Frequently asked questions

Pick one master clock and split your gear into two sync worlds. The OP-1 field and the K.O. IIs speak MIDI clock, so run MIDI/USB from your master (the TX-6 works well as the hub) to those devices and set them to follow external clock. Pocket Operators don't do MIDI — they sync to an audio click on the left channel, so feed them a sync signal from a PO set to send sync, a dedicated sync box, or a MIDI-to-audio-sync converter, and chain the POs from there. Decide up front whether your MIDI master or your PO chain is the timing reference and derive the other from it, so everything starts from one tempo.

Definitely. The K.O. samplers are designed to be immediate: you sample a sound, tap pads to play it, and you're making a beat within minutes, which makes them great for a curious beginner or a rhythm-minded kid. The EP-133 K.O. II is the full-size one with the deepest features; if budget or ruggedness matters, the pocket-sized PO-33 K.O. is much cheaper and just as playful. Either is forgiving to noodle on, and the manuals are short — the main thing is the willingness to experiment.

The PO-33 doesn't auto-slice — you build the chop by hand. Sample short segments of the break into separate sound slots (sample each hit/section over the line-in, trimming each one), so different pads trigger different parts of the loop. Or sample the whole break to one slot and re-trigger sections live in a pattern. Keep segments short (the PO-33's sample memory is small) and match the source tempo so the slices line up when you sequence them.

You sample into the PO-33 through its line-in — play the audio from a phone, computer, or mic into the input and record it, then trim the start/end and it lands in a sound slot. There is no USB, so you cannot drag WAV files onto it from a computer; everything is sampled in over the audio input. Match levels going in to avoid clipping, and remember the total sample memory is small, so keep clips short.

Pocket Operators have no USB or file storage — your patterns and samples live in battery-backed memory, so they persist while the batteries are good but there is no project file to export. To "back up" a track, record the audio output (the 3.5mm line/headphone jack) into a phone, recorder, or computer. There is no way to save the PO-33's sample memory or patterns to a file, so keep your source samples on a computer and re-record them if you ever lose the memory.

Pocket Operators have no power switch. They auto-sleep after a few minutes of inactivity (the screen goes off) and wake on a button press, so there's nothing to "turn off" — just leave it and it sleeps. To force it fully off, remove the batteries (or unplug external power). Because patterns/samples live in battery-backed memory, don't pull the batteries mid-edit if you want to keep your work.

You don't need to spend much. Pocket Operators are small and inexpensive, so a pricey case is usually overkill — a silicone bumper, the official PO silicone cover, or a small zip pouch protects the exposed board and buttons fine, and many people just keep them in a pocket or a little hard case. If you're weighing a 50–60€ case against an ~80–100€ device, lean toward a cheap protector and put the rest toward another PO or sounds.

There's real overlap — the K.O. II can do most of what a Pocket Operator does and more — so a PO isn't essential. Where they earn their place is portability and immediacy: a PO lives in a pocket, so it's the thing you grab to capture a bassline or beat idea the moment it hits, then bring back to the K.O. II to flesh out. Specific models also have their own character (the PO-33 K.O. sampler, the PO-32 Tonic drums, the Sub bass). Treat it as a fun, cheap idea-scratchpad rather than an upgrade.

For a first Pocket Operator, the PO-33 K.O! is the crowd-pleaser because it lets you sample your own sounds, which keeps it fun long after the novelty wears off. If they're more into drums and beats, the PO-32 Tonic or the PO-12 Rhythm are great, and the PO-20 Arcade is the playful gateway for melodies. They're all cheap, self-contained, and run on AAA batteries, so any of them is a low-risk way to dip into the TE world — pick by whether they want to sample, drum, or write tunes.