The Teenage Engineering OP-1 is a

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

, sampler and

sequencer Sequencer may refer to: Technology * Drum sequencer (controller), an electromechanical system for controlling a sequence of events automatically * DNA sequencer, a machine used to automatically produce a sequence readout from a biological DNA sam ...

designed and manufactured by the

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

-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 The NAMM Show is an annual event in the United States that is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), who describe it as "the industry’s largest stage, uniting the global music, sound and entertainment technology commun ...

. It is also considered their core product. The OP-1 is well known for its unconventional design,

AMOLED AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode, ) is a type of OLED display device technology. OLED describes a specific type of thin-film-display technology in which organic compounds form the electroluminescent material, and active matrix ...

display, and the depth of its synthesis engines.

Development

Teenage Engineering was founded in 2005 by Jesper Kouthoofd, David Eriksson, Jens Rudberg 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

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, 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 1979. 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 Damian Joseph Kulash Jr. (born October 7, 1975) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and music video director, best known for being the lead singer and guitarist of the American rock band OK Go. Early life and education Kulash was born in ...

OK Go OK Go is an American rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar and vocals), Dan Konopka (drums and percussion), an ...

, 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 A digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software program on a laptop, to an integr ...

. In 2012, Teenage Engineering introduced several "accessories" for the OP-1. These can be used to manipulate the unit's macro effect knobs. One of the accessories makes the OP-1 compatible with

Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocki ...

gears and motors, which can be used to mechanically modulate low-frequency oscillators and other effects. The OP-1 became unavailable for a period from late 2018 to early 2019 due to Teenage Engineering exhausting their stock of the

display screen. Due to rumors that the synthesizer had been permanently discontinued, the resell value of the OP-1 dramatically increased to surpass its original retail price. In February, Teenage Engineering announced that they would resume production of the OP-1; however, the retail price increased by approximately 35% to cover the new parts and redesigned hardware. The price increase was met with criticism due to a perception of poor resource planning.

Features

Sound synthesis

The OP-1 includes eleven synthesis engines. For each engine, the OP-1's four knobs act as different macro controllers. In addition to a sampler, the OP-1 is preloaded with sampled drum hits. The synthesizer is monotimbral, with six voices of

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...

. It also includes an FM radio, which can be recorded into the sampler or used to modulate effects. The operating system was updated in 2014 adding additional effects and features. The OP-1's eleven synthesis engines are FM, Cluster, Digital, DNA, DSynth, Dr Wave, String, Phase, Pulse, Sampler, and Voltage. Each is represented by a different graphic on the display screen. The FM engine is a simple FM synthesizer. The Cluster engine produces a distorted sound reminiscent of the Roland JP-8000 supersaw. DNA is a

noise generator A noise generator is a circuit that produces electrical noise (i.e., a random signal). Noise generators are used to test signals for measuring noise figure, frequency response, and other parameters. Noise generators are also used for generatin ...

. Dr Wave resembles the sound of a

talk box A talk box (also spelled talkbox and talk-box) is an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument by shaping the frequency content of the sound and to apply speech sounds (in the same way as singing) onto the sou ...

. Digital provides

ring modulation In electronics, ring modulation is a signal processing function, an implementation of frequency mixing, in which two signals are combined to yield an output signal. One signal, called the carrier, is typically a sine wave or another simple ...

and wave shape parameters to distort the sound signal. String creates

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the s ...

emulation, ranging from

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

to string pads. Pulse is a square wave engine. Phase provides two

pulse wave A pulse wave or pulse train is a type of non-sinusoidal waveform that includes square waves (duty cycle of 50%) and similarly periodic but asymmetrical waves (duty cycles other than 50%). It is a term used in synthesizer programming, and is ...

s that can be modulated and distorted. DSynth provides a dual oscillator synthesizer with multiple filter types. Voltage is a multi-oscillator synthesizer. The Sampler interface is a sampler, which can take input from the OP-1's built-in microphone, an external audio input, or the builtin FM radio.

Display screen

One of the key features of the OP-1 is its 320 x 160-pixel OLED display, which shows a graphical representation of the device's current mode. Although some of the displays use traditional symbols, such as the fairly straightforward

ADSR envelope ADSR may refer to: * ADSR envelope (attack decay sustain release), a common type of music envelope * Accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor, a nuclear reactor using a particle accelerator to generate a fission reaction in a sub-critical assembly ...

, others use more literal or unconventional graphics. For example, the "punch" effect (a

low-pass filter A low-pass filter is a filter that passes signals with a frequency lower than a selected cutoff frequency and attenuates signals with frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency. The exact frequency response of the filter depends on the filt ...

) is represented by a

line art Line art or line drawing is any image that consists of distinct straight lines or curves placed against a background (usually plain), without gradations in shade (darkness) or hue (color) to represent two-dimensional or three-dimensional objec ...

illustration of a boxer.

Keyboard

The OP-1 has a fixed-velocity keyboard with 24 keys. Arrow keys are provided to transpose up or down octaves while in synthesizer or drum mode. Four octave shifts up and four shifts down are available giving the user a total range of ten octaves.

Reception

Reception for the OP-1 was largely positive, citing its powerful synthesizer engines and unconventional format and design. However, it has received some criticism for its small size and simplicity, which make it resemble a toy. It also lacks velocity sensitivity, making it minimally expressive. The OP-1 won one of Sweden's Design S Awards in 2012. The award committee described the OP-1 as "A technological product which through a clever colour scheme and fantastic graphics is intuitive, easily accessible and incredibly inviting. Music and machine in one". In 2014 it was awarded second prize in

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

's Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. The

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

includes an OP-1, donated by Teenage Engineering, in its permanent collection.

In Popular Culture

The OP-1 is the star in the musical clip of

Swedish House Mafia Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the '' DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have ...

's song ''One (Your Name)'' even though the track was not made with it. It also features in the Apple TV+ series Mr. Corman. The protagonist creates a song during the course of the series of episodes, including using the sampling features of the OP-1.

Notable users

Musicians who have used the OP-1 include Amason, Biga Ranx,

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first re ...

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...

, Nicky Romero,

Deadmau5 Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produce ...

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depech ...

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompani ...

Chvrches Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriving fr ...

Tame Impala Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parke ...

, Justin Vernon of

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

, Dan Deacon,

Animal Collective Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (musician), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (musician), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin ( ...

Childish Gambino Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glov ...

, Romil Hemnani of Brockhampton and Ivan Dorn.

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite web, url=http://www.fastcolabs.com/3016739/more-than-an-office-teenage-engineerings-minimalist-garage-is-a-tinkerers-paradise , publisher=

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

, work=Labs , last=Byrne , first=Ciara , date=3 September 2013 , title=More Than An Office, Teenage Engineering's Minimalist Garage Is A Tinkerer’s Paradise , accessdate=30 January 2015 {{cite web, url=http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/01/teenage-engineerings-op-1-instrument-hands-on-videos-why-its-different/ , publisher=Create Digital Music , last=Kirn , first=Peter , date=17 January 2010 , title=Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 Instrument: Hands-on, Videos, Why it’s Different , accessdate=31 January 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/namm-2010-teenage-engineerings-op-1-on-video-232612 , publisher=

MusicRadar MusicRadar is a music website that offers information pertaining to artists and their music. The site features music gear news and reviews, artist interviews and online music and production tutorials. It is owned by British media company Future ...

, last=Wickett , first=Chris , date=14 January 2010 , title=NAMM 2010: Teenage Engineering's OP-1 on video , accessdate=31 January 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.vintagesynth.com/casio/vl1.php , publisher=Vintage Synth Explorer , title=Casio VL-Tone VL-1 , accessdate=31 January 2015 {{cite web , url=http://www.larcobaleno.com/stories/dream-machine.html , publisher=L'ArcoBaleno , last1=Kulash , first1=Damian , last2=Carnick , first2=Anna , date=26 August 2013 , title=Dream Machine , accessdate=30 January 2015 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323151530/http://www.larcobaleno.com/stories/dream-machine.html , archivedate=23 March 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.earmilk.com/gear/188227/teenage-engineering/op-1 , publisher=Earmilk , first=Kevin , last=Gaughan , date=February 2014 , title=Teenage Engineering - OP-1 , accessdate=30 January 2015 {{cite web, url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/8/28/3270259/teenage-engineering-op-1-accessories-launch-profile , publisher=

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media ...

, last=Ingraham , first=Nathan , date=28 August 2012 , title=Teenage Engineering's new OP-1 gear: it's time to crank, bend, and break the rules , accessdate=30 January 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan12/articles/teenage-engineering-op1.htm , work=

Sound on Sound ''Sound on Sound'' is an independently owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, ...

, last=Nagle , first=Paul , date=January 2012 , title=Teenage Engineering OP1 , accessdate=31 January 2015 {{cite web, url=https://www.engadget.com/2011/01/14/teenage-engineering-op-1-synthesizer-now-available-for-pre-order/ , publisher=

Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editor ...

, first=Trent , last=Wolbe , date=14 January 2011 , title=Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer now available for pre-order, we tour its shiny new features (video) , accessdate=30 January 2015 {{cite web, url=http://design-s.se/en/designs2012-en/winners-en/ , publisher=Design S , title=Winners , accessdate=30 January 2015 {{cite web , url=http://guthman.gatech.edu/2014-competition , publisher=Georgia Institute of Technology , title=2014 Competition , date=2015 , accessdate=30 January 2015 , url-status=dead , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114050611/http://guthman.gatech.edu/2014-competition , archivedate=14 January 2015

External links

Product page
from Teenage Engineering Polyphonic synthesizers Samplers (musical instrument) MIDI controllers Products introduced in 2011