op-z
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Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z companion app is now available on Android
When it came out earlier this year, there was one small omission to the otherwise excellent package that was Teenage Engineering's diminutive but powerful OP-Z synth: you couldn't use its handy companion app if you had an Android phone. Nine months after the fact, the company has addressed that issue with a new beta release that you can download from the Google Play Store.
Teenage Engineering's 'rumble' module puts haptic bass in the OP-Z
When I reviewed the OP-Z from Teenage Engineering, I was most curious about the expansion port. The diminutive portable synth and sequencer already packed a lot of musical power into a small box. The fact it could be further expanded was exciting. Today we're seeing one such example, with the announcement of the "rumble" module. As the name suggests, the rumble module ($89) adds haptic feedback to the OP-Z, courtesy of a collaboration with Lofelt (of Basslet fame). At its most basic, rumble endows the OP-Z ($599) with a silent, vibrating metronome. Slot the module in, and you can feel the tempo, rather than hear it with the typical (and annoying) shrill "beep."
Teenage Engineering OP-Z review: Small synth, big dreams
Read the fucking manual. It's pejorative advice usually dispensed to someone struggling to find an answer — one typically available to them with minimal effort. The OP-Z from Teenage Engineering doesn't ship with a full manual (though there is one online). But even if you read that thing from top to bottom, twice, I bet you still wouldn't know everything this magical box of secrets has to offer. It's a mind-bendingly complex, yet hysterically fun mini-studio that keeps on giving. And at $600, it's not crazy expensive, so you're probably going to get more than your money's worth.
Teenage Engineering's OP-Z synth finally goes on sale in October
We got our first look at Teenage Engineering's next synthesizer in early 2017, and now the company is gearing up to finally ship the portable instrument/control center. The OP-Z is set to go on sale next month, but the company didn't include pricing info in its availability announcement this week. However, pro audio retailer Sweetwater has the OP-Z listed at $599. As a refresher, the compact synth offers a 16-track sequencer that enables live composition of audio, visuals and lights at the same time. Teenage Engineering says this is the first device with that skill set.
