Last month, Sweden's Teenage Engineering launched the first in a new line of portable audio products, the gorgeous but expensive TX-6 mixer. Now the company has revealed the second member of the field family, a modern reworking of its iconic OP-1 pocket synth.
The original OP-1 portable synthesizer, sampler and controller made its debut just over a decade ago, and this new flavor is reported to be a natural evolution of that model – rocking an "updated design with the latest technology, and finely tuned with professional musicians, recording artists and sound designers in mind."
Teenage Engineering says that the OP-1 field has been treated to a hundred new features, including a new thinner body with a floating keyboard and Velcro back fasteners that measures 28.8 x 10.2 x 2.9 cm (11.3 x 4 x 1.14 in). Also new is the Dimension synth engine, there are 20 fresh synth patches and a bunch of cooked-in drum kits too.
The whole signal chain has been updated to 32-bit audio and the FM antenna can now both receive and transmit. A new reverb effect has been added along with stereo synth and drum sample engines and more than 160 minutes of storage for samples. And a high resolution display that's flush with the synth's anodized aluminum body shows the user what's going via completely reworked graphics.
Teenage Engineering has included a more powerful onboard speaker with passive radiator, though there is a headphone jack for private listening, connectivity gets updated to USB-C and Bluetooth MIDI, and battery life is boosted to 24 hours. Other updates of note include an external velocity LFO, a better microphone, improved equalization and multiple "tapes," styles and recording formats, with stereo mixdown available.
The overall color scheme has been revised to match the new field aesthetic that debuted in the TX-6 mixer. The OP-1 field is on sale now for US$1,999. The video below has more.
Product page: OP-1 field