Patch cables suddenly make more sense when everything speaks the same language. oplab is Teenage Engineering’s playful “musical switchboard,” a digital experiment board designed to let computers, MIDI gear, analog synths, sensors, and odd bits of hardware all talk to each other in perfect sync.
At its core, oplab converts between USB MIDI, 5‑pin DIN MIDI, CV/gate, Sync24 and a flexible digital I/O rail, so you can use a laptop or tablet to drive vintage analog, or let a hardware sequencer play your soft synths without extra boxes in the chain. Two USB host ports and a mini USB device port handle modern controllers and computers, while MIDI in/out, CV and gate inputs/outputs, and Sync24 support keep both classic and modular gear locked together. With 2 x 12‑bit switchable digital in/outs, you can sync LEDs, buzzers, motors, and sensors to your music or translate their activity into MIDI control data.
Oplab also invites DIY experimentation: connect knobs, potentiometers, and lights, add a little programming, and build custom sound‑making machines around a compact 92 x 92 mm PCB. As a discontinued but much‑loved companion to the OP‑1, it shares that device’s plug‑and‑play MIDI integration and could sit alongside it in a matching protective case. For studio tinkerers and live performers alike, oplab turns a tangle of formats into one coherent, hackable ecosystem.
