Manufacturer Teenage Engineering Price €949
US$899
kr 9,995 Timbrality Monotimbral | Dates 2011–present Polyphony 6 | |
 | ||
Oscillator 1 DCO per voice
(pulse, saw, square) | ||
The Teenage Engineering OP-1 is a synthesizer, sampler, and sequencer designed and manufactured by the Stockholm-based company Teenage Engineering. The OP-1 is Teenage Engineering's first product; it was released in 2011 following an introduction at the NAMM Show. It is also considered their core product.
Contents
The OP-1 is well known for its unconventional design, OLED display, and ten synthesizer engines. It has received some criticism for its physical limitations; however, according to Teenage Engineering cofounder Jesper Kouthoofd, these limitations were programmed into the synthesizer in order to stimulate the design process and the creativity of the user.
Development
Teenage Engineering was founded in 2005 by Jesper Kouthoofd and David Mollerstedt. The OP-1 is the first product developed by the company. At the time, the team consisted of nine engineers and software developers. Following an announcement at Frankfurt Musikmesse in 2009, they presented a prototype of the OP-1 at the 2010 NAMM Show in Anaheim, and it was released in the following year.
The design of the OP-1 was influenced by the VL-Tone, a synthesizer and pocket calculator manufactured by Casio in 1980. The VL-1 is known for its toy-like novelty sounds and cheap build quality, as well as its inorganic design. In an interview with Damian Kulash of OK Go, CEO Kouthoofd explained that he worked in a music store when he was young, and he was inspired by Japanese synthesizers of the 1980s, such as the VL-Tone and the Casio SK-1, an inexpensive sampler. Kouthoofd has also stated that "limitations are OP-1's biggest feature". The synthesizer's designers attempted to use the limitation of physical hardware to encourage the unit to stimulate creativity, which might become unfocused in a limitless environment, such as a digital audio workstation.
In 2012, Teenage Engineering introduced several "accessories" for the OP-1. These can be used to manipulate the unit's macro effect knobs. One of the accessories makes the OP-1 compatible with Lego gears and motors, which can be used to mechanically modulate low-frequency oscillators and other effects.
Sound synthesis
The OP-1 includes eight synthesis engines. For each engine, the OP-1's four knobs act as different macro controllers. In addition to a sampler, the OP-1 is preloaded with sampled drum hits. The synthesizer is monotimbral, with six voices of polyphony. It also includes an FM radio, which can be recorded into the sampler or used to modulate effects. The operating system was updated in 2014 adding additional effects and features.
The OP-1's eight synthesis engines are Cluster, Digital, Dr Wave, FM, Phase, Pulse, String, and Sampler. Each is represented by a different graphic on the display screen. The Cluster engine produces a distorted sound reminiscent of the Roland JP-8000 supersaw. Digital provides access to ring modulation and wave shape to distort the sound signal. DrWave resembles the sound of a talk box. The FM engine acts as a simple FM synthesizer. Phase provides two pulse waves that can be modulated and distorted. String creates string sounds, ranging from bass to string pads. The Sampler interface is a sampler, which can take input from the OP-1's built-in microphone, an external audio input, and the FM airwaves via optional radio antenna. A built in FM tuner allows one to sample from any chosen station.
Display screen
One of the key features of the OP-1 is its 320 x 160-pixel OLED display, which shows a graphical representation of the device's current mode. Although some of the displays use traditional symbols, such as the fairly straightforward ADSR envelope, others use more literal or unconventional graphics. For example, the "punch" effect (a compressor) is represented by a line art illustration of a boxer.
Keyboard
The keyboard of the OP-1 incorporates fixed velocity, with 24 keys (F-F type) giving a two octave range. Arrow keys are provided to transpose octave while in synthesizer or drum mode. Starting at 0, a total of four shifts up and four shifts down are available giving the user a ten total octave range.
Awards and accolades
The OP-1 has gained recognition for both its design quality and its functionality as an instrument. The synthesizer won one of ten of Sweden's Design S Awards in 2012. The award committee described the OP-1 as "A technological product which through a clever colour scheme and fantastic graphics is intuitive, easily accessible and incredibly inviting. Music and machine in one". In 2014, the OP-1 was awarded second prize in Georgia Tech's Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art includes an OP-1, donated by Teenage Engineering, in its permanent collection.
Notable users
Musicians who have used the OP-1 include Biga Ranx, Swedish House Mafia, Diplo, Avicii, Nicky Romero, Deadmau5, Beck, Depeche Mode, Damian Kulash of OK Go, Chvrches, Tame Impala, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Dan Deacon.