- When Teenage Engineering's OP-1 was first teased in 2009, everyone was curious what the unique mini synth/sampler was capable of. It boasted an unconventional appearance, interface and GUI, plus a rather steep (949 Euro) price tag, but when it was finally released in 2011, it was lovingly received. The Swedish company has since designed everything from wireless speakers to sync boxes, all following their modern design etiquette, with price tags to match. At this year's NAMM in California, Teenage Engineering announced their first truly affordable devices: the Pocket Operators.
These are the PO-12 Rhythm (for drums), PO-14 Sub (for basslines) and the PO-16 Factory (for leads). Each has its own OP-1-style interface, with mini characters and graphics acting out the sound creation process. Even though the majority of what's on screen isn't actually that helpful for sequencing and programming sounds—a sewing machine sews in time with the beat on the PO-12, for example—it's just for fun, which is at the heart of what Teenage Engineering do.
At 69 Euro each, the synths are stripped back to the bare bones, with an exposed PCB making up the majority of the unit's interface. Around back, the bare battery compartment gives the unit power via two triple-As, and according to Teenage Engineering, they have a standby lifetime of two years. There are 23 buttons on the front of the POs, most using cryptic symbols due to the lack of space. The manual is crucial during your first hour with the units— there are multiple shift functions, most of which aren't that obvious. As the screens are equally as ambiguous, it takes a while to get into the units' mindset.
I'll start with my favourite and what I'd guess will be the most popular Pocket Operator, the PO-12 Rhythm. Teenage Engineering CEO Jesper Kouthoofd is a former Elektron employee, so I had high hopes for the drum machine. After a small learning curve, I wasn't disappointed. The sound of the PO-12 is fantastic—its kick can rival drum machines four or five times its price. The volume is controlled by holding the BPM button and selecting a button 1-16, and when cranked loud, the kick distorts in a beautiful way. The other sounds are hit and miss, with some sounding like they've been lifted straight out of a NES game; others, after some tweaking, can come to life with charming tones. An excellent touch is the parameter lock feature. Hold the Write button while the sequence is playing and tweak the A and B dials and the POs will record the movements over each step. This allows for everything from varying hi-hat decay to recording a melodic tom line using automated pitch. There are three tempo presets—disco, techno and hip-hop—but the BPM is changeable by holding the BPM button and turning the B dial anywhere from 60 to 206 BPM.
The POs don't just record dial changes; there are also 16 effects. Holding the FX button and pressing any of the 16 sound buttons triggers an effect, while holding a button records that effect across all sounds. You press and hold FX with no button selected to erase the recording. It's a lot of fun, and the effects sound fantastic and unique. You don't need to know what you're triggering— there's no reference on the unit itself, only in the manual—but that's half the fun. Randomly filtering, phasing and gating the sequence can lead to happy accidents, so make sure you're recording your jam sessions.
It's also possible to sync the devices via a second 3.5mm jack on the left of all three units. It's fairly primitive in its functionality, but it gets the job done. The units will sync to anything that can produce a click track at the right volume, and once you're done setting the volume and sync mode, all outputs are combined through the final unit in the chain. It's nice to have this option, but I found myself using them in isolation a lot more, mostly because of the cryptic interface and the distorted sound when chained.
On the other two POs, the functionality is essentially the same. The PO-14 Sub offers an extra key button, adding performance controls like arpeggiator, vibrato and tape stop. You can change the note of each step using Write mode and the B dial, but there are no sharps or flats on the POs—you're either in C major or A minor. As on the PO-12 and -16, there are 16 sounds and 16 chainable patterns. You can move from pattern 1 to 6 to 8 and back to 1, or repeat individual patterns multiple times before moving on.
I expect most users will record their ideas and sequence in a DAW, though if you're on the road, it's nice to have the option to do it on the device. However, the effects and performance functions are global and can't be assigned to a particular pattern. The sound of the PO-14 leans more towards distorted, heavily modulated basslines but can be reined in for some purer tones. The effects and parameter lock function means you can very quickly whip up a unique and usable pattern. The 16th sound is a micro drum machine that, when activated, triggers a simple 8-bit drum machine across the buttons, with a cute but very thin sound.
The PO-16 offers almost identical features to the 14, with only colour and screen pattern separating the two. Sound-wise, it focuses more on leads, but it's definitely the least impressive Pocket Operator. Often with smaller, cheaper synths, doing one thing really well is better than doing multiple things averagely, and although the PO-16 is fun, it doesn't inspire in the same way as the Rhythm and Sub units.
The Pocket Operators aren't designed to be a production suite but to immerse you in creative limitations and bring out new and surprising results. I'd be wary of taking these on stage, as the exposed PSU might not survive a drinks spill (though there's a case available for another £30, which also labels things a little clearer). If I had to choose one I'd go for the Rhythm, but the Sub will also be an endearing and affordable step into the world of Teenage Engineering.
Ratings:
Cost: 4.2
Versatility: 3.0
Sound: 3.5
Ease of use: 3.0