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More than a decade after the first presentation of the popular OP-1, Teenage Engineering presents the OP-1 field, the successor that has been optimised, improved, embellished and technically enhanced in over 100 aspects. The recipe for success, a brilliant combination of synthesiser, groovebox, radio and sampler, has been retained on the platform of the latest technology. The digital synthesiser is much more than the sum of its functions: whether as a handy companion on journeys, backing for jam sessions, as the central element of a production, or for anyone who is looking for an all-in-one device for creatively dealing with music and capturing ideas; the fun and intuitive approach are at the forefront of the OP-1 field.
Numerous improvements in the OP-1 field can be found in the hardware. The flat housing is now made of aluminium, the easy-grip encoders have a click function, all the buttons and the 24 mini-keyboard keys have improved mechanics, the loudspeakers and microphone sound much better and the transmission and reception performance of the antenna has been significantly optimised. The latter benefits the radio function, which can also be integrated into sampling processes. In addition, this antenna can communicate with the OB-4 Magic Radio to output the sound of the OP-1 field, which can also be done via audio cable. The signal path is completely stereo and benefits from state-of-the-art 32-bit / 96 kHz converters. The internal memory has 256 MB RAM and holds over 160 minutes of samples. The battery life has also been improved and is now sufficient for up to 24 hours of playing time. Via USB-C, the OP-1 field can be connected to a DAW to transmit and receive MIDI and audio into the computer. The efficient Bluetooth port enables connection to various MIDI and audio devices and allows wireless integration of OP-Z and TX-6 into the setup. The USB-C port allows the OP-Z, TX-6 and OP-1 to be connected directly to the OP-1 field. The high-resolution display informs in the new colour scheme with adjustable brightness with factual information and animated graphics and even shows an integrated help function that explains parameters and functions at the touch of a button. For OP-1 connoisseurs and users, the ergonomically designed power switch at the bottom right of the housing should also be a pleasing innovation.
The Teenage Engineering OP-1 field provides various synthesis forms, each with a different focus on sounds: Cluster, Digital Synth, Drum Sampler, FM, Phase Synth, Pulse, Strings, Synth Sampler, Dimension and Voltage Synth give the User all the possibilities to explore a sea of sounds. The instrument gives access to 500 User patches that can be modified as desired. The drum kits are completely new, and the original patches from the first OP-1 have been fine-tuned. For recordings there are eight tapes (aka songs), for which there are even different quality levels with the four recording formats Studio 4-Track, Vintage 4-Track, Porta and MiniDisc. This means that the sound character of a recording can already be influenced directly. Numerous improvements have also been made to the sound generation. Existing parameters have been rescaled and/or their control ranges have been extended. Modulation destinations and sources have increased, the equalizer impresses with a higher resolution and smoother interpolation, envelopes have more "smack" and even the sequencer has been extended with a hold function. In addition to the existing effects, the OP-1 field now offers a great sounding Mother Reverb.
Teenage Engineering OP-1 fieldThe OP-1 field is a worthy successor to the original. In many respects (eg: stereo performance) this is the OP-1 that should have been the original spec.
Performance is a vast improvement over the original— though, strangely, the workflow bottlenecks are all still present from the original.
Price to performance is where the concerns arise. The OP-1 Field should have been launch priced at 400 euro less.
This is a premium priced device— offering high performance but at an elevated cost of entry. It feels almost like you are paying extra to join a club rather than to gain the benefits of enhanced performance .
Lack of MIDI multitimbrality, lack of effects on individual drum hits, no way to save machine state and sound slots to tapes, and no real improvement to tape recording workflows are some of the carryover sticking points from the original OP-1 to the current firmware in OP-1f.
All said, Op-1F is a worthy successor to the original— but you will pay a high premium and you may feel that teenage engineering could have focused additional time on providing additional modern functionality and on eliminating some of the workflow bottlenecks from the original device.
More improvements may surface in future firmware updates but do not purchase the OP-1f believing you will be taken care of.
TE are known for lengthy periods between firmware updates— and these updates often bring just a small number of incremental improvements.
If you are willing to pay extra for the stereo performance and a very modest storage increase (that the original really should have supported out of the gate) buy the unit for what it does today and get on with making music.
Price to performance disparity is real on this device but the performance improvements are a very welcome boost from the under-spec’d original product.
You will have a smile using the OP-1f but you will very much know how much you paid for that smile.
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