The intention of this post is not to disparage the OP-XY or anyone that owns it. Instead I want to express my thoughts and feelings about the device now that I’ve owned it for 5 days.
My first impressions were very positive. I appreciated the build quality (especially the keys and knobs). Most of the factory songs are really good (some are super cheesy but that is probably intentional) and they give a nice overview of the capabilities of this device. I immediately found some presets that sounded really great and proceeded to build up some simple tracks.
It was on the second day that I started to have some buyer’s remorse. I noticed that the workflow felt much less immediate and fun than the OP-1 field or even the OP-Z. I know these devices are very different but they still are TE devices and, first and foremost, they should, IMO, be fun to use. But I was not having fun using the OP-XY. Sure some of the struggle comes from this having a lot more features than the OP-Z or OP-1 and that would probably get a bit better over time; however some of the poor design decisions can not be fixed or overcome with time.
For example, take the colour scheme (or lack thereof). The four different shades of grey/white on the encoders simply do not work. They are not distinct enough and it is very difficult to find what element of the screen each one is supposed to adjust. This was never an issue on the OP-1 or OP-Z as they have four distinct colours. Every time I use the device I can’t help but think how bad a design this is (mostly because I’m trying to figure out what knob does what) and no firmware upgrade can really fix this.
Another issue is the keys and LEDs. The OP-Z does an amazing job of conveying lots of information with LEDs. For example, go to the mixer and you can watch the levels of each track go up and down via their green LED This is a super quick way to work. But on the OP-XY I keep having to shift my attention from the mostly monochrome screen to the mostly white LEDs of the keys. This problem is compounded by how similar each screen looks and the lack of visual indiction of what “module” or page you are on (why not have an LED that indicates what page you are on (eg mixer, track, etc)?. This might not seem like a big deal but to me it adds up and I find it cumbersome to use (should I be looking at the keys or the screen? Am I on the mixer page or the EQ page?). It’s an additional cognitive load that never goes away. Perhaps this will vanish with muscle memory but it has not happened. This device does not have the same “feel” as the OP-Z (which is not surprising given the size of the form factor).
The last big issue for me is the price. I just can’t get over how much this cost and every time I use it I am reminded of this fact To be clear, I can afford this device; however I can’t shake the feeling that this device is just not the worth the money for me which is why I think I will return it. I have never felt this way about a piece of gear before, even ones that were nearly the same price.
To sum this post up, I don’t think the OP-XY workflow is for me. I feel the same way as when I use Ableton: sure it’s very powerful, but much of this power lies beneath a complex menu system and an overwhelming amount of features; it’s more of a chore to use than a enjoyment for me. At the end of the day, workflow is one of the most important features of a device. During this five day period I keep picking up my OP-1 Field, not so much to compare it with the OP-XY, but just because it feels so much more natural and expressive to use and, above all, fun.