Experiments With a New Toy... OP-1
I have some music I've been making with a new toy, the OP-1 by Teenage Engineering. Basically, it is a small portable synthesizer, with a few twists. It has 8 different types of synthesizers that can be mangled from one edge of the earth to the other, a sampler that lets you get sound from the OP-1's built in mic, your own audio files, an external input (anything from iPods, Guitars, Super Nintendos), and an FM radio that is also built into the OP-1. More on the radio in a moment... There's also a four track "tape recorder" inside. No, there's not actual tape in there, but it functions exactly like tape does; when you slow down the speed the pitch decreases, it can be played in reverse, tape can be "spliced"... It's a really fun device with lots of knobs and buttons, that encourages you to tweak and experiment with sound.
I love using the FM radio to sample random songs. The OP-1's sampler can only record 12 seconds, but it has been fun seeing what 12 seconds I am going to get. It's nice to have a bit a randomness to your work, often it really inspires and helps you "go with the flow."
"One Day" by AfroDJMac (Side A OP-1)
So, the four track "tape recorder" has 6 minutes of record time at normal speed. After you lay down your tracks you can then mix and record it to "vinyl." The "Vinyl" feature is just a metaphor for the mix down you create from the four track; I am unaware of any other functionality. The "vinyl" you record to has two sides (A and B, of course) of six minutes each. Above, is the first "A-Side" I've made with it. Much of the music on here was inspired by the 12 seconds of Salt n Pepa's "What a Man" I was lucky enough to capture. The best part, in my opinion, comes in around 4:15. I recorded this part sitting outside by a stream (so I sampled the stream :) )
I've also been incorporating this little workstation into my live sets, using it for synth melodies and samples. Yesterday I made a weird song that sparked out of sampling 12 seconds of "Head to Toe" by Lisa Lisa (another lucky break), lucky for me there was a drum breakdown that I was able to cut up and use for the drums sounds. Next, I came across some classical piano playing and grabbed 12 seconds of that, whatever it was. I filmed it all and stayed up late editing it together, which is what you see at the top of this page.
Has anyone out there been experimenting with the OP-1? I just starting to wrap my head around it, and still have a long way to go. If you have, I'd love to hear what you've been doing, send it along!