is it worth it? well, i don’t regret buying the OP1 and i recommend it to all my friends.
if one of my analogue synths break. i can get out the multimeter and find the component that has failed. then it’s a wander down to the local electronics store and buy the required capacitors or resitors, solder them in and it’s back working.
with the OP1, there is no way i could fault find things. just reflowing solder on the on/off switch and checking the connection was a real test of my skills.
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It is significantly better now than it was 8 years ago thanks to the many updates, can’t say the same for computers, ipads, phones etc.
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If you can find a used unit in good condition for less than $1k and if you’re going to use it as a portable synth/workstation (rather than just a sampler), it’s totally worth it. Especially if you’re interested in experimental sounds.
I bought it for UI, and the UI still haven’t been replicated by anything I’m aware of.
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It has a cpu but you cant think if it like a computer.
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I wouldn’t buy one today no. The iPad and apps are much more evolved than when the Op-1 launched. Yes, I do love mine. I’m a professional sound designer and musician and the Op-1 has never made it into any work, but I like playing on it and posting on instagram for example. It’s a cool toy. It has it’s purposes. It has the same instrument theatre as standing in front of a wall of eurorack and looking like a pro, when you could get the same results from VCV or a cheap iPad app.
If no one is watching, don’t bother with it. It sounds like a posh Sk-1. If you’re on stage or wanting to post on social media or try and impress a client with your ‘weird gear’ then it’s great. Ironically, I use pocket operators all the time though in my work though as they have a better sound in my opinion.
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I totally disagree with you here. A computer is an electronic device. As long as you can provide the correct power and all of the parts are still functioning the computer will keep running. There are many examples of computers that have been running continuously since they were built in the 70’s. I think you will find more “analog electronic devices” from this time period and earlier because there were not as many computers in existence.
Where this perception of computers being slower over time is true is in general computing where you have a computer try to do every task possible instead of being programmed to do a specific task. In general computing the software is constantly updated putting more and more demands on resources that do not increase with the demand. If you have a computer that is purpose built for a specific task it won’t slow down over time, like a SCADA system, or the old computers still controlling missile guidance and command that the US plans to still use until 2030. Or a MPC, or lighting console. Another more modern example is the first generation ipad. It is so old that it can’t be updated any more. If you try to run a web browser on it the experience is not very enjoyable, but if you use music apps on it that were released back them they still work perfectly and just as fast as they do on a new ipad. I have two first generation ipads. One is dedicated to the ielectribe, the other is dedicated to the animoog. I treat them as stand alone synths, not computers. When I record them I treat them like I did with my hardware electribe.
Now to get back to the topic. Sure there are things about the op-1 that feel outdated, especially with the price hike. If you can see yourself enjoying it for years and never selling it, or only selling it if it is discontinued and the price jumps ridiculously high than yes it is probably worth it. If you are on a budget it probably isn’t worth it.
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it’s FUN making music on the OP. and that makes it worth every cent.
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Yes…seems that times have change however…in TE site everything is out of stock except the op1…
Just hunt for the b stock items - you still get warranty.
I snagged mine in b stock for 850 Euros including a 5 year warranty…
Where have you snagged it? From TE?
From Bax shop.
As they haven t updated the new price the b stock still sells for a reasonable amount. However one can be quite sure that any order on a new item won t be authorized by TE at that price point. Worth a try anyway 
oh. it’s 950€ now and “in stock in 26 weeks”…
Just have a look regularly and hopefully a b stocks shows off
Thx for the Tipp:)
In 2016, I purchased the OP-1 at Moogfest. Initially I wasn’t sure about it. I ended up returning it, then buying it back again after a couple of weeks of regret.
Now, three years later, I’ve come to absolutely love what it does, and what it is capable of. You can literally score a soundtrack with just this device. It is important tho to expand it’s capabilities through your studio. For example, some of the sounds are pretty one-dimensional until you play them through a velocity-sensitive keyboard using MIDI. Assigning external controllers to it also increases it’s capabilities.
Given the nature of this instrument and the child-like way it presents itself, it can provide sounds that you would NEVER otherwise discover, just by turning the knobs in combinations galore. The on-board effects are unique. I would also highly recommend adding an external stereo effects processor/pedal to it, which greatly opens it up in the stereo field and turns some of it’s more mundane sounds into amazing sonic landscapes from which to build on.
In short, over the three years I have had this device, I’ve come to believe that:
A. There is nothing else like this in the world.
B. It takes time to really get to know it.
C. Just when you think you know it, it can surprise the hell out of you.
D. It’s a great standalone device, but it blossoms and becomes jaw-dropping when you use the right external processing/delay/chorus/reverbs.
E. It was a fail to not make the keys out of touch-sensitive rubber pads.
F. This thing can be musical or modular sounding, depending on how you approach it.
G. This device rivals a Buchla in terms of the amazing variety of sonic possibilities using live control.
The longer I have it, the more I cherish it.
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[quote=“Mistercharlie, post:17, topic:13271”] spoilt by
amazing quality I can get from instruments, but I almost never make a track on the iPad because it’s such a pain to use for music — and I love the iPad for everything else — I’m a journalist and I do all my work on it.
That’s why I’m interested in the OP-1. The OP-Z and the Octatrack are such great machines for actually creating, instead of managing, like I end up doing on a computer.
[/quote]
I like recording with the lofi built in mic even. Making music with op-1 is just so direct.
Plus it is a design classic ,always ment to be.