I've been searching for a setup "brain" this year and unfortunately this was not it, because I also wanted something for in-depth sound design at the same time.
Already owning an OP-Z and liking that one, the OP-XY was pretty much what I wanted: Prettier, different/expanded sound engines and a screen for easier navigation. And of course much more expensive, which was the deciding factor for me to send it back in the end.
The sequencer is still as great as it is on the OP-Z, but a bit easier to work with because of the screen and song mode. The design of both the hardware and the software really appealed to me as well. And the sounds were really cool as well, with an organ synth (unexpected, but neat) and generally sounding very good to me. The only thing I was missing were more sound design options, essentially more parameters for the synth engines and maybe an LFO or two more.
A few more unsorted notes:
- the keys feel snappier/clickier than on the OP-1f
- I did see some crashes, but nothing that lost me data
- lots more projects (plus the ability to name them) than the OP-Z
- naming patterns would be cool (which the digitone supports)
- I would love a "global parameter track" that could go on for much longer than individual patterns, but maybe that's what playing live is for
- sometimes parameter locks were confusing and seemed not to work as i expected (could be a me-problem)
- maybe "secret" parameters accessible via midi could expand the sound design options?
- it's just so pretty! :)
So back it goes. I bought a Digitone II instead, which is very different, but also has a sequencer with lots of options and I've _really_ enjoyed the sound design options available on it. Maybe one day when TE releases an OP-E(verything) I will go for it again.
