The Problem with Pocket Operators
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- The Problem with Pocket Operators
Today we're talking about the problem with Pocket Operators, or should I say, the problem with gatekeeping around the Pocket Operators. Lately I've been noticing quite a bit of hate directed at those who use Pocket Operators (namely beginners), myself for making content on PO's, and Teenage Engineering for even making them. Whether the haters realize it or not, hating on beginners for using PO's is a pretty blatant display of gatekeeping, and is completely unacceptable. We can do better.
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Back in the 1970's, the band Kraftwerk made hits with electronic gear that was far less sophisticated than Pocket Operators!
That would be a nice video to watch
@@3minati ruclips.net/video/hWUiLJnEYJI/видео.html
@@3minati own and make good use of my vl-1 calc synth >:) say what you want sounds are sounds and it is what you do with them as a musician. plenty awful presets in otherwise completely timeless music, nobody questions quality of sing o the times
I love Kraftwerk. Autobahn is a record I keep coming back to. However, he did get away 🏃 with playing the same group of measures for a while on that record 😂😂😂😂. I think Kraftwerk used the Stylophone on calculator if I remember correctly. Please educate me if I am mistaken
I believe kraftwerks 1st album was made with regular instruments
I'm a depressed person, but can't imagine how bad you have to be to hate pocket operators
😂😂🎯
LmFAOOOOO
Oh this comment made me laugh so much thank you
Sorry you suffer depression. It’s very hard to deal with. Just know that you’re wanted in this world every single day. you’re important! Keep trying!
@@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers when they said they're a depressed person Im assuming that they're just sad and they don't have actual depression
Picking up a PO was easily the best decision ever, and the best use of lunch money to boot. 🤣 I can't recommend them enough.
Couldn’t agree more. A po-33 was my first foray into hardware synths… best purchase ever. I still use them on a regular basis.
Still watching since episode #1, your positivity, humility, and open attitude about music is what makes your channel stand out.
Amen! I agree completely!
PO-12 was the perfect jam metronome, I wish I never sold it! I think the bad attitude towards the POs is elitism. Also investment, they spent thousands and a pocket operator sounds almost as good sometimes 🤣
I'm a well-seasoned musician with many years of electronic music experience. I LOVE the pocket operator.
I don't make as much finished music with a full DAW as I used to with "entry level" gear. The limitations allowed me to focus on spending a few months mastering one thing. I've been using Ableton for years now and I find myself rarely finishing anything because of the near limitless possibilities. It feels like every session is just spent experimenting and learning. Oh well. At least I'm having fun still 😅
I hear you there. I must have Ableton block because every time I learn something new in it, something else doesn't work right and I end up spending most of my time fishing for answers of why something doesn't want to play nice with something else. That's why I like DAWless setups better. And POs are so easy to work with and you can get some crazy cool results just by messing around. So glad I started with them and continue to utilize them in my workflow.
I love how portable my PO-33. Inspiration could strike at any moment and I'm prepared with my pocket operator. Sampling on it is a cinch and it's great for rough drafting an idea or concept. Haters stay mad 😂
100% agree!! My po33 pushes me to be more creative because of its hardware limitations.
They say that PO is the best one. Feeling tempted.
@@kinetic-cybernetic its my favorite one. Definitely wont be let down.
does it have a piano sound sample? I want to use it for music composition all the time @@explicitmassproductions9821
There is something inherently wrong with a so called musician (and I use that term erroneously) when they are unable to encourage having fun and at the same time learning sequencing with an electronic instrument. I purchased my OP33 when I already owned 8 synths and was was amazed with and addicted to the little machine because it was certainly a valid instrument and a great tool for creating music in a totally new manner.
I believe that they are actually jealous of the people who are able to create without spending an enormous amount of money.
Haters is all about jealousy! IMO I don’t care what Bieber does, I don’t care what anyone outside of MY focus does! You hit the nail on the head! I’m 58 years old and have a ton of FUN equipment, PO’s are fun, I wouldn’t use them to record a movie score, but might write a song or two. I like Freebeat because I like watching people that truly enjoy what they are doing. I learn a thing or two as well! I KNOW I annoy him sometimes, but I think we have to be active in this community of electronic music making and share cool deals with our peers! Cheers, I hope it’s cool I comment on this. Peace
@@rexcellencemagee6729 And how often can you sit in the Doctor’s office waiting room and pull a synth out of your shirt pocket?😆
@@rockhead11 lol, I actually do do that, I composed a song on my phone with NanoStudio and Sub, had Bluetooth headphones on of course. I was waiting for my Mother getting cataract surgery, in about two hours I had lyrics and everything, came home and plugged the Sub into my PSR 770 and Bluetoothed NanoStudio and multitracked the vocals! Your right! It’s a great way to use dead time in a positive way! Sure I get some look’s and have to put it on speaker now and then for the curious folks, but I’m a ham anyway.
A little over two years ago I bought a PO20 Arcade as a toy, I had only ever played guitar and sung (badly). I now have a multifaceted of incomplete understanding of everything from types and methods of sound synthesis to sampling to all things DAW (compression, eq, bitrate, etc etc etc). This is such an incredible foot in the door for those of us that are overwhelmed by electronic music. I still have so much to learn but I would never pick a better place to start than my trusty "toy"
PO-20 can be a great tool for composing! The chord progressions are fun to play around. I usually just start with something simple and keep building on it. Very inspirational "toy".
Anyone who carries Any music creation device in their pocket should be praised.
Period
In the 80’s We made a ton of records using commodore 64s and 8 bit drum machines with less memory and less fidelity than any PO. Back then, a PO would be Hi Tech.
Back when I started in EM I bought the best synth I could afford, an EDP Wasp..
Haters were IRL back in those days..🙁
Here I am, nearly 50yrs later, I’ve several PO’s..
I ❤ ‘em..
Wait some years and, as with the Wasp, we’ll be talking about “classic instruments “
😉👍
Constraint is the mother of invention - the PO's are a limited gold mine of creativity and a great gateway to music production, can't believe this fits in my pocket - my 80's kid self would choke on his hubba-bubba
Also to add, if I didn't pick up a PO, I would have never gotten the momentum started on getting all the music in my head out there. Great devices to ramp into making music if you're intimidated by instrumentation
I got a pocket operator as a gift, I've been playing guitar for 20 years, and started synthing and ableton a few years ago.. It's perfect for begginers, I'm gonna get it for my friends and gifts for kids - I want them to get into it.. all of this is a great intro into music/creativity whatever.. 99% of people won't sell their music, it doesn't matter, get into it, get into the flow.. and whatever was in this video - I was intrugued by the title, I was looking for shortcut tutorials.. want to record guitar sample while playing it :) ..
Use whatever you can to get expressive, bump the table, cling glasses, use a trash bag.. just get into the flow ..
whoever gatekeeps this, suck on a lemon.. no one is stealing yer job
I have a studio full of all types of gear and I tell people the PO-12 Rhythm is the best value in drum machines I've ever seen. Sounds great and SO MUCH FUN.
A PO is cheap fun that you can carry around so you can make some noise wherever. And you can connect them to each other or other gear. They are brilliant!
I've recently done a full chiptune live set with a speak, two arcades and a robot, the crowd loved it!
I always say that the more different options we have, the better. Everyone have their own music writing style and have different requirements for their gear, so it's just impossible to make something that will be perfect for everyone. For example, I don't like grooveboxes with big screens, because I don't see big difference between them and a laptops or tablets with DAWs. Do I think that these grooveboxes shoulnd't exist? No. Do I hate people who love this type of grooveboxes? Hell no. People make awesome things with them, and it doesn't really matter what do you use to make your masterpiece, whether it's PO or something more expensive (or even more cheap, some people can rock a toy piano or a $30 ukulele)
I agree with everything you’ve said. I have 6 POs and I’ve learnt a lot about sequencing and sampling from tinkering with them. They are great. They each have there little nuances, and each have lots of limitations, so they force you to think about work arounds for certain tasks …even linking them together is a taste of things to come for the amateur musician.
When I got the Elektron Model:Samples I distinctly remember thinking that the POs had been the ideal stepping stone into understanding the way that Elektron’s sequencer functions.
The good thing about getting old, I'm now in my 60's is I could care less what people think. Oh, my main keyboard is a Casio MZ-2000 which in my opinion was way ahead of it's time.
POs are entry level gear and get hated on because "real musicians" are spending thousands of dollars on Nord workstations, or Moog, or the latest multi-hundreds or thousands priced gear. Most of us are not there, and frankly not many have the room for multiple 88-key workstations anyway. Also hate comes from jealousy of people posting incredible jams from pocket operators and other "cheap" gear and getting awesome sounds from them, and frankly...easier to make sounds and finished songs without menu diving for days or having creative mental blocks while surrounded by so much gear, you don't know where to begin. We all need to start somewhere with music creation, and POs, volcas, etc. Can get us there more quickly than waiting to purchase that pro tool we can't yet afford. Also, they're highly underrated as many have integrated them into their professional setups. So pros, hate away...but you're directing that hate at your own audience, which is the wrong thing to do. People with limited gear are actually being forced to be more creative; and isn't this what we all want? Creativity is the key to new music which can inspire others to be creative as well. I hope all the haters see this video and start looking in the mirror a little more often. Thanks for doing the vid.
Also what are you referring when mentioning "the OPZ situation"? Thank you so much for your video
A friend got me a pocket operator for my birthday a few years ago. I always meant to try it out but I put it away and forgot about it. This video reminded me I had one. Gonna learn to use it this weekend. Very excited
People should just finally accept that everything from the tapping on your desk and the zipper of your hoodie through to intro gear, regardless if from big brands or AliExpress, all the way up to pro-level tools is just means of creating music. I've seen people create insane tracks from Lego, man. Why not appreciate someone's creativity? My advice is the following: If you think something sounds bad, instead of stating it and killing someone's vibe, just give feedback so that they may learn.
Thanks for the great content. Got my first PO yesterday and I love the thing. PO-20 Arcade + Distorted Guitar Chords = Soul Food of the month. Peace!
The Office was my first piece of gear, bought it about five years ago and it’s still ticking along nicely. Pocket Operators are just the best to have around, so convenient. Appreciate you dude
Late to the party, but having a pocket operator with me while at the office or on vacation has been a blessing!
I love PO's! I got all 9 main series and I cant understand why it would make people that upset at TE for making them. I couldn't thank them enough because they got me started in music making!!
I have a PO Factory and PO Sub, best things to bring on a long car ride or flight. Pocket Operators are awesome, music is awesome, being able to put music in someones hands is awesome. Musicians are always at the mercy of technological limitations/advancements.... Let's remember that Catgut (not actual cat, but animal intestines) were once used for stringed instruments, yea.... let that one soak in. Pretty sure they had some purists saying "It just doesn't sing with out the animals parts." It doesn't matter if you are experienced or not, if its fun, that's all that really matters.
How did you fix your PO33 screen? Or is it a new PO33?
You noticed that too!? Heh. I assumed I must have missed a video where that was covered.
@@rlynker I think FreeBeat have many videos, I might have missed his video about how he fixed the screen too, lol.
im a drummer, i got a PO to make small fun beats on the go. honestly considering getting a couple more and a teenage engineering synth
You. Simply. Rock. Always a pleasure to get your daily videos. Thank you!
PO´s rock for the money you have to pay for them. far away from perfect device but as you said a gateway to making noise ^^ gets things done imo
Absolutely!
Some people just have their heads up their butte. NEVER discourage anyone from making music in any form. We need more musicians in the world. Whenever I hear someone talk about being bored, I tell them they should take up banjo.
Where’s the Sub? That’s become my favorite one! I don’t see any huge difference between the Sub and any bass budget synth except for the price, and I’ve had people tell me there’s a huge difference, it’s not midi, it’s sound is cheap. Both are untrue, an 1/8 trs to midi connects any midi, yes it’s a clock control only, but honestly what else would you need midi for with one of these? I certainly don’t want it to control another piece of gear. Next, they sound cheap, I guess it depends on your willingness to make make what you have work! I personally have two headphone amplifiers, one is Bluetooth and the other is just a stereo connection and I think was $16 on Amazon on sale and it works great! I have an inexpensive 6 track mixer that connects to another mixer 16 multitrack that connects to an IPad mixer controller that connects to my Integra 7. It’s not muddy because it’s all XLR other than the midi. I’m going to show how I do it because it sounds much more complicated than it is, and here’s the kicker, there’s at least 3 other ways just with what I all ready have to do it! I haven’t even tried them because I got what I wanted on the first try. I think I told you all before instead of buying another piece of gear, I bought every adapter, every cable, every midi/audio reference book I could ever need. I think if I remember correctly $600 JUST in that. Once you have all the awesome budget POs, volca’s, modules, IPads, IPhones, skulpt (not yet, but I have a craftsynth 2), etc… you’ve got to be able to connect them to each other and to an audio mixer. Maybe I am dumb, but I have fun! Peace
The haters in the electronic community are what we call “tools”. They’re unfortunately everywhere and think they’re better than everyone else. Making electronic music is supposed to be fun. You’ve got to start somewhere. In addition, I purchased a pocket operator after owning multiple synthesizers. Who cares tbh. They’re fun and you do you.
Wt* I love them, they help a lot against producer blocks. I have the tonic and k.o the best if you send the audio in your daw and put some plugins over it
These little intuitive, inspirational and inventive devices are both packed with features and truly AWESOME! If any of those critics who own more expensive, exclusive or elaborate gear and so feel "significantly superciliously superior" and disdain anyone who owns a PO then they should just need to be more considerate and respectful of other musicians on a lesser budget OR who just enjoy, experience and educate themselves in a positive and particularly portable, playful and productive pursuit.
I really don't understand the hate on the pocket operators. I've been a huge fan of electronic music my entire life, and always wanted to get into making it. The POCKET OPERATORS provide the perfect way for beginners and pros alike to get into producing electronic music quickly. Would I love a deluge? Yes, but I wouldn't quite know what to do with it.
I started watching this channel months ago, and this was the first channel that introduced the pocket operators from teenage engineering to me. I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM, or really any budget gear in the electronic music space. I always thought that you needed a crazy MOOG or KORG piano style synth, or thousands of dollars in EURO-rack studio gear to get into electronic music production. For me the PO series hits that sweet spot in your wallet where you get the best bang for the buck. The amount of features packed into everyone of these devices is AMAZING!
They provide a studio level piece of gear at an entry level price, what is not to love about them. Also, they look like awesome calculators. Tactile buttons, Clicky-clicky is also one of the best features no mush, only click 😍.
I leave this haiku for you guys:
The operator
of pockets will consume your
electronic dreams
Great vid. I fully agree with your positions here. And one major point I would like to add regarding the term: hate. This is a purely subjective term... We often hate one thing, because we love the other thing. There is always love in hate. If someone hurts a member of your family, you might hate them... but you hate them, because you love your fam. Much of hate, dissipates with maturity and understanding, but everyone is on their own timeline in this endeavor. Finally, there is often great advantage in getting others to love what you love and hate whatever you hate, and this speaks directly to the acknowledgement that many refuse to accept - man is a tribal animal.
I bought an op1 first then my pocket operators 33 . Tonic and speech. I sold my op1 but I still own and use my PO
Here's one perspective (mine is the opposite)......After spending thousands on an MPC for example, and then seeing someone making decent beats on what appears to a knock off could make some people feel like they either wasted their money or Akai is getting ripped off. It makes it easy for people to get in cheap and that's not fair to those who worked really hard to get decent gear.
each fringe groupe has its own minority to hate on.... thats just how it works... if we as a species wont overcome "group thinking" and "blaming" there might be no future for us... and maybe that would be a good thing... some day humanity might be the dinosaurs... ;)
I started with a PO33 when it first came out. Loved it tons for awhile. I’ve since moved on to bigger and better things. Rarely do I use PO’s in my setup anymore. But it taught me the basics so I’m grateful for that.
Question Free Beat. What was your issue with the OPZ? I haven’t seen all of your videos and just curious. I know about the warping and TE’s customer service kinda sucks.
I think gatekeeping is very very bad, especially when something like the PO-33 KO is probably a fairly decent device to get into sampling and beat making with. I like using them as a 'sketchpad device' or MFX box, both which are very useful in combination with something like an MPC One..... And actually, these devices sound very good.
Just got my sister the KO for her graduation. She loves it. I got the idea after seeing a video by Andrew Huang.
I got POs to help get away from my Studio and DAW setup. They are super fun and making loops to track into the OP-1 for further mutilation is rewarding. Get em used, they're fun to mod too.
It's sad that so many people get P'dOff over POs. They're useful and somehow comforting, like eating beans instead of steak.
Thank you very much FB for doing this. Teenage Engineering PO are very good. They have their own cons of course. I sold a PO33 because of set up issue and I needed money.
And I regret it.
Gatekeeping is bad. I really hate that from tech centered communities, everyone was a beginner once and most forgot how vast and complicated everything was at the beginning.
Pocket Operators are pretty awesome. The learning curve is slightly less so. Teenage Engineering deserves an award for a great, portable and fun piece of clever electronics and firmware.
People wasting their time and energy hating other people for their choices often lack of self confidence / self esteem. Also, psychologically, hate does even more harm to the person haunted by this feeling than the target person. Regarding gate keeping, I recently heard a famous producer that I won’t name expressing his disappointment that « now everyone can make music with just a laptop, whereas before you needed to have access to a professional recording studio, which limited the people releasing record to the ‘’real pros’’, so records were better».
I have volcas and love them!
If anyone hates on your personal choices of instruments it is safe to ignore them. They won't be any help in any way.
Seriously, no truly creative person would ever even consider that kind of negativity.
I Left my Pos in my Smoking Room and now they smell reeal bad. Any idea how to Clean them?
What's the point? You smell the same, especially inside the lungs! :)
@@AlexanderShelestov Youre pretty right ;) But when i wanna Show my Po to someone Nobody wants to smell it. You dont wanna smell all like Beer If you enjoy Beer ^^
The Pocket Operator, esthetically and viscerally, is art-in-the-hand. It's small, ambitious, and ridiculous. And finally, to quote Bruno from Fame "Really, you can do it on one instrument"
Anything more is GAS
Haters gonna hate. Nothing good comes from that. Rather than being attacked for using gear X I'd like to know what other recommendations for beginner friendly gear are out there. In the category of the PO I don't know any other machine that comes close. A used Novation Circuit is probably also a great machine for beginners, but that is much less portable.
It's probably oversimplifying things a bit, but I think it comes down to people who spent shit tons of money on expensive gear, and are now trying to discredit budget gear to justify their purchases. I see a lot of people looking down on Volcas and POs as "toys" but then you have channels like yours, Ricky Tinez, and others that make some really cool sounds with them. Budget gear in the hands of someone with passion and creativity will go way further than someone with a room full of high end equipment that thinks you can just buy your way to being a better artist.
I do not own a pocket operator, but I think they are pretty cool, and it is a great concept in the first place.
Objectively, the POs have obvious limitations, but that's to be expected for a piece of gear that costs less than 100$. You won't expect your Honda Civic to win a race vs a Ferrari? They will both take you from point A to point B (make music) but one of them will be much faster (less limitations) and give you a better experience (better build quality, more features and sounds, probably will last longer as you grow as a musician, etc.). This being said, I think the haters just refuse to see the POs this way and see them as toys/waste of money, and not for what they really are: inexpensive, portable gateway instruments that have a fair amount of depth for the price of a nice supper at the restaurant.
My only complaint about them is sometimes I have to adjust battery 🔋 tabs otherwise I love the pocket operators most used gear indeed when walking around or watching tv lol
I own a Megaman and a Street fighter, simply... they're so fun! I think the limit of them is the creativity of each person. If you like them, cool; if not, thats perfectly fine too. 🤙
I saw these years ago and wasn't all that interested since they seemed to be ROMplers. Didn't know there was actual flak towards people for using them though. I ended up with Reaper/Renoise/FL long before any hardware and it's the least fun but the value proposition is just unreasonable. If i was going to do hardware and didn't have a lot of money i'd probably do a stack of volcas. Especially since the Samples and FM have good synergy with PC software. Hardware is definitely more fun to play around with but the value proposition is just so much worse overall (250$ for a Volca, which then has like one minute of sample memory, when you can literally just download open source trackers and samplers for the PC that will stream basically unlimited articulations......) but then my first intro to music editors was MTV Music Maker which was basically a loop-only DAW with preloaded loops so maybe these are great for people who just want something to play with that works immediately.
But then people also say us FL users are playing with a toy DAW :^)
I’m not a beginner and I have one Id have all of them to be honest I really don’t care what people think if I have something and I can get use out of it and it helps me to make music how I want to then what’s wrong with that right :-)
You dropped this, king 👑
Look at the bright side these haters could be preventing the birth of future GAS sufferers 😂😂 bless them.
Honestly the QC on the units I bought was shocking. I got the PO-33 and the line out did not work and the PO-33 I bought and the official silicone case I bought DID NOT FIT the pocket operator. I will literally never buy another TE product as a result.
edit: I feel like I wasted $160 dollars worth of time and effort trying a brand with horrible quality at an inflated price. I want to warn other away from that risk.
Well said!
If someone tells you POs are garbage...get rid of that person. You do t need that kind of negativity in your life. I guess I'm doing it wrong because I started with various mini synths, then got a Digitakt, then an OP-1, and lastly some POs. I wanted something cheap, weird, and fun. Ticks all the boxes. And who the heck doesn't love Street Fighter????
These things are amazing because they are priced to be a fun trinket for non musicians and a great and well priced tool for musicians, silly to see hate but as ive said many times, if you have success, you get haters! Jealousy is a loud mistress
The K. O. and the rhythm po's were my first 2 and they got me to get an op1 and opz, and even with those I still like sampling drums so much with my KO, the way it cuts them is still better than the way thr op1 and opz can
I mean what's not to love? They're fun to keep around, make a case for em via 3d printer and keep em in your pocket for random beats or sampling random stuff in the world, i ALWAYS have fun when I pick one up 👆 beepboop
I bet haters obviously don't own any pocket ops, or they'd not say anything bad
There's far too much gear hate . I make music for fun . You can use a sauce pan lid to make music if you want
I don't understand this at all, wow. Here I am, as a total nub when it comes to music making ANYTHING, and these little devices look like SO MUCH fun to use!
Should I not get one? I'm eyeing the K.O. since it has a sampler on board.
Will I get attacked by others? HALP!
I am a fan of the pocket operators!
The PO's are so much fun, I can't understand the hate. But haters gonna hate.
I bought one but wanted the others. I realized for the cost of all the ones I wanted, I might as well buy something more powerful.
"Not a fan boy" and owns every single one of them LOL just kidding man, you make great content, I own a po33 and I use it very rarely but it's a powerful sample player
Bravo, truth Bomb, reddit has gatekeepers in reddit synthesizer community real deal, antibehringer bad, I post em anyway 🔊🎹🔊🌐
Back in the late '80s my band used to sample the sound of striking trash can lids and dumpsters. What matters is the music you make. People need to drop the elitism. People that are criticizing others for their instrument choices are often just collectors or fetishists and not musicians.
Rock it out!
I have all the POs except the PO-28 and the PO-35 (they felt a bit redundant next to the PO-128 and the PO-137). What I do find is that they're a bit hard to integrate in a larger setup. That was my plan when I bought them, but doing proper sequencing with them, or even changing sequences longer than one bar on the fly, is not easy at all. And the way their sync works can lead to some audio degradation.
But all of that is irrelevant when we're talking about one, two, four POs playing together. I agree, they're great devices for beginners. Or portable music making, too.
Just bought every pocket operator. Someone wanna fight about it?? 👊
This is weird pseudo drama. 8 minutes of talking about other people's opinions being 'gatekeeping'. I've owned 3 pocket operators but I've sold them since. Here's the reason to avoid pocket operators.
1) For a device that says 'pocket' they're not built to go into your pocket. They're fragile enough that small drops and bumps break screens - something that happened to you as well iirc. If you want a case you better own a 3d printer or be ready to super overpay TE for a case that should have been part of the product to begin with.
2) If you're not into chiptuns and lofi, they suck. The audio quality isn't very good.
3) It's really annoying to sync them with other pieces of gear except other pocket operators.
4) If you're a non youtuber who owns more than 2 pocket operators, you've made a mistake. They're neat to play with, but they're not production music equipment, and your money is better spent on better equipment in the long run.
5) Korg Volcas offer a lot more modulation and learning possibilities. True they're a little more money, but it's worth it compared to adding pocket operators to your stuff. In pocket operators you get...two knobs.
You can learn a lot from any synth or groovebox, I think there are better options for newcomers. There's no reason to hate on anyone who uses them, but there's also no reason to talk about people who trash them, because they're both valid opinions. You may say 'well its not just my opinion its fact' but that's just your opinion too. Pocket operators are a trap for newcomers who should really be looking at better machines instead of shaving $60 off their first purchase.
If I could go back in time and stop myself from buying them I would, and I'd just get a volca I could plug into midi now and use as a sound module for better sequencers.
Let's examine some facts..I buy what I want to, so to anyone who does not like if I get a $40 Casio, pocket operator, or whatever ,come say it to my face, or you can BUY me what you think is better. Other than that, I care NOTHING about your opinions about MY gear I paid for. If you are so 'established' then it makes no sense you give a damn about what is in my studio. That is not logical and sounds like things people say ONLINE, who are cowards. I have friends with studios and even If we have different gear, the only thing I care about is how their workflow works for them. As they explain it to me, it might give me so ideas or want something they use. I just believe people on YT are running their mouths, giving their opinions here, because in real life, they have no voice. I guarantee you that if those people had to say something about your PO TO YOUR FACE ,it would be different energy and presentation. Otherwise, in the real world, calling someone stupid because they have a PO, would get your face kicked in eventually. The simple and direct solution is to not buy what you do not like..period...
It's because they don't know how to use them that's the problem
Sorry but you are simply not talented enough when you don't own a 8-GRAND MOOG synth. XD i started with the PO's then went to the digitakt/digitone. I still like my PO's
One thing I just want to mention so that people at least entertain the thought.
A certain amount of gatekeeping is both necessary and healthy to maintain the integrity of any form of art. Gatekeeping isn't always a bad thing. It just becomes a bad thing when people use their feelings and emotions as the sole basis for gatekeeping, and then don't think about the reasons why they need to gatekeep in the first place.
An example:
The poor journalist who covered Cuphead a long time ago who couldn't even clear the tutorial level, everyone who ever made fun of him was doing so in a way that gatekept both journalism and video games. There was a good reason, too. That person had absolutely no business covering a video game in the journalistic style they were trying to cover it. We need gatekeeping in order to distinguish the difference between people who exhibit expertise and people who exhibit incompetence.
Where gatekeeping goes too far is in comments like the people you're talking about received. The people who are complaining about POs don't actually really even understand why they're gatekeeping, so they gatekeep based on emotional value and emotional value alone. That's wrong. It's not a good reason to gatekeep. It would be different if they were doing so in order to make a point about doing things in some kind of "empirically correct" sort of way, but there's almost nothing "empirical" about 8bit electronic music, other than the shapes of the waves (box wave, triangle wave, etc) and maybe a couple of other things that have to do with existing in an atmosphere. A good reason to gatekeep this kind of thing would be the ability to reproduce it for little to no money with the intent of educating the person being gatekept, not discouraging them just because they selected the wrong piece of equipment. Computers cost money and to put software on them costs even more. Even "free programs" like Garage Band, where you have free 8bit plugins, you have to pay to play in Apple's walled garden.
These things clearly serve a purpose.
It would be fine to gatekeep these things if they didn't. And it shouldn't make anyone mad that TO made better sequencers and soundpacks in the form of a raw PCB than they did on their DAW.
So what's the problem with Pocket Operators? 😏 I have four of them. 🤪🤣
Lemme just say something real quick.
Gatekeeping is not a real problem.
Real problems are:
- lack of proper backup for all PO's
- lack of software for the PO's
- no options of custimization of PO's
- FX nearly the same on all of the operators
- Unclear case of sample use (particular case of PO-133 and Street Fighter samples for your own use)
- No progress of the line of products (128/133/137 are straight up 28 + minor features and 2 variants of 33)
- Lack of elementary support from Teenage Engineering and rather reluctant approach towards post-purchase customers.
I say it with full responsibility as an owner of all of the PO's. I would love to make full albums using PO's, but there is no proper recording options or translation of material into any DAWs.
Music is never about the gear. It's about creativity, heart, and expression. Gear snobs can't buy that no matter how hard they try.
In the guitar world, these are the assholes that buy the $25k Les Paul, a $10k Klon pedal, and a Dumble amp. They rave about "toan" and display their trophies in their law firm to collect dust if they aren't torturing some poor soul with the same tired-ass Clapton blues lick they learned decades ago.
If Teenage Engineering went out of business and the POs became expensive, rare, and hard to find they'd be telling anyone who listened how the constraints of the platform were a blessing and how the dulcet lo-fi digital tones were like no other synth ... and by the way, please don't touch. You wouldn't understand.
Your videos just feel sooooo spammy.
I’m a photographer by profession. A few years ago I switched from digital back to film and I had a long time follower on my blog who got really annoyed at me for that. He originally started following my work because we used the same camera. Seeing me ditch the camera that he liked made him so insecure that he lashed out at me. Of course, getting upset at a stranger on the internet over their gear choices is a tad ridiculous, unless you keep in mind that everything surrounding our creativity is wrapped up in our egos! We become so invested in our gear choices that they start to define the way we see ourselves. And if someone scratches the spray paint off the flimsy narratives that we use to justify our sometimes unnecessary purchases we tend to get very defensive! POs are really cruel for people who spent thousands on gear and still don’t manage to make the music they imagine. And then someone comes along and makes something way more musical on a puny PO, Volca or even a cheap Behringer clone? Ouch!
😂
I'm a photographer as well and recognize the dynamic, although in a somewhat different way. For me it just always seems like there are the people who are actually good at photography and then the people who just love the gear, and love optimizing the gear. It's a different hobby. The gearheads frown upon the artists and gatekeep and dominate the online platforms/forums with their opinions. Because that's the main thing about their hobby. Whereas artists, we want something we FEEL and something we love and we don't care about pixel optimizing because we know to create art you need tools that you love rather than 'the most correct perfect solution'.
All the hate is probably because 'real' musicians spend so much money on their dawless setup and someone who spends a couple hundred on PO's can encroach on their gated community.
Quit worrying about what I'm doing and go back to your four on the floor dance tracks with predictable build ups. ( ੭ ･ᴗ･ )੭
Joke's on them: PO's are dawless too
I have a great setup with a Juno 60 and other classic hardware but also do a bit of work on the computer alone. 45 year veteran musician who owns a learning center and a recording studio and I'm thinking of buying a pocket operator. Real professionals will tell you to do what works for you.
Hey now, don’t hate on 4 on the floor beats lol.
The problem with PO’s: They invite being playful exactly as intended, Playful things and people are frowned upon by people who are not. Regardless, playful creations can lead to valuable discoveries/learnings/inspiration.
There's a stigma against 'entry level' gear like the Volcas, POs, Microfreak - which is funny because those are all insanely high quality for the pricetag, and absolutely all of them were integral to me getting on my musical journey. Not to mention your channel and the way you demonstrated them!
Its true music snobs are cringe and alot of the time i hear the music people make with these super set ups and its trash
@@GullySyde28 $4000 eurorack doesn't mean anything if you don't have vibes
@@magnopere Exactly
@@magnopere Agree and viceversa. A Volca can mean a lot if you have the vibes!
@@magnopere Lol, I've been noticing that A LOT. I'll think, "Oh wow, sick gear, bet they can make killer tracks with all that." *give a listen* "Oh damn, that was freakin awful😂"
im one of those guys who always says idc what gear you use if the final product sounds good and you had fun with it. these haters are trying to justify learning extremely difficult gear while new learning artists can pick up a few po devices and make great music.
When I got started, I bought what I could: old, falling apart gear that was CHEAP. People trying to get into electronic music now are LUCKY to have access to good affordable tech. I wish I had access to something like that 30 years ago.
If one thing is true, it’s that the future forms of electronic music will be built on what’s the young can get access to. When I was a kid, 303s and 808s were garage sale and dumpster finds. I’d rather have a pocket operator to a 303.
This is exactly right. It's always been that way. New music will come from young, creative minds who will use what they can get hold of - usually the cheaper budget gear. Creativity comes out of limitations.
It also annoys me when people say "It's just a toy", as though that's bad thing. I don't necessarily think of my music gear in that way, but it still kind of is a toy really. I play with it or on it, we play music. It's as though the more expensive it is, the more it becomes a serious tool for composing music. It's nonsense! For me, making music is my hobby, it's fun, it's interesting, it's good for my mind, I enjoy it.
The PO-33 is a miraculous little thing. It can teach you sequencing and sampling, you can make all types of music with it, you can build an entire track on it, and it fits in your pocket and runs on batteries.
It's the first thing I'd get any kid interested in making music out of the box.
(So proud to be the Patron Shout on this video bc this is a passion topic for me)
#TheMoreYouKnow
I love this video! It is such a shame that people hate on others in the community, let alone this equipment.
Don't be a hater, folks! If it is not for you, fine. You don't need to insult people if they disagree with you. I mean, jeez, where are we right now? Twitter?
Also, Pocket Operators are brilliant little machines, perfect for those of us who are beginners or, like myself, can only make music on the go. I have a couple full-sized synths and they are great but I spend most of my time at work and POs get me through my day. Well, POs, Monotrons, and Stylophones.
May the Gods of Synth Rock bless the little synths!
I detest snobbery in all it's insidious forms.
My buddy uses pocket operators in all of his music. He's completely changed my perception of what these are capable of. He goes by "Slow Children" on RUclips if you want to check him out.
Awesome, they are pretty fantastic :)