CHF478.–
Teenage Engineering OP-Z
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
11 reviews
Small but mighty!
Cool sequencer with lots of power. I have replaced my PO's with an OP-Z, as it easily has the power of all of them together in a super format.
Unfortunately, however, the encoders were not mounted correctly in the unit when it was delivered. Currently waiting for a new unit and hoping the encoders are intact! :(
With the second unit, the problem with the encoders was unfortunately even more serious. Customer service was still friendly and replaced the unit again. I hope that the third time there are again like the first time or ideally perfectly processed encoders!
digitec cannot be held responsible for the fault and as you can read on the internet, the quality of the unit is unfortunately often not quite ideal.Pro
- Fantastic sequencer
- Cool Synth Engines
- Light, compact, super!
Contra
- Lack of supply with encoders
- Build quality of the encoders
Horny WC disco!
I'm thrilled, on the toilet, on the sofa, on the train. Steep learning curve, but still accessible. Sound is ingenious. Guaranteed fun for many, many hundreds of hours! Tip: Watch Cuckoo's tutorial on YouTube.
Unfortunately, however, the workmanship is very weak. One of the encoders (yellow) fell out immediately on my first unit. I opened a warranty case, returned the unit, ordered a new one: same problem. In addition, the back of the housing was loose. Next warranty case.
It is incomprehensible to me how one can invent such a good product and then have it manufactured so cheaply. Or no, I understand it very well: profit maximisation, the plague of our time.
In any case, only 3 out of 5 stars.Pro
- Hammer sound
- Diversity
- Very good online manual
- compact!
- Price is fair
- App well done
Contra
- weak workmanship
It makes bleeps and bloops
I wanted something to use as a musical notepad which would add some backing tracks to my live playing. Honestly the OP-Z has surpassed my expectations in what it can do, its suprisingly powerful given its size.
Pro
- Insanely small given what it can do
- very powerful sequencer
- fun
Contra
- slight learning curve
- price
For a third of the price I'd say yes
No detailed instructions in French, small battery-operated format useful for outdoor use, unfortunately I found it badly balanced, you have to spend days indoors to memorise the thousands of possibilities in the right order so you can reproduce them without error. Not plug and play enough, there are too many functions to do everything and the sounds take a back seat! They're not even detailed and listed in the instructions on the internet! And even with a pad/phone plugged in, they don't appear. No names, no numbers, the instrument sounds are laid down in a sort of random disorder with no crechendo. They've left a lot of space empty with no instrument sounds assigned (more than half empty), so that people can put in their own sounds, or maybe they've left half the possible instrument tracks empty because it's too hard to remember them all (240 cymbals, 240 bass etc). Not very fluid, not very flexible, not very intuitive. The HDMI connection only works for the video function and doesn't work for the mixxer (all black screen), which is really unpleasant. Bluetooth pairing is difficult. It lacks a headphone jack to operate the machine properly. The arpeggiator only works with a few sounds and cannot be used to modulate the main instruments, which is a major drawback. The sounds are a bit bland, sounding like each other, and the nuances are tight. The sound quality of the bass, chords and synths isn't extraordinary, and unfortunately won't get me up at night to listen to them. If they wanted to improve, they should have made instrument kits for each style of music to download, but no, there's no such thing, the sounds take a back seat. For 180 I would have said yes with almost 4 stars.
Pro
- Batteries
- Weight
- Dimension
Contra
- Prices
- Quality
- Button assignments
- Fluidity
- Instructions for use
Enormous variety of functions in a minimal form
The operation is logical, but the sheer number of functions is a strain on the brain. Screen ran smoothly for me on Android (beta), but is superfluous except for midi fiddling and video logically. The sequencer is very good. It has the three little functions that make the difference between an ordinary beat and a groove.
Pro
- can do "everything
- Sequencer
- Step components
- is actively developed further
Contra
- expensive
Processing defective
Basically, a great goovebox with various application possibilities. The small OP-Z definitely has a good sound, too. Unfortunately, the workmanship is poor. The device I initially received had various problems.
1. three of the four encoders were no longer fully pressed in: According to a brief Google search, this is apparently a known / widespread problem. There are some DIY solutions to fix this. Therefore, I could have basically overlooked the error.
2. on-off switch jams: The rotary switch jams in the housing when it is switched on and off. Due to the grinding marks on the switch (yellow), I assume that it is not nicely centred in the housing or is broken.
3. battery defective: The OP-Z could only be operated via USB cable. A quick check of the battery with the multimeter showed a voltage of 0V. Again, a quick search on the internet revealed that this is a known problem. Apparently, the installed batteries discharge completely after a certain storage period and cannot be "woken up" again by the OP-Z. There are ways to "restart" the battery, but you should not have to do this with a new device.
TLDR: Various problems with the quality of workmanship (encoder, battery, on/off switch). Device DOA and therefore back to Digitec. A replacement unit is on its way.Pro
- Good sound
- Extremely versatile
Contra
- Processing
6 out of 11 reviews
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