Let’s talk about them.

I’m going to get one for my birthday. I want something I can play with without having to hook it up to a computer.

Anyone familiar with these and have opinions on them?

Looking at the Sample but also wondering if the Keys is a better option

Anyone familiar with these?

for a minute.....
even though i don't know shit about making beats...
and would probably never even have the time to play with it and make it do what it do....
and one of my youngins would probably get their hands on it and break it anyway....

*stops looking at them Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators*

Shit is cheap and a lot of fun to play with https://www.elf-audio.com/koala/

"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

dibiase makes em look cool I guess

https://twitter.com/darealdibiase/status/1174778736358522880?lang=en

but I aint tryna buy nothing else. You mess with the Koala joint?

https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1

If he's looking at the Volca line, I doubt he's in the market for a $1300 piece.

I'd recommend Sample 2 from that line, but that's me.

I had no idea what to get for my bday and then realized having something like this would be fun to play around with.

I’m not spending stacks for equipment. Just wanted something affordable and lightweight.

Originally I was looking at the Akai MK3 mini but you need a computer for it. Not trying to sit at a computer all the time when I’m fucking around.

That Koala app looks cool too. I’ll check it out.

like three months ago.

You should check some pawn shops. I found an MPC 500 for $50 bucks last year. I didn't cop because I had the 4000 at the time, but in hindsight I should have copped that shit.

Akai MPX's are also affordable

the one without the usb input.

Gotta cop from Sweetwater or another supplier

https://teenage.engineering/store/po-33/

until end of October.

And do you have a MIDI keys controller?

I'm a big fan of gear that doesn't need a computer. I've been toying with getting a multi-track recorder so I can work without clicking a mouse.

I have a midi keyboard but it’s old, big and basic af.

I just copped the PO33 to have something to play with at lunch. Def want something I can use without a computer so I don’t have to be tied down while creating.

I need to learn how to operate it but this shit is fun.

Also bought that Koala sampler which is dope af.

Still going to get the Volca sampler but the one with usb isn’t available until end of October.

glad you settled on the PO33

its such a nice baby 404.
if you want some tips, holla at me

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrjYzhJghPb/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsMsOa0A6dE/

i have owned almost every Pocket Operator and i regularly use Koala
i traded my POs for the OP-Z but i kinda miss having the 33 around
its just so easy to make anything

I just got it.

If you can steer me in the direction of the basics I would appreciate it.

This little thing looks like it will be fun to use once I get a hang of the shortcuts.

Screen makes no fucking sense tho. Shit is hilarious.

its more for show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1841FR_eE8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnF1md-xxTc

Watch these and go through each thing one by one
its not as difficult as it seems

the manual is also very very helpful
https://teenage.engineering/guides/po-33/en

some tips:
- its lofi. its not gonna be CD quality so just lean into it.
- delete the default packs to save some space. you can always do a factory reset and get them back, but i doubt you'll ever want to
- i personally found that treating everything like a 'session' worked for me. Basically i clear the whole thing (maybe keep the couple kits/synth samples i liked) and then adding new stuff. i'd kinda put something together messing around and eventually arrive at something i liked, record it, then clear it off again. That kept me from feeling limited by space
- sampling into the Drum slots will chop based on transients BUT if you sample something into a Melodic slot, then copy it into a drum slot, it will slice it evenly into 16. This is really handy when you want a clean measure as you can just count in multiples of 4 and end right at the end of the bar, giving you clean slices.

you can sample anything but you can find a lot of good stuff on op1.fun (https://op1.fun/users/dochardware) and musicradar

i use a lot of stuff from Soul Surplus and Samplified but you don't really have to go that far. Youtube is usually good enough

I’ll peep these tonight.

I have a ton of old records and I’m going to do some dusty sampling. I need some drum kits tho.

I’ll check out those sites.

I sent you some drums

Nigga...

It’s on.

Once I figure out how to chop/slice these samples it’s on.

"even though i don't know shit about making beats...
and would probably never even have the time to play with it and make it do what it do....
and one of my youngins would probably get their hands on it and break it anyway...."

i'm jelly....

to play, watch movies, work, etc

Definitely keeping this device up high because if they can reach it or see it, they will touch it.

One of the reasons I fell off from this stuff is the need to box out specific time to be in the mood to create.

I think the lockdown has made it possible again though.

Now my nephew still records and performs..

and I’ll throw him a dirty sample or loop. These is a fun way to bust out some ideas.

Definitely not trying to be the next Premo.

These things are nice as hell but the learning curve is so steep that putting in an hour a day wasn't enough. If I got a do over I'd get the OP-33 and just have fun with it.

The MPC 60, 3000, 2000, 2000xl, 1000 and 4000.

I've never used any of the newer ones, but I've used the 2k, 2kxl & 1k and found them to be very intuitive.

I'm pretty decent with it now that I've put the work in but the start was rough. The workflow is very different from what I used to do years ago on the computer.

...not the same quality as the 2k/2kxl. Buttons tact switches are cheap, but the better pad replacement is like $150. Gotta pull mine apart to fix at least the switches under the buttons. My A BANK button not working is getting on my nerves. I think there's a few more I gotta solder in replacements for.


If I was to buy an MPC today, I'd look for an old 2kxl for a few hundred and pair it with MIDI keys/synth modules and a controller.

and like, so fast, you really can just have it at your desk and be messing around with it in your little bits of down time

its not like sitting down to create a masterpiece with a larger tool cause you don't have a ton at your disposal

its so direct you can have something going in like a couple minutes and then just mess around with it for a week. making small changes or playing around with effects. it starts turning into a habit rather than you needing to be 'in the mood' which is nice

thats why i liked it. it fit within my day-to-day unlike my gear gear

though... is the PO 33 a more worthwhile purchase? I'm concerned with then having to go down the path of sourcing sample materiel etc.... or will the 33 do just as much as the 32 and more?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvriNvyT_SY


"Get ready....for your blessing....."
"Bury me by my Grand-Grand and when you can come follow me"

I’m mad I waited this long to cop one of these.

im obsessed now
and so many youtube videos on both
beats are wack as shit but its a good diversion in these times

and want more processing power, etc

Thanks again for the suggestion. I was this close to getting the volca sample without the usb. This is a great tool until that’s available.

I’d say get that after you get tired of just the 33. The 32 is a real deal drum machine and it goes real well with the 33. It resolves whatever drum limitation issues you might be having

Plus all the POs sync so you can daisy chain them together and have a nice setup

https://ibb.co/CWMTgQd

Just got this delivered this afternoon.

The desire to call out the rest of the week is strong.

you will ever need

I’m jealous

Far as last piece of gear I'll ever need, it's close to it.

They made some odd choices in terms of a lack of computer integration, so apart from controlling Ableton Live, it's much more limited than the MPC's in that regard.

But from a pure sequencer standpoint, they recently added a linear DAW-style arranger that's pretty close to what I've been doing in Cubase for years. The touchscreen is huge and responsive enough.

It's also got the same stock fx you get in pro tools. They're not great, but they're solid, especially as far as all in one standalone units go. That plus some useable (just that, lol: useable) onboard synth sounds does mean that you can do everything you need in the box.

So I'm pairing this with my Yamaha MODX (think an upgraded version of the older Motif boards) and the cache of VST's I've built up over the years. It's only been a I'll probably sell my Maschine Studio now, and cop the MC 101 I told you about, to flesh out my standalone palette.

I'm excited about it. Now I just need to get a return on this investment, instead of just some hobby shit.

This thing is fun as hell for something so small.

Might even hold off on the Volca Sample 2 for a minute so I can master this...

Yeah right, I’m copping that shit too!!! Lmao

There's a fair amount of options out there.

If you haven't checked the roland MC 101, which can be had for about 350 used, you should. It's only four tracks, but that thing is ridiculously packed with features for the size and price.

https://www.roland.com/global/products/mc-101/

The bonus here is, yes, it's a sampling sequencing drum machine, but it's also got the exact same synth engine and 90% of the sounds of the flagship Fantom.

It's four tracks, but each drum track holds 16 individual sounds/samples, with it's own eq, and you can resample a track to a pad.

This shit is nice. Only problem is the keys are so small I should’ve just got 8 or 16 pads and called it a day.

This free DAW from MPC beats tho.. lovely.

the weight of the pads and keys, it just kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

in the end I wanted to include more analog sounds into my flow so I picked up a Korg Minilogue since it was able to do analogue output and synthesis as well as MIDI in/out and usb. This allowed me to craft sounds as well as use the unit as a controller.

i almost ordered this last night

https://www.amazon.com/Arturia-MiniLab-MkII-Slim-Key-Controller/dp/B01MSNIVKE

kind of still thinking of stopping by guitar center today and picking one up. one problem is the laptop i have at home is kinda eh. its worked better lately but i think i need to go on and replace it.

it looks like i could use it with my phone but seems like a bit of a hassle. not sure if i HAVE to use a usb splitter to charge while i have it connected to the phone or if thats just to make sure your battery doesnt drain as fast. i think i have a USB OTG cable somewhere.

i was trying to see if there were some that can connect via bluetooth but only found one that is pricier and doesnt seem as good.

I think the one you linked is said to have a more natural feel with the keys.

The MKIII keys feel cheap but they do the job.

akai has good pads but eh keys and arturia has good keys but eh pads.

i used to play piano as a kid so i figured something with good keys would be a better fit for me. havent had a chance to test it out much. basically just installed all the software last night. my laptop probably does need to get replaced. installation took way longer than i think it should had. once i got into ableton it seem to run okay enough but still a bit of lag when switching instruments.