TOYS or SERIOUS INSTRUMENTS? Pocket Operator DAWLESS setup explained! // Summer of Synths 

Thanks for having me Bo!

The video I was waiting for! Gar's channel was the main motivator for me to start mine, and first turned me on to what the PO-33 was truly capable of :) Such an amazing creator!

The KO is absolutely an instrument. Even if it's a toy, you can still perform a toy like the meow-keyboard or the hello-kitty drumset. The one thing It isn't is a full on DAW, but You can write and PERFORM songs with it, either live, semi-live, or completely sequenced. It is an instrument if you play it like one, just don't ever expect to outdo a mastered studio track when it comes to quality/resolution. THE OTHER POS however, are more toy-like on their own, but when put together they are great accessories for performing songs.

The PO-33 alone is a classic. I've made several albums on it and you'd have to pry it from my cold dead hands to get it away from me.

Here is some lyrics of a band Kraftwerk, you might have heard of. I'm the operator with my pocket calculator I'm the operator with my pocket calculator I am adding And subtracting I'm controlling And composing I'm the operator with my pocket calculator I'm the operator with my pocket calculator I am adding And subtracting I'm controlling And composing By pressing down a special key It plays a little melody By pressing down a special key It plays a little melody I'm the operator with my pocket calculator I'm the operator with my pocket calculator

I got PO-32 simply on a whim and because I didn't have any other form of drum machine. I loved it so much and it got me so interested in sequencing / drums it prompted me to go on and get a more fully featured groovebox (Sonicware Liven XFM) so I'm really glad it led me to the light and showed how much fun step sequencing can be.

Kudos @Gar Hoover - that beat on 2:13 is really, really good pocketoperating! Wow!

Gar is a true master of the POs. Great set of reasons given and an inspiration to boot. It’s no secret that FreeBeat is heading this way so I’m looking forward to that and any other invited guests. Cheers Bo. Lee

Yeah Gar's the man! Very glad to see him as a guest here, he deserves a lot of attention! Great video! PO's are super fun and powerful in the right hands!

After a long wait, I finally purchased the PO-12 Rhythm not too long ago. The effects and chaining of patterns together is awesome. I was pleasantly surprised, and I like more than some of my expensive drum machines.

I’m just surprised that Teenage Engineering hasn’t put a $500 price tag on them.

Very fun! Always awesome Gar!

I have the Tonic and KO. The pattern chaining with parameter locking are outstanding. They are toys to those who dismiss them without taking the time getting to know them.

Yes!!!!! More GAr and Bo. This video makes me so damn happy

I got a ko a few days ago amazing little things figured the work flow in a couple of hours made a full track today recorded it into the multi track and added parts to it with the Yamaha DJx

Gar was a perfect pick as a guest for a PO feature. Love his content and loving the summer of synths series. Good stuff!

Excellent. I have been using my PO less and less since getting NTS-1. I know the PO's deserve more love :D

I keep a PO33 in my truck's console as something to play with when I'm stuck somewhere and bored.

The Nic Cage of synths? That only makes them more attractive to me. And already own about the whole series. Love to hear you folks talking them up! Thanks for this video series, Bo!

I have no choice but to believe that you are hacking into my brain for deciding these Summer of Synth videos. First the M8, then the Syntakt, and now PO? I just got a PO-14 Submarine as a gift, and it's a ton of fun for the size and price.

Nice vid! thanks Gar and Bo

Quality video. Good tunes and explanations, and makes these things look really appealing.

Great message. Never noticed they are designed with these store package hangars :) Great phone dial tone playing!

Bo, we must have some kind of spiritual connection! This morning I was thinking I need to get a PO! And a few hours later this video appeared! 😲

Make sure you test your buttons and knobs. They had a big QA issue where they were shipping out dead or defective units. So glad I recorded myself opening and testing it. They really did not want to refund me.

"The Nic Cage of synthesizers" I'll have 10 thanks

Man that's cool... Thank you!

I just love pocket operators. Can't say which my favourite one is because they're all just great...I'm kinda torn between the PO-32, the PO-33 and the PO-128...the PO-32 is an incredibly versatile drum synth and if you have Microtonic, possibilities are basically endless...the PO-33 has become my favourite dawless sampler...and the PO-128 is just so cool🤘😁🤘

I've got the PO12 and PO33 and they're great fun and inspirational, and you can get brilliant 3D printed cases for them so they resemble stuff like an Akai MP.

If somebody gifts you a PO Rhythm, Arcade, Speak or Knock Out, be grateful. You'll have a lot of fun and might actually make some surprisingly decent noises. Don't buy them yourself though. Well, maybe get the PO12 Rhythm but don't waste any more of your own money. The POs hold their resale value about as well as a net holds soup. The one/only advantage the POs possess over other budget gear is their song mode (chaining of non-consecutive patterns). Other than that? Get yourself some Volcas, A Sonicware Liven groovebox or, the newer Roland Aira Compacts. They have better functionality, connectivity and you wont lose all your money if/when you sell them on.

Super stuff Gar

Any music gear that can allow someone as UNtalented as me to get views to their channel can not be underestimated 😅 love the gang.

po-33 is like a Boss SP-202 with a sequencer

Looks like I'll be buying my first Pocket operator soon! 😀

I bet Vince Clarke has a few of these.. Nice video guys.

Some time ago my spouse had to have a pretty serious outpatient surgical procedure; rather rotting my brain doomscrolling on a phone I brought a Tonic, Arcade and Sub along and kept my mind occupied. How many synths can quite literally fit in a pocket and do all that those 3 could?

I have the sample, beats and drum brute impact. All three are good machines in their own right. But the ones I pick up the most are the PO-12 Rhythm and the PO-20 Arcade. They are by far the most fun to use, which is what it's supposed to be about after all.

that beat at 3:50 is icy cold

Thanks Gar !😀

I had one and it’s only because I have enough money to upgrade that I did. I would have loved them when I was younger with less money. I think they are a good idea for people who are looking at getting into making music.

Im gonna order one on Friday.

Great video

Hey Bo,,,I reckon it’s high time you revisited Synthstrom’s Deluge,,,it’s been a while!!!

Love the PO's but would greatly improve usability to increase size and add some slight adjustments to form factor, you could maintain the exact same OS & board logic.

I have KO and Tonic and use them more than anything else! They're there on the desk and I find myself just hitting play as i walk past it and then suddenly half an hour has gone by and I'm dancing round the room with one in each hand. Lol. Great bits of kit. The naysayers are wrong.. soooo wrong.

People who are disliking Pocket Operators are toys 😂

The knobs are too damn finicky for me personally (I also have large hands). I have a volca sample that I get a lot more use out of. If I had to redo it all I'd probably just get koala sampler on my phone and save my money for an mpc

Tonic ftw!

Omg the trigger warning got me 😂😂

For people of a certain size, POs are just too damn small. I have very large hands hence large fingertips. It is almost impossible for me to use a PO.

I wish two-keys-push-turn-ON for them. On Office sound+write turns off the unit, but any key is enough for wake-up. Why? I can't to drop it into my bag or slip into my pocket, because always turns on :((( One question: could you share outro music title?! Thanks!

I tried to go onboard with a pocket but it was not for me. They sound good but are a hazzle to work with, its a matter of taste. The lack of direct midi connection was a big no no.

I'm glad pple thinks POs are Toys. Stay in ya Lane. That's what keeps them Unique Pple thought the TR808 909 was BS too. Ijs...

How can you not like a pocket full of fun?

I’m also a proud wearer of a cactus shirt

I have one; I just could not connect with it it, but that says more about me I think

they cost a freaking fortune... heard they need extra stuff to make 1v/oct.. wish i hadnt bothered wasting my money on it its not even a good doorstop!

I respect the talent here and they’re great for what they are but they really are toys. I’ll never understand wanting to work with instruments that are that small for longer than a few minutes. I say they’re great for starting out in electronic music but if you really want get down to the nitty gritty you’ll want to spend more money at some point. This of course is just my opinion.

I don't have any nor intend on buying any. I get why people do, just not for me.

5 reasons that you have enough gear and shouldn’t waste money on what our favorite RU-vidrs say

Just give me Koala Sampler on my phone $10 and less finicky

Thank you, to show me reason why I shouldn't buy a POCKET OPERATOR

In the hands of the right user, they can sound perfectly OK. Personally, I think they are ridiculous toys. Maybe I'm an old vintage synth collector who doesn't know any better.

Technically all instruments are toys cause you literally play with them lol

IDK sounds like a toy to me.

It's a rubics cube for people on the spectrum.

eww not for me, i dont hate them for other people, but they are not for me and my big fat hands lol

Imagine a world where TE's quirky out of the box synths didn't exist...

I would disagree. PO is a toy. Just toys for big boys n girls. Small buttons, nonsense form factor... Unless for live or studio.

I don't know... Teenage Engineering has atrocious customer support and the build quality of their hardware - especially the pocket operators - is abysmal. At least for me, these are absolute NoGos, and I didn't even touch on their pricing structure, yet. If you can get teenage engineering hardware used for below half price, I say go for it. They're really fun to toy around with and especially the pocket operators are fun little idea machines!

The one and only reason is you guys want to make a buck.

NOT COOL. 🤕It's not that they aren't a great musical device. It's that they are NOT GREEN! Give us a plug-in adapter and they won't make me feel guilty about battery pollution. 🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋🔋....