Pocket Operators

[frodog]

I got the PO12 used and managed to drop it on the floor the first day... Now (maybe because of this) it will sometimes turn off completely whenever I plug into the output jack or while piling on the FX while playing a pattern. Super annoying. Though the last time it happened, i switched out the batteries and it was OK the rest of the night after that. Anyone else experienced this problem?

Other than that, I really love the sound, in spite of its programming limitations like only doing 4/4 time. I have a Rucci Instruments 8-bit synth box, and sometimes use the CV out on that as a controller/bassline generator. Apparently a 5V CV signal is what the Pocket Operators like.

[Dandolin]

I got the PO12 used and managed to drop it on the floor the first day... Now (maybe because of this) it will sometimes turn off completely whenever I plug into the output jack or while piling on the FX while playing a pattern. Super annoying. Though the last time it happened, i switched out the batteries and it was OK the rest of the night after that. Anyone else experienced this problem?

Other than that, I really love the sound, in spite of its programming limitations like only doing 4/4 time. I have a Rucci Instruments 8-bit synth box, and sometimes use the CV out on that as a controller/bassline generator. Apparently a 5V CV signal is what the Pocket Operators like.

Sorry to hear about the drop.

Nice info on the cv. I've got the 12 and 16 and love messing around with them every day on my train ride, but I'll admit I've yet to do any serious musical enterprise with them, though I nthink they could add some spice to a performance even with their limitations, if I were to plan around or past them....

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

might be one of the battery tabs got out of wack a lil bit when u dropped it? they are kinda fragile. if u bend them back carefully, should be fine if its that

mine used to do that when i pressed down too hard on it if it was sitting on a table w/ the lil metal stand. which happened when i was jamming hard on it.

i got the lil overpriced TE case for it and that doesn't happen anymore.

they are fun to mess w/. i got tired of the factory pretty quick tho it has a deep range of wild sounds, but the rhythm OMG that kick drum. the sounds are great for a nice lil kit. w/ the fx and retriggers is pretty nice. i named my lil guy on the display pepe othello. he is one hard working mofo on that sewing machine!

[lordgalvar]

My friend finally got the cases last month. I got to jam with all three without any kind of primer. No clue what I was doing but it was pretty fun on the fly. I seemed to only edit one sequence or something or just half, but he enjoyed the little sequences I was making on the drum one and the bass one. Haven't touched them since though.

[frodog]

might be one of the battery tabs got out of wack a lil bit when u dropped it? they are kinda fragile. if u bend them back carefully, should be fine if its that

mine used to do that when i pressed down too hard on it if it was sitting on a table w/ the lil metal stand. which happened when i was jamming hard on it.

i got the lil overpriced TE case for it and that doesn't happen anymore.

they are fun to mess w/. i got tired of the factory pretty quick tho it has a deep range of wild sounds, but the rhythm OMG that kick drum. the sounds are great for a nice lil kit. w/ the fx and retriggers is pretty nice. i named my lil guy on the display pepe othello. he is one hard working mofo on that sewing machine!

Yeah, the dude has a good name, works that thing hard. It was weird when he just disappeared along with everything on the display that first time the clear/reset happened. Was just having a synth jam at our space when it went out, after mangling a beat with a lot of FX punch-ins... I had used it a good bit already at home then, but not so much that the battery was low I think (sound+bpm shows the bat stat), though it could be something there with a clip like you said.

Something to be careful about is not pressing func+pattern if you've just made a beat, that clears the active/chosen pattern, though I'm not sure if you have to hold it down or if it can happen in play mode. Pressing write while playing should save everything I think, fx and all. But maybe also using a lot of effects per pattern/several pats chained together, can bog the processor down. It is supposed to be a very powerful Cirrus Logic CPU though, so it should be able to handle shit.

So far I've just made loops using the PO12, one or two patterns together, but I'll sit down one day and program a longer sequence of beats. It's just a lil' scary when it can possibly crash.

[goroth]

I keep seeing these every time I buy strings at my local shop and they're almost cheap enough that I could randomly buy one but not quite. But those beats... Looks like so much fun!

[Bellyheart]

If you do get the 12. I like the others, but the 12 is really the most enjoyable.

[Meriphew]

I have the drum machine. It's a fun little gadget, but the sounds on it get old pretty fast.

[frodog]

Run it through some pedals!

[oscillateur]

I ordered a PO14 and PO16 when they became available on TE's website, played a bit when I got them and they've been sitting there unused since. These things can make some cool sequences but they lack in the interaction department as far as I'm concerned. Not enough controls (and not easy enough to get non-random results) to be really useable live and not enough memory to be used as my own preset machines.

I'll have to try a bit more, I could probably find a few sweet spots and focus just on these...