i saw some videos on youtube about the op-1, and i kinda fell in love with it. i never did music at all (even though i wanted to), so i will not have any idea what i’m doing at first (but you know, practice makes perfect, and from what i saw, it’s kinda user friendly). i absolutely love minimal/techno music, so if i buy one, i will be around those areas. so, i have a few questions:
1. how long can a track be in op-1? can you do like 10-15 minutes tracks, or it’s limited?
2. will op-1 still be supported by the developer after op-z gets released?
3. will op-z be better? should i buy that? i don’t have an iphone, and would love a screen, but it seems the app won’t be for android (?).
You can record your jams from the Tape onto an Album.
You have two albums (A&B) each 6 minutes long too.
The OP-1 is a great tool that i regret selling but at the same time I didn’t gel with the ‘committing to tape’ side of things and you really have to plan how to make a song before making one … there’s no “undo”.
The OP-Z appeals to me massively due to its multiple, tweakable sequencers.
You can record your jams from the Tape onto an Album.
You have two albums (A&B) each 6 minutes long too.
The OP-1 is a great tool that i regret selling but at the same time I didn't gel with the 'committing to tape' side of things and you really have to plan how to make a song before making one .... there's no "undo".
The OP-Z appeals to me massively due to its multiple, tweakable sequencers.
If you’re worried about length, there are so many inexpensive and/or free DAWs (music multi-track) applications for your computer. If you have a Mac, it comes with Garageband. You can use your OP1 in conjunction with one of those.
However, the 6 minute limitation is amazing. Makes you focus and get things done. Additionally, you can always live record to another device, “performing” your 6 minute tape for as long as your heart desires.
You could always record for longer by running the tape speed at half. But this means your audio quality will also be cut in half. And then you would need some audio software to convert the file from the OP-1 tape to regular speed.
If your music has a lot of repetitive stuff, you can get around the 6 min. limitation by organizing your song into loops. This will apply to your if your 15 min. song is actually 3 min. of audio looped 5 times, or 1 min. of audio looped 15 times or something like that - like a lot of dance music
It’s pretty easy to learn how to loop sections of a track for as long as you want, then get out of the loop to continue on the track to your next loop or just continue in general.
After my Octatrack stopped working, I copied the audio files I was going to use into the OP-1 and played loops on the OP-1 for our show - worked pretty well.
Seconding what @GovernorSilver said. I’d expect minimal techno to utilize quite a bit of looping, so the 6 minute tape length is probably not going to end up limiting you. For example, here’s our own @servando doing an entire 20 minute set on the op1s 6 minute tape.
As for the OP-Z, it looks cool but very different. OP-1 is more like a portable studio, whereas the OP-Z seems to stick more to being synth/sequencer/drum machine. Basically the OP-1 without the recording part. It can play multiple synth tracks at the same time, allowing you to tweak them endlessly instead of committing to tape. I don’t think you’d be able to make complete songs with lines from other gear or vocals, though.
@borden. That House set was done using less than 5 min of tape (now growing) . It takes me 24 seconds (2x 4bars @120bpm) for every song, and I can definitely extend more the live set if I do more trickery or I play live on top of the loops. Wouldn’t complain about the ability to change between different reels without having to use the computer though…
Psychedelique: If you are completely new to music I would rather recommend a midi-keyboard and a DAW. The OP with all its limits is maybe easier to use for someone who can play actual music, because most of its sequencers are very simple, and comitting/moving things around on tape can get old really fast if you don’t get it right.
I have to disagree. Unlike a DAW, the OP-1’s limits are well defined, and give you a predetermined set of tools to learn. A DAW is typically far more complex, deeper, and obviously less tactile.
I’d say the OP-1 is a perfect device for all experience levels.
