gerne darauf zurück;)

[@420gravy4]

One of the most returned items at GC ever! I think it's 3rd most returned after Harbinger speakers and Behringer mixers .... pure crap. Thanks for posting, have a most excellent weekend.

[@AudioPilz]

Really? Didn't know that!

[@gelatinous6915]

Modern Xenyx mixers are suprisingly not that bad build-wise (they sound like crap but still.)

[@anthonybernero9720]

Why? Do they break easily? They don't look very sturdy.

[@gelatinous6915]

@@anthonybernero9720 They just don't do very much. They are fairly sturdy with a case

[@samkeeley1228]

Easily my favourite KZbin channel right now!!!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@GearAddict90210]

Lustiges Taschenbuch, geil :)

[@AudioPilz]

Was ich nicht aus einem lustigen Taschenbuch lernen kann, brauche ich auch nicht zu wissen 😅

[@sikabo3376]

schranz mukke 🖤 ich kann nich mehr. du holst echt alles raus. sehr geiles video.

[@AudioPilz]

Besten Dank!!!

[@designator7402]

No matter how good some of their products are, I can't help but to hate TE and everything they represent.

[@AudioPilz]

Not 100% my style, either...

[@MmostlyRandom]

you just need to buy some sandals , grow a beard and drink more frappuchinomochalatte ;) IMO they have made 1 good product, the op-1 the rest is throwaway trash they are the hipsters hipster

[@gelatinous6915]

They represent cheap gear that sounds good, mainly. While they obviously target hyper-hipsters (who else has a fashion section on a gear website,) most of their products end up in the hands of broke college-age and teen musicians (speaking from experience.)

[@yourunemployedfriendat2pm]

​@@gelatinous6915cheap gear?

[@RubyWalker-j1n]

I have never used a synth, don't play any instruments, etc.... I don't even go here. But I am enjoying your videos a lot!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@therealone1288]

No interest in POs but im tempted by the megaman and street fighter ones

[@AudioPilz]

Their marketing guys really know their stuff

[@x10dc90]

What I don't get is how some pocket operators are able to sample while the Volca Sample can't. Even so, the build quality of these pocket operators doesn't convince me; and the cases are almost the same price of the PO. What the heck.

[@AudioPilz]

I was asking myself the exact same questions

[@Hektagon7085]

Dunning-Kruger fans... I mean Rick and Morty fans most love this!

[@AudioPilz]

You need to have a very high IQ...

[@JeroendeHaan]

I really enjoy your videos. But could you complete your bio (name, what do you do of you don't make these vids) or do an inttoduction video perhaps? Thanks anyhoe.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much. Isn't it all about the gear?

[@JeroendeHaan]

AudioPilz Sure it is. But some context, just as you do with the gear ;-), would be nice. But hey, it is your channel. Or as we say in the Netherlands, it is your party.

[@TheLunarSurface]

Cover all the pocket operators please!!!!!!

[@AudioPilz]

Let's see when I can squeeze them in

[@XnazxulX]

I really want one of these PO even though i have seen so many crap reviews on them. Which one would you suggest. The office everyone hates hahah. They need to create an fm synth one

[@AudioPilz]

An FM one would be nice!

[@Chocolosophy]

the arcade (PO-20) has pretty great sounds

[@idletimerap]

I love my pocket operators. Out of all of my gear they're simply just the most fun and instantly gratifying. But I would NEVER by that fucking Rick and Morty abomination

[@AudioPilz]

Rick certainly doesn't approve;)