Create Digital Music » Teenage Engineering OP-1: Insanely Slick, Pocketable Controller + Synth

Mar 30 2009

Teenage Engineering OP-1: Insanely Slick, Pocketable Controller + Synth

I need voice recognition, because I’ve just covered my keyboard with drool.

The Teenage Engineering OP-1 (Operator 1) is a “pocket-sized” controller and synth. For once, it eschews the cliches of modern hardware design for a look that is truly 2009, influenced by the layout of classic Roland drum machines but made minimal and elegant. It’s a controller. It’s a synth. It has … an FM radio in it? (Yes, that’s FM radio, though it also has the FM synthesis you might expect.)

Features:

Controller functions: transport controls, 4 rotary encoders, 16 dedicated “quick keys”
Motion sensor so you can shake the thing
Stand-alone synthesis (no computer needed), with 8 synth models, 8 samplers
Synth models: FM synthesis, virtual analog, more (can’t tell what other synth models they intend)
Effects: Delay, Flutter, Filters, EQ
Sequencer — described as “at present time, secret.” A secret sequencer? Isn’t it already somewhat secret, seeing as the device isn’t shipping?
Arpeggiator
FM radio (so you can record Akufen-style radio samples?)
Built-in mic, speaker
Record to MP3
12 mm thin
USB 2.0, minijacks for audio in / out+heaphones
Battery-powered using the power connector, which is “the same as used in robotic automation applications”
Holes for a carry strap

Don’t be a dream. Don’t be a dream.

All of this has an unbelievably beautiful interface.

Teenage Engineering Operator-1

The only real question is, is all of this too good to be true? Teenage promises an initial run of 100 to the “beta” list, with the project completion slated for 10-12 months and price TBA. Now, we’ve heard that before, and painfully, we tend to see a rough correlation looking something like this:

But note, this is only correlation, not causation. That is, the awesomeness of something does not prevent it from shipping. So I’m holding out hope that the OP-1 will indeed see the light of day, and we’ll be sampling FM radio and programming FM synth sequences on a bus. I can’t wait.

(I’ll amend the illustration, and we’ll put the OP-1 alone in the upper right-hand corner of this graph.)

As noted in comments, LSDJ creator Johan Kotlinski is on the team, too. That makes the “secret” sequencer all the more tantalizing. (It still makes sense that it’d be some sort of step sequencer, given the hardware interface, but what kind?)

Teenage Engineering are not new to truly brilliant designs. They created an installation of toy-like robotic singers for Absolut – the vodka company – called Absolut Choir. Heck, I want these, too. Brilliant work.

Photo: Sesse Lind.

Found via the wonderful True Chip Till Death.

More information

Operator-1 Details: The Casio VL-Tone of the 21st Century, Plus the Synth Alarm Clock!
High-Density Screens Due; OP-1’s Gorgeous Display

iPhone 3.0 SDK “Library Access” Won’t Allow Effects, DJ Apps, Games?

GDC: Nintendo’s Iwata on Iterative Prototypes, Teaching Programmers Rhythm

57 Comments

peter

The guy who makes LSDJ works there:

http://nostromo.noisepages.com/2009/03/29/en-route-for-the-messe/

So maybe the sequencer is a tracker? Maybe LSDJ wav style synth is one of the synth options?

One can only dream. :D

March 30, 2009 @ 3:13 pm

SoundDesignTutorials

I rarely have any twinges of gearlust these days, but that thing is seriously up my alley. Will definitely be keeping a close eye on any developments, thanks for the info, Peter.

March 30, 2009 @ 3:25 pm

solipsistnation

WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT. Holy cow, that’s super-cute and pretty and everything. I bet their beta list is already full. But, wow. If they ship, I’m totally buying it.

I have a portable noise bag I have gigged with once or twice– Korg Kaossilator, Gakken SX-150, tiny amp, some stompboxes, an old tiny Casio… It sounds like it would be pretty thin (aside from the Kaossilator taking over the mix, heh), but with a couple of delays you can build up layered rhythmic stuff. I used to have a 202, which was also fun and ran on batteries… This OP-1 thingy looks like it would fit in really well with that bag o’ gear.

A few years ago I’d have dismissed it as vaporware, and I still wouldn’t be surprised if we never see it, but these days? There are so many neat little projects like that that DO see the light of day that I bet we do see it ship.

March 30, 2009 @ 3:29 pm

Jahmal

HUH??!?! WHAT??!?!?

Korg Microwha??????

This boy. Needs now……

March 30, 2009 @ 3:34 pm

CV!

Beautiful!

I want it, let’s hope they release it!

March 30, 2009 @ 3:40 pm

autoy

I so totally want to buy this.

March 30, 2009 @ 3:53 pm

Gizmo

Best graph eva.

March 30, 2009 @ 4:07 pm

samu

I don’t want one, but I REALLY want it to be real. And for someone to have a setup consisting solely of this, a white MacBook, a Focusrite Saffire and a Wiimote. Please? It’d be sooooo prettyyyyyy…

March 30, 2009 @ 4:07 pm

Teenage Engineering OP-1 | Calculating Infinity

[...] Teenage Engineering OP-1 OMG, I can only reinforce Peter Kirn’s thoughts over at Create Digital Music about the OP-1, this has to be one of the hottest looking pieces of music gear ever. Head over to [...]

March 30, 2009 @ 4:10 pm

A bright fearless sunrise

“secret sequencer”? New band name idea?

I just need to ask what I just know everyone else is wondering: can I wear this as a belt buckle?

Would I then be secretly sequencing my crotch? These things are important info.

March 30, 2009 @ 4:19 pm

L

Teenage Engineering’s Jesper Kouthoofd was involved in developing the Elektron Machinedrum and Monomachine…

March 30, 2009 @ 4:21 pm

JKirchartz

http://the-palm-sound.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-is-teenage-engineering-working-on.html

Has a video of some tests for this device … looks promising.

March 30, 2009 @ 4:27 pm

cloud

Will it become a nice brown/gray/pee-yellow like the white macbooks after a few weeks of sweaty usage?

March 30, 2009 @ 4:33 pm

contakt

thats the most amazing graph I have ever seen

March 30, 2009 @ 4:35 pm

ferri

awesome !

March 30, 2009 @ 4:47 pm

foosnark

That’s super-cute. Crossing my fingers!

March 30, 2009 @ 4:49 pm

KeyOfGrey

So excited about this one. I signed up for the “beta testing” although, with only 100 slots, I’d imagine I’m late to the party. One can still hope though.

March 30, 2009 @ 4:51 pm

Cosmonaut

well, we can only see. I’d have to agree with Peter’s little graph.. The flip side to all of it is that the awesomeness tends to be bait on which they hope to attract a producer for their slick looking industrial design.

March 30, 2009 @ 5:22 pm

actuel

OH MY! please let this be real.

March 30, 2009 @ 5:28 pm

finnek

“â€¦and a Synthesizer

When you disconnect the OP-1 from your computer you suddenly have a stand-alone portable wonder-machine with 8 synthesizer models, 8 samplers [...]”

so it’s only a controller when plugged in? That would be sad… :(

p.s.: gotta love the german translation on their site of “The Portable Wonder from Teenage Engeneering”: “Der portabel Wunder von Jugend Ingenieur” – i lol’ed pretty hard ;)

has to be “Das portable Wunder von Teenage Engeneering” – damn find someone who translates correctly and never translate proper names!

March 30, 2009 @ 5:34 pm

finnek

oupsie – “Engineering” of course ;)

March 30, 2009 @ 5:36 pm

Laul

Looks and seems utterly wonderful enough to momentarily stall my curmudgeonly hatred of almost everything and make me grin like a toddler flying a kite.
Please happen!

March 30, 2009 @ 5:58 pm

Dri

Came for the graph, stayed for the awesome :)

March 30, 2009 @ 6:23 pm

teej

boner-inducing, but with some concern. early April fool’s? vaporware, ala Beat Thang? will Ableton have beef with the name seeing as it does FM synthesis? and the pics look like 3D renders, albeit decent ones. hopefully it is beyond that stage?

March 30, 2009 @ 6:52 pm

teej

the display is indeed sexy as hell. vid:

http://www.teenageengineering.com/now/2009/03/big-news-soon-to-be-revealed/

March 30, 2009 @ 6:58 pm

MakerShed : 555 Noisemusick Kit | Key Of Grey

[...] March 30th, 2009 – Today was an interesting day forÂ trying to come up with a post. I wanted so badly to post about the gorgeous Teenage Engineering OP-1 (especially since it might also help my attempt at being one of the lucky 100 beta testers) but I’d really only be regurgitating posts from elsewhere, so visit CreateDigitalMusic to read more about it. [...]

March 30, 2009 @ 8:12 pm

Create Digital Music » High-Density Screens Due; OP-1’s Gorgeous Display

[...] Engineering has this gorgeous vid of the Operator-1 “OP-1″ controller/synth prototype in [...]

March 30, 2009 @ 9:25 pm

Ronald Stewart

What a lil’ Smoker… I love it!!!

March 30, 2009 @ 9:36 pm

High-Density Screens Due; OP-1â€™s Gorgeous Display | Speakear

[...] Engineering has this gorgeous vid of the Operator-1 “OP-1″ controller/synth prototype in [...]

March 30, 2009 @ 10:08 pm

Peter Nyboer

Swedish company with a Japanese-language friendly website. Put down your swords, humans, you have met your match.

March 30, 2009 @ 10:34 pm

Zexual

YES YES YES

March 30, 2009 @ 10:56 pm

Sweff

Sexy! But judging by the surface finish in these photos it could be a SLA rapid prototype. Witness the knob roughness and the uneven clearance around them.

A ‘CDM’ button in the top image perchance? What’s that do? :)

March 31, 2009 @ 12:04 am

sclr

holy. wow. want.

March 31, 2009 @ 12:07 am

actuel

SWF, i took that button to read as ‘dot com’. on the site they talk about being able to upload and send to your friends. just a guess though.

March 31, 2009 @ 12:38 am

teej

@Peter Nyboer: totally! the whole vibe is very Elektron. gotta love those Swedes.

March 31, 2009 @ 12:52 am

teej

am i the only one thinking they should axe the little built in speaker up there? cmon, seriously.

March 31, 2009 @ 12:54 am

sarmoung

I can’t be the only one getting a distinct Casio VLTone sensation from that design! It’s quite gorgeous. Any idea on the actual dimensions?

Although having a calculator function would be the deal clincher for me…

March 31, 2009 @ 1:32 am

Teenage Engineering OP-1, a pocket size synthesizer and controller

[...] Link via CDM [...]

March 31, 2009 @ 2:32 am

midigeek

midi?

March 31, 2009 @ 3:28 am

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2009 | MusicRadar Live Blog

[...] (Via Create Digital Music) [...]

March 31, 2009 @ 4:59 am

Eoj

+1 on all accounts of this thing being awesome and the fact that it has to be released
+1 on the amazing graph!

March 31, 2009 @ 6:49 am

LittlePig

Looks like a modern version of the casiotone.. not that that is a bad thing. Hope it makes it into production

March 31, 2009 @ 7:22 am

the raker

By the way, Teenage Engineering must have the funniest teenage logo I’ve ever seen.

That, along with Peter’s graph, has made my day. Even my non-gear-loving girlfriend is laughing. Vapourware Event Horizon indeed.

March 31, 2009 @ 8:14 am

Redcopter

arf. slurp.
want. now.

March 31, 2009 @ 8:46 am

Create Digital Music » April Fool’s? Bah, Humbug!

[...] unsurprising, any interesting news is immediately suspected of being fake. Teenage Engineeringâ€™s Operator-1 is so cool looking that, aside from concerns it may not ship, some of you have gone so far to worry [...]

March 31, 2009 @ 9:27 am

blip

finnek: Same thing with the Japanese. The company is “70 yrs old” in the details and the blog title (next to ‘now’ under ’speak’) says “(to) keep distance/separate”, a homonym to “speak” but different characters for the content part and all sort of weirdness. Methinks they’re pulling our legs a tiny bit. :P

And jebus I’ve dreamt of “pocketable” synth/sqeuencer since oh forever. It’s the “dedicated hardware when on the run” that I just can’t shake off. (I have a “compact living” fetish as well I think, and anything mobile). All the software coming for different mobile devices is great but I’d choose something like the OP-1 over them anytime.

Please, please don’t break my wallet. The Tenori-on was my first wet and sadly unattainable dream in recent years and now this. Second time’s a charm?

March 31, 2009 @ 3:28 pm

Cynic

no midi? how do you control it from your computer? vst plugin?

interested to hear more.

3.5mm jack seems kinda bizarre, but i guess it’s more a design constraint since it’s portable.

March 31, 2009 @ 3:53 pm

Peter Kirn

@Cynic: It has USB, so presumably MIDI over USB. It does mean when it’s in “standalone” mode, it’s *really* in standalone mode — it would rely on the computer for MIDI functions, I’d guess, seeing as there’s no other I/O.

3.5mm = 1/8″ minijack. Not strange at all, not on an ultrathin device. And since it’s battery-powered, no ground loop concerns. ;)

March 31, 2009 @ 3:55 pm

Cynic

interested to see the sampling / sequencing capabilities on it. too bad no midi ports, might be a nice sidekick to the mpc :)

March 31, 2009 @ 8:14 pm

pussyface

APRIL FOOLS!!!

March 31, 2009 @ 9:07 pm

teej

srsly. best company logo ever.

March 31, 2009 @ 10:01 pm

Peter Kirn

No, now the rest of what I have to post for Messe will look like April Fool’s because it’s comparatively less interesting. ;)

March 31, 2009 @ 10:05 pm

Damon

Awesome… I would love to see this with an integrated modular configurable synth plug in slash sequencer thing. I would also see the buttons blink in colors specific to how you configure the synth and sequencer. I would also like to see the buttons light up revealing LED labels specific to how you configure it. I would also like to see iPhone style application synths and effects you can download and install into it. I would also like to see cool, cute, and fun covers and skins you can purchase for it. I would also like to see a hybrid version that runs on both gas and electricity. That way it is not so hard on the environment.

April 1, 2009 @ 12:52 am

mustakl » Back from the messe

[...] Some people thought the OP-1 might be related to littlesounddj or the gameboy scene, but it’s not. If anything, I’d say MD/MonoMachine, i.e. a new ’swedish mystery’. They said they will release timely informations on their blog during the next coming month, so I guess the best thing right now is to add it to your RSS feed ! [...]

April 2, 2009 @ 8:17 am

Create Digital Music » Messe Roundup: New Doepfer Standalone, Little Akai, PreSonus DAW, More

[...] Teenage Engineering OP-1: Insanely Slick, Pocketable Controller + Synth [...]

April 7, 2009 @ 12:17 am

Sven

Damn, so slick, so cute, so Stockholm…
Even though Peter’s graph is a piece of art and quite right, I do believe OP-1 will be real. One of the guys behind it has made a small fortune in the ad business and is known for solving problems. T.E. wont fight the big ones, they have another plan. Just look at the happy face of this dude presenting it at the Musikmesse! And besides, Swedes can’t lie… ;-)
http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2009/04/musikmesse-messe09-teenage-engineering.html
Prize said to be 500-700 euro, out in a year. Time to save up.