OP-Z Sample Manager - Software to make the OP-Z Usable

The OP-Z Sample Manager App:

The app is available to download here on GitHub: https://github.com/romangarms/OPZ-Sample-Manager. To read more about the development of the app, and what the Teenage Engineering OP-Z even is, keep reading below.


Teenage Engineering - The Flagship OP-1

As a long time enthusiast of Teenage Engineering and their slightly odd synthesizers, I've always wanted their flagship OP-1. The OP-1 is a standalone synthesizer and groove box, capable of making entire songs, no computer required. It has a bright OLED display with whimsical graphics, creative sequencers (including the Tombola I recreated as an OP-Z videopak), and plenty of other fascinating features.

In early 2020, having been making music with a friend for years, I decided it would be fun to purchase my first synth, and started looking at the prices. A new OP-1 would run you upwards of $1200, and even used they were $800+. As a freshman in high school, I simply did not have the budget for this. So I went for the next-best thing.


The Not-Quite-as-Good OP-Z

The OP-Z was the exciting follow-up to the beloved OP-1. But to cut costs, it cut features. Rather than an incredible list of synthesizer engines effects, there were only a few. Rather than plenty of creative sequencers, there was one very well put-together step sequencer using keys on the keyboard. Rather than a screen... there was no screen.

But the OP-Z could be had for $450, and I could make that happen. I bought it in January, just in time to suddenly have a lot of free time as COVID hit.

The Usability

The OP-Z, lacking a screen, lacked most of the ease-of-use of the OP-1. The OP-1 was never a simple device, but you could make your way around it. The OP-Z however, was easy to get lost in menus, relying only on colorful RGB lights to indicate where you are and what you were doing.

Loading sounds on was no better. The OP-1 used a system of sample packs, where you create a folder of specifically formatted .aiff audio files, either designed for drum use or synthesizer use. You needed mono, 16-bit, 44.1 khz audio files that were 6 seconds or less for a synth sample, and 12 seconds or less for a drum sample. This was annoying, but it was the only hurdle, so you could make it work.

The OP-Z was that, but worse. Sample formatting was only the first hurdle. You had to select whether it was a drum or synth sound. If it was a drum, was it a kick drum? Snare? High hat? Other percussion? Oh, wait, you wanted a synth sound? Mmm, is it a chord, lead, bass, or arpeggio?

After choosing all of that, you had to also drop it into sample slot 1-10 in each of those sub folders. This meant that there were 80 folders containing samples, and each folder could only have a single sample in it. Beyond that, the OP-Z has only 32mb of storage, and only 24mb of that is usable for samples, which is not enough to use all sample slots on the device. It's a nightmare.

The Solution - The OP-Z Sample Manager App

The sample manager page of the app
View the app here: https://github.com/romangarms/OPZ-Sample-Manager 

I hated this workflow so, so much. It prevented me from wanting to use the OP-Z. Creating sample packs went from something that should be a 10-minute process, to upwards of an hour to categorize and convert all files. Then you still have to fight with storage usage! 

In late 2024 (nearly 5 years after I bought the device), I had progressed enough in software development to make this easier. I created the OP-Z Sample Manager, a desktop app that lists all open slots on the OP-Z, and allows you to drag any audio file you like onto the device.

The app will auto-convert your samples, place them correctly in the folder structure, all while listing your used storage and sample slot count so you know when you're approaching your limit.

I'm still working on this app, and planning on adding features like a little bar indicating used storage, saving and restoring all sample slots from files located on your computer, abilities to control sample playback direction, adjust the automatic trimming (currently the app will grab the first 6 or 12 seconds of a sample depending on mode), etc.

As Long as I'm Already Making an App for This... 

I wound up getting carried away. I made a page for batch sample conversion, I made a page for adjusting all the config settings on the OP-Z, and made plans for much more. As I kept working on it, the scope of the project increased, and increased, and it started testing my knowledge more and more. 

I had never made a desktop app from scratch before. I started by making this app as an electron app, since I had worked with that for small projects before, but I couldn't make sense of the system. I scrapped it, and rewrote the entire app using a Flask backend, since that's what I knew well. As it turns out, a Flask backend doesn't make any sense for a desktop app, but I'm too far in now. 

Right after hitting this point, I took a look at Craigslist, and spotted an OP-1 for sale at a "reasonable" price (still really way too much for a synthesizer first released in 2011), and this project fell by the wayside.

Today

I've finally gotten the app to a more usable point. I fixed up some bugs, got cross-platform support better (runs on MacOS and Windows!), and added a handful of features. I'll be working on it more as time goes on, hopefully adding things like OP-1 support and more utility features. Feel free to give it a download! https://github.com/romangarms/OPZ-Sample-Manager

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