The PO-32 Tonic is the seventh addition to Teenage Engineering’s vary of compact, battery-powered Pocket Operator grooveboxes.
As with earlier iterations, this PO packs 16 sounds, 16 efficiency results and a 16-step sequencer into an exposed-looking {hardware} unit barely bigger than a bank card. Nonetheless, the place earlier POs have been restricted to a pre-defined vary of sounds, this one is able to a broader sound palette through some intelligent cross-platform compatibility.
This flexibility is because of the truth that the PO-32 has been created in collaboration with Swedish developer Sonic Cost. The PO-32 takes each the ‘Tonic’ a part of its identify and the idea for its sound engine from Sonic Cost’s MicroTonic – a software program drum synthesizer first launched over a decade in the past. The first upshot of that is that, in addition to coming stocked with an array of sounds created utilizing MicroTonic, the PO-32 might be loaded with contemporary sounds and patterns created utilizing the plug-in, permitting customers to fully alter and overwrite its sonic palette.
This loading of sounds is made attainable by the addition of a small microphone to the PO {hardware} itself. Data is transferred from plug-in to {hardware} as sound – utilizing the cruel, tinny audio-data alerts synonymous with outdated dial-up web connections. To make a switch, put the PO-32 into obtain mode, maintain its mic near a studio monitor or laptop speaker and let the retro protocol do its stuff.
Because the PO contains a built-in speaker, it’s additionally attainable to make use of the identical technique to switch knowledge from one unit to a different, permitting customers to clone a set of sounds or ship creations to pals. It’s attainable to make transfers through a wired connection too, by connecting a pc or PO output to the PO’s enter jack – which is lucky, as a couple of transfers will inevitably be sufficient to remind most customers that the sound of dial-up web was truly pretty irritating.
Even ignoring the switch capabilities, the PO-32 has quite a bit going for it. MicroTonic stays a top quality drum synth (see MicroTonic), and its capabilities have been put to good use in stocking the PO-32 with manufacturing facility sounds. The 16 sounds span bass-heavy kicks, fizzy white-noise hats, crunch snares and loads of extra esoteric, synthesized percussive sounds.
MicroTonic
Regardless of being pretty outdated in plug-in phrases – the present iteration, model 3, arrived in 2011 – MicroTonic stays a strong and well-designed drum synth. It options eight drum channels (in comparison with the PO’s 16 sound slots), every of which presents noise and oscillator sections for constructing sounds, together with varied mixer, distortion and EQing instruments. A morphing perform permits customers to set and transition between two totally different iterations of every sound, a function which is carried throughout to the PO-32. There’s a sequencer too, which may ship patterns to its {hardware} counterpart.
As with the earlier POs, every sound might be manipulated by a pair of parameter knobs. Right here, these management the sound’s pitch and MicroTonic’s morphing capabilities. The latter of those permits every sound to easily transition between two pre-defined parameter set-ups, successfully that means that every sound slot can include two totally different drum sounds and an entire vary of variations between the 2. The PO’s Parameter Lock functionality permits the motion of those two knobs to be automated on a per-step foundation too.
As is true of all of the POs, the efficiency results are the true star of the present right here. The results themselves cowl rhythmic filtering, delayed fade outs, lo-fi and distortion results, beat repeats and extra. They’re a number of enjoyable to mess around with and are able to rapidly conjuring up glitchy, stuttering sounds akin to basic ’90s IDM.
MicroTonic compatibility apart, the workflow of the PO-32 is far the identical as the opposite POs. As with these, there’s a number of Shift presses concerned to accommodate a lot performance into a reasonably restricted vary of controls. A small display presents some visible suggestions – numerical bpm and shuffle settings, place of the 2 parameter knobs and a digital alarm clock – however display actual property is generally devoted to a cartoonish animation, and on the entire it serves extra of an aesthetic than a practical goal. Labelling of the controls isn’t too clear both, that means that you just’ll wish to memorise the guide to get probably the most out of the PO-32.
The PO-32 is a enjoyable and provoking noise-maker and the added MicroTonic compatibility broadens its sonic scope significantly.
That is all forgivable although, given the PO-32’s portability and worth. As earlier than, the PO-32 options a couple of methods that enable it to combine into a bigger studio set-up. It will probably ship and obtain a pulse clock sign, permitting it to behave as a grasp or slave when hooked as much as different pulse suitable gear, corresponding to different POs, Korg’s Volca vary, Arturia’s analogue {hardware} or a easy pulse sign despatched from an audio interface.
It’s nonetheless a good distance from being a correctly built-in studio instrument, however the PO-32 is extra succesful than its disposable look would possibly counsel. The MicroTonic compatibility provides to its artistic scope significantly too. It’s a slight disgrace transfers aren’t bi-directional; the flexibility to ship sounds and patterns again into the plug-in for deeper enhancing and DAW processing would actually improve its potential. Hopefully this could be one thing it’s attainable to implement in a future replace although.
Detractors will nonetheless write this newest PO off as a ‘toy’ little doubt, however the PO-32 sounds nice and, even when simply as an inspirational supply to pattern, loop and churn out toplines, at £85 it’s definitely worth the worth of admission.