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Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator PO-20 Arcade
99.– CHF

Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator PO-20 Arcade


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8 reviews

  • Pazquakel

    8 years ago
    purchased this product

    Good entry-level device for those who want to try it out.

    This part is just unbelievable fun. The sounds as I know them from the Gameboy, awaken memories of my childhood. - I have no experience with sequencers, but I must say that it is very easy to get started. Whether changing existing patterns or creating new ones, both are easy to do. The long battery life and the built-in speaker are further plus points. I like the design very much, like everything on the device reduced to the minimum but still valuable. However, this reduction has the consequence that many buttons are double and triple assigned, which makes the operation partly confusing. 

    Pro

    • Sound
    • Many possibilities
    • Several devices can be combined
    • Design
    • Price/Performance

    Contra

    • Partly complex operation
  • Tacheles

    6 years ago

    Zak McKracken in your pocket!

    Many music enthusiasts would like to produce their own electronic sounds, but shy away from the complex technology or its high prices (or both). Yet there are many affordable, accessible devices - for example, the Pocket Operators from Teenage Engineering. They offer professional, grown-up sound design at a really fair price - and are also highly portable. Even those who have never made music themselves will find their way around immediately. And the possibilities are endless - on YouTube, professionals show how it's done.

    The PO-20 Arcade operates with the 8-bit sounds of the 1980s. If you were a gamer back then (Tetris, Maniac Mansion, etc.), you'll be jumping around on the sofa for sheer nostalgia alone when you hear your PO-20 come to life. The sound is great. And the operation is really intuitive. But it is recommended to download the manual from the website and print it out on A4. The instruction leaflet is really just that: an instruction leaflet.

    The build quality is very good, but it does have its pitfalls: The batteries don't hold bombproof, and if they fall out (or are empty), you lose your patterns. Then everything goes back to the beginning (factory patterns). Therefore it is best to record what you like!
     

    Pro

    • ingenious sound of the 1980s
    • intuitive, accessible operation, even for absolute beginners
    • fair price and super portable

    Contra

    • if the batteries are empty, the patterns are lost
  • ricardotanner11

    7 years ago
    purchased this product

    Super

    I find ingenious! Absolutely recommended to buy.

    Pro

    • Retrogamesound
    • Gimmick
    • Processing
    • Design

    Contra

    • Case a bit expensive
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