Before TE I only had 2 pieces of gear : a drum machine and a Roland S1
Since TE; I got the op-z, op-1f and ko2 within less than 6 months of each other.
I also offloaded my Roland s1 and had my korg Volca drum up for sale but I don’t want or need anymore gear than the op1f and ko2 now
Is anyone else strictly a TE user? How did that come to happen? Did you try others and sold them for TE or did you just go for TE and never moved on?
I’m happy I found TE because nothing else works for me hardware wise; otherwise I would simply only use my iPad for production
I much prefer the op1F over everything I’ve used on all platforms [I love the op-z and xy and I’ll always keep my ko2; I love my traditional production studio, but nothing quite like throwing on a pair of Moondrops and just playing on the op1F
I don’t know if anybody would answer this the way that you do
It’s not hard to imaging starting with TE hardware and never looking seriously at other options but it makes me wonder what drew a person to try their devices over everything else.
I’m not simply a TE user or gear head…I’m an improvising musician and have gradually found their ethos closely aligned with the way I like to create. So I’ve used in-the-box softsynths, modular hardware synths in nearly all formats, many hardware samplers and analog tape machines…some of TE’s instruments stand out as uniquely useful despite all the rest I’ve encountered.
They still have some archaic views about some features (storage/memory) so I don’t think I’d sell everything I own to only use TE gear…but I’ve grown in appreciation for the fact that nobody approaches mobile music creation the way they do. For me, the freedom of timing that digital “tape” provides, as implemented in multiple devices they make, is a gamechanger that links their workflow to historic electronic experimentation (largely built around the strengths and weaknesses of analog reel to reel or cassette & home recording culture).
Until someone else takes that element of music making and inspiration seriously I’ll always a few TE machines in my setup.
I can answer this far more easily…I’m very fond of the SP series of samplers for alot of the same reasons I love OPs; Also owned multiple MPCs and a bunch of Elektron boxes; A core part of my creative flow for the past decade has been Ableton LIve & various Push controllers; They’re less common but I also use Monome sound computers and will compare all to TE below:
I’ve owned a 303, og 404, 555 during time when I also had an OG1 and OPZ; All of the older gen samplers got sold (including my first OP1) partly because of how much I like Z for sampling; Since then I’ve gotten a 404 mk2 and P6 but never sold Z…also reaquired an OG1 since it’s tape looper is so unique; I’d have kept the 555 but I hate the pad feel and some other details about it
I had an MPC 2KXL…surprisingly hated it cause I was already used to the listening-first mentality needed to work with SPs; eventually heard enough good things about new school MPs to try again with MPC Live; it’s an essential part of my flow and if it were smaller it could really challenge my love for TE and become the heart of my setup
I fell for the hype surrounding Elektron and when I had some work bonus cash spent enough to try a few of their instruments; Digitakt and Octatrack MK1 were 1st and I liked both to some degree…I sold the mk1 OT and upgraded to MK2; Next I picked up Analog Heat but it wasn’t what i expected and I had lots of glitches using it as an interface to bridge the analog and digital parts of my setup; After selling that I started to realize that Elektron is not best suited for my style or goals; It took another year fighting Analog Rytm MK2 for me to fully realize that I need to let go of the Elektron dream; Using OPZ and Max/MSP sequencers before Elektron left me unimpressed by nearly all the sequencers and prefer other tools for fx
Since you were so kind to answer so detailed let me return the courtesy-
What drew me to TE was sheerly accidental. I saw the OP1F on a desk and was absolutely taken away with it. Aesthetically it is very similar to another very important musical item in my collection and evoked inspiration so I researched what it did. When I discovered what it was, essentially a DAW in the most compact form imaginable, I was very intrigued, what sealed the deal was the ethos which is evident in the workflow as I’m a minimalist myself, an not even an electronic musician, but nonetheless for my 40th birthday I was gifted the op1f. And it was the best piece of studio gear I own now besides my guitars. I use it everyday and I take it with me anytime I go to my parents with my kids.
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What you said is funny because their ethos of minimalism and efficiency and streamlined compactness in every way aligns with my paradigm so I get it. I’m also an improvisational as I’m classically trained pianist and self taught guitarist so this workflow and its ability to input my guitar interface and amp directly is so cool.
It is just absolutely perfect for my workflow - a moveable DAW lite
With that said, it also sync perfectly with my iPad sequencers and apps and DAW so I’m loving that as well, no other product has that feature of hdmi syncing the way this does form what I’ve found and seen
The op-1f is unrivaled in all realms of music gear , and it transcends genres
i think if i would have started with TE i would have stayed with it, but in the 7 and a half years ive been making beats (after a 30+ year dj career) ive gone through a few things.
I started on Maschine and i LOVED it i had ALL the models and a few keyboards (i still use the Audio 2 as my main interface/soundcard) then my computer crashed and i lost EVERYTHING, and i swore NEVER to get on a computer for ANYTHING concerning my music, so then i got a
MPC live 2. i thought it was pretty decent, but i wasnt feeling the workflow it was serviceable but i felt i could do more and i really didnt like the whole “daw in a box” thing. at the same time i was gifted my first Pocket Operator, the PO-12 and i thought it was a dope lil drum machine, i enjoyed it. so i was offered a OP-1 and OP-Z (and some cash) in a trade for my MPC live so i figured “why not?”
i HATED the OP-Z straight up. didnt like the workflow and the fact that it didnt have a screen was horrible for me. the OP-1 was a lil different. it grew on me after a while, the only thing i didnt like was i got spoiled by my other devices when it came to chopping samples. the OP-1 SUCKED at sample chopping (or maybe it was me. lol) and the fact that you had to be REALLY locked in when working with the tape threw me. at this time Pocket Operators were REALLY cheap on the secondhand market so i just started snapping them up. and when i got my first PO-33 i was in heaven!!! a mini sample chopping monster… before i knew it i had the FLL set of pocket operators and a few duplicates.
i needed something a lil more robust so i got a SP404 MK2 and its been my MAIN peice of gear since. it had EVERYTHING i wanted.
The ep-133 came out and i copped it. its pretty decent peice of gear for the price. and i was recently gifted with the XY, and it brought FUN back to beatmaking for me. just being able to mess around and come up with stuff is crazy, i get the feeling i first had when i started beatmaking.