Hi,
My OP-Z had some double trigger problems, as well as banana shape and, rarely, not all tracks present until I moved the jack.
I sent it back under warranty to Thomann, who sent it back to TE.
One month later, they mail me that the repair is not possible and they they credited my Thomann account with +/-400€, to be used on their shop (no bank transfer possible).
Just to signal that one would perhaps prefer living with some cumbersome details instead of loosing the bloved OP-Z completely.
In your opinion, is there something to do in order to get an OP-Z again?
Any ideas are welcome!
Thanks in advance
oh darn that stinks. sorry to hear. there are tons on the used market on the internet. i bought a mint one for 200USD and it was flawless, no double trigs or issues. best of luck.
Hi, thank you,
Yes, here in Europe, we can find used ones between 200 and 300€.
The question is more: What am I going to buy on Thomann. Strange situation…
Or how to convert this amount to use it on the used market.
Or, perhaps - as I have another OP-Z - could it be interesting to opt for something complementary, or “like the OP-Z but even better”?
I love the OP-Z. I find it extremely powerful and inspiring (well, I’m not a musician, but still). It is so rich and handy.
I tried the OP-1f, but recording tracks is less my cup of tea.
I like being able to come back and modify things, as each track can be influenced by the next ones and can need to be adjusted. (and am not yet very good at playing notes at the exact right moment I would like to)
The “definitive” aspect of the tape tracks scares me a little.
I also enjoy to create and modify sounds. Very interested by the synth engines and filters/effects.
So, are there other machines comparable to the OP-Z in terms of sequencer and synth?
ohh oops yeah so on thomman that’s a fair bit of money. pairing with the op-z my fav is the po-32 tonic. if you have the oplab module or the line module its super fun to pair.
i also love the modules btw. if you dont have the line or oplab or rumble module for op-z. i am really loving the rumble module at the moment. so much fun.
Thanks, I’ll check these modules closer as well as POs.
What I’m looking for, actually, would be similar to the OP-Z but with more complete synths and perhaps longer tracks or, at least access to each note timing separately.
What I’d really be interested is the ability to program and playback filters and synth controls in a more accessible way than on the OP-Z. (Programatically, not by recording)
I’m watching videos about synths and sequencers, with keywords like “OP-Z vs [xyz]” etc. but there are so many machines around (and I’m a beginner) …
So, if something comes to your mind, I’ll be fond of.
Cheers
Some updates on the original subject.
Thomann changed their mind and very kindly (no interrests, not affiliated or anything) offered me to refund the amount directly, so I could buy a “new used OP-Z”.
But now that I discovered the synth/sequencers variety… … not sure anymore…
The only thing I know of that is similar to OP-Z in lots of ways is the Yamaha Seqtrak. Look into it… has pros and cons, but may suit your needs.
Different but IMO far better is the Deluge, and then there is OP-XY but that’s way more money and worse in a lot of respects.
M8 and Woovebox are two other smaller handheld “daws”
Hi,
Many thanks for the suggestions!
Indeed, the Seqtrak seems interresting.
I was tempted by the OP-XY but I read here some reports making me hesitating. Also, as you say, the budget is not the same.
Deluge, with its open firmware is very interresting and would be my choice, but a bit too much for my budget, ATM.
M8 is fascinating and very tempting.
But I’m afraid to miss some mental abstraction capacities for it. And I’d perhaps appreciate more buttons for less layers of control.
I don’t know the Woovebox. I’ll check that!
I saw Mijk van Dijk do a set on a Seqtrak at Superbooth in 2024. It sounded a little rubbery after a while, but I don’t know if that was his samples or the presets or what. I guess the set was arranged by Yamaha and the crowd was infiltrated by random Japanese businessmen in suits.
Yes, Seqtrak, Woovebox look promising.
I’m afraid the M8 is too “mental” for me.
After all, I already have a small device, the OP-Z that I love, (almost venerate :–).
I’ll rather orient myself to something more complementary, bigger with more controls. More controls for less page changes and less abstraction effort.
I’m also sensible to open software and community strength.
Hence, I’m thinking of the Deluge.
But Waldorf Protein and Vector are very interesting too…
As seems the Microfreak…
And, I also discovered analog and modular synths which are a world (and tons of money) in themselves!
In this register, I decided not to spend one cent until I experimented a lot in virtual softwares (except perhaps a tiny Moog Mavis? Oh pleaaase ) .At the moment, I’m discovering Bespoke synth…
On the side of concrete news, I just sold my Medieval and my OP-1f to increase my budget.
I have both of the TE ‘modular’ synths. Go for it. You can sometimes find the used for stupid cheap. For less than the price of a single eurorack module, I’ve got me 4 oscillators and a noise generator, three VCAs, three envelopes, two sequencers, two LFOs, two filters, a mixer, a sampler and a touch of midi/PO timecode-out. A glorious little playground for modular experimentation. And they’re Lego-compatible, I’ve got some very nice pimped knobs. So to speak.
Wow! One more option!
Thanks, I’ll also explore that way.
I (stupidly?) didn’t think of TE Modular, as I was only considering the “serious” real modular ones.
Let’s chack it!
Thank you, very nice left-right audio comparison between the PO-400 and Colossus in the first video. Almost no sound difference (for my untrained ear, at least). Despite a bit choppy, the PO-400 is very appealing too!
Second video is very instructive.
… not sure anymore…
for it. And I’d perhaps appreciate more buttons for less layers of control.
) .At the moment, I’m discovering Bespoke synth…