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OP-1 has several original synthesizer engines. each one has its own personality. when in synthesizer mode, the synthesizer engine’s visual is always located under T1 and is also the first screen that will show up when you change or select a sound.
each sound is built up from four modules located under the T1, T2, T3 and T4 keys, lined up under the display. note: the T1-T4 are soft keys, which means that in synthesizer and drum mode they function as described here. in tape mode they are track keys T1-T4 and in mixer mode they are mixer (T1), EQ (T2), master effect (T3) and master out / drive (T4).
to enter synthesizer mode, press the key with the blue wave symbol on it. this enables both T1-T4 and sound selection keys 1-8.
when you have pressed the synthesizer key, first select a sound from 1-8 with the sound keys 1-8. then use T1-T4 keys to shape the sound:
the first module of a sound is its engine. this is the heart of the sound and is the most important part. it is possible to change an engine of a sound but keep the envelope, the effect and the LFO or g-force setting. to do this, first select the sound you want to change. then use the T1 to T4 keys to select a specific module.
to change the engine press shift + T1. this opens the browser screen, with a list of possible engine choices.
use the blue encoder to scroll through the list and press T1 when your choice is highlighted to exit. more details on the different synthesizer engines and their parameters are available in the reference chapter .
to shape the envelope, press the T2 key. the envelope controls the amplification of a sound and is triggered when a note is played.
you can control the attack, decay, sustain and release. this is called an ADSR envelope.
use the four color encoders to shape the envelope.
this will be indicated by a color change in the graphical interface as soon as an encoder is turned.
to enter play mode hold shift while you are in the envelope screen which is located under the T2 key. in play mode, you can select if you want your sound to be polyphonic, monophonic, legato or unison. in play mode, you also have the portamento parameter setting.
to add an effect to a sound, press the T3 key.
you may toggle an effect on and off by pressing the T3 key a second time.
to change effect, press shift + T3. this enters the effect browser screen. use the blue encoder to scroll through the list and press T3 to make your selection.
the LFO lets you modulate any synthesizer engine, envelope or effect parameter. to add an LFO to a sound, press the T4 key. you may toggle an LFO on and off by pressing the T4 key a second time.
to change LFO, press shift + T4. this opens a browser screen, with the list of possible LFOs.
note: turn the encoders all the way for all options under, for example, destination. the encoders click when turned, which doesn’t equal changing a value. sometimes you need to turn a couple of clicks to change a value.
example: element LFO. as described earlier the element LFO uses different external elements to control any parameter of a synth engine, envelope or effect. use the blue encoder to select your source.
the source options are:
g-force allows you to affect a parameter by physically tilting OP-1. basically shake your sound. when selecting option mic/line/radio, you need to select the input source. press shift + input key to select input and to adjust the gain. if radio is selected here you may tune in to a radio station for satisfactory results. for more information about LFOs please refer to the LFO reference section of this manual.
consider sound selection keys 1-8 as your instant access keys. to change any of the sound 1-8 presets, press shift + any key from 1 to 8 and a list of all available sound presets is shown. select a preset by turning the blue encoder for engine type and green encoder for preset choices.
note: the difference between changing just a synthesizer engine (shift + T1) and a sound (shift + 1-8) is that the later changes all four T1- T4 settings.
option 1: save sound 1-8 – tweak your sound on any of the sound slots from 1-8. hold the corresponding sound key for five seconds. a file will be stored in the 'snapshot' folder, named based on the internal date and time. also, sounds 1-8 are located in the 'user' folder located inside the synth and drum folders.
via usb, you may drag the sound you want to your desktop and rename it, or rename the sound inside the folder. keep in mind that you may use names with a maximum of ten characters. avoid uncommon symbols. pro-tip: you may create your own folder and place it in either synth or drum folder to organize your files
option 2: dump to tape – use the lift key while in synthesizer or drum mode. then switch to tape, locate empty space on the tape and press the drop key. the sound will now be converted to sound-data. to recall a sound that was dumped to tape, press lift, switch to synthesizer or drum and press drop.
caution: the sound data is very loud so make sure to protect your ears.
the OP-1‘s storage allows you to add files for use for synth and drum sounds. it also lets you collect those files you have recorded in tape and album for use elsewhere. you may also manage your own presets, those which you have made in synth and saved. these are stored in the 'snapshot' folders for synth and drum presets respectively, and default to a name containing their date of creation. feel free to rename these, limiting the name to ten common characters.
when you connect your OP-1 to your computer and press shift + com key and select disk mode the OP-1 shows up on your desktop.
double click the disk icon to reveal the internal OP-1 files. all sounds, the two album recordings, the four tape tracks, as well as snapshots show up as .aif files.
note: sound presets use a special OP-1 version of the .aif format, which includes both a sound preview and synthesizer data. in other words, the OP-1 synthesizer engines are not sample based but modeled sounds.
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