ティーンエイジャー エンジニアリング TE010AS020 A PO-20　 PO-20 PO-20 Arcade

This little device is loads of fun. It comes preloaded with 16 patterns, which can be erased and over written once you understand how to program them. The sounds it makes are fun to play with, easy to manipulate, and they sound pleasing to the ear, assuming you like, bleep-bloop, chiptune-esque sounds. It has a number of effects to apply to the sounds as you play, as well as the ability to set and adjust chord progression through your composition. I have had the Pocket Operator Arcade for about a week and I am still learning about it, but I would say that I am very pleased overall, and will be trying out the other models Teenage Engineering has to offer. One important note, though, it is a small device, and as far as durability of this thing goes, it is basically a circuit board with buttons and knobs. I can't see it holding up if you plan to travel and don't take special precautions. This isn't a criticism, but more of a forewarning. So if you're going to carry this little guy around, you want to think ahead, or spend the extra money and purchase a case for it. It's a great price at $60-ish dollars, so $20-$40 more for a well-made case isn't a bad investment, I highly recommend getting a protective case. If you don't like TE's cases, there are a number of custom and third party options out there. Have fun.

This is actually the coolest thing ever. I have not put it down since receiving it. Easy to learn and very addictive. My only concern is the lack of casing. It’s literally just a chip board with a screen and buttons/knobs. Time will tell if this is an issue, until that point this pretty much a perfect little device.

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!

Perfect Christmas present for creative partner

Bought this as a gift, but the device's own package (not the envelope it came in) was half-torn open. It was delivered in a soft-envelope with no other protection, which is surprising considering the price. I haven't tried the device yet, presumably it works. But be careful buying this if you expect to give it as a gift, because it does not present well at all, unfortunately.