Overdriven Psychedelic Zaps - OP-Z Psytrance Set

A psytrance live set performed on the Teenage Engineering OP-Z using mostly stock samples. Each track is made from a single pattern, I wanted to see how far I could push the OP-Z's sequencer and sound engines to create full psytrance tracks. I added comments to the video to explain all the techniques I used.
Audio was recorded straight from the OP-Z USB output, with only light multiband compression applied in post.
#opz #live #psytrance
------------------
Connect with me on Twitter: @sinedied
Tracklist
00:00 - 1. Soothing Colors (142 BPM)
02:43 - 2. Ancient Rituals (143 BPM)
05:51 - 3. Seeking Another Light (144 BPM)
09:10 - 4. Warped Ideas (145 BPM)
12:16 - 5. Push Further (146 BPM)
15:46 - 6. Burning Crickets (146 BPM)
19:42 - 7. Mind Daybreak (146 BPM)

[@Samhain1984]

Heiliger Bimbam! ❤

[@lynianore7891]

Wow this is amazing, it's not often that OP Z videos don't sound very similar this sounds nothing like anything I've heard from the Z it's great!

[@dxward]

thank you, just watching this i leveled up 2 times

[@PocketOperatorGuy]

That's epic. Well done man! I subscribed to you. You deserve more attention!

[@szupelak]

One of the better op-z sets I've heard!

[@cursortoxyz]

Amazing live set! 🙏

[@tomekktm936]

This was definitely the best Op-Z video i've ever watched. You really mastered this mashine. Thank you for that experience. And T.E. should thank you. Now I'll finally buy one😂

[@matthausholzl2645]

The tape track was made for psytrance 🔥

[@sinedied]

Definitely!!

[@vieweralias]

Hey Sine Die - as a dad, music nut and op-z lover this is inspirational, thanks very much for uploading I'll be rewatching both to enjoy the music and watch your fingers a bit more closely! The text plus music format is perfect btw

[@zmmayer]

WOW! What an amazing video! You have indeed mastered the machine!

[@user-zf4dn7rz4b]

Wow you really showed the possibilities of the little machine. And some great tunes to boot. Are you selling this project for people to play with by any chance?

[@shawnmuench]

As I *keep watching I'm a little amazed at the mastery of the box here

[@shawnmuench]

I've listened to this at least three times cheers

[@user-xk6ss8dy2k]

This is💎. Lots of tips and tricks. You are a true opz master!

[@nakulganesh]

Incredible, thank you for sharing this 🙏

[@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333]

Nice music! And thank you for commenting on techniques/tips.

[@moniquejakobiborzaga7538]

Great, i love thr opz. And i love it in combination with the op 1

[@ft2959]

Please start making tutorials!!!

[@s4jmon]

tutorial on "How to prepare tracks and patterns for live set" will be awesome :)

[@sinediemusic]

I'd love to find the time for that! I put some tricks in the video already, but it's a good video topic!

[@s4jmon]

@@sinediemusic cant wait :) i guess one pattern is more than enough :) just to get an idea how to begin :)

[@timrobertson4391]

Seriously impressive I'd love to learn more about the way you are using your tape track, I'll have another watch and read a bit more closely next time through Love your work mate 💚

[@AxelFowly]

incredible!

[@Jebrald0]

This is awesome! Great work dude!

[@heres_the_sauce]

Bro this is sick. So tempted to get an op-z

[@bretsimon6125]

Amazing

[@neckknee8]

nice work

[@viliamcaco9750]

OMG it's amazung!!!❤

[@camillem.8668]

Don't know the op-z at all but I can sense that you pushed it to the limits. Some elements remind me of Robert Leiner (The source experience)

[@vagueversatile]

Not my style of music but I enjoyed it! Congrats for this OP-Z performance

[@michaelsattler1160]

Thank you for this! Incredible set!Your talent & workflow is mindblowing. 🤯 Also thanks for the super valuable insights on how to get the most out of the op-z. I would love to see more of this!!! 🧯

[@PaulSalamoneComedy]

I love this video, very informative. Also nice to hear the OP-Z pushed so far sonically, I am thinking of getting one but am worried about the lack of traditional sound design tools (multiple envelopes, LFOs etc) but it seems like a lot of the sequencer tricks can almost make up for this?

[@sinediemusic]

One nice thing I like about the OPZ is that it makes you push the little amount of sound design tools it has (like the LFO) to the limits, and I learned a lot of tricks thanks to this! This machine forces you to be creative on a good way IMHO, and while the sequencer cannot completely make up for the lack of multiple envelopes/LFOs, it brings another dimension of sound design with the unique step components, with a lot of depth.

[@iwanttocomplain]

This machine really needs undo. Or not to keep double triggering. The amount of times I've looked down just to see a complicated trigger deleted. It's like Nooo! That actually wasn't my fault that time. It's so frustrating. Also it could do with a different set of instruments for each song, not the same groups across them all. It makes using samples almost so limited. You can have like one or two sampled instruments if you want to keep all the synth engines. Or like 25MB of space for mono aif drum kits. So it totally sucks as a sampler. But the synth engines are varied enough. It's really bare bones. But that is kind of the point. It forces you to adapt and overcome and that's why it's good. It want's you to make nothing but synthwave stock music and it's the challenge to make anything else at all. I'm interested in the amount of compositional possibilities most of all. I use the performance 'shift-track' to make long complicated drum sections like a jazz drummer that goes on way too long. I memorised what they all do. But I don't use the performance track that effect the drums on the left and the synths on the right because there are more interesting options when you do it from the track and the other tracks are far less effected. But I don't make heavy beat music in general. It's experimental. But still essentially dance music. This music brings me right back to 1995 and a damp victorian bedsit which is dank and smelly and everyone is smelly and there's loads of people who you have no idea who they are around all the time. Mixed feelings. I use the tape track quite a bit. Sometimes I add it to the mix with triggers if I get a good bit. I'm not sure if each trigger can be different settings. I couldn't make it work. I installed the app last night even though I've had it 3 years. I added new drum kits and two OK synths Cuckoo branded and a brown paper bag photo with some really good kits for each sample track. Only 1 parameter works on the new Cuckoo synth. It's not really all that different to the other ones. But I wouldn't mind having only 25MB if I could just have more than four instruments. Why not just allow each song to have different instruments loaded in? I don't know but I need to delete everything on it and fill it with samples which means I can't work on anything I've done previously without constantly reloading both the songs note information etc and the correct samples each time I want to use a different sound. So sampling is problematic if you want to use more than say 4 ever. Also never change them because that will break every other song. So it's good for finding unexpected melodies on. The Song mode isn't enough really, to just let it play. It will never sound interesting enough. Mostly because you can't program in mute groups. You just have to mess with it. So it is more like an instrument + composing tool/sequencer. You need to set up long 16+ bar sequences that each part play an important an independent as well as complimentary role in the mix. Then you carefully experiment with punch in effects and manual sweeps holding the shift key to not change the settings and completely forget what all your mute groups. I might use up to 4 track punch in effects at once without the synths playing and make a 2 minute+ solo from the different kinds of patterns you can create with every key as a different effect. It's very easy to get wrong until you've memorised what they all do. So there's 24 to remember. The next level is finding melodies that don't sound bad using the track level punch in's. But very cool when it works. Using step up and down and the note repeats, the fade out and in and sometimes shortening or lengthening the notes can make a dramatic effect. Also they have a mute effect for all drum or synth tracks, depending on which you are on. It's good for soft experimental music. But difficult to get a really authentic underground sound. I will keep trying though.

[@iwanttocomplain]

I already broke a load of songs by shuffling the order of the synths around in the app and I can't remember what I changed but oh well. The way I use it - actually each track is a whole new thing. Each song shares different tempo and swing. So I put a different tempo on each song. I'm not really bothered about it. But each individual track can be spun out for at least 2 minutes. I just needed to know that play trick so I can change tracks without interrupting the pattern or having to wait. I could program in more stuff but I'm interesting in a song that has new ideas each time you play it. Really infinite melodic potential. I made such a sad song that I think I might delete it. I think you need to focus on the music you want and not always what happens. Take Burial. Quite interesting and a new sound in 2010. But so gloomy and depressing. That's why bands go out of fashion. Because they are fundamentally _about_ something, that eventually gets old. If what you are about as a musician is more expansive and experimental, your music will not age at all. Because you found a musical formula that has alot of expression and depth that could be an entire genre. So you can't be classified. But don't be cynical like Townes Van Zandt. Or let off steam or be too introspective. You still need to want to please people and move them emotionally. Lot's of genres of music are kind kind of exploitative and popular because they are like soft drugs. The effect on the brain is truly a kind of drug delivered in sonic form and creates emotion as well as a physical sensation. You can really pull on people's heart strings or drive them into a frenzy but consider that it is better to be artistic than successful.