"OP-1 Newsletter #3, Jan 14, 2011
SPECIAL NAMM 2011 ANNOUNCEMENT
Finally. After more than two years of development the OP-1 is ready for production.
Initial supply will be limited. We now accept reservations at http://www.teenageengineering.com
Order now to make sure you get an OP-1 from the first production run. Manufacturing, assembly and shipping will be eight weeks.
PRICE
The OP-1 is priced at $ 799 / Euro 799 (including EC-VAT).
We have got questions about the dollar versus euro price.
The apparently higher euro price is a consequence of that we are required to add sales tax on all sales to the european union.
MEET US AT NAMM
We are in Hall A, Booth# 6409. The NAMM Show, Anaheim convention center in California. This is the place to try out an OP-1 for yourself. The show ends on Sunday.
BETA
Invitations has been sent out to the people selected for the Beta program.
We are exited to open up the sales of the OP-1 and are looking forward to hear what music you will create with our beloved synthesizer.
Thank you for signing up for the Teenage Engineering Newsletter.
Have a nice day.
-Teenage Engineering."
17 comments:
A truly absurd price. $250 USD - tops, is all it's worth.
Hmmmm.....I'm thinking at least 500 for anything comparable.
I think Icepulse was being kind . . . My feeling was something like $149.00. Even if I had the extra cash I could think of other ways to overspend.
No, it's a pretty capable-looking little guy with a rich readout, but $500 is last decade's price for such a device.
Like it or not, the iPad has changed the game. After the initial investment, apps with equally impressive features are here, with more to come.
People still call it a toy, simply because it's not running something dedicated, but they'll look upon a $1000 synth as pro audio gear. How opaque a notion!
In my head I'm comparing to Waldorf's Blofeld which I *thought* was going for 500 but is actually around 700.
Don't forget- the iPad starts at 500 and the handful of killer apps available really don't do anything terribly unique.
And I agree that the prices on electronics should be down but I think this falls more under botique.
The price has been around 800$ since it was first announced there's no surprise here. This device might look like a Casio keyboard, but its much much more.
As a comparison, do you guys know how much a single Moogerfooger pedal costs?
@johnnyg0
I'm online @ Nova musik right now and the moogerfoogers are running anywhere from the high 200s to 800.
The other thing is that there is an 8 week turn over. Probably not banging them out is some factory in China.
Supply and demand.
$250 - are u sick? 0o
this is not a freaking toy, this is va synth\sampler with 4track tape recorder
yes, 800$ is shitty high price.. u can get moog slim phatty..
op-1 should cost 500$ yes
but can we blame a team of 8 people?
waldorf and others are much bigger companies
I think if you buy one and dont like it
you probably have no trouble selling it for
about the same price
$150!
You obviously have no clue when it comes to synthesizers. Your looking at the vl-1 like case and assuming its like a casio. The spec on this thing is really crazy.
The dude's who made it have been in the synth industry, companies like electron. It's arrogant and presumptuous to think they didn't put a lot of thought into pricing.
Icepulse said it. Well actually I'd already said it before, but Icepulse said it again and I agree. Mobile music making is not about this device in my opinion. Shame - I hope they manage to recoup the development cost before it sinks to the bottom. Also, when demoing the device, do try harder to prove that the impressive capabilities of the device amount to something sonically impressive.
As a comparison, the MF-101 from Moog costs 300$. So for 300$ you only get one Low-Pass filter from Moog and that's it! I bought the WMD Geiger Counter for almost 400$, and its just a Bit-Crusher! (but a really great one).
Plus, as myxomatosys pointed, Teenage Engeneering is a small company who does not mass produce like large corporations like Korg, they're akin to Boutique music instruments, and yes they costs more because of that, and because of they way they're crafted.
@Icepulse
"People still call it (the ipad) a toy, simply because it's not running something dedicated, but they'll look upon a $1000 synth as pro audio gear."
Why do I feel this is directed towards me? :)
Do you know there are still people out there who dismiss all electronic music instruments as toys? There a many many people who believes music can only be made with instruments made out of wood or metal. They believe that when there's electricity involved its just random noise.
Most people don't even know the Theremin was invented 10 years before the electric guitar... :P
And for the record, I think the OP-1 is a toy, but a really really nice toy.
I didn't really direct it at anyone, believe me. It's just my perspective. Hell, over at the Synthtopia forums, they're REALLY hard on anything that's not a premium cost, dedicated hardware device. I guess, as an artist, I get annoyed with hearing about how these "toy" apps aren't for serious musicians, as the guys with $25k worth of hardware churn out yet another Richard Marx-esque monstrosity of uninspired "session magic".
But I'll say it again, once you have an iPad, the world is your oyster. I don't see how this OP-1 is any more capable than NanoStudio.
Also, Scott Walker punches a side of beef in order to achieve a specific sound in the studio. Is that a toy too?
Lastly, in defense of the low-budget studio; I'd rather hear Beck's "Stereopathetic Soulmanure" than "Midnite Vultures" or "Sea Change", or any other of his hi-gloss, regurgitated BS. Heard "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" yet? A two-million dollar production with love letter reviews that features the most incapable rappers who ever walked the earth. It's like putting a silk hat on a pig.
I can't compare Nanostudio to any other music app for ipad. So I doubt I'd be able to compare it to the OP-1.
As far as synths go big corps, and small, have been turning $1000 so-so synths for years. I may have said this before, but I haven't seen much of anything new or different in the synth world since the early '90's.
Everything has pretty much been rebadged variations on the same old themes: Better sample playback and analog emulation. Bigger steps, sonically speaking, have been taken between the late 70's and early '90s than from 91 to present.
And if you think about the new stuff, if the presets aren't hip-hop or techno - they're retro. It's been that way for years.
So, my point is, neither the OP-1 nor any ipad app is going to be the next DX-7, D-50, Emulator, Cs-80, LM-1, Jupiter 8, etc, etc.... anytime soon.
If anything, with the exception of mobility, we're back to square 1.
@Icepulse
"I get annoyed with hearing about how these "toy" apps aren't for serious musicians"
Some people at the time use to say Jimi Hendrix played guitar like shit and that distorted sound won't go anywhere. People have always been afraid of new things, especially when they have spent years learning about something without never being away new things would come up.
I believe the iPad is mostly a toy because of how Apple restrict its use. Without those restriction the iPad would be considered a true computer tablet (there really wouldn't been a need for AudioCopy if we could simply export to a folder, or link two apps together), but that doesn't mean I cannot enjoy it for what it has to offer.
The iPad plus Bebot and Thumbjam doesn't cost so much compared to a Haken Continuum (3400$ for the half size) or even a Doepfer R2M ribbon controller (500$). The iPad may not be as good as those two devices, but its as much fun to play on and can offer a great range of expression with the right apps.
I guess the Synthopia people must be pissed at Jordan Rudess because he uses an iPad. I don't like Dream Theater, but still he is an amazing keyboard player.
"Lastly, in defense of the low-budget studio; I'd rather hear Beck's "Stereopathetic Soulmanure" than "Midnite Vultures" or "Sea Change"
Yes! This is another great example of an artist who didn't use "pro" instruments or recording methods and ended up revolutionizing the music industry.
I'll end with this great quote from Aphex Twin : "so yeah,whatever, you obviously dont have to have analogue equipment to make `good` music in case thats the impression im giving, EVERYTHING has its uses .And not all analogue equipment is expensive you can still get bargains like old high end military audio devices,tape machines fx etc just go for the unfashionable stuff."
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