(Pre-purchase) Newb with nil vocab asks question on 'sound scape'- 'style' please advise?

[quarantequatre]

Hey !
You should try it in a music store if you can
And try push too if it’s another stuff you’re “instinctively” GASing.

I personally love the Op-1 because there’s no specific workflow and you can really do what you want in the way you want… there’s some limitations but it’s part of the stuff, and when you find your flow and something cool to play with, you can manage to finish a track very fast
But sometimes it can be a bit frustrating, so I try something else and something else and then I fulfill the tape, backup it on my computer and erase the whole tape … then "let’s make something new ! "

That’s one of the reasons I’ve just taken a push, to complete my hardWare stuff and fully exploit my unfinished things … I’m waiting for it, hope this gonna be cool :))

Do it try it !

[nooooddy]

I own an OP1 and a Novation Circuit and have zero music making experience, tuition or DAW knowledge, much like psilop1.

I bought the OP1 after at least a year of lurking on here and watching every single OP1-based video on the webzs. Much like the Circuit it made me feel excited about making interesting sounds, beats, melodies and ‘songs’. I fell in love with the tactility of it, the portability and the unusual workflow and presentation.

I’m a total nerd and love technology, both hardware and software and can appreciate how a DAW can enhance things or stimulate creativity but for me, right now, I love interacting with hardware.

Psilop1, if the OP1 has piqued your interest and you can afford it, i’d recommend going for it and exploring it in your own time without paying too much attention to any ‘methodology’. It is so exhilarating to jam out and lose yourself and you’ll learn as you go, developing skills and confidence that will allow you to explore other aspects of music making in the future - maybe even DAWs! The flip side is - if things dont work out, the OP1 holds its value in the second hand market pretty well so you could always sell up and make your money back!

On a side note, the Circuit is also awesome, join the Circuit Users FB group for more info!

Good luck and I hope you find a route into music using whatever you find interesting.

[psilop1]

I own an OP1 and a Novation Circuit and have zero music making experience, tuition or DAW knowledge, much like psilop1.

I bought the OP1 after at least a year of lurking on here and watching every single OP1-based video on the webzs. Much like the Circuit it made me feel excited about making interesting sounds, beats, melodies and 'songs'. I fell in love with the tactility of it, the portability and the unusual workflow and presentation.

I'm a total nerd and love technology, both hardware and software and can appreciate how a DAW can enhance things or stimulate creativity but for me, right now, I love interacting with hardware.

Psilop1, if the OP1 has piqued your interest and you can afford it, i'd recommend going for it and exploring it in your own time without paying too much attention to any 'methodology'. It is so exhilarating to jam out and lose yourself and you'll learn as you go, developing skills and confidence that will allow you to explore other aspects of music making in the future - maybe even DAWs! The flip side is - if things dont work out, the OP1 holds its value in the second hand market pretty well so you could always sell up and make your money back!

On a side note, the Circuit is also awesome, join the Circuit Users FB group for more info!

Good luck and I hope you find a route into music using whatever you find interesting.

(Belated) Thanks Noooody for the reply… Very positive, pragmatic and encouraging…Much appreciated

I went to see a chap in a music shop near me (he has industry experience)… he has no OP-1 for me to lay hands on and is himself soon to get a Push 2. From what I understand from forums and speaking with him, getting a Push 2, Able’ live 9 software, plus correct spec laptop sends the budget into the stratosphere but places you in a less limited/ more orthodox production situation, albeit at a desk/studio location. The music shop guy kind of said that Push 2 etc gets you square in semi-pro music making territory, while op-1 neither attempts nor delivers the same…

I have no such budget (but could easily overspend and face the wrath of wife later!), no such physical workspace available, nor want to chain myself to a single location…

He did say I might try Caustic on android tablet, which I did last night and found it deeply frustrating. Just cannot imagine using an ipad/tablet however good the software might be…

So! …current rationale for buying op-1( as you say Nooooody) is that I may enjoy making music and could at a later date when feeling it’s limitations, sell it on (for decent amount) and get something more versatile, ‘deep’ and committed (in terms of being AT the studio/desk).

I guess this situation is a symptom of youtube in that I can get so close to the process and experience of something while still not actually doing it that I can vacillate/deliberate over just how to jump in… Like trying to plan a camping trip to accommodate a potential decision to stay on site and become a farmer, i.e., plain daft! iyswim?

But…(asking but not asking ) what if the OP-2 drops!

[nooooddy]

I also looked at the Push2 but eventually felt it was more of a glorified midi controller rather than an instrument like the OP1. Also, portability!

Where do you live mate? Wonder if you could meet with an owner and have a little blast on the OP1?

No OP2 likely,Teenage Engineering have alluded to never revising the hardware (or the software much). However as you’ve probably read the OP-Z is coming soon but it appears to be markedly different to the OP1 (more of a sequencer, using an iPad/phone as the ‘screen’ etc etc).

Not sure where in the world you are but I got my OP1 from Amazon UK and checked the price every few hours for weeeks, aware that at times it drops as low as £500ish. In the end I managed to snare a brand new one from Amazon late on a Sunday night for £546! Not a total bargain but every little helps.

[psilop1]

I also looked at the Push2 but eventually felt it was more of a glorified midi controller rather than an instrument like the OP1. Also, portability!

Where do you live mate? Wonder if you could meet with an owner and have a little blast on the OP1?

No OP2 likely,Teenage Engineering have alluded to never revising the hardware (or the software much). However as you’ve probably read the OP-Z is coming soon but it appears to be markedly different to the OP1 (more of a sequencer, using an iPad/phone as the ‘screen’ etc etc).

Not sure where in the world you are but I got my OP1 from Amazon UK and checked the price every few hours for weeeks, aware that at times it drops as low as £500ish. In the end I managed to snare a brand new one from Amazon late on a Sunday night for £546! Not a total bargain but every little helps.

I live in Somerset- Near Glastonbury.

Not sure what a midi controller is, but glad to hear that there’s more separating Push 2 from OP-1 beyond those aspects I am already aware of, will look into it more.

Blimey, did not realise that Op-1 prices drift about. Funny thing is within a week of getting transfixed by OP-1 I was on Amazon very late and found one on there for £400 ish. I bought it immediately, then looking about realised that this was really low, i.e., too good to be true. Sure enough the sale page was gone within a few minutes. Bank said money was in hands of Amazon. I found the original listing in History pages I think. Seller had this sentence in German- “Email before you buy”. Googled that phrase and hit loads of German pages linked to scam warnings. Called Amazon- middle of the night and they had the money with me/sale cancelled by 8 .a.m.

I will be all over Amazon.

[nooooddy]

Yeah, I saw the same listings and thought it was too good to be true. A website called CamelCamelCamel is invaluable for tracking legit Amazon prices, give it a google!

I’m up in the North East otherwise you would have been very welcome to borrow my OP1 as a means of cementing the legitimacy and urgency of your purchase!