My Design for the OP-Z Mark 2 / Field

I had an idea for a product I made a mockuo for an OP-Z field.

Instead of the screen and knobs, it is a simple dot matrix display.

I have visualised it here with the lights glowing in the dark.

This design retains these features that I value in the OP-Z:

1: Encoder dials are flat and turning them with the tip of your index finger, allows you to turn them very fast or very slowly with ease.

2: There is no menu diving as the lights and colours combined with shift keys removed the need for menus.

3: This machine can be played in relative darkness due to the glowing lights and colour coding, which aids in finding the right button.

4: The speed of selecting tracks and mute groups makes altering compositions in real time without getting confused and performing musical improvisations are more well suited to the form factor and reduced number and shape of buttons.

5: Elegant simplicity is the hallmark of this product, which is a winning formula, IKEA will attest to. The rows and grids of buttons and only one shape and font and size with the colour ways are a real inspiration when music creating. This is something all product designers aim for in creating a mass appeal product and instrument.

The marriage of form and function are key.

Also the light show is cool. Why not extend that dmx pattern channel a bit and add animation to this matrix display?

So I hope you like my visualisation of the OP-Z2, which would be a beefier OP-Z in terms of tech and features as well and the multi colour matrix display would be a great challenge for the designers and eye catching feature.

Also make the pitch bend more sensitive.

Thanks!

I’d like to add that it’s very difficult to remember the setting for each trigger event with 10 options for each which would help immensely to have displayed for clarity and not needing a cheat sheet.

Why not divulge some commands? As the published online manual misses a whole range of features only found on youtube videos.

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Beautiful! One can dream… I’d also suggest backlit icons (like on the Ableton Move) and extending your matrix display to the left to align with the P button… Now we just need someone to build that bad boy :wink:

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I had another more complicated version that includes very thin bars of coloured light. I think this technology might exist. Wherein, each dot is connected by a line as well. This will allow for much better font design and two lines of text as well. But I’m using GIMP because I’m writing some tutorials for it and it’s slow.

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I really like this idea. Connecting to the phone is always a bit of annoying friction.

In the meantime, if y’all need a cheatsheet, I made two versions because I wanted to cram it all into just a few pages I could keep with the thing, because yes, there is a LOT to remember:

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Wow. What an incredible resource! You have gone all out! I am a bit confused about where the pdf’s are and which of your cheat cheat designs have a pdf or just a jpg at screen res 72dpi.

The op-z mk2 field is the op-xy pal

It’s over

Op/z is done

Love it for what it is

Oh thank you for the heads up. I assume you are the head of product development. Oh well. I suppose an experimental company is supposed to demonstrate and not exploit.

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I’m not man, I’m just being realistic and I don’t mean to crush your dreams, I’m just saying I had to accept the same thing

I’m not getting the XY, I would stick with the op-z, a firmware update would be like of all we need I think

The machine is amazing. It just needs to be built better and that’s up to them todo

No offense mate

Dream big

I’m not your mate - don’t be rude.

I’m holding out for a new product that is high concept and not a hothpotch of features mushed together like everyone else.

There’s still the Playdate to play…

Excuse you but I tried to be humorously realistic first, then I was kindly replying to not offend you with my second post (pal and mate and man are meaningless terms to refer to someone, I’m aware we’re not friends lol), and now your the one being rude

Op-z field aka op-z mk2 = op-xy

It’s cool idea, regardless of it’s likelihood of adoption. No need to rain on the parade.

Dude - that wasnt what I was doing to the guy - that’s why I replied in my second post to clear it up , I was trying to be nice, and I went out of my way to explain that…but I was told to basically get lost

Internet isn’t always clear , what a person might be saying versus what you understand it to mean, so I went out of my way and wasted time to make it clear I was just being playful and honest in my first reply, so if no one understands it by now, there nothing I can do to help the point get across

I literally encourage everyone to dream big, and this is no different because I would still like an op-z field for $8-999 (I do not want the op-xy, not at $2,300; I would buy it for $1399-1499 max but even then, I would still rather have the op-z especially for $429)

Will TE listen to us and make an op-z field mk2 now? After they released the new “flagship” XY that basically covered all the things everyone asked for to improve the op-z ? Would they now start re investing in a faulty product 7 years old that got a $80 price drop in MSRP [which rarely ever happens to a product, a price drop 7 years later indicates less focus, not more] ? Or would they most likely move on with life?

point is , I would love an op-z field and it’s always fun to see the creativity people put into TE improvements like this . If anyone at TE is listening: the op-z field should be your next product !!!

It’s all :heart: love

I think it’s a dam fine look concept, but it may only be market viable if they could keep it under 7-800 as the target market sales price… so I dont think this will ever happen …

Although I would fully expect the new XY code to live in other hardware format … Bigger surface more dedicated buttons /even sections with dedicated encoder disks (the true flat surface Z spirit) :fleur_de_lis: … Something like the EP133 but perhaps twice the size… : :sound: :loud_sound: :comet:

But are we really going to wait until 2028 for that one :pensive: … The XY code might be finished in a year or two … Im just getting the XY its one dam fine sounding unit with amazing sequencer fully worth the investment for me personally … :boxing_glove: :two_hearts:

What I was trying to do with the design is refine what the OP-Z did, not expand upon it.

The XY is the Z on steroids. But like a Muscle Mary, it’s ugly and inelegant.

The XY appears to be a compositional product rather than a live performance product.

So the next in the OP line would be something more sophisticated, not less sophostiacted.

Because although the XY has more features, they are not implemented in innovative ways but rather added alot of complexity and it’s kind of down and dirty in a way the OP-Z was clean and elegant.

Really it just needs better build quality and stronger hardware and software for extra money.

As a designer by training, the OP products are following Modernist design principles of right angles, circles and clear layouts.

That’s the idea it seems anyway. So the XY is very much a dilution of that idea and a reverse gear rather than blazing a trail.