The core function of the OB-4 is its manual rewind dial coupled with an integrated motor, which the company says will let you rewind back to anything youve listened to in the previous 2 hours on a rolling basis– whether it was live radio, a Spotify playlist played via Bluetooth, and even an instrument plugged in, like one of Teenage Engineerings synths. From there, you can replay what youve heard or mess around with the audio itself by time extending and looping it.
The synth wizards at Swedish electronics maker Teenage Engineering just presented perhaps their most bewildering and intriguing product yet: a rewindable radio and speaker system called the OB-4. The device, which is offered now in red or black for $599, is as sleek and well-designed as the businesss basic synth items, however it packs a great deal of intriguing tech under the hood.
Image: Teenage Engineering
What might you actually do with this? Its not completely clear today. The business has only a short teaser video showcasing the OB-4, and it does not include any real-time demonstrations of the rewind tech.
That stated, its not difficult to imagine some quite fascinating usage cases, like getting a sample from an FM radio cast and incorporating it into a mix youre creating on a Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth. The company states the device supports the newest Bluetooth standards, so down the line the OB-4 will have the ability to link wirelessly to its newer OP-Z synthesizer, too. Theres also an add-on called “disk mode,” which Teenage Engineering says will consist of different speculative features starting with an ambient player and a metronome.
” If you skip the traditional inputs like line in, Bluetooth and FM radio, you wind up in disk mode,” the item page reads. “This is where we will continuously establish brand-new speculative features for the OB– 4. Its our public research study space, where we allow ourselves to explore and prototype whatever that this media-instrument, as we call it, can end up being.”
” Have you ever wanted you could quickly rewind when listening to the radio, to hear the title of the song just played? OB– 4 continuously memorises whatever you listen to on an endless looping tape,” the company composes on the OB-4 product page. “Rewind, time-stretch and loop at the flick of your fingertips. on function or by mishap. immediate rewind on radio is just one of the OB-4s magic tricks.”
Image: Teenage Engineering
” If you avoid the conventional inputs like line in, Bluetooth and FM radio, you end up in disk mode,” the product page reads. Beyond that, its clear Teenage Engineering sees the devices function partially as a costly but very nice-looking Bluetooth speaker.
Itll be intriguing to see more of what this device can do when its in the hands of the crowd of manufacturers and music enthusiasts that can truly make magic when they utilize Teenage Engineering synths and similar devices. For today, however, its still a truly properly designed radio, if not the most costly one you may have ever seen.
Beyond that, its clear Teenage Engineering sees the devices function partly as a extremely nice-looking however pricey Bluetooth speaker. The business states you can use it to just listen and unwind to the radio or your preferred music, and it has a carrying manage for bringing it to a pals location or a park hangout. The deal with also functions as a stand when folded appropriately, letting you prop it approximately better gain access to its physical buttons and dials. It has a typical battery life of 40 hours of listening on a single charge, and theres an extensive breakdown of the actual speaker specs on the product page, for those whore interested.
That stated, its not hard to picture some pretty intriguing usage cases, like grabbing a sample from an FM radio cast and integrating it into a mix youre putting together on a Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth. Theres likewise an add-on called “disk mode,” which Teenage Engineering says will include various experimental functions beginning with an ambient player and a metronome.
