Teenage Engineering's new products will ease you into the world of modular

If the world of modular seems like a vortex of expensive and baffling machines to you, Teenage Engineering’s latest series of products is here to ease you in. The Pocket Operator modular synths are the latest addition to the Pocket Operator family of compact devices and were the company’s stage-stealing surprise announcement just three days before NAMM, the world’s
most influential technology expo conference in January.

There are three systems to choose from. The 16 is the more basic of the trio, a 16-key musical keyboard with individual tuning option and a programmable sequencer.

The 170 has nine modules in total and is a monophonic analogue synthesizer with built-in keyboard, programmable sequencer, speaker box and battery pack. The 400 has 16 modules and is the top-of-the-line analogue modular synthesizer and includes a one-to-16 step sequencer and three oscillators, filter, LFO and more. All three require building, and your first job will be to bend the flat sheet metal parts of the chassis into shape before completing the rest of the assembly. There’s an in-depth manual to guide you through, and each system should take no longer than 15 minutes to construct.

£139/329/469, teenageengineering.com

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