Let’s take a close-up look at the Pocket Operator PO-35 Vocal Synthesizer – from Teenage Engineering.
The PO-35 is small.
How small? Smaller than an iPhone.
Here it is out of the package – you can see it is a very minimalistic product.
It is a bare bones product , but that is part of the appeal – to make it fun and easy to make electronic music.
It has a folding wire stand.
It is a very compact footprint when the wire stand is folded, but when it is extended it’s great for desktop or tabletop usage.
Two AAA batteries go on the back. It’s sort of a tight fit – but once they are in, there is no danger that they will come loose.
There is a warning on the packaging about ESD – Electro Static Discharge.
This is a hazard with many exposed electronic devices – but we don’t think it’s too big of an issue with the PO-35.
How much battery life? You should get several months of use.
The PO-35 has a small LCD display.
It can also double as an alarm clock.
Why is this called the “Speak” model?
Technically it is a vocal synth – it has a microphone built-in for sampling.
You can also sample through the input jack.
Check back soon, and we’ll have more details about how to use the PO-35.
Want to save what you’ve done and ensure it is not over-written? Simply break off the lock tab.
You will need to solder it back on to write again though – so we’d recommend leaving it as-is.
Pocket Operator PO-35 – In Summary
It’s small, it’s cheap, and it’s a lot of fun.
The Pocket Operator series is an easy way to dip your toe in the waters of electronic music – in a tactile way – without a big investment.
It would make a great gift for a creative teenager or aspiring musician as well.