Teenage Engineering Rumble: a bolt-on haptic subwoofer for the OP-Z
The problem with pocket sized synthesizers is that their built-in speakers always sound a bit crap – “where’s the bottom end?” you hear the hipsters cry as they wollow in the quirky tinny sound at their local synth-meet. Well, never fear because Teenage Engineering has released the Rumble subwoofer for that hippest of hipster synths, the OP-Z.
Rumble
It’s an expansion module for the OP-Z. It doesn’t just bring sound it brings haptic feedback using high-definition vibrotactile feedback and psychoacoustic technology – which probably means it will feel nice in your pocket. The frequency response is 10-150Hz and is designed to maximise impact while minimising energy consumption. As an added bonus it has a silent metronone function which is pretty darn awesome.
It has an uncanny resemblance to a 3.5″ floppy disk. To install it you take the back off the OP-Z and it locks into the space under the back cover where you might have put that other MIDI/CV expansion module. Doesn’t look like you can run both.
It’s a nice idea because these internal speakers are not exactly giving you the full potential of a musical experience. But I imagine most people would run their OP-Z with headphones or through a larger system so I guess this is for the buskers and back-of-the-bus performers.
Rumble costs £69 and is available now.
More information
- Teenage Engineering website.
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2 responses to “Teenage Engineering Rumble: a bolt-on haptic subwoofer for the OP-Z”
Is 2.5″ floppy a thing?
Ooops, yes, typo, thanks