TE OP-1 10th Anniversary - 10 reasons why it's still a relevant music-making tool today!

The OP-1 from Teenage Engineering has been an instant classic since day one. In this video we celebrate the 10th anniversary of this portable wonder synth with 10 reasons why we think it's still an incredibly relevant music-making tool today.

📖 Read Our Guide to the OP-1 here:

📖 Read our news article on the OP-1 beat challenge here:

📖 Read our 5 Tips & Tricks for the OP-1 here:

▶️ Watch our Pocket Operator Ultimate Overview video:

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Interested in purchasing the OP-1 in the UK? Why not check out:

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[truecuckoo]

10 years. The list of synths in production for 10 years is very short. Congrats TE. You’re special 🙌🏼

[Apticx]

Its not just a instrument. Its a piece of art that shows in every second you use it. Even 10 years after it feels like it just came out. Truly timeless!

[xdrabbit]

I bought mine a week ago when I saw it in the display case. I'm old and fairly new to music so I thought I might not have been able to figure it out. But as a child of the 60's my mom had an old reel to reel I would play with for hours and the OP-1's digital tape drew me in. I love this little titan! Lush deep sonic threads to weave a quick idea or complex masterpiece. It deserves every bit of praise and it's worth every dollar.

[slowkape]

holy crap its 10 years old?!
that design is AWESOME, i would have thought this was made this year if nobody told me.

[RoomReflections]

Tl;dr it's fun, inspiring and portable. And I agree. Although, truth be told, it is too limited and outdated to be sold at that price tag for the years to come. It needs an upgraded version so that the older model will be more accessible and the new one will continue its legacy.

[NoiseSoundDestructor]

oh yeah! It's my best friend in the studio, and outside of it. I love hiking with it and jam in cool places i never could imagine i can make full songs :D This device made me ultra fanboy and buy op-z to support his older brother on my trips, and some pockets. OP-1 is insanely inspiring. Thank You TE for making my dream "toy" come to life!
Highly recommended!

[nomad]

I remember when it first came out, people where so confused what it was, we didn't think it was real, just a prop for swedish house Mafia. When I found out more about it. My mouth dropped, mostly because of the price. But I'd say for what it is, yeah, it's worth it. It's a masterpiece, and a legend. I love teenage engineering, they're like the apple of synthisers.

[hovermotion]

It's in a class of its at launch and now..

[NALTOdeluxe]

Time flies. Nothing is truer than this statement.

[lundsweden]

A great piece of industrial design and packs in so much sound making potiential and well made!

[dustydigitally]

Word … we loVe our OP-1!! Dope video man!:)

[pianobryguy]

Reason #11: We’re making the firmware open source!
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[fraserdonachie]

… will there be an OP-2? #obsolescenceanxiety

[wilmerparis]

was all music in the video made using op-1?

[HotDumpsterCrab]

Got me a stimulus check one this year to sooth my pandemic woes, and I'm making music faster and better than I've done all my life with guitars and MIDI boards. Get this mystical thing! It'll blow yu mind and drain you wallet!

[bitBarry]

Fabulous video. The OP-1 seems so interesting when you begin, but it gets so dull so quick. It’s tape engine is laborious, despite great samples, it’s got noisy effects, it’s also difficult to pair with anything. They’re only useful for little sketches you never end up doing anything with. Honeymoon period ended quickly and I made £100 on it, so I can’t complain.

[saratoga]

That $450 price increase didn't age well however 👎

[vel]

All in one studio??? wouldn’t that mean that you can record /mix n master your singing vocals on it as well? doesn’t seem like it though

[sodiumlights]

no.7 the op-1 accessory kit is the most insanely overpriced bits of plastic. Ace machine though.

[CaidicusProductions]

Cool video, though two things. The spring reverb is so ugly and nasty, it's a wonder they even bothered including it.

Second, that cool dude chilling at the skatepark with those giant headphones on his head made me laugh. The output on the OP-1 is SUPER weak and can't drive drivers like that, being best suited for powered speakers or running through some sort of mobile headphone amp between the OP-1 and your decent sized headphones.

The OP-1 is a pretty cool device, I've enjoyed it quite a lot over the first two or three years of owning it, but feel the synth engines are what let it down. Great for some electronic styles of music, and can be supplemental to heavily sampled tracks, but on their own, they're weak and thin.

I really wish a more powerful OP-2 were in the works, like the OP-Z's power with the OP-1's look, workflow, and iconic-ness, if I can call that a word.