Let me preface this review by getting the following out of the way:
- Yes, I could do all the things I’ll talk about on a laptop, tablet, or even a phone.
- Even on sale, it’s pricey. I could have bought a MIDI keyboard, audio interface, microphone, and a guitar amp (and let’s face it – probably a guitar as well) for less than the cost of an OP-1 Field.
- It doesn’t entirely replace the need for those things.
So who is it for?
Can you play a keyboard in real time? Do you need something that isn't your computer? Then… maybe?
Think Steam Deck for pick-up-and-play versatility, and Fuji X100VI in terms of value for money. It's by no means a no-brainer. If you don’t already have a MacBook, I’d definitely recommend getting one of those first for music production.
But despite all that – as someone who was very much on the fence about getting one – I'm keeping it.
Musical history
I’m a singer and guitarist and have played in bands since high school, so I’ve dabbled with various DAWs and recording tools over the years. Recently, I’ve mostly used GarageBand to put ideas together.
A few years ago I taught myself how to play simple chords and melodies on the piano, so feel fairly comfortable on a keyboard.
Screen time
With a young family at home, there’s not much spare time for, well, basically anything. Music is usually limited to a quick noodle on the guitar or playing some covers.
But when it comes to songwriting—if I come up with a melody or chord structure I want to develop—getting it down in GarageBand feels like a chore. I need to hook up a mic, start a new project, set up sections, and get everything in place before I can even think about the music. Plus, I’m on my laptop, which means distractions: emails, tasks, and to-dos.
To solve this, I initially bought a Shure mic that connects directly to an iPhone via the Lightning connector. I thought it would make capturing ideas quicker and more focused. But somehow, that never really clicked either. I’d end up with scratchy guitar recordings, and trying to shape them into proper songs involved frustrating MIDI editing on a tiny touchscreen. Also, it turns out phones aren’t exactly distraction-free either.
TE-curious
I bought two Pocket Operators a few years back for family members and have kept an eye on TE gear ever since. The OP-1 Field seemed intriguing but I dismissed it as primarily a synth and not really designed what I was looking for. Plus too expensive to buy on a whim.
Then along comes the ‘name-your-own-price-as-long-as-it’s-over-€1399’ sale…
Immediate songwriting “productivity”
You can instantly start noodling around on it. And if something sounds like a keeper, recording it is just a few button presses away. Instant, zero fuss, unforgiving, occasionally frustrating, but… good enough.
My process so far has usually involved starting with a base texture from the synth and then adding some guitar bits and vocals to work out a verse or chorus.
It’s an incredibly fun and quite liberating way to approach songwriting and I’m really enjoying it. It's a super quick way to capture song ideas or riffs without much effort or preparation.
Frustrating flaws
The limitations are part of the purported charm, but some are just annoying.
- The lack of undo is annoying when you accidentally record over the wrong track
- When you cut and paste (“lift and drop” in OP-1 parlance) pieces of your track, it's a bit fiddly to make it seamless – a cross-fade option or more accurate editing would go a long way to making that easier
- There's no (straightforward) way to add effects to an external vocal or guitar being recorded without just using the master track effect (there are some workarounds with the new vocoder synth but it would be amazing to have this by default)
Quick tips
- The default "naked" synth engines (Shift + T1) feel a bit sparse at first. Hit Shift+1 (In) to access all the presets available for each engine which will give you a much better idea of what you can accomplish with the various parameters
- Hit shift and try out all the keys to find features strewn all over the interface
- If you have a USB mic, it'll probably work! My Shure MV51 microphone simply worked as an input
- You'll need to install the TE "Field Kit" app from the Mac App Store to access your projects on macOS using the MTP protocol – otherwise you only see part of the storage containing custom samples
- MTP support is also lacking on iOS, which is why you can't access your files on iPhone or iPad – boo! (seems like such a strange decision – you can let Teenage Engineering know via their feature request form)
Verdict
There's a lot of reasons not to buy one, but it's really good fun. If it fits your workflow and musical process, after about a week and a half I can say I've really enjoyed the OP-1 Field.
Demos
(Be gentle, these are some quick ideas, one with some very obvious editing glitches – but hey, that's part of the charm right?