Synth love is reaching into the world of television. Teenage Engineering’s latest Pocket Operator not only features animated cult hit Rick & Morty, but involves a direct collaboration with that show’s producer.
Oh yeah, and I guess Justin Roiland kind of gets an edge on the rest of us in that he has an Emmy Award and we don’t. (Not yet. Hmmm… maybe Bastl Instruments and I will make a wacky sitcom set in a Czech village.)
From the description, it’s a little unclear what the PO-137 actually is, other than limited edition with various TV tie-ins. Yes, there are Rick & Morty animations added to the graphics. And yes, you get some custom samples voiced by Roiland himself. (You can hear some of those on the TE preview site.)
But I think it’s a safe bet that the PO-137 is really a re-skin of the PO-35 Speak. Both have “8 vocal characters,” but now those characters come from Rick & Morty. So look to the Speak specs for an idea of what’s in store:
vocal synthesizer and sequencer with built-in microphone for 8 different voice character sampling.
microphone for sampling
120 seconds sample memory
8 voice characters
8 effects
transpose and change scale
replaceable drum sounds with microtonic (sold separately)
This reminds me a bit of when KORG unveiled their OK Go edition volca sample. But Rick & Morty’s rabid fanbase seem to make for a sure-fire hit.
Personally, I don’t want any of your cheap merch, and I can’t really get into Rick & Morty paraphernalia. I just want you to give me a damned portal gun. Now that’s something I’ll invest in.
Also, side note, missed opportunity here – what someone really needs to create is BMO from Adventure Time. I guess we just have to wait and see how Playdate works out.
I’m just going to ponder what the most obscure cartoon partnership we can imagine for MeeBlip. So, Fyodor Khitruk isn’t alive any more, but maybe, like, one of his animators? (Винни-Пух for Eurorack!) How about a Hedgehog in the Fog ambient synth?
I’m sorry, this was supposed to be a news story or something. Please, go on about your day. Спасибо и спокойной ночи.
Preorders in July; shipping in November. The Pocket Operator… Винни-Пух synth I can’t answer.