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the OP-Z interface can be divided into different sections for easy reading and intuitive workflow.
all the main sections are listed above, with links to their own chapters below.
click on a section to find out more about its use and operation.
the OP-Z app is covered in a chapter of its own.
1. index buttons : project, mixer , tempo, screen 2. track select button
3. color dials: green, blue, yellow, red 4. parameter leds 5. tracks: audio tracks, control tracks, patterns, step buttons
6. record button 7. transport buttons: play / stop 8. musical keyboard: / piano keys, value keys [a], component keys [b]
9. transpose buttons 10. shift button 11. pitch bend 12. microphone 13. speaker
the main OP-Z functionality can be arranged into the following hierarchy:
projects
patterns
tracks
steps
10 projects
16 patterns per project
16 tracks per pattern
16 steps per track
14 pattern chains / project
14 step components
10 mute groups / project
24 ticks per step
the four index buttons are central for operating your OP-Z. they have a lot of usage and are presented below, with links to each individual chapter for detailed information. generally press and hold the buttons to toggle their unique temporary context for the interface.
project the project button is used for selecting projects, patterns and slots, as well as for certain power functions. read more here .
mixer mixer is used for muting or unmuting tracks, for group and master gain control and for the master compressor. read more here .
tempo the tempo button is used for tempo / bpm, swing and metronome settings. read more here .
screen hold the screen button to display the battery charge, to navigate the app and to activate photomatic. read more here .
midi settings press tempo + screen to access midi settings. read more here .
index lock triple click any index button to temporarily lock the interface at that screen. press any index button again to exit index lock.
turning the color dials is the main way to control the parameters of OP-Z. there are four color coded endless dials which are often used in combinations with other buttons.
generally there are four different pages for these dials, allowing each dial to control a number of settings. read more about the color dials and parameter pages here .
the led next to each dial is used to show the value of the corresponding dial, in any of the following ways:
a gradual min – max level, where led brightness represent dial value.
through different color segments, for toggled static values.
each track can have up to four pages of parameters. each page is color coded so you always know what you're controlling.
learning these colors will help you to navigate the interface and to find the setting you want.
press and release shift to toggle parameter page.
see chart fordetailed info
see the track chapter for more information.
use the track select button or just 'track' to select which track is active.
press and hold track and press any of the track buttons to select that track.
the currently selected track is indicated by a white led when track is held.
the top row buttons act both as track buttons, as pattern select buttons and as steps in the sequencer.
the functionality depend on what button combination you are pressing.
holding project will allow you to select patterns, while holding track will allow you to select track.
pressing them alone will place a trigger on a step in the sequencer.
the record button, 'rec', is used for recording events into the sequencer. read about the different ways to record here .
play press play to start playback from the start of the active pattern. while playing you can press play to restart playback.
stop press stop while the sequencer is playing to stop playback.
panic press stop while sequencer is stopped to end all active notes.
super panic pressing stop twice while sequencer is stopped will also clear all audio buffers.
OP-Z features a two octave musical keyboard, used for playing and programming the unit. use the piano keys to trigger and play sounds from the currently selected track.
the keyboard and its piano keys can be divided into two sections. the black keys are also called value keys,
and the white keys are also called component keys.
change octave press – or + to transpose the musical keyboard, and change the current octave, visualized by the value keys.
offset track press and hold track together with– or + to shift all notes on the active track one step left or right.
offset steps / micro timing press and hold a step and repeatedly press – or + to shift timing of that step, 1 tick back or forth, visualized by a purple led next to the active step. each step has a resolution of 24 ticks. pro-tip: the more purple the led, the further the trigger is from step center.
the shift button is often used in combination with other buttons. there is a difference between holding and momentarily pressing shift.
next parameter page press and release shift to toggle parameter page, indicated by different color parameter leds.
add punch-in effects press and hold shift and the piano keys to momentarily add punch-in effects on the active track.
pro-tip: use shift combined with the color dials for temporary tweaking of a parameter. release shift to revert back to previous setting. this is great when live jamming!
applying pressure to the pitch bend control will allow you to gradually change pitch of the current selected audio track.
you can also use it on the tape track and master track.
pro-tip: try using pitch bend on the tape track to add a live tape stop effect.
pro-tip: holding a lit step and using the pitch bend lets you modify the velocity for that step.
OP-Z features a built-in microphone and can also be used together with a headset. read about this here .
the built-in speaker on OP-Z is used to play the startup sound, and to play the main sound, if no headphones or speakers are connected in the line out.
control the volume of the built in speaker using the main volume knob.
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