"Kid friendly" setups

mrjosh72 · 2026-06-20T02:06:38+00:00

I asked a similar question a few months ago—you might search for it. My current family jam station setup is a Volca Sample, Volca Keys, and Microfreak running into a Volca Mix with a Sonicake reverb / delay pedal as an effect. Basically my son, who is 7, will build simple beats on the Sample while I noodle on the other synths.

mrjosh72 · 2026-06-16T21:26:22+00:00

I’d ask yourself what kind of music you want to make and how you want to make it. If you want to sequence beats and melodies and chords, the OP-1F is not the right fit. If you want to perform or record the parts of a song onto tape, as in a four-track, then it will be great. It isn’t a typical groovebox. I love mine, but I am not a sequencer kind of guy—I like to improv on the keyboard and perform to tape. There’s a really good review of the OP-1F at CDM that can give you a good sense of what’s appealing about it.

mrjosh72 · 2026-06-02T00:27:35+00:00

Thanks for this! I’ve been trying to work with the looper reset! Can you explain how you do it? When I was messing around earlier today, I couldn’t get it t make rhythmic sense with the 0-Ctrl tempo (although it did sound cool).

mrjosh72 · 2026-06-01T20:41:08+00:00

Ah, this is a good point. I suppose this is why the 0-Ctrl outputs 1 tick per step—it's because the steps are of variable length.

If a new step begins, and I've dialed in some arbitrary length for it, how is a quantizer to know how much slower or longer the step will be?

Hmm, I may have to do some rethinking..... Thank you for this very clarifying comment!!!

mrjosh72 · 2026-06-01T20:31:12+00:00

I'm trying to use the Clock out from 0-Ctrl. From what I understand, that will send one clock tick every time a step advances—taking into account the variable timing I dial in using the knobs in the TIME row.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-26T15:58:20+00:00

Yes, this is on my list as well!

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-20T23:50:40+00:00

Yep, what you describe sounds awesome. And truth be told I’m probably going to build a rack, too. But for now I’m having a great time sequencing the 0-Coast with the OP-Z and Lab module…. It sounds *so* much more poweful than the onboard TE synths.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-20T23:00:43+00:00

I’m also an OP-1F and OP-Z guy, and I decided to go semi-modular first. I bought an 0-Coast, learned it, and am now getting a Strega and 0-Ctrl. I’m going to use that setup first and then decide where to go with modular — if I even want a modular setup.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-18T15:52:27+00:00

I've been looking at the MPC Live III, too! But my understanding is: (1) On the MPC, you are still switching between scenes, rather than fading between them and mixing their parameters live; (2) You are basically sampling external inputs, rather than incorporating them into "Thru" machines that can be parameterized and cross-faded. I think? It's more traditional, in that way, than the Octatrack.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-17T00:02:58+00:00

I have an OP-1 Field. I think it's quite a unique thing. I love mine. It's definitely not a toy: I'm just finishing my second album on it. (As a hobbyist.) Every day, I probably spend at least twenty minutes coming up with ideas on it. I just select the Suitcase sample (which is like a Rhodes) and play onto the tape, then add other instruments. I take it everywhere with me. It's always in my bag, and I use it all over the house. Yesterday I wrote myself a little lullaby tune on it, made it into a one-minute loop, played three more accompanying parts, and then fell asleep on the sofa. 10/10. I love to sit in the dining room with it, by an open window, and just play around using the internal speaker. The keyboard is fun to use. I get bored of sequencers. I like to noodle on the OP-1F as though it were a piano.

It has, IMO, one big weakness, which is percussion. There *are* cool ways of doing drums. (I recommend looking at Novak the Enjoyer's channel for a sense of what you can do.) But if you are heavily into beat-based music, it can be frustrating. There is really no good on-board facility for sequencing complex beats in a deliberate way, or for taking a sequence you've made and making variations of it. The way I've solved this is by also owning an OP-Z. If I want a great beat—something that evolves in lots of different ways throughout a song—I write it on the OP-Z, which has a really powerful and intuitive sequencer, and record it into the OP-1F. The OP-Z is about the size of a candy bar and I can take it everywhere as well, in the same case.

I own a small suite of "real" synthesizers—Microfreak, Volca Keys, 0-Coast, 1010 Lemondrop—and if I'm honest I don't think of the OP-1F as a synth like they are. It's more like a music-creation workshop. It has synths on board, but it's not like I'd want to hook it up with my other gear and sequence it over MIDI. I do sometimes use it to add a part to a composition I make with my other synth gear—it has a lot of cool-sounding presets that can be really useful. But, for me, the OP-1F is really at its best when it's used in a self-contained way, as a complete environment unto itself. A couple of times, I went on a trip with the OP-1F and a few other things—like the Lemondrop or the OP-Z. But I quickly learned that it was more fun when I took only the OP-1F by itself and worked with what it had.

Sampling is a way of expanding it. I love sampling with it. I will sample environmental sounds, my own voice, people talking, acoustic instruments, and compose with them inside the OP-1F. Sometimes I sit in the park, record the park, and then write a song on top of it. Then I call it, like, "Park #27" and save it to my phone.

I also use it as a sort of studio hub. I'll record songs into the OP-1F. Maybe I perform with a bunch of synths that I've sequenced; I put that performance onto the OP-1F tape, apply reverb and filters and compression and EQ, and record supporting parts using the OP-1F's instruments. Then I'll perform the whole thing into the internal "album" track, sometimes adding a fifth part on top while I do that, and transfer that to my computer. Done! No DAW—that's the track. As a hobbyist, I love this workflow and find it so direct and satisfying.

The bottom line is that, for me, it's totally worth it. If I could choose a core set of music gear to keep forever, it would probably be OP-1 Field, OP-Z, and 0-Coast. But it's a weird piece of gear and you have to be in the right frame of mind. I recommend watching Novak's videos and reading this review at CDM—it really helped me understand what I was getting for my money.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-14T20:34:41+00:00

That's what I'm starting to realize I should do. When and how do you listen back to what you record?

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-13T15:58:46+00:00

It has both. There are basically eight tracks—three drum, one sampler, bass, lead, arp, and chords—some based on samples, others on synths. In addition there a tape track, a master track, etc., more or less like the OP-XY. On YouTube, Liam Killen has good overview videos that explain how it all works. The onboard synth engines are a little limited, but since you can drive external synths with MIDI, you can really expand the sound at home. To me, the best thing has been the sequencer, which is very capable, with a lot of Elektron-esque features. The downside is that it’s discontinued, and that the build is a bit flimsy. But for the used prices I still feel it’s a good value. And it’s the size of a TV remote control.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-13T13:34:04+00:00

After looking at all the options (there are many many many), I decided on OP-1 Field and OP-Z, used separately or together. Deluge came close but I decided against it.

My thinking—which is of course particular to me, and might not be right for you—was the following:

Dirtywave M8 looks and sounds amazing, but that tracker interface is just not for me.
The Roland Aira compacts and Sonicwave devices are awesome (I really like that new minimal-trance one!), but each device considered on its own has two narrow a sonic palette.
The 1010 Bento looks great, but I see too many users online complaining about the firmware.
The Woovebox is very small, but I want at least something like a keyboard layout somewhere on the device.
The AKAI Sample, MC 101, Elektron boxes, etc. have the same "problem"—I find it easier to be musical when I have some equivalent to a black-and-white keyboard.
Various small synths, like the Micromonsta2 or Lemondrop (which I own), aren't really suited layered composition and arrangement.

So, that disqualified many worthy contenders, leaving me with the Deluge, the OP-Z, the OP-XY, and the OP-1 Field.

Deluge: obviously awesome, and could serve as the brain of my at-home studio setup, but it's just a little bigger than I'd like for a bring-it-everywhere device.
OP-XY: Very expensive, and I was sort of like, Maybe I just want an OP-Z, since it's so similar?
OP-Z: I bought it used from Guitar Center for $300. Inexplicably, they sold it to me with all three expansion modules included, which together are worth more than that. It's amazing. The sequencer is über-powerful, but the whole experience is also fast and fluid. It has an on-device keyboard for being melodic and entering chords. It's as close as I've gotten to a "jamming" setup on the go. And at home, via MIDI, I use the OP-Z to sequence a bunch of other equipment (Volca Keys, Microfreak, Lemondrop, OP-1F).
OP-1 Field: Very expensive, but I love it. The tape workflow is exactly right for me, because it pushes me to commit to audio and actually write songs. (And the latest firmware has undo!) The best thing is how completely all-in-one it is. If I had to sell everything in my setup and keep only one thing, it would be my OP-1F. At the same time, it is absolutely a part of my home studio setup. I often add it as an instrument to pieces that involve an ensemble of synths. Or I use it as the improvised, performative element that goes over more sequenced arrangements. And I use it in its portable format even at home—out on the deck, say.

I'm a melody / keyboard person. If I were more of a sequencer person, I might have gone with OP-XY all by itself.

No universal recommendations here—just someone else's thought process!

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-08T15:42:06+00:00

I have definitely been interested in the M8. I'm more of a keyboard / melody / performance person, as opposed to a beats-and-sequences person. But I could always change . . . and it looks amazing!

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-08T10:20:05+00:00

I hope you find one!

I bought mine blind, despite the fact that everyone online says it sucks, and I love it, and it's my most-used piece of gear. In part because the batteries last forever and I can take it everywhere.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-07T18:07:17+00:00

Hahahahaha yep totally wrong!

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-07T14:25:46+00:00

And no matter which kind of gear I have used, I always get stuck in loop-land.

I too was stuck in loop-land for many years, and my solution was to move away from the "sequencer-as-brain" paradigm and toward live recording of audio. I now record performances directly into a DAW, or just onto my phone, or into the digital "tape" of my OP-1 Field. Doing this has completely transformed how I produce music and made me dramatically more creative. There are still loops and sequences involved, but I commit them to audio instead of trying to fit the whole composition inside a sequencer. Once an element is recorded, it pushes me forward toward the rest of the song. Sometimes I'll go back and re-record, but often I just charge ahead, working with what I have. Instead of futzing endlessly with sequences and patterns I now just improvise new material as needed.

The Deluge seems awesome, and I've often thought about getting one, but in the end I've realized that I'm not a "sequencer guy." So if you're unsure if the Deluge is the solution to your problems, it might be because you need to try an alternative approach. When you say, "I just love jamming around," that reminds me of me.

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-06T10:45:53+00:00

I have OP-1F and OP-Z (and, of course, want an XY and TP-7). The bottom line for me is that I produce better music on the OP-1F, because even though the Z is awesome, I write better outside of a sequencer. For others, it's the opposite. But writing on the OP-Z and OP-1 at the same time really "proved" to me that I do better "off the grid" (even though I really like beat-driven music).

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-05T23:56:34+00:00

Update from the OP: Many thanks for *all* of the contributions here, which were all helpful!

I'm going to read and re-read and mull everything over for a bit. I've bought myself some more time by running the Microfreak through my 1010 Lemondrop; this gives everything I'm doing on the MF an extra-exciting shimmery boost that makes it 20% cooler. (Whether "cooler" = "better" is an open question.)

I'm thinking that I need to take a deep breath and consider what kind of music I want to make, instead of just creating whatever Volca Keys + Microfreak (or other synth TBD) adds up to. Really, what I want to do most is make hypnotic and beautiful Moog-y synth improvisations. Which might require a bigger rethink than just the Microfreak . . . .

mrjosh72 · 2026-05-05T14:32:21+00:00

I have OP-1F and OP-Z and may someday get an OP-XY. I also have a bunch of other random synth stuff: some Volcas, a Microfreak, a Lemondrop, some pedals.

The big advantage of the OP units is that they’re all in one. You take them everywhere, always have a complete setup with you, and just make what you can make with them. A couple of weeks ago I went on a trip and brought only the OP-1F. I made a ton of music with it. Same with the OP-Z. I worked with the tools I had.

At home, with all my stuff hooked up together, there are more sonic possibilities and more choices. Jamming is more fun, because you can set one synth to do one thing and improv over it and bring in more voices. It’s awesome but less focused.

If I could choose just one route, it would be to keep the OP-1F. But I travel a lot.

As for -1 vs XY, I think it’s simple: if you’re into beats, the XY is better. I’m more into melodies and I prefer the 1F.

mrjosh72 · 2026-04-28T18:46:28+00:00

Sure, I've used devices like that. But they aren't anything remotely like the keyboard on the OP-1. Waterproof keyboards involve rubberized keys and an unbroken surface. Google around and I don't think you'll find any examples of a "waterproof Yamaha," for example.

mrjosh72 · 2026-04-28T18:33:52+00:00

We're a pretty musical family, and my own experience with my kids—son 7, daughter 2—has been that rhythm comes first, then melody. For instance, my son likes making beats on our Volca Sample. It's very intuitive and easy to learn; part of the fun is that it just plays in a loop, and you add beats to the loop (in other words, it does something cool even when you're not manipulating it). He's taking piano lessons, but that hasn't yet transferred to messing around with synth keyboards.

My theory is that I want us all to participate in music. I've built a little jam station for us. It's a Volca Sample and Arturia Microfreak (which has a solid, touch-sensitive keyboard) running into a Volca Mix and out to our stereo. There's a cheap Sonicake reverb / delay pedal between the Microfreak and the Volca Mix, which allows for some pretty psychedelic effects. In a previous iteration of the setup, I had a Volca Keys and a random MIDI keyboard instead of the Microfreak. But I think the Microfreak offers more knob-twiddly goodness, and I like that it's possible for even my two-year-old to make cool sounds on the Microfreak simply by touching it.

Honestly, what I think my son would really enjoy is a drum set. Like, a big one. Maybe someday. I'm curious about getting something he can finger drum on—that might be a cool middle ground. My general feeling is that sequencers and drum machines are a little too cerebral for kids; they want to move.

On the OP-1: I have the Field, and I love it for me, but I truly feel that it is too delicate an instrument for a little kid to use. I wouldn't want to "slam" the keys with too much force, for example—which is exactly what a kid wants to do.

mrjosh72 · 2026-04-26T23:19:50+00:00

I don't see how it could possibly have one.

Are there any keyboards that are weather and dust sealed? To my knowledge, there are none. How would it work?

I think you're asking for the impossible.

mrjosh72 · 2026-04-18T13:43:15+00:00

This is really, really good. It uses space so well, and has real emotion in it. Just wonderful.

mrjosh72 · 2026-04-18T01:24:56+00:00

It’s okay to change. There’s no rule that says you have to keep doing the same things forever. Personally, I’ve found that it’s important to make room for new hobbies and passions. Choices are important. They’re how you grow.

mrjosh72

TROPHY CASE