Teenage Engineering TE010AS020A PO-20 Arcade Pocket Operator

I bought this for my kids to experiment with music on. They've so far not shown any interest, but that's ok since I'm having tremendous fun messing around with this!The instructions are good for getting you started, but I found some good tutorial videos on youtube that really helped me get going with this.Sound quality is really good (obvs depended on what speakers/earphones you're using). Recording the output on PC should be really straightforward if you've got a line-in - if you don't have, you'll need to think about buying a cheap USB sound card with a line in to be able to record your music.Really tempted to save up for one of the other pocket operator devices now.

This review is about the PO-20 Arcade.They may look a bit odd and minimalist, but they sound incredible and provide a lot of fun for the creatively minded. If you are a beginner to electronic music, the PO may somewhat puzzle you, but in the hands of someone with even a little bit of experience, these provide hours of fun and even some serious musical capability.The PO-20 totally takes me back to my youth when I used to own an Atari. The rich 8-bit quality of the square wave arps superbly re-create the atmosphere of that era, but with a modern twist. The chord sequencing is inspired. Very clever indeed, hats of to Jesper Kouthoofd and his team for producing something remarkable. I love the way the chord sequence changes the arps and baseline, even without turning up the drone. The side chain compression simulation on the drone sound is a very cool sounding modern twist.I am also astounded by the very expansive sequencing capability. You can store 16 x 16 step sequences and link them into a chain of up to 128 patterns, that is whopping 2048 steps! The chord sequence of up to 128 "bars" (from a choice of 16 cleverly chosen chords) is independent from this so the options are virtually limitless. Each sound has two parameters that can be sequenced too.I love the fact that I can sync my PO to my Korg Volcas and other synths. Very easy to set up, plug in and select SY2, that's all there is to it!The only bit of criticism I have is about the packaging. I get that this is all part of the overall minimalist design of the product, but does not protect it enough when sent. Especially the knobs are vulnerable as they stick out of the packaging. My first one arrived with one of the knobs smashed in. This is partly because Amazon did not properly packaged it (just stuffed it into an envelope, which got crushed between heavier boxes). The replacement came in the same rubbish packaging, but all works fine. I disagree that the unit is vulnerable to damage. Of course there are always those that treat their kit like Casey Neistat, but then of course nothing is safe from damage.Highly recommended, seriously thinking which one I want next!

It's such a happy little gadget!I'm in the same boat as some others; a toe-dipper trying to get into electronic music. The PO-12 rhythm was probably where I should've started but I went with the Arcade after hearing the awesome chiptune effects on YouTube. And its adorable.No regrets so far.If you use tutorial videos and the instructions that come with the Arcade, you'll be writing fun patterns and chaining them into tracks in no time. Like an hour at most.Also it's very easy to carry around so will be great for travel entertainment. Furthermore it sounds great plugged into a speaker if you want to show pals the tracks you've made.A great first synth/drum machine, has given me the confidence to look further into synth music and likely will buy another PO or other synth soon.

I have wanted a chiptune trinket for a very, very long time. And along comes Teenage Engineering with a premade, cost effective bleep-blooper. I am in love; from the minimalist and simple packaging allthe way through the grit sweeps and the FX... love it!It's playable in minutes, very easy to learn. The built in speaker is limited, but decent and connecting it to my speaker system reveals a shocking level of depth. For such a tiny thing, the sound is huge! Next up, the PO-137 😎

I fell in love with the Arcade in seconds, the chip-tune beats hit me right in the nostalgias.Everything works flawlessly and you can start programming in your own tunes right away, the learning curve isn't too high and it will be a long time before you get bored messing around with the different parameters. The chord function is awesome and it affects some of the other 'notes' depending on the patterns played.I'll be buying another PO without hesitation. I bought a case at the same time, it's not necessary but it is a nice touch, if a little pricey.