#799

What is this? 20 chars of curiosity.

#800

Oh! Check out @dan_derks amazing twitch stream breaking down the incoming v2 of Cheat Codes! There’s a midi component that’s been designed with the OP-Z in mind!

2 Likes
#801

Here’s a better link to the M8 project.

https://dirtywave.com/

1 Like
#802

I love my op-z and especially the fact that it acts as a USB audio interface. I’m on holiday and the only gear I brought along is my android phone and opz. With that I’m able to sample from my phone and record back tracks to my phone in high quality (bypassing any digital to analog conversion). I’m still working on my chops and trying to use more than one pattern per song :joy:. In this one I sampled a clip from Sesame Street off YouTube and added some bass, drums and chords:

4 Likes
#803

When I connect norns shield and OP-Z I get this ugly noise in the audio output. Please help with advice how to reliably remove it?
The noise appears when I connect op-z with my mixer, it’s not audible in headphones.

#804

You could disable charging when you connect it (Screen + the highest E note [right next to the USB port] aka trigger spark)

Or I’ve seen a few people post about using a ground loop isolator.

I usually just disable charging, even when using it onstage in a live setting — the battery lasts long enough for me, and the moment you power it off it begins charging again.

#805

Get a $15 hiletgo isolator! https://www.instagram.com/p/CFpw2gRBeaw/?igshid=1wu8te9oyh5z5

#806

I use a mini novation controller to change clock divisions and step lengths on the fly! It works great. I pass the controller and OPZ through a iconnect midi pro to connect the rest of my system. Unsure if plugging straight in will work. Is the 16n bank midi cc assignable?

#807

I got my OP-Z on the very first batch with the yellow bag and the “wrong” graphics for mixer/punchin/module. Almost 2 years ago. Feeling at a crossroads with it…

I like it way more as a powerful portable midi sequencer/idea generator than anything else. The step components are so powerful and easy-going to turn boring melodies/beats into endless iteration.

The sounds it makes are good, and the sampling addition is nice(though it loses use to my op-1, digitakt, sk1, morphagene, W/, computer/ableton/renoise, blooper/mood). The visual generators and dmx that had me so interested are forgotten to me in the wake of it’s core composition prowess.

The build quality issues that everyone else has mentioned have slow dripped their way to my door. The shift button will “flicker” at times being held down. I instantly returned an oplab module because it did not fit/stay in and I suspect the culprit is slight warping of the unit. The encoder popping is most recent, I just grabbed it to play and they were all floating and poppy, taking away from the usually awesome/accurate/tactile feel they have.

The OP-Z feels very tracker-like, and I’ve been thinking of selling it(at a loss due to mfg issues) and seeing if a Polyend tracker could be a bandaid, replacement, or revelation.

Any other 2 year opinions? Similar praise/laments? Polyend vs Z? Something I’ve missed?

#808

I agree about all the praise, I really love this thing and I’ve got the same unit you do with the wrong designs (what a weird fuck up…). I’m now mostly just scared some of the bad build quality things will happen to me, I’ve taken such a good care of it I’m yet to experience them, but already I had an issue with the volume knob that litterally stayed in my hand when I turned off the unit, so now I have to be extra cautious with it because I know it can go off at any time. For the pricetag when you compare it to a lower priced Digitakt, it’s kind of puzzling. I’d like to say I’d pay 100/200€ for a sturdier unit but it felt like at 600€ the price was right for this thing to be both what it is and sturdy.

Anyway, no regret at all buying it, it’s a very well designed piece of gear, but it’s also definitely the one that worries me the most I might break it of all the things I own.

2 Likes
#809

Very little has gelled with me in terms of sequencers except for the OP-Z… until my Polyend Tracker. I am having an utter blast with the thing, and what I’m producing tends to sound more musical, at least according to my wife, who’s pretty patient with what I do.

Bear in mind I’m really a hobbyist, not a gigging musician by any stretch of the imagination — but the Polyend Tracker scratches an itch that the OP-Z no longer does for me.

5 Likes
#810

Interesting to hear this feedback. I’m really considering getting one for portable jamming and idea generation, but put off by the build quality issues.

Have you used the midi out functionality much?

#811

The midi out to a few channels of ableton is the idea generating bread and butter I’ve come to get out of it. Its power to portability ratio is absurdly good, it’s the size of a TV remote and thin. Sounds like this checks the boxes for you.

I dont know how rampant the issues I’ve mentioned are on other units, and I cant speak for new ones.

#812

I wonder if the case bending comes from the waste heat from excessive charging? I charge mine super rarely and never leave it plugged in beyond that. No warping. Anyone who has a bent one care to comment on your charging habbits?

#813

I have a bended one, with correct labels but bought rather early - never used while charging, stored carefully, not pressed on it really hard, but living in tropical climate maybe that?

#814

I picked mine up exactly a year ago…had a very slight bend when it was new…its not so obvious…has not gotten worse and I live in a tropical climate. First oplab didnt fit prop and they replaced it…very efficiently I might add. The first time a manufacturer has paid for shipping both ways. Had a perioud were the encoders were uber poppy. Like all of them, but they just suddenly one day fixed themselves and they r pretty good now…sometimes I get the some stuttering buttons but that seems to happen when i dont use the unit for awhile and it usually goes away with use.

I have a software issue and wonder if anyone has faced something similar and found a fix. I cant seem to enable sampling as when I push a empty slot to enable it the unit flashes red…and also my mic sometimes gives this totally glitchy aliasy recording. So dunno whats up. I think I have a month left on my warrantee and should try and fix this or get it replaced.

All that said I think the opZ is awesome and like others I dont really dig sequencers but I have alot of fun on this as it can get pretty weird pretty quick and you can rapidly build up diff parts to improvise. Part of the fun is defo its size and how easy it is to take around. And its been been alotta fun being clocked with the modular.

#815

I can also confirm that i have this “double-trig” or stuttering issue (if we are talking about same thing - you press the button and it doubletaps fast or somwwhat stutter right?:slight_smile: and it goes away when you play more and it is very present after some time of laying without playing. Maybe some oxidation or something in buttons.

#816

I had exact same problem with my previous OP-Z and to be honest it just got worse with time so I got it replaced and (fingers crossed) the one I have currently doesn’t seem to be affected by this problem so I would advise anyone who have it just get it replaced. Mine started to have shift key affected which made using step components a game of chance.

BTW out of curiosity how everyone have different engines laid out? I put the same engines on same instrument slots on different tracks (only chord has one replaced with organ) so for example if I would want to use analog engine I just select seventh instrument slot on all tracks. This also allows me to easily play with restrictions like for example make whole song using only digital engine :smiley:

#817

Had a question about the midi out: are the step components also present in midi out patterns?

Also wondered if anyone has used the OP-Z with the FH-2 successfully? Found it hard to find any info on this.

#818

They are (they translate to midi, for example a delay will output notes of decreasing velocity) and that’s what makes them so great.

5 Likes