I own an OP1 for a few years now, oh man, I really wanted to like this one. I really do, but I never really got something useful out of it. At least on its own, in a mix with other gear I like it, it cuts through everything. My main problem is my total inability to play the piano. And I seem to be to daft to understand most of the op1s sequencers. But I really love the design and haptic of this thing. I love to play around with it.I hate the lack of undo. How often did I mess up a track by deleting or overwriting it?
enter the OP-Z:
that thing it tiny, looks cheap, feels so and so, has really shitty buttons, BUT: it sounds great, is much easier to understand than expected, the integration with the app is great, having enough tracks really outshines the OP1 and I am really curious what kind of expansions will come.
Designwise I think the op1 wins by far, it looks like a cool Casiotone compared to a crappy late 80ies remote control, but it feels great. the keys feel like a Börsendorfer compared to the horror of the opz, but I am shure, the OPz will serve me better in its function.
I sold my OP1after enjoying it for many years, in the end I just stopped using as I was using my Elektron stuff more in the studio and it was too big to just ‘out it in your pocket’ for portable music making. It was (is) an iconic designed, looked an felt great and I almost kept it just because I like d looking at it and the may it felt to use…but when the OP-Z came out I decided it had to be one or the other and I decided for ‘my’ workflow and for true jacket portability it had to be the OP-Z. It is a far more powerful; sequencer than the OP1 (I always struggled a bit wit the tape concept) and if I can use it to sequence CV its worth the entry price just for that…
Great original points about OP-1 (I too suck at piano).
But I love OP -1 sequencers. Pure fun and unique, love them all. Tape clearly superior than any other hardware imo.
The Z seems boss for live use, but the OP1 is an iconic instrument - every home should have one.
Yes audio is king for op-1, with its two tape machines and lift and drop to sampler then back again.
Op-Z is all about programming the multi timbral sequencer.
Cuckoo says he thinks he prefers the Z with its forward thinking - way into the future.
I keep seeing people ask about sampling with the op-z. I thought I wanted that to, but the op-1 is already an amazing sampler, especially if you use the tape for things to long to fit into the sample engine. Having the screen on the op-1 for editing samples is really nice. Having an op-z to sequence samples on the op-1 sounds even better. To me the op-1 is the sample module for the op-z. The combo is going to be fun.
Not gonna lie, TE still needs a master tape recorder with multiple ins and full master fx and export/play. The synergies with the line are there. Make the battery huge, add screen, and sample in there. Touch screen tape fx.
I’ve been struggling with my boss’s OP-Z (he’s the best, right?!) because it’s not really great for non-pattern stuff. It’s also really difficult to play as a keyboard compared to the OP-1. It’s a completely different way of thinking from classical music.
I’ve been using the op-1 for a little over a year now; it totally changed my life. Spent a lot of time practicing chords and scales; its been my excuse to learn piano (aside from all the other amazing things it does).
The op-z is still really new for me. Before the op-1 I wasn’t even a musician, and before this the only step sequencing I’ve done was on the pocket operators. Step sequencing definitely has advantages in drum patterns - finding and placing different drums seems so much faster than the methods on the op-1. Hasn’t been immediately easy to do more than 1 bar at a time; I think I need to string a few patterns together and play across them. I sense a deep power in this tiny device.
Build-wise I’m impressed with how sturdy the op-z is, for something made of plastic. I’ve been able to use it in two hands but it’s really sharp! The edges and corners really dig in. Edgy! Seems better on a tabletop.
I’m glad the op-z isn’t a replacement for the op-1, looking forward to using each for its own strengths and finding ways to use them in tandem.