Teenage Engineering OP-1
| Teenage Engineering OP-1 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Manufacturer | Teenage Engineering |
| Dates | 2011–present |
| Price | |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 6 |
| Timbrality | Monotimbral |
| Oscillator | 1 DCO per voice (pulse, saw, square) |
| LFO | Multiple |
| Synthesis type | 10 engines with exchangeable architecture |
| Attenuator | ADSR envelope generator |
| Aftertouch expression | No |
| Velocity expression | No |
| Storage memory | 512 MB Nand Flash storage |
| Effects | Delay, Phone (bit crusher), Punch (compressor), Grid (feedback plate reverb), Spring (spring reverb), Nitro (band-pass filter), CWO (frequency-shifting delay) |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 24 keys |
| External control | USB MIDI in and out, gravitation |
The Teenage Engineering OP-1 is a synthesizer, sampler, and sequencer designed and manufactured by the -based company Teenage Engineering. The OP-1 is Teenage Engineering's first product; it was released in 2011 following an introduction at the NAMM Show. It is also considered their core product.
The OP-1 is well known for its unconventional design, OLED display, and ten synthesizer engines. It has received some criticism for its physical limitations; however, according to Teenage Engineering cofounder Jesper Kouthoofd, these limitations were programmed into the synthesizer in order to stimulate the design process and the creativity of the user.
Teenage Engineering was founded in 2005 by Jesper Kouthoofd and David Mollerstedt. The OP-1 is the first product developed by the company. At the time, the team consisted of nine engineers and software developers. Following an announcement at Frankfurt Musikmesse in 2009, they presented a prototype of the OP-1 at the 2010 NAMM Show in Anaheim, and it was released in the following year.
The design of the OP-1 was influenced by the VL-Tone, a synthesizer and pocket calculator manufactured by Casio in 1980. The VL-1 is known for its toy-like novelty sounds and cheap build quality, as well as its inorganic design. In an interview with Damian Kulash of OK Go, CEO Kouthoofd explained that he worked in a music store when he was young, and he was inspired by Japanese synthesizers of the 1980s, such as the VL-Tone and the Casio SK-1, an inexpensive sampler. Kouthoofd has also stated that "limitations are OP-1's biggest feature". The synthesizer's designers attempted to use the limitation of physical hardware to encourage the unit to stimulate creativity, which might become unfocused in a limitless environment, such as a digital audio workstation.
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