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Teenage Engineering OP-1

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Teenage Engineering OP-1
ManufacturerTeenage Engineering
Dates2011–Present[1]
Price
Technical specifications
Polyphony6
TimbralityMonotimbral
Oscillator1DCOper voice
(pulse,saw,square)
LFOMultiple
Synthesis type10 engines with exchangeable architecture
AttenuatorADSR envelope generator
AftertouchexpressionNo
Velocity expressionNo
Storagememory512 MB Nand Flash storage
EffectsDelay, Phone (bit crusher), Punch (low-pass filter), Grid (feedback plate reverb), Spring (spring reverb), Nitro (band-pass filter), CWO (frequency-shifting delay)
Input/output
Keyboard24 keys
External controlUSBMIDIin and out

TheTeenage Engineering OP-1is asynthesizer,samplerandsequencerdesigned and manufactured by theStockholm-based companyTeenage Engineering.The OP-1 was Teenage Engineering's first product; it was released in 2011 following an introduction at theNAMM Show.It is also considered theircore product.

The OP-1 is well known for its unconventional design,AMOLEDdisplay, and the depth of its synthesis engines.

Development

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Teenage Engineering was founded in 2005 by Jesper Kouthoofd, David Eriksson, Jens Rudberg and David Mollerstedt. The OP-1 is the first product developed by the company.[2]At the time, the team consisted of nine engineers and software developers.[3]Following an announcement at Frankfurt Musikmesse in 2009, they presented a prototype of the OP-1 at the 2010NAMM ShowinAnaheim,and it was released in the following year.[3][4]

The design of the OP-1 was influenced by theVL-Tone,a synthesizer andpocket calculatormanufactured by Casio in 1979.[3]The VL-1 is known for its toy-like novelty sounds and cheap build quality, as well as its inorganic design.[5]In an interview withDamian KulashofOK Go,CEO Kouthoofd explained that he worked in a music store when he was young, and he was inspired by Japanese synthesizers of the 1980s, such as the VL-Tone and theCasio SK-1,an inexpensivesampler.[6]Kouthoofd has also stated that "limitations are OP-1's biggest feature". The synthesizer's designers attempted to use the limitation of physical hardware to encourage the unit to stimulate creativity, which might become unfocused in a limitless environment, such as adigital audio workstation.[2]

In 2012, Teenage Engineering introduced several "accessories" for the OP-1. These can be used to manipulate the unit's macro effect knobs. One of the accessories makes the OP-1 compatible withLegogears and motors, which can be used to mechanically modulatelow-frequency oscillatorsand other effects.[7]

The OP-1 became unavailable for a period from late 2018 to early 2019 due to Teenage Engineering exhausting their stock of theAMOLEDdisplay screen.[8]Due to rumors that the synthesizer had been permanently discontinued, the resell value of the OP-1 dramatically increased to surpass its original retail price. In February, Teenage Engineering announced that they would resume production of the OP-1; however, the retail price increased by approximately 35% to cover the new parts and redesigned hardware.[9]The price increase was met with criticism due to a perception of poor resource planning.[8]

Features

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Sound synthesis

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The OP-1 includes eleven synthesis engines. For each engine, the OP-1's four knobs act as different macro controllers. In addition to a sampler, the OP-1 is preloaded with sampled drum hits.[10]The synthesizer ismonotimbral,with six voices ofpolyphony.It also includes an FM radio, which can be recorded into the sampler or used to modulate effects. The operating system was updated in 2014 adding additional effects and features.[11]

The OP-1's eleven synthesis engines are FM, Cluster, Digital, DNA, DSynth, Dr Wave, String, Phase, Pulse, Sampler, and Voltage.[12]Each is represented by a different graphic on the display screen. The FM engine is a simpleFM synthesizer.The Cluster engine produces adistortedsound reminiscent of theRoland JP-8000supersaw. DNA is anoise generator.Dr Wave resembles the sound of atalk box.Digital providesring modulationand wave shape parameters to distort the sound signal. String createsstring instrumentemulation, ranging frombassto string pads. Pulse is a square wave engine. Phase provides twopulse wavesthat can be modulated and distorted. DSynth provides a dual oscillator synthesizer with multiple filter types. Voltage is a multi-oscillator synthesizer. The Sampler interface is a sampler, which can take input from the OP-1's built-in microphone, an external audio input, or the builtin FM radio.[citation needed]

Display screen

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One of the key features of the OP-1 is its 320 x 160-pixel OLED display, which shows a graphical representation of the device's current mode.[13]Although some of the displays use traditional symbols, such as the fairly straightforwardADSR envelope,others use more literal or unconventional graphics. For example, the "punch" effect (alow-pass filter) is represented by aline artillustration of aboxer.[14]

Keyboard

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The OP-1 has a fixed-velocity keyboard with 24 keys. Arrow keys are provided to transpose up or down octaves while in synthesizer or drum mode. Four octave shifts up and four shifts down are available giving the user a total range of ten octaves.

Reception

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Reception for the OP-1 was largely positive, citing its powerful synthesizer engines and unconventional format and design. However, it has received some criticism for its small size and simplicity, which make it resemble a toy.[15]It also lacksvelocity sensitivity,making it minimally expressive.[16]

The OP-1 won one of Sweden's Design S Awards in 2012. The award committee described the OP-1 as "A technological product which through a clever colour scheme and fantastic graphics is intuitive, easily accessible and incredibly inviting. Music and machine in one".[17]In 2014 it was awarded second prize inGeorgia Tech's Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition.[18]

TheSan Francisco Museum of Modern Artincludes an OP-1, donated by Teenage Engineering, in its permanent collection.[19]

Notable users

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Musicians who have used the OP-1 includeAmason,[20][21]Taylor Swift,Biga Ranx,Swedish House Mafia,Diplo,Avicii,Thom YorkeofRadiohead,Nicky Romero,Deadmau5,Beck,Depeche Mode,Jean-Michel Jarre,Damian KulashofOK Go,Chvrches,Tame Impala,Tourist,[22]Justin VernonofBon Iver,Dan Deacon,Animal Collective,Childish Gambino,Romil Hemnani ofBrockhampton[2][6][23][24]andIvan Dorn.[25]

References

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  1. ^"Teenage Engineering OP-1 Synthesizer Is Officially Paused!".Synth Anatomy. 7 December 2018.Retrieved7 December2018.
  2. ^abcByrne, Ciara (3 September 2013)."More Than An Office, Teenage Engineering's Minimalist Garage Is A Tinkerer's Paradise".Labs.Fast Company.Retrieved30 January2015.
  3. ^abcKirn, Peter (17 January 2010)."Teenage Engineering's OP-1 Instrument: Hands-on, Videos, Why it's Different".Create Digital Music.Retrieved31 January2015.
  4. ^Wickett, Chris (14 January 2010)."NAMM 2010: Teenage Engineering's OP-1 on video".MusicRadar.Retrieved31 January2015.
  5. ^"Casio VL-Tone VL-1".Vintage Synth Explorer.Retrieved31 January2015.
  6. ^abKulash, Damian; Carnick, Anna (26 August 2013)."Dream Machine".L'ArcoBaleno. Archived fromthe originalon 23 March 2015.Retrieved30 January2015.
  7. ^Ingraham, Nathan (28 August 2012)."Teenage Engineering's new OP-1 gear: it's time to crank, bend, and break the rules".The Verge.Retrieved30 January2015.
  8. ^abKirn, Peter (14 February 2019)."Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth is back in stock, here to stay".CDN.Retrieved29 May2019.
  9. ^Orkin, Dan (14 February 2019)."Teenage Engineering Raises Prices on OP-1, Cancels Orders on New Modular Models".Reverb.com.Retrieved29 May2019.
  10. ^Gaughan, Kevin (February 2014)."Teenage Engineering - OP-1".Earmilk.Retrieved30 January2015.
  11. ^Rogerson, Ben (24 January 2014)."NAMM 2014 VIDEO: Teenage Engineering OP-1 OS update".Music Radar.Retrieved1 March2016.
  12. ^"Teenage Engineering - OP-1 Guide: Synthesizer Mode".Retrieved13 December2017.
  13. ^Nagle, Paul (January 2012)."Teenage Engineering OP1".Sound on Sound.Retrieved31 January2015.
  14. ^Wolbe, Trent (14 January 2011)."Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer now available for pre-order, we tour its shiny new features (video)".Engadget.Retrieved30 January2015.
  15. ^Gaughan, Kevin (February 2014)."Teenage Engineering - OP-1".Earmilk.Retrieved30 January2015.
  16. ^Ingraham, Nathan (28 August 2012)."Teenage Engineering's new OP-1 gear: it's time to crank, bend, and break the rules".The Verge.Retrieved30 January2015.
  17. ^"Winners".Design S.Retrieved30 January2015.
  18. ^"2014 Competition".Georgia Institute of Technology. 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2015.Retrieved30 January2015.
  19. ^"Teenage Engineering - OP-1".San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.Retrieved1 February2015.
  20. ^"Swedish group Amason doing a live session with OP1s".2015-11-06.Retrieved2017-09-04.
  21. ^"Amason - Duvan / Sofar NYC".2014-10-25.Retrieved2017-09-04.
  22. ^"Tourist: There's very little you can't do with a computer, an OP-1, a phone and an audio interface".Music Radar.2020-05-11.RetrievedJanuary 16,2024.
  23. ^Doherty, Martin; Cook, Iain (October 25, 2013)."Synth Pop sensations CHVRCHES on the importance of having hardware".Keyboard(Interview). Interviewed by Ryan Coseboom.RetrievedOctober 19,2015.
  24. ^Hyden, Steven (2015-07-08)."Lost in the World: Justin Vernon on His New Music Festival and the Uncertain Status of Bon Iver".Retrieved2016-08-14.
  25. ^"Track By Track: Ivan Dorn x Seven Davis Jr. On 'Numbers' EP".ClashMusic.2020-05-11.
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