Teenage Engineering PO-133 Street Fighter Pocket Operator – Capcom special edition sampler / synth
micro sampler
PO-133 street fighter
The PO-133 street fighter is a micro sampler with 40-second sample memory and a built-in recording microphone. Comes with samples based on the Capcom Street Fighter game series.
3.5mm TRS Jack Input Input jack for audio & for sync signal to jam with other
” data-position=”triggerHorizontal” />Battery HolderPowered by 2 x AAA batteries
” data-position=”triggerHorizontal” />External Speaker Solder Pointsolder an external speaker to your pocket operator.
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| Weight: | 70 g |
| Dimensions: | 3 x 5.99 x 12.4 cm; 70 Grams |
| Model: | TE010AS133 |
Great little machine. You can make some cool little songs on it. I make hip hop beats but I use this for using the unique sounds to diversify my production. The packaging is so cool aswell. Great recommendation for synth nerds or producers alike.
Bought this for my boyfriend for this birthday after we watched a few youtube videos on the Pocket Operators. He loves it! We were both pleasantly surprised at how small it really is. Definitely not a toy and need to know a bit about them before purchasing but such a cool and quirky little piece of equipment. 10/10.
his was my 8th pocket operator.. I’d buy them all again just for the joy of opening them..
Plenty of how to videos on YouTube!
Pros
It’s so much fun! Seriously it is very fun to just muck about with this and try out new sounds, record samples and re-mix them.
Very small and very portable. Easily slips into a pocket or a bag and so light you’ll never notice it.
Great for getting into sampling and re-mixing. It’s probably the cheapest ways to get into this out there.
Has some great options and you can create some really great sounds and tunes from it using even simple filtering, pitch adjust and trims. Good thing is it never erases the original recording, so if you want to go back and change the way you’ve tweaked the sound you can.
Cons:
It does have a bit of a learning curve. There are no instructions, and even the online guide is limited in that it only explains basic functions and doesn’t go into detain on how they combine. I can recommend watching some how to videos on this to learn the complexities.
It has a 40 second sample memory, but that’s split across all the 16 samples, so you may find it a bit restrictive. The built-in ones don’t count to this 40 second limit and you can overwrite them with your own.
The built in speaker is very quiet. You can connect headphones that helps, but in all the videos I’ve seen of it they are definitely amplifying the audio.
Overall I have really enjoyed playing with this and I am seriously considering getting one of the other rhythm based units to connect to it.
Pros
It’s so much fun! Seriously it is very fun to just muck about with this and try out new sounds, record samples and re-mix them.
Very small and very portable. Easily slips into a pocket or a bag and so light you’ll never notice it.
Great for getting into sampling and re-mixing. It’s probably the cheapest ways to get into this out there.
Has some great options and you can create some really great sounds and tunes from it using even simple filtering, pitch adjust and trims. Good thing is it never erases the original recording, so if you want to go back and change the way you’ve tweaked the sound you can.
Cons:
It does have a bit of a learning curve. There are no instructions, and even the online guide is limited in that it only explains basic functions and doesn’t go into detain on how they combine. I can recommend watching some how to videos on this to learn the complexities.
It has a 40 second sample memory, but that’s split across all the 16 samples, so you may find it a bit restrictive. The built-in ones don’t count to this 40 second limit and you can overwrite them with your own.
The built in speaker is very quiet. You can connect headphones that helps, but in all the videos I’ve seen of it they are definitely amplifying the audio.
Overall I have really enjoyed playing with this and I am seriously considering getting one of the other rhythm based units to connect to it.
Hard to fault such a great little instrument. Yes, unless you already own a PO (this is my first), you will need to watch a few tutorials to get the most out of this – there are so many hidden features. But once you start getting the hang of this it’s just a creative joy.
That being said – I would recommend a protective case, or extreme care in handling it’s as fragile as it looks.
Hard to fault such a great little instrument. Yes, unless you already own a PO (this is my first), you will need to watch a few tutorials to get the most out of this – there are so many hidden features. But once you start getting the hang of this it’s just a creative joy.
That being said – I would recommend a protective case, or extreme care in handling it’s as fragile as it looks.
This was a requested present for my Grandson who says it is ideal although smaller than he was expecting. He is pleased however.
Such a dream to pick up and just start jamming. You can make tracks so quickly, it’s just the best workflow I’ve ever used.
Such a dream to pick up and just start jamming. You can make tracks so quickly, it’s just the best workflow I’ve ever used.
Purchased this for my partner’s birthday and he was over the moon.
Tonics one of my faves, great sounds & capability. Go for it.
Subs great, really…. I love these gadgets, I would def say buy all that you can afford.
Subs great, really…. I love these gadgets, I would def say buy all that you can afford.
Some great sounds, sync’d up to my Korg Volca synths no problem. Punch in effects are great, nice deep bass. Great price!
Some great sounds, sync’d up to my Korg Volca synths no problem. Punch in effects are great, nice deep bass. Great price!
love this lil gadget! very cheap for all the fun you can have- good lil companion synth.
it syncs with my volcas which is great (&loads others too probably!) i hope to collect more!
Funny little machine, nice sound and easy to get around. Play and create on the go
I recently bought this to play around with on the way to and from work.
I had been really interested in getting started with synthesisers and wanted something easy to learn and portable to get me started.
Teenage engineering has delivered! It’s cheap and cheerful but also delivers a heck of a sound!
After an hour of fiddling about, watching tutorials and referring to the (tiny) manual I feel like I can do so much on this little calculator!
There are 16 sequences to be played with and many sounds and effects.
Also a micro drum machine, which allows for fun even if you don’t have the po rhythm!
A must buy for anyone looking for a fun first synth under 50!
I recently bought this to play around with on the way to and from work.
I had been really interested in getting started with synthesisers and wanted something easy to learn and portable to get me started.
Teenage engineering has delivered! It’s cheap and cheerful but also delivers a heck of a sound!
After an hour of fiddling about, watching tutorials and referring to the (tiny) manual I feel like I can do so much on this little calculator!
There are 16 sequences to be played with and many sounds and effects.
Also a micro drum machine, which allows for fun even if you don’t have the po rhythm!
A must buy for anyone looking for a fun first synth under 50!
We’ve reached a total of nine Pocket Operator units now (as of August 2018), and while the various models have had their ups and downs, it wasn’t until I saw demos of the PO-33 K.O. Sampler that I was “blown away” by this series the way in the way that I was when I first saw that YouTube demo and was introduced to the whole concept. Until now, each Pocket Operator seemed planted in its own little niche, but the K.O. Sampler seemed almost limitless. A credit card-sized sampler that can actually sample 40 seconds of audio via on-board microphone OR 3.5mm line in? Powered by 2 AAA batteries?!? For less than $100?!!?
Of course, you can’t triangulate affordability, quality, and depth of features without making some compromises, and there are important limitations you should know about the PO-33. But I find it to be that rare case with music gear where an affordable piece of hardware with notable shortcomings on paper turns out to be much more powerful and enjoyable once you actually get it in your hands.
SAMPLING ENGINE & SOUND QUALITY:
There really are quite a large number of ways to get sound onto the PO-33 and then move them around and edit them once there, so I will try to keep this short. The PO-33 is an 8-bit sampler, which basically means that it has a fraction of the digital “information” contained in a note from a 12-bit sampler or a 16-bit Compact Disc, for example. While I found it to be entirely capable of clear, detailed notes, it does reveal a gritty, raw character on many sounds, particularly when you turn it up. This may come across as “bitcrushed” or even “chiptune”, depending on the type of sound involved, but this is consistent with the character of the overall Pocket Operator series. In some cases, the 8-bit audio engine creates a cool, driven effect, but I do have to admit I’ve struggled with it trying to sample a lot of sounds with the Line In jack – particularly bassy sounds like an 808 Bass Drum, which becomes fizzy and almost unrecognizable. Crisper or higher pitched sound better, and you can work with filter/resonance control to try and improve this further.
The face of the PO-33 has 16 numbered buttons. These represent both the 16 steps of the sequencer, as well as the 16 “banks” for sampled content. Banks 1-8 are “Melodic” samples. By selecting one of these 8 banks, you get control over 16 notes, representing two octaves of a “harmonic minor plus one” scale. (The original sample/root note is located at the “5” key, and one octave lower on the “13” key, so the scales mirror each other on the upper and lower halves, which is nice). This is a bit of a strange decision by Teenage Engineering, as many of their other melodic Pocket Operators were locked in a C Major scale, presumably so those new to music could just mash in notes and play things in key with multiple devices. More on that in the “Workarounds” section later.
Sound banks 9-16 are for “Drum” samples, but here’s where it gets a little weird. The default way that “Drum” banks handle samples are to listen for transients and “slice” up 16 samples of different sounds to be laid out as buttons 1-16. So if you sampled a 3-second clip of an “Amen Break”, or whatever, it would (in theory) grab different kicks, snares, and hats, and lay them out as 16 triggerable samples. That’s potentially very cool, and you CAN adjust the start point and length of each slice, but it isn’t a very repeatable or dependable way to set up a new kit. What you can do as an alternative is to copy and paste individual hits recorded as melodic samples into the slots of a “Drum” kit, though that takes a bit of doing.
The way that you sample is to hold down the red “record” button and then either make a noise into the microphone OR play a sound through the left side 3.5mm audio jack. The quality of the resulting 8-bit audio is a mixed bag. Some of the synth notes I tried to sample into the K.O. had a noise floor going on that made them almost unusable. At the same time, I was amazed how clear and dynamic the extremely small on-board microphone picked up noises. As an example, I banged an empty soda can on the table, figured out that the note I made with that was close to a C#, and then made a whole melodic loop out of…banging a can on a table. That’s an absurd example of what you could do much more effectively with your voice or an actual instrument.
One minor annoyance is that while the sample doesn’t record until it senses a certain noise level, you do have to hold down two buttons at one time, which then makes it hard to produce whatever noise you are making with your one free hand.
SEQUENCER:
I won’t say too much about the sequencer because if you are familiar with Pocket Operators, it is very similar to how the other units work. I also think the sequencer is the glue that holds these units together and converts them from “adorable music toy” to “surprisingly deep sub-$100 musical instrument”. Although each pattern is only one bar (16 steps in 4/4 time), you can program 16 of them and then chain them to repeat in any order over 100 times. It’s almost embarrassing how much more powerful the sequencer is on Pocket Operators versus some “serious” music gear costing 5 times as much. And it’s full of hidden tricks, such as the ability to set up to 8 note re-triggers per step. (Start playing a sequence, program a note, and then hold the button for that step while pressing the BPM button to cycle through re-trigger options).
EFFECTS:
The effects options in the PO-33 K.O. aren’t as memorable as some of the other units in this series (notably the PO-20 Arcade and especially the PO-32 Tonic), but they cover the basic needs of a sampler and get the job done. You have low- and high-pass filters and resonance control for each sample. There are 15 different effects (plus an “erase” key on “16”), though most of these are variations of stutters and loops. It’s still a lot of fun for live performance, and you automate different effects and control parameters within a sequence.
LIMITATIONS & WORKAROUNDS:
In researching the PO-33, I came across a few pretty major limitations that I feared might sink the device. However, thanks to the overall depth of features, and some clever workarounds to defeat these weaknesses, I find that the K.O. Sampler overcomes them.
Probably the most major limitations is that each SAMPLE slot (of which there are 16) is monophonic, while the overall polyphony of the device is limited to four samples played per step. What this means is that if you load “Drum” Bank 9, you can’t play a snare and a hi-hat from that bank on the same step. You also can’t layer different pitched notes from a single “Melodic” sample on the same step to make chords. I believe the PO-33 prioritizes “Melodic” hits over “Drum” hits. However, you can play multiple “Melodic” samples from different banks at the same time, or individual drum hits from different banks, provided the total number of sounds does not exceed four. You can also copy instruments from the “Drum” banks as individual melodic samples, and the K.O. functions much more like an actual drum machine in that way.
The limitations on the scale are another annoyance, but there’s an ingenious workaround I came across online that should allow you to play in any major or minor scale:
Minor scale: The note you sample becomes the root note of the scale, playable with the “13” button. The remaining notes of the Minor scale can be played in this order: 13-14-15-16-9-10-11-5
Major scale: Sample a note that is 3 half-steps or “semitones” lower than your intended root note. So, if you want a C Major scale, sample an “A” note, and then the root “C” will be on the “15” key. The remaining notes of the Major scale will be on these buttons: 15-16-9-10-11-5-6-7.
It sounds convoluted, but try it and match it up to a piano or other instrument for reference, and you’ll immediately hear the notes of your scale!
SUMMARY:
I’m leaving out a ton of features, but the bottom line is that this is a very full-featured sampler that’s just a lot of fun to use, and extremely affordable. By comparison, the Korg Volca Sample is nearly twice the price, holds just a bit more sample data (65 seconds vs. 40 seconds on the PO-33), and you cannot load any samples onto it without a computer data transfer. It’s really the ability to sample anything, anywhere with such a small (albeit fragile) device that propels the PO-33 K.O. to new heights. Its limitations of a piece of hardware are noteworthy, but the musical possibilities with it are endless.
For some background, the “full” version of this sound engine is MicroTonic – a PC and Mac-based drum machine plug in first released in December of 2003. Not only does the PO-32 Tonic operate a simpler version of MicroTonic, but the designers of that program collaborated on the production of the PO-32, and it is capable of loading sound patches and pattern data if you have the full paid desktop version (costing $100). MicroTonic actually looks like a great program, but I didn’t much interest in buying a $100 VST to use with a $89 drum machine.
But as it turns out, I don’t think you have to be a MicroTonic owner to appreciate what the Tonic does. It ships with 16 different instrument sounds, and as with the other Pocket Operators, these actually can be pitched and morphed with both the A/B modifier knobs and an even-more-awesome collection of 16 effects that can be applied live or on a per-step basis. The performative aspects of the Pocket Operators and implementation of effects are arguably the strong point of these devices, and the Tonic is the best example yet of that. Along with distortion, bit crush, and filter sweeps, there are several time based “delay” and stutter effects, including a crazy accelerating delay that sounds like a bouncing rubber ball.
However, since the patch transfer is accomplished by fax-style data bursts (either through a built in mic or direct line transfer), you can back up your own data as 30-second data bursts, or grab other data bursts off of YouTube or SoundCloud. So, while you won’t have the ability to customize your own sounds, you can still expand the palette of the PO-32 with a surprisingly effective transfer method (I tried it a few dozen times without reading the instructions too closely and it worked every time – both from PC and from smartphone). The Tonic sound engine seems impressively powerful and varied. I’ve heard patches that run the full range from classic analog drum machines (808/909/etc), to more driven, electro-style kicks and blips, to almost acoustic-sounding drum sets.
All the normal caveats for Pocket Operators apply – these things are small and they are FRAGILE. The failure point that concerns me the most are the super thing metal tabs that hold the AAA batteries in place. If those begin to fatigue and no longer hold pressure, I assume my PO’s will be done. The PO-32 has a workflow that isn’t necessarily intuitive from the instructions, but there’s actually quite a bit of depth there and you pick it up over time. Same goes for the pulse/CV synchronization with other hardware. It took a bit of trial and error and watching some YouTube videos to get each device in the proper mode, but it did work well after that (except for the problem that devices earlier in the chain are significantly more quite than those closer to the output).
Minor gripes aside, there are some seriously great sounds in the PO-32 Tonic. I think the melodic Pocket Operators are more limited because they really suffer from limited scaling and no MIDI or external note sequencing capabilities. But the PO-32, like the PO-12 before, is a self-contained drum machine, and an extremely fun one at that.
It appears to satisfy the teenage mind and his younger scientific brother.
Good little drum machine when paired to sonic charges microtonic .you can get some wild and crazy sounds out of it with the drum effects.all it needs is a couple of AAA batteries and your good to go
Good little drum machine when paired to sonic charges microtonic .you can get some wild and crazy sounds out of it with the drum effects.all it needs is a couple of AAA batteries and your good to go
As someone who grew up during the era of arcade games this is like a pure nostalgia trip.
Within minutes you will be playing catchy tunes and before you know it you’ve spent an hour just messing about. Coupled with the robot pocket operator you can make some complete chip tune tracks .
Highly recommended
As someone who grew up during the era of arcade games this is like a pure nostalgia trip.
Within minutes you will be playing catchy tunes and before you know it you’ve spent an hour just messing about. Coupled with the robot pocket operator you can make some complete chip tune tracks .
Highly recommended
What you get:
Lo-fi lead synth goodness. Playing the 16 keys and twisting the knobs will get you the lo-fi equivalent of everything from a haunting guitar to soaring synth and bleep-bloop chiptune leads. Although 16 keys isn’t a lot, the unit does let you tune up and down a decent amount to get some range. Great for simple live play.
A fully-functional sequencer. The 16-step sequencer also makes use of the 16th sound key which provides 16 different drum sounds. Use some of the low synth lines for bass, the drum key for drums, and then rock out your lead with the high instruments. That’s full song capability, onboard. Super cool, and so fun for freeform play.
Song play. The sequencer can remember up to 128 patterns in sequence. At 80bpm, that’s 6.4 minutes of recorded patterns. You can then use the FM and live play to jam over top of that. You can also punch in more patterns or sets of patterns on the fly, meaning you have almost unlimited play options within the confines of the unit.
Connects to other POs. Since this is mostly a lead synth, you may want to immediately connect it to the PO-12 Rhythm or PO-32 Tonic which are more fully-featured drum machines. This will let you control the drum separate from lead, making for more complex song ideas. You can also add a PO-14 Sub for basslines, a PO-33 for samples, or a PO-35 speak for voice/vocoder samples. Or how about a PO-20 for more lo-fi 8-bit arcade sounds? So many options! The POs share clock using a simple stereo (“aux”) cable, and the audio will be output by the final unit in the chain.
The only downside:
Teenage Engineering responded to the fact that at high volume the PO-1X series had distorted sound by lowering the volume on the PO-2X series. You will therefore want to look up some guides people have made for chaining the units- you may for instance want the volume on the Robot maxed out while your rhythm machine is set down to maybe half volume. It’s a small oddity, and takes moments to fix. But the Robot is very quiet in use, you really need headphones to enjoy it in anything but a silent room.
Overall:
Love this thing. It’s like the rest of the Pocket Operator line are an 80s electronic band and the Robot is the lead guitarist stepping onstage with a keytar. You can really make some rocking lead parts with this unit, as it has more options to fade in sound creating the sort of haunting guitar/synth sound that layers so well on top of the lo-fi drums and bass from the other units. This is a big recommendation for anyone who already owns another Pocket Operator- take your gigs to the next level.
If you can only afford one:
While the Robot is great, it’s meant to sit alongside other units. The most complete unit for a kid to play with, or for an aspiring musician, is the PO-20 Arcade. The Arcade hits the best balance of rhythm and lead so you can make songs on the train. The other big recommendation is that the PO-32 Tonic, which has integration to the Microtonic software meaning professional music producers adore its added flexibility.
Excellent little sequencer. It looks like a toy, but the option for a sync cable, as well with how customisable it is, really transforms this thing into something that works great for live jamming or even songwriting.
The interface is a little weird, but once you figure it all out, it works great.
Combining the beats you play with parameter locking the control knobs, punch-in effects and pattern chaining makes this one powerful bit of kit for it’s size.
Something to look out for – if it doesn’t switch on when new batteries are inserted then try bending the pins in a little – it worked for me.
If very quickly creating electronic beats is what you’re looking for, then for it’s price this thing is perfect. I love it!
Combining the beats you play with parameter locking the control knobs, punch-in effects and pattern chaining makes this one powerful bit of kit for it’s size.
Something to look out for – if it doesn’t switch on when new batteries are inserted then try bending the pins in a little – it worked for me.
If very quickly creating electronic beats is what you’re looking for, then for it’s price this thing is perfect. I love it!
A seemingly major down point is that they’re chromatically locked to C major, so if you want any sharps/flats you need to use the semi-tone bend effect on fx number 15. I thought this was going to be a problem, but I haven’t had any issues with it at all, in fact, it enables me to think up more creative basslines. Another thing to point out is that I thought my device was broken straight out of the box as it would not turn on when the batteries were inserted. However, I discovered on a forum that by bending the battery connection points in a little, the problem was solved. I don’t think I’ll bother getting a case as it looks cool and is pretty sturdy – as long as you don’t sling it loose into a bag or leave it lying around on the floor somewhere…
Recording lines live can be a little tricky, but once you’e used to it, building up and chaining pattern sequences is quite intuitive and powerful, especially when synced to other Pocket Operators and similar devices. A lot of people have described these as ‘Toys’, which is a slightly misleading thing if you haven’t ‘Played’ with them; it’s small and fun, but so is a Harmonica or a Ukulele, and this can do SO much more.
Oh… and there’s a little dude running around on the screen while you play things that goes back to bed to sleep when playing is done!
A seemingly major down point is that they’re chromatically locked to C major, so if you want any sharps/flats you need to use the semi-tone bend effect on fx number 15. I thought this was going to be a problem, but I haven’t had any issues with it at all, in fact, it enables me to think up more creative basslines. Another thing to point out is that I thought my device was broken straight out of the box as it would not turn on when the batteries were inserted. However, I discovered on a forum that by bending the battery connection points in a little, the problem was solved. I don’t think I’ll bother getting a case as it looks cool and is pretty sturdy – as long as you don’t sling it loose into a bag or leave it lying around on the floor somewhere…
Recording lines live can be a little tricky, but once you’e used to it, building up and chaining pattern sequences is quite intuitive and powerful, especially when synced to other Pocket Operators and similar devices. A lot of people have described these as ‘Toys’, which is a slightly misleading thing if you haven’t ‘Played’ with them; it’s small and fun, but so is a Harmonica or a Ukulele, and this can do SO much more.
Oh… and there’s a little dude running around on the screen while you play things that goes back to bed to sleep when playing is done!
Fantastic little gadget, perfect for those crunchy techno sounds that I needed!
Fantastic little drum synth, perfect across the board for all electronic genres and just what I needed for my Collection.
Pros:
-Quick to use. Just install batteries and hit PLAY, funky beats come out of the built-in speaker. Hold down Pattern and hit 1-16 to try the 16 different loops. Hold FX and hit 1-16 to try different effects.
-Love the design. Teenage Engineering is primarily a Japanese design company, and it shows. The Operators come in a paper box with a pull-tab down one side. The hanging loop on top gives it the look of some treasure you’d find tucked on a shelf in a hardware store. It looks like some 1980s pocket calculator. Funky oldschool design all the way. The little LCD display looks like an old electronic game, very neat.
-Sound is incredible. Even if built-in speaker is clear and loud for what it is. The unit does distort at high volume, but if you want to output the sound leave the unit around 70% and use external gain.
-Great range. You can change the BPM, volume, and parameters of all the included sounds. Add the FX, and there are tons of options. One filter can make everything sound 8-bit, another kicks up the bass to room-shaking levels. It’s all there.
-Syncs to a range of devices. The unit only inputs or outputs a click track, but this easily patches into the Korg Volca series and other units that have a customizable way to take an analog click track. You can also chain multiple POs, they’ll all pass through the sound and click track to give you one output at the end. Love it for jam sessions.
-The 16-step sequencer, with 16 sounds, and 16 effects, plus more. That’s a lot to get in such an inexpensive synth. The closest competitor is probably Korg’s Volga series, and one Volca may cost you as much as 2-3 POs while offering fairly similar experiences in terms of being able to put together immediately accessible jams. It’s probably no coincidence that the PO can easily sync to the Korg Volca line.
-Did I mention it has clock and alarm functions? In case you want this thing to wake you up with fresh beats, I guess.
Cons:
-The instructions in the packaging are useless. Look up a YouTube video immediately.
-The screen doesn’t actually give a lot of information. The main animation is mostly useless and barely relates to the sound in motion. Only a few of the icons really relate to your sound in progress. For instance, you can only tell if you’re in RECORD mode because of one tiny little icon- that’s easy to miss in play, which is a shame because the only real damage you can do to your loops is in RECORD mode so this should have a more obvious icon.
-So many limitations that can frustrate people who know about music production, even if newcomers will never know they’re missing a thing. Because there’s no MIDI in/out, you can only get notes or melodies to play by twisting the parameter knobs. The sync track also won’t share swing with other units, so you’ll have to keep that in mind if you jam with multiple units chained. There are plenty more quirks to find in YouTube tutorials. Almost all these quirks are just things that someone with this as their only device will learn to play with, but if you’re a real music producer you should check in-depth reviews before purchase.
-For the price, they could probably put this in a plastic case. That’s about my only complaint. The unit is so tiny, and it’s a bare board, and it has such limitations- surely they could afford to either sell it a bit cheaper or put it in a case. The company does sell cases for about $30, but that jacks up the price of a Pocket Operator so high you might as well go for a Korg Volca. In the bare board form though, this is an okay deal. Plenty of people sell cheap 3d-printed cases online.
Overall:
In terms of only buying one unit to jam on, the Pocket Operators are about the most fun you can possibly have anywhere near this price point. High recommended as a gift for any music fan that loves to jam. Anyone who bothers looking up some tutorials will be making awesome songs in minutes. It’s so neat to play with this thing. And it looks so cool, people will steal it out of your hands just to play with it.
Which unit would I recommend out of all the POs? This Rhythm unit is really more of a drum machine, which some people need. It can make neat songs if you know a little about how to tweak the knobs, or it would be a fun backing for vocals or an instrument. If you need one unit for someone who already plays an instrument, or sings or raps, this is the one. The most complete unit to date is probably the 2x-series Arcade, which jams out 8-bit chiptunes (or, the kind of music you’d hear on old arcade machines). I’d recommend the Arcade for instance if someone wants to compose songs while riding the bus, assuming they like early videogame music. The next contender for a total unit apart from these two is the 3x-series KO, which lets you use samples- including things you record with the built-in microphone.
Where to go from here? As said, this unit syncs both to other POs and to the Korg Volca series without much work, so it depends on how much money you have. Obvious connections in the PO line are the Sub, Tonic, KO, and Factory. The Korg Volca series makes an equivalent to pretty much all of those units- such as the Bass, Keys, and Sample. The click track syncs pretty well to almost any other synth that can output a click, so it should work in most environments. Not as recommended for people used to working with a PC(or DAW), as the lack of MIDI may hurt your work flow.
You can build up some quite complex rhythms with this. It ships with minimal instructions. As other reviewers have said, it does take a while to get your head around it. Fortunately there are lots of good guides on YouTube. Do allow for spending at least an hour with this, whilst watching YouTube, before casting judgement on it. We did, and without hesitation now give it 5-stars.
You can build up some quite complex rhythms with this. It ships with minimal instructions. As other reviewers have said, it does take a while to get your head around it. Fortunately there are lots of good guides on YouTube. Do allow for spending at least an hour with this, whilst watching YouTube, before casting judgement on it. We did, and without hesitation now give it 5-stars.
Combine patterns to get a decent length of a track, either using editable preset patterns or new patterns constructed by yourself. Tap in hits live to record or by using the step sequencer to switch on/off hits (aided by red led)
16 sounds
16 patterns
16 effects
Only the live editing of sounds is missing to me, you have to stop the track to edit each sound & then restart the track. On the Arcade you can do it all on the fly.
great fun, RTFM required though. Great for electronic beats, much less for R’n’r or acoustic type of music. Does not replace a drum machine.
Intuitive and efficient product, the sounds can get quite repetitive but thats the nature of the machine. You can seriously write full tracks on this thing and the fx section brings it to life
This is important as if you want something super basic this is not for you; if you want something with every bell and whistle out there, this is not for you eitther.
Right, here we go:
I have played on iPhone apps that allow you to sequence drum machines. They are fun but they all seem a little too basic and far off what a professional may use. They also do not ‘feel’ like a good stepping stone into music production. So I wondered what to go for. I checked out software first. There seemed to be lots out there ranging in price and complexity. I was reluctant to go out and buy some software that would just put me off for life. You know what I mean: you go and buy photoshop pro, try to draw a circle and find you have to spend four hours on Google to learn how to do it! I did not want the photoshop pro version of music sequencing; I did not want to have to boot up the computer sit at a table with a mouse (and possibly a keyboard) to get going. I wanted something the size of an iPhone that I could just grab and make music.
Then along came this bad boy: the pocket operator. Before you read on check out YouTube to see what people have done with it. When you link it up with another (or even more) you can get some real professional music laid.
How easy it is: I am gonna be honest. It was not intuitive for me. You can’t just open it and get stuck in. I struggled to even play around to work out what things did. This may not be the case if you have experience of this sort of thing; the symbols (pun intended) may mean something to you. I was a little frustrated but remembered why I bought it. I wanted something a little more professional that a simple iPhone app. And that was gonna require a little learning.
So I put the work in. If you have peace you can become proficient with its use in about an hour. You may need to refer back to the instructions to remind you how to do some if it but it is actually relatively simple. I would advice learning one function then spending a few minutes playing with it then moving on.
The hard part is actually making a good track. But then if that was easy we would all be pop stars!
The internal speaker is not brilliant but it is much better than I was expecting so don’t let that put you off; with earphones its perfect. It takes two AA batteries and is constantly on. There is no off button but this does not matter. To my understanding most of the screen is just for show but some of it does help. All the LEDs near each button all mean different things depending on what you are doing. I found it a little confusing at first but quickly got the hang of it.
So, if you are looking to put your foot in the water – get this; it is wicked. I was picking my wife up from somewhere the other day. I arrived early so killed 15 minutes in the car with the Operator, wrote a little track and smiled. Boom!
I read that the Rhythm was was the best to get if you were just getting one. It is not just a drum machine; you can get melody on your tracks to.
This is important as if you want something super basic this is not for you; if you want something with every bell and whistle out there, this is not for you eitther.
Right, here we go:
I have played on iPhone apps that allow you to sequence drum machines. They are fun but they all seem a little too basic and far off what a professional may use. They also do not ‘feel’ like a good stepping stone into music production. So I wondered what to go for. I checked out software first. There seemed to be lots out there ranging in price and complexity. I was reluctant to go out and buy some software that would just put me off for life. You know what I mean: you go and buy photoshop pro, try to draw a circle and find you have to spend four hours on Google to learn how to do it! I did not want the photoshop pro version of music sequencing; I did not want to have to boot up the computer sit at a table with a mouse (and possibly a keyboard) to get going. I wanted something the size of an iPhone that I could just grab and make music.
Then along came this bad boy: the pocket operator. Before you read on check out YouTube to see what people have done with it. When you link it up with another (or even more) you can get some real professional music laid.
How easy it is: I am gonna be honest. It was not intuitive for me. You can’t just open it and get stuck in. I struggled to even play around to work out what things did. This may not be the case if you have experience of this sort of thing; the symbols (pun intended) may mean something to you. I was a little frustrated but remembered why I bought it. I wanted something a little more professional that a simple iPhone app. And that was gonna require a little learning.
So I put the work in. If you have peace you can become proficient with its use in about an hour. You may need to refer back to the instructions to remind you how to do some if it but it is actually relatively simple. I would advice learning one function then spending a few minutes playing with it then moving on.
The hard part is actually making a good track. But then if that was easy we would all be pop stars!
The internal speaker is not brilliant but it is much better than I was expecting so don’t let that put you off; with earphones its perfect. It takes two AA batteries and is constantly on. There is no off button but this does not matter. To my understanding most of the screen is just for show but some of it does help. All the LEDs near each button all mean different things depending on what you are doing. I found it a little confusing at first but quickly got the hang of it.
So, if you are looking to put your foot in the water – get this; it is wicked. I was picking my wife up from somewhere the other day. I arrived early so killed 15 minutes in the car with the Operator, wrote a little track and smiled. Boom!
I read that the Rhythm was was the best to get if you were just getting one. It is not just a drum machine; you can get melody on your tracks to.
Really complete and amazing sounding gadget for its price. I could mess around for hours with this little machine.
brought for my teenage son he loves it.would recommend getting a cover .
Sounds great and I built up a really strong creative flow with it almost instantly.
But sadly enough it’s been having it’s moments, possibly running through batteries really fast (as I use it a lot) and seems to dislike any room temperature under 18 degrees… But all in all love it and hopefully it continues to be a great addition to anyone’s gea
Sounds great and I built up a really strong creative flow with it almost instantly.
But sadly enough it’s been having it’s moments, possibly running through batteries really fast (as I use it a lot) and seems to dislike any room temperature under 18 degrees… But all in all love it and hopefully it continues to be a great addition to anyone’s gea
The question I have not yet answered for myself is whether this is a toy or something which can be used in a serious music-making sense. it is an instrument in its own right, even if the way you play it is a bit unconventional. As Teenage Engineering demonstrates on its website and YouTube videos, you can jam and make quite sophisticated music if you chain a couple of different pocket operators together. Which is fine. However, it is more difficult to integrate this into other music making systems such as computer-based DAWs. There is only a (mono!) audio out and no midi/USB/whatever, so once you’ve put a beat together you can only export it by recording it into a DAW (or whatever) as a single channel of audio. It would add a huge amount of flexibility if you could get each channel separately, or get the midi data out… But I appreciate this would add cost to something which is pretty keenly priced.
If you play guitar, get one. You can make some amazing stuff with this and a bit of practice.
Everything works flawlessly and you can start programming in your own tunes right away, the learning curve isn’t too high and it will be a long time before you get bored messing around with the different parameters. The chord function is awesome and it affects some of the other ‘notes’ depending on the patterns played.
I’ll be buying another PO without hesitation. I bought a case at the same time, it’s not necessary but it is a nice touch, if a little pricey.
Everything works flawlessly and you can start programming in your own tunes right away, the learning curve isn’t too high and it will be a long time before you get bored messing around with the different parameters. The chord function is awesome and it affects some of the other ‘notes’ depending on the patterns played.
I’ll be buying another PO without hesitation. I bought a case at the same time, it’s not necessary but it is a nice touch, if a little pricey.
The most underwhelming of all the PO synths. Very niche without an enormous amount of tweakability. I would buy this only if you have at least a couple of the others.
Love it. easy to use and really good sounds. I recommend buying the case though as you tend to be a bit careful due to its looks
I love it! A very handy little drum machine that goes nicely with the Korg Volca Bass or FM. Lives in the Duragadget bag for outdoor sessions!
We love these, we have three of them – bass, treble, rhythm. Fab stuff.
Electro popping, acid techno, bouncy beat making marvel. I’ve used a ton of drum machines over the last 30 years and this is one of my favourites for a quick session of beats.
Electro popping, acid techno, bouncy beat making marvel. I’ve used a ton of drum machines over the last 30 years and this is one of my favourites for a quick session of beats.
I got this as a present for my bother who really loved it. Really fun to use and sounds great. Only reason I didn’t mark it as 5 stars in the instructions could be a bit clearer, my brother ended up looking at some online manuals, and that BATTERIES ARE NOT INCLUDED which is no biggie but it’d be nice it that was more explicit. As a piece of tech though, great fun~
Although not my favourite PO, the factory works well with other PO’s, or on its own the the slightly limited drum machine. If you’re going for one PO, I’d perhaps consider the Arcade, but this would definitely add nicely to your collection.
Although not my favourite PO, the factory works well with other PO’s, or on its own the the slightly limited drum machine. If you’re going for one PO, I’d perhaps consider the Arcade, but this would definitely add nicely to your collection.
I have this one & the drum one.
I have this one & the drum one.
I have this one & the drum one.
And don’t let the size or price deceive you the Pocket Operator haze a surprising level of complexity to what you can do.
Defiantly going to get others form the series to link up.
And don’t let the size or price deceive you the Pocket Operator haze a surprising level of complexity to what you can do.
Defiantly going to get others form the series to link up.
Massive 8 bit music fan and found this by accident. Just an engineering marvel, sounds are great, like having an arcade machine in your pocket or even a Commodore 64!!
Would love a case but at 30 they are a bit over priced, will be adding the other PO devices to my wish list!
Massive 8 bit music fan and found this by accident. Just an engineering marvel, sounds are great, like having an arcade machine in your pocket or even a Commodore 64!!
Would love a case but at 30 they are a bit over priced, will be adding the other PO devices to my wish list!
Massive 8 bit music fan and found this by accident. Just an engineering marvel, sounds are great, like having an arcade machine in your pocket or even a Commodore 64!!
Would love a case but at 30 they are a bit over priced, will be adding the other PO devices to my wish list!
Massive 8 bit music fan and found this by accident. Just an engineering marvel, sounds are great, like having an arcade machine in your pocket or even a Commodore 64!!
Would love a case but at 30 they are a bit over priced, will be adding the other PO devices to my wish list!
Massive 8 bit music fan and found this by accident. Just an engineering marvel, sounds are great, like having an arcade machine in your pocket or even a Commodore 64!!
Would love a case but at 30 they are a bit over priced, will be adding the other PO devices to my wish list!
Massive 8 bit music fan and found this by accident. Just an engineering marvel, sounds are great, like having an arcade machine in your pocket or even a Commodore 64!!
Would love a case but at 30 they are a bit over priced, will be adding the other PO devices to my wish list!