#119

If you own a computer or a tablet, it’s a great way to explore electronic music to figure out what you’re trying to do, without spending a lot of time fussing with what to buy or sell or whatever.

In the early days, I strongly recommend focusing on the music as much as possible. Try to avoid the distraction of “gear”.

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#120

I’m using Ableton Live Lite but honestly I’m trying to get away from the computer.

I want to get to know a device and build some muscle memory and use music as meditation source.

With Ableton I just end up cutting and pasting different audio samples together and calling it a day.

Like this for example:

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#121

The OP-1 is a really nice sketchpad. You could make whole tracks on it but I think it’s quite hard. You have to be really clever with the available tracks. It’s also a nice instrument just to add in tracks together with other things. It’s also a thing which makes me do experiments and discover new stuff.
The Zoia is a particularly difficult piece of equipment. I wouldn’t recommend learning modular on the Zoia. If you know modular and then go to Zoia it just makes much more sense.
Maybe you can have a look at the OP-Z … I think it’s a really quick and fun instrument. Easier to make full tracks on then the OP-1.
For learning modular: https://vcvrack.com/

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#122

ah — i completely understand the position you’re in. my op-1 has acted primarily as my go to on-the-go instrument for about three years. it’s amazing battery life, simple yet effective tape recorder (with pitch control and a really manageable interface given the size of the screen), and some of the nooks and crannies of the drums/sequencers/fx the whole thing has an surprising depth to it.

re:modular + op-1 pairing. had to think on it but i remembered this bit that @shellfritsch shared on the executing the modular album thread that is so so true —

“this little wonder goes everywhere with me. so capable and fun - even as a basic 4 track looper. if i spend all my music time in one place i’ll feel stagnant. the op-1 helps me get out of that.”

i think that ultimately, the op-1 can be used to make full tracks if you really master stretching the tape to be not just for recording, but as an instrument itself (ie:stutter/reverse/speedshifts) along side the internal sequencer. but i don’t think that only the op-1 will satisify your every musical need. echoing what some other folks have said above, an entry level daw would be a great companion for the op-1 if you choose to go for it. hope this helps!

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#123

Greetings! We have all wrestled with what you’re going through to some degree (which tools? what form? how to decide?). It’s hard, that’s for sure, and unique to artistic pursuits (the framer doesn’t obsess over which tools he needs to build a house. It’s a hammer, nails, and a tape measure).

What you’ll hear over and over is that there’s no right answer, as this is a very personal question. Take my thoughts with a grain of salt. I’ve transitioned this year from guitar-centric post rock music to electronic music 90% composed on modular, for what it’s worth.

I think this is mostly on point and jives with my experience, with one exception: modular. The physical act of patching unlocked synthesis for me in a way that VCV/softube never could. But that likely has more to do with my own learning modalities than anything else. The point stands that there’s a software version of everything, either free, bundled with live, or very affordable. Don’t buy a Digitone to try out FM synthesis; try it in software first, then invest if you want to go deeper.

Listen, for real- if the depth of the octatrack didn’t sit well with you, avoid the ZOIA for now. It’s a wonderful, amazing device. But it’s very small and very non-screen oriented. I’m afraid it will just be frustrating. Are you after a specific kind of effect or workflow? Or just want to explore? May I suggest the eventide H9 max in its place? Bout the same price used, loaded with fun, immediate effects of astounding quality. Less customizable, more playable.

My gut tells me the OT was the right choice, then. It’s a robust non-daw composition and performance machine. But getting to the level of nirvana that you seek is going to take a while. Deep hardware requires, as you noted, a certain degree of muscle memory, just like any traditional instrument. Work with it for several hours every day without missing a day for 60 days and see how you feel after that.

I don’t own an OP-1, bear that in mind. Mostly because, this late in the game, it’d tie up a pretty significant portion of my gear budget (I thought it made sense at $900, $1300 seems wild to me). People love that thing, and perhaps rightly so. If it helps you make music, go for it. But it’s fairly deep as well, and isn’t going to instantly solve what I think is your actual dilemma here.

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#124

it sounds like you’re feeling burned out (it’s 2020, everyone is) and need music-making to be fun again. The OP-1 is great for that.

don’t worry about “tracks”, or what the bigger picture is. just turn it on and start experimenting. it lends itself to entering flow state and losing yourself in creativity. once you’re having fun again, the tracks will come automatically.

and once you’ve learned its depths, it fits into the creative process in a variety of ways. in the last 3 years literally every piece of my setup has changed except for the OP-1, which always has a role somewhere.

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#125

This really hit home dude! Thank you

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#127

I’ve had my op-1 for about 3 years and I’m very happy with it. I guess I’ve used it in a lot of different ways, but mainly to sketch out ideas and parts to process further in ableton.
Don’t think I’ve ever made an entire track on the op-1 itself, but that’s just a result of the way I work and not a limitation of the device I think

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#128

I regret selling my OP1 back when they were selling used for $600-700.

I would sketch out ideas in the OP1, export the tapes, and then cut up in Ableton and replace sounds as needed. In some ways I was the most musically productive then, before I got into the churn of building a hardware and then modular setup. In retrospect I might have been better off sticking with the OP1 and Ableton.

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#129

I would 100% recommend a Synthstrom Deluge. I find myself using that as the place where I write and sketch out song ideas on the internal engine. With the addition of downrush, you can export midi files to your computer after you’ve composed the parts on the (very) playable interface and toy around with sounds/arranging in the traditional DAW view.

I own both an OP-1 and a Deluge and find them to be very, very different machines. OP-1 is really great for ambient and all that, esp if you pair with a better microphone and some external effects. Deluge is good for ambient and live-looping with the newer firmware, but really excels at ‘pop’ electronic music (techno, house, etc.). I regularly write songs start to finish on my deluge, where I almost never do that on the OP-1.

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#130

I wanted to love the OP1 so much. For physicality, portability, and ease of use it can’t be beat. The battery life is amazing! I like the synth engines, the UI, almost everything.

BUT: Six minutes of total usable space and only one project at a time was just too much of a restriction for me. Four tracks wasn’t the dealbreaker, I like restrictions in that domain. But the time restriction and only being able to keep one project was too much.

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#131

I had no idea about those restrictions, will have to think it over a bit more.

#132

Yeah, sorry to be the downer on that one.

“your OP-1 has a built in tape feature with 6 minutes of recording time (in normal tape speed and 44.1 kHz/16 bits). it has 4 individual tracks.”

Unfortunately that’s your entire canvas to work with. If you want to switch to a different song or project, you have to connect to a computer, offload what you currently have, and upload the other tracks.

#133

I had an OP1 for about a decade and I don’t think it can be beat as a fun and flexible all in one box. Any tool has limitations, so if you dwell on what things can’t do, then good luck with that. Maybe a list of non-negotiable features and a list of ‘oh, that’d be cool’ would be useful.

The biggest reason I ended up selling mine after all that time, and after saying I never would, is that it didn’t play well with other instruments in the way I wanted it to. But I think I got a lot of great mileage out of it over that 10 years and I still think it’s an amazing and inspiring box.

As pointed out above, it’s FUN and that counts for a whole hell of a lot in the big picture. It will go down as one of the classic electronic music instruments of the last 25 years I think because it’s so fun and flexible. Also, as pointed out above, the price point has gotten to the point where I’d be less sure about buying one. When I bought mine for $800 or whatever shortly after it came out though, I felt like it was totally worth it.

There aren’t many tools that are as timeless as the OP1.

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#134

I think that’s what I’m trying to achieve with my music at the moment, I want to find FUN again.

I just copped it and it arrives end of the week. Thanks everyone for making me excited like a kid over this!

Looking forward to sharing my music with you all.

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#135

It is undeniably FUN. Once you get the keystrokes to muscle memory, you can really fly on it.

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#136

The tape doesn’t have to work in such a linear way. I mainly use the tape with looped parts. In composing on it I move from loop to loop while and muting unmuting things and playing live. In this way I can fit 4 or 5 sketches on it before it’s full. I still find it a bit restricted but it’s not as bad as it sounds.

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#137

I want to get an understanding of the line input signal processing in the OP-1. What I want to do is to get a clean line level mono signal into the device. Op-1 basically processes every signal in mono (sampler, tapes, instruments). I’ve read that if you connect a stereo jack into the line in it sums it up to mono. I find it dumb to take a mono signal, get it out of my DAW with a stereo cable just that it can be summed up again by the OP-1.
So, what kind of connection do you use to sample into the OP-1 to get a high quality signal and do not lose quality on the way? Any help appreciated!

#138

exactly…I use the tape machine all the time but rarely if ever use it to “make tracks” and thus the limitations don’t really bother me

#139

I haven’t given it much thought if I should be honest. But since it is mono like you say I would probably just use a mono-cable from one output jack on my interface. Much can be said about the OP-1, but I wouldn’t say hi-end audio is its strongest point. In general, although the OP-1 in certain regards is very smart, it also is a bit dumb. A bit lofi, and I feel it’s best to work within the constraints it offers. However, sometimes workarounds forces you to try unconventional, creative solutions. And that’s how the dumb limitation breeds smart ideas etc.

So, I rarely worry too much about stereo signals being summed to mono, or sampling the radio or the crappy built in mic. I just try to get some idea moving and then transfer it to Live when I get tired of four tracks and loop points etc.

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