OP-1 Portable Synthesizer

First released back in 2011, this pocket-sized powerhouse kicked off Teenage Engineering's lineup by packing a full studio's worth of tools into something you can toss in a backpack.

It's a digital polyphonic synth with up to 6 voices across 11 unique engines like FM, Cluster supersaw, DNA noise generator, and the newer Dimension engine, plus a stereo sampler grabbing up to 20 seconds from its built-in mic, mono line in, or even FM radio. Record on 4-track tapes in styles like studio, vintage, or disc mini, shape sounds with dual envelopes, LFO, filters, and effects including reverb, delay, distortion, and compression; sequence patterns with arpeggiator support and velocity-sensitive keys. The aluminum body measures about 11.3 x 4 x 1.1 inches and weighs under 2 lbs, with a crisp color AMOLED display, 4 color-coded multifunction knobs, floating keyboard rated for millions of presses, built-in speaker plus passive radiator for surprisingly full sound, stereo out, headphone jack, and 24-hour rechargeable battery via USB-C. Bluetooth MIDI, high-res audio I/O, and internal storage make it play nice with phones, computers, or other gear.

Over a decade on, it's earned a cult following for sparking creativity on the fly—users love the intuitive, playful workflow and endless sound design depth, though some note the single-track-at-a-time tape style takes getting used to for traditional DAW folks.