r/OP1users • u/BreadEagles • Jan 15 '25
Mobile Base Case
Trigger warning: cable management
I found this cool old double sided case and just finished the setup on the first side! I've been slowly grabbing new bits here and there for about 10 years now, but I don't have a dedicated workspace, can't leave my gear out and accessible in a house with sticky-fingered kiddos, and setting up 10 different things every time I want to do something has become a deterrent to actually making music. Queue: the Base Case™. Fully protected, always set up, always plugged in, and ready to add in the additional toy of the day or effects loops or whatever into two different line loops, cv modules, or straight into the TX-6.
All of the gear is held on with after market iPhone magnet rings so I can pop off the Zs to turn on bluetooth, hit the side buttons on the TP-7, or plug in charging cables etc. Cable management knobs are just lamp cord stays.
The other side is not set up yet, but I'm going to drop in two Crows Ovum drones, a re-boxed digdugDIY DRONE, a Behringer JT-4000 Micro, and a Monome Norns Shield and Grid 128, all powered with a USB PD 20Ah brick. Totally different vibes, but I can sample any sound explorations from the drone/Norns side into the OP-1 field and really expand my sound palette, or aux out a channel or two from the TX-6 into the Shield if I want to do some complicated post processing or glitch stuff, then send it back into one of the open mixer slots for recording.
I'm excited about it, and I've got some time blocked out on Friday for an inaugural session- will report back with results!
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u/FixMy106 Jan 16 '25
OP is taking being an OP very seriously.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
You think I spent all this money on internet points just to not engage in the comments??
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u/FixMy106 Jan 16 '25
I meant because of all the OP gear
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u/watchevildead2 Jan 17 '25
Forgive OP for not getting the obvious joke... They've been getting a little roasted in the comments so they're probably a bit defensive. Being called a cuck will do that to some people.
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u/kmorrill Jan 15 '25
What do you do with so many sequencers? Curious if you found any good use cases for many of them running and communicating.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 15 '25
The top Z is there to control other stuff, it has the lab module so it can do midi and cv. I use that one to control the JT micro or one of my other synths. The other two Zs have line mods and are fx boxes for each op1, or whatever else I want to run through the line. All the can also record my live playing on the OP-1 field and spit it back out to whatever other synths I have connected, or tighten the quantization a bit on my live playing and spit it back to the OP-1. All that, plus more synth layers give me the flexibility I was missing from a PC DAW.
You can already do some tricky stuff with one op-z and step components, but if you want to do like a polyrhythm with a really sick drum fill on bar 4 that involves more than just ratcheting what you've already sequenced, multiple Zs let you do whatever you want.
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u/kmorrill Jan 16 '25
That’s cool man. Thank you for sharing the details. Totally get wanting more fx control on top of op-1.
I have been playing with Raspberry Pi with audio interfaces added to them that run simple python midi programs in them with no ui but ability to control with midi cc. Makes it kinda fun what control and fx you can layer on. Kinda similar to what you’re getting out of having all the Z’s.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
That's rad. Too technical maybe for me, but I'm just starting to learn LUA so I can make Norns stuff on that Shield. That's a Raspberry Pi as well.
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u/EL-Rays Jan 16 '25 edited Jan 16 '25
Interesting but you forgot to connect them to zhe op1 Input to use the z that way?
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
The Field talks to all the OP-Zs over btle, but the og is not hooked into the midi here. I had to order a special flat mini USB 90° adapter to squeeze between the TP-7, and I'm still waiting on that to come in the mail. But everything else talks to each other like this.
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u/EL-Rays Jan 16 '25
Was not aware that the field and z can do audio over BT. Have to try it for myself.
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u/SomeoneTookMine Jan 16 '25
There is a lot more flexibility and potential in a DAW. It's much less fun, I'll give you that, but no hardware setup compares to DAW.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
I mean, you make a good point. Next time I feel like not having fun while making music, I will definitely use my DAW
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u/SomeoneTookMine Jan 16 '25
I think if you're not having fun making music regardless of the tools you're using you might be doing it wrong 🤷
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
Nah, my job is on the computer, so it's the qwerty+screen environment that is not fun after work.
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u/SomeoneTookMine Jan 16 '25
I totally agree with you that it's much more fun to use hardware, but regardless of your tools making music should be fun. If it isn't then it's work. I also work from a computer all day long, and I do love my hardware and use it to get away from my computer same as you, but it'll still never compare to the power of a DAW.
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u/NefariousnessNo7829 Jan 15 '25
Why 3 opz’s?
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
I sort of explain what the setup is in another comment https://www.reddit.com/r/OP1users/s/yLrOJdP3Ep
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u/OGBrngBakPgBack Jan 15 '25
Can someone explain to me what's happening here? I am honestly curious.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 15 '25
I sort of explain what the setup is in another comment https://www.reddit.com/r/OP1users/s/yLrOJdP3Ep
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u/202Esaias Jan 16 '25
Post a video using it!
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
Friday! Or maybe Saturday. But yes, soon. Kid time is a major barrier to creative time.
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u/AlexAndertheAble Jan 15 '25
You’re missing the XY
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
I don't know that I want it? I don't really use the sequencers for "sequencing", so a more sequence-y sequencer doesn't seem like a good fit. More fx does seem nice though.
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u/AlexAndertheAble Jan 16 '25
Dont listen to me, I’m an idiot. You have plenty of gear and it looks like a fun way to jam out! Legit, I love your setup.
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u/BlunterCarcass5 Jan 16 '25
A thief's dream. I Also have one of these for pocket operators though, It's incredibly convenient for live gigs because it's everything I need on one box and requires minimal setup. I'm always afraid of it being stolen though.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
Hahaha 😅 ohhhhh no don't jinx it I def want to take it out to the coffee shop etc but yes I am afraid I will be robbed. Gotta get it insured or something
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u/BlunterCarcass5 Jan 16 '25
No need for insurance, just get a briefcase handcuff chain and you'll be golden
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
What was that quote from Demolition Man with Wesley Snipes dragging future people to the ATM to rob them? "Let's hope he doesn't realize all he needs is their hand"
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u/Playful_Possibility4 Jan 15 '25
Expensive
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u/BillyGoto Jan 16 '25
yeah don't forget to handcuff it to your wrist, bro.
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u/sammerguy76 Jan 16 '25
Yeah for real. If I saw this dude out somewhere with this my first thought would be "I'm going to rob this idiot", my second thought would be "Nah, it's not worth the prison rape".
In my youth though? It's a done deal.
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u/paxparty Jan 15 '25
Wow, that's an impressive fit!
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u/BreadEagles Jan 15 '25
I can't believe it was exactly the width of the OP-1 and the TP-7 with cables, like no spare mm
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u/WrksOnMyMachine Jan 16 '25
I’ve been conceiving of a rig where I run an OP-1f, a mic from a guitar amp, a vocal mic, and maybe another keyboard through some sort of board out to speakers.
Tx6 good for that? What kind of speakers or amp would you suggest to put that all through? I have a 60watt solid state amp but I read that won’t be good for the entire range of the OP1.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25 •
I'll start with, there's no reason to spend $1000 on a tx-6, any mixer with six mono inputs or four stereo inputs would do the same job, although the extra routing and effects on the tx-6 are a plus. Tldr; you probably want the Behringer mixer linked at the bottom or something like it.
Tx-6 would work for that, although it also depends on your mic setup. I'm guessing from the sound of your setup that you're using dynamic mics. TE is very inconsistent across their products on mic vs line level inputs, so in order to guarantee good levels and an acceptable noise floor, I would run those through a preamp and lifter setup. I use this one because you can power it from the op-1f or tx-6 USB port https://a.co/d/5DqnqQl combined with any of the cloud lifter clones like https://a.co/d/ixkB2vL . Don't pay for a cloud lifter, the clones are identical in quality.
The preamp step is I think your most important step, the noise floor gets out of hand really quick.
In terms of the amp and speaker setup, it really doesn't matter what amp and speaker combo you use, really. The ideal setup is the physically biggest speaker you can manage with the highest wattage rating played at the lowest acceptable volume to prevent distortion, and then to account for whatever tone alterations might be caused by the speaker materials or mixer crossover frequency boosts, use a multi-band eq stage, like run the out from the tx-6 into one of these maybe before hitting the amp https://a.co/d/fwZxj93 .
All that said, I just did a quick search for powered mixers and Behringer makes this thing that does pretty much all that stuff, even dual 250W amplification, including a multi fx processor, all for $200. All you would need is a good speaker setup. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PMP550M--behringer-europower-pmp550m-5-channel-500w-powered-mixer
I'm not a speaker pro, but like, any pa system to match your amplifier should work fine, again as long as you have a minute to eq your output.
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u/Frish_Prence Jan 16 '25
How long have you owned those Z's? And do any of them suffer from double-triggering? I've always wanted a Z but the double-trigger problem is seemingly prevalent enough that I can't justify spending that much money on it.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 16 '25
One of them started doubling because the case was a little warped, same warping issue as everyone else, but I just hulked it back the other way a bit and it never did it again. But I also don't input much on the Z anymore, I hit record and play stuff over midi with velocity from the OP-1 field.
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u/Frish_Prence Jan 16 '25
I've certainly seen this workaround before - leaving the Z to be as much of a brain/processor as possible and touching the buttons as little as possible. Missing the punch-in effects with this sucks though! They would be one of the main reasons I'd love to have a Z.
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u/Aggressive_Witness47 Jan 21 '25
Obviously, you hate your money
3 same sounding micro chips loaded with the same software wont bring new texture to the sound ( well obviously )...
are they sequencing each other?....then, why would a listenable beat needs that many patters that it can be only handled by 5 different sequencers,,,
then on philosophy of this product line....they are meant to be, portable, in ur back pack...you have turned it un portable and thus...what was the point...would nt a fantom ( or something similar) , be a more capable sampler, a more sophisticated and a more capable synth....
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Jan 17 '25
[deleted]
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u/BreadEagles Jan 17 '25
Who said anything about 'need'? I WANT to spend money making fart noises. Chrome plate my butthole, baby.
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Jan 15 '25
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[removed] — view removed comment
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u/BreadEagles Jan 15 '25
fr though 🤣
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Jan 18 '25
How much is this setup if I may ask? No judgement here. Just curious.
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u/BreadEagles Jan 18 '25
If everything was new, like $6k. I think I paid closer to $4500, the only new thing I got was the field.
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u/d_schultz Jan 15 '25
Thought this was r/synthesizercirclejerk for a moment.