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Comment by tenaciousDaniel | Hacker News Reader

I randomly came across the OP-1 on Youtube a few months ago and was blown away. Keep in mind that I know next to nothing about music, so I don't know how the OP-1 compares against other tools of its kind. But still, it seemed like an incredibly cool gadget and made me want to experiment with making digital music.

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Same, I haven't touched playing music in maybe 20 years but the OP-1 and their pocket operators are really fun just to mess around with.

Two or three connected Volcas are a great start into making music with hardware as well, so much fun.

I went with an Uno Synth, it's a bit larger but in the same price range and target audience as the Volca line and it has a lot more functionality.

Teenage Engineering also makes a little device called the PO-33, which gives you the sampling capability of the OP-1 in a much smaller (and much cheaper) form factor. Check it out if this stuff interests you.

The PO-33 is clearly nowhere near as powerful as the OP-1. That said: they are great fun to mess around with. My current favorite is the PO-20.

Only mono, limited sync options etc.

I had a bunch of pocket operators so don't get me wrong they're neat devices and an interesting start into music and sequencing but overall I don't think it provides the same abilities

I do like my op-z although I wish it was built a little better and that the iPad app (or another function key) let you zoom in on The sequencer so you could do longer sequences in something other than live record.

Still an amazing device. I can sit down and have a sketch down in a few minutes which is something I could never say about my desktop daw

Roland MV-1 is 100 times better.

This is the kind of info I'm interested in. It's hard to know how it compares from my POV because the whole digital music world seems overwhelming and I wouldn't even know where to begin. Thanks!

The Roland MV-1 could be an intuitive, creative, flexible device, but a 16x2 LCD? How does that compare against the OP-1's beautiful, animated OLED display?

They recently updated it to allow you to use an iOS or Android device as an external display: https://www.roland.com/us/support/knowledge_base/36005866483...

Clunkier than a device with a proper screen, but the same approach the OP-Z uses (though I think it can use bluetooth to connect instead of a cable).

Whoah this looks awesome. The sequence arrangement looks especially cool. I love the OP-Z, but it’s sound engine is limiting and it’s tricky to create full arrangements. I might have to take a closer look at the MV-1.

I wouldn't even say they are particularly comparable.

I have an OP-1 and the killer features for me are _extreme_ portability, like even more than my laptop, and the best battery life of any device I have ever owned. I have it with me at almost all times, and I can bust it out and start playing basically whenever. I use it at the beach, on hikes, in cafes, wherever. There's no way I'd be lugging an MV-1 around with me in those circumstances.

I also do like that the OP-1 forces a "keep moving" workflow with it's stripped down synth engines and 4 track recorder. People criticize that, but if I wanted a device with tons of tracks and unlimited sounds I would just use my laptop.

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