My big issue with TE trying to act like a premium brand is their customer service is the stuff of legends for all the wrong reasons. Honestly I was expecting either a price drop or only a minor price increase with an OP-1 refresh. But at 2K it's made the Field go to competing with a lot of higher end gear which I think could backfire spectacularly on TE as it is you can literally get 3 or 4 other music making devices for the price of the Field alone.
The OP-1 is way overpriced if you only looking at owning it for one purpose EX: Sampler, synth, Groovebox, DAW, etc.. If you want an all in one package that's portable with a good user interface, then its a justifiable purchase. It all comes down to what you are gonna use it for.
$2000 takes it firmly into fashion accessory territory. It is aimed at the millennial version of the guitar dad, who used to spend $2000 on a Stratocaster to hang on the wall, 20 years ago.
@@glynnpowell7864 It wouldnt be the first time a company gave away promotional devices to famous people in order to get people thinking oh wow Moby uses it holy fuck. It must be good if hes using it. Its called advertising and it works. Especially when your a new player in a crowded space filled with industry staple names like Korg, Yamaha, Akai.
@@glynnpowell7864 By that logic beats headphones must be the best headphones in the world for studio mixing because of all the famous artists wearing them in their videos, what a load of crap, teenage engineering is a lifestyle brand, their target audience now clearly isn't musicians, it's people with too much money to spend who have no personality to speak of and need to fill that void with the latest expensive products, it's peak consumerism
I've never been that interested in the OP-1. Always seemed overpriced for what it actually did.. But this new one is insanely priced. Just a way to show you have more money than sense.
People seem to forget that the OP1 was originally released at $849 in 2012. TE have just slowly been increasing the price to see when people will stop purchasing it. It became $900. Then $950. Then $1100, then $1200. Then $1300. Now the OP1 on TE's website is listed at $1399. Now here we are with the Field starting at $2k... Sure looks normal when priced next to the OP1 at $1399! But we all know a 2012 synth/workstation should have NEVER become $1399. It's disgusting. I've never seen a product go through such variable pricing as the OP1 has and.... no one seems to care? It's so strange to see. Imagine if the Digitone every year just increased by $100 dollars to finally be Octatrack price level and everyone just went "Ah yeah this is just the price Elektron gear is, it's fine." I always tell people the same thing - Remember if you're looking at getting an OP1 and looking at reviewers from 2012 to 2015, when MANY were saying something like "It's so fun and great, but it's expensive! It's gonna be tough for a lot of peoples wallets, but it sure is fun!" - they are calling it expensive from it's $850 launch price. What it has become now is an absolute robbery.
@@Byronic19134 Compounding rates are a real crusher when they're working against you. 10% inflation over 10 years results in $2202. They're actually making it cheaper!
the OP1 is *almost* on track to match the inflation rate - 1000 euros in 2011 is 1200 euros today - so it's not the most egregious shit ever (it's still bad!). that said, those parts have surely gotten cheaper over time, and the markup on the various plastics used in assembly is pretty ridiculous. 2k for this thing is wild, there's no way to justify it. they can just get away with it, so they will. there is no way the internals cost another several hundred euros, and the software improvements, while nice, are so incremental it's goofball to suggest that's where the cost lie.
This is the pricing equivalent of jumping the shark. I love my op1 and Z, and I bought them for myself as a treat, knowing they were musical luxury items. And of course, I got used. New was just ridiculous, even being in the market for a luxury toy. I was excited for the brand, owning the two big items. But these last few releases have broken my want to be a brand loyalist, simply because of price. They're cool items but man. Get a grip on what you think you can ask for stuff like this - not even doing a price drop on older products. Like the video said, the company has no reason to keep within a certain price range. But we as customers don't have to pay for exorbitant prices for items. Nor do we owe any brand any kind of blind loyalty.
@@Art-zs6sl high unit margin but surely the will end up with less profit. I suspect they know this and just want less customers, less operational expense like support and more time to spend on design. Or maybe they know there’s a market at that price. I think that’s what’s pissing people off. They don’t like the idea that there are enough customers who will pay $2k and that excludes them.
For me personally, it's a pretty big disappointment. You can put a lot of powerful gear together for 2k - the OP-1 has become more and more of a status symbol, I think, and less and less of an instrument that people curious about the workflow can try out. It's just wasted potential, in my opinion, and turns a unique instrument into a piece of social media status fodder for those who can either afford it straight up, or get it some other way (large youtubers and promotions, for instance). And, frankly, calling it the OP-1 Field, which kind of implies it's supposed to be hardy and for use on the road, just kinda adds insult to injury. Kind of like marketing a high end Mercedes G class as if it was a low cost Jeep or something, when it's only really used by the extremely wealthy on city roads. Rude to those who would use it for its intended purpose, but can't afford it because of needless price hiking. But that's a side point.
especially when the components of the OP1 is cheap. The DSP in the OP1 is a $20 part, and its not that many components in this machine at all. This is more a $300 device prices almost 7 times more. Guess Behringer makes it $299 :D
Agreed. It would be one thing if you could randomly select from a pool of your favorite artists, and there was a good chance the OP-1 made appearances all over their musical catalogues. But this is not a device that anybody is using to actually make music that people listen to. It's a cute little distraction that a small handful of successful RUclipsrs have featured in videos. For anybody who can buy this and not bat an eyelash at the cost, great for them, that's fantastic, you do you. But for anybody who otherwise sees $2k as a lot of money, and nevertheless runs out and buys this thing, I'd say they should probably take a step back, gain some perspective, and rethink the purchase.
I bought the OP-1 last year. I'm a musician with a full time job and disposable income. I moved countries and sold nearly all of my music gear. When I learnt that it existed, I bought it almost immediately. I travel often for work, and I love taking this thing with me. I'm an acoustic musician, I don't know much about synths but I know the sounds when I like it, and I do ALL my music on this thing now. Perhaps I was the perfect demographic for the OG! When I learnt of the OP-1 Field, I was super excited! The immediate features I wish it might have is to add more tracks, maybe 6 or 8. I use all the tracks up early, and as the song develops, the more anxiety I get of accidentally scrubbing something I cannot get back. The second feature is of multiple tapes. Sometimes inspiration hits and I want to pick up the OP-1 and start getting it down, but managing the tape gets very difficult if you have one or more unfinished projects on the go. I'm disappointed that it still has only 4 tracks. I'm happy to hear there are multiple tapes! The other updates look great also (stereo, reverb). I'm lucky enough that I *can* afford this and I *could* order it now... but I haven't and likely won't until I learn more. It might have been different if it was 1,300 - 1,500. I am hopeful they might provide another update to the OP-1, like when they released the OP-Z and brought some of the features from this to the OP-1. *Maybe* the OG will get the reverb and the synth patch? Unless it is just not compatible because of the higher bit rates and stereo output... but here's to hoping.
You were much more understaing about this then i thought you would be - for some reason. For me personally, even being in that - "I have a job and enough disposable income to buy this" bracket - this is not a well priced device. TE made the op1 field into a symbol of status keeping "it's a great music gear with plenty of features and innovations" as an afterthought. It's their decision - of course, but I really do not like it and I respect TE a lot less after their mixer and op1 field decisions. P.S. This video is really quite for some reason.
@@JorbLovesGear Thanks for giving your take on this device, and don't worry about the volume - stuggles on the road are somewhat expected truth be told! Have a great weekend!
Great synchronicity that you repaired that OP-1 for this trip and they announced this. As for how I see it, plenty of good (and bad) gear is exorbitantly expensive. TE doesn't need to justify the price of this or the mixer in order to sell them for this much. BUT, I personally feel this direction makes them seem like a fundamentally unserious company when it comes to music production gear. Not because everyone should have access to all tools at all times, but because this comes across as a non sequitur move in the context of how the rest of the industry is moving. Some would say going against the grain is a good thing here, but turning the OP-1 in a luxury good is just such a shame. They could have the best music workflow in the world and it will not matter a bit because only a small fraction of the population will have one (and a smaller subset of that will probably even make let alone release music made with it). Anything at this price point is going to struggle to have an influence on culture, imo. This approach doesn't really align with what I value, thus I'm disappointed.
It’s $2000 because they’ve included a $1900 token inside the case, for a future upgraded version. You just have to pry it open with pliers and use the code on their website.
First thing that struck me as odd was the color change for the knobs. I'm colorblind and loved the OG OP-1 color scheme, but these ones are really confusing for me 🥺
I agree. I actually think the original design is way better. I also don't like the silver chassis with the white plastic keys. Just doesn't look as good as the original.
Yep. Same here. Very unattractive piece. Does not give me the hype OG OP1 has. Not that I am on the market for one, but the OG color scheme had something very appealing. The new design - color choices are meh . . . but you can always pimp the knobs I guess .. not the display color scheme which is designed along the colours of the knobs . . so again meh
I can't believe it's £2000, an insane amount of money for a product that was already overpriced. I don't really know what target market would want to spend this much on this device.
Do you ever wonder if the "Matrix" extends past the world of politics, religion etc and might exist as part of our world in the electronic music community? I see this OP-1 Field and the mixer they just showcased and start to get an itch for a red pill...
If they want to be considered a premium brand, they need to step up and be a premium brand, and that means more than high-end product. It means top-notch follow-up and support as well. It means public acknowledgment of flaws in existing products like the OP-Z warping and double-triggering problems and a publicized plan for how they intend to correct these issues both in future iterations of the OP-Z and how they’re going to take care of their existing OP-Z customers. In short, Teenage Engineering needs to grow up.
I bought a brand new OP-Z directly from them several years ago that had a faulty battery. It took 30+ days of emails & sending it to them to acknowledge the issue. I demanded a refund/return which they to which they finally acquiesced. They don't sell instruments. They sell jewelry.
They don’t need to do anything. They sell a shit ton of products and make a lot of money. They never said they wanted to be a premium brand. You said they want to be a premium brand. All they’re doing is making something that you don’t have to buy if you don’t want to. They’re not a public service or a government that’s jacking up prices of food so people can’t afford it. They make little toy synthesizers that cost a lot of money. Stop having a fit about it.
TE is out of their minds! I consider my $1900 Hydrasynth Deluxe my first and probably only "big" synth purchase and can't fathom paying that for an OP-1 Field just for the sake of its portability, which I feel is its strongest feature. Call me cynical, but I have a feeling artificial scarcity might play into this product's availability too. If they make so few of them that they sell out frequently, then people might feel inclined to place a higher value on the product. I can't say I'm surprised when they sell a freaking FM radio for $800.
I wonder if the crazy high price has something to do with a strategy to maximize their profit in a chip shortage situation. It seems to scream we want to sell less and have a huge margin. Maybe right now its not feasible to produce more. Its a stupid price tho. It should've been the same price as the OP-1 was as an absolute maximum. Probably less.
I'm a lot more critical of the price, "I'm not the target market anymore" is kind of the problem, I think we need to resist the shift of the target demographic for music production stuff to influencers and celebs. I feel like there's a lot of artificial pricing with synth gear too that makes it less accessible. Even my MC101, which is a lot more affordable - I could have gotten a serviceable laptop for that price.
Teenage Engineering is a marketing scam IMO. All this shock and aww of "designing every part" is not engineering: it's decadent, wasteful opulence. It's not progress to charge $2000 to sell the same thing, more cramped, + the stuff it should have been a free firmware update.
They act like they wannabe Apple among music devices, but in fact they make niche and gimmicky devices for inadequate price. Op-z is even more stupid. Nano leds insread of gui, no logical separation for keys, but looks how cool our flat encoders are! They could make and sell just an opz app + USB midi-cv accessories.
I have the og op-1. Happy with it. Well made. Worth the £1111 I paid for it in 2020. I recently bought a Solid state Logic Bus plus mastering grade bus compressor for £2000. Very happy with that.
the M8 is superb, as well as the 1010 or polyend gear, even the mpc one or the elektron stuff . its so many options out there between 500-900 bucks. I did understand the op-1 when it came out but was turned down as it had no (real)midi (!) and went the electron octatrack route. but today, so many options out there, so much fun even on very low budget. model:samples is way below 400 and then come the new roland aira. or for even less the volcas...
This company took advantage of the "lo-fi craze" of a few years back. Having one of these was like showing off the new iPhone at Starbucks. Not their fault, it's business, but there's plenty of options out there for way less price.
definitely their fault. there are other companies in the market too who did not go this insultingly far. i'm glad everyone is calling them out. I almost fell for this shit 5 years ago or so when it was 1200... happy owner of an mpc live 2 now.
@@cyborgchimpy people forget that the reason things sell for stupid money is cause stupid people pay what they’re asking. Don’t be mad at companies, be mad at the state of society when people can’t make rational decisions when their online presence could be improved with one simple purchase.
It looks exactly the same but thinner... and way more expensive. I don't think they did anything to it that a firmware update could have done. There are a thousand things I would rather buy than an OP-1.
Teenage Engineering was always the Supreme of audio gear. I'll take my functional audio equipment and make actual music any day over their lifestyle signaling products.
There's a significant number of hobbyists and artists and creators that can't justify the price but are still grabbed by the idea, the workflow, the form factor, and I think somewhere along the line a small company will go "Ok, let's get that market share" and just, make a cheaper "clone" or something open source, kinda like the Organelle but with a bigger screen and with a more visual workflow.
@@northerncatto As opposed to the very stylish kindergarten animations hypnotizing the gullible synthnerd on the OP-1? If anyone can get more cringeworthy than that it's gotta be Ulli.
"hello, my name's Jorb. I love gear." Sounds like something from an AA / NA meeting!! Love to sample that for some druggy sounding track to make on the future!! Great start!! Thank you X ♥️💯👊☮️ Edit: Add in "I tried (insert your choice here) today... ... and I'd like to talk about it."
People I bought the OG OP1 this for unorthodox workflow of discovering.... I would buy the the OP1-F . I hear people going on about the price, but we all know TE is a design company first that applies their knowledge to devices. I used to hate guitar pedals, now I have some a few Chase bliss pedals, because I like what it does and understand the pricing... I see the Pocket Operators as the same rate of pricing ....the programmers are king. I got into beta testing a few iOS apps and still do, and gave me a great appreciation for even saving a project, let alone all the virtual studios we build with our own gear. The OP1 Mirroring Traditional recording techniques, programmed into workflow and tactile feedback in one device. TE making music devices, and even now their radio is like Bang & Olufsen , saying they are going to be launching a retro 4 track cassette multitrack recorder and portable groove box... your know what you your in for. A lot of us purchase things we can’t afford. It’s your choice, to weather you want the gear, to have and tinker on, or does the gear serve you and pay for its self. Let’s not become a slave to gear and forget about the music. If Arturia got TE to design and make the Microfreak with premium materials, I don’t think I’d have one because of how much it would cost to build, but they didn’t , and I still think the build is crappy, but it’s a great tool in its field.
I tried it as well at Superbooth (nice to briefly meet you btw, I was the one with the bleached bangs) I have to say without having one before it was super easy to pick up it's workflow and even did a little track. It's lovely and the fact that is so portable is a massive asset. But when the original units went up in price cause of inflation, parts shortage blah blah blah yean 1200/1300 was borderline ok. I really loved it but I 2000 is overkill. If the new unit was around the 1500 bracket I would probably consider it ( and save up for months lol for it) p.s. what a nightmare Willy Brand airport was, I almost missed my flight too!.
That t-shirt just broke the decade's long passion i have for TE. Any brand fixating on what is essentially the hypebeast audience, really has no interest in generating value beyond the point of sale. Scrapping the youtubers that made the op-1 accessible and mimicking the shallow aesthetic of Apple is not a good recipe for building loyal base of creatives (who, rarely backed by trust funds)
@@magnopere they collaborated with Off White because they’re friends with Virgil Abloh who they helped collab some designs for and they were paying homage to him and his brand after his untimely passing. Soooo idk what to tell you
@@dakota.7617 Still, there's no law requiring you to settle for a ridiculous price for a f*ing white T-shirt even if you are collaborating. As a one off product you could have viewed it as irony but looking at the rest of their pricing, they gave up on being a music instrument company in favour of being a luxury gadget company. All the power to them. But for me, they lost any sympathy I had for the brand.
I just watched an entire video on NFT's, the act of buying a crappy JPG file of a badly drawn monkey for thousands of dollars if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Its only value is the fact that it is expensive, and it is used as a way for cowboy capitalists, right wing extremists and the criminal underworld to launder their tarnished money. This feels very similar and leaves a disgusting taste in my mouth. Status symbol for rich idiots and genuinely unpleasant people. And this is the market Teenage Engineering is going for. Tells you everything you need to know.
First of all I'm glad your channel is taking off enough that you're able to go to Berlin and be a part of that event. Congrats! And regarding the price I don't have much to add. It's insane but to be fair no one is forcing anyone to buy it. If you have the cash and want to ball out, go for it, but doesn't seem like an essential purchase for anyone. Also This makes me whining about the Juno-X cost seem absolutely ridiculous 🤣
when your country's currency becomes 2-3 times less compared to euro than it was, and u have exhausted resourses after 2 years of lockdown... ehehehe, i could afford original op-1 back in days, but now i guess TE remains only as pocket operators thing for me, lol
The op-1 has always felt like a toy/beginner product to me. It’s great fun (sounds great too) and makes it less clinical/informative in the production process. Like how he mentions most of the levels/knobs didn’t have any actual numbers beside it an it really makes you just wanna turn knobs. But it’s not priced for a beginner. And for ppl that have the funds, and know what their doing, It’s a toy to them that’s a hassle to export to the rig to make a fully fleshed song. Their great fun to use! But for the price, it’s insulating
Wait, TE selling T shirts for $500? How indicative. Remember when they said nobody should pay this much for their own product, and to hang in there? When it went up to $1,000, I was still on the fence as a later on piece of gear...now, not so much. It took me more than a year to finally fork over for an MPC Live 2, and even that would give me enough for a TE shirt afterwards. If they are charging this much now, after all of that nonsense, I could never trust their brand, moving forward. This will not be good for them, as a company.
@Matthew Martin Yes. I get that Teenage Engineering would like to be a premium brand now, but this isn't the type of market they could do that with. This move has infuriated their entire community, and is a deterrent for future customers. Classic PR nightmare.
I got an OP-1 back when they were near their lowest price ever, and I thought it was still overpriced. Then I struggled for years to make and finish songs on it, because it's simply not very good at that. It's only good as a musical sketch pad -- and even for that, it's not great. So eventually I gave up on it. Four years later, I got an Akai Force brand new for the exact same price I paid for the OP-1. And OMG, it's fantastic. It's pretty much exactly what I've been wanting since I first got into making music ~30 years ago. It does everything I need, and most of it "just works" without hassle. And new stuff gets added faster than I can even try it. Now the OP-1f exists, and ... it just feels like an insult. It still has the same core workflow issues which made the original so unfit for finishing songs... and then there's the price. Never before have I seen four digits so clearly convey the message of one digit -- the middle finger.
@@ToyKeeper I was just telling a friend of mine how crazy it is, to pay that kind money and not even have the ability to song build. The features do not match the price...
Tbf The shirts are a collab with off white which is a higherish fashion street brand so that price is average for their stuff (not saying I agree with its pricing but it shouldn’t be shocking if you knew anything about fashion)
@@DangMclang5969 That's the thing. Teenage Engineering is primarily a fashion company... not a music tech company. But they try to operate in the music tech world, without following the rules and standards of that community. It's like opening a drive-thru restaurant between a McDonald's and a Taco Bell, and then charging $99 for a mediocre burger with a side of fries, or $119 if you want it in a to-go bag. Add another $10 if you want ketchup packets.
Stereo is huge for me at least and the updated effects makes a big difference as well. But I doubt I'll ever been able to buy one! Still hurting from buying the OG OP-1 XD
Sure, but stereo and decent effects in itself honestly isn't that huge, outside of the OP-1 realm. I love my OG aswell, but considering price-to-functionality and support ratio, the Deluge is VASTLY superior in my opinion. It's kind of mind blowing you can get 2 Deluge's for 1 OP-1 field... Also, I'm a subscriber, love your ambience tracks!
Sure, stereo, twice the sound, twice the price, makes sense to me too. Its 2022 after all, lets bring stereo in. Whoa te! We were promised flying cars, you bring us stereo output. Revolutinary. Field. Hm. Waterproof?
First let me say I’m late to the game for the op-1 and teenage engineering, sounds like at least 10 years late. I’ve seen the op-1 and always thought well that’s dumb but didn’t really know what I was talking about of course. I always thought of Moog stuff as premium price but having a bunch of Moog stuff such as the matriarch and sub37 it’s actually excellent gear well worth the price IMO. I only mention that because I’ve seen several comments mentioning you can get the matriarch for similar price as op-1 field just to put the $2000 price into perspective. I just bought and returned the Sonicwear Smpltrek. After using it for a week I didn’t really have much to show for my work. It was just a little too limiting and felt like hardwear from 1980s. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. Smpltrek was cool but not really what I was looking for. Anyways a little while back I built a euro rack keyboard and integrated the op-z initially just as a controller but found I really liked the op-z itself also. So I figured maybe the op-1 is what I need. I was going to buy used op-1 used but then thought well maybe I’m missing out on 10 years of updates etc so dummy me sold my first born and got the op-1 field. I’ve only had it a few days so it’s still totally new to me so my opinion is not really well formed yet but… Is there really no undo? Like at least one? How many people work to get a track just right then to immediately forget to change tracks and record a big mistake on top of the good track and have to start from scratch again? Please let me know if I’m missing something. I must be. I have to be. I understand you can lift your track and paste it again so it’s in memory before moving on. But why? Like one undo would be so much simpler. For $2000 it seems like they could have provided processing power for like 8 tracks at least or something like a proper significant upgrade. When I learned there is only one project on the OG it was out so field was in. But still 6 or 8 tapes or whatever still seeks limiting. Maybe I don’t understand how the thing work internally but it’s almost like handing out breadcrumbs. We hear by give the peasants some breadcrumbs. Be happy. Joking aside it seems very limiting unnecessarily. I do like the workflow of recording audio instead of midi. It’s very freeing in a groove box not having to commit a track to one sound. I even like how on one track you can layer many instruments. I think this is what everyone loves about the op-1. Just a guess. It’s what I like best so far. Sitting in a dark hotel room with other people sleeping I just realized that back lighting would have been really helpful and a significant upgrade tho the OG as you non hipsters call it in a well seemingly hipster fashion. 😄 on a dark stage that would be great.
It’s the price of 2 MPC live 2s plus change to buy cases and upgrade the hard drives , unlimited projects and a profession tool to make music that sounds professional
When I see a company has massively overpriced an item - and I'm talking about the $500 T-shirt, at this point - it makes me suspect other things they sell aren't worth the asking price either. For $2k, I want a big multi voice analog, covered in more knobs than I immediately know what to do with. Nothing less.
It looks and feels fantastic and with the line up surrounding it seems like it's going to open the door to a truly independent on-the-road production set-up. But at that price, it just misses its demographic imo.
I see this product as something for the hardcore fans of the OP workflow. But if anyone is looking for a standalone music production device there are already amazing products on the market for less. Not to mention with that money you could get a powerful laptop, descent interface, good headphones, and an sm57/58.
My thing is that nothing else really exists to compete with it. It's truly unique, and that uniqueness is frustrating. I do personally really want an alternative / competition, but it's not there.
@@danstan3601 i was ios music making enthusiast since 2010. i started getting dissapointed with certain things around 2017... well, thats totally different talk though. Anyway, as i view it, interface, controls and overall ui/ux of op-1 is its stronger thing. At least for those who got tired after years and years of scatter of vsts, apps and what not... in OP, you have an unified system. So it feels like instrument (same as, idk... Electribe ESX? Buchla Easel? Electron Monomachine? Radikal Spectralis?), and some people really treasure that. Some, of course, do not. I'm originally a guitarist who moved from guitar & pedals to the realm of synths/samplers and software. And even though, e.g., i bought and used more than hundred of music making apps on ios, of all diffrent sorts... often i found myself just submitting to one, and using it solely for making songs (like e.g. nanostudio 1 back in times), even though sometimes i was getting back to using "many things for many needs", first via virtual midi, then with audiobus, later with iaa/au3 and what not. But still, personally i often return to this state of "i just need one instrument and make music with it". I guess this is one of reasons i was alwyas loyal to OP-1, for example. But that's just how i view it currently, your experience and needs may be different. In the end, i didnt get to buying my own op-1, instead i got Doepfer Dark Energy + some handmade circuitbending-based noise machine to complement sp404 i already had, while sequencing them from some ios sequencers. And later i just got into korg gadget or something like that as i got too lazy to mess with hardware on a common basis.. sad smile. I considered getting op-z though, it seems to be a great continuation of what monomachine/octatrack were doing. But nowodays i honestly dont know anything anymore. I'm fed up with ios music app scene being destroyed from different factors (there are enough personal beefs from me lately on it), and TE disappoints with "luxury" pricing AND questionable build quality... Maybe i just should save up for getting into eurorack or something. Or go the other way and just go modern Korg/Moog, lol.
@@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333 I get you. I use iOS exclusively for fx paired with an es-8. I don't bother with sequencing on it. I still think AUM plus a handful of free plugins gets you beyond the abilities of an op1 in a pretty easy to manage setup. I own 208 hp of eurorack and while I love the hands on instant gratification of patching it does require a frustrating amount of work integrating it into a modern production environment. However it pays off in dividends when you do it. I get why people buy the OP-1. but it's not really going to scratch the itch TE claims it will. I'd say something like the Model:Cycles/Samples will get you 80% there. The refinements to prior Elektron hardware's pitch challenged sequencing model and stripped down workflow make them absolute gems. I would pay 2000 dollars for a groovebox that had a real sequencer, a reasonable amount of storage, quality hardware components, and an intuitive UI/workflow. The OP-1 is not that. You have to fight against it's rigid workflow to get anything resembling a track out of it. It's cheap and prone to failing apart. It's not even a very good instrument let alone groovebox. Anybody seriously looking to buy an OP-1 should probably read about the polyend play or tracker.
if you want to look at the op-field as small form-factor synth then you could get an arturia microfreak plus a strymon bigsky reverb unit for under $1000 and you would have a deep, easy to use small scale synth that could carry you almost anywhere you want to go. if you want to spend $2000 on a synth from a premium brand you could get a moog matriarch or a moog subsequent 37 and own a truly premium instrument from a company woth a known track record for excellent customer service. people are welcome to buy the op-field if they want to but it wouldn't be for me. i'll leave that for the fanbois with money to burn.
Shoot at that price might as well search for a used Prophet-6 synth! I know one of the big selling point is the portability for OP-1 but as we all know it’s a whole lotta $$$… On the bright side, we have quite the variety of synths at all price points in 2022. Curious to see what the culture brings in 2032. Well, back to practicing on my keyboard! - Great channel subscribed!
i dont really believe that op-1 is thing of interest for "keyboard synth musicians". I always considered it to be more in line with grooveboxes like korg electribe or akai mpc. Something kinda portable and possible to make tracks using only it despite limitations.
@@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333 Exactly, most likely due to the lack of a regular sized keybed 🎹. The start of creative process gravitates more towards coming up with chords/improvising on normal keys as suppose to tweaking knobs/parameters over arpeggiator sequence. The best used keyboard deal I purchased was a Nord Electro 6D 61 for $1280.
That looks like a really fun little guy, and hearing that they've added a subtractive synth and stereo sampling is really neat! Just like the original OP-1, it goes in my "I would love to have one, but will only ever own one if I win it in a contest" pile. I'm not averse to spending money on gear, I happily paid aftermarket prices for a Machinedrum and don't have any regrets about it, but I could never really justify the price for what an OP-1 would be to me. If I wanted something versatile, portable, and fun to make music on: I can buy an iPad and a number of great apps. If I'm going to spend $2,000 on a single piece of gear, it has to be something that I find truly special. My biggest hope from the OP-1 Field is that it will drive down aftermarket prices of the original enough that I can justify nabbing a fun new toy for plane rides and lunch breaks.
> machinedrum thats one of holy grails here. to some extent, op-1 also was/is such. so you can understand why we love/want it (but then cant justify price so it hurts)
btw i went through iOS euphoria era around 2010-2016, and now i more or less got disappointed with how it ended up over the years. And i would say, one of subjective reasons why something like monomachine or op-1 might "win" for somebody, its because its unified system/design. It's like, if u can compare "average modular eurorack setup" that consists of many random modules by all different creators VERSUS specially made system like makenoise shared system or buchla easel, which is more than sum of the parts due to how fits together perfectly into one thing. Thats, i think, also a stong side for op-1 as well, including how controls and ui/ux are done. Even though for synth part i would prefer waldorf blofeld, for drum machine i can choose MD, etc. etc. etc.
Feel like the only one not mad about the price. Disappointed sure, I’m fuckin’ poor, but these things are relative. $2k is how much a set of fancy Michelins cost. A 64hp desktop eurorack setup is easily $2k. Fixing the AC compressor on my 1990 Toyota was $900. Also find it strange the alternatives in these comments offered with “for that money I could get X” are different from what the OP-1 offers in…pretty obvious ways Good video and solid conclusion!
I can complement teenage engineering on providing useful software updates for the original OP-1 long time after its release. Though, many of the new features in the Field, you were talking about, should have being included in the first version. I think, most people can produce better on the go using an iPad or a $500 laptop with a little controller. As a groove box it does not really look professional and large enough to use on stage or in a live stream. Back in the days, as I was flying business class, I remember seeing these catalogs with luxury items at the seats. The OP-1 Field would have fit right in there. Targeting people with deep pockets, who pretty much have already everything and look for something unusual to excite them or as a conversation starter, with an award winning Dieter Rams inspired designed gadget might be more profitable than selling to financially strapped musicians in a crowded market.
I think the price is roughly the same as the original unit but offset for the inflation. Main expenses being work hours in Sweden and chips during a chip shortage. Sadly, you can only have this kind of thing at this price in 2022.
That makes my Roland Fantom xa worth about $50,000, $300 would be really an over price for that unit. I’m sure glad they don’t make cell phones can you imagine.
You're being way generous 😄. I think the pricing scheme as asinine personally. Yes they can do what they want, they don't owe anyone, capitalism, ect...but it is still everything wrong with, well, everything today. The Moog One has some justification for it's cost and the company still makes products that people who aren't wealthy can buy. Given the limitations even with the new Op-1 it's ridiculous.
Good take. I see the Moog One as an actual bargain for what it is, what it can do etc. Especially when you consider what the inflation-adjusted price was for fairly basic synths like Minimoog, Juno-106 or Prophet 5 in their day...or now for that matter!
I just feel like for price tag, you can an entire set up. You can get an Mpc one, an audio interface and a decent hardware synth and still have money left over.
I've yet to see a TE product that is worth the asking price and this is a perfect example of that. Its an $800 device living off of hype and being sold for a ridiculous amount. There is a big reason why these sell like crazy on reverb, its because its overhyped and after most people get it they are underwhelmed and quickly resold again. And yes, I own an OP-1 and OP-Z but I would never pay new prices for any of their products. To me if TE wants to be the ultrapremium option they need to make devices that are ultrapremium in some way other than just price alone.
If I had that kind of money to drop, I wouldn't want to put it their way. If maybe TE had given it a bigger keyboard (possibly extra octave) but there is other great gear out there you can get and still have change for a good meal out
Haha , Yeah the white Tshirt analog is right coz their design has gone to their head. A new product would be nice. OP1 is great but not always the best bit of kit for creating or completing music. Nice instrument sure. Great blog BTW ✌
I doubt the BOM and production cost exceeds $400, not a bad markup if you ignore product development/R&D. For $2000 you can get a lot of bang for your buck, but there isn't much competition for a portable music production system or DAW (albeit limited)
Part of the appeal of the original was that it offered something that software didn't. That is of course still true, given that it's hardware, but the plugin/DAW market has changed so much that the OP-1 has been rendered much less interesting now.
Everybody spewing hate for the new OP-1 pricing. Good, well deserved, yes is niche, but the gear you could buy with 2K, as nice as it is and all the things it does , is not a $2K machine even with the hipster tax of all TE products, they just dont wanna sell any i guess, just to the ones that buy whatever and never use it.
I’m a bit worried about the antenna at the middle of the aluminum enclosure being a weak point. iPads had the same thing and were prone to bend at slight pressure. I hope TE thought of this when designing the op1 field.
Perhaps it’s this kind off old school myth stuff that makes them sell, like vinyl making a come back. Wind back what 50 years or so to the Tascam 4 tracks and they were all the go back then. Now we have almost infinite track DAWs like Ableton Live. Would love to try an OP1 but looking at the $ would most likely rather spend my $ else where and not have to go back to digital caveman time and be limited to four tracks. Mostly likely my last comment is s bit harsh due to the ignorance of not having used one. Hey great review video. By the way my son has the Pocket Operator from TE and loves it, we even jammed together and released it on my soundcloud, ya so some people really love their gear and suites their work flow.
some people just do a 180 degree turn and go from digital world of VST/DAW and their "limitless" burden to, how can i say.. back to basics? Which is why explosion of affordable analog gear recently, all those "portable" synths and what not. Too bad TE decide to keep OP series as "premium" just like Apple tries to do, despite obvious limitations.
Thanks Jorb great video!! I don’t have any TE gear. But I’m always fascinated with new and interesting ways to make music. The OP-1 has always been a big hit. I’m sure they just figured what the hell let’s dial this thing in and crank the price up. But I wonder… Is this the beginning? Is the “OP field two” going to cost $4000? If you are in the industry and make money making music then you got to get what you need to make that music and if it’s the OP one field, then more power to you!! Let’s see what you got! I know people that drop $5000 on a classical guitar, but they make money playing it. So it justifies the cost.
i think that when the really expensive mixer came out, i started not wanting to support this brand, like.. i dont have any of their stuff, but im not going to since that damn mixer happened.... geeesus lol love the channel Jorb keep helping us all out with the knowledge
Hey Jorb are you going to do more JS-30 videos? I have a original OP-1 but definitely can't afford a OP-1 Field. For real I couldn't afford a original OP-1 at todays price
@@JorbLovesGear I'm looking forward to the video when you get one released. There aren't many good js-30 videos out there. I liked your review and Marlow Diggs has a few good ones but that is about it. I think maybe one more person put out a good review of it.
There is an authorized TE repair place in NJ that although was a bit expensive, did a great job and decent turnaround in the very early days of the pandemic.
Hey Jorb, have you ever heard of the Oraganelle M? it’s something similar tho this but slightly different. i just purchase one used and i’m excited to get my hands on it. i think it would make for an interesting video review :) by the way, you rock bro, used some of your juno patches in my last project and went from having 10 off monthly listeners to over 2000. Appreciate the work you do to help other creatives
Even more unique is they should only allow 3 tracks of audio , losing 1 track for Sync code (like the old days with a Tascam and Pocket sync's MTC) , especially when you add a 2nd Field you ArseNil Limitations are everything. Especially in this day and age with a 2k price to boot. I want Limitations. At least it still has that "Casio Tone" look...Thats worth it,.
2k is just ridiculous. 1200 for the OP-1 was already very much on the fancy side, but 2k is crazy compared to what other manufacturers offer in terms of value for money. The OP Field seems to have notable improvements, but nothing that would justify almost doubling an already over the top price tag. Also considering that the OP Field is still on the toy-ish side when it comes to music production. I do hope there are just very few people supporting this kind of attitude.
ASM plus a circuit rhythm... and spend the change on drugs, girls and alcohol. ... I have an ASM... I have a circuit ... you are heading into the right direction 😁
My big issue with TE trying to act like a premium brand is their customer service is the stuff of legends for all the wrong reasons. Honestly I was expecting either a price drop or only a minor price increase with an OP-1 refresh. But at 2K it's made the Field go to competing with a lot of higher end gear which I think could backfire spectacularly on TE as it is you can literally get 3 or 4 other music making devices for the price of the Field alone.
You would need 3-5 other devices to do everything that the OP-1 does. It's a dream machine.
The OP-1 is way overpriced if you only looking at owning it for one purpose EX: Sampler, synth, Groovebox, DAW, etc.. If you want an all in one package that's portable with a good user interface, then its a justifiable purchase. It all comes down to what you are gonna use it for.
@@TheDungeonDive MPC live can do it all for less price
@@saml8279 Right on the money. TE can go kick rocks at this point. I'm not going to start drinking their Kool aid.
@@TheDungeonDive You can get 3-5 other devices for the same price that do everything that the OP-1 does but like actually well.
$2000 takes it firmly into fashion accessory territory. It is aimed at the millennial version of the guitar dad, who used to spend $2000 on a Stratocaster to hang on the wall, 20 years ago.
This 100%. It's hipster amateur niche crap.
@@MS-1 that’s why so many famous artists use op-1 eh? It’s the best musical sketch pad on earth for professionals.
@@glynnpowell7864 Certainly not the cheapest or best. There are other machines.
@@glynnpowell7864 It wouldnt be the first time a company gave away promotional devices to famous people in order to get people thinking oh wow Moby uses it holy fuck. It must be good if hes using it. Its called advertising and it works. Especially when your a new player in a crowded space filled with industry staple names like Korg, Yamaha, Akai.
@@glynnpowell7864 By that logic beats headphones must be the best headphones in the world for studio mixing because of all the famous artists wearing them in their videos, what a load of crap, teenage engineering is a lifestyle brand, their target audience now clearly isn't musicians, it's people with too much money to spend who have no personality to speak of and need to fill that void with the latest expensive products, it's peak consumerism
I've never been that interested in the OP-1. Always seemed overpriced for what it actually did..
But this new one is insanely priced. Just a way to show you have more money than sense.
That’s exactly what I put on another site. But there’s one born every day.
People seem to forget that the OP1 was originally released at $849 in 2012. TE have just slowly been increasing the price to see when people will stop purchasing it. It became $900. Then $950. Then $1100, then $1200. Then $1300. Now the OP1 on TE's website is listed at $1399. Now here we are with the Field starting at $2k... Sure looks normal when priced next to the OP1 at $1399! But we all know a 2012 synth/workstation should have NEVER become $1399. It's disgusting.
I've never seen a product go through such variable pricing as the OP1 has and.... no one seems to care? It's so strange to see. Imagine if the Digitone every year just increased by $100 dollars to finally be Octatrack price level and everyone just went "Ah yeah this is just the price Elektron gear is, it's fine."
I always tell people the same thing - Remember if you're looking at getting an OP1 and looking at reviewers from 2012 to 2015, when MANY were saying something like "It's so fun and great, but it's expensive! It's gonna be tough for a lot of peoples wallets, but it sure is fun!" - they are calling it expensive from it's $850 launch price. What it has become now is an absolute robbery.
It’s inflation.
bro rent was 400 dollars in 2012
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Inflation is at 10% right now, not at 120%
@@Byronic19134 Compounding rates are a real crusher when they're working against you. 10% inflation over 10 years results in $2202. They're actually making it cheaper!
the OP1 is *almost* on track to match the inflation rate - 1000 euros in 2011 is 1200 euros today - so it's not the most egregious shit ever (it's still bad!). that said, those parts have surely gotten cheaper over time, and the markup on the various plastics used in assembly is pretty ridiculous. 2k for this thing is wild, there's no way to justify it. they can just get away with it, so they will. there is no way the internals cost another several hundred euros, and the software improvements, while nice, are so incremental it's goofball to suggest that's where the cost lie.
This is the pricing equivalent of jumping the shark. I love my op1 and Z, and I bought them for myself as a treat, knowing they were musical luxury items. And of course, I got used. New was just ridiculous, even being in the market for a luxury toy.
I was excited for the brand, owning the two big items. But these last few releases have broken my want to be a brand loyalist, simply because of price. They're cool items but man. Get a grip on what you think you can ask for stuff like this - not even doing a price drop on older products. Like the video said, the company has no reason to keep within a certain price range.
But we as customers don't have to pay for exorbitant prices for items. Nor do we owe any brand any kind of blind loyalty.
I think they shot themselves in the foot as well. They go for low sales high margin though.
@@Art-zs6sl high unit margin but surely the will end up with less profit. I suspect they know this and just want less customers, less operational expense like support and more time to spend on design. Or maybe they know there’s a market at that price. I think that’s what’s pissing people off. They don’t like the idea that there are enough customers who will pay $2k and that excludes them.
a luxury Instrument is a Moog or the Digitech and more.but not the new op-1 or
@@chromosundriftbingo
For me personally, it's a pretty big disappointment. You can put a lot of powerful gear together for 2k - the OP-1 has become more and more of a status symbol, I think, and less and less of an instrument that people curious about the workflow can try out. It's just wasted potential, in my opinion, and turns a unique instrument into a piece of social media status fodder for those who can either afford it straight up, or get it some other way (large youtubers and promotions, for instance).
And, frankly, calling it the OP-1 Field, which kind of implies it's supposed to be hardy and for use on the road, just kinda adds insult to injury. Kind of like marketing a high end Mercedes G class as if it was a low cost Jeep or something, when it's only really used by the extremely wealthy on city roads. Rude to those who would use it for its intended purpose, but can't afford it because of needless price hiking. But that's a side point.
especially when the components of the OP1 is cheap. The DSP in the OP1 is a $20 part, and its not that many components in this machine at all. This is more a $300 device prices almost 7 times more. Guess Behringer makes it $299 :D
LOL at calling it a status symbol who are you impression with it and where?
@@magicseadog8674 what
So…a person who can manage to use 2000$ on a device they really want, is in your opinion extremely wealthy???
Agreed. It would be one thing if you could randomly select from a pool of your favorite artists, and there was a good chance the OP-1 made appearances all over their musical catalogues. But this is not a device that anybody is using to actually make music that people listen to. It's a cute little distraction that a small handful of successful RUclipsrs have featured in videos. For anybody who can buy this and not bat an eyelash at the cost, great for them, that's fantastic, you do you. But for anybody who otherwise sees $2k as a lot of money, and nevertheless runs out and buys this thing, I'd say they should probably take a step back, gain some perspective, and rethink the purchase.
Multiple projects at the same time? Revolutionary!
@@asladek And the knobs are blue, grey, red and OCHRE now!!
So slick!
@@Sikt HUMANkind? Nah, this is the synth MORBIUS uses
Wait till you feel the velcro
I bought the OP-1 last year. I'm a musician with a full time job and disposable income. I moved countries and sold nearly all of my music gear. When I learnt that it existed, I bought it almost immediately. I travel often for work, and I love taking this thing with me. I'm an acoustic musician, I don't know much about synths but I know the sounds when I like it, and I do ALL my music on this thing now. Perhaps I was the perfect demographic for the OG!
When I learnt of the OP-1 Field, I was super excited! The immediate features I wish it might have is to add more tracks, maybe 6 or 8. I use all the tracks up early, and as the song develops, the more anxiety I get of accidentally scrubbing something I cannot get back. The second feature is of multiple tapes. Sometimes inspiration hits and I want to pick up the OP-1 and start getting it down, but managing the tape gets very difficult if you have one or more unfinished projects on the go.
I'm disappointed that it still has only 4 tracks. I'm happy to hear there are multiple tapes! The other updates look great also (stereo, reverb). I'm lucky enough that I *can* afford this and I *could* order it now... but I haven't and likely won't until I learn more. It might have been different if it was 1,300 - 1,500.
I am hopeful they might provide another update to the OP-1, like when they released the OP-Z and brought some of the features from this to the OP-1. *Maybe* the OG will get the reverb and the synth patch? Unless it is just not compatible because of the higher bit rates and stereo output... but here's to hoping.
You were much more understaing about this then i thought you would be - for some reason. For me personally, even being in that - "I have a job and enough disposable income to buy this" bracket - this is not a well priced device. TE made the op1 field into a symbol of status keeping "it's a great music gear with plenty of features and innovations" as an afterthought. It's their decision - of course, but I really do not like it and I respect TE a lot less after their mixer and op1 field decisions.
P.S. This video is really quite for some reason.
Well said, cheers.
Sorry about the volume, I'm struggling editing away from home, 😅
@@JorbLovesGear Thanks for giving your take on this device, and don't worry about the volume - stuggles on the road are somewhat expected truth be told! Have a great weekend!
Great synchronicity that you repaired that OP-1 for this trip and they announced this.
As for how I see it, plenty of good (and bad) gear is exorbitantly expensive. TE doesn't need to justify the price of this or the mixer in order to sell them for this much.
BUT, I personally feel this direction makes them seem like a fundamentally unserious company when it comes to music production gear. Not because everyone should have access to all tools at all times, but because this comes across as a non sequitur move in the context of how the rest of the industry is moving. Some would say going against the grain is a good thing here, but turning the OP-1 in a luxury good is just such a shame. They could have the best music workflow in the world and it will not matter a bit because only a small fraction of the population will have one (and a smaller subset of that will probably even make let alone release music made with it). Anything at this price point is going to struggle to have an influence on culture, imo.
This approach doesn't really align with what I value, thus I'm disappointed.
It’s $2000 because they’ve included a $1900 token inside the case, for a future upgraded version. You just have to pry it open with pliers and use the code on their website.
First thing that struck me as odd was the color change for the knobs. I'm colorblind and loved the OG OP-1 color scheme, but these ones are really confusing for me 🥺
I agree. I actually think the original design is way better. I also don't like the silver chassis with the white plastic keys. Just doesn't look as good as the original.
Yep. Same here. Very unattractive piece. Does not give me the hype OG OP1 has. Not that I am on the market for one, but the OG color scheme had something very appealing. The new design - color choices are meh . . . but you can always pimp the knobs I guess .. not the display color scheme which is designed along the colours of the knobs . . so again meh
Oh man that sucks, I actually thought colorblindness might be why they changed it
"design" oriented company 😂
I can't believe it's £2000, an insane amount of money for a product that was already overpriced. I don't really know what target market would want to spend this much on this device.
Do you ever wonder if the "Matrix" extends past the world of politics, religion etc and might exist as part of our world in the electronic music community? I see this OP-1 Field and the mixer they just showcased and start to get an itch for a red pill...
Celebrities and very rich people who need more toys are the only people that can afford this thing.
@@lo-firobotboy7112 So, not musicians then 🤣
@@modernmusician3346 Yes
I’ve already seen comment threads in people praising this and throwing 2k at it and I’m just like… why?
$2000 is the US price. I'm in Canada and it would come to almost $3000. Insane. I'll be sticking to my Original OP1 thanks.
If they want to be considered a premium brand, they need to step up and be a premium brand, and that means more than high-end product. It means top-notch follow-up and support as well. It means public acknowledgment of flaws in existing products like the OP-Z warping and double-triggering problems and a publicized plan for how they intend to correct these issues both in future iterations of the OP-Z and how they’re going to take care of their existing OP-Z customers. In short, Teenage Engineering needs to grow up.
bingo; they're dressed for the part but aren't acting it.
I bought a brand new OP-Z directly from them several years ago that had a faulty battery. It took 30+ days of emails & sending it to them to acknowledge the issue. I demanded a refund/return which they to which they finally acquiesced.
They don't sell instruments. They sell jewelry.
my op-z is warped like a banana. contacted support within the 1 yr warranty period and was told that's normal and expected 🤷♂️
@@benoftroy my Buchla bends too. That's what premium synths do /s
They don’t need to do anything. They sell a shit ton of products and make a lot of money. They never said they wanted to be a premium brand. You said they want to be a premium brand. All they’re doing is making something that you don’t have to buy if you don’t want to. They’re not a public service or a government that’s jacking up prices of food so people can’t afford it. They make little toy synthesizers that cost a lot of money. Stop having a fit about it.
TE is out of their minds! I consider my $1900 Hydrasynth Deluxe my first and probably only "big" synth purchase and can't fathom paying that for an OP-1 Field just for the sake of its portability, which I feel is its strongest feature. Call me cynical, but I have a feeling artificial scarcity might play into this product's availability too. If they make so few of them that they sell out frequently, then people might feel inclined to place a higher value on the product. I can't say I'm surprised when they sell a freaking FM radio for $800.
Yeah this shit is nuts lol. Its actually overpriced enough to be irritating. Theres not much there.
I have never spent more than $1600 on anything musical, except the computer.
@@notsure1135 i'm a streamer and i've never paid more than a thousand for anything lol
I wonder if the crazy high price has something to do with a strategy to maximize their profit in a chip shortage situation. It seems to scream we want to sell less and have a huge margin. Maybe right now its not feasible to produce more. Its a stupid price tho. It should've been the same price as the OP-1 was as an absolute maximum. Probably less.
I'm a lot more critical of the price, "I'm not the target market anymore" is kind of the problem, I think we need to resist the shift of the target demographic for music production stuff to influencers and celebs. I feel like there's a lot of artificial pricing with synth gear too that makes it less accessible. Even my MC101, which is a lot more affordable - I could have gotten a serviceable laptop for that price.
I had no idea about the t-shirts...that takes it to another level.
Teenage Engineering is a marketing scam IMO. All this shock and aww of "designing every part" is not engineering: it's decadent, wasteful opulence.
It's not progress to charge $2000 to sell the same thing, more cramped, + the stuff it should have been a free firmware update.
I applaud your comment. Well put, sir.
Correct!
So you’re not going to buy it then?
They act like they wannabe Apple among music devices, but in fact they make niche and gimmicky devices for inadequate price. Op-z is even more stupid. Nano leds insread of gui, no logical separation for keys, but looks how cool our flat encoders are! They could make and sell just an opz app + USB midi-cv accessories.
Pretty sure things like 32-bit stereo, and that reverb would definitely not be possible on the OGs hardware.
I have the og op-1. Happy with it. Well made. Worth the £1111 I paid for it in 2020.
I recently bought a Solid state Logic Bus plus mastering grade bus compressor for £2000. Very happy with that.
I hope you cover The Dirtywave M8. I think it is a well-designed machine that could be priced like an op-1 but isn't. It's pretty special.
the M8 is superb, as well as the 1010 or polyend gear, even the mpc one or the elektron stuff . its so many options out there between 500-900 bucks. I did understand the op-1 when it came out but was turned down as it had no (real)midi (!) and went the electron octatrack route. but today, so many options out there, so much fun even on very low budget. model:samples is way below 400 and then come the new roland aira. or for even less the volcas...
This company took advantage of the "lo-fi craze" of a few years back. Having one of these was like showing off the new iPhone at Starbucks. Not their fault, it's business, but there's plenty of options out there for way less price.
definitely their fault. there are other companies in the market too who did not go this insultingly far. i'm glad everyone is calling them out. I almost fell for this shit 5 years ago or so when it was 1200... happy owner of an mpc live 2 now.
It’s not really. The iPhone is very capable. You could even use it for innovative ideas like a *gasp* subtractive synth engine.
@@cyborgchimpy people forget that the reason things sell for stupid money is cause stupid people pay what they’re asking. Don’t be mad at companies, be mad at the state of society when people can’t make rational decisions when their online presence could be improved with one simple purchase.
I think of the OP-1 as a fashion accessory for the very rich.
Or dozens of bands?
@@briannhinton Fair enough.
It looks exactly the same but thinner... and way more expensive. I don't think they did anything to it that a firmware update could have done. There are a thousand things I would rather buy than an OP-1.
You should email them and let them know that they can just update the firmware on the op1 and get the same result. They might not have realised.
I think a relatively fair brand comparison would be to call them the Hasselblad of electronic music equipment🤷🏻♀️
Teenage Engineering was always the Supreme of audio gear. I'll take my functional audio equipment and make actual music any day over their lifestyle signaling products.
They have only been around since 2006
Excellent take on the amount of consideration goes into product design/ pricing on gear. Critical, honest and thorough on a nuanced topic. Thanks.
Thanks for doing the video and all the travel. Love your perspective so really appreciate this.
Happy to do it, thanks for saying that
There's a significant number of hobbyists and artists and creators that can't justify the price but are still grabbed by the idea, the workflow, the form factor, and I think somewhere along the line a small company will go "Ok, let's get that market share" and just, make a cheaper "clone" or something open source, kinda like the Organelle but with a bigger screen and with a more visual workflow.
Behringer are salivating at the thought of this :D
@@kassemir somehow I don’t see them handling the GUI part very well… You gotta get the graphical flair right. All their hardware is just fugly lol
Yeah but it’s pretty shocking there hasn’t been a clone or copycat for the OP-1 after all this time. It’s still super unique
Sonicware kinda did that.
@@northerncatto As opposed to the very stylish kindergarten animations hypnotizing the gullible synthnerd on the OP-1? If anyone can get more cringeworthy than that it's gotta be Ulli.
"hello, my name's Jorb. I love gear."
Sounds like something from an AA / NA meeting!!
Love to sample that for some druggy sounding track to make on the future!! Great start!! Thank you X ♥️💯👊☮️
Edit:
Add in "I tried (insert your choice here) today... ... and I'd like to talk about it."
Yeah, I was tempted to sample that 'i love gear' statement 😎😂
@@yodab.at1746 great minds think alike there good sir ♥️☮️💯👊👍🥳
Please share with me what you end up making!!! ♥️♥️♥️
It's how he starts every video :)
@@NateHorn for some, it's how everyday starts.
@@yodab.at1746 hahaha
People
I bought the OG OP1 this for unorthodox workflow of discovering.... I would buy the the OP1-F .
I hear people going on about the price, but we all know TE is a design company first that applies their knowledge to devices. I used to hate guitar pedals, now I have some a few Chase bliss pedals, because I like what it does and understand the pricing... I see the Pocket Operators as the same rate of pricing ....the programmers are king. I got into beta testing a few iOS apps and still do, and gave me a great appreciation for even saving a project, let alone all the virtual studios we build with our own gear. The OP1 Mirroring Traditional recording techniques, programmed into workflow and tactile feedback in one device. TE making music devices, and even now their radio is like Bang & Olufsen , saying they are going to be launching a retro 4 track cassette multitrack recorder and portable groove box... your know what you your in for. A lot of us purchase things we can’t afford. It’s your choice, to weather you want the gear, to have and tinker on, or does the gear serve you and pay for its self. Let’s not become a slave to gear and forget about the music. If Arturia got TE to design and make the Microfreak with premium materials, I don’t think I’d have one because of how much it would cost to build, but they didn’t , and I still think the build is crappy, but it’s a great tool in its field.
I tried it as well at Superbooth (nice to briefly meet you btw, I was the one with the bleached bangs) I have to say without having one before it was super easy to pick up it's workflow and even did a little track. It's lovely and the fact that is so portable is a massive asset. But when the original units went up in price cause of inflation, parts shortage blah blah blah yean 1200/1300 was borderline ok. I really loved it but I 2000 is overkill. If the new unit was around the 1500 bracket I would probably consider it ( and save up for months lol for it)
p.s. what a nightmare Willy Brand airport was, I almost missed my flight too!.
That t-shirt just broke the decade's long passion i have for TE. Any brand fixating on what is essentially the hypebeast audience, really has no interest in generating value beyond the point of sale. Scrapping the youtubers that made the op-1 accessible and mimicking the shallow aesthetic of Apple is not a good recipe for building loyal base of creatives (who, rarely backed by trust funds)
The T-shirt they sell is a collaboration with Off-White, so it’s just priced to match OW’s other clothing. TE sells regular shirts for $30 still
@@matt-lang why tf is TE doing a collab with OW? what's next, Gucci DSP Pedal?
@@magnopere they collaborated with Off White because they’re friends with Virgil Abloh who they helped collab some designs for and they were paying homage to him and his brand after his untimely passing. Soooo idk what to tell you
@@dakota.7617 Still, there's no law requiring you to settle for a ridiculous price for a f*ing white T-shirt even if you are collaborating. As a one off product you could have viewed it as irony but looking at the rest of their pricing, they gave up on being a music instrument company in favour of being a luxury gadget company. All the power to them. But for me, they lost any sympathy I had for the brand.
I just watched an entire video on NFT's, the act of buying a crappy JPG file of a badly drawn monkey for thousands of dollars if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Its only value is the fact that it is expensive, and it is used as a way for cowboy capitalists, right wing extremists and the criminal underworld to launder their tarnished money. This feels very similar and leaves a disgusting taste in my mouth. Status symbol for rich idiots and genuinely unpleasant people. And this is the market Teenage Engineering is going for. Tells you everything you need to know.
First of all I'm glad your channel is taking off enough that you're able to go to Berlin and be a part of that event. Congrats!
And regarding the price I don't have much to add. It's insane but to be fair no one is forcing anyone to buy it. If you have the cash and want to ball out, go for it, but doesn't seem like an essential purchase for anyone. Also This makes me whining about the Juno-X cost seem absolutely ridiculous 🤣
when your country's currency becomes 2-3 times less compared to euro than it was, and u have exhausted resourses after 2 years of lockdown... ehehehe, i could afford original op-1 back in days, but now i guess TE remains only as pocket operators thing for me, lol
My 2k short list is novation peak, chase bliss habit, and, maybe, the new patch box if I have enough. Therefore, it's a no for me.
I owned a Summit (which I sorely miss now) and it was amazing. Get the Peak, it’s worth it.
The op-1 has always felt like a toy/beginner product to me. It’s great fun (sounds great too) and makes it less clinical/informative in the production process. Like how he mentions most of the levels/knobs didn’t have any actual numbers beside it an it really makes you just wanna turn knobs. But it’s not priced for a beginner. And for ppl that have the funds, and know what their doing, It’s a toy to them that’s a hassle to export to the rig to make a fully fleshed song. Their great fun to use! But for the price, it’s insulating
Well said, that’s the reason I didn’t buy one in the first place.
Wait, TE selling T shirts for $500? How indicative. Remember when they said nobody should pay this much for their own product, and to hang in there? When it went up to $1,000, I was still on the fence as a later on piece of gear...now, not so much. It took me more than a year to finally fork over for an MPC Live 2, and even that would give me enough for a TE shirt afterwards. If they are charging this much now, after all of that nonsense, I could never trust their brand, moving forward. This will not be good for them, as a company.
@Matthew Martin Yes. I get that Teenage Engineering would like to be a premium brand now, but this isn't the type of market they could do that with. This move has infuriated their entire community, and is a deterrent for future customers. Classic PR nightmare.
I got an OP-1 back when they were near their lowest price ever, and I thought it was still overpriced. Then I struggled for years to make and finish songs on it, because it's simply not very good at that. It's only good as a musical sketch pad -- and even for that, it's not great. So eventually I gave up on it.
Four years later, I got an Akai Force brand new for the exact same price I paid for the OP-1. And OMG, it's fantastic. It's pretty much exactly what I've been wanting since I first got into making music ~30 years ago. It does everything I need, and most of it "just works" without hassle. And new stuff gets added faster than I can even try it.
Now the OP-1f exists, and ... it just feels like an insult. It still has the same core workflow issues which made the original so unfit for finishing songs... and then there's the price. Never before have I seen four digits so clearly convey the message of one digit -- the middle finger.
@@ToyKeeper I was just telling a friend of mine how crazy it is, to pay that kind money and not even have the ability to song build. The features do not match the price...
Tbf The shirts are a collab with off white which is a higherish fashion street brand so that price is average for their stuff (not saying I agree with its pricing but it shouldn’t be shocking if you knew anything about fashion)
@@DangMclang5969 That's the thing. Teenage Engineering is primarily a fashion company... not a music tech company. But they try to operate in the music tech world, without following the rules and standards of that community.
It's like opening a drive-thru restaurant between a McDonald's and a Taco Bell, and then charging $99 for a mediocre burger with a side of fries, or $119 if you want it in a to-go bag. Add another $10 if you want ketchup packets.
Those t-shirts. Man alive.
Yeah, that kinda sends a message doesn't it
Stereo is huge for me at least and the updated effects makes a big difference as well. But I doubt I'll ever been able to buy one! Still hurting from buying the OG OP-1 XD
Sure, but stereo and decent effects in itself honestly isn't that huge, outside of the OP-1 realm. I love my OG aswell, but considering price-to-functionality and support ratio, the Deluge is VASTLY superior in my opinion. It's kind of mind blowing you can get 2 Deluge's for 1 OP-1 field...
Also, I'm a subscriber, love your ambience tracks!
Hey! @remixsample! Love your vids
Sure, stereo, twice the sound, twice the price, makes sense to me too. Its 2022 after all, lets bring stereo in. Whoa te! We were promised flying cars, you bring us stereo output. Revolutinary. Field. Hm. Waterproof?
First let me say I’m late to the game for the op-1 and teenage engineering, sounds like at least 10 years late. I’ve seen the op-1 and always thought well that’s dumb but didn’t really know what I was talking about of course. I always thought of Moog stuff as premium price but having a bunch of Moog stuff such as the matriarch and sub37 it’s actually excellent gear well worth the price IMO. I only mention that because I’ve seen several comments mentioning you can get the matriarch for similar price as op-1 field just to put the $2000 price into perspective. I just bought and returned the Sonicwear Smpltrek. After using it for a week I didn’t really have much to show for my work. It was just a little too limiting and felt like hardwear from 1980s. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. Smpltrek was cool but not really what I was looking for. Anyways a little while back I built a euro rack keyboard and integrated the op-z initially just as a controller but found I really liked the op-z itself also. So I figured maybe the op-1 is what I need. I was going to buy used op-1 used but then thought well maybe I’m missing out on 10 years of updates etc so dummy me sold my first born and got the op-1 field. I’ve only had it a few days so it’s still totally new to me so my opinion is not really well formed yet but…
Is there really no undo? Like at least one? How many people work to get a track just right then to immediately forget to change tracks and record a big mistake on top of the good track and have to start from scratch again? Please let me know if I’m missing something. I must be. I have to be. I understand you can lift your track and paste it again so it’s in memory before moving on. But why? Like one undo would be so much simpler.
For $2000 it seems like they could have provided processing power for like 8 tracks at least or something like a proper significant upgrade.
When I learned there is only one project on the OG it was out so field was in. But still 6 or 8 tapes or whatever still seeks limiting. Maybe I don’t understand how the thing work internally but it’s almost like handing out breadcrumbs. We hear by give the peasants some breadcrumbs. Be happy. Joking aside it seems very limiting unnecessarily.
I do like the workflow of recording audio instead of midi. It’s very freeing in a groove box not having to commit a track to one sound. I even like how on one track you can layer many instruments. I think this is what everyone loves about the op-1. Just a guess. It’s what I like best so far.
Sitting in a dark hotel room with other people sleeping I just realized that back lighting would have been really helpful and a significant upgrade tho the OG as you non hipsters call it in a well seemingly hipster fashion. 😄 on a dark stage that would be great.
It’s the price of 2 MPC live 2s plus change to buy cases and upgrade the hard drives , unlimited projects and a profession tool to make music that sounds professional
Polyend Play is better than this POS
Dare I call it tonedeaf to drop an OP-1.5 for $2000
When I see a company has massively overpriced an item - and I'm talking about the $500 T-shirt, at this point - it makes me suspect other things they sell aren't worth the asking price either.
For $2k, I want a big multi voice analog, covered in more knobs than I immediately know what to do with. Nothing less.
Except that t-shirt doesn't exist. it's currently on sale for $30
Oh you're talking about the "Off-White" T-Shirt which is out of their control
Cool as it is to have an updated OP-1, oooooffffff that price.
Yeah its hard to get past it, isn't it...
Berlin is amazing, I hope you have time on your trip to explore!
Really appreciate the info here. Thanks!
It was a hard decision, but I bought a Moog Matriarch instead of the OP-1 field.
I think it was the smart decision.
You'll make do. I decided to go with a Pro 3 se, bummed out it won't fit in my pocket!
🤣
Sounds like an impossible decision to try to make. Probably came down to flipping a coin
Cool video, thankyou. The fact the leather wrap case for the op-1 field is $250 tells me all I need to know
Exactly
It looks and feels fantastic and with the line up surrounding it seems like it's going to open the door to a truly independent on-the-road production set-up.
But at that price, it just misses its demographic imo.
I legit wouldn't pay half of what they are asking. HARD pass!
They don’t sell it for half of what they’re asking, so you can’t buy it.
@@sagnier 🤦♂️
@@sagnier You're a bright one, arent you? :D
And….???? Do you actually realize that all you’re saying is: «I cannot buy this product.» 😂
@@theclaverman Well he said "wouldn't" not "couldn't" ...
You du actually realize that there is a Mkay?
Sweet Jorb my gear loving friend, how are you this fine Friday?
The polyend tracker is 500. Nonreason to bring it up just thought this was interesting. The price.
I may not agree with their price point, but I think he discussed TEs choice quite well.
I see this product as something for the hardcore fans of the OP workflow. But if anyone is looking for a standalone music production device there are already amazing products on the market for less. Not to mention with that money you could get a powerful laptop, descent interface, good headphones, and an sm57/58.
Excellent review!
My thing is that nothing else really exists to compete with it. It's truly unique, and that uniqueness is frustrating. I do personally really want an alternative / competition, but it's not there.
It has a quirky interface. A cell phone beats this by a huge margin. Just get a used iphone.
@@danstan3601 i was ios music making enthusiast since 2010. i started getting dissapointed with certain things around 2017... well, thats totally different talk though. Anyway, as i view it, interface, controls and overall ui/ux of op-1 is its stronger thing. At least for those who got tired after years and years of scatter of vsts, apps and what not... in OP, you have an unified system. So it feels like instrument (same as, idk... Electribe ESX? Buchla Easel? Electron Monomachine? Radikal Spectralis?), and some people really treasure that. Some, of course, do not. I'm originally a guitarist who moved from guitar & pedals to the realm of synths/samplers and software. And even though, e.g., i bought and used more than hundred of music making apps on ios, of all diffrent sorts... often i found myself just submitting to one, and using it solely for making songs (like e.g. nanostudio 1 back in times), even though sometimes i was getting back to using "many things for many needs", first via virtual midi, then with audiobus, later with iaa/au3 and what not. But still, personally i often return to this state of "i just need one instrument and make music with it". I guess this is one of reasons i was alwyas loyal to OP-1, for example. But that's just how i view it currently, your experience and needs may be different. In the end, i didnt get to buying my own op-1, instead i got Doepfer Dark Energy + some handmade circuitbending-based noise machine to complement sp404 i already had, while sequencing them from some ios sequencers. And later i just got into korg gadget or something like that as i got too lazy to mess with hardware on a common basis.. sad smile. I considered getting op-z though, it seems to be a great continuation of what monomachine/octatrack were doing. But nowodays i honestly dont know anything anymore. I'm fed up with ios music app scene being destroyed from different factors (there are enough personal beefs from me lately on it), and TE disappoints with "luxury" pricing AND questionable build quality... Maybe i just should save up for getting into eurorack or something. Or go the other way and just go modern Korg/Moog, lol.
@Mister Scoops would be funny if their product will end up more, ahem, sturdy and not needing repairs
@Mister Scoops i like how Behringer gear is kind of ... "synths FOR PEOPLE". Good to know :)
@@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333 I get you. I use iOS exclusively for fx paired with an es-8. I don't bother with sequencing on it. I still think AUM plus a handful of free plugins gets you beyond the abilities of an op1 in a pretty easy to manage setup. I own 208 hp of eurorack and while I love the hands on instant gratification of patching it does require a frustrating amount of work integrating it into a modern production environment. However it pays off in dividends when you do it. I get why people buy the OP-1. but it's not really going to scratch the itch TE claims it will. I'd say something like the Model:Cycles/Samples will get you 80% there. The refinements to prior Elektron hardware's pitch challenged sequencing model and stripped down workflow make them absolute gems. I would pay 2000 dollars for a groovebox that had a real sequencer, a reasonable amount of storage, quality hardware components, and an intuitive UI/workflow. The OP-1 is not that. You have to fight against it's rigid workflow to get anything resembling a track out of it. It's cheap and prone to failing apart. It's not even a very good instrument let alone groovebox. Anybody seriously looking to buy an OP-1 should probably read about the polyend play or tracker.
if you want to look at the op-field as small form-factor synth then you could get an arturia microfreak plus a strymon bigsky reverb unit for under $1000 and you would have a deep, easy to use small scale synth that could carry you almost anywhere you want to go. if you want to spend $2000 on a synth from a premium brand you could get a moog matriarch or a moog subsequent 37 and own a truly premium instrument from a company woth a known track record for excellent customer service.
people are welcome to buy the op-field if they want to but it wouldn't be for me. i'll leave that for the fanbois with money to burn.
Shoot at that price might as well search for a used Prophet-6 synth! I know one of the big selling point is the portability for OP-1 but as we all know it’s a whole lotta $$$… On the bright side, we have quite the variety of synths at all price points in 2022. Curious to see what the culture brings in 2032. Well, back to practicing on my keyboard! - Great channel subscribed!
i dont really believe that op-1 is thing of interest for "keyboard synth musicians". I always considered it to be more in line with grooveboxes like korg electribe or akai mpc. Something kinda portable and possible to make tracks using only it despite limitations.
@@kurisuchiinathecrocodile333 Exactly, most likely due to the lack of a regular sized keybed 🎹. The start of creative process gravitates more towards coming up with chords/improvising on normal keys as suppose to tweaking knobs/parameters over arpeggiator sequence. The best used keyboard deal I purchased was a Nord Electro 6D 61 for $1280.
That looks like a really fun little guy, and hearing that they've added a subtractive synth and stereo sampling is really neat! Just like the original OP-1, it goes in my "I would love to have one, but will only ever own one if I win it in a contest" pile. I'm not averse to spending money on gear, I happily paid aftermarket prices for a Machinedrum and don't have any regrets about it, but I could never really justify the price for what an OP-1 would be to me.
If I wanted something versatile, portable, and fun to make music on: I can buy an iPad and a number of great apps. If I'm going to spend $2,000 on a single piece of gear, it has to be something that I find truly special. My biggest hope from the OP-1 Field is that it will drive down aftermarket prices of the original enough that I can justify nabbing a fun new toy for plane rides and lunch breaks.
> machinedrum
thats one of holy grails here. to some extent, op-1 also was/is such. so you can understand why we love/want it (but then cant justify price so it hurts)
btw i went through iOS euphoria era around 2010-2016, and now i more or less got disappointed with how it ended up over the years. And i would say, one of subjective reasons why something like monomachine or op-1 might "win" for somebody, its because its unified system/design. It's like, if u can compare "average modular eurorack setup" that consists of many random modules by all different creators VERSUS specially made system like makenoise shared system or buchla easel, which is more than sum of the parts due to how fits together perfectly into one thing. Thats, i think, also a stong side for op-1 as well, including how controls and ui/ux are done. Even though for synth part i would prefer waldorf blofeld, for drum machine i can choose MD, etc. etc. etc.
Feel like the only one not mad about the price. Disappointed sure, I’m fuckin’ poor, but these things are relative. $2k is how much a set of fancy Michelins cost. A 64hp desktop eurorack setup is easily $2k. Fixing the AC compressor on my 1990 Toyota was $900.
Also find it strange the alternatives in these comments offered with “for that money I could get X” are different from what the OP-1 offers in…pretty obvious ways
Good video and solid conclusion!
I can complement teenage engineering on providing useful software updates for the original OP-1 long time after its release. Though, many of the new features in the Field, you were talking about, should have being included in the first version. I think, most people can produce better on the go using an iPad or a $500 laptop with a little controller. As a groove box it does not really look professional and large enough to use on stage or in a live stream. Back in the days, as I was flying business class, I remember seeing these catalogs with luxury items at the seats. The OP-1 Field would have fit right in there. Targeting people with deep pockets, who pretty much have already everything and look for something unusual to excite them or as a conversation starter, with an award winning Dieter Rams inspired designed gadget might be more profitable than selling to financially strapped musicians in a crowded market.
I think the price is roughly the same as the original unit but offset for the inflation. Main expenses being work hours in Sweden and chips during a chip shortage. Sadly, you can only have this kind of thing at this price in 2022.
Inflation definitely isn't more than 100% since 2011 🤷
@@JorbLovesGear inflation + better components and more workhours needed + chip shortage
If they want to be a premium brand they need to step up their customer service.
That makes my Roland Fantom xa worth about $50,000, $300 would be really an over price for that unit. I’m sure glad they don’t make cell phones can you imagine.
I would have thought Korg is in a position to go for this product segment. They have a long history of portables.
Give me Ableton and a couple of good plugs anyday! Oh yeah, I can buy a great laptop and still be under budget!
Insane that this toy costs the same as Novation Summit.
You're being way generous 😄. I think the pricing scheme as asinine personally. Yes they can do what they want, they don't owe anyone, capitalism, ect...but it is still everything wrong with, well, everything today.
The Moog One has some justification for it's cost and the company still makes products that people who aren't wealthy can buy. Given the limitations even with the new Op-1 it's ridiculous.
Good take. I see the Moog One as an actual bargain for what it is, what it can do etc. Especially when you consider what the inflation-adjusted price was for fairly basic synths like Minimoog, Juno-106 or Prophet 5 in their day...or now for that matter!
@@tonyhill2318 idk, smth like moog one seems too classic for me. but moog dfam + makenoise 0coast seems like a cool combo. + add some korg volcas
But, are the white t-shirts in an aluminum case??
I just feel like for price tag, you can an entire set up. You can get an Mpc one, an audio interface and a decent hardware synth and still have money left over.
I've yet to see a TE product that is worth the asking price and this is a perfect example of that. Its an $800 device living off of hype and being sold for a ridiculous amount. There is a big reason why these sell like crazy on reverb, its because its overhyped and after most people get it they are underwhelmed and quickly resold again. And yes, I own an OP-1 and OP-Z but I would never pay new prices for any of their products. To me if TE wants to be the ultrapremium option they need to make devices that are ultrapremium in some way other than just price alone.
If I had that kind of money to drop, I wouldn't want to put it their way. If maybe TE had given it a bigger keyboard (possibly extra octave) but there is other great gear out there you can get and still have change for a good meal out
Haha , Yeah the white Tshirt analog is right coz their design has gone to their head.
A new product would be nice. OP1 is great but not always the best bit of kit for creating or completing music. Nice instrument sure.
Great blog BTW ✌
Nothing beats the op1 on a trip.
nintendo switch - with korg gadget
Great point, I now want 4 white T-shirt’s )-8
I would love to own one, but at that price point, it is hard to justify. I’m sure they will sell a bunch and I wish them the best. Thanks
8:40 You forget how much apple sells wheels for but otherwise great vid I'm glad to see content creators calling TE out for this
I doubt the BOM and production cost exceeds $400, not a bad markup if you ignore product development/R&D. For $2000 you can get a lot of bang for your buck, but there isn't much competition for a portable music production system or DAW (albeit limited)
TE is like that person on Etsy that makes a pretty cool ceramic mug but sells it for $2000. FOH.
Again: THANK YOU!!!!!
thanks for this. question: can you disable the quicktips on screen?
not sure!
lmao the punchline at the end was gold
Part of the appeal of the original was that it offered something that software didn't. That is of course still true, given that it's hardware, but the plugin/DAW market has changed so much that the OP-1 has been rendered much less interesting now.
Fanboy and the OP-1 Cultism is what allowed this kind of pricing.
i think thats fair, they know they have the fans to make money at almost any price point
Everybody spewing hate for the new OP-1 pricing. Good, well deserved, yes is niche, but the gear you could buy with 2K, as nice as it is and all the things it does , is not a $2K machine even with the hipster tax of all TE products, they just dont wanna sell any i guess, just to the ones that buy whatever and never use it.
I’m a bit worried about the antenna at the middle of the aluminum enclosure being a weak point. iPads had the same thing and were prone to bend at slight pressure. I hope TE thought of this when designing the op1 field.
@Dan Flores bending is their middle name
Perhaps it’s this kind off old school myth stuff that makes them sell, like vinyl making a come back. Wind back what 50 years or so to the Tascam 4 tracks and they were all the go back then. Now we have almost infinite track DAWs like Ableton Live. Would love to try an OP1 but looking at the $ would most likely rather spend my $ else where and not have to go back to digital caveman time and be limited to four tracks. Mostly likely my last comment is s bit harsh due to the ignorance of not having used one. Hey great review video. By the way my son has the Pocket Operator from TE and loves it, we even jammed together and released it on my soundcloud, ya so some people really love their gear and suites their work flow.
some people just do a 180 degree turn and go from digital world of VST/DAW and their "limitless" burden to, how can i say.. back to basics? Which is why explosion of affordable analog gear recently, all those "portable" synths and what not. Too bad TE decide to keep OP series as "premium" just like Apple tries to do, despite obvious limitations.
Thanks Jorb great video!! I don’t have any TE gear. But I’m always fascinated with new and interesting ways to make music. The OP-1 has always been a big hit. I’m sure they just figured what the hell let’s dial this thing in and crank the price up. But I wonder… Is this the beginning? Is the “OP field two” going to cost $4000?
If you are in the industry and make money making music then you got to get what you need to make that music and if it’s the OP one field, then more power to you!! Let’s see what you got! I know people that drop $5000 on a classical guitar, but they make money playing it. So it justifies the cost.
i think that when the really expensive mixer came out, i started not wanting to support this brand, like.. i dont have any of their stuff, but im not going to since that damn mixer happened.... geeesus lol
love the channel Jorb keep helping us all out with the knowledge
Hey Jorb are you going to do more JS-30 videos? I have a original OP-1 but definitely can't afford a OP-1 Field. For real I couldn't afford a original OP-1 at todays price
Js30, a few ideas on the backlog, but not in the pipe yet.
Yeah its a big jump
@@JorbLovesGear I'm looking forward to the video when you get one released. There aren't many good js-30 videos out there. I liked your review and Marlow Diggs has a few good ones but that is about it. I think maybe one more person put out a good review of it.
2 grand would be one hell of a high-end laptop/DAW/decent amount of premium VST’s…. and still be portable!
2000$ and if if it breaks they likely won’t respond to your customer support email just as they didn’t mine and many many others.
There is an authorized TE repair place in NJ that although was a bit expensive, did a great job and decent turnaround in the very early days of the pandemic.
Price of a Digitakt and Moog Grandmother combined. Or the new Roland Fantom6 with $500 in your pocket. Yamaha should step in with a new QY.
Hey Jorb, have you ever heard of the Oraganelle M? it’s something similar tho this but slightly different. i just purchase one used and i’m excited to get my hands on it. i think it would make for an interesting video review :) by the way, you rock bro, used some of your juno patches in my last project and went from having 10 off monthly listeners to over 2000. Appreciate the work you do to help other creatives
Even more unique is they should only allow 3 tracks of audio , losing 1 track for Sync code (like the old days with a Tascam and Pocket sync's MTC) , especially when you add a 2nd Field you ArseNil
Limitations are everything. Especially in this day and age with a 2k price to boot. I want Limitations.
At least it still has that "Casio Tone" look...Thats worth it,.
2k is just ridiculous. 1200 for the OP-1 was already very much on the fancy side, but 2k is crazy compared to what other manufacturers offer in terms of value for money. The OP Field seems to have notable improvements, but nothing that would justify almost doubling an already over the top price tag. Also considering that the OP Field is still on the toy-ish side when it comes to music production. I do hope there are just very few people supporting this kind of attitude.
...it sure would be interesting if Behringer made a competitor to the OP-1...
Hey Jorb I saw you at super booth 2022 on RUclips. I'm interested on your thoughts of the new synths that were on display.
I could get a MatrixBrute or or an ASM hydrasynth for that kinda money.
ASM plus a circuit rhythm... and spend the change on drugs, girls and alcohol. ... I have an ASM... I have a circuit ... you are heading into the right direction 😁
IMO Teenage Engineering as a huge Behringer target on their back
if Behr can really do as good usability/interface/control and overall unificiation of system, it would be great