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When Flip comes to Android, the YouTube star compares it to Teenage Engineering’s much-talked-about synth/sampler

Andrew Huang pitches his $10 Flip app against the $2,000 OP-1 Field, and his findings might surprise you

Pitching a $10 app against a $2,000 synth might seem ludicrous, but that’s precisely what Andrew Huang has done in his latest video. The synth in question is – almost inevitably – Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 Field, while the app is Andrew Huang’s own Flip, a sample-based music-making tool that is available on iOS and now Android as well.

According to Huang, who says that “both of these are aimed at handheld portable music-making fun, so even though they’re quite different, that’s where I’m coming from with this comparison.”

What’s more, Flip has nine tracks rather than the OP-1’s four, and while Teenage Engineering’s synth has more effects, you can only use one per track (Flip enables you to use four) and this has to be printed to audio and can’t then be changed.

Though Huang does concede that the OP-1’s effects are more fun than Flip’s, he also believes that Flip EQ is “way better than the OP-1 EQ”.

On to the sequencing, with Huang immediately pointing out that, on the OP-1 Field, you can only record one track at a time. Flip enables you to record on multiple tracks simultaneously and have different loop lengths per track, and its automation lanes can be different lengths to the track lanes.

Flip also trumps the OP-1 in the number of projects it can store (unlimited as opposed to eight), and Huang reminds us that, while you can apply different tape sounds to the master bus on Teenage Engineering’s hardware, you have to commit to one at the start of a project.

Huang concludes by saying that, for him, the OP-1 Field is worth the $2k that it cost him, as it packs an awful lot into a tiny portable and inspiring package. He praises its multiple synth engines (Flip is purely sample-based) and sees the ability to sample from the built-in FM radio as another bonus.

In reality, of course, no one is going to choose directly between the OP-1 Field and Flip (though they might have both) but the comparison does reveal that, when it comes to raw functionality, paying more does not always get you more.

What’s more, while both the OP-1 and mobile apps like Flip are sometimes dismissed as ‘toys’, the video demonstrates does a fine job of disproving that.

Flip is available on Android and iOS and is currently being sold at a 20% discount, bringing the price down to $7.

Moog Music has expanded the Moogerfooger Effects Plug-ins Bundle with a new effect, the MF-109S Saturator. It’s a “free gift” for Moogerfooger plugin owners.

MF-109S Saturator is a new creative audio processor that emerged out of the Moogerfooger Effects Plug-ins development. A major component of the classic Moogerfooger functionality is the input drive stage, which adds warmth, distortion, and crunch to any given sound. The MF-109S allows users to have dynamic control over this drive circuit, opening up a new way for artists to interact with the unique saturation tool.

The Saturator is able to move from tight, distorted overdrive and analog saturation to smooth compression. Further, it models the noise generator circuit of the Minimoog Model D and allows for control of both noise generator level and noise tone with a switchable filter type.

All parameters of the MF-109S are able to be played, tweaked, automated, and modulated to create lively and truly musical performances.

The MF-109S Saturator is now available with the purchase of the Moogerfooger Effects Plug-ins. It is also free to anyone that has previously purchased the Moogerfooger Effects Plug-ins.

The Moogerfooger effects Plug-ins are available now priced at $149 and run in VST/AU/AAX formats on PC and Mac. You can purchase them or download a 7-day trial from the Moog website.

Korg heads back to the ‘90s and ‘80s as it adds microKorg, Electribe and Kaoss Pad plugins to version 4 of its software collection

Korg today introduced Korg Collection 4, an updated version of its virtual instrument collection that adds software versions of the classic microKorg synthesizer, Electribe-R drum synth and Kaoss Pad effects processor. The three Korg products can now be used in your DAW.

The Korg Collection is now a synthesizer suite of 11 synthesizers, 2 effects processors, and 1 drum machine in total, including the famous M1, TRITON, Wavestation, iMono/Poly, Polysix, ARP Odyssey, Triton , Prophecy and miniKorg 700s synthesizers.

Version 4 has its sights set on the ‘90s and ‘80s, with 2002’s microKorg being the most notable addition. The plugin emulates the “sound, behaviour and look” of the original, including its analogue modelling oscillator, filter and amp sections. The effects section, arpeggiator and – of course – the vocoder are here, too, though the iconic gooseneck microphone doesn’t come included.

The Electribe-R is based on iElectribe for iPad, which landed in 2010, but offers expanded beat modes and the effects and step sequencer from both 1999’s Electribe-R hardware and the subsequent mkII version. All the preset data from the iOS versions is here, too.

Finally, the much-loved Kaoss Pad – which we originally saw in 1999 – makes an appearance. This gives you your first opportunity to go under the hood and look at the “complex internal structure” of this dynamic effects processor, but retains the pad control surface that made it so intuitive and easy to use.

What’s new in Korg Collection 4:

• microKORG for Mac/Win fully recreates the sound, behavior, and look of the original “microKORG”. It reproduces not only the analog modeling oscillator, filter, and amp sections, but also the effects section and arpeggiator. The vocoder function, which was one of the main features of the original “microKORG,” has also been reproduced.
• Electribe-R for Mac/Win is based on the “iELECTRIBE for iPad” released in 2010, but has expanded the beat modes and effects of the step sequencer to include the original “ELECTRIBE-R” and “ELECTRIBE-R mkII” as well as all the preset data from the “iELECTRIBE for iPad” and “ELECTRIBE for iPhone”.
• Kaoss Pad for Mac/Win brings the Kaoss pad effects processor to your DAW, maintaining the interface that prioritizes ease of use, with “touch pad control” at the forefront of the interface.

Korg Collection 4 Audio Demos:

KORG Collection 4 is available now, with an intro discount of 50% off through November 30, 2022. Find out more on the Korg website and upgrade pricing.