You are one of few people on TH-cam who actually give clear pointers on these funny little gadgets. Thank you! I just picked up the arcade and am looking forward to putting that in my retro-futurism arsenal!
The Robot almost feels like a hand held Commodore 64! The Arcade feels like a nice drum machine, and I feel the office will lay dormant, until it lands in the right hands, then everyone will want one. Superb video!
got to say i really love this guy. no mancrush, i'd just like to live inside his skin for a day,, tap out some damn smooth keyboard sounds with those sleek fresh fingers of his. such a mellow type of man you just can't not like. a cloud of puffy feathers in the summer sky. i wish i was more like him, but alas, i'm too much of a slave to my neuroses. well, next life, surely. big up to the true cuckoo, you rock compadre!
I got the PO-20 (Arcade) recently and it's so much fun to use on the morning commute to work. I can bang out 4-5 solid patterns by the time I get there. You forgot to demo the Drone function, Cuckoo! That adds such a layer of depth and continuation between patterns it blows my mind. The battery life on these things is impressive too. I've used it a ton over the last few days and it still says 98%. (They seem to have weeks worth of use per set of batteries.) I can't wait to get the Robot PO soon.
+Matt Laskowski (fox-orian) If I want to test the waters, which pocket operator would you recommend out of all the POs. I really like the sound of rhythm PO-12 and Po-20 as well.
+Corey S I have more background in keyboarding melodies / piano, but the gamer in me couldn't resist the PO-20 as my first choice. However, I actually just bought the PO-28 (Robot) today, and I have to say, I believe this one is the most well-rounded of all the PO&'s if you haven't considered this one. It seems to have a little bit of everything --- a drum kit with 16 sounds that you can make 16 patterns with as well as 8 (fantastic sounding) synth voices (split into high/low octave to make 16 total "voices") which allows you to play live on top of your beats. It's super SUPER easy to make great sounding melodies on this thing despite the limited number of keys. The voices also change greatly with the AB knobs giving you some nice variety of 8-bit tones. The 20 is still a lot of fun, though, especially if you're more into sequencing over live playing. Cuckoo is right that the chords function on the 20 is a fantastic unique feature -- without any extra work you can instantly create variations of your patterns offering FAR greater variety with what you can get from your 16 slots. You can queue up 128 patterns / chord progressions in a chain to literally make a whole song, it's fantastic. So my recommendation is: Superior Sequencing / Beats - get the PO-20 For a little bit of everything - get the PO-28 You won't be disappointed with either and both will give that blissful hit of nostalgia :D Watch the videos for them on the teenage engineering youtube channel and see which one immediately grabs your attention more.
+Matt Laskowski (fox-orian) Thanks! I really like the sounds from the PO-20 so i think i'll get that one first. Although the synth voices in the PO-28 are really cool also.
Yeah, these are valid and great points. Also, in a recording recently, I could see how much the office could give as well. It stirs things up by adding a sort of messy space to the mix. It might not be as immediately rewarding as the others, but it's cool in its own way.
Ok see THIS is a demonstration. All other things I watch say, "oh this does 'this'," but don't actually show it, nor do they explain and demonstrate what 'this' can be used for. This video, however, explains what each thing does, how it can be used, how you can manipulate it, and how to join it with something else, and then he shows an example of each.
Thanks for having the sensibility to program something that's actually listenable on these things. I don't know why people who demo instruments just make awful sequences to show 'what it can do.' Sure I want to know what it can do, but I'm more concerned with how it CAN be used.
damn, the PO-20 sounds sooo freakin good. what a surplus profit! ordered my OP-1 yesterday and im really looking forward to link these two great machines. Also many thanks to you cuckoo for making all these great videos. It's always fun to watch you bending good gear. keep on!
Arcade Kicks Ass! These 2nd series of PO's all looking great but the Arcade's chord feature is a total game changer. I know this is from 2 years ago (almost 3) but I've come a little late to the PO party. Lol
Thanks for this amazing tutorial. just one question: is it possible to remove only one layer from the pattern. if you record a wrong sound can you fix that by only removing a single sound or layer?
This is such a great review. And your musicality is incredible. I look forward to further experiments with the arcade! I'd be very interested in buying mercy you come up with. Stickers, cables etc. and paying that bit extra for them to support your work.
the arcade is an incredible machine and i have not had this much fun on a music instrument as much as this one right now im stuck on which po to get next to couple with my arcade im either thinking rhythm or robot oh decisions decisions
+John Wamos ha ha, great! It's really great stuff. I think, all in all, the Factory is probably my favourite. It's a bit wacky in a bleepy way and somewhat unpredictable way.
Thanks for the video, really interesting ! I plan to buy some of them to make music for a sci-fi pixel art game I am working on. The Arcade and Robot looks good but I am not sure about the Office. Maybe another one from the previous units could be more interesing to perfect a set more oriented for game OST/sound fx ?
Awesome!! just getting into chiptunes/synths. Trying not to buy everything but man.......great Tutorial! Thanks Cuckoo! Keep the videos coming ...Good Stuff!
Thanks for the review. I purchased the arcade&office ,I might get the robots tonight. you should post a link so people can donate to you're account. your reviews help people learn features. you earned a donation. If 100 people each gave you a dollar, you'd have $100.
Cuckoo I know this is incredibly old but how did you "reseal" your PO-20?? You even had the batteries in there and everything already! I was trying to save my boxes to setup as art (and I did!) but to have the proper cases all squared would be awesome! Love ya bud!
Hi guys, just got my Robot and Arcade operator. Love them, but what really pisses me off as a musician is limitation within one scale.Also i can't select ALL of sharps and flats, am i doing something wrong here? Are scales somehow selectable? Cheers!
What a cracking review and demo - by far the best TH-cam has to offer. I got my Office last night and the instructions are pretty minimal and I don't find it particularly intuitive so your demo helped me get the hang of it. Nearly have it sussed now. It's a lovely little mix of fun and frustration. It does so much but in its own slightly odd and interestingly limited way. Despite he price (£50 does seem a bit steep - it feels like a £35 piece of kit but Teenage engineering do seem to like to charge something of a premium price for their stuff) I'm still tempted to fork out for another in the range - choices choice eh? I'd love to know what (and if) the icons on the screen actually mean. Suddenly a little dictaphone appears and I'm blowed if I have the faintest idea why! Are they telling me anything useful (beyond the obvious like whether I'm recording or what the BPM is)? Thanks again for the video - your work and wisdom are much appreciated :-)
Light is dawning gradually - I can see that the little tape deck I'm calling a dictaphone is showing me when an effect is active which is handy. Just need to work out what the rest of them mean now :-)
What if there are chords and linked patterns on the arcade? Will it do all chords for the first pattern, then do the next, or will it play the chord sequence parallel to the pattern sequence?
Hey cuckoo! Is there any way to clear the motion sequencing on the pocket operators? It's really irritating to spend so long tuning my po-12 drums just perfectly only to have them snap into the motion sequencing of the built-in patterns once I press play. Even if I've cleared the pattern and put in my own...
Hey man. Always love watching your vids. You're a talented, knowledgeable man, and have such a pleasant demeanour! One thing - throw that Patreon link in the descriptions of all your vids!
In general, the swing value on any sequencer would fix the "quantised" notes closer and closer to a triplet instead of straight 8ths - or 4ths or 16ths. Don't know if the Arcade works any differently or if this is what you meant!
+cuckoomusic so basically its only sending like tempo information or is it actually mixing the audio together? sorry I haven't hooked up anything to my volca before so its kinda new to me.
+Cade White you can do both if you wish. The OP has stereo input where the click track is received on the left channel and audio on the right, I think.
You are one of few people on TH-cam who actually give clear pointers on these funny little gadgets.
Thank you!
I just picked up the arcade and am looking forward to putting that in my retro-futurism arsenal!
+chris hadzipetros thanks mate!! It's tricky to explain sometimes, but I felt it had to be done!
cheers.
keep on rockin in the synth world!
ikr
Great Im waiting for the Arcade and have the po-12 . Cuckoos info is the best about them, funny, creative and full of eehh lust :)
I just got a PO-28 Robot and watched your video a few times while playing with it, and now I know exactly what I’m doing - thank you! Huge fan!
you have a very soothing voice
This was the best combination of review, instruction, and demonstration I've seen on these or any synth. subscribed!
+TacoSlammer thanks Taco!
Just wanted to say that I love your videos and demos. So much creativity. It inspires me!
Thanks! I hope to make more.
+ToyRap Double commenting here :)
The Robot almost feels like a hand held Commodore 64!
The Arcade feels like a nice drum machine, and I feel the office will lay dormant, until it lands in the right hands, then everyone will want one.
Superb video!
got to say i really love this guy. no mancrush, i'd just like to live inside his skin for a day,, tap out some damn smooth keyboard sounds with those sleek fresh fingers of his. such a mellow type of man you just can't not like. a cloud of puffy feathers in the summer sky. i wish i was more like him, but alas, i'm too much of a slave to my neuroses. well, next life, surely. big up to the true cuckoo, you rock compadre!
🙏🏼 Thanks for reaching out mate. Thanks for the very kind words!
meditate my dude!
love this cuckoo guy and all his reviews....he's like a synth Buddha...
more like Synth Jesus!
He turns into a synth monk when he performs.
I enjoy your reviews, because you treat them musically, and don't just list off features.
Arcade ordered! Can't wait! The sampling possibilities are endless, too. Combining this with the PO-12 is gold.
Ordered the Office yesterday, thanks to your videos.
5:00 first video that explains how you can put other drumkit elements but the 1st one on the grid!
I got the PO-20 (Arcade) recently and it's so much fun to use on the morning commute to work. I can bang out 4-5 solid patterns by the time I get there. You forgot to demo the Drone function, Cuckoo! That adds such a layer of depth and continuation between patterns it blows my mind. The battery life on these things is impressive too. I've used it a ton over the last few days and it still says 98%. (They seem to have weeks worth of use per set of batteries.) I can't wait to get the Robot PO soon.
+Matt Laskowski (fox-orian) If I want to test the waters, which pocket operator would you recommend out of all the POs. I really like the sound of rhythm PO-12 and Po-20 as well.
+Corey S I have more background in keyboarding melodies / piano, but the gamer in me couldn't resist the PO-20 as my first choice. However, I actually just bought the PO-28 (Robot) today, and I have to say, I believe this one is the most well-rounded of all the PO&'s if you haven't considered this one. It seems to have a little bit of everything --- a drum kit with 16 sounds that you can make 16 patterns with as well as 8 (fantastic sounding) synth voices (split into high/low octave to make 16 total "voices") which allows you to play live on top of your beats. It's super SUPER easy to make great sounding melodies on this thing despite the limited number of keys. The voices also change greatly with the AB knobs giving you some nice variety of 8-bit tones.
The 20 is still a lot of fun, though, especially if you're more into sequencing over live playing. Cuckoo is right that the chords function on the 20 is a fantastic unique feature -- without any extra work you can instantly create variations of your patterns offering FAR greater variety with what you can get from your 16 slots. You can queue up 128 patterns / chord progressions in a chain to literally make a whole song, it's fantastic.
So my recommendation is:
Superior Sequencing / Beats - get the PO-20
For a little bit of everything - get the PO-28
You won't be disappointed with either and both will give that blissful hit of nostalgia :D Watch the videos for them on the teenage engineering youtube channel and see which one immediately grabs your attention more.
+Matt Laskowski (fox-orian) Thanks! I really like the sounds from the PO-20 so i think i'll get that one first. Although the synth voices in the PO-28 are really cool also.
Yeah, these are valid and great points. Also, in a recording recently, I could see how much the office could give as well. It stirs things up by adding a sort of messy space to the mix. It might not be as immediately rewarding as the others, but it's cool in its own way.
+cuckoomusic so basically, I'm bound to have some fun with any of them :^D great!
Ok see THIS is a demonstration. All other things I watch say, "oh this does 'this'," but don't actually show it, nor do they explain and demonstrate what 'this' can be used for. This video, however, explains what each thing does, how it can be used, how you can manipulate it, and how to join it with something else, and then he shows an example of each.
Thanks for having the sensibility to program something that's actually listenable on these things. I don't know why people who demo instruments just make awful sequences to show 'what it can do.' Sure I want to know what it can do, but I'm more concerned with how it CAN be used.
great overview! I can see Office fitting into my drum section very nice.
damn, the PO-20 sounds sooo freakin good. what a surplus profit! ordered my OP-1 yesterday and im really looking forward to link these two great machines. Also many thanks to you cuckoo for making all these great videos. It's always fun to watch you bending good gear. keep on!
coool thanks for the overview. I was thinking of ordering PO-12 but that Office 24 sounds like you could really make some nice dope little loops.
+Annie Dawg yeah, that Office has an untapped potential of being totally different than the others.
Arcade Kicks Ass! These 2nd series of PO's all looking great but the Arcade's chord feature is a total game changer.
I know this is from 2 years ago (almost 3) but I've come a little late to the PO party. Lol
It's never too late!
awesome unboxing and review. Fun to watch!
Just got a robot for my six year old daughter for Xmas. Excellent video as always, CUCKOO!!!
Just ordered the PO-28. It looks great fit making ring tones, for example.
Thanks for this amazing tutorial. just one question: is it possible to remove only one layer from the pattern. if you record a wrong sound can you fix that by only removing a single sound or layer?
Cool ! 7:30 and 17:45 are some really remarkable moments to me . Robot & Arcade & Voice landed in the cart .
Next paycheck I'm snagging an Arcade, it just sounds so fun!
You are my musical demo hero!! Everything else on the net is so dull. Keep it up dude!
Thank you Timbre! :) I'll keep keeping up as much as I can!
this is such a great overview of the Pocket Operators
this was way more helpful than the manual for learning some basics, thank you!
Heres something cool I hadn't heard anywhere yet, while in play if you hold the FX button and press play it fades out over 4 bars.
This is such a great review. And your musicality is incredible. I look forward to further experiments with the arcade! I'd be very interested in buying mercy you come up with. Stickers, cables etc. and paying that bit extra for them to support your work.
Awsome tutorials i had fun watching you jam on it !
Thanks!
Great demo! You should do a jam on all the three of them or just sit the Arcade on a progression and jam over it on keys with the OP-1!
best facecam ever!
:-D
wou! hard to decide.. so i will have to get the 3 of them again! good demonstration!
nice mouth watering presentation ^_^ QUESTION for the ARCADE: how do you know which button is for which chord (since the buttons are only numbered) ?
You just need to try it and memorise it, i guess ;-)
I hope they offer another 3 operator bundle for these new ones
Love you channel!!! You make awesome beats. Thank you for the uploads
God, the more videos I see on this the more I want them, specifically the Robot and Arcade.
PurpleLizard 23 Getting the Arcade for christmas. Its a great music machine and i highly recommended it.
I love my PO-12 and that arcade one looks awesome. Wish they'd update the OP-1 though.
+indigØld A chip tune engine in the OP-1 would be fantastic!
+indigØld an OP-1 update is promised for April
Awesome!
+AA Battery Software or Hardware update?
+indigØld I heard the OP-1 update will be in april. Let's hope it will happen and they put chord functions to it! :)
Arcade sounds great!
I feel like the PO-rythem would be awesome to own as a mini drum machine.
Just ordered the arcade, really looking forward to using it :.)
Only Cukoo can make a beat out of office sounds
the arcade is an incredible machine and i have not had this much fun on a music instrument as much as this one right now im stuck on which po to get next to couple with my arcade im either thinking rhythm or robot oh decisions decisions
+John Wamos ha ha, great! It's really great stuff. I think, all in all, the Factory is probably my favourite. It's a bit wacky in a bleepy way and somewhat unpredictable way.
Just ordered the op-20/arcade thanks to you :)
They're always on! I think they just don't use much power if they aren't playing. So they stay on as long as there are batteries in them.
Thanks for the video, really interesting !
I plan to buy some of them to make music for a sci-fi pixel art game I am working on. The Arcade and Robot looks good but I am not sure about the Office. Maybe another one from the previous units could be more interesing to perfect a set more oriented for game OST/sound fx ?
I have the originals, but want that arcade one now! That is just amazing!
+canispeaktodave Same here but I want the 3 new POs AAAAAHHHH !
I've just bought the Arcade. So pumped
💛
These are actually something quite special! I have the Arcade and Office.
I'm going to start wearing my pocket operators like that!
Hm and oscillator sink have the best voices I think hypnotic and beautiful you are a good chap mate
you are just such a great human
You are! Thanks!
Fantastic idea with the mirror in the corner :D cool
The Arcade into a Phonogene is amazing.
Awesome!! just getting into chiptunes/synths. Trying not to buy everything but man.......great Tutorial! Thanks Cuckoo! Keep the videos coming ...Good Stuff!
dope reviews as always, keep doing what you do
Thanks for the review. I purchased the arcade&office ,I might get the robots tonight. you should post a link so people can donate to you're account. your reviews help people learn features. you earned a donation. If 100 people each gave you a dollar, you'd have $100.
This is cucuuu. You are really great, I love your videos ! You are very magnetic.
What is the melody at 3:28 ??? I totally know it but i can't quite recall what it is and it's driving me crazy!
He he, that'd be the famous Axel F theme of the old film Beverly Hills Cop ;-)
With a slight variation.
mmm yes! A classic!
I just listened to it enough times to jog my memory about another video that sampled it too (-8
+floodo1 Crazy Frog - Axel F is what you're searching for I think.
+floodo1 crazy frog :p
I'm loving the po arcade's screen visuals :D
Cuckoo I know this is incredibly old but how did you "reseal" your PO-20?? You even had the batteries in there and everything already! I was trying to save my boxes to setup as art (and I did!) but to have the proper cases all squared would be awesome! Love ya bud!
Cuckoo is a stand up guy. I only wish good things for this dude!
teenage engineering should back you for real
Hi guys, just got my Robot and Arcade operator. Love them, but what really pisses me off as a musician is limitation within one scale.Also i can't select ALL of sharps and flats, am i doing something wrong here? Are scales somehow selectable? Cheers!
I want the Arcade and Robot ones!
What a cracking review and demo - by far the best TH-cam has to offer. I got my Office last night and the instructions are pretty minimal and I don't find it particularly intuitive so your demo helped me get the hang of it. Nearly have it sussed now. It's a lovely little mix of fun and frustration. It does so much but in its own slightly odd and interestingly limited way. Despite he price (£50 does seem a bit steep - it feels like a £35 piece of kit but Teenage engineering do seem to like to charge something of a premium price for their stuff) I'm still tempted to fork out for another in the range - choices choice eh?
I'd love to know what (and if) the icons on the screen actually mean. Suddenly a little dictaphone appears and I'm blowed if I have the faintest idea why! Are they telling me anything useful (beyond the obvious like whether I'm recording or what the BPM is)?
Thanks again for the video - your work and wisdom are much appreciated :-)
Light is dawning gradually - I can see that the little tape deck I'm calling a dictaphone is showing me when an effect is active which is handy. Just need to work out what the rest of them mean now :-)
You look so kind. Thanks for the video
What if there are chords and linked patterns on the arcade? Will it do all chords for the first pattern, then do the next, or will it play the chord sequence parallel to the pattern sequence?
any chance we'll get a video on the OP-Z cuckoo?
Oh yes! Today! :)
+cuckoomusic Yay! Very nice! I was just going to ask about this to. :)
Quite excited to see what it's like. Maybe it will be a more budget friendly companion to the OP-1? ;)
21:19 reminds me of a song, but I can't remember what it's called. Anybody?
As a crystal castles fan this interests me greatly..
arcade + robot and you are in the chiptune heaven
Hey cuckoo! Is there any way to clear the motion sequencing on the pocket operators? It's really irritating to spend so long tuning my po-12 drums just perfectly only to have them snap into the motion sequencing of the built-in patterns once I press play. Even if I've cleared the pattern and put in my own...
6:37 - 6:46 this part is amazing
thanks for this tutorial, did you do any on the bass?
Hey man. Always love watching your vids. You're a talented, knowledgeable man, and have such a pleasant demeanour! One thing - throw that Patreon link in the descriptions of all your vids!
+Five2nd thanks! yeah I try to do it, but sometimes I forget! It's most of the time in that info card.
well I'm donating now because thank you.
I don't have a lot of money, but I hope it helps.
+Five2nd you're a most generous person! Thanks so much!
+Five2nd every donation is helpful. It ads up for sure. So once again, big thanks!
heard your voice. subscribed!
Any other POs that have the chord progression like the Arcade?
Awesome sound man
Hi man cool vid, subbed :)
I got a PO-20 and not sure what the swing does.. I can't hear the difference.. even with step multipliers :/
In general, the swing value on any sequencer would fix the "quantised" notes closer and closer to a triplet instead of straight 8ths - or 4ths or 16ths. Don't know if the Arcade works any differently or if this is what you meant!
thanks :D
You litterally choked that tiny synth lmao thats a powerful calculator
This is frigging incredible!
Would I be able to hook this up with my volca sample and use them together?
+Cade White yeah, totally compatible. the clock pulse can both be received and sent out from the PO units.
+cuckoomusic so basically its only sending like tempo information or is it actually mixing the audio together? sorry I haven't hooked up anything to my volca before so its kinda new to me.
+Cade White you can do both if you wish. The OP has stereo input where the click track is received on the left channel and audio on the right, I think.
whats with the little plastic things on the top of them? They look like theyre there to hang on store shelves, should I remove it?
+Jonathon Meyer you can remove them if you want to. They have to be snapped off to fit into a case for instance.
cuckoomusic thank you!! I just ordered my po-20 the other day and I'm soooo excited
Are the new Pocket Operators still fixed to the C scale?
Great vid! I love these things.
I thought they'd have made a better use of the screen's real estate for these V2... Really cool & funky nonetheless!
Does the robot have more than one key? Very goood tutorial!!
On the Arcade, is that a chord progression per pattern, or is that a chain of patterns?
Thanks for the demonstration!
amazing video dude... You inspired me
+Ave Mcree thanks! I'm glad I could be of inspiration :)
+cuckoomusic i wish i could have seen more of you and Andrew Huang, as i saw in his latest video you were sowing him some gear
Question: Do I need the Teenage Engineering cables to sync them up, or will any stereo headphone-size cable do the trick?
+Pedro Petracco A normal stereo 3.5mm cable will do.
+cuckoomusic Awesome. Thanks, Cuckoo! GREAT job with the video.
What's the Solo do on the Office one?
The crazy frog thing tho! :)
1:58 ”Now lets turn it up to 11”... 😂👍👍👍
Which your favorite PO ?
You're awesome -thanks :D ...and I'll definitely be supporting you on Patreon!
when your first buy them do they come turned on? (is there an on button?)
I don't think you have the chord volume up on the p20
Arcade vs K.O. For causal fun?