Focusrite Scarlett 18i and 8i - Musikmesse 2011

Clavia Nord Stage 2 HA88

Performance Keyboard

Reviews : Keyboard

Synth, organ, piano: the Nord Stage 2 does it all, and now even lets you load and play your own samples. Is this the best Stage yet?

Gordon Reid

Perhaps one of the least expected developments in synthesizer technology over the past decade has been the re-emergence of the 'stage' keyboard. Back in the 1970s, we called them 'multi-keyboards' and they combined electronic piano presets that sounded nothing like pianos, strings presets that sounded vaguely like orchestral strings, and brass presets that occasionally sounded similar to brass. Later, the brass sections evolved into fledgling polysynths, before the species as a whole was swept away by the emergence of affordable polysynths and workstations that did everything that they could do, and much more. Nevertheless, the concept never died, and when piano and organ emulations became good enough to fool many of the people most of the time, the genus was reborn.

For Clavia, this happened in 2001 when the company announced the Nord Electro. I was not a fan, but matters later took a turn for the better with the release of the Nord Stage, and then the Nord Stage EX, which I reviewed for Performing Musician in 2009 (www.performing-musician.com/pm/apr09/articles/nordstageex88.htm). Today, the EX has evolved still further into the Stage 2. This offers a wider range of piano sounds than before (some pre-loaded, others supplied on the accompanying piano library DVD), three organ models, and a synthesizer that combines virtual analogue synthesis, basic FM synthesis, PCM-based synthesis and, for the first time, sample-based synthesis that can use your own samples as well as the libraries provided by Clavia. Three models are available: the HA88 (reviewed here) and 76-note HA76 ($3999), which share the same weighted hammer-action keyboard, and the 73-note SW73 ($3599), which has a semi-weighted, organ-profile keyboard.

The Stage 2 retains the distinctive red livery and chunky construction that has become Clavia's trademark, and very nice it is too. With the pitch-bend and mod wheel controls behind rather than beside the keys, it's only three inches wider than the keybed itself, and it's surprisingly shallow from front to rear, all of which makes the HA88 pleasantly manageable. Furthermore, at less than 20kg it's not unwieldy.

 

The Pianos

 

 

Brace yourselves, knob fans: the control panel is festooned knobs, buttons and LEDs. From the left we have the Organ and Piano sections, global controls, the Synth section and the Effects and Compressor.

You can use the included Sound Manager software to replace the pianos and related instruments installed at the factory but, before doing so, I decided to check out the pre-loaded instruments. As soon as I selected the first of these, something leapt out at me — the patch name. Grand Imperial? That's a Bösendorfer, whereas the EX only featured a Steinway Model D and a Yamaha C7 in its original grand-piano sound set. The Grand Imperial is my favourite piano, so it was with some trepidation that I started to play... Was I disappointed? Not a bit! The sampling is even, the velocity transitions are smooth, the string resonance is lifelike, and the new Long Release function (which reduces the abrupt response of the damper mechanism) adds even more 'size' to the sound. I love it. My only complaint is that I need to buy the optional Nord Triple Pedal to access the pedal noise, half-pedalling, sostenuto and 'soft' functions. In other words, if I were to buy a Stage 2, I would need to add a couple of hundred dollars to my budget for the pedal, and I must admit that that would annoy me.

The piano sample memory in the Stage 2 is roughly double that of the EX, so the 'Medium sized' Steinway and Yamaha grand pianos (ie. those with fewer string resonance samples) have been retained alongside the 'Large' Bösendorfer. My view of these is unchanged from 2009: they are good enough for many uses, but slightly uneven multisampling means that I might hesitate to use them for solo work. The Yamaha CP80 is also located in the Grand section, and this also suffers from noticeable multisampling. But my biggest gripe with it in the past was that notes were curtailed too quickly when you released the keys. The Long Release facility cures this, and I would now be more than happy to use this sound. Likewise, the upright pianos have made big strides. Those in the EX were very disappointing, but the new ones are a huge improvement. I particularly like the Black Upright, which has been sampled from a piano that I haven't previously encountered, a Petrof 132.

The electric pianos are divided into two sets — tines (Mk I, Mk II and MkV Rhodes pianos) and reeds (a single variant of the Wurlitzer EP200A) — and they can be extremely good. I particularly like the Rhodes Mk II 'Shallow Close' version. With tremolo and a touch of drive, played through a slow Leslie, the results are magic.

The Clavinets are also very usable, with all four pickup combinations available and the Brilliant, Treble, Medium and Soft options nicely recreated. The sampling isn't perfect, but when they're played through effects and a suitable amp model, the results can be almost indistinguishable from the original. Unfortunately, there are two omissions. The first is the lack of pressure sensitivity. A real Clavinet goes slightly sharp if you lean on a key after playing a note, and the Stage 2 doesn't. The second is much more significant: the omission of the Clavinet's damper. Muted sounds are an important part of the instrument's repertoire, and the absence of a mechanism to imitate these greatly reduces the range of sounds and effects you can obtain.

The final set of sounds in this section is derived from two harpsichords; a French instrument with 8' and 4' strings plus a lute stop, and a double-strung Italian instrument. Three variations are pre-loaded, of which the third, the French harpsichord, is superb. With the 8' and 4' choirs plucked and a truly believable release noise, it's pure 1960s' haunted house. Think of the music for The Avengers or Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) and you're in the right territory.

 

The Organs

 

 

The Stage 2 HA88, despite its huge array of controls and 88-note keyboard is not as large as you might think and measures 1297 x 121 x 334mm.

The Stage 2 offers three organ models derived from the Nord C2 — a Hammond B3, a Vox Continental and a Farfisa Compact — so it's a huge shame that its pipe organ sounds have gone AWOL.

As is now the norm for Hammond emulations, this one is excellent and, with the new 'Vintage 2' mode selected to provide lots of lovely generator leakage and the improved rotary speaker effect providing some growl, the results can be magic. The initial sound is now much more authentic, the key-click and percussion effects are spot-on, the chorus/vibrato effects are first class, and details such as the compression of the percussion footage and the wrap-around of the 1' drawbar are correctly implemented. All in all, it does its job superbly.

I wanted to be a fan of the Vox Continental model on the EX and, to be fair, its underlying sound was good. However, somewhere in its development Clavia discarded the correct footages and mixtures and replaced them with a strange alternative set. Happily, order has now been restored in the ranks (ooo… sorry!) and the 16', 8', 4' and 2' footages are all present and correct, as are the II, III and IV mixtures. As expected, the sound and vibrato are a tad more civilised than my temperamental Vox Super Continental II, but it would be churlish to criticise, because they still reek of cheap (if overly well-behaved) transistors.

Comparing the 'Farf' model to my Compact Duo proved interesting because the Nord's sound is not as close as I had expected, representing only a subset of the available sounds and lacking much of the aggressive teenage angst and bark of the original. Nonetheless, with some overdrive to emulate the Farfisa's valve preamp and some high-frequency boost to give it 'edge', you may find yourself playing early Pink Floyd albums whether you had intended to do so or not. So if we overlook the missing sounds, my only serious criticism relates to an error in the voicing. The Nord web site claims that "the Nord models the Compact Duo” but, whereas the uppermost stop on the Compact Duo is a mixture of 2-2/3' and 2', the uppermost stop on the Nord is a single pitch at 2-2/3'. This lacks the 'Brilliant' tab and doesn't work in the same way because the highest component in the sound is a fifth, not an octave. This should be corrected.

Before moving on, the organ section has two limitations that need mentioning. Firstly, although you can create dual-manual setups using the Slots (see below), you can't place different organ models in each. Secondly, you can't create a dual-manuals-plus-bass-pedals setup unless you use the Synth to provide the pedal sounds, which brings us neatly to...

 

The Synth

 

The improved synth section now boasts a dedicated LFO and an arpeggiator, both of which can be synchronised to a master clock and, with the release of OS 1.30, to MIDI clock. Yes, there are limitations — ADR/ASR envelopes instead of ADSRs, for example — but there's lots that's good, with a large selection of virtual analogue waveforms, including various PWM, double-saw and sync options, 38 2-op and 3-op FM algorithms, and a table of 62 PCM waveforms. You can't sweep through the table (which means that Clavia have been a bit naughty calling it wavetable synthesis), but many of these waveforms are very useful, and when they're filtered, shaped and modulated, all manner of high-quality patches leap out. Note, however, that you'll need to spend some time studying its unconventional architecture if you want to get the best from it. The positive side of this is that you may stumble upon new ways of doing things and new sounds in the process.

Back in 2009, I described the Nord Sound Manager and asked, "how long will it be before the EX can utilise Mellotron samples, or even RMI Electrapianos, Hohner Pianets, Solinas and Logan string ensembles?”. Well, we now know, because the synth section in the Stage 2 incorporates 384MB of dedicated flash RAM and is compatible with the complete Nord sample library. This contains Mellotron samples, RMI Electrapianos, Solinas and Logans, together with a wide range of Chamberlin tapes, guitars and basses, harmoniums and organs, vocals, wind, brass, percussion, an interesting range of vintage Korg synths and even a couple of Hohner Pianets! All of these samples, together with Clavia's Sample Editor software, are available on the second DVD supplied with the Stage 2, so you can even edit and map your own samples and multisamples, and then convert them into Stage 2 format for dumping into its internal memory. It's not the most intuitive program I've ever seen, but it turns the Stage 2 into a powerful Sample + Synthesis instrument. This is a massive step forward, and I strongly recommend that you experiment. The results can be impressive.

 

In Use

To get the best from the Stage 2, you'll need to get your head around its unconventional architecture and odd programming system. In essence, each Program contains two layers (Slot A and Slot B), and you can place any or all of the three sound-generating sections into these — either across the whole keyboard or into an active split (chosen from Lo, Up and Hi) or in adjacent combinations of these. There are numerous limitations of this structure, particularly the 10 pre-defined split points, but it still allows you to create combinations of, say, piano/strings ensembles, dual-manual organ registrations, dual-voice polysynths, or even six-part piano/organ/synth stacks six layers deep. You can also play Slot B from a dedicated external keyboard, which will appeal to organists.

The effects structure is just as limiting because (with the exception of the global effects) only one sound generator at a time can access each effects section. This means that if you want, say, chorus on your synth sound, you can't have chorus or any other effect from the Effect 2 section on any other sound unless you use both Slots. Consequently, you have to plan carefully how you're going to allocate the effects within Programs, and decide to which outputs you're going to send sounds if external treatment is necessary to obtain the results you want.

Happily, you can control each of the six instruments in the two Slots using a separate MIDI channel, and the Stage 2 now offers an extensive MIDI CC list. Meanwhile, in the other direction, each Slot offers an 'Extern' section to control an outboard synth or module. But perhaps the most important MIDI improvement over and above the EX is its ability to synchronise the synth's LFO, the arpeggiator and appropriate effects to MIDI clock. You can select a different clock ratio for each parameter, so, for example, the arpeggiator can be running at twice the speed of the LFO, which is itself running at twice the speed of the chorus and at 3/8ths the speed of the delay effect. Setting up Programs in this fashion can yield classy results, tying multiple sounds together into a coherent whole as well as providing all manner of rhythmic effects.

Of course, there are many things that haven't changed. One worthy of mention is Morphing, which allows you to move smoothly from one set of parameter values to another, using any combination of the mod wheel, control pedal and aftertouch to do so. Morphing isn't confined entirely to continuous parameters so, for example, it can switch Farfisa tabs on and off, although it can't change the organ model itself. One of my favourite uses is to 'pull out' Hammond drawbars while switching the Leslie effect from slow to fast using aftertouch. You may prefer to make radical changes to synthesized sounds and effects settings but, however you use it, get to know morphing well... it's your friend!

Finally, it's also worth noting that the memory structure in the Stage 2 has been extended and improved. For example, the synth sounds are no longer divided into the meaningless Bass, Pad and Synth banks, and are now simply numbered 1 to 300. More importantly, the Program memory has been increased, with four banks of 100 Programs plus five 'Live' locations. However, the factory Programs are stored in no particular order, so I think if I bought a Stage 2 I would create some sensible libraries.

 

Conclusions

At some point during the course of this review, I used the Sound Manager software to delete the existing grand pianos and load the 'Extra Large' Bösendorfer and, in truth, I think that I could play this all day, not just because it sounds great, but because the HA88 keybed makes it a pleasure. Of course, a fully weighted keybed is not ideal for all keyboard instruments — Clavinets and harpsichords, in particular, have a  completely different feel — but I was pleased to find that I could use the HA88 for these without problems. Likewise, I found it to be fine for polysynth duties. I could even attempt organ swipes without shredding my fingers although, if this were my prime requirement, I would certainly consider dropping down to the SW73 (semi-weighted keyboard) version.

All in all, the Stage 2 is a huge step forward from the Stage EX. It's not cheap, but the combination of excellent acoustic pianos, superb e-pianos and Clavinets, unsurpassed organ emulations, sample replay and a surprisingly flexible polysynth should be a powerful aphrodisiac for players whose response to modern workstations is something along the lines of '$*%$?!?!?'. Of course, it offers far fewer facilities than, say, a Roland Fantom G8 or a Korg Kronos 88 (both of which can do everything that the Nord can) so there's no way that one can justify it in terms of a conventional price/performance ratio. But if you cherish a simpler approach and the price hike is not a problem, the Nord Stage 2 is a very fine instrument.  .

Published in SOS November 2011

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Tascam Portastudio for iPad - NAB 2011

Warmer Sounds From Digital Synths

Processing Techniques

Technique : Effects / Processing

If your plug-in synths sounds feel a bit cold and clinical, there are plenty of ways to inject some life...

Martin Walker

Many analogue synths seem to offer living, breathing sounds that change slightly with every note you play. These appealing quirks may be due to the circuitry warming up, resulting in oscillators changing their tuning slightly over time, or perhaps the response of their filters, amplifiers, and so on. Digital synths give you a more powerful means of control, and enable you to fire up a project and know that you’ll get the same sound as last time — but there’s a trade-off, because the precision can make things feel predictable, and ‘sterile’ or ‘boring’. If you don’t own any analogue synths, though, don’t have the space for them, or simply want the convenience of plug-ins, how can you get that bit more bite, movement, and je ne sais quoi from your digital synths?

A Breath Of Air

A quick way to inject that extra something into a bland sound is to pass it through an amplifier/loudspeaker combination, and record it, complete with a bit of real, moving air, using a mic. You needn’t use expensive gear, either: while people expect a guitar to sound a certain way, you’re much less constrained by convention with synths, so a practice amp, multimedia grot-box or boom-box may do the trick just as well as a boutique guitar amp. Re-amping can add distortion, warmth, compression and ‘room tone’ to many sounds, softening synthesized drums, and adding an edge to bass parts, or helping super-clean pads sit better in a mix.

Amp Modelling

There are plenty of hardware and software devices that simulate amp/speaker cabinet combinations, too. Borrow a Line 6 Pod or Behringer V-Amp from a guitar-owning friend, for instance, or on the plug-in side try something like Softube’s Vintage Amp Room, Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig or IK Multimedia’s Amplitube. Amp modelling can work particularly well with lead synths, since you can quickly wade through a variety of treatments to find the most ‘organic’ sound.

Physical Movement

If you do opt for the old-school method of miking up a speaker, there’s no reason to limit yourself to a single, fixed mic: try several simultaneously, placed at different distances from your loudspeakers. Record each to a separate channel, and use automation to move between them, or, if you can find one, try recording a rotating Leslie cabinet instead, using a couple of mics to capture stereo movement. Even dangling a mic by its cable and swaying it backwards and forwards or in a circle can provide intriguing results.

Low-harmonic Distortion

Miked up or modelled, guitar amps and speakers can add bags of character to ‘synthetic’ sounds, so don’t just reserve them for the guitars. 

If your synths sound too clean, some carefully selected low-harmonic distortion can add body, richness and thickness. It’s something that works particularly well on drum machines and bass lines, but you can warm up pad and lead sounds too, while preventing them dominating the mix. There are loads of plug-ins offering obvious distortion, but many may be too ‘in your face’ for harmonic enhancement. It’s well worth messing about with different models, but you could also try experimenting with preamps...

Tubes & Transformers

There are plenty of tube preamps that are specifically designed to offer extra ‘warmth’ and ‘character’, and these don’t have to be bank-breakingly expensive — although if you’d like to splash the cash there’s plenty of esoteric tube-based hardware such as Cranesong’s HEDD (Harmonically Enhanced Digital Device) offering triode, pentode, and tape enhancement, and Thermionic Culture’s versatile Culture Vulture. Many characteristics that some people assume are ‘tube’ enhancements are actually provided not by valves at all, but by audio transformers. It is often these that provide extra warmth on vintage outboard gear and consoles, due to the non-linear core saturation that occurs when they are driven hard. Useful with almost any synth sound, you can try out elderly gear (or more modern preamps based on such designs) for its transformer effects. Even budget DI boxes and ultra-cheap audio ground-loop isolators might add something pleasant. Again, software modelling is getting better, and you could opt to use a purpose-designed plug-in such as URS Saturation.

Distortion As An Effect

More obvious distortion can introduce an edge on lead, bass and drum-synth parts. There are lots of ways to add it, including preamps, channel strips, effects pedals and software plug-ins. A couple of the most versatile plug-ins I’ve used are Izotope’s Trash and Stillwell Audio’s BadBussMojo, both of which can also be used in a more subtle fashion if required. On the hardware side, running an analogue mixer channel into overload can be fruitful, as can sending the signal through guitar amps. Perhaps a subtler approach is to use a distorted version in parallel with the untreated sound, so that you get a clean underbody with a dirty crust on top, to enhance the detail in the sound without drowning it.

Effects & Stomp-boxes 

Valve or tube gear (left) can impart warmth and distortion, but audio transformers (right) are also responsible for some of the classic ‘warm’ character of old consoles and outboard gear.

Another fruitful area for the synth experimenter is hardware effect boxes, which offer a huge range of effects, still unmatched in some respects by software emulations, particularly in the case of phasers, vocoders, wah-wah and the like. Old classics from makes such as Electro-Harmonix, Boss and MXR are still very popular, while more expensive rackmount devices cover a huge amount of sonic ground. Modulation-based effects are particularly good for fleshing out pad sounds. Synths put out higher levels than most guitars, so you’ll need to keep their output levels lower than normal if you want to avoid distortion with stomp boxes. That said, you’re unlikely to damage their circuitry even if it sounds overloaded.

The Equaliser

Adding some kinks to a synth’s frequency response may make all the difference. Try rolling off the top end for more mellowness, using a low-pass filter (perhaps with a resonant peak for extra character) or high-shelf filter, or adding a low-frequency ‘hump’ to warm them up. Many EQ designs offer a selection of shelving and peaking responses for different characters, and once again both software plug-ins and hardware equivalents can be pressed into service. Anything goes here: esoteric hardware from legendary names such as Manley, Massenburg, Neve, and Pultec remains particularly desirable, but as we’re after flavour here there are plenty of more affordable options. Again, some such units will add more than simple EQ, with circuits using valves, transformers and other goodies. There are some great EQ plug-ins that model this sort of hardware and, as with distortion, it’s well worth trying a few different ones out to get the right sound.

The Reel Thing

Running audio onto analogue tape results in extra warmth, due to the ‘head bump’ EQ, a high-frequency peak and roll-off whose frequency and amount are dependent both on tape speed and on magnetic saturation (compression) as you drive the tape even harder. For that classic ‘tape’ sound, you’ll ideally need a reasonable quality second-hand tape machine — something like a Revox B77, which offers stereo recording onto quarter-inch tape, should do the trick. Remember that to properly add its magic, it will also need to be well set up and have suitable tape available. Some people even suggest pressing old compact cassette decks into service: although these will seriously restrict your dynamic range, as well as adding plenty of background hiss, the aim isn’t always to get a clean sound.

If the idea of setting up and maintaining tape machines doesn’t float your boat, there are plenty of emulations around. The best are still in hardware, such as the Anamod ATS1, Rupert Neve Designs’ Portico 5042 and the Empirical Labs Fatso — all of which will leave a generously sized hole in your wallet. Software hasn’t quite ‘got there’ yet, in terms of accurately modelling the behaviour of tape, but many plug-ins nonetheless get near enough to do a good job of warming up synth sounds, and they’re well worth a try.

Acting On Impulse

A good quarter-inch stereo tape machine can work wonders. Plug-ins (such as Bootsie’s Ferric) might not recreate all of tape’s idiosyncrasies, but are still a great way to add warmth and saturation.

Many mics, amps and tape machines have bumps and ripples in their frequency responses that at least partly define their character, and hardware such as Focusrite’s Liquid Mix can closely emulate the character of various EQs and compressors using dynamic convolution — so if you have a unit like this, give it a go. If you don’t, using any convolution reverb plug-in with a short impulse response still comes a reasonable second. Noisevault (www.noisevault.com) offers a good selection of cabinet and preamp IRs, and there are two zipped Beamsonic collections at http://noox.sitesled.com that contain a handy selection of microphones, tape machines, and rack effects, and a good range of guitar amp/cabinets. Body resonances of acoustic instruments can also be captured and added to your synth sounds.

Compression & Limiting

Synths can sometimes have unpredictable output levels (especially when filter resonance is turned up high), so a little compression can prevent unwelcome surprises. Heavy compression can also be a great way to add punch and increase character, particularly on lead, bass and drum sounds. Remember to keep the compressor attack time high enough to retain the initial attack transient of your sound, and that, as with distortion, you can also mix in a little highly compressed signal with the untreated version to taste.

Layering

If a solitary synth lacks something, why not add another alongside, playing the same line but with different patch settings? When most modern computers can run dozens — or even hundreds — of soft synths, this can be as simple as duplicating an existing MIDI track and pointing it at another synth. The dance fraternity have been layering sampled drum sounds like this for years to achieve the right mix of depth, bottom end, thwack, snap, and suchlike, and this technique can also be pressed into service for creating rich, evolving bass sounds and pads. You could pan one source left and another right, EQ them differently, or apply different effects to each. Just be careful not to overdo things such that you obscure the focus of the mix.

Lo-Fi Treatments 

De La Mancha’s Imperfection is designed to make it easy to add a bit of grit and dirt.

Apart from all the techniques presented here, there are also plug-ins dedicated to reintroducing grit, vinyl crackles and other background noises for extra texture. Examples include De La Mancha’s Imperfection and OtiumFX’s Sonitex. They won’t be to everyone’s taste, but that’s part of the joy of music making. Also bear in mind that you don’t have to use analogue gear or analogue models to create a warm character: early digital devices were full of idiosyncracies born of imperfect design. Try running your synths through a bit-crusher, for example, and you’ll see what I mean.

Final Thoughts

Some of these suggestions will be routine, but others, hopefully, totally out of the box (some quite literally!). Either way, I hope they’ll inspire you to explore new ways to inject extra life into your synthesized creations. At the end of the day, you just have to use your ears and remember the old mantra: if it sounds good — it is good.

Published in SOS January 2010

Teenage Engineering OP1

Portable Synthesizer

Reviews : Keyboard

The toy‑like exterior of Teenage Engineering's OP1 belies the versatile synth, sequencer, sampler and recorder hidden within. We retreat to our bedroom and put it though its paces...

Paul Nagle

Sometimes a product hits the market well in advance of the technology required to do it justice. Who can forget the first brick‑sized mobile phones, or Clive Sinclair's 'pedalo' electric car? However, even the lowliest products deserve a revisit from time to time — for example, Casio's VL‑Tone. This tiny synth, sequencer and calculator was best known for its role in Trio's hit 'Da Da Da' and even though it was rather cheesy, the VL‑Tone had two points in its favour: it was small and it was cheap.

Fast forward 30 years and there's a strange feeling of déjà vu surrounding the latest toy‑like, but definitely not Fisher Price, synth. Despite originating from Sweden rather than Japan, it's difficult not to imagine Teenage Engineering's OP1, with its mini keyboard and internal speaker, as today's VL‑Tone. However, I'm sure its creators hope for a more substantial legacy, given that they've had three decades of technological advances to draw on. The OP1 has eight different synthesizer engines, a choice of three sequencers, drums, effects and a four‑track, tape-style recorder function. With a motion sensor, sampler, basic mastering capabilities and even an FM radio, you probably won't miss the calculator — unless you're a busking accountant!

 

Teenage Kicks

 

 

Alongside the power switch a USB 2 port and 3.5mm audio in and out sockets make up all of the OP1's connections.

Even though I'd seen its pictures on the Teenage Engineering web site, they didn't prepare me for the physical reality of the OP1. This miniature workstation is shipped in a recycled Paperfoam box, ideal to keep it safe as it travels around with you. Inside the box you'll find the OP1, two elastic bands (to keep the box together), a transparent overlay and a USB cable. There's no sign of a manual, though; for this you need to pay a visit to the Teenage Engineering web site.

For a few seconds, I wasn't quite sure what to think, until I started to handle what proved to be a surprisingly weighty slice of cold aluminium. Any lingering suspicions that this was a toy quickly faded because, despite being just 28 by 10cm, this slender metal object is a thing of beauty. Underneath is a plastic, braille‑marked panel that helpfully points to the power switch, mini-USB 2 port and stereo I/O on mini‑jacks.

Power is supplied by a Li‑Ion battery that proudly boasts 16 hours of active life. Charged via USB, this impressive battery also claims two years of stand‑by time. The main controls are four encoders and, along with the volume knob, these boost the height to approximately 2cm, while four rubber feet do their best to keep that smooth, grey underbelly scratch‑free.

Teenage Engineering describe themselves as "young minds working with technology” and anyone doubting their credentials should immediately flick the power switch and marvel at the OLED display. This 320 x 160-pixel screen is fantastic; it's pin‑sharp, intelligently laid out and uses colour and animation meaningfully. On each page, colour is the natural link between on‑screen objects and encoders — simple and highly effective.

Initially, you boot into four-track mode with its image of reels and scrolling tape. The transparent overlay describes how to progress from fledgling synth tweaks to a recording in eight easy steps. Following these, you quickly appreciate the layout and feel of the buttons, which are as positive as they are plentiful. You also appreciate the tiny internal speaker, which is perfectly adequate for extended periods of playing around the house, something I did increasingly as the days turned to weeks.

 

Sampling & Synthesis

 

 

The OP1's 'String' synthesizer engine.

It was instantly clear that the OP1 is not a nerdy or techy instrument. Instead it's slick, occasionally innovative and, above all, uncluttered. There's a real feeling of restraint, of limiting the tweakable parameters only to the essentials so that you're never diverted from what matters — making music.

Internally, there's 64MB of RAM and a generous 512MB of flash storage — more than enough to hold a decent collection of audio material and synth patches. USB connectivity ensures that you can back up your work and transfer data across in either direction. In fact, pretty much all file handling is done externally, whether it's creating and naming folders for user patches or backing up the various types of data. Sometimes, with no computer nearby, I wished I could just name and save my patches or store a 'reel of tape' to flash, but this isn't currently possible. At least everything you do is instantly backed up, so whenever you feel the urge, picking up from where you left off takes only a matter of seconds.

One note shy of two octaves, the fixed‑velocity keyboard responds reliably and, though giving little scope for expression, feels durable and solid. The keyboard may be transposed by four octaves either way, the transpose keys doubling as a basic pitch bender when Shifted.

With a press of the blue Synthesizer key you're free to explore the various 'engines' on offer. The OP1 isn't multitimbral, but each engine has six notes of available polyphony and a streamlined user interface that is never daunting. Via eight sound‑selection keys you have instant access to patches of your choice based on any of the engines. Bring the Shift key into play and a list of engine types plus available presets within each type is revealed.

The engine choices are: Cluster, Digital, Dr Wave, FM, Phase, Pulse, Sampler and String, and each has its own character and supporting graphics. Considering the scope of the synthesis on offer, the factory patches aren't too spectacular, only a few hinting at the power under the hood. This is where you come in. 

 

The OP1's Tape Recorder function — a source of almost limitless audio‑mangling fun. Checking through each engine in turn, Cluster is revealed as a "multi‑layered oscillator cluster” delivering sounds that range from punchy and almost analogue to huge and fuzzy: think 'supersaw from hell'! The Digital engine employs waveshaping, ring modulation and a control simply named 'Digitalness'; these all combine to deliver an assault of spiky, crystalline textures or, after some encoder tweaking, noisy, distorted organs.

Dr Wave is "Frequency Domain Synthesis” and encompasses tones reminiscent of oscillator sync and formant synthesis, as demonstrated by the patch 'Talk Box'. The FM engine is more familiar territory, its parameters shifting around on screen as you adjust the frequency, FM amount or routing of its four operators. Then there's a Phase engine representing Phase Distortion and Pulse, which is two pulse waves whose positions and levels can be adjusted and modulated. Then there's an engine I couldn't help pausing on: String. Apparently this is a "waveguide string model”, but whatever the code is doing, it caught my attention as the ideal source of cutting basses and general twanginess, plus shimmering string pads.

With four main parameters per engine and no real explanations in the manual, you're left to dive in and experiment with no preconceptions or baggage — although in the case of the final engine, the sampler, you should at least recognise the terms used! The sampler offers up to six seconds of sample time per patch and, once again, is all about speed and accessibility. A sample may be sourced from the onboard mic, the line input or the built‑in FM radio; alternatively, you can feed it with tracks plucked from the recorder. Thanks to the keyboard's impressive transpose range, a single sample can be taken into some very strange regions, while, for hands‑on adjustment, the encoders set the sample start and end points, plus the loop points. Although there's no built‑in normalise function, levels can be boosted after recording, should that be necessary. A small line of LEDs at the side acts as a VU meter, and otherwise there's remarkably little else to think about.

The sampler and synth engines sit in front of common pages for the ADSR envelope, effects and modulation. At any time, you can replace the current engine without affecting parameters on these screens.

 

Effects & Drums

 

 

You can record the Tape Recorder's output to create an 'album' of up to six minutes on each side.

The effects are rather idiosyncratic, a delay and spring reverb being the most 'normal'. There's a "hacked telephone system” that is so lo‑fi it doesn't just cheapen your audio, it trashes it and throws in strange artifacts of its own. Then there's a rather bonkers filter whose Frequency, Punch (resonance‑ish), Power and Rounds parameters suggest sonic pugilism of an extreme kind. This gritty digital filter varies in effectiveness according to the synth engine loaded; the more harmonics it has to work with, the better.

I wouldn't say the effects are game‑changers but they make a worthwhile contribution. Whether it's the metallic fizz of the spring reverb or the three‑dimensional feedback of the Grid effect (think broken flanger or primitive digital delay), they get under your skin — especially when modulated by one of the more unusual LFO implementations of the synthesis world. As well as setting regular cyclic modulation, you can specify the internal three‑axis motion sensor as a mod source. Waving the OP1 in the air to generate modulation felt more 'right' than I expected, even if it was too easy to hit buttons and accidentally select new patches while doing it.

If wavy vibrato doesn't appeal, how about radio‑sourced modulation? Seriously, the internal FM radio isn't just for sampling and ambience, it's for modulation too. I long ago gave up trying to persuade analogue modular synth makers to build a voltage‑controlled short-wave radio (surely the ideal random noise source?), but hearing the OP1 convinces me I should have persevered. Although not quite as packed with spacey wibbles as shortwave bands, FM is populated with plenty of bright, clear stations that can be used to modulate, say, the start point of a sample or the damping of the spring reverb. If that isn't sufficiently wacky for you, further malformation can be introduced by hijacking the microphone or line input. Any of these can act as a modulation source directed at any part of the synthesis engine, making the OP1 far less basic than it first appears.

Drum mode incorporates the same effects and LFO capabilities, its kits constructed from slices of audio sampled on the OP1 itself, or imported via USB. A kit has 24 possible sounds (all of which can play simultaneously), and there's no reason to limit them to percussion. I got great mileage from synths, vocals, even short loops packed within the maximum 12 seconds of sample time. Each drum is defined by setting start and end pointers within the sample then transposing, reversing or looping as required.

 

Tape Recorder

 

 

The OP1's 'Tombola' sequencer is certainly idiosyncratic. More conventional sequencing is on offer elsewhere.

Although the synths and the drums are entertaining, it's the 'Tape Recorder' that takes the biscuit, eats the biscuit and then returns for the whole cookie jar. With a total running time of just six minutes, four mono tracks don't look too special on paper, by today's standards anyway. This isn't the place to discuss whether great music can be born from such limitations, but it is the place to remark that this particular tape-recorder simulation is eerily addictive. Everything from the graphics to the sound of tape scrubbing over tape heads adds to the feel of authenticity. There are wild liberties to be taken too, without fear that the tape might snap! For example, you can switch into reverse at any time, even during recording. Naturally, you can bounce tracks down, loop or repeat sections, and even record while manually winding, for some seriously trippy sound effects. As with real tape, if you record at a faster speed you obtain better-quality results, but my favourite trick was at the other end of the spectrum: slowing it right down, then sampling the results. Monster sampler patches are easily made by overdubbing several synth parts, then lifting them straight from tape into the sampler.

Even though each track is mono, you can overdub or cut and paste seemingly forever, capturing performances from the synth, drums or from external sources, such as the iPad I have nearby. If you turn on 'beat matching', bar lines scroll along with the tape, as an aid to making smoother loops. This won't be mistaken for a DAW in a hurry, but there are some frills, such as the built‑in metronome and tap tempo — features I never had on my old TEAC four‑track!

Each track passes through a simple mixer with just level and pan controls; the summed result then hits a three‑band EQ, a master effect and a final drive section. The master effect is a stereo version of the effects encountered earlier, placed over the entire output. As each instrument passes through the currently selected tape track, this proves to be a way of adding a second effect to synth or drum patches. The mixer even includes a simple compressor, plus a graphic representation of the entire sound path.

Having laid down some tracks, you must connect a USB cable to perform a backup or do further production work on them. If you prefer to stay in the box, you can create a stereo master 'album' by cutting some virtual vinyl. Two album sides of up to six minutes each can be recorded and the resulting stereo files (in AIFF format) are then ready for transfer to your computer. Even as the vinyl is being 'cut', you can add new material alongside the Tape Recorder's output; the album records whatever it receives.

 

Sequencers

 

 

The OP1's mixer screen.

Three different sequencers provide everything from simple repetitive patterns to Tenori‑On-grade eccentricity. The most unusual is 'Tombola', dispensing welcome unpredictability from a rotating tombola tube. Notes are first cast into it by playing the keyboard. You then set their heaviness (loudness), bounciness, and the speed of the tombola's rotation, before sitting back to enjoy the mayhem. Gaps can be opened in the tube wall, letting old notes spin off to freedom and make way for new ones to be added. Ideal for weird backgrounds and textures.

For more regular grooves, there are two step‑based sequencers, one of which is fairly similar to the sequencer in Roland's SH101. First, you enter a sequence of up to 99 notes and then trigger it from the keyboard, applying swing or introducing patterns of gaps as it plays. Lastly, there's the 16-step Pattern sequencer, a more traditional grid‑based implementation ideal for polyphonic keyboard or drum parts. Sequence length can be dynamically adjusted during playback, notes rotated, and so on. The step sequencers may be latched their directions can be changed without missing a beat, and all three can drive external instruments.

 

Control

With no obvious MIDI connections, you'd be forgiven for thinking the OP1 was completely self‑contained. While it's true that there are gaps in its MIDI implementation, there are still goodies to enjoy, thanks to a USB port that isn't exclusively for backup purposes.

In the OP1's normal operating mode, it receives notes and pitch‑bend on a single (currently fixed) MIDI channel. Played via a master keyboard and with the line output connected to studio monitors, the various synth engines started to come alive. I found that chords and heavy velocity produced distortion that had previously gone unheard but it rarely took long to bring this under control. The OP1 doesn't respond to sustain-pedal information, nor does it sync to (or transmit) MIDI clock, but Teenage Engineering aim to polish the MIDI spec considerably before declaring their opus 'finished'. I also experienced some odd noises in the otherwise quiet output; these were traced to the USB charging process, and to suppress them I was given a preview of a forthcoming operating system featuring a switch that deactivates charging when necessary.

There's one last operating role to mention: that of possibly the most ostentatious nano‑controller ever. It could be useful, though; the four encoders can be programmed for MIDI CC transmission and even offer relative or absolute operation, which is a rare choice where endless encoders are concerned.

 

Conclusion

The OP1 makes me think of Keira Knightley — there, I've said it! To explain: it is incredibly slender and attractive, yet there's always a feeling its destiny lies beyond my lowly circles. The price reflects an unflinching approach to quality, but it's bound to be a significant factor in any purchase decision.

Apart from a few aspects of the MIDI implementation and the reliance on a computer for file handling, I couldn't fault the attention to detail. The OP1's technologies fit neatly together and offer a level of focus rarely seen in today's hardware, thanks in no small measure to the welcoming display. Clear graphics reveal each engine far better than long descriptive text, and if each is a relatively uncomplicated digital affair, who's to say that digital can't be beautiful too? If you prefer to work with slices of organic reality, the sampler and microphone are never far away.

It was the tape-recorder function that really grabbed me, though. I wasn't expecting such a creative tool, with nuances such as the impression of tape moving at varying speeds across the heads. It offers an unparalleled degree of interaction for a tape recorder, becoming a performance instrument in its own right — and, happily, without all that crappy head-cleaning, tape stretching and oxide dumping that nostalgia fails to mention!

Falling somewhere between 'musical sketchpad' and 'full production workstation', I found Keira to be an elegant companion, ideal to keep nearby should the muse strike, and ready for extended action, thanks to superior battery life. Even though currently out of my league, the OP1 takes portable musical fun to a whole new level.  .

Published in SOS January 2012

Alesis Mic Tube Duo - Musikmesse 2011