This video demos the new accessories that Teenage Engineering has released for their OP-1 Synthesizer.
The accessories include a hand crank, pitch bend kit, a radio antenna, LEGO compatible shafts, cases and more. They are available separately or as a package.
See the TN site for details.
Meh..
Plase, please, please
Incredible, i will run immediatly to buy everything 😉
Ok here comes the proverbial TE price complaint. But seriously… $200 for package of plastic accessories and soft case. Hard case, maybe it’s more accurate but wow stunned by that price..No thanks…..I am a proud owner of OP-1 but that price is questionable. Am I missing something?
What the hell, that really IS 200 bucks!! How could it possibly be? That’s a pile of plastic!
TEENAGE ENGINEERING= MOST EXPENSIVE MUSIC “TOYS” ON THE MARKET.
There has to be a bit of leg-pulling going on here surely.
1/4 the cost of the actual synth might be a little steep to ask for some plastic bits. Maybe $50 if it was all built in to a miniature hard case that held the OP-1. I really want one, but once I got an iPad, I couldn’t really justify it.
The sort of people who buy OP-1s are the sort of people who buy second hand tat sold to them as “vintage”. They’re appealing to the “if it’s not expensive, I don’t want it” demographic and apple-esque brand loyalty. I have no doubt that a lot of owners will fork out for this.
What is the Apple connection with the OP-1?
This looks nothing like an Apple product. More like something from a vintage 70’s alternate universe.
because it’s 1)beautiful 2) much PR 3) some people think that this is overpriced garbage
i was laughing through the whole video un-believable – plastic and a rubber band $200
some good ideas but $200? moog buttons cost $4
I can hear Jesper laughing all the way to the bank with that swedish accent
the fact that you know his name is jesper, and that he is swedish, leads me to believe you are a fan.
$2000 would have made more sens. Not a typo.
Well it won’t affect the argument much but there’s some confusion about the pricing of everything. They break it up into individual bits and different bundles:
http://www.teenageengineering.com/store
plus AC Gears has their own way of breaking it up:
http://www.acgears.com/Search-Results?search_in_description=1&keywords=teenage+engineering
As an OP-1 owner I might get the crank and/or the strap loops alone. But yeah they’re continuing the trend of overpricing because, like Apple, they overvalue design.
For example, the antenna is hogwash, you can get a male-to-male 1/8″ cord and use it as an antenna for <$5 and it'll still double for line input recording, you could even get it in white to maintain the aesthetic.. Also the softcase is just dumb, it's all too small to just put in a perfectly fitting case and carry it around, just like putting an iPad in a sleeve and carrying it doesn't make any sense. You're just going to put it in another larger bag anyways and since the OP-1 is built like a tank there's no need to wrap it like a baby. Again, their idea is that design is a value add, but if people will spend an extra grand just to have the Apple logo on their laptop then there's clearly a market.
Two other small opinions though, 1) I'll always take more software updates, which I wish he would have detailed better, 2) The OP-1 is only a toy on the surface, it's actually quite deep and the features are unique that nobody else in the software or hardware business has actually thought of. I have no regrets at all.
One other note, the crank is going to be the most useful thing out of all of it. The idea of moving the tape head manually while recording will create some crazy stretch, squash, and reverse effects but in this imprecise and performance dependent way, especially if you’re recording a synth over some normally recorded drums. It’s a really great idea because the tape recorder is one of the more amazing features of the OP-1.
One of the coolest things that happened was the new software update. They added an awesome filter and new LFO options. The filter breathes new life into every sound the synth makes. I’ve never owned an instrument that evolves like the OP-1, Cheers to that!
I’m a happy OP-1 owner, and I think this is extremely clever and quirky, like everything TE does. But I also do think its way overpriced, like most everything in their shop. But that being said, people seem to have the details a little off, you don’t need to spend $200 per se. The bag and the strap are the most expensive parts. Here are the prices, by piece:
Crank + 4 colored tops: $14
Bender and ruberband: $9
Brickshafts: $9
Strap Loops: $14
Strap loops with strap: $49
Screen protector: $14
Custom OP-1 bag: $79
The $200 is if you want all of it. I personally think the little plastic accessories should be like$3-5 each. The bag, which I really want/need. should be like $30-40 at most. But keep and mind the stuff is probably made extremely high quality. they have a tendency to go overboard in this regard which drives up cost. Plus, its a niche product at best, so they can’t pump them out in the quantities that necessary to make them as cheap as we would all like.
That aside, you have to admit these things are clever. IMHO the method used the manipulate a parameter’s value can be as important as the parameter or value itself. Expressiveness is an oft-overlooked aspect of synth design. Joysticks and wheels are great, so are touchscreens, but there is much more that can explored.
Sorry for the overlong post. FWIW the best part of this announcement is the new OS update, which adds a much needed filter and Ableton Live integration, both of which I’m exicited about. These OS updates are great, its so sweet to have major new features added to your synth so often.
Oh no, nobody gets it!
They mistook Sept 1 for April 1.
Massively overpriced Christmas cracker novelties….
Funny to see so much hate and comments about pricing from people who are not scared to pay 4000$ for a defective 30-years-old synth !
Well actually i own one of these (bought after a loooong test in a shop), and it’s a really cool and useful device. I don’t see the point in all this fuss about pricing. You’re paying much more money for much less reliable devices (i saw recently a 1500$ tb-303 and a 1200$ for a suzuki OMNICHORD, for god’s sake !).
Music is overpriced, by the way.
The knobs tweaks seem easily makable with any 3d printer for pennies