alternative argentinian artist and musician lara91k brings us into a world of love, existentialism and girls. she reflects on growing up in pinamar, finding her artistic voice in buenos aires, and how memory, place and new ideas are shaping a new chapter of her music.


give us an introduction to your world.
it’s always kind of hard for me to describe myself haha. i’m just a musician and songwriter from argentina. i’m from a beach town called pinamar, and as a kid and teenager i was always listening to music. i started writing my own songs when i was ten. later i moved to buenos aires and began officially making music. so i guess i’m some sort of emo, alternative, “urban” artist from latinoamérica. most of my songs end up being about love, existentialism, and girls.


what inspired you to write one of your latest single troya?
when i was in madrid with my friends gara duran and barry b we found our old teenage diaries. we read mine and found a dream i had a long time ago. in the dream i was in pinamar, the beach town i grew up in, together with my first love. we were running away from soldiers shooting at us, escaping some kind of war. eventually one of the bullets hits him and he falls to the ground. i stand before him desperately seeking help when one of the soldiers shoots me too. so yeah haha, my old teenage dream inspired me to write troya, a song about dying with the person you love.
we wrote and produced the song together with 2 amazing musicians from argentina and finished it up with my good friend agus ramasso while traveling between buenos aries and madrid. during the process we used the CM–15 to record the acoustic guitar parts. i think troya is a very nice song that hints at the new sound i've been working on for my upcoming singles. i see it as my transition song.


which part of your set-up do you currently rely on the most?
lately i’ve been using my TP–7 a ton. it makes me feel like dale cooper in twin peaks, talking to diane. i use it for demos, to record ambience, to capture random samples i can twist and throw back into my computer, and to record sessions or live shows. i love speeding up and reversing sounds and sneaking them into my songs. i also sample directly from vinyl or my iphone. and the guitar came back into my life recently. my next project wouldn’t be the same without it. and honestly, i’m still super attached to my computer because of autotune.
if you could design your dream synth or plugin, what would it look like?
this question is so hard. i think i’d create a chromatic rainbow synth, something that can make beautifully detuned pads, keys, leads, and textures. it’d be amazing if it could sample and process sounds from the outside world too, with tons of warmth, saturation, and that gritty synth energy.


who or what currently inspires you?
love inspires me. traveling inspires me. connecting with real people. paying attention to my inner self instead of relying on references all the time. trusting my own ideas. trying to reconnect with the feeling i had when i first started making music, that sense of urgency, of needing to say something.
which argentinian artists are you most excited about right now?
you should keep an eye on paula prieto and milo j.
any upcoming projects on its way?
i have a new project on the way. it’s super deep, super secret, and i’m honestly in love with it. lately i’ve been reconnecting with music the way i did in the early years. i feel like music in general is in a good moment. we’re all kind of tired of repetition and reels and instagram, la cosa masticada, things without soul. personally, i feel like i’m in a new, beautiful chapter. i’m curious again, discovering things. that feeling is giving me beautiful songs, and i really like what i’m making.

be sure to check out lara91k’s latest music here


OP–1  amp update
DECEMBER 16, 2025
day 16 of our flipped out calendar opens up a new OP–1 field update: OS 1.6.0. it introduces a new amp synth engine with an included tuner, multichannel audio over usb, improved tape crossfade, count in recording, drum sample fade control, a preset randomizer, updated preset management, and midi clock over ble and some more improvements.


a line in for your electric guitarthe new amp synth engine lets you route any external signal, such as the line in from a guitar or the usb audio, through the filters and fx of OP–1 field, before recording to tape. amp also includes a handy tuner, so you can keep your guitars, synths, and vocal cords in tune, while recording or rehearsing.



multichannel usb audiothe 1.6.0 OS update introduces the ability to send the four tape tracks as separate stereo channels over usb, in addition to the stereo mix. this significant improvement simplifies your workflow, allowing for easy recording of complete ideas directly into your daw, external mixing, or capturing your tape as individual stems without any extra configuration.



tape edits are now smoother.with the new tape crossfade, lifting and dropping clips applies a short, non destructive crossfade on both sides of the edit. this reduces clicks and pops and keeps the tape workflow intact. your audio stays unaltered, so you can move clips around as much as you like, without degrading anything.



count in.you can now start recordings with a count in, giving you a brief moment to lock into the tempo before the tape begins. this is helpful when playing rhythmic parts or when layering new takes on top of existing material.



drum sampler fadethe drum sampler now lets you choose how fades behave. you can control attack, release, or both at the same time. this gives more flexibility when shaping transients, tightening hits, or fading loops in and out, while keeping all existing presets unchanged.



random presetrandomize any preset to generate a fresh starting point. an easy way to explore the rich sound of OP–1 field, discover unexpected combinations, and move beyond familiar patches. each randomization keeps the preset structure intact but reassigns values within it.





more flexible organising of presets manage your user presets and folders directly on OP–1 field. you can move, rename, and delete them as needed. this feature is ideal for organizing larger sound libraries, making it easy to manage numerous custom patches or prepare curated sets for live performance.



midi clock can now be sent over bluetooth le.this lets you sync external gear wirelessly, without any extra cables around your setup. devices that support ble sync, like TX–6, OP–XY and OP–Z, can follow OP–1 field’s tempo in real time. 



learn all about the new firmware in the latest episode of midnight operations with product owner jonas. watch episode here.  



OP–1 
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EP–2350 tingunder the hood
december 4, 2025
this little ting has more to offer than you might think. you aren't limited to what comes out of the box. simply connect it to a computer to import your own samples and tailor the effects. let's take a look at how to do all this. but first: update to the latest firmware or you won't be able to do any of it.


how to update EP–2350 ting
samplesyou are not limited to the 4 samples that ting comes with, you can easily replace them with your own. the only limitation is the 1 MB of ting disk space available for 4 user samples that must be wav files (mono or stereo, 8/16/24-bit or 32-bit float and up to 96 KHz)

add your samples - essentialsthe simplest way to add your own samples is to upload files named 1.wav, 2.wav, 3.wav, and 4.wav. each file you add will override the built in sample in that slot / number. if you only upload, say, 1.wav, the other three slots will still play the built in samples. if you don’t add any files at all, all four built in samples will play as usual.

how to replace the samples on EP–2350 ting
add your samples - advancedthis is a bit more demanding, but it unlocks more of ting’s possibilities and gives you a glimpse of what you can do with a bit of code. ting uses a small text file called a config.json. this keeps track of which samples to load and how to use them, etc. use this file to map your samples to slots 0-3. you can now name your audio files whatever you like. copy the samples and the config.json to the ting disk, and you’re done.
we’ve put together a json file and four new samples that you can download and try out.


effectsas mentioned above, ting can read instructions from a json file. this file does much more than just tell ting which samples to play. it defines an entire fx chain, a sequence of individual effects, whose combined result becomes one of ting’s four effects. within that chain, you can reorder, swap, or redesign effects, change how you interact with them, and adjust the parameters for every effect in the chain. you can also choose whether samples should be “colored” by routing them through specific parts of the chain.

if you feel like diving into building your own fx chains, it’s worth starting from the examples below and tweaking a few parameters to see how ting behave.

this stuff can get pretty complicated, so if you want to go further and build your own effects, the online guide is a good place to start.


how to customize EP–2350 ting with json
if you happen to break the json code for some reason and the device freezes, don't panic. simply connect to computer and hold green + white buttons during startup to access and fix the file.
if you get a “not enough disk space” message even if the ting disk looks empty, try re-formatting tingdisk:
connect ting via USB-C, wait for “tingdisk” to appear, right-click on the disk, choose “erase disk” on mac OS or “format” on windows 10/11, file system should be FAT.
riddim n’ ting bundle
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riddim n' ting jamaica
OCTOBER 31, 2025
our hearts are with everyone affected by the recent hurricane across jamaica and neighboring islands.
 
as some of you may already know, we’ve been working on two new EP units with a close connection to reggae, dancehall and sound system culture. we made our first trip to jamaica early spring this year where we met with artists and producers featured on EP–40 riddim and we just got back from our second, pre-launch jamaica trip. 
this has been a passion project for us, one that started seven years ago with the idea of a reggae pocket operator, ended up as the EP–40 riddim and
EP–2350 ting, both to be released next week. over the course of this project we’ve met with artists from all over the world, incredible people who helped
us lay the foundations for how these units should sound and work. 

denzil williams junior and denzil williams senior, who both became instrumental in connecting us with artists and producers in jamaica.



everything was done in close collaboration with swedish artists and dear friends marcus price, patrik arve and rodrigo pencheff, all of whom are true reggae, dancehall and soundsystem aficionados.


at rockers international, founded by jamaican dub pioneer augustus pablo and is now run by his son addis pablo.



at alpha boys school, where we hosted presentations and workshops along with etana and king jammy, 2 of the 13 collaborating artists on the EP–40.



marcus price and clevie at clevie’s studio

lisa hyper on the EP–40

at judgement yard jamming with sizzla


oct 15, at our pre-release party at legendary weddy weddy wednesdays. live ep-40 gig featuring major artists, including turbulence and junior reed.


the new york-based and pittsburgh-raised singer, songwriter, and producer is fresh off of a multi-festival and sold-out European headline tour run this summer. we had the opportunity to meet with him at the way out west festival in gothenburg, sweden and chat about his upcoming project, The Spirit Still Remains (Purgatory), out on Oct. 31. The Spirit Still Remains (Purgatory) exemplifies Montell’s dj gummy bear moniker as an exercise in creating a sandbox of limitless creativity, freedom, and experimentation. Purgatory brings those musical experiments to the forefront, allowing Montell to experiment with electronic, house, ambient and experimental soundscapes through the dj gummy bear character, free of any imposed expectations on what ‘Montell Fish’ music is meant to sound like.
after releasing his debut album jamie back in 2022, montell’s been on the rise with the ep her love still haunts me like a ghost, containing one of his hit singles “hotel,” and his most recent project charlotte. where we find tracks like “scream my name” and “who did you touch?”.
entering a new season of artistry, montell’s been exploring more electronic, house, ambient and experimental soundscapes through his alter ego “dj gummybear”, focusing on the creative freedom of music and art.


if someone had never heard your music before, how would you describe “montell fish”?
hard to say haha. i would say it’s a blend to start off. vocally, i love rnb, probably one of my favorite genres. i love ambient music, and hip-hop for drums and loops. i also love indie and folk music for guitar influence. it’s somewhere in between a few genres. if you’re into some guitar rnb indie kind of hip-hop stuff, you might be into it.


you’ve said dj gummy bear gives you creative freedom, where did that alter ego come from, and what doors has it opened musically? 
dj gummybear is a space for me to be more experimental, to try ideas i might not be ready to explore under montell fish. it’s kind of like a sandbox where i can study and test sounds, then release them without overthinking. he’s his own character with his own world, how he looks, how the shows feel, and how the sound is more electronic and production-focused. i imagine dj gummybear doing club sets, dj nights, and more spontaneous performances, while montell fish is more of a live band, an emotional experience. with dj gummybear, i’m less concerned about numbers or expectations and more focused on making stuff that’s fun and free.
the name came to me really fast, and that was intentional. i wanted something playful and light, not overthought. i like gummybears, and the name just felt like it matched the energy of the project. there’s something i enjoy about writing songs with serious emotion or spiritual weight under a name that sounds like candy. the contrast is what makes it interesting. 
when i create as montell fish, there's often pressure to make something that resonates with a lot of people. fans sometimes get attached to past versions of me, and it’s tough to navigate that. with dj gummybear, there’s none of that, it feels like starting fresh. like when you find a new artist and you’re not comparing them to anything, they just are who they are. that freedom allows me to take more risks and step outside the traditional structures i might stick to with montell fish.
gummybear has also helped me fall back in love with music. he’s a fan, a collector, a student of sound. through him, i dig into genres, study production, and get inspired in new ways. and once i’ve learned what i need, i come back to montell fish with a clearer vision. i still care about legacy and making meaningful work, but gummybear reminds me that joy and experimentation are part ofthat too. 


what drew you toward house, ambient, and experimental sounds in this season of your artistry?
when i was 17, i was really into soundcloud and youtube, pages like majestic casual and soulection. that era had a lot of experimental r&b and house blends that weren’t fully electronic or fully house, and that in-between space really pulled me in. back when i was following traditional christianity, i’d play ambient music while praying, i could listen for hours. i think that soaked into my production over time. i’m drawn to slow, distinct sounds that feel like stepping into another world.


what inspires you at the moment?
right now, i’m inspired by the idea of being in between. i’m working on a project called purgatory, based on the christian belief of a waiting place between heaven and hell. i love liminal spaces, that tension of not knowing, not being fully here or there. movies like eternal sunshine or inception capture that dreamlike, unresolved feeling, those in-between moments really speak to me.


what instruments or gear do you find yourself reaching for the most when you're making music? any go-to tools that always spark inspiration?
yeah, lately i’ve been reaching for a lot of fm sounds. i love r&b, and the way the yamaha dx7 was used in the 80s and 90s has always stuck with me, there’s a real beauty in that kind of synthesis. i’ve also been using my OP-1 a lot. i’ll load in sounds i like and sketch ideas on it. it started as a home setup thing, but over time i got comfortable enough to bring it on stage. now i run it through a chroma console by hologram, manipulate the sound, and loop it live.
my process changes, but it usually starts with melody. i’m a melody-first person, it’s what gets stuck in your head and brings you back to a song. i’ll start with piano or guitar, then add drums, and build from there. this year i’ve been diving deeper into synths, just messing around until something clicks. lyrics come second. honestly, i love instrumental music. sometimes i just want to say one phrase, like in “you make me feel loved,” and let that carry the whole track. it’s about creating a feeling with as little as possible. i love space in music, letting the sound breathe.
to go along with the spirit still remains (purgatory), montell’s also put together a custom sample pack. built from the same ambient and experimental textures found throughout the project, the pack offers a glimpse into the sounds and tones shaping this new chapter. it’s a snapshot of the world he’s creating, freeform, atmospheric, and open to exploration.

how to transfer montell fish’s sample pack to your OP–1 field:
  1. download the sample pack.
  2. connect your OP–1 field to your computer via USB C.
  3. open the field kit app. (mac only)
  4. drag and drop the sample pack files into the drum folder.
  5. eject your OP–1 field safely from your computer.
  6. your new samples are now ready to use.



download montell fish’s sample pack 
with OS 1.1.0, your OP–XY becomes an even more powerful sampler. this update introduces a new sample slicer, perfect for chopping breaks, melodic sequences, or vocals. it offers three slicing modes for flexible, precise control over how you cut and play back your sounds:
transient-based slicing:OP–XY automatically detects peaks and hits in your sample and slices them—ideal for drums, percussion, or anything with sharp attacks.
time-based slicing:divides your sample into equal sections, great for loops, rhythmic material, or when you want perfectly even slices across the entire recording.
manual tap:tap your own slice points to create custom rhythms and break your sample exactly where you want it.
to go along with the slicer, we also added parameter lockability to the drum sampler.
duck:with the new update there’s a new lfo, duck. use duck to quickly add sidechain compression to any instrument track. it takes audio or note data from one track and modulates the volume of another. use it to create space for your kicks in your bass or to add movement to pads.
this update also brings several quality-of-life improvements for sequencing and performing. you can now define how OP–XY calculates scene length for more precise playback control. song mode has been refined to work consistently with the rest of the device, simply hold shift before pressing buttons. this allows you to continue using the musical keyboard even when in the song mode screen.
using sound link, you can now use the same sound across all patterns of a track, useful for live sets or when you want to skip presets per pattern. and finally, a much-requested feature: delayed scene switch. when performing live, queue up the next scene instead of immediately switching scenes.


watch the latest midnight operations episode, where product owner jonas walks through all of the new updates.
update your OP–XY via our update utility tool
you can now set your own price for the OP–XY. see our flipped-out offer here.
OP–XY guide
update device
explore OP–XY
catching up with brux
september 25, 2025
the australian producer, vocalist, and songwriter brux blends experimental electronic textures with groovy, immersive soundscapes, pulling you into a world of electrifying dance music. in a recent collaboration with baauer, she released her latest single ca$hed up, crafted mostly using the EP–133 K.O. II.we recently had the chance to talk with her about the sonic world she’s built, the process behind the track, and how the EP–133 became a key part of her workflow.


who is brux?
i think she's a version of myself that's fearless and open in expression. she's loud and lively, it's fun to be her!
tell us about your music and your inspirations:
i make bassy, groove-heavy, lively tunes and i try to always have an experimental edge in the sound design by using my collection of analog hardware. stylistically, i pull from a lot of different places  - within electronic music I look up to the chemical brothers, sophie, gorillaz, the knife, air, peaches...and outside of that realm i love artists like tyler the creator, joni mitchell, björk, ryuichi sakamoto, radiohead, idles. the list goes on. at the core i'm drawn to things that are against the grain and unconventional. standing out from the pack is my motto in life.
what inspired the process of making ca$hed up?
when we made the tune back in 2024, i was 3 years into moving to new york from australia and was processing the sensory switch-up of busy life in this bustling city. it's what inspired the grittiness of the production and also of course the vocal hook. the constant grind of new yorkers is real!


how did you and baauer meet?
we met at a show we played in brooklyn at the end of 2023 - machinedrum hosted an event where a bunch of artists dj'd b2b for hours and baauer and i played a few tunes together. from there we linked up to start having studio sessions!
how is making music with baauer different from doing it solo?
it's a lot of fun working together - we seem to get ideas out quickly and crack a lot of jokes during the process too. i also love to work solo but the social aspect of collaborating with another artist who's so laid back like baauer is a real treat.
tell us about the creative process behind the track.
baauer and i were given a studio space to use in manhattan, it was in a beautiful historic 1800s carriage house and it was a relaxed setup with lots of fun gear to use. we both have a similar process where we start by creating a drum groove and so we did just that. after creating an 8 bar groove we then figured out a melodic sample riff that was the next piece of the puzzle, and then added a bassline and finally sketched it fully out into an arrangement. both of us produce in ableton live, so it was a lot of back and forth on the one computer to keep tweaking the track. when we left the studio that day, it was just an instrumental. and it wasn't until a week or 2 after the session where i came up with the vocal hook and added it to the track. baauer and i continued to finesse the tune over the coming weeks and then i sent it over to my friend surya sen who is a london-based artist/rapper for him to record the hook to layer with mine. weeks later baauer and i were invited to dj at a popup event that mija was hosting in brooklyn and it was at that show where we tested out the tune for the first time. it hit hard and the crowd reacted well!


how did the EP–133 end up in your process?
we both had never used the EP–133 sampler but immediately gravitated towards it at the start of our session and loaded various drum groove loops and single shot samples onto it. through trial and error we recorded in a bunch of sample hits and found a super unique percussive rhythm that we were instantly excited by! we built the track pretty quickly around it by then adding in a kick rhythm, bassline and chord stab that was also triggered by the EP–133.
cha$hed up is the lead single release from brux’s latest ep of the same name. you can listen to the track and check out the video below, where brux and baueer walk us through the creative process behind it.


when swedish-american indie-pop band miike snow went on their reunion tour last year, they decided to bring the then unreleased OP–XY with them. together with love hultén, they built a custom made live rig where the OP–XY was embedded. this year, for the fourth time, the band returned to the coachella stage. with them, they brought the OP–XY and the same live rig. we sat down with our good friend and member of miike snow, pontus winnberg, to let us in on the story.

pontus winnberg, one of three members of miike snow
how did it feel to return to coachella?
this was the fourth time we’ve played at coachella, last time was 2016 so a lot of things have happened to the festival and the vibe. i really enjoyed it. it was a lot of fun and we got a really good time slot, considering that we haven't released stuff in a while. we were on at 9:30 on the biggest tent right before the prodigy. the downside was that we were overlapping with missy elliott, which I would have loved to see.

 the OP–XY rig
why did you decide to use the OP–XY for your live shows?
i was really into the OP–Z sequencer. i had long conversations with the project owner of OP–Z and OP–XY, jonas åberg, about what i felt could be done and added to the unit. there was a feature on the OP–Z, i can't remember what it was called, but it's what eventually became the brain function on the OP–XY. my interpretation of it is that it acts as a sort of auto-comp feature. like the old traditional home organs had this auto-comp: you could just play a chord and it would start. like this little electronic band would play along with whatever chords you fed it. that's basically what the brain in the OP–XY is. but you can dictate exactly what your little electronic orchestra should do. so it could be everything from a gesaffelstein track to... i don't know... a dance band. you’re completely free. you can do whatever you want to do and that's also something i've been looking for in playing electronic music live, where it's impossible for a human to play something that is quantized, and it becomes a completely different expression.

building the stage
we did a lot of work behind the scenes before the OP–XY ever hit the public. there were only about twenty prototype units, and i begged to get one. the first time we played it was just like heaven, and from that point we slowly began integrating it into our show, but this year it kind of took over. it really became the heart and soul of the whole show.

custom made live rig by love hultén
tell us about the live setup.
the live setup was basically built around two OP–XY units, one connected to a prophet-10 and the other to a roland juno-106 mini clone. after that, we had a series of effects built into a kind of custom modular system. we also used the OP–XY as a sound source, especially for samples.
most songs were triggered by the brain function, so it was almost like having two huge auto-comp organs. the thrill, and part of the adventure, of performing is that nothing is synced. we usually have a metronome click playing in our earpieces, but it's mostly used as a common reference point. it’s up to us as players to get it right, and sometimes, when it’s slightly off, it becomes something pretty interesting.


how does your band approach live electronic performance, and what role does the OP–XY play in that?
i think it’s important to keep the dangerous aspect of live music, something can go terribly wrong, and preferably not in a computer-crash way, but through musical mishaps that the players on stage have to adapt to and incorporate into the performance. otherwise, we could all just be at home listening to some crappy streaming service.

miike snow live at coachella 2025
one of the rig’s most powerful features was scene switching. at the press of a button, we could change not just sounds on the OP–XY, but entire routing setups, including midi parameters, effect chains, and synth presets. when you add analog synths via midi control and stuff, what you can do is endless. this made moving between songs seamless, even without a centralized computer system.you load up a program, and all the sound data comes with it. it changes everything, on the OP–XY  and across all the connected gear. i don’t know any other equipment that does that. for us, as a band that’s always blended precise sequencing with live unpredictability, the OP–XY is perfect.


it’s kind of like electronic jazz, mistakes become part of the performance. every show is unique. the OP–XY gave us the freedom to extend sections, respond to the crowd, and rework familiar tracks in the moment. you have to be on your toes and if something goes down, you replace it with something else. it’s built for that.
OP–XY
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rapper, producer and all-around creative force erick the architect is ready to reintroduce himself. a friend of ours, erick grew up in new york, where he fell in love with music long before forming the iconic psychedelic hip-hop group flatbush zombies. after more than a decade with the group, world tours and critically acclaimed albums, he’s now carving out a path of his own as a solo artist.
last year, erick dropped his most ambitious and introspective body of work yet, ‘i’ve never been here before.’ the 16-track lp, both an echo of his youth and a reflection of where he’s at today, was recently re-release as a director’s cut. it features collaborations with artists like channel tres, george clinton and joey bada$$—figures we all know and admire.
now, erick returns to the fold with a new three-track ep, ‘arcstrumentals 3’. in it, erick retains the quirks and fixations of ‘i’ve never been here before’, combining it with dance and electronic music—a shift inspired by recent collaborations with friends jungle and l’imperatrice. it’s a step in a new sonic direction, but the unpredictability is part of what makes the brooklyn rapper so compelling.
we caught up with the new york native to talk about everything from flatbush zombies to his solo work, new york and its influences, and what’s ahead in 2025.
going solo after a successful group effort is not an easy feat. what pushed you to do it, and what’s the experience been like?
rapping and producing has been a thing of mine since i was 15. my firstself-produced project, ‘almost remembered,’ dropped in 2011 under my current artist name, way before flatbush zombies took off. it wasn’t until 2012 that things started moving. that’s when me, meechy dark and zombie juice came together and made the ‘d.r.u.g.s’ mixtape, which really solidified our place as a group. through flatbush zombies, i got to explore my ‘the architect’ persona.
creating art is personal. over time, your references shift. i reached a point where the sounds i wanted to explore didn’t always align with where the group was headed. the success we had got me here, but working as a group means compromising some of your own creative direction for the greater good.


i started experimenting on the side, dropping one-offs under different names. by the time we [flatbush zombies] did ‘escape from new york’ in 2019, my mom had passed, and everything changed. i was still in new york, still working with the same people, but i knew i had to grow. i needed to challenge myself, meet people who would push me out of my comfort zone. every time i came to la, i linked with james blake, mount kimbie, artists in dance music i admired for a long time.
that shift led me to my next major step: ‘futureproof,’ an 18-minute project that changed my life. a series of events led to it: moving to la, covid, visiting friends in london. it was the catalyst that pushed me to create something fully my own. the response validated everything for me. i knew i had to chase my own narrative, prove i was more than just part of a group, more than just hip-hop. the rest is history.


talk to us about the inspiration behind ‘i’ve never been here before’ and ‘arcstrumentals 3’. how do the two pull themselves apart?
on ‘i’ve never been here before’, every track is a snapshot of my life; growing up on flatbush street, my mother’s passing, dealing with haters, even moments of self-doubt. i structured it so that every three tracks act like a time capsule, capturing the emotions i was going through. the album became a way for me to process both the good and the bad. every time i play it back, i’m transported to those moments. it’s beautiful.
with ‘arcstrumentals 3’, i decided to release three records that resemble the music i’ve been playing most recently, but still kept some of the musical threads from ‘i’ve never been here before’. i was searching for ways to be uplifted and reminded that it’s okay to smile and enjoy yourself. in typical ‘arcstrumentals’ fashion, i landed on a concept and produced these songs as an introduction to a style of music i’ve always loved; dance music. the songs feature a myriad of live instruments and force you to get up on your feet.


new york is a central theme in the album. how has the city shaped your approach to music?
new york is the birthplace of hip-hop, jazz, ballroom. it’s impossible not to be influenced by it. if you’ve been there, you know how special it is: the gridlocked streets, the mix of cultures, the neighborhoods where people from all backgrounds come together. new york is the cultural capital of the world.
growing up on flatbush street meant growing up surrounded by west indian, chinese, pan-african and japanese communities. it was an exchange of cultures at every level. reggaeton blasting from a bodega, salsa from a high-rise, arabic music around the corner—all of that shaped my sound. no matter where i go, i still feel like i’m in new york. when i write music, like ‘ca$hmere tear$,’ it’s tied to those memories. as a kid, i didn’t see a difference between jamaica and flatbush—it was all just home.

ARCSTRUMENTALS 3
what’s in store for erick the architect?
aside from the new album and ep, i scored last year’s ‘the choice is yours’ and just got off a west coast tour with l'impératrice. right now, i’m at the peak of my creativity, writing constantly, producing for other artists. i have so much to say, and i can’t wait to bring it all to life this year.
we’re thrilled to share a brand-new sample pack "tects tools" made for us by erick the architect. 


download sample pack "tects tools" 
download "tects tools" as an EP project
group A: scenes 1-3 main drum loopsgroup B: scenes 1-3 percussiongroup C: side chained loopsgroup D: vocals + guitar
upload the sample pack straight into yourEP–133 using our EP sample tool.
go to "backup & restore" then "projects" and upload it as a new project on your EP device. 
elio and the choir
june 27, 2025
the teenage engineering choir: official choral ensemble for disney pixars ‘elio’
when disney and pixar set out to create ‘elio’, a movie about a young boy making contact with distant alien life, they asked a fundamental question: what does space sound like? composer rob simonsen found the answer in our teenage engineering choir dolls. 

composer rob simonsen
rob simonsen: we were looking for an otherworldly sound—something that sounded relatable, that echoed vocalizations, communication that humans could understand, but felt like it was from another world. i came across these choir dolls and heard their sound. it was beautiful—electronic, but human. each body is handcrafted. they have a robotic but organic sound at the same time. it felt like a perfect answer to what we were looking for.”

recording the choir at sony scoring stage 
the concept sounded weird enough for us to get involved so to help make his vision a reality, we made a custom firmware to control note distribution across the ensemble and enable up to 24 dolls to harmonize together. the dolls were sent to the legendary sony scoring stage in los angeles to perform robs compositions and each doll was mic’d up just like any human vocalist.


from left to right: glordon, elio, glordon saving elio
during our conversations a question came up from producer mary alice drumm, could we make three custom choir dolls of the main characters in time for the vip showing of the movie? after some design tweaks and a lot of woodwork in our workshop, the three new members of the teenage engineering choir were sent to los angeles to attend the world premiere at el capitan.

official trailer for elio
this is the first time we know of that a teenage engineering instrument has played the lead role in a hollywood disney pixar movie soundtrack.
teenage engineering choir
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presenting a limited capsule collection made by bentgablenits.
on show (and for sale) this june in new york includes: hand-beaded band shirts and lab coats, special choir chapel boxes made with tea-dyed hand-festooned details, hand-embroidered and adorned with 1940s cracker jack charms OB–4 mesh bags, and ten repurposed 1930s dollhouses, each transformed into miniature homes for our OD-11 speaker.
brenda bent, karen gable, and angelo nitsopoulos, are the minds behind bentgablenits (bgn), an antique luxury collective rooted in a shared love for old hand-me-downs: from designer menswear to dollhouse miniatures. their collectors’ pieces are made from vintage garments, fabrics, and trims. their work revives forgotten materials: barkcloth becomes tapestry, lace turns into dresses, brooches embellish nike sneakers.
we sat down with the trio behind bentgablenits to talk about how it all came together.

BGN–11 “abbey road” house


can you walk us through the bgn studio—what kinds of things have you collected over the years?
karen gable: the studio is in brenda’s house. she’s collected—you name it—vintage fabrics, trims, plastics, toys of all kinds. everything is meticulously sorted and labeled. i’ve collected similar things in my own studio: vintage fashion pieces, beads, fabrics, toys, oddities. but brenda’s the queen of collecting. she has endless multiples of everything, and a wild range.
brenda bent: i’ve collected so much over the years, and it keeps changing. but the bulk is fabric—velvets, barkcloth, quilts, chenille bedspreads, satin, lace. also beads, especially victorian through the 1920s. and plastics—early plastic has a special quality. we work at my place and then split up to our studios for certain tasks. everything is sorted, labeled, catalogued. shelves and plastic bins everywhere.

made from 1930s tin dollhouses to house the OD-11 speaker


why use dollhouses for the OD-11?
brenda bent: we wanted to build something to house the speaker. the idea that it could be a literal house made sense. that grew into a connection with early suburbia, the idea of the neighborhood, and music’s place in it.
angelo nitsopoulos: we’re always drawn to projects that require building around something pre-existing. the OD-11 is already finished and beautiful, so the challenge was making something that complements it without competing. the proportions of the speaker matched the scale of a dollhouse perfectly. it felt like the speaker belonged there—domestic, nostalgic, but modern too.

wooden crate packaging, especially made for the abbey road house


how did you source the original dollhouses and parts?
brenda bent: we hunted. eventually found two we liked, though they were in rough shape. the rebuild and restoration took time. dollhouse parts are everywhere and nowhere—you can get lucky, or not. we needed lots of windows and doors. it was a process.

choir chapel boxes with tea-dyed hand-festooned details 


how did the idea to use our products come about?
karen gable: teenage engineering is just incredibly detailed and design-forward. it’s not just aesthetic—it’s about creativity, music, and how people interact with both. we admire that. it inspired us.
angelo nitsopoulos: bgn and te might seem like opposites, but at the core, we’re similar. we both obsess over details. we both care deeply about storytelling. handcrafted or engineered—it’s about creating something meaningful. something with a soul.

hand-embroided OB–4 mesh bags adorned with 1940s cracker jack charms


what does each of the ten dollhouses tell us?
brenda bent: we started literally. the front of the house is the front. the back is the back. i had a collection of old french lenses—heavy, beautiful glass—and the idea of peeking through a lens into the house became central. the interiors were built into the sides, and we used real asphalt shingles for the roofs. we wanted it to feel real.
angelo nitsopoulos: i built on that by exploring contrast—nostalgia vs. innovation. the houses feel whimsical but also hyper-real. we used tiny details to scale up emotion. each house became a kind of domestic dreamspace: intimate, strange, warm.




the installation will take place in new york, june 27–29, at 131 greene street.rsvp to the event here 

the new updates for TX–6 and TP–7 introduce some new features like enhanced sequencer functionality with customizable options, link mode, extended midi functionality, extended gain range, mix-down mode, and more. update your device via our update utility tool and read more about the new functions in the user guides. 

TX–6 OS update 1.3.0
TX–6 is our battery-powered ultra portable pro-mixer and multi-functional audio interface with 6 stereo channels, or 12 if you split them to mono. great for quick setups on the go or in your studio. packed with features like effects, midi, usb recording, beat detection, an instrument tuner, synth, sequencer, drum machine, and much more.
user configurable sequencer patternsalongside the 22 factory-loaded patterns, the TX–6 now supports six additionaluser-configurable sequencer pattern slots. each of these allows for per-step pitch assignment, making it possible to compose custom melodic sequences.
pattern chainingonce you’ve made your own sequencer patterns, you can start chaining them together. instead of looping just one pattern, this update lets you combine up to four, giving your tracks more variation.
slidethe TX–6 now includes a slide (portamento) function, allowing precise control over pitch transitions when sequencing waveforms for more refined melodic expression.
midi synth generatorin addition to its internal sound engine, the TX–6 can trigger external instruments via midi, allowing you to generate sound with any midi device.
midi cc knob functioneach knob on the TX–6 is fully assignable, allowing you to map it to any parameter, whether in your daw or any external midi-controllable gear. 
extended gain rangeyou can now reduce input gain to handle 5dB hotter signals than before, preventing clipping and ensuring proper signal levels..
link modein the latest update, you can link two TX–6 together via usb to create a full24-channel mixer. both devices will output the same 24 channel mixdownand the fx from each TX–6 can be used with its respective channels.

TX–6 guide
update device
explore TX–6

TP–7 OS update 1.1.9
TP–7 is the device you always want to have on you. it handles everything audio, from recording to playback. whether on the go or in the studio, TP–7 has three main modes that serve any purpose. use memo mode to quickly record ideas, sounds, and spaces then connect up to three stereo or six mono audio sources into the included mini jacks and record them at 96kHz 24-bit with the record mode. once you’ve mixed, mastered and perfected your tracks, put them straight onto TP–7 with field kit and play them back through the high-quality DAC using the library mode. you can even loop, cue, slow down, and speed up recordings and audio files! this past week, we’ve added a couple of new features to make all of that even better:
mix-downyou can now play back a multitrack recording from the TP–7 and, in real time, route the audio into the TX–6 for hands-on mixing. as you perform your mix on the TX–6, the TP–7 will simultaneously record the live output as a new stereo file. do this back and forth as many times as you wish to create the perfect mix.
mp3 supportwith the latest update, TP–7 now supports playback of mp3 files in addition to wav and flac. now you can load up all your favourite 00s classics and listen to them through TP–7’s amazing DAC!

TP–7 guide
update device
explore TP–7
what started as an idea to grow the synth population has today earned its spot as the world’s most accessible music machine, making its way into hundreds of thousands of pockets—and counting.
the early days of the pocket operator go back to moogfest 2014, where we launched 200 screenless prototypes for betatesters and artists performing at the festival. 2015 was when things officially kicked off with a deal between us and ann-sofie back, then-designer at cheap monday. the trade? create the most affordable, pocket-sized synth in exchange for free lab clothes.

PO-12 rhythm, one of the first pocket operators launched
with a tight budget and big ideas, we had to get creative with what we had. with a bare circuit board, an lcd screen and a few knobs, these tiny machines proved size is only half the story, becoming cult favorites for music lovers everywhere.
nine original models, three modular synths, two EP units, collaborations with gaming giants like capcom and just shy of a million units later, we’re looking back at the past ten years. to understand how it all came together, we satdown with a few of the people who helped bring the pocket operators to life.

prototyping for new pocket operators
tell us about the initial idea behind the pocket operator.what were some of the inspirations?
oscar, head of development: we had been working on OD-11 for a long time and were honestly exhausted from such a tech-heavy project. there was an itch to do something less demanding—something quick, iterative and fun. atthe same time, we noticed the brand had a strong following, but both OP–1and OD-11 were quite expensive and not everyone could afford them.
it was around this time that we started talking with ann-sofie back,then-designer at the swedish jeans brand cheap monday. we asked if she could design some free lab clothes in exchange for a cool, lo-fi gadget they could sell in their physical stores.

po-24 office, one of three in the po-20 series, launched in 2016
all of that came together into the idea of the pocket operator: the most affordable synthesizer we could dream up. the ambition was to create something so accessible that even people who’d never touched an instrument could make music. there was also a bit of a pedagogical goal behind the first PO-10 series—they brought together three foundational elements of music: rhythm, bass, and melody—into a pocket-sized, low-cost form.
most of the design decisions were purely out of necessity. the look—bare circuit board, lcd screen, a few knobs—wasn’t about being clever. we just had to keep costs as low as possible.

PO-32’s built-in mic use sound waves to transfer and receive data
magnus lidström is the head and heart behind sonic charge, a swedish software lab. in 2003, he launched microtonic: a drum machine in vst form that’s still a favorite today. later, we joined forces with magnus to help create the PO-32, PO-35 and the PO-137.

magnus lidström, coding for the po-32 tonic
to embed a microtonic vst plugin into a tiny hardware drum machine is not an easy task. that kind of deep integration hadn’t been done in that size or price before. how did this collaboration start?

magnus, founder of sonic charge: the original idea was to use the PO-12 code with samples made from microtonic. however, once i started experimenting with the hardware, i couldn’t resist the challenge of running the actual microtonic synth on it. it felt like black magic, getting sound transfer to work over audio, speaker to microphone. at the namm launch in 2017, people were blown away by that feature, especially those who grew up with home computers that loaded games from tape. 
it helped move the needle from specifications and price to creativity and play, that it showed you actually didn’t need expensive or complex gear to make something original. it was fascinating how much personality we could get outof such a minimal interface and limited hardware. it’s design by constraint atits finest.

magnus, demoing how to use PO-32 tonic with microtonic
what were some of its most memorable moments?
jonatan, senior engineer: releasing the first PO-10 series at namm in 2015 was a blast. we took preorders while still fixing bugs on the fly. after a full day at the trade fair, we tested the units back at the hotel, found new bugs, and i reflashed the demo units overnight so we could use them again the next day. but during the trip our homemade flash jig broke, so there was no real way to test the fixes. so, i had to solder it back together at the hotel using a footrest and a lighter. the footrest is still a part of every pocket operator till this day.
jens, co-founder and engineer: launch day at namm and the aftermath was intense. we had taken orders for 10,000 units on launch, which we shipped ourselves from the office. it’s hard to imagine the amount of work spent printing, packaging and shipping that many units, with just a few people.

jens rudberg on the way to the namm show 2015
what change do you think the release of thepocket operators brought about?
oscar: it’s a long list. most obviously pocket operators gave people an easy entry point into electronic music, even if they had zero experience. they also helped dispel the myth that you need big machines with loads of buttons to make something sound good.

jonatan blomster, demoing the first pocket operators at namm 2015
speaking from your own experience, what’s one thing you still find fascinating about the series?
jonatan: i thought we had squeezed out everything possible with the PO-10 series, so it was exciting to bring in new developers who really understood the concept and pushed it further. first it was linus with the PO-20 series, then magnus at sonic charge with PO-32, PO-35 and PO-137.
while working on PO-33, i was also making some ambient/drone music on the side and got frustrated that i couldn’t go slower than 60 bpm. so i snuck in an easter egg that most people probably don’t know about, until now; if you hold bpm, press a pad to set the volume five times, and then keep holding bpm, you can turn pot b to set bpm anywhere from 15 to 60. i don’t think anyone’s found it yet.

po-133 streetfighter car at mantorp park race track, sweden
we would like to thank the community that has been with us for over ten years. you’ve joined two #PO10DIY challenges, built everything from synthitars, custom cases to receipt machines, made full albums with only pocket operators and made countless of amazing videos. here's to ten more years! 
head over to our anniversary site and learn more about the history of pocket operators and explore some never released prototypes.
around the office:björn aspelin
Februrary 13, 2025
if you’ve used our newer gear, chances are björn aspelin—our in-house cmf designer—had a hand in bringing it to life. ‘cmf,’ an abbreviation for color, material, and finish, is a part of his world; björn makes sure every product looks and feels better with each iteration. the bulk of his work involves aligning colors with the original vision, researching materials, and perfecting finishes. in other words, björn ensures our products look and feel as purposeful as they’re engineered to be.
“my focus is to bring an idea to life through colors, materials, and the treatments and finishes of our products,” björn explains. “someone might come to me with just a sketch, a mood board, a single word, or even an early prototype. my job then becomes to substantiate it through visual appearance and behavior.”
björn’s latest work can be seen in his involvement with OP–XY, a project as challenging as it was rewarding. “the first major hurdle was scale,” he reflects. “the form factor and overall design properties of the field system became the cornerstone for what the OP–XY would become. as it is technically a part of the series, we had to stay true to the established aesthetic while still having it stand on its own.”

another major challenge was color. given the limited variations in the existing color systems, björn developed a signature teenage engineering grayscale gradient in a city further south of sweden. “the grayscale gradient running across the length of the device became the centerpiece, reflecting music scales and the 16 programmable tracks. it took countless revisions to get it right. existing systems didn’t work for what we needed, so we created our own: the teenage engineering scale. it’s subtle, but a lot of thought went into it.”


it is this kind of problem-solving that shapes björn’s day-to-day work. questions like: how do we visually express a product’s durability? should the expression be playful or luxurious? but it is not just about how things look—other considerations that need to be kept in mind are ergonomics, ease of cleaning, and functionality. to him, the technology of each device needs to be reflected through its exterior in a way that makes sense. he traces the technical aspects of a product down to what, to him, could be felt and touched, then creates an appendage between software and visual appearance.
“cmf design demands precision and care,” he says. “it’s a time-intensive process, revisiting sample after sample, translating concepts into materials, ensuring consistency, and perfecting the final look. but it’s deeply rewarding. think of it as composing a film score—bringing together color, material, and finish to create a harmony that brings the whole story together.”
TP–7 firmware update: 1.1.3
september 19, 2024
we've added an impressive set of new features for the TP–7, making it more than just a tape recorder. inside, lies an advanced recording and editing system for all audio purposes, packed with new features. the workflow has been carefully optimized, whether working with multi-track recordings or just aquick memo.
turn on metronome and count-in, set cue points for your arrangements andre-do takes, loop and scratch, bounce, or just play back your favorite high-res record collection. plus we have a new model with multi language support in the TP–7 app that makes transcription in most languages a breeze.
let's take you through some of its new features.


right on cue.with the new software update, recording and editing on the TP–7 has gotten a huge expansion in features. the new cue and loop utilities in TP–7 adds the ability to define cue points for instant recall, takes, and flexible, creative looping.

full midi control.the TP–7 software update adds expanded midi modes for clock sync, control surface, and cue control, enabling tighter timing with other gear and hands-on control over any digital audio file.

bounce the track.another added feature of the TP–7 is its capacity to bounce your stems down to a single stereo file. as well as adding additional tracks to an existing file.


multi-language.whether you're a dentist capturing patient notes, a podcaster recording interviews, or an artist documenting your creative process, the TP–7 makes transcription in most languages effortless. just connect to the TP–7 app,choose your preferred language, and hit transcribe.


how to update:use our update utility or visit the downloads page and follow the steps to update your TP–7. 
click here for a complete list of changes.click here for the updated user guide.
TP–7
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EP sample tool
september 6, 2024
our EP sample tool is your go-to for managing samples on both EP–133 K.O. II and EP–1320 medieval. it lets you freely move your samples and jump them to your mac or pc.
upload, download, delete, edit, and assign samples to pads in a snap. use your web browser and connect to your EP over usb, so you can take full control of your samples. 
let's rehash the steps for you, shall we?
step 1go to teenage.engineering/apps/ep-sample-tool and connect EP to your computer using usb-c, turn it on, and turn the volume up.
step 2once connected, the sample tool will show your sample library and be ready for use.
interface overviewwe'll be using the EP–133 K.O. II as an example, but please note that the functions of the buttons follows the exact same for EP medieval, too.
edit sound on the left main interface using 'in' and 'out' positions, access groups A-D, and use the 12 pads. the 'main' button lets you select a project.
use your cursor to click and drag. the lower section shows group and pad allocation, sample slot number, name, length, and the current loaded project.

 main interface, sample library 
main interface
this is the sample library with all the samples currently stored on your unit.the library hosts 999 sample slots, divided across ten tabs. feel free to move things around!

orange dot
the orange dot tells you that the corresponding sample is assigned to a pad within the active project or and group. clicking it will activate the pad, double-clicking will highlight the sample
the top bar of the sample sees a pie chart and number, indicating the amount of space used, and specific mb.
use your cursor to interact with the sample list—click on the samples and tabs, or drag and drop. double-click a sample to quickly rename it.

step 4
assign samples to pads
drag and drop your samples from the library list onto a pad in orderto assign it.

DROP YOUR SAMPLES ACROSS ANY OF THE 12 PADS
step 5
edit samples
press (shift) and (sound) on your unit to enter sound edit mode. now press (minus)/(plus) until the display says 'tri' (trim). you can now use the (x) and (y) knobs on your unit to adjust the on screen ‘in’ and ‘out’ positions of your current sample.

USE ‘IN’ AND ‘OUT’ TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR SAMPLE AND ADJUST IT AS YOU WISH
step 6
upload samples
upload your own samples to your unit by dragging and dropping your files from your computer to the sound library in your browser.
  • dropping multiple samples in the library will assign them to the first free library slots in the row they were dropped on. dropping more during an active upload will store them to the upload queue.


  • drop samples on an active group will upload all sounds to the library, and up to 12 samples will be assigned to pads in that group. dotted red border indicates which pads will be assigned.

spotted a green dot •? that means the sample successfully uploaded from the upload queue.

upload an import your own samples by drag & drop
step 7
download sample

download one or multiple samples to your computer by clicking the 'arrow down' icon on the sample row.

download one or mutiple samples to your computer
step 8
delete samples
delete one or multiple samples by clicking the 'X' icon on the sample row.
note: deleting will permanently remove samples from your unit, so make sure you have them backed up on your computer if you need them!

delete one or multiple samples by clicking the 'X' icon on the sample row
watch the full 'how to use' video below.
last week, we traveled off to the remote swedish island of gotland to unveil the EP–1320; our new pint-sized and portable medieval beat machine.

ep–1320, the world’s first medieval electronic instrument
we coincided the launch of the EP–1320 with the famed medieval week in gotland; an eight-day pageantry and celebration of the island's medieval history. historically accurate and imaginative in equal measure, visitors are invited to marvel at the well-preserved medieval architecture, chug down some locally brewed mead and watch the tower games – all decked out in their finest medieval garb.

the official teenage engineering launch pad at the medieval fair
the festival also celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, marking it as the largest historical festival in swedish history. more than just a festival, medieval week is a study of history, a retrospective where people can revisit the relics of the past that are found everywhere.
initially founded as a research foundation focused on public education; medieval week is today a place people travel in their tens of thousands to visit the island, and learn about the magic that meanders every crack, and crevice of the city.


on the last day, the teenage engineering team took to the streets, parading the island in a synchronized performance. some, carried via horse and carriage, spent their time improvising a 45-minute track with the EP–1320. it’s safe to say that we caught a resident’s eye, or two.

the team, criss-crossing off the beaten paths of visby, gotland

EP–1320 MID-ACTION, CARRIED via HORSE AND CARRIAGE

press play and follow the behind the scenes of our visit.
EP–1320 medieval
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behind the scenes: TP–7
june 5, 2024
we released TP–7 in may 2023, but the seed for the project actually started all the way back in 2018. in fact, TP–7 decided the physical form that the rest of the field series would take, even influencing the features on OB–4. to understand how it all came together, we spoke to some of the people who helped bring the TP–7 field recorder to life during various stages of its development.
guffe is head of mechanical engineering, involved in almost anything to do with mechanics here, tomas is the electrical engineer who has been responsible for the electronics and software on TP–7 from the very beginning, and marcus is the product owner overseeing the final stages of product development.


what was the original idea behind TP–7?
guffe: jesper had sketched a modular audio/studio system with numerous fantastic designs, which were quite different in style from what eventually became the final product, but definitely laid the foundation for what the field system would become. at some point, jesper and i, along with others at teenage engineering, discussed the idea of creating a new/modern nagra – a world-class portable audio recorder in terms of both sound quality and design.we began evaluating various form factors that felt magical, like a snus box, cigarette pack, soda can, etc. i built an mdf model based on one of jesper's sketches, and it is almost identical to the final design. over the years, the project went through many iterations internally, although the external design remained consistent throughout.
tomas: i started working on the first revision of the electronics for TP–7 back in april 2018. having recently worked on the raven r for baidu, we wanted to take the things we learned about motor control and bring it to a recording device. a lot of effort went into getting a responsive and intuitive feel using the reel. 
one of the intentions going in was that you had to be able to scratch on it. we started on TP–7 before deciding to motorize OB–4, so the only reason we could [make the OB–4 motorized wheel function] was due to the work we did on the TP–7 motor.


what were some of the hurdles you had to overcome when bridging the design with functionality?
guffe: creating a small premium product packed with mechanics, electronics, antennas, and more is always a demanding and time-consuming task. we have also worked hard to ensure repairability and ease of assembly, which significantly increases the complexity during the development stage.
it is important to note that this is not a high-volume product, so we have constantly had to invent new ways to solve problems. in contrast to a product sold in millions, where new manufacturing methods and machines can be developed to address issues, our approach had to be more innovative and resourceful.
for this particular product, i would say the biggest challenges have been the antenna (in-molded) and the three different plastics that are molded into the metal before it is cnc milled and surface treated. 


tomas: initially the idea was to use the same battery as OP–Z and an sd-card for storage, which required a stack of 7(!) different pcbs to fit everything in the correct position. but the battery life would have been too short, sd card performance too unpredictable and the antenna wasn't working well enough. so we eventually redesigned the electronics to what it looks like today, which also made it much easier to fit everything we wanted.
marcus: it’s also a challenge to make an intuitive user interface based on the tiny display and limited amount of buttons. with this product, we also tried to reach a broader crowd than usual which was its own challenge.
being a multi-track high resolution audio device, there were some tough demands on the system to handle a lot of data in realtime. then of course the spinning wheel with its motor and sensors adds a huge amount of complexity for all teams, requiring many hours of work to get the desired function.
guffe: to my knowledge, no one else has done what we have achieved!
TP–7
$$$

how do you make a documentary about a prolific artist who has been working for over five decades, across multiple mediums, and holds an archive of over 500 hours of footage? director gary hustwit may have the answer.

gary hustwit at a live screening of ‘eno’.
'eno' is the first documentary about the pioneering artist brian eno, and the first generative feature film. the narrative is structured at the whim of 'brain one', the proprietary generative software created by hustwit and digital artist, brendan dawes. using an algorithm trained on footage from eno's extensive archive and hustwit's interviews with eno, it pieces together a film that is unique at each viewing. as the order of scenes perpetually changes and what’s included is never certain, the version you see is the only time that iteration will exist."in some ways, the film is kind of like exploring the insides of his brain… it's different memories and ideas and experiences over the 50-yearplus time frame."

digital artist brendan dawes and hustwit generating the film live.
according to hustwit, brian eno had no interest in making a biographical documentary "because they were always one person's version of another person's story. and he didn't wanna be anyone else's story."
"i started working with brendan dawes, the programmer and digital artist, and we built a demo version of the initial software using a lot of the footage, music and material from ‘rams’ (hustwit's previous film, scored by eno). 
i went back and i showed it to brian, maybe six months later, and he was just blown away by it. he just said, 'this is something that i've wanted to do for so long.' he obviously uses generative technology in his music and in his visual art, but he hadn't done anything with video, and this is sort of a combination of a generative art project and a traditional documentary."
how the software works is a combination of mapping the footage and coding a sense of narrative structure, "looking at scenes and different types of footage and using a taxonomy of what it's doing or representing. it's not just metadata, it's emotional data. and then you have to look at what makes an engaging film: there's a rhythm in the types of scenes and the connections between them, and there's a feeling of progression as you're watching the film."

'ENO' AND B–1 HAVING ITS LONDON PREMIERE AT THE BARBICAN.
given the current discussions around ai and its impact on artistry and authorship, creating a film reliant on the technology is a controversial but inevitable move. however, the software that hustwit and dawes have built may just hit the sweet spot where human meets machine; where the algorithm works to respect the material and facilitate an artistic vision.
"i always say it's artist's intelligence, it's not artificial intelligence. because we've programmed the system, it's not like we trained it on other people's films or something. we programmed it with our intelligence to do a very specific thing, which is to make this film but make it different, make it work from an editorial standpoint regardless of what individual footage and scenes get put in.
"he had 500 hours of footage in his archive that we got access to. you can't even get 1% of that into a normal film. so this approach was a way that we could dip into a lot of that material, or at least have it be in the mix somewhere… it's very good for dealing with huge amounts of information."

B–1 tape reels and controls generating the film for a live screening.
to accompany this one-of-a-kind viewing experience, we designed a hardware version of 'brain one'. B–1 is a deck with two spinning reels and controls: play, rewind, rec and generate; the latter being used to generate the sequences of the film, which can be seen on the screen in real time.
"people just freak out when they see it, everyone wants to know what it's doing, everyone wants to press the buttons, everybody wants to rock the reels."[B–1] is now this embodiment of the idea of a generative film. because there's never been a generative feature film before. there's never been a generative feature filmmaking machine before. so i think that both i and brendan, and everybody that we worked with at teenage engineering, just like those kinds of challenges."
you can see B–1 in action at a selection of the 'eno' live screening events this year, each audience viewing a one-off version of the film. "there's something kind of special about that. and i also think it's really important to get people back into theaters. this is a way to help that happen, to create a unique communal experience."
modern biology, aka tarun nayar, plugs into mushrooms and he wants us to listen. by sending a small electric current through mushrooms and plants (anything with a bioelectric pulse) he creates ambient soundscapes conducted by nature, inviting us to join him in paying attention to the life that is pulsing all around us.

tarun nayar, aka modern biology (photo by Johanna Robertson)
"this approach grew out of 'the secret life of plants', a seminal book from 1973. the first chapter focused on this guy called cleve backster, who was at the time the cia's top lie detector expert. he got to doing these crazy experiments with plants, where he basically was using lie detectors on plants to see if they could tell whether he was telling the truth or not. in a lie detector, you have this little sensor which basically allows your thumb to connect a circuit, and as you get nervous, as you lie, you get sweaty and the connectivity increases. so with the plants, all you're doing is placing the electrodes, with a tiny current running between them, and as that current jumps up and down due to natural bioelectric processes in the plant or the mushroom, that's when the notes go up and down."
nayar uses a device which converts these impedance changes into control voltage and gate signals that can be used as a generative source on a modular synthesizer. he then riffs off this randomized composition, running the notes through his synthesizers of choice, often an OP–1, adding effects to create ambient soundscapes.

WATCH AND LISTEN TO MODERN BIOLOGY CREATE MUSHROOM MUSIC WITH OP–1.
"[the sensor device] is something that you can build for 25 bucks. i'm using a 'scíon' at the moment, from a scottish synth company. i've been drawn to the way that these scottish guys have done it, i think it's the most elegant and musical interpretation, but you can build your own [sensor] with an arduino or a raspberry pi."
nayar is just one in a field of like minded artists who have turned their attention to the natural world as a source of direct inspiration – the seed of which is often attributed to the demanhur foundation with the release of the record "music of the plants" in the 1970s. 

A MODERN BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP FEATURING OP–1 FIELD 
growing up playing indian classical music, nayar focussed on the tabla (wooden hand drums), which he played in the band 'delhi 2 dublin', before adding synths to the lineup. "i'd always been fascinated with synthesizers because they were like the easiest way to create harmony and melody for somebody who didn't play a melodic instrument."
"i was up on this little island north of [my home in] vancouver for most of the pandemic, surrounded by nature with all of my synths. one of my friends brought over… a plant bioelectricity converter, and we plugged it into the modular synthesizer."
already far down the road of generative synthesis, nayar connected his first plant, a salmonberry bush, and understood that he "could use the natural world as the source for generative information"

MODERN BIOLOGY IN STOCKHOLM (PHOTO BY BETSEY GUSMAN @BETSEYPH) 
since then, nayar has performed around the world in forests (what he calls "field trips"), and more conventional venues. he often begins by asking his audience to take in their surroundings and forage for a sound source.
when we join nayar on his field trip in stockholm, it's early spring so we are low on mushrooms, but flush with fresh foliage. he plugs into a cherry blossom, which he picked up in town earlier in the day, and it begins to pulse. what follows is a meditative experience that draws our attention to our bodies and the environment.
"i've chosen to do these events outside with silent disco style headphones,...there's something about the field trips itself with headphones, where you're outside in community, but you're sort of in your own zone, and it's really a prompt to connect with nature in a way that feels good for you."
"i think that there is this kind of ineffable magic that happens, and i think everyone's experience is quite personal."

MODERN BIOLOGY IN STOCKHOLM (PHOTO BY BETSEY GUSMAN @BETSEYPH) 
"i do appreciate the movement that i've seen at the moment amongst synth makers and designers, making stuff more portable, because i think that really opens [things] up… just being out in nature gives rise to a whole other set of creative possibilities, and having people thinking about that when they're designing instruments is very helpful."
out on our field trip, a few kids get up to facilitate the electrical circuit by holding hands, before a "mushroom tickler" is called upon to activate some energy in a stone morel mushroom (poisonous but they eat them in finland). nearby, a man stands in the middle of a clearing and faces the sun, catching the day's last light.
explore OP–1 field
pocket operator modular 400
behind the scenes: CM–15
MAy 16, 2024
one year ago we released CM–15 into the world; our tiny, portable, studio microphone with a large-diaphragm capsule, integrated audio converter, built-in preamp, 3.5 mm jack and a 48v phantom powered mini xlr. it was a lot to fit into a small frame – but we did it. all thanks to a dedicated team, including engineers alberto and marcus.

Alberto 
alberto: i'm a senior electronic engineer and i design and develop electronic systems for our products. my responsibility is often across the whole lifecycle from block schematics sketched to mass production. in the case of CM–15, since the r&d phase was so challenging and extended, i grew into being responsible for the whole product over time, together with marcus.
marcus: i'm a mechanical engineer and i’ve been involved with all the field products, including CM–15. the mechanical engineering process at teenage engineering is very experimental and iterative and often requires unusual solutions or customized parts in order to meet the design requirements. i have been involved in most of these projects from the early design to finally putting the parts on the factory floor and starting production.

Marcus
can you tell us what the original idea for CM–15 was, and some of the inspirations?
alberto: the original idea was to create a portable microphone without compromising the quality you would normally get in studio settings, and one that completed the field mini series.
marcus: The CM–15 project was initiated as a crazy idea to make a microphone in the same size as the TP–7, which was the original product developed in the field series. the size and thickness was designed many years before, but the final form was heavily influenced by the field desk clamp system and many of our other internal designs. it was actually frankenstein-ed together from an early prototype of a speaker grille inspired by the OD-11 and a napkin sketch of a microphone.


what were some of the biggest challenges you had to overcome when bridging the design with functionality?
alberto: it's a long list! but first of all, power and power consumption. we had to deal with an externally provided 48V input that is considered "high" in consumer electronics, which has a limited current available. implementing the automatic power switching between this voltage and much smaller voltages like 5V from usb and 3.7V from the battery, and doing it efficiently enough, was the first challenge. 
the second challenge was size: we had to deal with huge resistances up to 500MOhm to provide a stable polarization voltage of 80V to the capsule, on a very dense pcb and with the aluminum enclosure in proximity. when your circuit functionality depends on such a big resistance, you have to consider elements like moisture, dust and residue. proximity can totally disrupt the system. another size-related issue was the limited space on the pcb that required a sophisticated high-density design with digital and analog sections separated from each other on a 55x20mm pcb, while keeping the noise level at 11dbA.
last but not least, acoustics: the sides of the CM–15 are quite thick, and that created some acoustic imperfections that we had to compensate for both with electronics equalization at the preamp stage, and at a mechanical level. the parallel sides of the case created a standing wave at around 7 kHz that we reduced by introducing a custom foam. this is part of how the sound of CM–15 came to be, from design limitations.
marcus: typically, microphones don't have any nearby walls to reflect incoming audio near the capsule as it can cause cancellation or amplification at certain frequencies. however, with some iteration and creative work, we were able to tame the effect to a more respectable level. as a plus, the resulting frequency response of the microphone works as a natural passive de-esser on vocals which gives our microphone a unique character that can be hard to obtain with other designs. 


with all that said, what were some of your favorite things about the project?
alberto: the friendship with marcus that grew from navigating international manufacturing challenges is for sure number one. then the satisfaction of bringing a product to life that we thought was impossible. and then there's everything i have learned about audio and the consumer electronics industry in general! i'm proud of the final product. it's a superior-sounding microphone, versatile as the whole field mini-series – it's timeless. i see it as a product with longevity, which is very important for me. 
marcus: i agree with alberto, i'm very glad that the final result is a timeless device that will work as a versatile companion for music creation for many years in the future. it's been great to work with alberto, he's become a close friend, and it’s clear to me now that you can do so much with a small team and a large dose of willpower! 
explore CM–15
explore tripod mini
last year our friends at modem, a design and innovation studio, conducted an audiovisual experiment with the OP–Z. now they're back with a new project for EP–133 K.O II.
inspired by our EP sample tool, they created a sample generator that turns text prompts into unique samples. feed a description of a feeling or sound to the sample generator and let the tool generate a unique sound. 
modem, together with bureau cool, have designed and engineered the sample generator using meta audiocraft's open-source audio model. an experiment aimed to merge traditional sampling techniques with technology.



the sample generator is available to use for a limited time. to give it a spin, this is how you do it:
step 1: generate samplessimply describe the sound you want to hear in text, from a "shredding guitar riff" to a "jazz flute solo" and let the sample generator transform your vision into audio.
step 2: transfer samplesdownload the auto generated samples as a .wav file and transfer them to the EP–133 K.O. II using the teenage engineering EP sample tool. 
step 3: make beatssequence your generated samples on the EP–133 K.O. II, tweak them to your liking, and start making beats.

explore the sample generator
learn more about EP–133 K.O. II here
OP–1  louder, thinnerand 100 times better
april 5, 2024
OP–1  is the evolution of the OP-1, injected with more than a decade of ideas, refinements and improvements. let's dive into just some of the 100 new features:

dimension synth
dimension synththe new subtractive synth engine creates the most lush, analog sounds you can get on this powerful little machine. get experimental and combine it with the lfo, it's a versatile synth for all kinds of sound design.


mother reverb effect
all new effectswith the new reverb effect, mother, you can create nostalgic pads and textures. terminal is a bit crusher effect with an anti-aliasing feature that gives you just the right amount of lo-fi goodness.


stereo functionality
stereo functionalitywhile the original OP-1 was known for easy and fast sampling, OP–1  turns it up a notch with stereo sampling. stereo functionality brings more life and depth to your music. two channels = double the fun!


velocity sensitive keys
velocity sensitive keysvelocity sensitive keys turned OP–1  into an expressive instrument with dynamic playing power, especially drums. you can also use it with internal sequencers, and over external midi, when using OP–1  as the main controller for other devices.


vocoder
vocoderno more pedals. the vocoder update allows OP–1  to use any input source as a modulator. the audio input is passed through 20 filters with controllable bandwidth and formant shift. the carrier signal is a custom 7-oscillator polyphonic synth that goes from a single sawtooth to pure white noise.


four tape styles
four tape stylesOP–1  has four tape styles to choose from, each adding their own unique texture to your tracks: studio 4-track for clean studio recording, vintage 4-track for that warm, saturated 70s feel, porta 4-track gives a lo-fi, noisy sound, and disc mini is a purely digital compressed 90s sound.


fm transmission
fm transmissiontune into the radio, or send out to one. OP–1  has a built-in fm transmitter and receiver to sample from the radio directly through your OP–1 , or transmit audio to your OB–4 to use it as a studio monitor, or from the backseat to your car stereo.

explore all the 100 new features
OP–1 
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meet OP–1 club
MARCH 14, 2024
OP–1 club is a collective of musicians and producers based in mexico city who perform together with a bunch of OP–1s, and other teenage engineering gear, at events around the city and beyond. we caught up with orestes, bernardo, ferdi and sami to find out what OP–1 club is all about.


who are you and what do you do?
orestes: i am a musician from venezuela living in mexico, mixing jazz, hiphop and traditional music from my country. i also work with many latin american artists and most of the time i'm on tour with many friends. i've made music for tv series like ''godfather of harlem'' and also for video games like ''ufc 5''. i've also collaborated with run the jewels, nick hook, danny ocean, akapellah, apache, micro tdh and neutro shorty. 
bernardo: i'm bernardo pérez, mexican musician, composer and producer. i have a solo project called 'real suabidad' and a two man band called 'bicho blanco'. i produce other people's music, i score short films, dance films and commercials. i also host a weekly radio show.
ferdi: i'm fer gonzález a.k.a mezcalibur, musician and producer from cdmx. i've been producing music for a while, currently finishing some tracks of my own. i've always been influenced by (mostly) heavy electronic music like breakcore, dubstep, jungle, uk garage, idm and obviously all the latin music subgenres that have been emerging these last few years, like moombathon, neoperreo, guaracha and reggaeton, to name a few.
sami: i'm sami mendoza, musician and producer from mexico. i play with different artists mostly hip hop, rnb and jazz music. 

OP–1 Club "Agua Verde" 
tell us about OP–1 club, when and why did you start it?bernardo: it started formally some time during 2021. some of us had been getting together to jam only with teenage engineering gear. after a couple of times doing this it was clear there was great chemistry between us and a fascination with the possibilities these devices would allow. 
orestes: after several videos, there was one that went viral. i remember that many important musicians shared it, including timbaland, and that's when we decided to create the band. OP–1 club began as a project of ours but it really has a collective vision that over time will Include several visual artists, producers, creatives, and all lovers of teenage engineering, like us. i am very lucky to have a band with my favorite latin americans.


run us through what someone can expect from an OP–1 club event?orestes: the OP–1 club shows are incredible! the audience will listen to music created in the moment, which won't be repeated again. we all come to the shows with different sounds in our OP–1's and then during the show we decide by ''song'' or moment which instrument each one will play. for example, in the first song i play the drums, sami plays the keyboards, berni plays the melody, and ferdi plays the bass, somewhere along the way we pick a bpm and a key. for the second song we repeat the process, but we alternate instruments. 
during the shows we try to set it up so that the audience stand around us, so they can see everything up close. on the table we only have teenageengineering gear. we mainly use the OP–1 field but we also bring OP–Z's, the POM-400, various pocket operators, OB–4 for monitoring, and two TX–6 mixers. we also have guest rappers, singers and musicians for part of the performance. a common guest of ours for the shows is tino el pingüino, an incredible mexican rapper who has been close to the project since day one. 
what has happened in the time between starting it and where it is today?orestes: since we created the band, we have had several incredible concerts, and recorded many short videos, and just last year we got together for a couple of days to hang out and record our first studio album, which will be out around may. this year we hope to start a tour here in latin america and to be able to show our art to the whole world.


what are some of your favorite stories from your events?orestes: our first show we were expecting 50 people and about 400 showed up. we had a full house and many people didn’t make it in. it was wild.
bernardo: i can't remember one specifically, but i've loved the times when, unexpectedly, rappers or singers or other musicians in the crowd have joined the jam and all of us together created something incredible in the moment that captivated us and the audience.
ferdi: every time we get together to play is different so it's kind of a mystery to know what is gonna come out of the set even if we have already pre-selected sounds or samples... i like to see the surprised faces in the audience when some strange or unexpected sound happens during the set. 
sami: for me, one of the things i like the most is the energy of the people and their reactions. since everything is happening in the moment, it becomes something spontaneous and full of surprises - you never know what is going to happen. that connects a lot with the audience because in the end they become part of the unexpected.

OP–1 Club LIVE @ House Of Vans, CDMX
a little while ago we spoke to raz fresco about his ''pocket operations II'' record. now with the evolution of the pocket operator released, EP–133 K.O. II, he's back at it - this time with dibiase on the beats. originally collaborating on ''secret wars'', "knockout" is their second collab and the first record to be produced entirely on K.O. II. we caught up to learn more about creating the album in record time, across time zones.

raz fresco
raz fresco: i knew about dibiase's production for years before we actually linked up. [when i was searching for new gear] i was watching a lot of videos of dibiase on the sp-404 doing his thing. it was inspiring cuz up until then i never really studied other workflows on other devices. so one day i tweeted out something along the lines of 'mannnnn, i would destroy some dibiase beats if i could' and he actually responded! so i hit him with a dm expressing my respect and that i wanted to work with him.
dibiase: a month later we created 'secret wars', and the rest is history (in the making). 

dibiase
since they met through twitter, the online beat community has formed a significant part of both of their creative processes.
dibiase: community has always been a vital part of my creative practice. it's a space where i can go to test out new ideas, and get honest feedback. connecting and building with other artists, watching and listening to how other producers approach things – being exposed to different perspectives has been a big part of my growth as an artist. shout out to project blowed, sketchbook, low end theory, boombox, big tune, beat cinema, supercard, flipabeatclub, sample mode, and my entire global community. there's too many folks to list. 
raz fresco: the beauty for me is that people are coming together to share their creativity with no ego. it's just about the music… i am all for that gathering of creative energy with pure intention. that's what draws me to the whole beat community. it represents the beauty and positive energy that can arise from people coming together and being constructive with their energy in a creative way as opposed to being destructive. 

knocking out beats
with raz fresco based in toronto and dibiase in sacramento, it's not often these guys are in the same room. in fact, all their work together has all been done online, including "knockout".
dibiase: technology, especially over the last 5 years, has really changed the game for artists like us… it's super easy to collaborate with artists from anywhere in the world. the process between raz and i is usually pretty straightforward. i'll send him a new batch of beats and he turns it around super quick. we definitely feed off each other's energy. like myself, raz is a real master of his craft, which helps make the process run real smooth.
raz fresco: i feel we have both reached a particular degree of mastery in our respective crafts and trust each other's taste, so there's not a lot of discussion… subconsciously we both know we have to have a good spread of different sonic textures. 
we think alike in that way, we spoke about that while we were making 'secret wars'. this time around, once i shared the idea of the theme it was clear what we had to do. knock em out! … i know my bars gotta hit hard and dibi knows the beats gotta knock. so we didn't do much talking. he sent the beats, i rapped and put it together then boom it was done.

dibiase on ep–133 k.o. ii
when digging into the process of creating "knockout", it wasn't much more complicated than putting an idea into action.
raz fresco: dibi sent me his first beat on the K.O. II (which ended up being the song 'break bread'). i heard it with my brother 'the 6th letter', so we immediately made the song. then it hit me, 'why don't me and dibi do a whole album on the K.O. II?'
i was already playing around with the idea and had just dropped my third pocket operator project. the K.O. II is the big brother to the pocket operator and in this beat community dibiase is like my big brother. he is the one that originally put me onto the pocket operator back when we were making 'secret wars'… so this time i thought, it's only right if we reconnect and he does the beats on the K.O. II.
dibiase: we're both big fans of teenage engineering and known for creating content using pocket operators. i've been cooking up with [teenage engineering] gear since the very beginning, so it just made sense. 

"kimbo" from the album "knockout"
we know that we talk about EP–133 K.O. II having a fast workflow, but you guys, especially raz, have a habit of throwing down tracks faster than anyone we know. how do you do it?
dibiase: well, that's what you get when you combine creative genius with a solid work ethic. having new gadgets that inspire like the K.O. II also helps.
raz fresco: i honestly let the music speak to my soul and i just talk back honestly from my heart. it doesn't take that long to be yourself if you know yourself. so i'm just being me on the beat and expressing what i feel.
if the beat is dope, my mind starts working… i may be doing something else but the beat could make me start writing raps in my head, i can't stop if it moves me on an energetic level. i can see a painting (like the one i used for the cover of 'knockout') and get a whole album concept. i can hear one line and it inspires a whole verse. 
all the extra stuff happens in the background; like making my ideas rhyme and the nuances of melody here and there - these are just tools to express my idea. a good tradesman doesn't have to think about the tool anymore, he just thinks about what he is building and hammers away. in the same sense, i don't think about the rhymes, i just think about what i want to say and i say it. 
"knockout" is available now exclusively via bkrsclb.com, along with a line of limited merchandise. follow raz fresco and dibiase for more.
"back in the autumn of 2007, four friends sharing a garage workshop, were unexpectedly approached by absolut vodka to create an art installation. a year later, after long nights of building and coding, it was ready – the absolut choir – a machine made out of 22 wooden dolls that sang in harmony."
- jesper kouthoofd

the original choir
11 years later we made them smaller and invited them into your homes,but getting there required a redesign and technical modifications, both in software and hardware. adapting the original code was our software engineer, linus åkesson.

sketches of the original choir
linus: "the songs in the dolls are public domain works, but they had to be transcribed to a machine-readable format, in this case a list of notes, syllables and timing information. for instance, if the printed score showed an eighth-note c followed by a sixteenth-note d-sharp, i would type in 'c8 d#16' and the lyrics had to be transcribed to a phonetic representation, where e.g. 'my tears' would be typed in as 'mai ti@rs'.

LINUS AND THE CHOIR
"whenever the dolls are singing, they also scan for nearby singers using bluetooth. they connect, synchronize their clocks, and collectively decide what song to sing. the songs are stored in a database inside each doll, and the lyrics are expressed phonetically. these phonemes are then converted to numbers representing muscle movements in a simulation of the vocal tract of ahuman being."

GISELA BEING FORMED
production manager, evelina lindström, led the production of choir, taking the new design through the manufacturing process, using some creative problem solving along the way.
evelina: "one of the biggest challenges was to make a user-friendly interface that is easy to understand, one that works with each different doll, and at the same time has that teenage engineering feeling. to get the correct feedback and response when using the dolls is key, so we worked really hard on finding the correct balance between functionality and technicality, doing a lot of testing and creating updates to the user interface during the entire developmentof choir."

PRODUCTION MANAGER, EVELINA LINDSTRÖM
linus: "we wanted to use as much of the original code as possible, to maintain the spirit of the "big" choir from the early days of the company. but this code was written for desktop computers, not small portable devices, so i had to jump through hoops and find creative ways to make the code run faster and use less memory. at an early stage of adaptation, we hadn't implemented the function to turn the dolls off, so when one of our electrical engineers brought some dolls to a test facility an hour away, the dolls were hollering for the entire trip."


getting the hand polished treatment
evelina: "working with wood, especially a product combining wood and electronics, is a bit special since both materials behave in different ways. luckily we have really skilled craftspeople working in our wood factory and they are always aiming to get details, like pairing the color and texture of the wood with the fitting of parts, as optimal as possible.

PRODUCTION MANAGER, EVELINA LINDSTRÖM
"one of the things i'm really happy about is that we managed to give each doll their own personality. they all differ in how, what and when they sing. like a real choir, they can also sometimes mess up and even misbehave at times, they’re fun features that make the product feel more alive and hopefully, keep the audience entertained. 
i'm also really happy that choir can be connected with OP–1 field and OP–Z, giving room for a lot of creative choir arrangements. i'm really looking forward to seeing and hearing what innovative arrangements people are goingto create!"

watch choir being crafted in the factory.
teenage engineering choir
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behind the sound pt.3:lo-fi drums on OP–1 field.
november 9, 2023
morgan ågren is a stockholm based drummer, one half of the band mats/morgan, and the creator of many OP–1 field drum samples.
we visited ågren at his home studio where he shared with us his approach to percussion, as well as his eclectic mix of instruments, and non-instruments.

one corner of ågrens home studio
"i made a big bunch of kick drum sounds, bass drums, snare sounds and hi-hats – so big snares, small snares, big kick drums, dead-sounding drums with a lot of dampening, but also a few open, and some various cymbals and metal percussion. i've made, i don't know... hundreds of sounds."
the brief was simple: "trashy, lo-fi… small, percussive sounds, and it could be dirty, almost like low-resolution recordings, like low-bit." looking around ågrens studio, it's easy to understand why he was the guy for the job. it's packed with two drum kits, drums and cymbals of different sizes and finishes, random percussive objects and homemade instruments, as well as cheap guitars he uses as percussive play things.

how morgan ågren plays guitar
"i knew what [teenage engineering] was looking for, so i started to just record and record, and i sent a couple of hundred sounds."
if that wasn't enough, we asked ågren to record more metallic sounds, so he hit, smashed and crashed some cymbals and diy metal creations to find the right mix of trashy cymbals, creating some "cool, dry, open, and dirty, funky sounds."

percussive metals
playing drums since school, ågren has essentially been playing drums his whole life. playing in "many, many bands" from the moment he moved to stockholm from the north of sweden in 1985, he "went to the academy, musikhögskolan, for one year" but never graduated. the simple reason being that he gained traction elsewhere, starting mats/morgan and playing with frank zappa and fleshquartet.
"but in the last 10 to 15 years it has been mainly my own band with keyboard player, mats, who loves OP–1 too!"

mats/morgan in the 80's
you can play morgan ågren's sample kit "apes are us" on OP–1 field – and as a special treat, we're also releasing 3 more of ågren's kits below: wknd raps, peace beats and fonky beats!

to get the kits on your device follow these steps:
  1. connect OP–1 field to your computer using usb.
  2. hold shift and press com, then press T4 to enable an mtp connection.
    (if you use macOS, you need to install field kit from the app store.)
  3. download the drum kit to your computer and unpack it. drag and drop the drum kit folder from your computer to the drum folder in OP–1 field.
  4. when the transfer is complete press T4 again to eject OP–1 field. use drum mode and load your new sounds. enjoy!

click the icons to downloadclick on the play button to preview kit

drum kit:wknd raps
drum kit:fonky beats
drum kit:peace beats
OP–1 field
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the support team here at teenage engineering hq may be compact, but their work spreads far and wide. they are the ones who answer your burning questions, fix your gear, and pass on improvements and feature requests; they're the customer voice on the inside. 
''our main focus is replying to questions and requests, making sure we answer as quickly as possible. each day we also take care of repairs and returns. then we also have meetings with departments across the company which is our opportunity to share customer feedback.''

spare parts
one of the biggest parts of working in the support team is problem solving.
''the best problems are the ones that teach us something new and give us an opportunity to make an improvement.''

gifts, notes and drawings from around the world
having such international and varied customers, we receive all kinds of requests, problems, even gifts, on a daily basis.
''as we deal with customers worldwide, it's interesting to see different approaches from different sides of the world, and some people aregenuinely funny.''

''the creativity of people is mind blowing sometimes. we think we've seen it all, but people are coming up with crazy new setups all the time.''

''we have a little display by our window of some nice notes and drawings people have sent us with their returns… big shout out to lionel in switzerland for the chocolates!''

the support team
with so many messages coming in every day, you're bound to learn something new about our products and the people who operate them.
''there are some incredibly talented people writing to us and they really drive us to learn and discover more!''
artist and producer nosaj thing, aka jason chung, is an old friend. we met for the first time back in 2010 when OP-1 was revealed; chung was making beats on OP-1 for the ''make beats'' competition with stüssy, and his first album, drift, had just been released. today, he's past his fifth record and stopping by stockholm for a long awaited visit after playing sónar in barcelona.

nosaj thing
his latest record, continua, is chung's first big collaborative effort, and a leap out of his comfort zone.
"as someone that just started making beats in the bedroom… also being more introverted, it was a huge challenge for me to really step up as a producer and learn how to communicate with multiple personalities. this is also my first album with luckyme and dom who runs the label… i had like this dream list of artists i wanted to work with and he told me, ''hey, i hate to break it to you, but you're gonna have to send some dms.'' … i guess then i just understood that if you have this idea, you have this vision, and you want to work with someone, it is always going to mean more if you reach out directly. and a few of those were very difficult for me. i had drafts for a few weeks or even a month [before i sent them]. 

"i think everyone on the record were artists i was already listening to for several years, so it was almost like this was the cast in a movie i had in mind… so i just kind of already knew that it was going to work and fit."


nosaj things studio
chung's cinematic intentions are clear throughout "continua". calling on artists well-versed in the realm of ethereal composition like julianna barwick and duval timothy, to notorious mood setters like toro y moi and coby sey, chung and his supporting cast have released one of the most lowkey survival soundtracks of the past year.
this collaborative approach flowed from the studio to the records visual language, working with creative director eric hu, and calling in photographers phil nisco and donovan novotny for the music videos. the blueprint emerged from his production process, one that has always been inspired by moving image.
"last year, we saw this film called 'memoria', and of course 'koyaanisqatsi'. i played that film a lot during this record, and i was just like, 'this movie came out in early 80s. what's our version? what can we do?' donovan is such a talented photographer, i just told him 'hey, just make video stills of what you do already.' he was just so hyped on that idea."


watch the music videos from "continua".
these videos also formed the basis of nosaj thing's new live set design, developed with japanese artist, daito manabe, for this years sónar festival.
"since my first album… i would always write music with the tv on mute. it's just always been my thing. [i put on] whatever i like to watch and just use that as inspiration.
"i guess for me, whenever i'm creating a new idea of music, images just come into my head. but i think also just being in the day and age of information overload, maybe it just helps me not look at anything else. you know what i mean? in a weird way, it just helps me focus, just like putting on more of a slow film.
"i really love static shots….that's been a huge inspiration on the most current live show. it was something i wanted to see. usually when you see tour visuals, most of the time just fast moving, so just to see something just more like a static image or video, it's just refreshing to me."

nosaj thing and daito manabe at sónar festival this year.

alexander wessely has worked with some of the worlds biggest artists. from the weeknd, rihanna and drake, to 070 shake, swedish house mafia and avicii – the multimedia artist has had a front row seat to the phenomenon of idol worship. this experience, directly observing the hyperreality of celebrity, is what has shaped the concept of his latest exhibition. 

alexander wessely
"kortex" is wessely's most extensive solo exhibition yet. showing at stockholm's fotografiska museum, he attempts to "remove the outer shell, showing the core and the essence of the human underneath, in their most fragile state" through marble sculptures, video and light installations, soundscapes, and 3D photography.
"i started working with all these physical marble sculptures four years ago, it's sort of the final stage of a 10 year chapter. the whole theme of 'kortex', which is bark or the outer layer in old greek or latin, came very organically after working with artists on a high level. creating sculptures, set design, scenography, creative direction, and sort of creating the worlds around these artists. the fans and admirers in the crowd, they have this godlike type approach to this person who is just a fellow human. they adore this person, but what they actually adore and obsess about is a shell that's added onto that person. it's the shell and the persona… that's why the marble, which is a very hard material but extremely fragile at the same time, symbolizes us as humans very well."

wessely's marble sculptures
the exhibition is dark, the marble figures dissected and raw. a rolling drone sounds in the distance as a murmur of a voice becomes louder upon approach. one of the pieces in the exhibition is a poem written and read by 070 shake, playing out of an OD-11 subtly encased inside a hollow marble pillar.

od-11 in marble
"our collaboration goes back four years. from our first sort of sit down, i was inspired by [070 shake] and her vision and her mentality… she's like all feels, all the way. she's so curious and well rounded.
when i showed her this work, which is called 'humans', she was very inspired. and she started talking about us being born naked and how when we die you won't be able to tell the difference between us… when she started talking about it i was like, 'okay, stop, i need to record this!' and so we recorded this very genuinely on the phone. it's not scripted or anything, she was just talking as she looked at it. and it's sort of a comment on the exhibition theme, but also a conversation with herself being dani and herself now also being 070 shake."
you can experience wessely's exhibition "kortex" at fotografiska in stockholm, now showing until september 17.
learn more about OD-11 here

we sat down with our friend raz fresco last week on the release day of "pocket operations II: forty seconds only", his second record filled with tracks made exclusively with PO-33 K.O.!
"i'm raz fresco, mr. marvelous himself. i'm reporting live from 'the bakery' here in downtown toronto, canada. i'm a rapper, producer, photographer, and work with videos. long story short, i'm a renaissance man."

raz fresco with his po-33 k.o.!
fresco's history with the PO-33 isn't particularly long, but it is prolific. in the search for new gear after his akai mpd broke in 2021, he found the missing piece in his production workflow. "i was like 'yo, i can make beats on the go?' cos' before i was tied to my computer for my whole life as a producer."
today, PO-33 is a mainstay in his production setup and at the nexus of his "pocket operations" project.
"there've been times where i've brought it to the record shop when i'm digging for records and i can sample there, right away on the spot."

fresco's po case is from Beat Maker's Boutique
taking his PO-33 from record stores to walks by the lake, fresco's hyper-curiosity found satisfaction in the creative possibilities of the tiny sampler, a mindset that finds itself at home within a legacy of beatmakers throughout history, including his own uncle.
"my uncle is in the reggae hall of fame, his name is earl zero. so i'm directly tied into the early dub scene… and that scene was revolutionary in the sense that they made the electronics an instrument. that's part of my dna as far as building your own sound."
from mozart to dilla, music has always been a reflection of its time - the machines, architecture and cultural movements of the moment all locked in a tennis match of influence. being a student of hip hop, this knowledge only reinforces fresco's determination to be a part of the conversation.

po-33 k.o.! in fresco's favorite cases
"in the timeline of hip hop, certain pieces of equipment came out and like they've been so substantial… there's a point where there was just a turntable and then all of a sudden there were two! then the mpcs and SP 1200s came out in the 90s. there are producers that are associated with these machines because their understanding of sound and their usage of them revolutionized hip hop.
in the 2000s, around the time ‘madvillainy’ and these things dropped, they had the roland SP 404 and the first 303… they're like, 'yo, this equipment has a different workflow!' it activates your mind to work differently.
[the pocket operator] is another step in the evolution… i just wanted to be one of the people on the timeline too because i see it and i know that this is a moment. i wanted to capture the moment and show the system was upgraded."

listen to "pocket operations", the precursor to "pocket operations II"
check out raz fresco latest album "pocket operations II: forty seconds only" here
explore PO-33 here
last week, a teenage engineering remix of the song "overswum" by the swedish prog band hög sjö was released, created by teenage engeering's own jonas and josefine, recorded at pontus winnbergs studio skolhaus.
the creative process behind the remix involved experimenting with super collider to generate a random structure of the piece. the intention was to break away from traditional song structures and create something unpredictable and dynamic. the synthesized voices of the teenage engineering choir were added to create an otherworldly atmosphere in the music.

OP–1 field together with teenage engineering choir
the project was an experiment to see how the ideas and processes of product development could be translated into music creation.
“the idea behind the remix was to create something that sounded like a half-broken toy were the gears sometimes would shift into place and create coherent music and sometimes just output stumbling tones and rythms”
after creating the super collider soundscape we went to the skolhaus studio and recorded the teenage engineering choir along with more organic sounds like rhodes and old synthesizers.

patrik berger
hög sjö is the artist moniker of the esteemed swedish producer, musician and songwriter patrik berger. his album with the same name was released earlier this year. 
listen to the song here
recently, producer nick hook and visual creator laurel romero were in town and swung by teenage engineering hq. playing around with some of our recent, and upcoming releases, laurel showed us how she’s been using TX–6 to live mix her visuals. using an ableton plug-in (‘rokvid’ in this case), she turned the multi-channel mixer into a midi controller, assigning different parameters to different channels. this allowed her to spontaneously mix her footage with a range of effects, allowing for free-flowing, one-off collaborations with nick during live performances.
“nick and i wanted to discover a way to unite our art. we made several attempts to record, edit… but i felt that we were missing something. we needed to complement the project… then nick introduced me to the mixer, and an ableton plugin that would allow me to use it as a midi controller. i started exploring with videos that i had and it turns out that it was wonderful. it was exactly what i had been searching for.”

laurel romero
using the mixer as a midi controller was only the beginning of romero’s deep dive into how she can create unique visuals in the moment.
“with the mixer, i have many options to move, control, raise, lower. so i think the task is to discover what other programs i can use, what can allow me to create more things? how can you use each button of the mixer and be able to suddenly combine two programs, as well as two screens, and be able to do it directly with the mixer. i don't know how many doors of creativity [are available]”

ROMERO LIVE MIXING VISUALS WITH NICK HOOK ON MUSIC.
“something important that i learned on my path, working hand-in-hand with nick, is how to connect with people, and the tools play a part in that. the people that i’ve connected with have seen what i’m doing, and understand that it’s possible for them to do it too. you don’t need to be an expert, the tools can be any kind of gear, but [the mixer] has allowed me to connect with people who are interested in learning how i use it.”

explore TX–6 here
behind the sound pt.2:vinyl drum kit on OP–1 field.
march 16, 2023
if you run through the drum sounds on OP–1 field, you’ll find ‘classix’, ‘minimo’, ‘grits’ and ‘vinyl’ - all created by our friends at samples from mars. started by producer, engineer and dj, teddy stuart, they’re a sample label based in nyc focused on bringing vintage and rare electronic instruments to your daw.

recording rim shots in the studio
“my team and i focus on capturing old drum machines, samplers, synthesizers and acoustic drums, and processing them through gear that excites us, like consoles, tape machines, and pressing our own vinyl.”

sampling different percussion sounds
teddy has been playing guitar since he could form a c chord, but it was getting involved in music production that prompted a permanent shift in focus towards hip hop. he began expressing himself “in more sonic ways, by making beats and designing sounds. at the time, everything was done on a VS-880 multi-track and an SP-202, by playing drums, guitar and bass parts by hand.”

mixing the sounds to prepare them for pressing
jump to 2013. samples from mars is established with a goal of sharing “the history of these iconic (and sometimes forgotten) pieces of gear, their role in music, how we go about using them, and what that might mean for your music.” their unique and textured samples created from analog equipment was the key to crafting the vinyl drum kit for OP–1 field.

cutting onto vinyl
“we began by recording acoustic drum hits and sounds from some of our favorite drum machines. then we pressed that onto vinyl, and sampled the results cleanly in a mastering studio. after that, we scratched the record, to produce various sonic artifacts, and recorded more samples, processing them with eqs and compressors on the way in. finally, we grouped the sounds into kits that played well together and popped them on the OP–1 field.”

from production to destruction, the search for the perfect sonic artefacts for vinyl drum kit
this attraction to raw and low-fi sound was how we first came to teddy’s attention, pocket operators were the gateway.
“i was blown away by how gritty the sound was (uncommon for modern gear), and the innovative FX sequencing, form factor and low price was all very compelling. then, we made a sample pack out of it!”
so how does it feel to create sounds that can inspire someone elses creative expression? “it’s the best part of the job! ...i’m most excited seeing music interact with the world around me.”

explore OP–1 field here
OP–1 field
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behind the scenes: field desk
march 2, 2023
field desk is a space truss constructed from recycled aluminum and assembled with a double-sided formica birch plywood desktop. a part of our field rail system, it’s not our first time creating furniture, but it is the first range available directly from our store. it is also used by us every day, starting as our very own in-house workspace solution.

EARLY SKETCHES
“field desk is a part of ‘field rail system’ - a construction system that allows us to build whatever furniture we need, without any compromises, an opportunity to create our office environment exactly how we wanted it. we created with portability in mind, wanting a system of products that would be easy to move location when needed, evolving with its environment as the context changed.”
christoffer is the lead designer on the project, taking over the original plans from our head of design, jesper, and head of mechanical engineering, guffe.

christoffer OHLANDER
“guffe created the core parts of the rail system, inspired by his background in camera rigging. the many fixing points on a rig allow for lots of different accessories and customizations.
“we are an office with lots of people doing different jobs with different needs, from desk work to creating production jigs and making prototypes. the rail system allows for a range of add-ons using m5 screws, which you’ll see soon, but it also allows for your personal creations to be attached.”

FIELD DESK AT TEENAGE ENGINEERING HQ
with the purpose of the system laid out, the opportunity to experiment with materials and production followed. in the current climate, both literally and figuratively, we were looking to produce locally with durable materials.
“when i was working on the final iteration, we had the goal of bringing production to sweden. we were offered to use CIRCAL, recycled engineering grade aluminum, from our manufacturer Hydro. this quickly became the obvious choice for the extrusion rail system. the table top is birch plywood at the core, and formica laminated on both sides so it can be flipped over if ever worn down.”

field rail system
field desk and rail system is our very own everyday workspace. since we liked it so much, we thought you might too. 
explore field desk here
a chat with kenny beats
February 23, 2023
over the last three years, los angeles based producer kenny beats has balanced back-to-back studio sessions with an unavoidable online presence, maintaining his youtube channel (the cave), twitch live streams (beat battle), and discord community, using the platforms to pull back the curtain on his production process. now with his debut album out, it’s time to switch up the pace, “a couple years ago it was two sessions every single day… so now i’m trying to make a little more time for dog walks and family and friends.”
we doubled down on collabs with kenny this month to coincide with his last ever beat battle and the limited edition LOUIE PO-33, the latter celebrating the release of his debut album. “there was so much talent that it just spun out of control, and you guys were a part of some of our very early battles. so to wrap it up and have my final battle be with teenage engineering, it's crazy, because i never saw past the first few we did.”


kenny’s work is a result of obsession. he possesses an enviable ability to identify artists, tracks ids, compositional idiosyncrasies, and rare gear on demand - all the while, sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge with a growing audience of aspiring musicians and seasoned pros alike. while he’s worked with the likes of vince staples, idles, denzel curry and rico nasty, his career can only be discussed with reverence to the community that he has nurtured from day one.

“that's the most important thing, more than a platinum record, more than any accolades you get… making a couple of 100 people inspired enough to start playing an instrument or start songwriting or whatever it is, that'll actually change someone's life. me getting a trophy doesn't really do much for anybody.”


kenny first used OP-1 in the studio on “trina” by smino, but it might be surprising to some that teenage engineering choir has been the kind of creative disruption he’s always looking for.
“i put the choir all around the room and played my OP–1 with it the first couple days, then i started realizing… i've never been able to pick and choose where I'm placing every single note around the studio as I'm playing a chord. there's stuff I'm using from you guys right now that I'm having trouble replicating in recorded music. just to be having conundrums like that in the studio, that's not something that happens often, you know. i just like things that spark a different part of my brain. I'm always worried that I'm going in circles, creating too many rules for myself, so if someone helps me break a rule, I'm in.
“...if anyone reading this has ever watched hainbach on youtube, or anything like that; these are the kind of random gadgets that are coming up in songs with hit writers, and are making people excited in rooms where everybody's used to sitting at a rhodes or a piano or guitar or with somebody making a beat on a daw in front of them… are they real music things? or not? what is a real music thing? but whenever i put something in my studio and it looks weird, or someone doesn't know what it is, everybody who makes a lot of music gravitates towards that because they've seen everything else… things that might seem goofy or funny or a novelty thing, can end up being in a very, very serious piece of music.”


when it came to collaborating, it was simply a question of what and when. then with kenny releasing his debut album on xl records, the vision of what that could look like became a little clearer. 
“[the LOUIE PO-33] is the only place where i’ve given away sounds from my record. i've never shown anyone what i’ve used, i've never talked about what samples i’ve programmed with and i've never put out a sample pack… so people got to, for the first time, decode a little bit of what I've been using.
“these collaborations are rooted in that feeling that we both have of giving someone that gift of going from, ‘I'm a huge fan of music’ to ‘i make music’. that is a life-changing thing.”
explore PO-33 here
OP–1  update: vocoder
January 12, 2023
OP–1 field, now with vocoder! the vo(ice)(en)coder revolutionized music since it's introduction to the world by homer dudley at bell labs in 1938. designed to analyze and synthesize the human voice, iconic artists have employed the device throughout the years to make their synthesizers sing, from wendy carlos and bob moog, to kraftwerk, herbie hancock, beastie boys, tupac, daft punk, and countless others. now it’s your turn.

OUR FAVORITE SCIENTISTS MICKE REUTER & MIKAEL ERICSSON ARE BACKAT IT DOING IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR OP–1 FIELD VOCODER
how to installnow you too can try this effect, by downloading and installing the new free firmware update for OP–1 field.
  1. download and install the firmware
  2. press synth
  3. hold shift and press any sound slot key 1–8
  4. load vocoder


operationwith the vocoder active, press mic to select the input source. this is the input for the voice, the modulator, and you can use any input source, such as the built-in microphone, a headset or even the radio or usb. after you've selected your input source, speak and play notes on the musical keyboard. you should now hear your OP–1 field burst into beautiful singing.
in the OP–1 field vocoder, the audio input (the modulator/your voice) is passed through a bank of 20 filters with controllable bandwidth and formant shift. the carrier signal is built-in: a custom 7-oscillator polyphonic synth that goes from a single sawtooth to pure white noise. as always, everything is fully real-time and modulate-able. the controls at your hand are as follows:
  • blue is a one knob synth engine
  • ochre is formant shift
  • gray is number of bands
  • orange controls the dry/wet mix


download the lastest firmware here.

tutorial on how to use the vocoder
OP–1 field
M-1
alternative argentinian artist and musician lara91k brings us into a world of love, existentialism and girls. she reflects on growing up in pinamar, finding her artistic voice in buenos aires, and how memory, place and new ideas are shaping a new chapter of her music.

give us an introduction to your world.
it’s always kind of hard for me to describe myself haha. i’m just a musician and songwriter from argentina. i’m from a beach town called pinamar, and as a kid and teenager i was always listening to music. i started writing my own songs when i was ten. later i moved to buenos aires and began officially making music. so i guess i’m some sort of emo, alternative, “urban” artist from latinoamérica. most of my songs end up being about love, existentialism, and girls.

what inspired you to write one of your latest single troya? 
when i was in madrid with my friends gara duran and barry b we found our old teenage diaries. we read mine and found a dream i had a long time ago. in the dream i was in pinamar, the beach town i grew up in, together with my first love. we were running away from soldiers shooting at us, escaping some kind of war. eventually one of the bullets hits him and he falls to the ground. i stand before him desperately seeking help when one of the soldiers shoots me too. so yeah haha, my old teenage dream inspired me to write troya, a song about dying with the person you love.
we wrote and produced the song together with 2 amazing musicians from argentina and finished it up with my good friend agus ramasso while traveling between buenos aries and madrid. during the process we used the CM–15 to record the acoustic guitar parts. i think troya is a very nice song that hints at the new sound i've been working on for my upcoming singles. i see it as my transition song. 

which part of your set-up do you currently rely on the most?
lately i’ve been using my TP–7 a ton. it makes me feel like dale cooper in twin peaks, talking to diane. i use it for demos, to record ambience, to capture random samples i can twist and throw back into my computer, and to record sessions or live shows. i love speeding up and reversing sounds and sneaking them into my songs. i also sample directly from vinyl or my iphone. and the guitar came back into my life recently. my next project wouldn’t be the same without it. and honestly, i’m still super attached to my computer because of autotune.
if you could design your dream synth or plugin, what would it look like?
this question is so hard. i think i’d create a chromatic rainbow synth, something that can make beautifully detuned pads, keys, leads, and textures. it’d be amazing if it could sample and process sounds from the outside world too, with tons of warmth, saturation, and that gritty synth energy.

who or what currently inspires you?
love inspires me. traveling inspires me. connecting with real people. paying attention to my inner self instead of relying on references all the time. trusting my own ideas. trying to reconnect with the feeling i had when i first started making music, that sense of urgency, of needing to say something.
which argentinian artists are you most excited about right now?
you should keep an eye on paula prieto and milo j.
any upcoming projects on its way?
i have a new project on the way. it’s super deep, super secret, and i’m honestly in love with it. lately i’ve been reconnecting with music the way i did in the early years. i feel like music in general is in a good moment. we’re all kind of tired of repetition and reels and instagram, la cosa masticada, things without soul. personally, i feel like i’m in a new, beautiful chapter. i’m curious again, discovering things. that feeling is giving me beautiful songs, and i really like what i’m making.

be sure to check out lara91k’s latest music here.


day 16 of our flipped out calendar opens up a new OP–1 field update: OS 1.6.0. it introduces a new amp synth engine with an included tuner, multichannel audio over usb, improved tape crossfade, count in recording, drum sample fade control, a preset randomizer, updated preset management, and midi clock over ble and some more improvements.
a line in for your electric guitarthe new amp synth engine lets you route any external signal, such as the line in from a guitar or the usb audio, through the filters and fx of OP–1 field, before recording to tape. amp also includes a handy tuner, so you can keep your guitars, synths, and vocal cords in tune, while recording or rehearsing.

multichannel usb audiothe 1.6.0 OS update introduces the ability to send the four tape tracks as separate stereo channels over usb, in addition to the stereo mix. this significant improvement simplifies your workflow, allowing for easy recording of complete ideas directly into your daw, external mixing, or capturing your tape as individual stems without any extra configuration.

tape edits are now smoother.with the new tape crossfade, lifting and dropping clips applies a short, non destructive crossfade on both sides of the edit. this reduces clicks and pops and keeps the tape workflow intact. your audio stays unaltered, so you can move clips around as much as you like, without degrading anything.

count in.you can now start recordings with a count in, giving you a brief moment to lock into the tempo before the tape begins. this is helpful when playing rhythmic parts or when layering new takes on top of existing material.

drum sampler fadethe drum sampler now lets you choose how fades behave. you can control attack, release, or both at the same time. this gives more flexibility when shaping transients, tightening hits, or fading loops in and out, while keeping all existing presets unchanged.

random presetrandomize any preset to generate a fresh starting point. an easy way to explore the rich sound of OP–1 field, discover unexpected combinations, and move beyond familiar patches. each randomization keeps the preset structure intact but reassigns values within it.



more flexible organising of presets manage your user presets and folders directly onOP–1 field. you can move, rename, and delete them as needed. this feature is ideal for organizing larger sound libraries, making it easy to manage numerous custom patches or prepare curated sets for live performance.

midi clock can now be sent over bluetooth le.this lets you sync external gear wirelessly, without any extra cables around your setup. devices that support ble sync, like TX–6, OP–XY and OP–Z, can followOP–1 field’s tempo in real time. 

learn all about the new firmware in the latest episode of midnight operations with product owner jonas. watch episode here.

update now

full release notes

OP–1 field guide
OP–1 
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this little ting has more to offer than you might think. you aren't limited to what comes out of the box, simply connect it to a computer to import your own samples and tailor the effects. let's take a look at how to do all this. but first: update to the latest firmware or you won't be able to do any of it.


EP–2350 OS 1.0.8
how to update EP–2350 ting
samplesyou are not limited to the 4 samples that ting comes with, you can easily replace them with your own. the only limitation is the 1 mb of ting disk space available for 4 user samples that must be wav files (mono or stereo, 8/16/24-bit or 32-bit float and up to 96 khz)
add your samples - essentialsthe simplest way to add your own samples is to upload files named 1.wav, 2.wav, 3.wav, and 4.wav. each file you add will override the built in sample in that slot / number. if you only upload, say, 1.wav, the other three slots will still play the built in samples. if you don’t add any files at all, all four built in samples will play as usual.
how to replace the samples on EP–2350 ting
add your samples - advancedthis is a bit more demanding, but it unlocks more of ting’s possibilities and gives you a glimpse of what you can do with a bit of code.ting uses a small text file called a config.json, this keeps track of which samples to load and how to use them etc. use this file to map your samples to slots 0-3. you can now name your audio files whatever you like. copy the samples and the config.json to the ting disk, and you’re done.
we’ve put together a json file and four new samples that you can download and try out.


samples and json file
effectsas mentioned above, ting can read instructions from a json file. this file does much more than just tell ting which samples to play. it defines an entire fx chain, a sequence of individual effects whose combined result becomes one of ting’s four effects. within that chain, you can reorder, swap, or redesign effects, change how you interact with them, and adjust the parameters for every effect in the chain. you can also choose whether samples should be “colored” by routing them through specific parts of the chain.
if you feel like diving into building your own fx chains, it’s worth starting from the examples below and tweaking a few parameters to see how ting behave.
this stuff can get pretty complicated, so if you want to go further and build your own effects, the online guide is a good place to start.

json files

online guide
how to customize EP–2350 ting with json
IF YOU HAPPEN TO BREAK THE JSON CODE FOR SOME REASON AND THE DEVICE FREEZES, DON'T PANIC. SIMPLY CONNECT TO COMPUTER AND HOLD GREEN + WHITE BUTTONS DURING STARTUP TO ACCESS AND FIX THE FILE.
IF YOU GET A “NOT ENOUGH DISK SPACE” MESSAGE EVEN IF THE TING DISK LOOKS EMPTY, TRY RE-FORMATTING TINGDISK:
CONNECT TING VIA USB-C, WAIT FOR “TINGDISK” TO APPEAR, RIGHT-CLICK ON THE DISK, CHOOSE “ERASE DISK” ON MAC OS OR “FORMAT” ON WINDOWS 10/11, FILE SYSTEM SHOULD BE FAT.
riddim n ting bundle
$$$
our hearts are with everyone affected by the recent hurricane across jamaica and neighboring islands.
  
as some of you may already know, we’ve been working on two new EP units with a close connection to reggae, dancehall and sound system culture. we made our first trip to jamaica early spring this year where we met with artists and producers featured on EP–40 riddim and we just got back from our second, pre-launch jamaica trip. 
this has been a passion project for us, one that started seven years ago with the idea of a reggae pocket operator, ended up as the EP–40 riddim and EP–2350 ting, both to be released next week. over the course of this project we’ve met with artists from all over the world, incredible people who helped us lay the foundations for how these units should sound and work. 
denzil williams junior and denzil williams senior, who both became instrumental in connecting us with artists and producers in jamaica. 
everything was done in close collaboration with swedish artists and dear friends marcus price, patrik arve and rodrigo pencheff, all of whom are true reggae, dancehall and soundsystem aficionados.
at rockers international, founded by jamaican dub pioneer augustus pablo and is now run by his son addis pablo.
at alpha boys school, where we hosted presentations and workshops along with etana and king jammy, 2 of the 13 collaborating artists on the EP–40.
marcus price and clevie at clevie’s studio.
lisa hyper on the EP–40
at judgement yard jamming with sizzla
oct 15,  at our pre-release party at legendary weddy weddy wednesdays. live ep–40 gig featuring major artists, including turbulence and junior reed.
the new york-based and pittsburgh-raised singer, songwriter, and producer is fresh off a multi-festival and sold-out european headline tour run this summer. we had the opportunity to meet with him at the way out west festival in gothenburg, sweden, and chat about his upcoming project, the spirit still remains (purgatory), out on october 31st. purgatory exemplifies montell’s dj gummy bear moniker as an exercise in creating a sandbox of limitless creativity, freedom, and experimentation. purgatory brings those musical experiments to the forefront, allowing montell to explore electronic, house, ambient, and experimental soundscapes through the dj gummy bear character. free of any imposed expectations on what “montell fish” music is meant to sound like.
after releasing his debut album jamie back in 2022, montell’s been on the rise with the ep her love still haunts me like a ghost, which includes one of his hit singles, “hotel,” and his most recent project, charlotte, featuring tracks like “scream my name” and “who did you touch?”.

if someone had never heard your music before, how would you describe “montell fish”?
hard to say haha. i would say it’s a blend to start off. vocally, i love rnb, probably one of my favorite genres. i love ambient music, and hip-hop for drums and loops. i also love indie and folk music for guitar influence. it’s somewhere in between a few genres. if you’re into some guitar rnb indie kind of hip-hop stuff, you might be into it.

you’ve said dj gummy bear gives you creative freedom, where did that alter ego come from, and what doors has it opened musically? 
dj gummybear is a space for me to be more experimental, to try ideas i might not be ready to explore under montell fish. it’s kind of like a sandbox where i can study and test sounds, then release them without overthinking. he’s his own character with his own world, how he looks, how the shows feel, and how the sound is more electronic and production-focused. i imagine dj gummybear doing club sets, dj nights, and more spontaneous performances, while montell fish is more of a live band, an emotional experience. with dj gummybear, i’m less concerned about numbers or expectations and more focused on making stuff that’s fun and free.
the name came to me really fast, and that was intentional. i wanted something playful and light, not overthought. i like gummybears, and the name just felt like it matched the energy of the project. there’s something i enjoy about writing songs with serious emotion or spiritual weight under a name that sounds like candy. the contrast is what makes it interesting. 
when i create as montell fish, there's often pressure to make something that resonates with a lot of people. fans sometimes get attached to past versions of me, and it’s tough to navigate that. with dj gummybear, there’s none of that, it feels like starting fresh. like when you find a new artist and you’re not comparing them to anything, they just are who they are. that freedom allows me to take more risks and step outside the traditional structures i might stick to with montell fish.
gummybear has also helped me fall back in love with music. he’s a fan, a collector, a student of sound. through him, i dig into genres, study production, and get inspired in new ways. and once i’ve learned what i need, i come back to montell fish with a clearer vision. i still care about legacy and making meaningful work, but gummybear reminds me that joy and experimentation are part of that too. 

what drew you toward house, ambient, and experimental sounds in this season of your artistry?
when i was 17, i was really into soundcloud and youtube, pages like majestic casual and soulection. that era had a lot of experimental r&b and house blends that weren’t fully electronic or fully house, and that in-between space really pulled me in. back when i was following traditional christianity, i’d play ambient music while praying, i could listen for hours. i think that soaked into my production over time. i’m drawn to slow, distinct sounds that feel like stepping into another world.

what inspires you at the moment?
right now, i’m inspired by the idea of being in between. i’m working on a project called purgatory, based on the christian belief of a waiting place between heaven and hell. i love liminal spaces, that tension of not knowing, not being fully here or there. movies like eternal sunshine or inception capture that dreamlike, unresolved feeling, those in-between moments really speak to me.

what instruments or gear do you find yourself reaching for the most when you're making music? any go-to tools that always spark inspiration?
yeah, lately i’ve been reaching for a lot of fm sounds. i love r&b, and the way the yamaha dx7 was used in the 80s and 90s has always stuck with me, there’s a real beauty in that kind of synthesis. i’ve also been using my OP-1 a lot. i’ll load in sounds i like and sketch ideas on it. it started as a home setup thing, but over time i got comfortable enough to bring it on stage. now i run it through a chroma console by hologram, manipulate the sound, and loop it live.
my process changes, but it usually starts with melody. i’m a melody-first person, it’s what gets stuck in your head and brings you back to a song. i’ll start with piano or guitar, then add drums, and build from there. this year i’ve been diving deeper into synths, just messing around until something clicks. lyrics come second. honestly, i love instrumental music. sometimes i just want to say one phrase, like in “you make me feel loved,” and let that carry the whole track. it’s about creating a feeling with as little as possible. i love space in music, letting the sound breathe.
to go along with the spirit still remains (purgatory), montell’s also put together a custom sample pack. built from the same ambient and experimental textures found throughout the project, the pack offers a glimpse into the sounds and tones shaping this new chapter. it’s a snapshot of the world he’s creating, freeform, atmospheric, and open to exploration.

how to transfer montell fish’s sample pack to your OP–1 field:
  1. download the sample pack.
  2. connect your OP–1 field to your computer
    via USB C.
  3. open the field kit app. (mac only)
  4. drag and drop the sample pack files into
    the drum folder.
  5. eject your OP–1 field safely from your computer.
  6. your new samples are now ready to use.


download montell fish’s sample pack 
with OS 1.1.0, your OP–XY becomes an even more powerful sampler. this update introduces a new sample slicer, perfect for chopping breaks, melodic sequences, and vocals. it offers three slicing modes for flexible, precise control over how you cut and play back your sounds:
transient-based slicing:OP–XY automatically detects peaks and hits in your sample and slices them—ideal for drums, percussion, or anything with sharp attacks.
time-based slicing:divides your sample into equal sections, great for loops, rhythmic material, or when you want perfectly even slices across the entire recording.
manual tap:tap your own slice points to create custom rhythms and break your sample exactly where you want it.
to go along with the slicer, we also added parameter lockability to the drum sampler.
duck:with the new update there’s a new lfo, duck. use duck to quickly add sidechain compression to any instrument track. it takes audio or note data from one track and modulates the volume of another. use it to create space for your kicks in your bass or to add movement to pads.
this update also brings several quality-of-life improvements for sequencing and performing. you can now define how OP–XY calculates scene length for more precise playback control. song mode has been refined to work consistently with the rest of the device, simply hold shift before pressing buttons. this allows you to continue using the musical keyboard even when in the song mode screen.
using sound link, you can now use the same sound across all patterns of a track, useful for live sets or when you want to skip presets per pattern. and finally, a much-requested feature: delayed scene switch. when performing live, queue up the next scene instead of immediately switching scenes.
watch the latest midnight operations episode, where product owner jonas walks through all of the new updates.
update your OP–XY via our update utility tool

you can now set your own price for the OP–XY. see our flipped-out offer here.
OP–XY guide
update device
explore OP–XY
the australian producer, vocalist, and songwriter brux blends experimental electronic textures with groovy, immersive soundscapes, pulling you into a world of electrifying dance music. in a recent collaboration with baauer, she released her latest single ca$hed up, crafted mostly using the EP–133 K.O. II. we recently had the chance to talk with her about the sonic world she’s built, the process behind the track, and how the EP–133 became a key part of her workflow.

who is brux?
i think she's a version of myself that's fearless and open in expression. she's loud and lively, it's fun tobe her!
tell us about your music and your inspirations:
i make bassy, groove-heavy, lively tunes and i try to always have an experimental edge in the sound design by using my collection of analog hardware. stylistically, i pull from a lot of different places - within electronic music I look up to the chemical brothers, sophie, gorillaz, the knife, air, peaches...and outside of that realm I love artists like tyler the creator, joni mitchell, björk, ryuichi sakamoto, radiohead, idles. the list goes on. at the core i'm drawn to things that are against the grain and unconventional. standing out from the pack is my motto in life.
what inspired the process of making ca$hed up?
when we made the tune back in 2024, i was 3 years into moving to new york from australia and was processing the sensory switch-up of busy life in this bustling city. it's what inspired the grittiness of the production and also of course the vocal hook. the constant grind of new yorkers is real!

how did you and baauer meet?
we met at a show we played in brooklyn at the end of 2023 - machinedrum hosted an event where a bunch of artists dj'd b2b for hours and baauer and i played a few tunes together. from there we linked up to start having studio sessions!
how is making music with baauer different from doing it solo?
it's a lot of fun working together - we seem to get ideas out quickly and crack a lot of jokes during the process too. i also love to work solo but the social aspect of collaborating with another artist who's so laid back like baauer is a real treat.
tell us about the creative process behind the track.
baauer and i were given a studio space to use in manhattan, it was in a beautiful historic 1800s carriage house and it was a relaxed setup with lots of fun gear to use. we both have a similar process where we start by creating a drum groove and so we did just that. after creating an 8 bar groove we then figured out a melodic sample riff that was the next piece of the puzzle, and then added a bassline and finally sketched it fully out into an arrangement. both of us produce in ableton live, so it was a lot of back and forth on the one computer to keep tweaking the track. when we left the studio that day, it was just an instrumental. and it wasn't until a week or 2 after the session where i came up with the vocal hook and added it to the track. baauer and i continued to finesse the tune over the coming weeks and then i sent it over to my friend surya sen who is a london-based artist/rapper for him to record the hook to layer with mine. weeks later baauer and i were invited to dj at a popup event that mija was hosting in brooklyn and it was at that show where we tested out the tune for the first time. it hit hard and the crowd reacted well!

how did the EP–133 end up in your process?
we both had never used the EP–133 sampler but immediately gravitated towards it at the start of our session and loaded various drum groove loops and single shot samples onto it. through trial and error we recorded in a bunch of sample hits and found a super unique percussive rhythm that we were instantly excited by! we built the track pretty quickly around it by then adding in a kick rhythm, bassline and chord stab that was also triggered by the EP–133.
cha$hed up is the lead single release from brux’s latest ep of the same name. you can listen to the track and check out the video below, where brux and baueer walk us through the creative process behind it.

when swedish-american indie-pop band miike snow went on their reunion tour last year, they decided to bring the then unreleased OP–XY with them. together with love hultén, they built a custom made live rig where the OP–XY was embedded. this year, for the fourth time, the band returned to the coachella stage. with them, they brought the OP–XY and the same live rig. we sat down with our good friend and member of miike snow, pontus winnberg, to let us in on the story.
pontus winnberg, one of three members of miike snow
how did it feel to return to coachella?
this was the fourth time we’ve played at coachella, last time was 2016 so a lot of things have happened to the festival and the vibe. i really enjoyed it. it was a lot of fun and we got a really good time slot, considering that we haven't released stuff in a while. we were on at 9:30 on the biggest tent right before the prodigy. the downside was that we were overlapping with missy elliott, which i would have loved to see.
 the OP–XY rig
why did you decide to use the OP–XYfor your live shows?
i was really into the OP–Z sequencer. i had long conversations with the project owner of OP–Z and OP–XY, jonas åberg, about what i felt could be done and added to the unit. there was a feature on theOP–Z, i can't remember what it was called, but it's what eventually became the brain function on the OP–XY. my interpretation of it is that it acts as a sort of auto-comp feature. like the old traditional home organs had this auto-comp: you could just play a chord and it would start. like this little electronic band would play along with whatever chords you fed it. that's basically what the brain in the OP–XY is. but you can dictate exactly what your little electronic orchestra should do. so it could be everything from a gesaffelstein track to... i don't know... a dance band. you’re completely free. you can do whatever you want to do and that's also something i've been looking for in playing electronic music live, where it's impossible for a human to play something that is quantized, and it becomes a completely different expression.
building the stage
we did a lot of work behind the scenes before the OP–XY ever hit the public. there were only about twenty prototype units, and i begged to get one. the first time we played it was just like heaven, and from that point we slowly began integrating it into our show, but this year it kind of took over. it really became the heart and soul of the whole show.
custom made live rig by love hultén
tell us about the live setup.
the live setup was basically built around two OP–XY units, one connected to a prophet-10 and the other to a roland juno-106 mini clone. after that, we had a series of effects built into a kind of custom modular system. we also used the OP–XY as a sound source, especially for samples.
most songs were triggered by the brain function, so it was almost like having two huge auto-comp organs. the thrill, and part of the adventure, of performing is that nothing is synced. we usually have a metronome click playing in our earpieces, but it's mostly used as a common reference point. it’s up to us as players to get it right, and sometimes, when it’s slightly off, it becomes something pretty interesting.

how does your band approach live electronic performance, and what role does the OP–XY play in that?
i think it’s important to keep the dangerous aspect of live music, something can go terribly wrong, and preferably not in a computer-crash way, but through musical mishaps that the players on stage have to adapt to and incorporate into the performance. otherwise, we could all just be at home listening to some crappy streaming service.
miike snow live at coachella 2025
one of the rig’s most powerful features was scene switching. at the press of a button, we could change not just sounds on the OP–XY, but entire routing setups, including midi parameters, effect chains, and synth presets. when you add analog synths via midi control and stuff, what you can do is endless. this made moving between songs seamless, even without a centralized computer system.you load up a program, and all the sound data comes with it. it changes everything, on the OP–XY and across all the connected gear. i don’t know any other equipment that does that. for us, as a band that’s always blended precise sequencing with live unpredictability, theOP–XY is perfect.

it’s kind of like electronic jazz, mistakes become part of the performance. every show is unique. the OP–XY gave us the freedom to extend sections, respond to the crowd, and rework familiar tracks in the moment. you have to be on your toes and if something goes down, you replace it with something else. it’s built for that.”
OP–XY
$$$
rapper, producer and all-around creative force erick the architect is ready to reintroduce himself. a friend of ours, erick grew up in new york, where he fell in love with music long before forming the iconic psychedelic hip-hop group flatbush zombies. after more than a decade with the group, world tours and critically acclaimed albums, he’s now carving out a path of his own as a solo artist.

last year, erick dropped his most ambitious and introspective body of work yet, ‘i’ve never been here before.’ the 16-track lp, both an echo of his youth and a reflection of where he’s at today, was recently re-release as a director’s cut. it features collaborations with artists like channel tres, george clinton and joey bada$$—figures we all know and admire.
now, erick returns to the fold with a new three-track ep, ‘arcstrumentals 3’. in it, erick retains the quirks and fixations of ‘i’ve never been here before’, combining it with dance and electronic music—a shift inspired by recent collaborations with friends jungle and l’imperatrice. it’s a step in a new sonic direction, but the unpredictability is part of what makes the brooklyn rapper so compelling.

we caught up with the new york native to talk about everything from flatbush zombies to his solo work, new york and its influences, and what’s ahead in 2025.
going solo after a successful group effort is not an easy feat. what pushed you to do it, and what’s the experience been like?
rapping and producing has been a thing of mine since i was 15. my firstself-produced project, ‘almost remembered,’ dropped in 2011 under my current artist name, way before flatbush zombies took off. it wasn’t until 2012 that things started moving. that’s when me, meechy dark and zombie juice came together and made the ‘d.r.u.g.s’ mixtape, which really solidified our place as a group. through flatbush zombies, i got to explore my ‘the architect’ persona.
creating art is personal. over time, your references shift. i reached a point where the sounds i wanted to explore didn’t always align with where the group was headed. the success we had got me here, but working as a group means compromising some of your own creative direction for the greater good.

i started experimenting on the side, dropping one-offs under different names. by the time we [flatbush zombies] did ‘escape from new york’ in 2019, my mom had passed, and everything changed. i was still in new york, still working with the same people, but i knew i had to grow. i needed to challenge myself, meet people who would push me out of my comfort zone. every time i came to la, i linked with james blake, mount kimbie, artists in dance music i admired for a long time.
that shift led me to my next major step: ‘futureproof,’ an 18-minute project that changed my life. a series of events led to it: moving to la, covid, visiting friends in london. it was the catalyst that pushed me to create something fully my own. the response validated everything for me. i knew i had to chase my own narrative, prove i was more than just part of a group, more than just hip-hop. the rest is history.

talk to us about the inspiration behind ‘i’ve never been here before’ and ‘arcstrumentals 3’. how do the two pull themselves apart?
on ‘i’ve never been here before’, every track is a snapshot of my life; growing up on flatbush street, my mother’s passing, dealing with haters, even moments of self-doubt. i structured it so that every three tracks act like a time capsule, capturing the emotions i was going through. the album became a way for me to process both the good and the bad. every time i play it back, i’m transported to those moments. it’s beautiful.
with ‘arcstrumentals 3’, i decided to release three records that resemble the music i’ve been playing most recently, but still kept some of the musical threads from ‘i’ve never been here before’. i was searching for ways to be uplifted and reminded that it’s okay to smile and enjoy yourself. in typical ‘arcstrumentals’ fashion, i landed on a concept and produced these songs as an introduction to a style of music i’ve always loved; dance music. the songs feature a myriad of live instruments and force you to get up on your feet.

it is this kind of problem-solving that shapes björn’s day-to-day work. questions like: how do we visually express a product’s durability? should the expression be playful or luxurious? but it is not just about how things look—other considerations that need to be kept in mind are ergonomics, ease of cleaning, and functionality. to him, the technology of each device needs to be reflected through its exterior in a way that makes sense. he traces the technical aspects of a product down to what, to him, could be felt and touched, then creates an appendage between software and visual appearance.
“cmf design demands precision and care,” he says. “it’s a time-intensive process, revisiting sample after sample, translating concepts into materials, ensuring consistency, and perfecting the final look. but it’s deeply rewarding. think of it as composing a film score—bringing together color, material, and finish to create a harmony that brings the whole story together.”

what’s in store for erick the architect?
aside from the new album and ep, i scored last year’s ‘the choice is yours’ and just got off a west coast tour with l'impératrice. right now, i’m at the peak of my creativity, writing constantly, producing for other artists. i have so much to say, and i can’t wait to bring it all to life this year.
we’re thrilled to share a brand-new sample pack "tects tools" made for us by erick the architect. 



download "tects tools" sample pack 

download EP sample pack "tects tools" 
group A: scenes 1-3 main drum loopsgroup B: scenes 1-3 percussiongroup C: side chained loopsgroup D: vocals + guitar
upload the sample pack straight into yourEP–133 using our EP sample tool.
go to "backup & restore" then "projects" and upload it as a new project on your EP device.

the teenage engineering choir: official choral ensemble for disney pixars ‘elio’
when disney and pixar set out to create ‘elio’, a movie about a young boy making contact with distant alien life, they asked a fundamental question: what does space sound like? composer rob simonsen found the answer in our teenage engineering choir dolls. 
rob simonsen, composer for elio
rob simonsen: we were looking for an otherworldly sound—something that sounded relatable, that echoed vocalizations, communication that humans could understand, but felt like it was from another world. i came across these choir dolls and heard their sound. it was beautiful—electronic, but human. each body is handcrafted. they have a robotic but organic sound at the same time. it felt like a perfect answer to what we were looking for.”
recording choir at sony scoring stage 
the concept sounded weird enough for us to get involved so to help make his vision a reality, we made a custom firmware to control note distribution across the ensemble and enable up to 24 dolls to harmonize together. the dolls were sent to the legendary sony scoring stage in los angeles to perform robs compositions and each doll was mic’d up just like any human vocalist.
from left to right: glordon, elio, glordon saving elio
during our conversations a question came up from producer mary alice drumm, could we make three custom choir dolls of the main characters in time for the vip showing of the movie? after some design tweaks and a lot of woodwork in our workshop, the three new members of the teenage engineering choir were sent to los angeles to attend the world premiere at el capitan.
official trailer for elio
this is the first time we know of that a teenage engineering instrument has played the lead role in a hollywood disney pixar movie soundtrack.
teenage engineering choir
$$$
presenting a limited capsule collection made by bentgablenits.
on show (and for sale) this june in new york includes: hand-beaded band shirts and lab coats, special choir chapel boxes made with tea-dyed hand-festooned details, hand-embroidered and adorned with 1940s cracker jack charms OB–4 mesh bags, and ten repurposed 1930s dollhouses, each transformed into miniature homes for our OD-11 speaker.
brenda bent, karen gable, and angelo nitsopoulos, are the minds behind bentgablenits (bgn), an antique luxury collective rooted in a shared love for old hand-me-downs: from designer menswear to dollhouse miniatures. their collectors’ pieces are made from vintage garments, fabrics, and trims. their work revives forgotten materials: barkcloth becomes tapestry, lace turns into dresses, brooches embellish nike sneakers.
we sat down with the trio behind bentgablenits to talk about how it all came together.
BGN–11 “abbey road” house
can you walk us through the bgn studio—what kinds of things have you collected over the years?
karen gable: the studio is in brenda’s house. she’s collected—you name it—vintage fabrics, trims, plastics, toys of all kinds. everything is meticulously sorted and labeled. i’ve collected similar things in my own studio: vintage fashion pieces, beads, fabrics, toys, oddities. but brenda’s the queen of collecting. she has endless multiples of everything, and a wild range.
brenda bent: i’ve collected so much over the years, and it keeps changing. but the bulk is fabric—velvets, barkcloth, quilts, chenille bedspreads, satin, lace. also beads, especially victorian through the 1920s. and plastics—early plastic has a special quality. we work at my place and then split up to our studios for certain tasks. everything is sorted, labeled, catalogued. shelves and plastic bins everywhere.
made from 1930s tin dollhouses to house the OD-11 speaker
why use dollhouses for the OD-11?
brenda bent: we wanted to build something to house the speaker. the idea that it could be a literal house made sense. that grew into a connection with early suburbia, the idea of the neighborhood, and music’s place in it.
angelo nitsopoulos: we’re always drawn to projects that require building around something pre-existing. the OD-11 is already finished and beautiful, so the challenge was making something that complementsit without competing. the proportions of the speaker matched the scale of a dollhouse perfectly. it felt like the speaker belonged there—domestic, nostalgic, but modern too.
wooden crate packaging,especially made for the abbey road house
how did you source the original dollhouses and parts?
brenda bent: we hunted. eventually found two we liked, though they were in rough shape. the rebuild and restoration took time. dollhouse parts are everywhere and nowhere—you can get lucky, or not. we needed lots of windows and doors. it was a process.
choir chapel boxes with tea-dyed hand-festooned details 
how did the idea to use our products come about?
karen gable: teenage engineering is just incredibly detailed and design-forward. it’s not just aesthetic—it’s about creativity, music, and how people interact with both. we admire that. it inspired us.
angelo nitsopoulos: bgn and te might seem like opposites, but at the core, we’re similar. we both obsess over details. we both care deeply about storytelling. handcrafted or engineered—it’s about creating something meaningful. something with a soul.
hand-embroided OB–4 mesh bagsadorned with 1940s cracker jack charms
what does each of the ten dollhouses tell us?
brenda bent: we started literally. the front of the house is the front. the back is the back. i had a collection of old french lenses—heavy, beautiful glass—and the idea of peeking through a lens into the house became central. the interiors were built into the sides, and we used real asphalt shingles for the roofs. we wanted it to feel real.
angelo nitsopoulos: i built on that by exploring contrast—nostalgia vs. innovation. the houses feel whimsical but also hyper-real. we used tiny details to scale up emotion. each house became a kind of domestic dreamspace: intimate, strange, warm.



the installation will take place in new york, june 27–29, at 131 greene street. rsvp to the event here

the new updates for TX–6 and TP–7 introduce some new features like enhanced sequencer functionality with customizable options, link mode, extended midi functionality, extended gain range, mix-down mode, and more.
update your device via our update utility tool and read more about the new functions in the user guides. 

TX–6
TX–6 is our battery powered ultra portable pro-mixer and multi-functional audio interface with 6 stereo channels, or 12 if you split them to mono. great for quick setups on the go or in your studio. packed with features like effects, midi, usb recording, beat detection, an instrument tuner, synth, sequencer, drum machine and much more.
these are the new features that have been added in the latest update for TX–6:

user configurable sequencer patternsalongside the 22 factory-loaded patterns, the TX–6 now supports six additional user-configurable sequencer pattern slots. each of these allows forper-step pitch assignment, making it possible to compose custom melodic sequences.
pattern chainingonce you’ve made your own sequencer patterns, you can start chaining them together. instead of looping just one pattern, this update lets you combine up to four, giving your tracks more variation.
slidethe TX–6 now includes a slide (portamento) function, allowing precise control over pitch transitions when sequencing waveforms for more refined melodic expression.
midi synth generatorin addition to its internal sound engine, the TX–6 can trigger external instruments via midi, allowing you to generate the sound with any midi device.
midi cc knob functioneach knob on the TX–6 is fully assignable, allowing you to map it to any parameter, whether in your daw or any external midi controllable gear. making TX–6 the most compact midi controller too.
extended gain rangeyou can now reduce input gain to handle 5dB hotter signals than before, preventing clipping and ensuring proper signal levels.
link modein the latest update you can now link two TX–6 together via usb to create a full 24-channel mixer. both devices will output the same 24 channel mixdown and the fx from each TX–6 can be used with its respective channels
TX–6 guide
update device
explore TX–6

TP–7
TP–7 is the device you always want to have on you, it handles everything audio, from recording to playback. whether on the go or in the studio, TP–7 has three main modes that serve any purpose. use memo mode to quickly record ideas, sounds and spaces then connect up to three stereo or six mono audio sources into the included mini jacks and record them at 96kHz 24-bit with the record mode. once you’ve mixed, mastered and perfected your tracks, put them straight onto TP–7 with field kit and play them back through the high quality DAC using the library mode. you can even loop, cue, slow down and speed up recordings and audio files! this past week we have added a couple of new features to make all of that even better:
mix-downyou can now play back a multitrack recording from the TP–7 and, in real time, route the audio into the TX–6 for hands-on mixing. as you perform your mix on the TX–6, the TP–7 will simultaneously record the live output as a new stereo file. do this back and forth as many times as you wish to create the perfect mix.
mp3 supportwith the latest update, TP–7 now supports playback of mp3 files in addition to wav and flac. now you can load up all your favourite 00s classics and listen to them through TP–7’s amazing DAC!
TP–7 guide
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explore TP–7
what started as an idea to grow the synth population has today earned its spot as the world’s most accessible music machine, making its way into hundreds of thousands of pockets—and counting.
the early days of the pocket operator go back to moogfest 2014, where we launched 200 screenless prototypes for betatesters and artists performing at the festival. 2015 was when things officially kicked off with a deal between us and ann-sofie back, then-designer at cheap monday. the trade? create the most affordable, pocket-sized synth in exchange for free lab clothes.
PO-12 rhythm, one of the first pocket operators launched
with a tight budget and big ideas, we had to get creative with what we had. with a bare circuit board, an lcd screen and a few knobs, these tiny machines proved size is only half the story, becoming cult favorites for music lovers everywhere.
nine original models, three modular synths, two EP units, collaborations with gaming giants like capcom and just shy of a million units later, we’re looking back at the past ten years. to understand how it all came together, we sat down with a few of the people who helped bring the pocket operators to life.
prototyping for new pocket operators
tell us about the initial idea behind the pocket operator. what were some of the inspirations?
oscar, head of development: we had been working on OD-11 for a long time and were honestly exhausted from such a tech-heavy project. there was an itch to do something less demanding—something quick, iterative and fun. at the same time, we noticed the brand had a strong following, but both OP–1and OD-11 were quite expensive and not everyone could afford them.
it was around this time that we started talking with ann-sofie back, then-designer at the swedish jeans brand cheap monday. we asked if she could design some free lab clothes in exchange for a cool, lo-fi gadget they could sell in their physical stores.
po-24 office, one of three in the po-20 series,launched in 2016
all of that came together into the idea of the pocket operator: the most affordable synthesizer we could dream up. the ambition was to create something so accessible that even people who’d never touched an instrument could make music. there was also a bit of a pedagogical goal behind the first PO-10 series—they brought together three foundational elements of music: rhythm, bass, and melody—into a pocket-sized, low-cost form.
most of the design decisions were purely out of necessity. the look—bare circuit board, lcd screen, a few knobs—wasn’t about being clever. we just had to keep costs as low as possible.
PO-32’s built-in mic use sound wavesto transfer and receive data
magnus lidström is the head and heart behind sonic charge, a swedish software lab. in 2003, he launched microtonic: a drum machine in vst form that’s still a favorite today. later, we joined forces with magnus to help create the PO-32, PO-35 and the PO-137.
magnus lidström, coding for the po-32 tonic
to embed a microtonic vst plugin into a tiny hardware drum machine is not an easy task. that kind of deep integration hadn’t been done in that size or price before. how did this collaboration start?
magnus, founder of sonic charge: the original idea was to use the PO-12 code with samples made from microtonic. however, once i started experimenting with the hardware, i couldn’t resist the challenge of running the actual microtonic synth on it. it felt like black magic, getting sound transfer to work over audio, speaker to microphone. at the namm launch in 2017, people were blown away by that feature, especially those who grew up with home computers that loaded games from tape. 
it helped move the needle from specifications and price to creativity and play, that it showed you actually didn’t need expensive or complex gear to make something original. it was fascinating how much personality we could get out of such a minimal interface and limited hardware. it’s design by constraint at its finest.
magnus, demoing how to use PO-32 tonic with microtonic
what were some of its most memorable moments?
jonatan, senior engineer: releasing the first PO-10 series at namm in 2015 was a blast. we took preorders while still fixing bugs on the fly. after a full day at the trade fair, we tested the units back at the hotel, found new bugs, and i reflashed the demo units overnight so we could use them again the next day. but during the trip our homemade flash jig broke, so there was no real way to test the fixes. so, i had to solder it back together at the hotel using a footrest and a lighter.the footrest is still a part of every pocket operatortill this day.
jens, co-founder and engineer: launch day at namm and the aftermath was intense. we had taken orders for 10,000 units on launch, which we shipped ourselves from the office. it’s hard to imagine the amount of work spent printing, packaging and shipping that many units, with just a few people.
jens rudberg on the way to the namm show 2015
what change do you think the release of thepocket operators brought about?
oscar: it’s a long list. most obviously pocket operators gave people an easy entry point into electronic music, even if they had zero experience. they also helped dispel the myth that you need big machines with loads of buttons to make something sound good.
jonatan blomster, demoing the firstpocket operators at namm 2015
speaking from your own experience, what’s one thing you still find fascinating about the series?
jonatan: i thought we had squeezed out everything possible with the PO-10 series, so it was exciting to bring in new developers who really understood the concept and pushed it further. first it was linus with the PO-20 series, then magnus at sonic charge with PO-32, PO-35 and PO-137.
while working on PO-33, i was also making some ambient/drone music on the side and got frustrated that i couldn’t go slower than 60 bpm. so i snuck in an easter egg that most people probably don’t know about, until now; if you hold bpm, press a pad to set the volume five times, and then keep holding bpm, you can turn pot b to set bpm anywhere from 15 to 60. i don’t think anyone’s found it yet.
po-133 streetfighter car at mantorp park race track, sweden
we would like to thank the community that has been with us for over ten years. you’ve joined two #PO10DIY challenges, built everything from synthitars, custom cases to receipt machines, made full albums with only pocket operators and made countless of amazing videos. here's to ten more years! 
head over to our anniversary site and learn more about the history of pocket operators and explore some never released prototypes.
if you’ve used our newer gear, chances are björn aspelin—our in-house cmf designer—had a hand in bringing it to life. ‘cmf,’ an abbreviation for color, material, and finish, is a part of his world; björn makes sure every product looks and feels better with each iteration. the bulk of his work involves aligning colors with the original vision, researching materials, and perfecting finishes. in other words, björn ensures our products look and feel as purposeful as they’re engineered to be.
“my focus is to bring an idea to life through colors, materials, and the treatments and finishes of our products,” björn explains. “someone might come to me with just a sketch, a mood board, a single word, or even an early prototype. my job then becomes to substantiate it through visual appearance and behavior.”

björn’s latest work can be seen in his involvement with OP–XY, a project as challenging as it was rewarding. “the first major hurdle was scale,” he reflects. “the form factor and overall design properties of the field system became the cornerstone for what the OP–XY would become.as it is technically a part of the series, we had to stay true to the established aesthetic while still having it stand on its own.”

another major challenge was color. given the limited variations in the existing color systems, björn developed a signature teenage engineering grayscale gradient in a city further south of sweden. “the grayscale gradient running across the length of the device became the centerpiece, reflecting music scales and the 16 programmable tracks. it took countless revisions to get it right. existing systems didn’t work for what we needed, so we created our own: the teenage engineering scale. it’s subtle, but a lot of thought went into it.”

it is this kind of problem-solving that shapes björn’s day-to-day work. questions like: how do we visually express a product’s durability? should the expression be playful or luxurious? but it is not just about how things look—other considerations that need to be kept in mind are ergonomics, ease of cleaning, and functionality. to him, the technology of each device needs to be reflected through its exterior in a way that makes sense. he traces the technical aspects of a product down to what, to him, could be felt and touched, then creates an appendage between software and visual appearance.
“cmf design demands precision and care,” he says. “it’s a time-intensive process, revisiting sample after sample, translating concepts into materials, ensuring consistency, and perfecting the final look. but it’s deeply rewarding. think of it as composing a film score—bringing together color, material, and finish to create a harmony that brings the whole story together.”
we've added an impressive set of new features for the TP–7, making it more than just a tape recorder. inside, lies an advanced recording and editing system for all audio purposes, packed with new features.the workflow has been carefully optimized, whether working with multi-track recordings or just aquick memo.
turn on metronome and count-in, set cue points for your arrangements and re-do takes, loop and scratch, bounce, or just play back your favorite high-res record collection. plus we have a new model with multi language support in the TP–7 app that makes transcription in most languages a breeze.
let's take you through some of its new features.

right on cue.with the new software update, recording and editing on the TP–7 has gotten a huge expansion in features. the new cue and loop utilities in TP–7 adds the ability to define cue points for instant recall, takes, and flexible, creative looping.
full midi control.the TP–7 software update adds expanded midi modes for clock sync, control surface, and cue control, enabling tighter timing with other gear and hands-on control over any digital audio file.
bounce the track. another added feature of the TP–7 is its capacity to bounce your stems down to a single stereo file. as well as adding additional tracks to an existing file.



multi-language.whether you're a dentist capturing patient notes, a podcaster recording interviews, or an artist documenting your creative process, the TP–7 makes transcription in most languages effortless. just connect to the TP–7 app, choose your preferred language, and hit transcribe.
how to update:use our update utility or visit the downloads page and follow the steps to update your TP–7.

click here for a complete list of changes.click here for the updated user guide. 


TP–7
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EP sample tool
SEPTEMBER 6, 2024
our EP sample tool is your go-to for managing samples on both EP–133 K.O. II and EP–1320 medieval. it lets you freely move your samples and jump them to your mac or pc.
upload, download, delete, edit, and assign samples to pads in a snap. use your web browser and connect to your EP over usb, so you can take full control of your samples. 
let's rehash the steps for you, shall we?
step 1go to teenage.engineering/apps/ep-sample-tool and connect EP to your computer using usb-c, turn it on, and turn the volume up.
step 2once connected, the sample tool will show your sample library and be ready for use.
interface overviewwe'll be using the EP–133 K.O. II as an example, but please note that the functions of the buttons follows the exact same for EP medieval, too.
edit sound on the left main interface using 'in' and 'out' positions, access groups A-D, and use the 12 pads. the 'main' button lets you select a project.
use your cursor to click and drag. the lower section shows group and pad allocation, sample slot number, name, length, and the current loaded project.
 main interface, sample library 
this is the sample library with all the samples currently stored on your unit. the library hosts 999 sample slots, divided across ten tabs. feel free to move things around!

the orange dot tells you that the corresponding sample is assigned to a pad within the active project or and group. clicking it will activate the pad, double-clicking will highlight the sample
the top bar of the sample sees a pie chart and number, indicating the amount of space used, and specific mb.
use your cursor to interact with the sample list—click on the samples and tabs, or drag and drop. double-click a sample to quickly rename it.

step 4
assign samples to pads
drag and drop your samples from the library list onto a pad in orderto assign it.
DROP YOUR SAMPLES ACROSS ANY OF THE 12 PADS
step 5
edit samples
press (shift) and (sound) on your unit to enter sound edit mode. now press (minus)/(plus) until the display says 'tri' (trim). you can now use the (x) and (y) knobs on your unit to adjust the on screen ‘in’ and ‘out’ positions of your current sample.
USE ‘IN’ AND ‘OUT’ TO CUSTOMIZE YOURSAMPLE AND ADJUST IT AS YOU WISH
step 6
upload samples
upload your own samples to your unit by dragging and dropping your files from your computer to the sound library in your browser.
dropping multiple samples in the library will assign them to the first free library slots in the row they were dropped on. dropping more during an active upload will store them to the upload queue.

drop samples on an active group will upload all sounds to the library, and up to 12 samples will be assigned to pads in that group. dotted red border indicates which pads will be assigned.
spotted a green dot •? that means the sample successfully uploaded from the upload queue.
upload an import your own samples by drag & drop
step 7
download sample

download one or multiple samples to your computer by clicking the 'arrow down' icon on the sample row.
download one or mutiple samples to your computer
step 8
delete samples
delete one or multiple samples by clicking the 'X' icon on the sample row.
note: deleting will permanently remove samples from your unit, so make sure you have them backed up on your computer if you need them!
delete one or multiple samples by clicking the 'X' icon on the sample row
watch the full 'how to use' video below.
behind the scenes:the EP–1320 launchon gotland
AUGUST 15, 2024
last week, we traveled off to the remoteswedish island of gotland to unveil the EP–1320;our new pint-sized and portable medievalbeat machine.
ep–1320, the world's first medieval electronic instrument
we coincided the launch of the EP–1320 with the famed medieval week in gotland; an eight-day pageantry and celebration of the island's medieval history. historically accurate and imaginative in equal measure, visitors are invited to marvel at the well-preserved medieval architecture, chug down some locally brewed mead and watch the tower games – all decked out in their finest medieval garb.
the official teenage engineeringlaunch pad at the medieval fair
the festival also celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, marking it as the largest historical festival in swedish history. more than just a festival, medieval week is a study of history, a retrospective where people can revisit the relics of the past that are found everywhere.
initially founded as a research foundation focused on public education; medieval week is today a place people travel in their tens of thousands to visit the island, and learn about the magic that meanders every crack, and crevice of the city.

on the last day, the teenage engineering team took to the streets, parading the island in a synchronized performance. some, carried via horse and carriage, spent their time improvising a 45-minute track with the EP–1320. it's safe to say that we caught a resident's eye, or two.
the team, criss-crossing off thebeaten paths of visby, gotland
EP–1320 MID-ACTION, CARRIED via HORSE AND CARRIAGE
press play and follow the behind thescenes of our visit.
EP–1320 medieval
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we released TP–7 in may 2023, but the seed for the project actually started all the way back in 2018. in fact, TP–7 decided the physical form that the rest of the field series would take, even influencing the features on OB–4. to understand how it all came together, we spoke to some of the people who helped bring the TP–7 field recorder to life during various stages of its development.
guffe is head of mechanical engineering, involved in almost anything to do with mechanics here, tomas is the electrical engineer who has been responsible for the electronics and software on TP–7 from the very beginning, and marcus is the product owner overseeing the final stages of product development.

what was the original idea behind TP–7?
guffe: jesper had sketched a modular audio/studio system with numerous fantastic designs, which were quite different in style from what eventually became the final product, but definitely laid the foundation for what the field system would become. at some point, jesper and i, along with others at teenage engineering, discussed the idea of creating a new/modern nagra – a world-class portable audio recorder in terms of both sound quality and design.we began evaluating various form factors that felt magical, like a snus box, cigarette pack, soda can, etc. i built an mdf model based on one of jesper's sketches, and it is almost identical to the final design. over the years, the project went through many iterations internally, although the external design remained consistent throughout.
tomas: i started working on the first revision of the electronics for TP–7 back in april 2018. having recently worked on the raven r for baidu, we wanted to take the things we learned about motor control and bring it to a recording device. a lot of effort went into getting a responsive and intuitive feel using the reel. 
one of the intentions going in was that you had to be able to scratch on it. we started on TP–7 before deciding to motorize OB–4, so the only reason we could [make the OB–4 motorized wheel function] was due to the work we did on the TP–7 motor.

what were some of the hurdles you had to overcome when bridging the design with functionality?
guffe: creating a small premium product packed with mechanics, electronics, antennas, and more is always a demanding and time-consuming task. we have also worked hard to ensure repairability and ease of assembly, which significantly increases the complexity during the development stage.
it is important to note that this is not a high-volume product, so we have constantly had to invent new ways to solve problems. in contrast to a product sold in millions, where new manufacturing methods and machines can be developed to address issues, our approach had to be more innovative and resourceful.
for this particular product, i would say the biggest challenges have been the antenna (in-molded) and the three different plastics that are molded into the metal before it is cnc milled and surface treated. 

tomas: initially the idea was to use the same battery as OP–Z and an sd-card for storage, which required a stack of 7(!) different pcbs to fit everything in the correct position. but the battery life would have been too short, sd card performance too unpredictable and the antenna wasn't working well enough. so we eventually redesigned the electronics to what it looks like today, which also made it much easier to fit everything we wanted.
marcus: it’s also a challenge to make an intuitive user interface based on the tiny display and limited amount of buttons. with this product, we also tried to reach a broader crowd than usual which was its own challenge.
being a multi-track high resolution audio device, there were some tough demands on the system to handle a lot of data in realtime. then of course the spinning wheel with its motor and sensors adds a huge amount of complexity for all teams, requiring many hours of work to get the desired function.
guffe: to my knowledge, no one else has done what we have achieved!
TP–7
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how do you make a documentary about a prolific artist who has been working for over five decades, across multiple mediums, and holds an archive of over 500 hours of footage? director gary hustwit may have the answer.
GARY HUSTWIT AT A LIVE SCREENING OF ‘ENO’.
'eno' is the first documentary about the pioneering artist brian eno, and the first generative feature film. the narrative is structured at the whim of 'brain one', the proprietary generative software created by hustwit and digital artist, brendan dawes. using an algorithm trained on footage from eno's extensive archive and hustwit's interviews with eno, it pieces together a film that is unique at each viewing. as the order of scenes perpetually changes and what’s included is never certain, the version you see is the only time that iteration will exist."in some ways, the film is kind of like exploring the insides of his brain… it's different memories and ideas and experiences over the 50-yearplus time frame."
DIGITAL ARTIST BRENDAN DAWES AND HUSTWITGENERATING THE FILM LIVE.
according to hustwit, brian eno had no interest in making a biographical documentary "because they were always one person's version of another person's story. and he didn't wanna be anyone else's story."
"i started working with brendan dawes, the programmer and digital artist, and we built a demo version of the initial software using a lot of the footage, music and material from ‘rams’ (hustwit's previous film, scored by eno). 
i went back and i showed it to brian, maybe six months later, and he was just blown away by it. he just said, 'this is something that i've wanted to do for so long.' he obviously uses generative technology in his music and in his visual art, but he hadn't done anything with video, and this is sort of a combination of a generative art project and a traditional documentary."
how the software works is a combination of mapping the footage and coding a sense of narrative structure, "looking at scenes and different types of footage and using a taxonomy of what it's doing or representing. it's not just metadata, it's emotional data. and then you have to look at what makes an engaging film: there's a rhythm in the types of scenes and the connections between them, and there's a feeling of progression as you're watching the film."
'ENO' AND B–1 HAVING ITS LONDON PREMIERE AT THE BARBICAN.
given the current discussions around ai and its impact on artistry and authorship, creating a film reliant on the technology is a controversial but inevitable move. however, the software that hustwit and dawes have built may just hit the sweet spot where human meets machine; where the algorithm works to respect the material and facilitate an artistic vision.
"i always say it's artist's intelligence, it's not artificial intelligence. because we've programmed the system, it's not like we trained it on other people's films or something. we programmed it with our intelligence to do a very specific thing, which is to make this film but make it different, make it work from an editorial standpoint regardless of what individual footage and scenes get put in.
"he had 500 hours of footage in his archive that we got access to. you can't even get 1% of that into a normal film. so this approach was a way that we could dip into a lot of that material, or at least have it be in the mix somewhere… it's very good for dealing with huge amounts of information."
B–1 TAPE REELS AND CONTROLSGENERATING THE FILM FOR A LIVE SCREENING.
to accompany this one-of-a-kind viewing experience, we designed a hardware version of 'brain one'. B–1 is a deck with two spinning reels and controls: play, rewind, rec and generate; the latter being used to generate the sequences of the film, which can be seen on the screen in real time.
"people just freak out when they see it, everyone wants to know what it's doing, everyone wants to press the buttons, everybody wants to rock the reels."[B–1] is now this embodiment of the idea of a generative film. because there's never been a generative feature film before. there's never been a generative feature filmmaking machine before. so i think that both i and brendan, and everybody that we worked with at teenage engineering, just like those kinds of challenges."
you can see B–1 in action at a selection of the 'eno' live screening events this year, each audience viewing a one-off version of the film. "there's something kind of special about that. and i also think it's really important to get people back into theaters. this is a way to help that happen, to create a unique communal experience."
modern biology, aka tarun nayar, plugs into mushrooms and he wants us to listen. by sending a small electric current through mushrooms and plants (anything with a bioelectric pulse) he creates ambient soundscapes conducted by nature, inviting us to join him in paying attention to the life that is pulsing all around us.
TARUN NAYAR, AKA MODERN BIOLOGY(PHOTO BY JOHANNA ROBERTSON)
"this approach grew out of 'the secret life of plants', a seminal book from 1973. the first chapter focused on this guy called cleve backster, who was at the time the cia's top lie detector expert. he got to doing these crazy experiments with plants, where he basically was using lie detectors on plants to see if they could tell whether he was telling the truth or not. in a lie detector, you have this little sensor which basically allows your thumb to connect a circuit, and as you get nervous, as you lie, you get sweaty and the connectivity increases. so with the plants, all you're doing is placing the electrodes, with a tiny current running between them, and as that current jumps up and down due to natural bioelectric processes in the plant or the mushroom, that's when the notes go up and down."
nayar uses a device which converts these impedance changes into control voltage and gate signals that can be used as a generative source on a modular synthesizer. he then riffs off this randomized composition, running the notes through his synthesizers of choice, often an OP–1, adding effects to create ambient soundscapes.
WATCH AND LISTEN TO MODERN BIOLOGY CREATE MUSHROOM MUSIC WITH OP–1.
"[the sensor device] is something that you can build for 25 bucks. i'm using a 'scíon' at the moment, from a scottish synth company. i've been drawn to the way that these scottish guys have done it, i think it's the most elegant and musical interpretation, but you can build your own [sensor] with an arduino or araspberry pi."
nayar is just one in a field of like minded artists who have turned their attention to the natural world as a source of direct inspiration – the seed of which is often attributed to the demanhur foundation with the release of the record "music of the plants" in the 1970s. 
A MODERN BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP FEATURING OP–1 FIELD 
growing up playing indian classical music, nayar focussed on the tabla (wooden hand drums), which he played in the band 'delhi 2 dublin', before adding synths to the lineup. "i'd always been fascinated with synthesizers because they were like the easiest way to create harmony and melody for somebody who didn't play a melodic instrument."
"i was up on this little island north of [my home in] vancouver for most of the pandemic, surrounded by nature with all of my synths. one of my friends brought over… a plant bioelectricity converter, and we plugged it into the modular synthesizer."
already far down the road of generative synthesis, nayar connected his first plant, a salmonberry bush, and understood that he "could use the natural world as the source for generative information"
MODERN BIOLOGY IN STOCKHOLM(PHOTO BY BETSEY GUSMAN @BETSEYPH) 
since then, nayar has performed around the world in forests (what he calls "field trips"), and more conventional venues. he often begins by asking his audience to take in their surroundings and forage for a sound source.
when we join nayar on his field trip in stockholm, it's early spring so we are low on mushrooms, but flush with fresh foliage. he plugs into a cherry blossom, which he picked up in town earlier in the day, and it begins to pulse. what follows is a meditative experience that draws our attention to our bodies and the environment.
"i've chosen to do these events outside with silent disco style headphones,...there's something about the field trips itself with headphones, where you're outside in community, but you're sort of in your own zone, and it's really a prompt to connect with nature in a way that feels good for you."
"i think that there is this kind of ineffable magic that happens, and i think everyone's experience is quite personal."
MODERN BIOLOGY IN STOCKHOLM(PHOTO BY BETSEY GUSMAN @BETSEYPH) 
"i do appreciate the movement that i've seen at the moment amongst synth makers and designers, making stuff more portable, because i think that really opens [things] up… just being out in nature gives rise to a whole other set of creative possibilities, and having people thinking about that when they're designing instruments is very helpful."
out on our field trip, a few kids get up to facilitate the electrical circuit by holding hands, before a "mushroom tickler" is called upon to activate some energy in a stone morel mushroom (poisonous but they eat them in finland). nearby, a man stands in the middle of a clearing and faces the sun, catching the day's last light.
explore OP–1 
explore POM-400
one year ago we released CM–15 into the world; our tiny, portable, studio microphone with a large-diaphragm capsule, integrated audio converter, built-in preamp, 3.5 mm jack and a 48v phantom powered mini xlr. it was a lot to fit into a small frame – but we did it. all thanks to a dedicated team, including engineers alberto and marcus.
alberto: i'm a senior electronic engineer and i design and develop electronic systems for our products. my responsibility is often across the whole lifecycle from block schematics sketched to mass production. in the case of CM–15, since the r&d phase was so challenging and extended, i grew into being responsible for the whole product over time, together with marcus.
marcus: i'm a mechanical engineer and i’ve been involved with all the field products, including CM–15. the mechanical engineering process at teenage engineering is very experimental and iterative and often requires unusual solutions or customized parts in order to meet the design requirements. i have been involved in most of these projects from the early design to finally putting the parts on the factory floor and starting production.
can you tell us what the original idea for CM–15 was, and some of the inspirations?
alberto: the original idea was to create a portable microphone without compromising the quality you would normally get in studio settings, and one that completed the field mini series.
marcus: The CM–15 project was initiated as a crazy idea to make a microphone in the same size as the TP–7, which was the original product developed in the field series. the size and thickness was designed many years before, but the final form was heavily influenced by the field desk clamp system and many of our other internal designs. it was actually frankenstein-ed together from an early prototype of a speaker grille inspired by the OD-11 and a napkin sketch of a microphone.
what were some of the biggest challenges you had to overcome when bridging the design with functionality?
alberto: it's a long list! but first of all, power and power consumption. we had to deal with an externally provided 48V input that is considered "high" in consumer electronics, which has a limited current available. implementing the automatic power switching between this voltage and much smaller voltages like 5V from usb and 3.7V from the battery, and doing it efficiently enough, was the first challenge. 
the second challenge was size: we had to deal with huge resistances up to 500MOhm to provide a stable polarization voltage of 80V to the capsule, on a very dense pcb and with the aluminum enclosure in proximity. when your circuit functionality depends on such a big resistance, you have to consider elements like moisture, dust and residue. proximity can totally disrupt the system. another size-related issue was the limited space on the pcb that required a sophisticated high-density design with digital and analog sections separated from each other on a 55x20mm pcb, while keeping the noise level at 11dbA.
last but not least, acoustics: the sides of the CM–15 are quite thick, and that created some acoustic imperfections that we had to compensate for both with electronics equalization at the preamp stage, and at a mechanical level. the parallel sides of the case created a standing wave at around 7 kHz that we reduced by introducing a custom foam. this is part of how the sound of CM–15 came to be, from design limitations.
marcus: typically, microphones don't have any nearby walls to reflect incoming audio near the capsule as it can cause cancellation or amplification at certain frequencies. however, with some iteration and creative work, we were able to tame the effect to a more respectable level. as a plus, the resulting frequency response of the microphone works as a natural passive de-esser on vocals which gives our microphone a unique character that can be hard to obtain with other designs. 
with all that said, what were some of your favorite things about the project?
alberto: the friendship with marcus that grew from navigating international manufacturing challenges is for sure number one. then the satisfaction of bringing a product to life that we thought was impossible. and then there's everything i have learned about audio and the consumer electronics industry in general! i'm proud of the final product. it's a superior-sounding microphone, versatile as the whole field mini-series – it's timeless. i see it as a product with longevity, which is very important for me. 
marcus: i agree with alberto, i'm very glad that the final result is a timeless device that will work as a versatile companion for music creation for many years in the future. it's been great to work with alberto, he's become a close friend, and it’s clear to me now that you can do so much with a small team and a large dose of willpower! 
explore CM–15
explore tripod mini
last year our friends at modem, a design and innovation studio, conducted an audiovisual experiment with the OP–Z. now they're back with a new project for EP–133 K.O II.
inspired by our EP sample tool, they created a sample generator that turns text prompts into unique samples. feed a description of a feeling or sound to the sample generator and let the tool generate a unique sound. 
modem, together with bureau cool, have designed and engineered the sample generator using meta audiocraft's open-source audio model. an experiment aimed to merge traditional sampling techniques with technology.
the sample generator is available to use for a limited time. to give it a spin, this is how you do it:
step 1: generate samplessimply describe the sound you want to hear in text, from a "shredding guitar riff" to a "jazz flute solo" and let the sample generator transform your vision into audio.
step 2: transfer samplesdownload the auto generated samples as a .wav file and transfer them to the EP–133 K.O. II using the teenage engineering EP sample tool. 
step 3: make beatssequence your generated samples on the EP–133 K.O. II, tweak them to your liking, and start making beats.

explore the sample generatorlearn more about EP–133 K.O. II here
OP–1  is the evolution of the OP-1, injected with more than a decade of ideas, refinements and improvements. let's dive into just some of the 100 new features:
dimension synththe new subtractive synth engine creates the most lush, analog sounds you can get on this powerful little machine. get experimental and combine it with the lfo, it's a versatile synth for all kinds of sound design.

all new effectswith the new reverb effect, mother, you can create nostalgic pads and textures. terminal is a bit crusher effect with an anti-aliasing feature that gives you just the right amount of lo-fi goodness.

stereo functionalitywhile the original OP-1 was known for easy and fast sampling, OP–1  turns it up a notch with stereo sampling. stereo functionality brings more life and depth to your music. two channels = double the fun!

velocity sensitive keysvelocity sensitive keys turned OP–1  into an expressive instrument with dynamic playing power, especially drums. you can also use it with internal sequencers, and over external midi, when usingOP–1  as the main controller for other devices.

vocoderno more pedals. the vocoder update allows OP–1  to use any input source as a modulator. the audio input is passed through 20 filters with controllable bandwidth and formant shift. the carrier signal is a custom 7-oscillator polyphonic synth that goes from a single sawtooth to pure white noise.

four tape stylesOP–1  has four tape styles to choose from, each adding their own unique texture to your tracks: studio 4-track for clean studio recording, vintage 4-track for that warm, saturated 70s feel, porta 4-track gives a lo-fi, noisy sound, and disc mini is a purely digital compressed 90s sound.

fm transmissiontune into the radio, or send out to one. OP–1  has a built-in fm transmitter and receiver to sample from the radio directly through your OP–1 , or transmit audio to your OB–4 to use it as a studio monitor, or from the backseat to your car stereo.

explore all the 100 new features
OP–1 
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OP–1 club is a collective of musicians and producers based in mexico city who perform together with a bunch of OP–1s, and other teenage engineering gear, at events around the city and beyond. we caught up with orestes, bernardo, ferdi and sami to find out what OP–1 club is all about.
who are you and what do you do?orestes: i am a musician from venezuela living in mexico, mixing jazz, hiphop and traditional music from my country. i also work with many latin american artists and most of the time i'm on tour with many friends. i've made music for tv series like ''godfather of harlem'' and also for video games like ''ufc 5''. i've also collaborated with run the jewels, nick hook, danny ocean, akapellah, apache, micro tdh and neutro shorty. 
bernardo: i'm bernardo pérez, mexican musician, composer and producer. i have a solo project called 'real suabidad' and a two man band called 'bicho blanco'. i produce other people's music, i score short films, dance films and commercials. i also host a weekly radio show.
ferdi: i'm fer gonzález a.k.a mezcalibur, musician and producer from cdmx. i've been producing music for a while, currently finishing some tracks of my own. i’ve always been influenced by (mostly) heavy electronic music like breakcore, dubstep, jungle, uk garage, idm and obviously all the latin music subgenres that have been emerging these last few years, like moombathon, neoperreo, guaracha and reggaeton, to name a few.
sami: i'm sami mendoza, musician and producer from mexico. i play with different artists mostly hip hop, rnb and jazz music. 
OP–1 CLUB "AGUA VERDE" 
tell us about OP–1 club, when and why didyou start it?bernardo: it started formally some time during 2021. some of us had been getting together to jam only with teenage engineering gear. after a couple of times doing this it was clear there was great chemistry between us and a fascination with the possibilities these devices would allow. 
orestes: after several videos, there was one that went viral. i remember that many important musicians shared it, including timbaland, and that's when we decided to create the band. OP–1 club began as a project of ours but it really has a collective vision that over time will Include several visual artists, producers, creatives, and all lovers of teenage engineering, like us. i am very lucky to have a band with my favorite latin americans.
run us through what someone can expect from an OP–1 club event?orestes: the OP–1 club shows are incredible! the audience will listen to music created in the moment, which won't be repeated again. we all come to the shows with different sounds in our OP–1's and then during the show we decide by ''song'' or moment which instrument each one will play. for example, in the first song i play the drums, sami plays the keyboards, berni plays the melody, and ferdi plays the bass, somewhere along the way we pick a bpm and a key. for the second song we repeat the process, but we alternate instruments. 
during the shows we try to set it up so that the audience stand around us, so they can see everything up close. on the table we only have teenage engineering gear. we mainly use the OP–1 field but we also bring OP–Z's, the POM-400, various pocket operators, OB–4 for monitoring, and two TX–6 mixers. we also have guest rappers, singers and musicians for part of the performance. a common guest of ours for the shows is tino el pingüino, an incredible mexican rapper who has been close to the project since day one. 
what has happened in the time between starting it and where it is today?orestes: since we created the band, we have had several incredible concerts, and recorded many short videos, and just last year we got together for a couple of days to hang out and record our first studio album, which will be out around may. this year we hope to start a tour here in latin america and to be able to show our art to the whole world.
what are some of your favorite stories from your events?orestes: our first show we were expecting 50 people and about 400 showed up. we had a full house and many people didn't make it in. it was wild.
bernardo: i can't remember one specifically, but i've loved the times when, unexpectedly, rappers or singers or other musicians in the crowd have joined the jam and all of us together created something incredible in the moment that captivated us and the audience.
ferdi: every time we get together to play is different so it's kind of a mystery to know what is gonna come out of the set even if we have already pre-selected sounds or samples... i like to see the surprised faces in the audience when some strange or unexpected sound happens during the set. 
sami: for me, one of the things i like the most is the energy of the people and their reactions. since everything is happening in the moment, it becomes something spontaneous and full of surprises - you never know what is going to happen. that connects a lot with the audience because in the end they become part of the unexpected.
OP–1 CLUB LIVE @ HOUSE OF VANS, CDMX
a little while ago we spoke to raz fresco about his ''pocket operations II'' record. now with the evolution of the pocket operator released, EP–133 K.O. II, he's back at it - this time with dibiase on the beats. originally collaborating on ''secret wars'', "knockout" is their second collab and the first record to be produced entirely on K.O. II. we spoke to them to learn more about creating the album in record time, across time zones.
RAZ FRESCO
raz fresco: i knew about dibiase's production for years before we actually linked up. [when i was searching for new gear] i was watching a lot of videos of dibiase on the sp-404 doing his thing. it was inspiring cuz up until then i never really studied other workflows on other devices. so one day i tweeted out something along the lines of 'mannnnn, i would destroy some dibiase beats if i could' and he actually responded! so i hit him with a dm expressing my respect and that i wanted to work with him.
dibiase: a month later we created 'secret wars', and the rest is history (in the making). 
DIBIASE
since they met through twitter, the online beat community has formed a significant part of both of their creative processes.
dibiase: community has always been a vital part of my creative practice. it's a space where i can go to test out new ideas, and get honest feedback. connecting and building with other artists, watching and listening to how other producers approach things, being exposed to different perspectives has been a big part of my growth as an artist. shout out to project blowed, sketchbook, low end theory, boombox, big tune, beat cinema, supercard, flipabeatclub, sample mode, and my entire global community. there's too many folks to list. 
raz fresco: the beauty in it for me is that people are coming together to share their creativity with no ego. it's just about the music… i am all for that gathering of creative energy with pure intention. that's what draws me to the whole beat community. it represents the beauty and positive energy that can arise from people coming together and being constructive with their energy in a creative way as opposed to being destructive. 
KNOCKING OUT BEATS
with raz fresco based in toronto and dibiase in sacramento, it's not often these guys are in the same room. in fact, all their work together has all been done online, including "knockout".
dibiase: technology, especially over the last 5 years, has really changed the game for artists like us… it's super easy to collaborate with artists from anywhere in the world. the process between raz and i is usually pretty straightforward. i'll send him a new batch of beats and he turns it around super quick. we definitely feed off each other's energy. like myself, raz is a real master of his craft, which helps make the process run real smooth.
raz fresco: i feel we have both reached a particular degree of mastery in our respective crafts and trust each other's taste, so there's not a lot of discussion… subconsciously we both know we have to have a good spread of different sonic textures. 
we think alike in that way, we spoke about that while we were making ‘secret wars’. this time around, once i shared the idea of the theme it was clear what we had to do. knock em out! … i know my bars gotta hit hard and dibi knows the beats gotta knock. so we didn't do much talking. he sent the beats, i rapped and put it together then boom it was done.
DIBIASE ON EP–133 K.O. II
when digging into the process of creating "knockout", it wasn't much more complicated than putting an idea into action.
raz fresco: dibi sent me his first beat on the K.O. II (which ended up being the song 'break bread'). i heard it with my brother 'the 6th letter', so we immediately made the song. then it hit me, 'why don't me and dibi do a whole album on the K.O. II?'
i was already playing around with the idea and had just dropped my third pocket operator project. the K.O. II is the big brother to the pocket operator and in this beat community dibiase is like my big brother. he is the one that originally put me onto the pocket operator back when we were making 'secret wars'… so this time i thought, it's only right if we reconnect and he does the beats on the K.O. II.
dibiase: we're both big fans of teenage engineering and known for creating content using pocket operators. i've been cooking up with [teenage engineering] gear since the very beginning, so it just made sense. 
"KIMBO" FROM THE ALBUM "KNOCKOUT"
we know that we talk about EP–133 K.O. II having a fast workflow, but you guys, especially raz, have a habit of throwing down tracks faster than anyone we know. how do you do it?
dibiase: well, that's what you get when you combine creative genius with a solid work ethic. having new gadgets that inspire like the K.O. II also helps.
raz fresco: i honestly let the music speak to my soul and i just talk back honestly from my heart. it doesn't take that long to be yourself if you know yourself. so i'm just being me on the beat and expressing whati feel.
if the beat is dope, my mind starts working… i may be doing something else but the beat could make me start writing raps in my head, i can't stop if it moves me on an energetic level. i can see a painting (like the one i used for the cover of ‘knockout’) and get a whole album concept. i can hear one line and it inspires a whole verse. 
all the extra stuff happens in the background; like making my ideas rhyme and the nuances of melody here and there - these are just tools to express my idea. a good tradesman doesn't have to think about the tool anymore, he just thinks about what he is building and hammers away. in the same sense, i don’t think about the rhymes, i just think about what i want to say and i say it. 
"knockout" is available now exclusively via bkrsclb.com, along with a line of limited merchandise, along with a line of limited merchandise. follow raz fresco and dibiase for more.
"back in the autumn of 2007, four friends sharing a garage workshop, were unexpectedly approached by absolut vodka to create an art installation. a year later, after long nights of building and coding, it was ready – the absolut choir – a machine made out of 22 wooden dolls that sang in harmony."
- jesper kouthoofd
THE ORIGINAL CHOIR
11 years later we made them smaller and invited them into your homes, but getting there required a redesign and technical modifications, both in software and hardware. adapting the original code was our software engineer, linus åkesson.
SKETCHES OF THE ORIGINAL CHOIR
linus: "the songs in the dolls are public domain works, but they had to be transcribed to a machine-readable format, in this case a list of notes, syllables and timing information. for instance, if the printed score showed an eighth-note c followed by a sixteenth-note d-sharp, i would type in 'c8 d#16' and the lyrics had to be transcribed to a phonetic representation, where e.g. 'my tears' would be typed in as 'mai ti@rs'.
LINUS AND THE CHOIR
"whenever the dolls are singing, they also scan for nearby singers using bluetooth. they connect, synchronize their clocks, and collectively decide what song to sing. the songs are stored in a database inside each doll, and the lyrics are expressed phonetically. these phonemes are then converted to numbers representing muscle movements in a simulation of the vocal tract of a human being."
GISELA BEING FORMED
production manager, evelina lindström, led the production of choir, taking the new design through the manufacturing process, using some creative problem solving along the way.
evelina: "one of the biggest challenges was to make a user-friendly interface that is easy to understand, one that works with each different doll, and at the same time has that teenage engineering feeling. to get the correct feedback and response when using the dolls is key, so we worked really hard on finding the correct balance between functionality and technicality, doing a lot of testing and creating updates to the user interface during the entire development of choir."
PRODUCTION MANAGER, EVELINA LINDSTRÖM
linus: "we wanted to use as much of the original code as possible, to maintain the spirit of the "big" choir from the early days of the company. but this code was written for desktop computers, not small portable devices, so i had to jump through hoops and find creative ways to make the code run faster and use less memory. at an early stage of adaptation, we hadn't implemented the function to turn the dolls off, so when one of our electrical engineers brought some dolls to a test facility an hour away, the dolls were hollering for the entire trip."
GETTING THE HAND POLISHED TREATMENT
evelina: "working with wood, especially a product combining wood and electronics, is a bit special since both materials behave in different ways. luckily we have really skilled craftspeople working in our wood factory and they are always aiming to get details, like pairing the color and texture of the wood with the fitting of parts, as optimal as possible.
PRODUCTION MANAGER, EVELINA LINDSTRÖM
"one of the things i'm really happy about is that we managed to give each doll their own personality. they all differ in how, what and when they sing. like a real choir, they can also sometimes mess up and even misbehave at times, they’re fun features that make the product feel more alive and hopefully, keep the audience entertained. 
i'm also really happy that choir can be connected with OP–1 field and OP–Z, giving room for a lot of creative choir arrangements. i'm really looking forward to seeing and hearing what innovative arrangements people are going to create!"
WATCH CHOIR BEING CRAFTED IN THE FACTORY.
morgan ågren is a stockholm based drummer, one half of the band mats/morgan, and the creator of many OP–1 field drum samples.
we visited ågren at his home studio where he shared with us his approach to percussion, as well as his eclectic mix of instruments, and non-instruments.
ONE CORNER OF ÅGRENS HOME STUDIO
"i made a big bunch of kick drum sounds, bass drums, snare sounds and hi-hats – so big snares, small snares, big kick drums, dead-sounding drums with a lot of dampening, but also a few open, and some various cymbals and metal percussion. i've made, i don't know... hundreds of sounds."
the brief was simple: "trashy, lo-fi… small, percussive sounds, and it could be dirty, almost like low-resolution recordings, like low-bit." looking around ågrens studio, it's easy to understand why he was the guy for the job. it's packed with two drum kits, drums and cymbals of different sizes and finishes, random percussive objects and homemade instruments, as well as cheap guitars he uses as percussiveplay things.
HOW MORGAN ÅGREN PLAYS GUITAR
"i knew what [teenage engineering] was looking for, so i started to just record and record, and i sent a couple of hundred sounds."
if that wasn't enough, we asked ågren to record more metallic sounds, so he hit, smashed and crashed some cymbals and diy metal creations to find the right mix of trashy cymbals, creating some "cool, dry, open, and dirty, funky sounds."
PERCUSSIVE METALS
playing drums since school, ågren has essentially been playing drums his whole life. playing in "many, many bands" from the moment he moved to stockholm from the north of sweden in 1985, he "went to the academy, musikhögskolan, for one year" but never graduated. the simple reason being that he gained traction elsewhere, starting mats/morgan and playing with frank zappa and fleshquartet.
"but in the last 10 to 15 years it has been mainly my own band with keyboard player, mats, who loves OP–1 too!"
MATS/MORGAN IN THE 80'S
you can play morgan ågren's sample kit "apes are us" on OP–1 field – and as a special treat, we're also releasing 3 more of ågren's kits below: wknd raps, peace beats and fonky beats!
to transfer the kits to your device follow these steps:
  1. connect OP–1 field to your computer using usb.
  2. hold shift and press com, then press T4 to enable an mtp connection.

    (if you use macOS, you need to install field kit from
    the app store)

  3. download the drum kit to your computer and unpack it. drag and drop the drum kit folder from your computer to the drum folder in OP–1 field.
  4. when the transfer is complete press T4 again to eject OP–1 field. use drum mode and load your new sounds. enjoy!

click on the play button to preview kitclick the drum icons to download

drum kit:wknd raps
drum kit:fonky beats
drum kit:peace beats
the support team here at teenage engineering hq may be compact, but their work spreads far and wide. they are the ones who answer your burning questions, fix your gear, and pass on improvements and feature requests; they're the customer voice on the inside. 
''our main focus is replying to questions and requests, making sure we answer as quickly as possible. each day we also take care of repairs and returns. then we also have meetings with departments across the company which is our opportunity to share customer feedback.''
SPARE PARTS

one of the biggest parts of working in the support team is problem solving.
''the best problems are the ones that teach us something new and give us an opportunity to make an improvement.''
GIFTS, NOTES AND DRAWINGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
having such international and varied customers, we receive all kinds of requests, problems, even gifts, on a daily basis.
''as we deal with customers worldwide, it's interesting to see different approaches from different sides of the world, and some people aregenuinely funny''
''the creativity of people is mind blowing sometimes. we think we've seen it all, but people are coming up with crazy new setups all the time''
''we have a little display by our window of some nice notes and drawings people have sent us with their returns… big shout out to lionel in switzerland for the chocolates!''

THE SUPPORT TEAM
with so many messages coming in every day, you're bound to learn something new about our products and the people who operate them.
''there are some incredibly talented people writing to us and they really drive us to learn anddiscover more!''
artist and producer nosaj thing, aka jason chung, is an old friend. we met for the first time back in 2010 when OP-1 was revealed; chung was making beats on OP-1 for the ''make beats'' competition with stüssy, and his first album, drift, had just been released. today, he's past his fifth record and stopping by stockholm for a long awaited visit after playing sónar in barcelona.
NOSAJ THING
his latest record, continua, is chung's first big collaborative effort, and a leap out of his comfort zone.
"as someone that just started making beats in the bedroom… also being more introverted, it was a huge challenge for me to really step up as a producer and learn how to communicate with multiple personalities. this is also my first album with luckyme and dom who runs the label… i had like this dream list of artists i wanted to work with and he told me, ''hey, i hate to break it to you, but you're gonna have to send some dms.'' … i guess then i just understood that if you have this idea, you have this vision, and you want to work with someone, it is always going to mean more if you reach out directly. and a few of those were very difficult for me. i had drafts for a few weeks or even a month [before i sent them]. 
"i think everyone on the record were artists i was already listening to for several years, so it was almost like this was the cast in a movie i had in mind… so i just kind of already knew that it was going to work and fit."
NOSAJ THINGS STUDIO
chung's cinematic intentions are clear throughout "continua". calling on artists well-versed in the realm of ethereal composition like julianna barwick and duval timothy, to notorious mood setters like toro y moi and coby sey, chung and his supporting cast have released one of the most lowkey survival soundtracks of the past year.
this collaborative approach flowed from the studio to the records visual language, working with creative director eric hu, and calling in photographers phil nisco and donovan novotny for the music videos. the  blueprint emerged from his production process, one that has always been inspired by moving image.
"last year, we saw this film called 'memoria', and of course 'koyaanisqatsi'. i played that film a lot during this record, and i was just like, 'this movie came out in early 80s. what's our version? what can we do?' donovan is such a talented photographer, i just told him 'hey, just make video stills of what you do already.' he was just so hyped on that idea."
WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEOS FROM "CONTINUA".
these videos also formed the basis of nosaj thing's new live set design, developed with japanese artist, daito manabe, for this years sónar festival.
"since my first album… i would always write music with the tv on mute. it's just always been my thing. [i put on] whatever i like to watch and just use that as inspiration.
"i guess for me, whenever i'm creating a new idea of music, images just come into my head. but i think also just being in the day and age of information overload, maybe it just helps me not look at anything else. you know what i mean? in a weird way, it just helps me focus, just like putting on more of a slow film.
"i really love static shots….that's been a huge inspiration on the most current live show. it was something i wanted to see. usually when you see tour visuals, most of the time just fast moving, so just to see something just more like a static image or video, it's just refreshing to me."
NOSAJ THING AND DAITO MANABE AT SÓNAR FESTIVAL THIS YEAR.
alexander wessely has worked with some of the worlds biggest artists. from the weeknd, rihanna and drake, to 070 shake, swedish house mafia and avicii, the multimedia artist has had a front row seat to the phenomenon of idol worship. this experience, directly observing the hyperreality of celebrity, is what has shaped the concept of his latest exhibition. 
ALEXANDER WESSELY
"kortex" is wessely's most extensive solo exhibition yet. showing at stockholm's fotografiska museum, he attempts to "remove the outer shell, showing the core and the essence of the human underneath, in their most fragile state" through marble sculptures, video and light installations, soundscapes, and 3D photography.
"i started working with all these physical marble sculptures four years ago, it's sort of the final stage of a 10 year chapter. the whole theme of 'kortex', which is bark or the outer layer in old greek or latin, came very organically after working with artists on a high level. creating sculptures, set design, scenography, creative direction, and sort of creating the worlds around these artists. the fans and admirers in the crowd, they have this godlike type approach to this person who is just a fellow human. they adore this person, but what they actually adore and obsess about is a shell that's added onto that person. it's the shell and the persona… that's why the marble, which is a very hard material but extremely fragile at the same time, symbolizes us as humans very well."
WESSELY'S MARBLE SCULPTURES
the exhibition is dark, the marble figures dissected and raw. a rolling drone sounds in the distance as a murmur of a voice becomes louder upon approach. one of the pieces in the exhibition is a poem written and read by 070 shake, playing out of an OD-11 subtly encased inside a hollow marble pillar.
OD-11 IN MARBLE
"our collaboration goes back four years. from our first sort of sit down, i was inspired by [070 shake] and her vision and her mentality… she's like all feels, all the way. she's so curious and well rounded.
when i showed her this work, which is called 'humans', she was very inspired. and she started talking about us being born naked and how when we die you won't be able to tell the difference between us… when she started talking about it i was like, 'okay, stop, i need to record this!' and so we recorded this very genuinely on the phone. it's not scripted or anything, she was just talking as she looked at it. and it's sort of a comment on the exhibition theme, but also a conversation with herself being dani and herself now also being 070 shake."
you can experience wessely's exhibition "kortex" at fotografiska in stockholm, now showing until september 17.
learn more about OD-11 here
we sat down with our friend raz fresco last week on the release day of "pocket operations II: forty seconds only", his second record filled with tracks made exclusively with PO-33 K.O.!
"i'm raz fresco, mr. marvelous himself. i'm reporting live from 'the bakery' here in downtown toronto, canada. i'm a rapper, producer, photographer, and work with videos. long story short, i'm a renaissance man."
RAZ FRESCO WITH HIS PO-33 K.O.!
fresco's history with the PO-33 isn't particularly long, but it is prolific. in the search for new gear after his akai mpd broke in 2021, he found the missing piece in his production workflow. "i was like 'yo, i can make beats on the go?' cos' before i was tied to my computer for my whole life as a producer."
today, PO-33 is a mainstay in his production setup and at the nexus of his "pocket operations" project.
"there've been times where i've brought it to the record shop when i'm digging for records and i can sample there, right away on the spot."
FRESCO'S PO CASE IS FROM BEAT MAKER'S BOUTIQUE
taking his PO-33 from record stores to walks by the lake, fresco's hyper-curiosity found satisfaction in the creative possibilities of the tiny sampler, a mindset that finds itself at home within a legacy of beatmakers throughout history, including his own uncle.
"my uncle is in the reggae hall of fame, his name is earl zero. so i'm directly tied into the early dub scene… and that scene was revolutionary in the sense that they made the electronics an instrument. that's part of my dna as far as building your own sound."
from mozart to dilla, music has always been a reflection of its time - the machines, architecture and cultural movements of the moment all locked in a tennis match of influence. being a student of hip hop, this knowledge only reinforces fresco's determination to be a part of the conversation.
PO-33 K.O.! IN FRESCO'S FAVORITE CASES
"in the timeline of hip hop, certain pieces of equipment came out and like they've been so substantial… there's a point where there was just a turntable and then all of a sudden there were two! then the mpcs and sp 1200s came out in the 90s. there are producers that are associated with these machines because their understanding of sound and their usage of them revolutionized hip hop.
in the 2000s, around the time ‘madvillainy’ and these things dropped, they had the roland sp 404 and the first 303… they're like, 'yo, this equipment has a different workflow!' it activates your mind to work differently.
[the pocket operator] is another step in the evolution… i just wanted to be one of the people on the timeline too because i see it and i know that this is a moment. i wanted to capture the moment and show the system was upgraded."
LISTEN TO "POCKET OPERATIONS", THE PRECURSOR TO "POCKET OPERATIONS II"
check out raz fresco latest album "pocket operations II: forty seconds only" here
explore PO-33 here
last week, a teenage engineering remix of the song "overswum" by the swedish prog band hög sjö was released, created by teenage engeering's own jonas and josefine, recorded at pontus winnbergs studio skolhaus.
the creative process behind the remix involved experimenting with super collider to generate a random structure of the piece. the intention was to break away from traditional song structures and create something unpredictable and dynamic. the synthesized voices of the teenage engineering choir were added to create an otherworldly atmosphere in the music.
OP–1 FIELD AND THE TEENAGE ENGINEERING CHOIR
the project was an experiment to see how the ideas and processes of product development could be translated into music creation.
“the idea behind the remix was to create something that sounded like a half-broken toy were the gears sometimes would shift into place and create coherent music and sometimes just output stumbling tones and rythms”
after creating the super collider soundscape we went to the skolhaus studio and recorded the teenage engineering choir along with more organic sounds like rhodes and old synthesizers.
PATRIK BERGER
hög sjö is the artist moniker of the esteemed swedish producer, musician and songwriter patrik berger. his album with the same name was released earlier this year. 
listen to the song here
recently, producer nick hook and visual creator laurel romero were in town and swung by teenage engineering hq. playing around with some of our recent, and upcoming releases, laurel showed us how she’s been using TX–6 to live mix her visuals. using an ableton plug-in (‘rokvid’ in this case), she turned the multi-channel mixer into a midi controller, assigning different parameters to different channels. this allowed her to spontaneously mix her footage with a range of effects, allowing for free-flowing, one-off collaborations with nick during live performances.
“nick and i wanted to discover a way to unite our art. we made several attempts to record, edit… but i felt that we were missing something. we needed to complement the project… then nick introduced me to the mixer, and an ableton plugin that would allow me to use it as a midi controller. i started exploring with videos that i had and it turns out that it was wonderful. it was exactly what i had been searching for.”
LAUREL ROMERO
using the mixer as a midi controller was only the beginning of romero’s deep dive into how she can create unique visuals in the moment.
“with the mixer, i have many options to move, control, raise, lower. so i think the task is to discover what other programs i can use, what can allow me to create more things? how can you use each button of the mixer and be able to suddenly combine two programs, as well as two screens, and be able to do it directly with the mixer. i don't know how many doors of creativity [are available]”
ROMERO LIVE MIXING VISUALS WITH NICK HOOK ON MUSIC
“something important that i learned on my path, working hand-in-hand with nick, is how to connect with people, and the tools play a part in that. the people that i’ve connected with have seen what i’m doing, and understand that it’s possible for them to do it too. you don’t need to be an expert, the tools can be any kind of gear, but [the mixer] has allowed me to connect with people who are interested in learning how i use it.”
explore TX–6 here
if you run through the drum sounds on OP–1 field, you’ll find ‘classix’, ‘minimo’, ‘grits’ and ‘vinyl’ - all created by our friends at samples from mars. started by producer, engineer and dj, teddy stuart, they’re a sample label based in nyc focused on bringing vintage and rare electronic instruments to your daw.
RECORDING RIM SHOTS IN THE STUDIO
“my team and i focus on capturing old drum machines, samplers, synthesizers and acoustic drums, and processing them through gear that excites us, like consoles, tape machines, and pressing our own vinyl.”
SAMPLING DIFFERENT PERCUSSION SOUNDS
teddy has been playing guitar since he could form a c chord, but it was getting involved in music production that prompted a permanent shift in focus towards hip hop. he began expressing himself “in more sonic ways, by making beats and designing sounds. at the time, everything was done on a VS-880 multi-track and an SP-202, by playing drums, guitar and bass parts by hand.”
MIXING THE SOUNDS TO PREPARE THEM FOR PRESSING
jump to 2013. samples from mars is established with a goal of sharing “the history of these iconic (and sometimes forgotten) pieces of gear, their role in music, how we go about using them, and what that might mean for your music.” their unique and textured samples created from analog equipment was the key to crafting the vinyl drum kit for OP–1 field.
CUTTING ONTO VINYL
“we began by recording acoustic drum hits and sounds from some of our favorite drum machines. then we pressed that onto vinyl, and sampled the results cleanly in a mastering studio. after that, we scratched the record, to produce various sonic artifacts, and recorded more samples, processing them with eqs and compressors on the way in. finally, we grouped the sounds into kits that played well together and popped them on the OP–1 field.”
FROM PRODUCTION TO DESTRUCTION, THE SEARCH 
FOR THE PERFECT SONIC ARTEFACTS FOR VINYL DRUM KIT
this attraction to raw and low-fi sound was how we first came to teddy’s attention, pocket operators were the gateway.
“i was blown away by how gritty the sound was (uncommon for modern gear), and the innovative FX sequencing, form factor and low price was all very compelling. then, we made a sample pack out of it!”
so how does it feel to create sounds that can inspire someone elses creative expression? “it’s the best part of the job! ...i’m most excited seeing music interact with the world around me.”

explore OP–1 field here
OP–1 field
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field desk is a space truss constructed from recycled aluminum and assembled with a double-sided formica birch plywood desktop. a part of our field rail system, it’s not our first time creating furniture, but it is the first range available directly from our store. it is also used by us every day, starting as our very own in-house workspace solution.
EARLY SKETCHES
“field desk is a part of ‘field rail system’ - a construction system that allows us to build whatever furniture we need, without any compromises, an opportunity to create our office environment exactly how we wanted it. we created with portability in mind, wanting a system of products that would be easy to move location when needed, evolving with its environment as the context changed.”
christoffer is the lead designer on the project, taking over the original plans from our head of design, jesper, and head of mechanical engineering, guffe.
CHRISTOFFER OHLANDER
“guffe created the core parts of the rail system, inspired by his background in camera rigging. the many fixing points on a rig allow for lots of different accessories and customizations.
“we are an office with lots of people doing different jobs with different needs, from desk work to creating production jigs and making prototypes. the rail system allows for a range of add-ons using m5 screws, which you’ll see soon, but it also allows for your personal creations to be attached.”
FIELD DESK AT TEENAGE ENGINEERING HQ
with the purpose of the system laid out, the opportunity to experiment with materials and production followed. in the current climate, both literally and figuratively, we were looking to produce locally with durable materials.
“when i was working on the final iteration, we had the goal of bringing production to sweden. we were offered to use CIRCAL, recycled engineering grade aluminum, from our manufacturer Hydro. this quickly became the obvious choice for the extrusion rail system. the table top is birch plywood at the core, and formica laminated on both sides so it can be flipped over if ever worn down.”
FIELD RAIL SYSTEM
field desk and rail system is our very own everyday workspace. since we liked it so much, we thought you might too.
explore field desk here
a chat with kenny beats
february 23, 2023
over the last three years, los angeles based producer kenny beats has balanced back-to-back studio sessions with an unavoidable online presence, maintaining his youtube channel (the cave), twitch live streams (beat battle), and discord community, using the platforms to pull back the curtain on his production process. now with his debut album out, it’s time to switch up the pace, “a couple years ago it was two sessions every single day… so now i’m trying to make a little more time for dog walks and family and friends.”
we doubled down on collabs with kenny this month to coincide with his last ever beat battle and the limited edition LOUIE PO-33, the latter celebrating the release of his debut album. “there was so much talent that it just spun out of control, and you guys were a part of some of our very early battles. so to wrap it up and have my final battle be with teenage engineering, it's crazy, because i never saw past the first few we did.”

kenny’s work is a result of obsession. he possesses an enviable ability to identify artists, tracks ids, compositional idiosyncrasies, and rare gear on demand - all the while, sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge with a growing audience of aspiring musicians and seasoned pros alike. while he’s worked with the likes of vince staples, idles, denzel curry and rico nasty, his career can only be discussed with reverence to the community that he has nurtured from day one.
“that's the most important thing, more than a platinum record, more than any accolades you get… making a couple of 100 people inspired enough to start playing an instrument or start songwriting or whatever it is, that'll actually change someone's life. me getting a trophy doesn't really do much for anybody.”

kenny first used OP-1 in the studio on “trina” by smino, but it might be surprising to some that teenage engineering choir has been the kind of creative disruption he’s always looking for.
“i put the choir all around the room and played my OP–1 with it the first couple days, then i started realizing… i've never been able to pick and choose where I'm placing every single note around the studio as I'm playing a chord. there's stuff I'm using from you guys right now that I'm having trouble replicating in recorded music. just to be having conundrums like that in the studio, that's not something that happens often, you know. i just like things that spark a different part of my brain. I'm always worried that I'm going in circles, creating too many rules for myself, so if someone helps me break a rule, I'm in.
“...if anyone reading this has ever watched hainbach on youtube, or anything like that; these are the kind of random gadgets that are coming up in songs with hit writers, and are making people excited in rooms where everybody's used to sitting at a rhodes or a piano or guitar or with somebody making a beat on a daw in front of them… are they real music things? or not? what is a real music thing? but whenever i put something in my studio and it looks weird, or someone doesn't know what it is, everybody who makes a lot of music gravitates towards that because they've seen everything else… things that might seem goofy or funny or a novelty thing, can end up being in a very, very serious piece of music.”

when it came to collaborating, it was simply a question of what and when. then with kenny releasing his debut album on xl records, the vision of what that could look like became a little clearer. 
“[the LOUIE PO-33] is the only place where i’ve given away sounds from my record. i've never shown anyone what i’ve used, i've never talked about what samples i’ve programmed with and i've never put out a sample pack… so people got to, for the first time, decode a little bit of what I've been using.
“these collaborations are rooted in that feeling that we both have of giving someone that gift of going from, ‘I'm a huge fan of music’ to ‘i make music’. that is a life-changing thing.”
explore PO-33 here
OP–1  update:vocoder
JANUARY 12, 2023
OP–1 field, now with vocoder! the vo(ice)(en)coder revolutionized music since it's introduction to the world by homer dudley at bell labs in 1938. designed to analyze and synthesize the human voice, iconic artists have employed the device throughout the years to make their synthesizers sing, from wendy carlos and bob moog, to kraftwerk, herbie hancock, beastie boys, tupac, daft punk, and countless others. now it's your turn.
OUR FAVORITE SCIENTISTS MICKE REUTER & MIKAEL ERICSSON 
ARE BACK AT IT DOING IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR OP–1 FIELD VOCODER
how to installnow you too can try this effect, by downloading and installing the new free firmware update for OP–1 field.
  1. download and install the firmware
  2. press synth
  3. hold shift and press any sound slot key 1–8
  4. load vocoder


operationwith the vocoder active, press mic to select the input source. this is the input for the voice, the modulator, and you can use any input source, such as the built-in microphone, a headset or even the radio or usb. after you've selected your input source, speak and play notes on the musical keyboard. you should now hear your OP–1 field burst into beautiful singing.
in the OP–1 field vocoder, the audio input (the modulator/your voice) is passed through a bank of 20 filters with controllable bandwidth and formant shift. the carrier signal is built-in: a custom 7-oscillator polyphonic synth that goes from a single sawtooth to pure white noise. as always, everything is fully real-time and modulate-able. the controls at your hand are as follows:
  • blue is a one knob synth engine
  • ochre is formant shift
  • gray is number of bands
  • orange controls the dry/wet mix


download the latest firmware here.
TUTORIAL ON HOW TO USE THE VOCODER
OP–1 field
M-1


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