The first in a series of “Pocket operators gone professional”, the EP-133 is a unique sampler with a lot of creative potential. Greg Scarth checks out what looks like a real bargain.
Originally released in 2015, Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operator series represented a new level of affordability for the Swedish boutique audio brand, which until that point had mainly been associated with the high-end OP-1 keyboard. Housed in a no-frills calculator-style package with exposed circuit boards and very basic buttons, each Pocket Operator followed a different theme, bundling a unique sound engine – sampling, drums, synths, and so on – with a built-in sequencer. Despite their bare-bones approach, the Pocket Operators soon won over a huge following as musicians realised how much genuine creativity and fun lay inside these tiny units. The Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II is the first in a new series derived from the Pocket Operators. No longer pocket-sized, the EP series (of which the KO II is so far the only model) are described as “Pocket Operators gone pro”, building on the same ethos of simple, affordable and creative musical tools but expanding in terms of user interface, features and connectivity.
The EP-133 arrives packaged in a 10-inch EP-style box, decorated with glorious photos of Muhammad Ali’s iconic knockout of Sonny Liston, celebrating the KO theme carried on from the original Pocket Operator PO-33 KO sampler. In the box you’ll find the unit itself, some basic instructions, stickers and a set of four knobs which you can apply to the three rotary pots and the fader/encoder (there’s no reason not to install these; we think they’re left off just to make the box smaller for shipping). It’s worth noting that the KO II can be powered by four AAA batteries or a standard USB-C power supply, but neither is included in the box. Whichever approach you choose, you’ve got the option to use the KO II as a fully portable unit with a pair of headphones (and sample via the built-in mic), or to hook up to other studio gear via the stereo input and output, sync connections and a pair of MIDI sockets.
With the unit powered up, you’re greeted with a pleasingly clear and vibrant user interface on the screen. Teenage Engineering have always been masters at quirky user interfaces, and the KO II is no exception, featuring what’s claimed to be the world’s first ‘super segment hybrid display’, a kind of modern take on a vintage LCD segment display with added LED-illuminated icons for specific features. It’s a clever approach, with the central area giving a numerical readout as you adjust parameters, and the various icons giving feedback on the status of the unit, depending on whether you’re sampling, recording sequences, adjusting effects and so on.
Included in the box are some quick start instructions which do a good job of explaining the basics, but we’d strongly recommend digging into some tutorial videos and reading the full guide on the Teenage Engineering website to understand the overall approach and some of the less obvious features of the unit. There are a total of 999 sounds available over 9 projects, each of which offers four groups (banks) of 12 sounds, which can store 99 patterns each. Once you’ve got to grips with the way things are organised, it proves to be a fluid workflow both in terms of sampling and setting up projects, and in terms of performing with those sounds, recording sequences and using the built-in effects. You can sample sounds, as mentioned, via the internal mic or the line input, but you can also use the USB port to transfer files via the EP Sample Tool web app, loading sounds from a computer.
The options to sequence external MIDI gear and process live audio alongside patterns running from the KO II feel like they have real creative potential in a lot of different genres, aside from the obvious boom-bap hip-hop styles which samplers like this always do so well. There’s a lot of fun to be had from using the KO II as a hands-on, real-time instrument in a hardware setup; in a house or techno context, sync it to a drum machine or groovebox and you can play it as a sample mangling device, loading up patterns or loops and using the fader to manipulate filters to great effect. Instant filter house is a lot of fun here, with the built-in delay effect also offering some really nice ways to trigger samples and create dub techno sounds.
The EP-133 feels more serious than the original Pocket Operators in a number of ways, although that definitely shouldn’t be taken to mean it’s no longer fun. We can safely expect this format to be used for other models in the EP series, which means the overall hardware package is important here. In addition to analogue sync in and out, the EP-133 has 3.5mm sockets for MIDI in and out, plus that USB-C socket for power, MIDI and file transfer. It’s a much more comprehensive setup than the original PO series and one which we hope will get exploited fully in future EP releases. The Lego-style construction of the unit itself is also intriguing; the battery cover clicks on and off building block-style, but there are also a series of holes around the sides of the KO II which hint at some kind of modular design. There don’t appear to be any electrical connections inside, but perhaps we’ll see accessories and the option to link EP devices together.
The grey and orange colour scheme of the KO II seems like a nod back to the classic 80s Akai MPCs which helped to define the workflow of sampler-sequencer instruments like this. The KO II is a long way from the power of a modern MPC unit like the entry-level MPC One+ (£569), but that’s not really a criticism of an instrument which is trying to do its own thing. Instead, the KO II represents a more affordable alternative, but also a very different approach to units like the MPC One+ or Roland SP-404 MKII. In terms of features and ease of use, it’s impressively capable for the sub-£300 price while representing a huge leap forward from the original Pocket Operator series. Most of all, it’s a lot of fun. Teenage Engineering have made it clear that this is the first EP-series instrument, with more to come.
Greg Scarth
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