OP-1 Field◾Fun, Frustrating, and Costly.

[@BennJordan]

Update: I've flipped again and decided to send it back rather than buy it. I may change my mind before I get to the UPS store. Will keep you updated. 😂

[@elliotttadanier5971]

Any new feelings in the past 27 minutes? I haven’t even finished watching the video yet haha.

[@truecuckoo]

It’s tough out here! 😂

[@Loquelodeon]

Maybe you finally felt like you expired its possibilities? xD

[@soysos.tuffsound]

I think you made the right decision, plenty of other options out there.

[@DoctorNemmo]

I bought an OP-1. I like it, I quickly found out its limitations (and workarounds). I won't pay $1000 more for a reverb.

[@linewizard]

This would absolutely be one of the best pieces of gear for a newcomer if it were 1/4 the price. I personally sold my OP-1 after about a year of owning it because I found it a bit too limiting. Some of these new features look great, but there are so many things I'd rather spend $2000 on.

[@joshualane1716]

I actually don’t agree. I think the OP is a terrible introduction to musical production. The OP1 was my first piece of gear after having bounced off of my first DAW (FL Studio). My musical background was as an acoustic drummer, and I knew exactly nothing about everything that went into digital production. Compressors, EQs, LFOs, phasers, flangers, sequencers, hi/low pass filters, delay, chorus, sample and bit-rates, FM synthesis, midi, stems, etc. we’re all completely new concepts to me. And the OP-1, though intuitive to people who already know these things, makes for a terrible introduction to these concepts, predominantly just because of how they’re presented. Everything is vague and has a goofy name, zero built-in explanation, weird animations not grounded graphically in any kind of traditional sound design interface or representation of how you’re altering the parameters. It made seeking out information about the fundamental principles of each component far more difficult because it all had to be translated out T.E. design language into traditional terminology, and vice versa. (Not to mention how unforgiving the production process on the OP-1 can be or how parameter/utility over here affects something else on down the line.) It just wasn’t clicking for me, and therefore sat in the box for a couple years. It wasn’t until I forked out another $1200 on an MPC Live II in 2020 that I was in an production environment that made sense and was linguistically and visually consistent with all the other non-device-specific resources out there; if I came across something in the MPC that I had no idea what it was, like a Limiter, I could just search “what is a limiter/how does it work?”, and the information I found would be helpful regardless. On the OP-1, everything is Nitro or Phone or Grid or a goddamn cow. Six months into my MPC primer I did go back to the OP-1, and only then could I really make sense of it. That’s not to say a beginner couldn’t have faired better if they were more diligent. I’m sure discipline is a factor, and it does feel incredibly simple to me now. But I had not discovered YT as the wealth of resource for tutorials at the time (YT was more for entertainment), and 5+ years ago there were certainly less OP-1 breakdowns than their are today. I think RMR was maybe about halfway through his De-Mystifying the OP-1 project at the time I picked it up, not that I would have seen any of it for a few more years, I guess

[@linewizard]

@@joshualane1716 You make a lot of good points. It seems like the OP-1 is almost intentionally obtuse in many ways. I got my OP-1 shortly after getting into eurorack, so I had a little bit of vocabulary and I was able to mostly figure things out (although there were a few things that never quite clicked with me). The OP-1 might not be a great introduction to music production per se, but for a person who doesn't have a lot of other gear, it packs a ton of features into a small (and fun) package. I guess that was the point I was trying to make. My main complaint is probably the same as everyone else's: By the time the average person can justify shelling out $2000 for a piece of music equipment, they've likely grown as a musician to the point where their money might be better spent on something else, or something more niche. Not trying to knock the OP-1, and obviously everyone has different needs and financial situations. It's just a strange piece of gear at a strange price point, in my opinion. Furthermore, an extremely petty part of me just doesn't want to support TE if they're going to keep releasing things that I think are extremely overpriced, even if another part of me thinks they look like fun

[@Bthelick]

Newcomer? A single synth for $500? I presume you mean a newcomer who's daddy is already rich? I would argue in fact the best buy for that money would just be a laptop! 🤣🤣

[@WarrenPostma]

@@Bthelick Macbook air and an audio interface boom.

[@shayneoneill1506]

The mystifying thing about the price is theres absolutely nothing stopping someone like Behringer coming in and kicking their legs out with a $200 clone. Then *all* they will have to sell it with is the "boutique" reputation.

[@gracelessgames]

At 2000 $, this is THE device for people that "absolutely will finish a song soon, one day" and are more in love with being a cool musician in theory

[@Julajuck]

guilty as charge😅

[@gutsberserker5476]

@@Julajuck same! I end up taking everything to my computer and rarely get to finishing a track

[@notreally-sf3df]

This is totally not true at all. Everyone I know who uses it (including me) bought it because we can afford it...because we....finish things.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I've been playing synths since the late 80s, and have finished more songs on the OP-1 than any other device. It's absolutely, without a doubt, the single most inspiring instrument I've ever played.

[@DarkLord61636]

HEY NOW

[@vladv5126]

The fact that this does less than a 15 year old budget laptop is awe inspiring.

[@ryanthompson4423]

Think about how much people spend on vintage monosynths. This really misses the point. That being said, it is overpriced

[@station2station544]

@@ryanthompson4423 And if I offered you a 15 year old laptop or this, you'd choose this.

[@metallica3604]

@@ryanthompson4423 isn't that where the sound quality come in?

[@Tandle779]

I love reminding people how an old macbook and focusrite can be their stage piano, synth, sequencer/looper, mixer, fx processor, the list goes on. that said obviously you wont have the streamlined process that those independent modules would provide you and you would need something like ableton. but as an anarcho-software engineer all software is free.

[@pahwraith]

@@station2station544 well this is a price of a brand new top of the line 2022 laptop. Would you rather have this or a 2000 dollar laptop for free? Or a 1000 dollar laptop loaded with 1000 dollars of audio production software?

[@briberysproductionhouse]

Pro-tip for those that want an "undo" function of sorts: - Choose whatever track you want to overdub (but not wreck) - Use the "lift" function to put it in the copy/paste buffer (make sure to "join" any splits) - "Drop" it back in the same place. - Overdub whatever. If you wreck it, drop the section that is still in the buffer Hacky? Yes Effective? ...Yes? Works on all OP1's

[@darwiniandude]

Yep, single level cut/paste, like early Adobe Photoshop. One level of undo is more than you get on real tape.

[@stevesjob5072]

I remember on a Teenage Engineering QnA Live stream, some people asked about modding the OP-1, custom firmware, custom synth engines, FX and stuff. The TE guys said that the op-1 was not designed to be modded and discouraged everyone from doing it. I don't know whether that's true or not but now i know this is exactly what they want, so they can keep selling the same device but now with a new reverb algorithm they grabbed from the internet, something you could easily add to the original OP-1 with a little bit of DSP and coding knowledge. Dude these guys are worse than apple in this (allowing modding) , they got too inspired by them.

[@HenningSprang]

and they are more ignorant to criticism, and their fans are more fanatic than apple ones :) yes I bought a tx6, and kept it despite at least one very annoying thing - it cant be used properly with most normal 3,5mm audio cables because making the plugs have enough space for those would have made the device a huge 5mm broader - its just there are not many 12 channel interfaces, and there is exactly none even 1 channel Interface at that size… It might be the combination of features and size that makes this thing unique as for me the tx6 - actually no device similarly sized and weighted besides an ipad would offer a similar list of possibilities, but the ipad has no haptic real knob control… it can be added, but then the size isnt comparable anymore… Probably the best situation for everyone is not having the money at all to just think about buying something in that price range - or having that much money that you can just buy anything interesting that comes out, no matter a few thousands more or less you spend per month… being in between and expecting great quality for a significant price, is rather unpleasant with that device…

[@HenningSprang]

habe to correct myself, probably the M8 tracker is similarly sized and has interesting features… but also very special…

[@cartilagehead]

I vividly remember wasting time in a university library nine years ago right after starting grad school, staring at the original OP-1 on the TE website (back when it still cost $850 even) and coveting it so hard. In the years since then the price slowly climbed, and every time I found myself with the money to feasibly afford one I ended up spending it on more basic “bread + butter” studio buys like mixers and software. Eventually I got an iPad.

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

You have chosen wisely CH. You will be fine,

[@kgbinfo]

I wonder why they didn't stick a micro SD slot on that thing so you could easily back up samples and projects and stuff. Seems like a pretty significant oversight.

[@shocktnc]

One oversight among thousands of others. 15$ FL mobile can do more than the field.

[@ltfringr]

It's not on brand to make something useful

[@sefrautiq]

I guess sd cards are not allowed on anything that costs an absurd amount of money

[@DaveSmithHayes]

I think one of the best things about Benn's reviews is he is real about it. I too often start an idea, think "nah this sucks" and start from scratch. I like seeing that kind of honesty in a demonstration.

[@Shapeplusform]

The price is exactly 8x higher than it deserves to be.

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

if the original op-1 cost like $250 it would have done gangbusters and i would have two of them. but it's a boutique thing, it was never meant for the general public.

[@Shapeplusform]

@@littlesnowflakepunk855 it’s like those collectable sneakers that go on the shelf instead of on your feet

[@FreeBeat]

This video was so well put together (as is everything you do), very inspiring!

[@HobbertSharp]

17:43 your sense of rhythm is just incredible. I've always struggled with writing interesting percussion, and this right here is pretty inspiring.

[@Pak_Industrial]

They're hard to get a hold of right now. But It'd be really interesting to see you review the DIRTYWAVE M8. The M8 seems like a way more practical music tool for on the go scratchpad use, and home production use due to its hardware sequencing capabilities and sampling power, but I don't see a lot of reviewers actually going 'outside the box' on it and trying to sequence it with other gear. It feels like what I actually wanted teenage engineering to make, which is just a more robust PO-33.

[@badoedipus2551]

They went back on sale today! Check the website!!!

[@1wildrogue]

I second this! The m8 is one of the coolest grooveboxes out there. I even released an EP with just M8 songs which I have never even considered with another device.

[@BennJordan]

I have one. I dig it

[@TZerot0]

I mean trackers have a very different history and technological-phylogeny from mobile synths and grooveboxes. While you can use both to sketch musical ideas, a portable tracker is basically a mini Amiga. Hardly apples to apples, no?

[@AgonalRhythm]

Yeah I believe the plan is to open sales for m8's on Mondays. I borrowed one and loved it.

[@DerekPower]

As you mentioned shortwave radio, I bought a 5Core T-291, which is made in India and still uses true analog tuning (thus making the transitions between stations sound smoother and allows for that “in-between” noise). This has FM, AM (they call it “mid-wave”) and shortwave. You have record the speaker output with a microphone, but it has a pretty decent speaker. And it’s $25. Not too shabby of a solution =]

[@middaymeds]

With the newest MPC flavor pro update, I think the OP-1 is even losing it's biggest advantage over all other gear; it's great lofi sounds and effects. The only reason left to get the device is the portability and workflow. But as you demonstrated in this video, the workflow is just as much a negative as it is a positive.

[@TZerot0]

I remember being enamored by the OP1 when I knew nothing about portable synths. Or like any electronic music production for that matter. Now id probably rather have a novation circuit to play and a daw to work :)

[@MrOhioutod]

Agreed. I see this as a pretty direct competitor to something like the Digitakt but at over double the price and with less freedom. The tape-based workflow would be a fun mode to have in something that *also* had a more standard workflow available, but as the only approach, it feels extremely limiting. 10 years ago, back when I was just a simple pianist making plinky-plonks, the OP-1 seemed incredible, in part because I had no points of comparison. Now that I'm a simple pianist who also makes bleepy-bloops, I don't think I could ever justify the price of this, when I could spend the same ballpark amount of $ to get a MacBook to install Ableton on (which I already own).

[@mattbrown-mb]

@@MrOhioutod just picked up a Digitakt for a quarter the price of the field. Very happy with my choice.

[@fellowfreak]

@@mattbrown-mb did you get a used one for that price? sounds like a great deal

[@mattbrown-mb]

@@fellowfreak Yep, like new £500 from reverb 👍

[@shocktnc]

Same here, Andrew huang kinda sold me a lie and im glad I woke up before I wasted 1k.

[@ApolloMclaren]

I do not miss my original op1. I don't regret selling it. Its a terribly dated piece of technology for 2022. There really is a con for every pro. In my search for a hands-on device that has endless possibilities and gives me constant inspiration without breaking the bank, I landed on the push 2. I'm not gonna say its for everyone or that its features are up to date by any means, but I would argue that its way more practical for every reason that people like the op1 even though its just a midi controller. I've found ways to make it portable, co-op with a mouse and keyboard, and capable of making a song without touching the computer from start to finish with max for live software. I have my entire plugin collection at my disposal, my songs feel finished and not like sketches, and I'm able to buy myself a year's worth of coffee because I didn't go with the op1 field.

[@31pas0]

>compares op-1 to a daw with huge midi controller Oh, God.

[@ApolloMclaren]

@@31pas0 hey I dont make the rules. I compared them because they are both physical pieces of equipment with similar uses. They have almost completely opposite features and intended purposes but at the end of the day they both make music one just does it wayyy better. Call me crazy say they arent in the same ballpark youre probably right. This is just my experience owning both of these devices for years and my reason for liking one over the other. Push 2 is my little hipster quirky synth or whatever people are calling the op1 nowadays.

[@HammyHavoc]

@@ApolloMclaren What's "hipster" about a Push 2? It's the official controller for perhaps the most mainstream DAW of 2022.

[@ApolloMclaren]

@@HammyHavoc the joke is teenage engineering is always being referred to as hipster its just the dumbest word idk why people still use it

[@31pas0]

@@ApolloMclaren so if you if you had, idk, Moog One for example, you would’ve been comparing it to OP-1 too?

[@satiric_]

You just blew my mind at 16:27 with the fact that the phrase "serbian neighbors" played backwards still sounds like "serbian neighbors". Like a palindrome I guess. Great review as always. I don't think it's for me - partially because of $$$ but also I think I would find the lack of note editing or quantizing too limiting. But I totally understand why some people like it.

[@Emily_M81]

Yee haw, pardner! Thanks for sharing! The OG OP-1 came with a similar "case" in black. One thing thing that really bugs me as far as quality of life is that while you can slow the Tape down which causes so nice SRR, the album mixdown is still limited to 6 minutes. I imagine the Field still has this limitation. Ngl, TE soured me a bit when they wanted $125 plus shipping both ways to replace the $20 BATTERY in my OG OP-1. It had done nothing but sit for less than two years (their marketing, 2 year standby...) and yeah. F that company lol. I fixed it myself. I also had to replace the IO board to the tune of $50-$100 TWICE because a jack would fail and then I would lose the built-in mic or the speaker. $2000 my ass, TE. $2000 my ass. $900 was expensive, $1300 was just insane for changing the SCREEN, and now $2000 for a Field. For the price TE charges these things have too many issues. It's like when my step dad owned an MG Midget or whatever car. Fun, but it broke down a lot. Some times OP-1s just don't want to power on and/or charge and there are hoops you can try and jump through to get the OP-1 going again. I'm out. I'll keep my OG but until I have silly amounts of money to just spend for no reason, there's no way I am giving them $2000 for an OP-1 Field. I do love the String Engine and FM. I managed to more or less make a Lately Bass preset out of it XD And Cuckoo's NES presets are lots of fun for chiptune stuff. DNA is allegedly unique to each OP in some fashion. Lots of fun to be had with the sequencers, too. I like Tombala a lot. Like, I love my OP-1 and its capabilities, but I guess I just have to draw the line on the Field. I don't care how much it can do, if I can't trust a TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR THING to work all the time, I'm just not buying it and it is not worth $2000 at that point to me.

[@kaitlyn__L]

The MG Midget comparison is excellent. A neighbour of mine used to have one, but I only saw him actually driving it around a handful of times. The rest of the time it sat there in the garage. Then one day it was gone! So I guess he sold it.

[@MrFlixMoto]

Well said. Fuck TE, love OP 1

[@rflyn5864]

As a long time OP-1 user, one of the ways I've kind of ingrained my own multi-step undo feature is to always lay down good recordings onto dedicated sections of empty tape. Then any time I want to resample / record stuff on top of it, I have that section of tape to go to with all my good recording takes that I can lift from, and put down in my actual song section. It's longer winded than an undo button, but becomes like a muscle memory at some point, and definitely takes the "punishing" factor out of recording stuff on top of each other and making mistakes.

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

Thanks for the tip. Makes perfect sense to me.

[@rflyn5864]

@@geraldhenrickson7472 Glad to hear it!

[@vladimirchicken2067]

The original OP-1 brought me a whole creative wave of electronic musicmaking back when I got one in 2017. I will always be grateful for that. I pinned my hopes on the MPC Live and I made about 1/4 of one tune on it. The OP-1 has appeared on all my releases since .... ...and I only need 1000 more people to buy my new song before I can get an OP-1 field.

[@vladimirchicken2067]

if you can believe, in 2017 OP-1 was the cheaper option of the 2

[@KenithCopeland]

if this was $800-$1000 it would be perfect, i really dont see how or why (outside of brand loyalty and a apple esc sense of superiority) but man, the op1 field is around $3700 here in australia just dont know what companies are thinking, sell it for less and move more units

[@shocktnc]

Its a scam, through and through its a scam. Twice as much as the previous with no improvement.

[@shaboogen]

Watching you make the first beat makes me hate this thing more than when I did when I came into it. That's impressive.

[@RedMeansRecording]

Hidden Valley Ranch Beats

[@nexuzeb79]

Had the OG OP 1 and bought it then just for the fuck of it, didn't use it for a year and started getting into it and enjoyed it quite alot especially while travelling... It is a fun toy and I miss it and would love to have the field should random 2k drop in my lap... Flirtatious little thing... Fun vid again, Benn 😁

[@Soundwrecker]

The limitations of the tape are, imho, the best feature of the OP-1. It brings me back to my early days of tracking entire songs on a Fostex 4 track analog tape system. That also had no "undo" and the end result is I learned to work more intentionally than I do on any other device. Feature, not a shortcoming. OP-1 makes you pay attention and practice what you want in your song. It breaks the revisionism I often find myself stuck in.

[@btmilner]

Okay boomer

[@AndyChannelle]

For the same cost, I bought an iPad Pro, Korg Gadget, NanoKontrol, NanoKey and a Novation SLMk3. And a Roland MC707. And a Behringer TD-3. And an RD-6.

[@JCBudro16]

The lack of undo is absurd in 2022. Even my 40-year-old Ensoniq SQ-80 has an undo function for the sequencer.

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

I must agree. For a newbie it is essential. Maybe for everyone!

[@TheSpoonwood]

lol... the first time I sampled a cow and made a patch was back in 1988-89 on a NED Synclavier! That machine probable cost around $90,000- 100,000, maybe 100megs of ram. This thing is cool..

[@heavenly2k]

That last ranch beat was so beautiful. Love the way you used the windchime

[@medenine4828]

The manual tape record to make micro sound is just genius. Just tried it and sounds absolutely beautiful.

[@tahirhh]

help me OP-1, you're my only hope

[@urmok6iv]

I'm an engineer and the chip shortage definitely has played a role in pricing products. One strange phenomenon is that while all the suppliers in EU and US have no certain chips in their stock, some Chinese shops (namely Winsource) have tens and hundreds of thousands. And the price is sometimes >10x higher. I can imagine if you have put alot of work into a product and suddenly only way you can buy some specific chips for mass production is to pay the scalpers... you will if you have no other choice. And I have read horror stoies about the sales tactics by those guys. They will lie that they just sold the last one or they lie that the chips weren't sealed properly and they had to throw them away... and the next day they will write you back and offer the same thing for 3x price. This shouldn't be how supply and demand works if the supply crisis is amplified by dishonest business practices. Oh well.. this became a tangent but I hope it gives some people a better idea what's going on.

[@WarrenPostma]

Teenage Engineering pricing is always EXTRA EXTRA.

[@slipknotboy555]

That's capitalism. That's not me excusing it, it's ridiculous - but so is capitalism. Maximizing profit, no matter what, is the name of the game. (Capitalism sucks, it's outlived its benefits by a long time.)

[@eighteenfiftynine]

@@slipknotboy555 that _isn't_ capitalism, that is profiteering, and the country doing the profiteering in this case isn't even a capitalist country. As wonderful as the ideas of people like Marx, Lenin, Kropotkin, etc. are, _none of them_ have yet been implemented in a way that hasn't led to either the collapse of the system itself or the death of millions of people, and sometimes both! Although capitalism sucks for many reasons (accumulation of wealth in the hands of a small elite, for one), it's the best solution we have, probably because it is the system that best fits the way the world actually works. It's really fashionable to crap on capitalism, but it has done a lot for people - more for some than perhaps others, but still.

[@moritzwegge6835]

In opposition to what the Chinese government says, it is a highly competitive capitalistic country, both nationally and internationally.

[@moritzwegge6835]

@James Foard from Wikipedia: "Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. [...] In a market economy, decision-making and investments are determined by owners of wealth, property, or ability to maneuver capital or production ability in capital and financial markets-whereas prices and the distribution of goods and services are mainly determined by competition in goods and services markets." So, as slipknotboy555 stated, in a purely capitalistic country, prices are determined by competition and are set for maximizing profit. In capitalism there is no rule that forbids acting like those chip traders are acting. It is just another market strategy to accumulate capital; in a purely capitalistic society, it is perfectly fine.

[@ssssssssssss885]

Nice piece of design/innovation. But $2K is a lot of dough for something you can get out of a $800 MPC Live . Thanks Benn for the excellent innovative analysis video. And hope you guys had fun at the farm.

[@bradmodd7856]

Would you look as cool though? The price includes a lot of hipster chic, built for the field of an NYC coffee shop

[@jakubrokita2261]

you can get a SP404 for $200... different piece of kit. different workflow. Sorry but I had a run with MPC and though it's great, ofc, it's a different beast.

[@DmitryPuffin]

I was considering buying OP-1 several years ago, just liked the aesthetics and size. But new Ableton Note app killed any intention of buying such portable music gear for me. It also limited, but the general Ableton's idea that I can continue working on my track just by uploading the project from phone to cloud is a killer feature to me. I have several project built in Garage band, but they still live on the phone because getting audio from there is a pain in the ass (kinda).

[@mb2776]

also liked the size and stuff but fuck it, just too damn expensive and not worth it.

[@ToyKeeper]

I have an OP-1, and tried really hard to make it work for me, but in the end it was just too quirky and limited. It's only good as a sketch pad, for people who then import the audio into a DAW to actually finish the songs. The workflow is like an hour or two on the OP-1, then a couple days in a DAW. But for me, the point of hardware is getting away from a computer, so the OP-1 was wrong for me. The OP-1f didn't really fix any of that. So for less than the price of a used OP-1, I got a brand new Akai Force which does exactly what I need.

[@stitchfinger7678]

Its perfect for the Andrew Huangs of the world, always traveling and finding little moments to make ideas Then finish them when they get home.

[@ToyKeeper]

@@stitchfinger7678 If someone primarily uses a computer, but wants to sketch out rough ideas in odd places sometimes, and has enough money that a four-figure sketch pad isn't a big deal, it's an interesting device. Pretty small niche though.

[@midigate]

I got a syntakt / polyend play / Roland sp404 for far less than the cost of the op-1 field... And they all do more, are super fun, sound great, and play well together.

[@Picoreefo]

Unbelievable they didn’t add velocity sensitivity to this one.

[@Frakaphoto]

plug any midi keyboard and you get it. Arturia mini or other . portability is key . the low profile velocity is never really usefull, it will not give you the necessary travel to express the fine muscle difference( i am pianist). So if they had put it , it will be just for youtube demo, not for real playability.

[@shaboogen]

@@Frakaphoto Excuses. If someone didn't find it usable, they could switch it off.

[@ozzyp97]

@@Frakaphoto Velocity is just an another modulation source, you can use it for a lot of things that don't require the precision of piano. If portability is key, you should probably be able to do basic velocity effects without carrying an extra controller everywhere.

[@shocktnc]

@@Frakaphoto So a major musical component was left out of a 2k$ device and your response is "buy something else to drag around with you"

[@opart]

well, now they did... via software update. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@foxorian]

I bought an original OP-1 off a friend back in 2014 for like $400. I still have it. And I use it for the exact reasons you mentioned at the end -- it's an alternative to do something constructive instead of just whipping out your phone. I haven't looked at too much about the OP-1 Field, but it's actually more similar to the OG OP-1 than not -- the biggest missing feature of the OG OP-1 is definitely a proper Reverb effect. But if $2000 is too much for you (I mean we're talking Macbook Pro money there,) consider picking up an original OP-1 for cheaper if you want to dabble. That will inform you WAY MORE about if a future OP-1 Field would be worth it for you. I still love mine after 8 years of ownership, still working great. Things worth noting of the OG and Field differences in case you're considering an old one: Field has stereo sampling over line-in, OG is just mono Field has a MUCH stronger internal amplifier with cleaner, less noisy recording. OG is a bit quiet, and recording always has a tiny bit of background hiss Field has a reverb effect. OG has a Spring reverb effect that.... it's OK it's just spring reverb is not for most people, it's very metallic in sound. Field has the new Dimension synth, which looks to be a legitimately useful synth program. OG still has all the other programs, but I will say they all tend to lack resolution in the bass. It can be hard to make good deep basslines on the OG OP-1. Great for making chiptunes, though. The OG OP-1 still has a 4 track roughly 6 minute long tape for recoding with speed controls and all that, Mic and FM radio live sampling, EQ and compression mastering, Tombola and other quirky sequencing options, and I believe usually goes for between $700-$900 on the used market in good condition (sometimes with carry cases.)

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

I figured $1500 tops. Was hoping for $1300 really. I can make do with what I already have. Great video. Thanks to you and Perfect Circuit. I knew I liked both of you...this video supports that feeling.

[@Ancaja123]

17:15 is by far the coolest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do on the OP-1. I need more!

[@jetlag1488]

I hate it, just how I hate the original. The price is ridiculous. I hate how hard the OP-1 is being pushed by music producers on KZbin. I'd much rather buy a laptop as a portable music making tool. That way I could use the same exact DAW that I use in my desktop computer and have continuity in my workflow.

[@digicat247]

Can I just say that the Erica Synths Perkons is flipping HUGE! I know this is about the OP-1 but all I can do is look at that drum monster.

[@caydilemma3309]

Literally looks like a big ole mixing desk in the background

[@ropeburn6684]

Funny enough, it's around 2000 monays as well. The difference is: Erica can justify the price tag in many ways.

[@gabrieljennings331]

I have watched a few videos on them but had no idea they were that HUGE until I saw this vid lol

[@AnalogMonoxide]

There's some lens distortion. It *is* a pretty chunky piece of drum synth, but it looks much larger here than it actually is.

[@Usul]

I own an OP-1 (original). It has suffered from a couple of frustrating issues. I baby the thing. Only play it in a clean studio. Always wash my hands before use. I always store it gently in a padded case when not in use. And yet, I still some how ended up with a broken keybed that double triggers? The quality control issues on a premium priced device has soured me to the brand. I purchased a Dirtywave M8 and built an OMX-27 from a kit. Even though I prefer the OP-1 workflow over a tracker, I have a hard time doing anything with it other than using the OP-1 as an expensive musical toy. The M8 finishes songs. The OP-1 is just for fun. My advice: If the OP-1 seems like it might be for you, buy a used one on eBay for $600. If you find you actually use it to write music after 6 months of ownership, sell it and upgrade to an OP-1 Field. There is a strong chance you'll never do anything with it than use it as a toy, which is why I recommend starting with a used one. If you are wealthy enough that $2000 is considered pocket change, go get the OP-1 Field and give another $2000 as a donation to the ACLU to make Benn proud.

[@leokimvideo]

The huge problem is price point. If it was say $200 and not $2000 they would sell billions of them

[@filiprasmussen]

And if only Rolex would sell their watches for 1500$ etc :D

[@mattuskamusic]

My first thought was that a Rolex is not the best comparison but after thinking about it it’s perfect. A Rolex is great at two things. Keeping time and being a status symbol. I have a Garmin watch that cost me $600. It does far more than a Rolex will ever do. It tells me how well I’m sleeping, keeps me motivated to be active and does a great job at telling time. Sure it’s not as pretty as a Rolex but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The OP-1 does a few things well but is seriously lacking for a $2000 piece of musical gear in my opinion. No option for velocity is one unforgivable thing. Sure some styles of music don’t need expression and some people aren’t skilled enough. It should be an option you can turn off if you want. I do however think the keys would be hard to play anything expressive though so there’s that.

[@filiprasmussen]

@@mattuskamusic Good point, but I think one thing that is missing from the feature comparisons betweeen DAWs, other gear and the OP-1 is that the OP-1 because of the limited and quirky interface often sparks ideas and musical concepts that would not have been possible on other gear, and not at all a DAW. The physical interactions with well built hardware and the novelty and creativiy sparking limitations of the workflow has a value in it self. Also - it has velocity sensitivity now :)

[@mattuskamusic]

@@filiprasmussen oh snap! Sign me up. I totally agree with you on that. I could see myself making rough ideas on it and transferring it to a DAW to finish it. Unfortunately I don’t have an unlimited budget.

[@filiprasmussen]

@@mattuskamusic Same here - I don't even have it myself, but still defending it's price on KZbin 🥲

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

Wowsers, this was fascinating to watch. Totally understood where you were coming including the "tilt" I could sense from the get-go. My personal instrument experience and musical tastes are quite contrasting to yours, one of the reasons I watch your channel (and Patreon) actually as I learn a lot of differing views and methodologies. On that note I actually had almost directly opposite reactions to the flow and feature-set of this thing when I finally got to try one and it very much felt like it was talking my lingo...probably the reason many of the Elektron products don't (BUT Ployends' do!). There's a strange hinterland between the electronica purists and the peeps who don't dig that way of making music...a hamstrung morass of dabblers who aren't catered to, but I'm seeing an increase in gear that does broach that divide and reach down to everyone in between and this slab of overpriced tech is one great example. Sadly that pricetag just moves it permanently out of the stepping-stone or bridging toolset, which is a real shame. Odds on this diatirbe will sink into the mire of commentdom, but if you do read it Ben...keep on keeping on sir, you provide some great brainfuel.

[@namethief]

Thank you for a great take on this. I have and enjoy using the field, but I really need to clarify that - I enjoy PLAYING with it, but I have yet to make anything serious with it... for so many of the reasons that you mention. Laughed out loud when I heard you say "I'm going to start over entirely" so early on, as that is practically a catch phrase for me when I work with it. All that being said, there is a type of person who can work with this and make amazing things - there are people who this will be perfect for (the snark in me wants to call them "masochists" but that's not totally fair), but there will likely be many more of us that will constantly oscillate between infatuation and disgust with it. There are some really brilliant and unique ideas here, but also some really frustrating and inexplicable limitations that can really impact the workflow. Personally, I hang on to it because I find myself in situations where I'm captive and waiting for something, be it transit, or waiting rooms, or whatever, and it's really great to use then. More cynically - when I'm a hostage. So it could just be Stockholm syndrome that keeps me in it. (and YES on shortwave radio being something I'd love to see)

[@mod3l]

I was always eyeing the first rendition of OP1, it was about 800€ when it dropped. Never bought it tho. When I saw this come to the market, I was quite happy, and said that maybe I can treat myself with a sketch machine to make ideas whenever I go. Then I saw the price. I'd rather just buy another laptop. For real, screw this.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Oh my, I 100% agree on that shortwave radio comment. But lol, it’ll end more radio than synth at that point.

[@AvengingEnder]

Speaking for myself from my own experience, if I'm going back and forth on the fence about keeping a piece of gear, it's best to send it back. Unless it's a definite yes, it's not worth adding even more to my already overwhelming amount of options.

[@roterodamus]

I really want to see you review the Dirtywave M8

[@SimLoadsMedia]

You probably would've hated the original OP-1; the field is way less limiting and still has pretty obtuse roadblocks

[@GoodAfternoonDave]

I remember a company rep showing off an early prototype and he said "now we just have to find a manufacturer" (lol)....all manufacturing is contracted out which may be part of the problem with their cost/pricing equation.

[@Ulvens]

I wanted something portable, but this wasn't quite it. Instead I bought a MPC One with a Ripcord, and a MPKmini. I use an old microphone to sample around. It works quite well, but then again it's much much bigger. 1200$ cheaper though.

[@mixchief]

Spot on. No UNDO = why I sold my OP-1. Doesn't matter how legitimate the argument is, that says limitation will foster creativity. Which I agree with, but not if it's having you scared of breaking things as Benn pointed out.

[@WillisZzz]

Lol, love this video idea! As for the OP-1 Field, I'm not as surprised at the price as I am about some of the design decisions. Even for Teenage Engineering, I'm surprised they didn't take care of some of the things that continually frustrate OP-1 users for over a decade, like no undo, input quantization, and velocity. Sweet beats though! Cows are so dope.

[@shocktnc]

They failed to add or fix anything people wanted but still made it cost twice as much, it could not be more of a scam.

[@backpacksamples5803]

Great vid! After watching and realizing I've only used my OG OP-1 an average of 3 times per year for the last 8 yrs, I will sell it and buy MATIC, ETH, or BTC.

[@pedropedropedro795]

Awesome, best overview and review I've seen on youtube. Thanks a lot

[@Lucasnoah20]

as nice as this unit is, the Dirtywave M8 is still the king of portable music creation. some people might not like tracker based creation, but it absolutely destroys the field in almost every regard.

[@JayCeaupes]

cracking up at the vsauce nod at 0:45, even the vocal cadence leading up to it was perfect

[@leteethgirl8778]

There are some workflow tricks you missed. I used to own one, and what stood out most to me is you never merged tracks. You can’t undo, yes, but you can clear a track, and you can record one track onto another track. The way to do it is to spread out across the 4 tracks, one instrument per track, then, when you’re comfortable with it, merge tracks. That way you can always have clear tracks and messing up carries a lot less risk.

[@chriserikbarnes]

While this was about the OP, I spent a lot of time looking at the Perkons in the background. I have a syntrx 1 and really appreciate the attention on the build…wish the filter choice was different, but still love it nonetheless.

[@Yo_whatupwithyou]

I got the field used on GC…definitely more than meets the eye. I have the OG op1 which I bought used too. Definitely an improvement. Pros and cons with both.

[@fellowfreak]

GC?

[@Yo_whatupwithyou]

@@fellowfreak guitar center

[@DavidFromOuterSpace]

for me as an autistic person (and i am sure for other people with learning disabilities) this would have been such an incredible gateway into music production. the visualisation of all those components is so good for someone who can not effectively read user manuals or has difficulties memorising parameters of very technical and unappealing interfaces of literally all music hardware. while i would say the design alone would justify the price since its very unique in that regard, i also think its a pity that it is that far out of reach for those who would benefit the most from it. great video as always.

[@cartilagehead]

You can get an original OP-1 for much much less and not really miss out on very much featurewise. Even the physical design is fundamentally unchanged. It really feels like Teenage Engineering decided to bank on the original’s cult status much moreso than expanding or building on it when they decided to almost double the asking price for this new model.

[@flrn84791]

How about a Circuit Tracks or Rhythm instead? Very intuitive, no screen, hands on device, pretty cheap.

[@GreatistheWorld]

Gotta say the visuals make my brain work so much better with my (non-field) OP-1 than other devices I tried

[@CaidicusProductions]

Perfect Circuit is awesome. :D I've never shopped there, but their music channel on KZbin is so wholesome.

[@noartifacts1983]

I loved the original when I had it. Now I'll buy another one !

[@willernst]

Oh, was that a subtle hint about upcoming firmware additions in the summary?

[@pontiuspilates]

Nah, honestly, zero gas for me for this one. It's an old device and the novelty wears off pretty quickly.

[@tomoflis5338]

2k for this? No thanks.

[@beatspieces6213]

I've been on the fence about buying one. The only reason I've considered one, is the small form having a lot of options. I own an Organelle M, and a MPC Live 2, and they make me wonder if I should spend 2k on something, when I already own similar portable gear. I feel like the Field is a bit better than the organelle, and easier to handle than the Live 2. I know there's a lot of great gear that I could get for 2k. I just like the idea of getting premium quality audio, from a device that I can use from my lap. This video kind of makes me wonder if I would regret the purchase... I've been flip flopping for a minute. 2k is a big purchase for me. I don't make a lot of money. The limitations of the device concern me. You would think there would be less limitations for the price point.

[@mysticdragon77]

Just watched Andrew Huang do the comparison of his Flip Sampler app VS the OP-1 field, and the $10 app CRUSHED it!!!

[@donaldpriola1807]

I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $775 or so for the original. That felt fair. Even at $1000 with inflation, the new one would be worth it, likely. But twice that. I'll pass. If they don't have a market, I'm sure they'll reduce the price. But I'm an idiot anyway, and dropped the $$$ for a Syntrx ii.

[@xurtis]

That voice recording with manual speed has me wondering if I’d ever, ever felt like this

[@Jakker271]

Benn when you want to over dub you can of course use one of the sequencers but typically all I do is duplicate pattern and then go back. Once you know the keys, we're talking 20 seconds. It's not that bad but of course it's like a contradiction because you can and will want to do things very fast but you have to set up everything regarding levels and panning. It's not that bad

[@Hasserfyllt]

i fell in love with teenage engineering for making the pocket operators. the po 33 and the po133 are just brillant devices and i love them to death. i very much liked the idea of beeing able to own a sample device for just so little money - its accessable for a lot of people this way and i think its a great piece of hardware to teach people about the basics of sampling. i own multiple units of them and i would pay A TON OF CASH for a more sturdier/robust version of them. but no, they keep on fucking things up by thinking they are a frickin design company, able to call every price they want. and i am very unhappy with their releases since then - waaaaay overpriced bags and accessoires, etc. my biggest complain is just how in the world can they make another op-1, at nearly 2000 bucks and it still does not have a undo button (correct me if i am wrong) - how in the world?! would never ever buy this.

[@silverXnoise]

I was really impressed with their design language and thoughtful application of things like color and form. That said, you are absolutely correct that it seems this has been at the expense of pragmatism and leveraged as a means to make their products less accessible as they pursue a high-spending demographic-famously not something that primarily includes creatives, generally speaking anyway. Very disappointing.

[@diegojuarez3830]

I agree with you, but unfortunately, Teenage Engineering IS a design company that happens to make really cool synths, they have made collaborations with clothing brands, they make backpacks, computer cases, Bluetooth speakers, water bottles, bags, even incense haha, I still think it rly sucks but it is what it is

[@amberruby4896]

You could easily recreate the track made in this video with a couple p.o.s and a little effects unit like the nts or monotron. If the main goal is lofi music then $2000 is not it, ahhh. I also love my pocket operaters but have just accepted TE is ever gonna make something like them again for the same price range. I mean, they've already jumped up the price of the originals quite a lot 🙃

[@Hasserfyllt]

@@diegojuarez3830 i am aware that they are a design company in first place and not just a synth-factory, but still, their "philosophy" of high prices is....well, just not my cup of tea, as somebody who fell obviously in love with their most "garbage"product.

[@sock_park]

Whenever I record a loop, I place a back up somewhere in case I have to go back. For a metronome count-in, I record some ticks in a sequencer ahead of where I'm recording.

[@GreatistheWorld]

I hemmed and hawed over getting an OP-1 for like 7 years until I finally pulled the trigger on a used one. In the first day I found how it was right for me while realizing how it wouldn’t be right for others. It might be the most expensive thing without wheels I own but I specifically don’t want a lot of gear, and it’s one of those things that “if it’s worth it to you it’s worth it to you” And Benn’s right! I forget I have a phone when I’m doodling on it!

[@kathrynelrod5570]

Your home-brew cover of the Vsauce song at the beginning is being underappreciated.

[@maxcarter970]

Good review. I just sold my OG Op-1. It was fun for a couple of years but the novelty wore off. I just couldn’t finish any songs on it due to the awkward workflow. A DAW is just so much easier. I will kiss a few of the quirky synth sounds but that’s all.

[@LaidbackSounds]

This synth is a joke for 2022 quality/price ratio is not even funny... It is more something hipters buy like the brand supreme for clothes...

[@badoedipus2551]

My sense is you finally came around to my position? There’s a gear category I’m way interested in which is something like “Play on your phone alternatives”.. like small, light weight stuff.. that I can have on my person most of the time.. and do something with when the inclination strikes, and somehow make this a part of a broader workflow that eventually results in finished work. There’s not really a lot of stuff out there that fits this category well.. TE is at least interesting on this front. Out side of the OP-1.. we’ll there’s the OP-Z, the Dirtywave M8 Tracker… and what else? I got an OP-Z a couple months ago and it really helped my work.. just to always have a groove box on me to play around with.. It really changes my relationship to music making.. to not even have to plug it in. I don’t know about the OP-1 field.. it’s so expensive for me.. I imagine I’d rather have a Matriarch, or a Pro 3.. but if I find this working on the go thing becoming my thing.. I’ll give it a firm maybe.. it certainly is cool and desirable?

[@l1fef0rm]

Great pattern on that shirt. I like it.

[@oddObjekt]

I feel like Monome Norns/ Norns Shield doesn't get talked about enough especially as an alternative to the OP1. There are so many completely unique scripts on that thing, even some that turn the Norns into a full fledged instrument and, unlike the OP1 its entirely open sourced. It's not a 1:1 comparison for a few reasons but it is worth a discussion, at least in my opinion.

[@danielkim9997]

Just a few comments on your video. 1. you can do a metronome lead in by going to the end of the loop, however bars you need, then starting from there. You can start playing when it loops around to the first bar. 2. For creating even 16th hi-hats, I use the endless sequencer and just tap 16 hh hits in. You can also use different keys to pitch it up so you can record hi-hats that alternate pitches. Similar to a drummer stepping a little harder on the hh pedal for some hits. It's also just a great general sequencer for quick drum sequences. 3. there is an undo. All you need to do is shift+lift do copy the whole loop before you record something new. If you mess up, just paste in the whole 4 tracks. 4. The finger sequencer is very powerful. You can essentially pre record a sequence and use each individual key as a trigger for each sequence. Great for drum fills or if you can plan out the chords/melodies for songs and just trigger them at the push of a button. I don't use it much myself but I can definitely see it being a powerful tool. 5. tombola was around the original op-1. the hold one is new though. This thing definitely has a learning curve but when you learn them, it can be a very cool tool.

[@BennJordan]

With all due respect, most of these are workarounds to emulate features that should be implemented in a $2,000 sequencer. 🙂

[@danielkim9997]

@@BennJordan only the undo is a workaround. Everything else I talked about is the op-1 workflow. For what it is, it's still very good. And everything I talked about are things on the original op-1 which is half the price. 😆

[@ManCalledMif]

There's a lot to like with the OP1 field. I have the OP1. I love the concept. I use my analogue synths more at the moment.

[@tungtobak]

Midlife Crisis Engineering strikes again.

[@NimbusAbi]

really nice video, makes me want to buy it

[@mr_unsane]

My OG OP-1 just sits on the shelf.

[@MathHammer]

I don’t understand anger. It is just one thing out of many. I chose to not buy one but enjoy the videos on it. It is expensive, boutique gadgetry at its finest… in my opinion. On shortwave radio receivers, what you are able to tune in will depend on your location, immediate surroundings, time of day, weather conditions, and antenna. Sometimes there is sampling gold and sometimes there is nothing but noise. Some of the weird noise from EM emissions from devices in my house can be very cool, though. FM radio is similar, really.

[@KeytarKris]

I'm pretty sure Teenage Engineering's market for this little synth was Grimes and Kanye. Look at the great music they are known for.

[@SonicVibe]

Illuminati edition 😂

[@KeytarKris]

@@wendigo2442 pretty much. I heard Teenage Engineering isn’t really a synth company. I’ve heard it’s an artist camp of sorts with products that reflex a techno esthetic. Stay healthy and safe. Synth is life🤟🎹

[@KeytarKris]

@@Leviathan-mj8gi you say “Ye” and I say “Nay” to his 🦇💩 crazy prospective on life. He’s lost his touch with reality and $2 billion to boot.

[@KeytarKris]

@@Leviathan-mj8gi if he was holding steadfast to moral standards or unpopular but true historical narratives I could totally support and stand behind him. The fact that he is Bipolar and his crew doesn’t help him edit the random things he says in the public forum make me almost feel sad for him. He’s still a grown man, but things like this can push him to self harm. Nothing he has done over the last few years has been beneficial for his mental health. The last few albums haven’t been great so I can’t even say his condition is good for a creative flow. I hope this is all a great wake up call for him and his crew. It’s not too late to heal and Americans all love a good comeback. Wishing you health and happiness.

[@KeytarKris]

@@Leviathan-mj8gi I will and you do likewise friend🎹🤟

[@jdtorian]

Nailed it. Everyday sketch machine

[@nicodvorak9926]

i would buy it immediately if it wasn’t that expensive

[@g3cd]

I'm just saving slightly over $2000 for a Nord Wave 2 which seems to be able to do 2000x more, ranging from a good, solid, professional keypad to 48 (!) voices polyphony on 4 channels, including world class piano and mellotron samples, an FM and waveform synth and a UX designer's dream interface. So if you want to solve your midlife crisis with a $2000 lego brick, go ahead. But I think it's a ripoff.

[@shanemorgan8910]

Teenage Engineering is the Supreme of the synth world.

[@drake1011]

lol

[@ChrisTopheRaz]

Here’s my greatest question Benn, I would never consider this as my DAW, but as a tool to record into pro logic. I don’t see most people talking about how to utilize this equipment with a DAW. I know that TE didn’t necessarily have this in mind but I think for most people it’s incredibly important. What are your thoughts on that?

[@ThunderSmell]

Bro at 13:24 I thought I was hearing the violin sound from when gordon ramsey gets mad in kitchen nightmares. Also good video, and a fair review. :)

[@BondsmanBlaek]

Hey, Benn. I'm itiching to see your Waldorf retrospective. Do it.

[@kaaraosa]

That beat you made around 28:00, with the tape speed trick is sick ! Tried it on my old Op-1 but I only got that same warbly effect you got on the voice lol... Is it the gate reverb that helped ? Or maybe the tape movement on the field is more crisp idk.

[@orrin-manning]

Love the vsause reference

[@aakash9058]

Had a enjoyed the original OP-1. Was happy to sell it to a friend and move on. I’ve been excited to dive into my iphone for mobile music making. IOS apps are more convenient and cheaper.