@PLNB said:
Im still puzzled as to why only two parameters can be adjusted for the synth engines. Is there another layer im missing?
on the op-1 there were only 4 parameters, and not all of them were useful…
i’d rather just have the params that sound good, and leave out the unlistenable digital tweaks
I would argue that it’s quite subjective which parameters sound good
there are far better instruments out there more making harsh digital noise, if that’s your subjective idea of sounding good! i personally have no use for “the same aggressive “digital” patch, but with a noise generator added”. that knob is wasted imo.
my main criticism of the op-1 was that for a lot of the synth engines, the controls and display didn’t do enough to show you what the parameters were doing, to help guide you to the sounds you were after, so you ended up exploring parts of the parameter space that were never going to sound good. the op-z, from tweaking i’ve done so far, avoids that by restricting the parameter space and i’m glad.
The performance icon is different too, I kind of like it better than the final one they chose. I actually really like the ‘misprinted’ version, and the app fix makes it fine with me. I know it’s knitpicking but if they had swapped the master icon with the mixer icon it would have been perfect. Also, I wonder what they did to make the misprinted batch match the app, maybe by serial number ?
How do we know it is a misprinted batch until the next batch comes out it is the only reference… That said, the official OP-Z page is now up on the TE site and it shows the other marking (and 6 hour battery life, no dayglow and no accelerometer linked to any synth perameter) so it’s all work in progress…still happy to have mine now, a bird in the hand!
there are far better instruments out there more making harsh digital noise, if that’s your subjective idea of sounding good!
Not sure what you’re getting at here
My point was merely that I really think it is quite subjective which params sound good.
In my humble experience with using the musical tools I have used in my past is that the less parameters I have available for me the more locked to a certain thing they are. But then again I like to spend alot of time tweaking the sound I use so they are suited for the project I’m using them in.
Personally I have enjoyed the available parameters on the op-1. Of course I’m not sayin they cover everything for me, the op-1 is one of many of the tools I use in my work.
I’m looking forward to trying out the op-z. When I read that you can only affect two parameters per synth engine I thought that it sounded quite limited. But then again my thoughts were the same when the op-1 came out. But it turned out to be very versatile.
And then on a more common level I deeply feel that what sounds good for one person does’nt work for all people.
I wish you an inspiring and creative time with your musicmaking! With excactly the right parameters for you ???
I’m very curious about the color of future OP-Z’s
I’ve seen multiple images where it’s super dark and uniform in color, like on the TE website right now.
All the ones (including mine) I’ve seen so far are light grey with ‘swirls’ or ‘streaks’ of plastic going through it giving it a more industrial plastic look.
there are far better instruments out there more making harsh digital noise, if that’s your subjective idea of sounding good!
Not sure what you’re getting at here
My point was merely that I really think it is quite subjective which params sound good.
my point is that it doesn’t take many parameters to make interesting and useful sounds. no synth can be everything for everyone, and the designers wisely make their choices on what to expose and what to hide. if they’ve hidden away the parameters one likes, it shouldn’t be controversial to suggest one continue searching for the instrument that will suit their needs.
the oscillators on my modular synth, for instance, have only have two parameters unique to themselves - waveshape and pulsewidth, and even that’s a little extravagant. (everything else would be covered by other parts of the op-z interface.) on the other hand, i’ve owned some very deeply tweakable synths like the an1x and waldorf q that were much less fulfilling to use because they offered too many options and not enough facility to manage them all.
for me the really neat thing about the op-z is how much of it is focused on composition rather than sound sculpting.
i mostly liked the old step component symbols and the alternate shift button which wasn‘t the arrow up more like a cake or something there are some old pics around…can’t upload tho
there are far better instruments out there more making harsh digital noise, if that’s your subjective idea of sounding good!
Not sure what you’re getting at here
My point was merely that I really think it is quite subjective which params sound good.
my point is that it doesn’t take many parameters to make interesting and useful sounds. no synth can be everything for everyone, and the designers wisely make their choices on what to expose and what to hide. if they’ve hidden away the parameters one likes, it shouldn’t be controversial to suggest one continue searching for the instrument that will suit their needs.
the oscillators on my modular synth, for instance, have only have two parameters unique to themselves - waveshape and pulsewidth, and even that’s a little extravagant. (everything else would be covered by other parts of the op-z interface.) on the other hand, i’ve owned some very deeply tweakable synths like the an1x and waldorf q that were much less fulfilling to use because they offered too many options and not enough facility to manage them all.
for me the really neat thing about the op-z is how much of it is focused on composition rather than sound sculpting.
Cool. There’s different ways to look at it. Thank you for sharing yours!
