The Swedish family of tiny, calculator instruments-on-a-board continues to grow: and now they sample and speak, too.
Teenage Engineering are back with their sub-100EUR line of simple, playable pocket instruments. As always, these feature screens, battery power, folding stands, and alarm clock features that mimic early Nintendo handhelds – plus more powerful features, like parameter locks for creating elaborate sequences of sound tweaks.
The new models feature sampling capabilities and even voice synthesis – and still more clever ideas from developer Magnus Lidström (Sonic Charge).
First up – the PO-35 speak, which can be a voice synth, and can mess with your own input (via a mic), and is inspired by Magnus’ Bitspeek effect.
Specs:
microphone for sampling NEW! ** that’s not normal sampling as you might think of it – see note below -Ed.
sequencer
parameter locks
step multiplier
8 voice characters NEW!
8 effects NEW!
transpose and change scale NEW!
built-in speaker
3.5mm audio I/O
replaceable drum sounds with microtonic (sold separately) NEW!
jam sync
animated LCD display
folding stand
break away lock tab
clock + alarm clock
battery powered (2xAAA)
1 month battery life
2 year standby time
The 120 seconds “sampling time” listed actually “stores speech-parameters, not traditional sample data.” Magnus tells us. “Parameters like pitch, volume and formant envelopes. Then it resynthesizes the voice in real-time when you play with it.” This employs the same technique used in Magnus’ Bitspeek plug-in – it’s a clever way of analyzing incoming signal (like you messing about with the mic) and then turning that into fluid sound characteristics, for pitch-shifting, time-stretching, formant-shifting, and the like.
If it’s actually sampling you want, look to the PO-33, below.
https://teenage.engineering/products/po/metal#po-35
Our friend Jakob has video:
And then there’s the PO-33 sampler, called, fightin’ style, the “K.O!” This has real sampling capability – 40 seconds of actual audio recording (which the Speak doesn’t have). And it can use that as a sampler would. You can apply sounds to either drum or melodic modes, and sequence away. More specs:
micro sampler with 40 second sample memory and built-in recording microphone.
microphone for sampling NEW!
8 melodic sample slots NEW!
8 drum slots NEW!
sequencer
16 effects
parameter locks
40 seconds sample memory NEW!
built-in speaker
3.5mm audio I/O
jam sync
animated LCD display
folding stand
break away lock tab
clock + alarm clock
battery powered (2xAAA)
1 month battery life
2 year standby time
https://teenage.engineering/products/po/metal#po-33
Check the full PDF guide.
More video:
99EUR each, 39EUR for the add-on case, the new two join the microtonic to make up what TE call the “metal series.”