John Legelis – Looking Outwards 11, Computer Music

Teenage Engineering is a young company from Stockholm Sweden. They developed the OP-1 instrument in response to the creativity-stifling environment of a completely unstructured Digital Audio Workspace.

The OP-1 as a digital instrument is far more restrictive to the user that creating music on a computer would be. The creators claim that “…[the] limits boost the creativity. Limitations are OP-1’s biggest feature.”

The device draws inspiration from retro 80’s synthesizers such as the Casio VL-1, which some developers grew up with and discovered that the physical barriers of older syths spurred unconventional ideas and creativity.

Sample of OP-1 in use.

There are 11 separate synthesizer chips in the device that use varying methods to create different types of sounds.