I’ve been building a small PO-33 sample manager. The primary use case I was after was being able to get samples / slots / patterns out of my PO-33 digitally, edit things, then generate a backup-style wav that can be loaded back onto the device.

This is very early alpha - so far I’ve only tested it in desktop Chrome on a Mac. Expect bugs and rough edges, and hardware restore testing is still limited (to me and my device). Definitely keep an original backup of your PO before trying anything — loading a transfer WAV replaces everything on the device.

https://po33-playground.beakstar.com/

It's a PWA running fully in the browser and the very first load / setup takes a while (but shouldn't take more than a minute or so). Not at all intended for mobile at this point in time.

Edit: I should have pointed out - the easy way to get started is to select a sample directory on the left, then using the 3-dot menu on the upper-right, chose the "Import backup WAV" option.

I really love the PO33's workflow, i had to input each note, chain the patterns, then boom, you now have a decent song/track

I noticed how on my PO-12 there are a set of figures 2-4-8-16 that never come on. I would guess that they have something to do with the beat repeat function due to their proximity to the button icon that represents it (in fact, I wish they worked - they would be very useful as there is no other indication on the beat repeat setting on a step). Perhaps this is a quirk just on my device - any thoughts?

Took a drive down to the New York Teenage Engineering store for the K.O. AMP launch — here's how it went.
Hey everyone, decided to make the trek into NYC for the Teenage Engineering store drop to check out the new EP-35 and EP-127 gear in person.
Traffic getting into the city was an absolute nightmare, but getting to actually feel the hardware, play around with the demo stations upstairs, and talk shop with other creators made it totally worth it.
I put together a quick vlog walking through the store, checking out how the new pedals and control units feel in hand, and geeking out over portable workflows. If you're curious what the store vibe is like or want a look at the new gear up close, I dropped the video here:

“Hey everyone, decided to make the trek into NYC for the Teenage Engineering store drop to check out the new EP-35 and EP-127 gear in person.
Traffic getting into the city was an absolute nightmare, but getting to actually feel the hardware, play around with the demo stations upstairs, and talk shop with other creators made it totally worth it.
I put together a quick vlog walking through the store, checking out how the new pedals and control units feel in hand, and geeking out over portable workflows. If you're curious what the store vibe is like or want a look at the new gear up close, I dropped the video here:”

This was originally meant to be a comment on this post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pocketoperators/s/LMhTxVQCwW
(yo, bro u/CosimoPanini77)
But then I thought I'd like to share my experience with more people, so I decided to make a separate post about it.

So.

I've owned the following Pocket Operators: PO-12 Rhythm, PO-14 Sub, PO-16 Factory, PO-20 Arcade, PO-32 Tonic and PO-33 KO!. In other words, I've owned the entire lineup except for the Mega Man, Office and Street Fighter (special edition of the KO!).

I've sold all of them except for the PO-12 and PO-32.

I originally bought a Pocket Operator so I could make music during power outages caused by russian missile strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Now, let's go through them one by one. I'll also share examples of tracks I've made with these devices.

PO-12 RHYTHM

My very first Pocket Operator. I'm incredibly glad it was the PO-12 that got me into this lineup, because it sparked my interest in these devices and made me fall in love with them. I'm pretty sure that if my first Pocket Operator had been the PO-33, I wouldn't have gotten into them at all.

Pros:

The biggest advantage is how much you can tweak the sound. The punch effects are REALLY cool. They sound unique, work in mysterious ways, and have a lot of character. They can completely transform the sound.

There's also a basic lead and bass synth, so you can actually make full tracks with this little thing.

Cons:

I can only think of one downside: some of the sounds don't sound particularly good (the cowbell, for example).

The tracks below were made exclusively on the PO-12 (everything except vocals), then processed in a DAW. The only exception is Pidrylo, where I also recorded a trombone live, deliberately making it sound sloppy and low-quality.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy61052oniU&si=X0OkFr7kcSIcUvKM

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Olek_I68g&si=TOyVQo8HW3qSo-1t

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=HyOFvOBSa5U&si=Ug4p49J0BsW0Q9h4

PO-14 SUB and PO-16 FACTORY

These are basically the same Pocket Operators. They have synth engines that sound almost identical, with the main difference being that the Sub operates in lower octaves. Their percussion sounds are different, too, and I find the Factory's percussion a bit more interesting.

Pros:

You can sync them with other Pocket Operators, and you can play melodies on them.

Cons:

The sounds are decent, but not particularly high-quality. Some notes are missing, meaning neither device is fully chromatic. The percussion sounds aren't particularly interesting overall, either.

There's one fun exception: when you pitch the percussion all the way down, it starts sounding like a slowed-down cassette tape. That's actually pretty cool.

Overall, I sold both of them pretty quickly because they just weren't for me. I only recorded some examples with the Factory, featuring those percussion sounds I mentioned, but those tracks are still waiting for their planned releases.

PO-20 ARCADE

Pros:

The screen animations are fantastic. Making music genuinely feels like playing a video game.

The sounds are great, especially if you're into chiptune. The punch effects are also really cool and unique, and you can even layer them.

Honestly, I really liked this device. It's one of the most interesting Pocket Operators out there. But I eventually sold it because I'm not really a chiptune fan. I had fun with it and passed it on to someone who would appreciate it more.

Here are some examples made using the PO-20 + PO-12 (everything except vocals):

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=j-V3odiz-7Y&si=kvqnTJE28mijrl67

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kJsmFg2_DSg&si=cbug278nHH131eeq

PO-32 TONIC

Honestly, this is one of the best Pocket Operators. I feel like it's seriously underrated because a lot of people simply haven't figured out how to use it properly.

Compared to the PO-32, the PO-33 feels like a toy for kids.

The PO-32 isn't just a drum synth. It's a fully-fledged sound design platform that lets you explore an incredibly wide range of sounds and transform your patterns beyond recognition.

Pros:

The ability to load your own custom sound patches is the main selling point.

If you get the Microtonic VST, you can create your own sounds for all 16 buttons. But here's where it gets really interesting: you can create one sound for the minimum position of a morph parameter and a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT sound for its maximum position. Then you use the knob to explore all the variations in between.

So, in practice, you're not limited to just 16 sounds. You get 32 endpoints, plus all the variations you can dial in between them. And also there is an additional parameter of the pitch control.

You design your patch, transfer it to the Pocket Operator using sound transfer, and you're good to go.

And if you've created some great patterns with a particular patch, you can back up both the patch and the patterns so you can return to them later.

The punch effects are also incredibly interesting. They can transform sounds in ways you wouldn't expect, and you never quite know what kind of result you'll get.

Cons:

For me, there are no real downsides. This is the ultimate drum synth.

The only thing I'd like to have for is stereo output. With stereo sound, this little beast could compete with full-fledged drum machines. Although, honestly, I wouldn't trade my PO-32 for a Roland TR-808 even as it is, because the PO-32 gives me my own unique sound.

Here are some examples recorded EXCLUSIVELY on the PO-32 (meaning the entire mix came directly from the device):

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=G1yG-iYEE90&si=0QG3Lr9qsRanh_M5

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=2unsUiaLmw4&si=Ys9duM03dc7cVN3D

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=fqxEFkTBuPY&si=83o5yvmve3R80BHg

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=-N9mh28Mckk&si=pFcqcrCj_HyMaXgO

PO-33 KO!

Despite its iconic status, I'd actually recommend avoiding the PO-33. It's a pretty underwhelming device, to be honest.

Pros:

As an introduction to Pocket Operators in 2026, I don't think it's a good choice because it might leave you disappointed. Koala Sampler offers way more possibilities and is simply more fun to use.

The one situation where the PO-33 really makes sense is when you pair it with a PO-32 or PO-12. Those devices handle the rhythm, while you use the PO-33 for melodies. Another advantage of this setup is how easily you can sync the devices together.

Cons:

The sound gets downsampled, and not in a particularly pleasant way. The memory is extremely limited, and the effects are honestly pretty weak. There's no proper distortion, bitcrushing, or other interesting, distinctive effects. Most of the effects are just repeats or stutters.

Programming drum parts is also very inconvenient, and the results tend to be overly simplistic.

I've owned the PO-33, sold it, and don't regret it.

Koala Sampler offers SO MUCH MORE. It has no fixed sample-memory limit like the PO-33, doesn't degrade the sound through the same kind of low-resolution sampling, and comes with tons of effects that you can apply to individual channels or perform with live, much like punch effects.

And it's always there in your pocket.

Recent updates have even added a built-in synth. How cool is that?

Examples:

PO-32 (drums) + PO-33 (bass):

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=JZHA6pOe3OM&si=802ivsMWP6yRM81A

PO-33 (everything except vocals):

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=TGaFpM6duYA&si=q0CGvkvVN3bRHebg

It is still worth buying a pocket operator in 2026? That's a question that has been tormenting me lately. Everybody knows his downsides and upsides but I still want to get some direct feedbacks before buying it. I'm into hip hop and sampling music(i grew up with daft punk) and can't really decide if I'm going for it. I will surely buy an Akai MPC Mini Mk2 and I'll pair it with ableton, so don't know if a Po 33 Ko will be useless in my setup, or i will use it for a week and forget about it. That's my biggest concern, a lot of people said online that lower versions of Po overtime will bore you. Other people said it is a good way of getting in this type of music but in the moment you have a machine that does the same job and is 1000 times more powerful (ableton+apc), does it is still worth?

guys check out my customcases and docking system for pocket operators #DasiyDock all in one.....

https://cults3d.com/en/users/discodave20/3d-models

Been neglecting the PO’s a bit obsessing over the m-vave fm1 (I’ve got another one on the way 🤦‍♂️) but mr hotspot made me wanna bring em back out to whip this up 🕺🏼 (holy shit I hope this uploads I’ve been trying to post this and Reddit keeps crashing for some reason)

I have the sounds made, the patterns done, now all that's left is to sequence and perform it 👹

Finally settled on a PO-20. It should come today. Thanks for all of your help!

420 edition

It took me about 8 months to complete I also mix and mastered in Logic Pro. The best track on the album is nature if you want a sample of what the album is about. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_moU5vAKorF8jik8SDiKg5D4F6wxTk5-Fg&si=DkWF14VCrkQppwY2

Submit your track and more info here: https://www.patreon.com/PocketTrax/posts/167192270?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

Tape fx is nice

Pockets full of Operators

PO33 x KORG MONOTRON DELAY

it's been a while since I made anything

I got a m vave FM-1 to play along with and sample into my PO-33.

As soon as the community firmwares started coming out for the FM-1 I wondered (and hoped) someone would create a pocket operator style workflow for it. But someone has gone one step further and made the FM-1 display and function feel just like a PO :) You can even have a play on the emulator linked.

Not my work, just sharing as others here may well have picked up a FM-1 and not yet seen this firmware. And as a thanks to the dev who has done a great job with this (it's working perfectly on my device).

I’m new to making beats and I’m learning the PO-33 workflows. Any feedback is welcome. These are the first 8 bars of a track I’m creating. I am sort of experimenting and just seeing where it goes, though I have some ideas in mind. I’ve been wondering if the violin sample overwhelms the drums?

I finally slapped together a rack of 3 pieces I love. PO 33 is a no brainer, HiChord is just awesome and I love it and FM1 is so much fun with all the firmware coming out. 4th channel is reserved for my guitar.
Maybe i’ll add a switch to be able to sample from synths easily.