The Problem with Pocket Operators 

I'm a depressed person, but can't imagine how bad you have to be to hate pocket operators

Back in the 1970's, the band Kraftwerk made hits with electronic gear that was far less sophisticated than Pocket Operators!

I’m a photographer by profession. A few years ago I switched from digital back to film and I had a long time follower on my blog who got really annoyed at me for that. He originally started following my work because we used the same camera. Seeing me ditch the camera that he liked made him so insecure that he lashed out at me. Of course, getting upset at a stranger on the internet over their gear choices is a tad ridiculous, unless you keep in mind that everything surrounding our creativity is wrapped up in our egos! We become so invested in our gear choices that they start to define the way we see ourselves. And if someone scratches the spray paint off the flimsy narratives that we use to justify our sometimes unnecessary purchases we tend to get very defensive! POs are really cruel for people who spent thousands on gear and still don’t manage to make the music they imagine. And then someone comes along and makes something way more musical on a puny PO, Volca or even a cheap Behringer clone? Ouch!

The problem with PO’s: They invite being playful exactly as intended, Playful things and people are frowned upon by people who are not. Regardless, playful creations can lead to valuable discoveries/learnings/inspiration.

There's a stigma against 'entry level' gear like the Volcas, POs, Microfreak - which is funny because those are all insanely high quality for the pricetag, and absolutely all of them were integral to me getting on my musical journey. Not to mention your channel and the way you demonstrated them!

When I got started, I bought what I could: old, falling apart gear that was CHEAP. People trying to get into electronic music now are LUCKY to have access to good affordable tech. I wish I had access to something like that 30 years ago. If one thing is true, it’s that the future forms of electronic music will be built on what’s the young can get access to. When I was a kid, 303s and 808s were garage sale and dumpster finds. I’d rather have a pocket operator to a 303.

All the hate is probably because 'real' musicians spend so much money on their dawless setup and someone who spends a couple hundred on PO's can encroach on their gated community. Quit worrying about what I'm doing and go back to your four on the floor dance tracks with predictable build ups. ( ੭ ･ᴗ･ )੭

im one of those guys who always says idc what gear you use if the final product sounds good and you had fun with it. these haters are trying to justify learning extremely difficult gear while new learning artists can pick up a few po devices and make great music.

Picking up a PO was easily the best decision ever, and the best use of lunch money to boot. 🤣 I can't recommend them enough.

I'm a well-seasoned musician with many years of electronic music experience. I LOVE the pocket operator.

Still watching since episode #1, your positivity, humility, and open attitude about music is what makes your channel stand out.

(So proud to be the Patron Shout on this video bc this is a passion topic for me) #TheMoreYouKnow I love this video! It is such a shame that people hate on others in the community, let alone this equipment. Don't be a hater, folks! If it is not for you, fine. You don't need to insult people if they disagree with you. I mean, jeez, where are we right now? Twitter? Also, Pocket Operators are brilliant little machines, perfect for those of us who are beginners or, like myself, can only make music on the go. I have a couple full-sized synths and they are great but I spend most of my time at work and POs get me through my day. Well, POs, Monotrons, and Stylophones. May the Gods of Synth Rock bless the little synths!

I don't make as much finished music with a full DAW as I used to with "entry level" gear. The limitations allowed me to focus on spending a few months mastering one thing. I've been using Ableton for years now and I find myself rarely finishing anything because of the near limitless possibilities. It feels like every session is just spent experimenting and learning. Oh well. At least I'm having fun still 😅

PO-12 was the perfect jam metronome, I wish I never sold it! I think the bad attitude towards the POs is elitism. Also investment, they spent thousands and a pocket operator sounds almost as good sometimes 🤣

A little over two years ago I bought a PO20 Arcade as a toy, I had only ever played guitar and sung (badly). I now have a multifaceted of incomplete understanding of everything from types and methods of sound synthesis to sampling to all things DAW (compression, eq, bitrate, etc etc etc). This is such an incredible foot in the door for those of us that are overwhelmed by electronic music. I still have so much to learn but I would never pick a better place to start than my trusty "toy"

I love my pocket operators (24 and 14). Even though I don't use them much anymore, the path it took me through to discovering the TD3 and acid cannot be overstated :-)

There is something inherently wrong with a so called musician (and I use that term erroneously) when they are unable to encourage having fun and at the same time learning sequencing with an electronic instrument. I purchased my OP33 when I already owned 8 synths and was was amazed with and addicted to the little machine because it was certainly a valid instrument and a great tool for creating music in a totally new manner. I believe that they are actually jealous of the people who are able to create without spending an enormous amount of money.

I didn't know people felt so strongly. I'd get one if they could be sequenced externally. The bass one sounds like it blasts. The sampler ones seem cool too.

POs are entry level gear and get hated on because "real musicians" are spending thousands of dollars on Nord workstations, or Moog, or the latest multi-hundreds or thousands priced gear. Most of us are not there, and frankly not many have the room for multiple 88-key workstations anyway. Also hate comes from jealousy of people posting incredible jams from pocket operators and other "cheap" gear and getting awesome sounds from them, and frankly...easier to make sounds and finished songs without menu diving for days or having creative mental blocks while surrounded by so much gear, you don't know where to begin. We all need to start somewhere with music creation, and POs, volcas, etc. Can get us there more quickly than waiting to purchase that pro tool we can't yet afford. Also, they're highly underrated as many have integrated them into their professional setups. So pros, hate away...but you're directing that hate at your own audience, which is the wrong thing to do. People with limited gear are actually being forced to be more creative; and isn't this what we all want? Creativity is the key to new music which can inspire others to be creative as well. I hope all the haters see this video and start looking in the mirror a little more often. Thanks for doing the vid.

Anyone who carries Any music creation device in their pocket should be praised. Period

I love how portable my PO-33. Inspiration could strike at any moment and I'm prepared with my pocket operator. Sampling on it is a cinch and it's great for rough drafting an idea or concept. Haters stay mad 😂

Your influence in appreciating small, simple music sequencers that are also relatively inexpensive, is greatly appreciated because so few other youtubers give them their due as useful beginner's - level devices. I agree that hating what other people choose to buy is a rather childish or adolescent reaction to something that does not affect them anyway.

Back when I started in EM I bought the best synth I could afford, an EDP Wasp.. Haters were IRL back in those days..🙁 Here I am, nearly 50yrs later, I’ve several PO’s.. I ❤ ‘em.. Wait some years and, as with the Wasp, we’ll be talking about “classic instruments “ 😉👍

Hey Freebeat, I've been watching and enjoying your videos for a while now and feel it necessary to finally comment since this is more of a forum type video than some of your others which have been entertaining and instructive. Thank you for your dedication to posting daily videos and being clear and kind when you are dropping your nice little nuggets of info! As far as what your video brings up, I think it is just as you see in most industries where elitism can grow into some sort of subculture within itself. I think that it's similar to car guys hating on the people's with cheaper import cars with their tuner mods and being able to be in "car culture" without having to have massively indebted themselves to be in a culture that's notoriously populated with purists who believe that you can't cut corners or do DIY on the cheap and still come out feeling like a champion. I get that people don't want their culture flooded because it suddenly became cheaper to be able to create content because sometimes it can lead to a sense of degradation or flooding of "others" joining a culture that perhaps took years of practice and collecting invaluable pieces of hardware to finally create whatever it was that was their dream. It can feel like someone make a counterfeit version of what you've been working so hard on for so many months or years. That being said, I think you make a good point that we should be welcoming in a culture that is so important to all of us, which, in this case, is creating music. I've dealt with elitism in local music scenes and fought hard to be taken seriously or at least appreciated for showing the initiative. It's something any culture can face, especially if it requires special abilities or knowledge. That in turn brings me to my conclusion, that because of the easy and cheap cost of entry that there are probably many musicians and beat makers who feel their art is now so more easily and "cheaply" created when they paid the heavy price when electronic music making was not so easy to gain access to. I would, if I happen to have a platform here where they could hear me, speak out to them and say, rejoice, rather than reject! The beauty of music is its infinite possibilities, and that what knowledge and special abilities you've gained in your years of learning and growing in this community is invaluable, and it is a great opportunity to be a teacher when possible, since that had always traditionally been a great way to become a student again. The fundamentals are so very basic, but it takes that revisitation from time to time and it should be looked at as an opportunity to have so many people curious about creating music look to you to learn and grow. It gives you that many more avenues to see how things may can be done differently, or with an approach thatay inspire new ideas in your own projects where we all can continue this lifelong pursuit of making compelling art that helps us and others grow and become better human beings and creators. I know that's a long post, but I encounter many new musicians at open mic, and I'm always surprised by the little things, the details, that I pick up just observing and not just looking at the music, but at all the other things like what clothes their wearing, or what other interests they've somehow interwoven with their desire to play music, and how the diversity shapes it all into something "new" Anyhow, I appreciate the opportunity to finally make a comment on one of your videos and wish you the best of luck in continuing this awesome channel and all your other future endeavors. ✌️

Constraint is the mother of invention - the PO's are a limited gold mine of creativity and a great gateway to music production, can't believe this fits in my pocket - my 80's kid self would choke on his hubba-bubba

This to me ties into the severe issues with the gear related elitism you see in the electronic music world. Instead of the elitism being focused on things like playing ability or composing abilities like it does in most other parts of the music world it ends up focused much more on the actual gear being used. I think part of this is that a lot of the electronic music world is heavily sequencing based so that in turn takes most the wind out of the sails for playing ability being an outlet for those kinds of attitudes, then because of how common some tropes are in parts of the electronic music world it also helps de-fang the composing side of things a fair bit. So the elitism issues that seem to plague the music world instead get directed into attitudes of "oh you're using the wrong gear" kind of mentality. This is just my two cents from some one that shifted from a rock and jazz background towards electronic music. Ironically in some ways though ti seems as though the elitist attitudes seem to pervade some parts of the electronic music world a bit more than they do else where in the general music world. I mean it's an issue with the music world in general and is something I wish would just go away but alas we are going to be stuck with it to some extent probably always.

I bought my first Pocket Operator about a year ago or so, after seeing one of your videos on them. I did this because honestly, they just looked like so much fun. I loved it and that one PO became three. I have since gone on to graduate to other E-Music gear and it all has been a great deal of fun and a wonderful chance to learn new things.

I've recently done a full chiptune live set with a speak, two arcades and a robot, the crowd loved it!

I have a studio full of all types of gear and I tell people the PO-12 Rhythm is the best value in drum machines I've ever seen. Sounds great and SO MUCH FUN.

Every hobby I've ever gotten into has this type of gatekeeping in it. From what I've seen it's typically the huge egos that do this type of stuff so it'll sadly never go away

My buddy uses pocket operators in all of his music. He's completely changed my perception of what these are capable of. He goes by "Slow Children" on RU-vid if you want to check him out.

I detest snobbery in all it's insidious forms.

Pocket Operators keep me sane!!! I’m an accidental dad - we went from zero to three kids in 15 months (messy and complicated!!). Currently age 4, 6, and 7. I NO LONGER HAVE A STUDIO. I don’t even have a table in a corner! Time, space, and MONEY are all in short supply. Shorter than I ever could have imagined 4 years ago. I can’t leave any gear out. It will get clumsily played with, dropped, drinks spilled on it, something. Everything has to stay put away until after the kids are asleep, and put away before they wake up. Even a Novation Circuit (which I also own and love!) is sometimes too bulky. Pocket Operators, volcas, and the Circuit have kept my mind intact and my soul satisfied. I don’t get any days off as a dad, but I can doodle around while falling asleep in bed, or waiting in line to pick up kids from school. My musical itch gets scratched. Thank you, Teenage Engineering, for Pocket Operators! (And korg for volcas, Novation for Circuits!) Even if I had time and space aplenty, they’re just so much darn fun, I’d still use em. You can get “pro” results if you really want to. I just rewatched Spider Man: Homecoming, and am reminded of a Tony Stark line: “If you’re nothing without that suit, then you don’t deserve it”. I would say: “if you can’t make a killer track or beat (or at least a bit of flair within a larger context) with a PO, then you don’t deserve an X” (let X be whatever big/expensive thing tickles your fancy).

In the 80’s We made a ton of records using commodore 64s and 8 bit drum machines with less memory and less fidelity than any PO. Back then, a PO would be Hi Tech.

Also to add, if I didn't pick up a PO, I would have never gotten the momentum started on getting all the music in my head out there. Great devices to ramp into making music if you're intimidated by instrumentation

Great video and great message - thank you for this! I only stuck my toe into the electronic music world a year ago or so, and have found it welcoming, encouraging, supportive and joyful. That feeling is, for me, most of what defines this whole scene! I think, I hope, I believe, the gatekeeping types are the minority - but of course, maybe I’ve been luckier than some. Either way, people like yourself are part of what makes things nicer - and, so importantly, welcoming - for everyone. Thanks for articulating and celebrating what makes all this so positive.

Whatever you choose to use to make your music is good and useful. Entry level, high end, everything between. If it helps you get your ideas from your head into peoples earballs, then great!

gatekeeping really sucks, freebeat. i’m sorry you have to deal with it. i used to think the artist community was more accepting and welcoming than that. looks like i was wrong…

I love my Tonic and KO, I love the opz even more they're great when I don't have access to any of my many instruments. For example my lunch break at work.

@FreeBeat, reaction before viewing, regarding the title: there aren't enough of them?

I agree with everything you’ve said. I have 6 POs and I’ve learnt a lot about sequencing and sampling from tinkering with them. They are great. They each have there little nuances, and each have lots of limitations, so they force you to think about work arounds for certain tasks …even linking them together is a taste of things to come for the amateur musician. When I got the Elektron Model:Samples I distinctly remember thinking that the POs had been the ideal stepping stone into understanding the way that Elektron’s sequencer functions.

A PO is cheap fun that you can carry around so you can make some noise wherever. And you can connect them to each other or other gear. They are brilliant!

I got a pocket operator as a gift, I've been playing guitar for 20 years, and started synthing and ableton a few years ago.. It's perfect for begginers, I'm gonna get it for my friends and gifts for kids - I want them to get into it.. all of this is a great intro into music/creativity whatever.. 99% of people won't sell their music, it doesn't matter, get into it, get into the flow.. and whatever was in this video - I was intrugued by the title, I was looking for shortcut tutorials.. want to record guitar sample while playing it :) .. Use whatever you can to get expressive, bump the table, cling glasses, use a trash bag.. just get into the flow .. whoever gatekeeps this, suck on a lemon.. no one is stealing yer job

I'm here to hate...on gatekeeping. It's just making music. It should be fun, so whatever is the medium for accomplishing that is valid. Doesn't matter if it's a pocket operator, some pans from the kitchen or a $10,000 piano. Just because you don't like a specific instrument doesn't mean it's bad. I have no interest in playing the banjo, but if others want to play the banjo then great!

@FreeBeat, dude, I love your honesty and candour. Keep it up. Haters will hate because that's all they know how to do.

Coming from the world of acoustic instruments, I used to think that electronic music wasn't for me. Then I picked up the PO-20 Arcade and fell in love. I now have 6 more as well as an NTS-1 and an Arturia Keystep. You and those "silly" pocket operator videos opened up a whole new world for me that I loooove! Everyone is different, but if you don't like POs, you clearly haven't tried them all.

The Office was my first piece of gear, bought it about five years ago and it’s still ticking along nicely. Pocket Operators are just the best to have around, so convenient. Appreciate you dude

A friend got me a pocket operator for my birthday a few years ago. I always meant to try it out but I put it away and forgot about it. This video reminded me I had one. Gonna learn to use it this weekend. Very excited

I always say that the more different options we have, the better. Everyone have their own music writing style and have different requirements for their gear, so it's just impossible to make something that will be perfect for everyone. For example, I don't like grooveboxes with big screens, because I don't see big difference between them and a laptops or tablets with DAWs. Do I think that these grooveboxes shoulnd't exist? No. Do I hate people who love this type of grooveboxes? Hell no. People make awesome things with them, and it doesn't really matter what do you use to make your masterpiece, whether it's PO or something more expensive (or even more cheap, some people can rock a toy piano or a $30 ukulele)

Agree with you, and in general for any kind of gear hate. I find a lack of compassion/empathy because having the budget to try different pieces and being able to re-sell and buy is not something everybody has. Imagine working hard and saving for a piece of gear, knowing you might not get any other for a couple of years, and then hear people saying that device is crap, when the only thing you wanted was to have fun and make some art and express yourself.

People should just finally accept that everything from the tapping on your desk and the zipper of your hoodie through to intro gear, regardless if from big brands or AliExpress, all the way up to pro-level tools is just means of creating music. I've seen people create insane tracks from Lego, man. Why not appreciate someone's creativity? My advice is the following: If you think something sounds bad, instead of stating it and killing someone's vibe, just give feedback so that they may learn. Thanks for the great content. Got my first PO yesterday and I love the thing. PO-20 Arcade + Distorted Guitar Chords = Soul Food of the month. Peace!

I never bought these with the intention of seriously "making music", I just enjoy getting baked and jamming with them for fun. Since then, I've downloaded DAW software and spent more time learning about how to make music, so this was a great entry-point into the world of making electronic music. At the time they came out, they were also really affordable, much more so than most other gear, so if I had decided I wasn't really into it, it wasn't a huge loss like it would be if I'd spent $300 on a "serious" instrument.

Also what are you referring when mentioning "the OPZ situation"? Thank you so much for your video

You. Simply. Rock. Always a pleasure to get your daily videos. Thank you!

I have plenty of expensive gear, but I still love buying cheap gear. I love gear with limitations and gear that I'm not precious about. Plus, cheap gear is fun, and music should be fun:)

Well put Free Beat. I’m from a nautical family, grew up by the sea and I never knew sailors swear 😂

I started with an PO Arcade and before I knew it I was buying Elektron and Polyend stuff. POs are excellent gateways into music (but terrible gateways into GAS!!!!)

I started with a PO33 when it first came out. Loved it tons for awhile. I’ve since moved on to bigger and better things. Rarely do I use PO’s in my setup anymore. But it taught me the basics so I’m grateful for that. Question Free Beat. What was your issue with the OPZ? I haven’t seen all of your videos and just curious. I know about the warping and TE’s customer service kinda sucks.

The good thing about getting old, I'm now in my 60's is I could care less what people think. Oh, my main keyboard is a Casio MZ-2000 which in my opinion was way ahead of it's time.

I've been making beats on a korg-01w, cubase, and soundtrack pro (before it discontinued) most of my life and for maybe the last 10 years on logic with drum pads and keyboards-- I don't even quite understand why the pocket operator is considered a beginner's device except for that it's a bit feature limited and not expensive (BUT NEITHER IS LOGIC!) . it certainly isn't beginner-intuitive and definitely takes more than a novice understanding of production to master, like many sequencers of the 1990s. Great video

Just have fun and make music, don’t try to make the next big hit, just make music, for yourself, your friends and family. Music is art and a form of expression so just do what you feel like.

Late to the party, but having a pocket operator with me while at the office or on vacation has been a blessing!

I love PO's! I got all 9 main series and I cant understand why it would make people that upset at TE for making them. I couldn't thank them enough because they got me started in music making!!

How did you fix your PO33 screen? Or is it a new PO33?

Very well said. I love my pocket operators. I have released 4 albums using strictly the po33 with a 5th one currently in the process. I do mostly boom bap. I do have an mpc but i keep grabbing my po33 more often than the mpc lately. I also have the robot, arcade and Rhythm. Love them all.

I have a PO Factory and PO Sub, best things to bring on a long car ride or flight. Pocket Operators are awesome, music is awesome, being able to put music in someones hands is awesome. Musicians are always at the mercy of technological limitations/advancements.... Let's remember that Catgut (not actual cat, but animal intestines) were once used for stringed instruments, yea.... let that one soak in. Pretty sure they had some purists saying "It just doesn't sing with out the animals parts." It doesn't matter if you are experienced or not, if its fun, that's all that really matters.

Great vid. I fully agree with your positions here. And one major point I would like to add regarding the term: hate. This is a purely subjective term... We often hate one thing, because we love the other thing. There is always love in hate. If someone hurts a member of your family, you might hate them... but you hate them, because you love your fam. Much of hate, dissipates with maturity and understanding, but everyone is on their own timeline in this endeavor. Finally, there is often great advantage in getting others to love what you love and hate whatever you hate, and this speaks directly to the acknowledgement that many refuse to accept - man is a tribal animal.

PO12 and PO33 are still on my desk , don’t use them much ,but when I first got them I used them a lot , a drum machine for 45.. and a sampler for 85.00 ,no brainier , plus you can link them together , and they fit in your pocket

Where can we listen to your album?

People wasting their time and energy hating other people for their choices often lack of self confidence / self esteem. Also, psychologically, hate does even more harm to the person haunted by this feeling than the target person. Regarding gate keeping, I recently heard a famous producer that I won’t name expressing his disappointment that « now everyone can make music with just a laptop, whereas before you needed to have access to a professional recording studio, which limited the people releasing record to the ‘’real pros’’, so records were better».

Some people just have their heads up their butte. NEVER discourage anyone from making music in any form. We need more musicians in the world. Whenever I hear someone talk about being bored, I tell them they should take up banjo.

I have 7 of the 9 main series POs and i love them for how they work and what they do.

The haters in the electronic community are what we call “tools”. They’re unfortunately everywhere and think they’re better than everyone else. Making electronic music is supposed to be fun. You’ve got to start somewhere. In addition, I purchased a pocket operator after owning multiple synthesizers. Who cares tbh. They’re fun and you do you.

I really don't understand the hate on the pocket operators. I've been a huge fan of electronic music my entire life, and always wanted to get into making it. The POCKET OPERATORS provide the perfect way for beginners and pros alike to get into producing electronic music quickly. Would I love a deluge? Yes, but I wouldn't quite know what to do with it. I started watching this channel months ago, and this was the first channel that introduced the pocket operators from teenage engineering to me. I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM, or really any budget gear in the electronic music space. I always thought that you needed a crazy MOOG or KORG piano style synth, or thousands of dollars in EURO-rack studio gear to get into electronic music production. For me the PO series hits that sweet spot in your wallet where you get the best bang for the buck. The amount of features packed into everyone of these devices is AMAZING! They provide a studio level piece of gear at an entry level price, what is not to love about them. Also, they look like awesome calculators. Tactile buttons, Clicky-clicky is also one of the best features no mush, only click 😍. I leave this haiku for you guys: The operator of pockets will consume your electronic dreams

What are your thoughts on the new price point of $100? Still worth it?

They might be mad cause you should learn music before spending any money, especially on something as "advanced" as a PO. Then, when they realize they wouldn't mind owning one if only they could afford the entry cost; that's when the hate comes. Or maybe PO secretly have been killing peoples parents or something. Hate is bad.

im a drummer, i got a PO to make small fun beats on the go. honestly considering getting a couple more and a teenage engineering synth

I got POs to help get away from my Studio and DAW setup. They are super fun and making loops to track into the OP-1 for further mutilation is rewarding. Get em used, they're fun to mod too.

These little intuitive, inspirational and inventive devices are both packed with features and truly AWESOME! If any of those critics who own more expensive, exclusive or elaborate gear and so feel "significantly superciliously superior" and disdain anyone who owns a PO then they should just need to be more considerate and respectful of other musicians on a lesser budget OR who just enjoy, experience and educate themselves in a positive and particularly portable, playful and productive pursuit.

Keeping my eye out for the Tonic to go with my Microfreak but they seem hard to find.

Hey I'm new/just getting into making EM and want to start with a PO-20 but they are sold out. Only one on Reverb for crazy price!!

Haters gonna hate. Nothing good comes from that. Rather than being attacked for using gear X I'd like to know what other recommendations for beginner friendly gear are out there. In the category of the PO I don't know any other machine that comes close. A used Novation Circuit is probably also a great machine for beginners, but that is much less portable.

I've been thinking about buying a megaman pocket operator, do you think I should? I'm not sure if I would like it and I haven't been able to find any videos that actually discuss the pros and cons of them. every video is just, "look at this thing isn't it weird and cool?" and nobody ever says what good or bad about them outside of their appearance.

Haters gonna hate. Some people hate on pocket operators, some will hate on volcas, some on behringer, and so on. I can understand, tho, why some people hate on pocket operators: no midi, they're finicky, lofi, feels cheap, etc. But like you said, it's a great gateway not only to the world of electronic music, but to music in general! Keep on rocking 😎🔥

Can anybody tell me if its possible to remove presets from pocket operators ?? In particular a po-128.

Really interesting, I’ve really only ever seen praise for the Pocket Operators, had no idea there was hate for them. Gatekeeping is such a waste of energy. Let people like what they like.

the hatred towards these delicious toys is due to the fact that each of us is a potential creator of music and the pocket operator is one of the many keys to access the inner musical world of each of us. in practice, each of us can go from being a simple passive listener to being an active participant in the electronic music scene. that's why it is hated because it breaks down that barrier between establishment and consumers. I have the po20 arcade and within a few days I managed to achieve results that were unthinkable for me 30 year ago: easy access to the basic concepts of electronic music and an extremely low price. I sincerely support all products that aim at this vision of independent music and inspired by principles of sharing free from elitism

The PO tonic 32 is a powerful tool, one of the best drum machines, at a price that makes them affordable, to the rest of us.

PO´s rock for the money you have to pay for them. far away from perfect device but as you said a gateway to making noise ^^ gets things done imo

Pocket operators are by NO means entry level beginner devices! Quite the contrary, I'd consider myself an experienced electronic musician and I'm absolutely enjoying these crazy little devices. I mean I started producing at the age of 14 and that's nearly 26 years ago (boy, I'm old)...I had all the vintage gear in my studio, TB-303, TR-909, Juno 106, you name it but I sold it all (well not all of it) because eventually gear doesn't matter! It's what you can do with it AND how much fun you have with it! If you, Mr "established" musician are telling me people are dumb for buying pocket operator then I'll say you're dumb because you don't know how to operate them. Also, for me pocket operators are all about sharing stuff and kits, community, learning and improving together, you know, as kind of a collective experience...and these are the things you - Mr "established" musician - seemingly don't care about that much!

Wt* I love them, they help a lot against producer blocks. I have the tonic and k.o the best if you send the audio in your daw and put some plugins over it

Where’s the Sub? That’s become my favorite one! I don’t see any huge difference between the Sub and any bass budget synth except for the price, and I’ve had people tell me there’s a huge difference, it’s not midi, it’s sound is cheap. Both are untrue, an 1/8 trs to midi connects any midi, yes it’s a clock control only, but honestly what else would you need midi for with one of these? I certainly don’t want it to control another piece of gear. Next, they sound cheap, I guess it depends on your willingness to make make what you have work! I personally have two headphone amplifiers, one is Bluetooth and the other is just a stereo connection and I think was $16 on Amazon on sale and it works great! I have an inexpensive 6 track mixer that connects to another mixer 16 multitrack that connects to an IPad mixer controller that connects to my Integra 7. It’s not muddy because it’s all XLR other than the midi. I’m going to show how I do it because it sounds much more complicated than it is, and here’s the kicker, there’s at least 3 other ways just with what I all ready have to do it! I haven’t even tried them because I got what I wanted on the first try. I think I told you all before instead of buying another piece of gear, I bought every adapter, every cable, every midi/audio reference book I could ever need. I think if I remember correctly $600 JUST in that. Once you have all the awesome budget POs, volca’s, modules, IPads, IPhones, skulpt (not yet, but I have a craftsynth 2), etc… you’ve got to be able to connect them to each other and to an audio mixer. Maybe I am dumb, but I have fun! Peace

I think gatekeeping is very very bad, especially when something like the PO-33 KO is probably a fairly decent device to get into sampling and beat making with. I like using them as a 'sketchpad device' or MFX box, both which are very useful in combination with something like an MPC One..... And actually, these devices sound very good.

If anyone hates on your personal choices of instruments it is safe to ignore them. They won't be any help in any way. Seriously, no truly creative person would ever even consider that kind of negativity.

I’m wanting to get back in to music, especially electronic music. I think a Pocket Operator is where I’m starting after watching these videos. I’m thinking an Arcade, just because chiptune is so much fun.

It ain't what you got, it's how you use it. Love all the PO's! 💪

The only gate I think about when it comes to the POs is the floodgate of my wallet being opened to even more expensive gear because of how much fun it was/is to use them as a beginner. I love mine.

Here's one perspective (mine is the opposite)......After spending thousands on an MPC for example, and then seeing someone making decent beats on what appears to a knock off could make some people feel like they either wasted their money or Akai is getting ripped off. It makes it easy for people to get in cheap and that's not fair to those who worked really hard to get decent gear.

I Left my Pos in my Smoking Room and now they smell reeal bad. Any idea how to Clean them?

I bought an op1 first then my pocket operators 33 . Tonic and speech. I sold my op1 but I still own and use my PO