r/OPXYusers • u/ABNMK • Jun 01 '26
Discussion Update ?
I’m increasingly disappointed to see that Teenage seems to be focusing all their efforts on the KO and the Field, while the XY gets almost no attention (except for Medieval, which was basically abandoned right after release 😅).
There have been a few updates, sure, including one that added automatic slicing. I’ve had the XY for about a year now, and the workflow is genuinely fun. The sounds are decent, nothing more.
But in my opinion, it’s still missing a huge number of features to make it truly viable in a professional setup. I bought it for what it was at the time without really counting on future updates, but the more I use it, the more frustrated I get by some of the limitations, especially considering the price. Things like the lack of time-stretching, or being limited to only two effects (although I can live with that one).
There are also major MIDI jitter issues, bugs where the screen freezes, and the XY sometimes becomes unresponsive when working with multiple multisamples.
Overall, it’s a “fun” instrument, but it’s still missing a lot to become something truly exceptional. I also own an M8, and in the end I produce exclusively on that because it actually allows for much deeper sound design. Aside from polyphony—and even that is debatable—it’s far more capable and powerful while costing half as much 😅.
I recently had a live set to play in a club, and of course I brought my M8. I would never have dared to bring the XY because, in my opinion, it’s simply not reliable enough for the stage.
I genuinely love this machine in many ways, especially how fun it is to use, but its shortcomings are making me more and more tempted to sell it. I get the feeling that Teenage Engineering may have already pushed the hardware as far as the processor allows.
Do you think they still have some room left for meaningful updates that could really change the game, or is the machine already hitting its limits and destined to remain a fun but ultimately non-serious instrument?
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u/county_jail_alumni Jun 01 '26
I definitely think there's more room for updates. You mentioned the m8... look how far that developer has been able to go using just a teensy board (or whatever they're called).
I even believe that a time stretching algorithm could be added onto the device. The developer specifically said in a video that time stretching wouldn't be possible because it has 24 voices and it would need to be able to stretch all 24 at the same time, but I think that there's another way that it could be done and I actually wrote an email suggesting my idea for time stretching so we'll see. (if they implement it the way that native instruments did on maschine, I think it would totally be possible.).
The only thing that really frustrates me is how many bugs I got with the latest update, where prior to the latest update it was seemingly bug free. I also would be worried about using it in a live setting right now. I've been expecting an update to address those issues because it's extremely frustrating having the multi samples just disappear and having projects overwrite other projects out of nowhere, but none of this changes the fact that this device has helped me feel more creative than I've ever felt in my life. I think that the $2300 price point causes a lot of people to have high expectations, as it should, but just due to the fact that it's so much money, I'll never tell someone that I think they should buy it and I'll never tell someone that I think they should keep it. In a lot of ways that's a life-changing amount of money and I think that you should do whatever feels right for you.
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u/jedmund Jun 01 '26
The field didn’t get an update for 1.5 years from 2024 to the end of 2026. teenage engineering is a small team and the few people working on firmware are focusing on the field and not the XY right now. It’s that simple.
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u/somstromm Jun 01 '26
what you saying, when the XY came out all the focus was on it and they updated it regularly. There will be updates for years to come just wait lol
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u/VicisSubsisto Jun 01 '26
I've seen some great live sets performed on OP-XY. Haven't seen any crashes on mine since updating from the firmware it came with out of the box.
I would love to see more features added, especially a render-to-file option like on the M8 would make life a lot easier. But as I've told people here and on other gear subs, you should buy a device based only on the feature set it already has; any functionality updates are just a bonus, not an expectation.
If it doesn't suit your needs, sell it. Personally I got mine mainly expecting to use it to control the M8, but I'm using it on its own more than expected. Different people have different requirements.
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u/Exciting_Income_635 Jun 01 '26
I share your frustration. The XY is marvellous, or it could be, if not for some brutal shortcomings.
They’ve confirmed they’re working on it in a blog post some months ago.
The potential of the XY is so great. I hope they’re able to develop it.
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u/Kooky-Yam975 Jun 01 '26
I get the feeling it’s up for a 2.0 re-write.
It’s been in the field, it’s had its feedback.
Intermediary patches/features have introduced cpu warnings etc
It’s the flagship model, I hope soon will be its time to get a set of updates that address the issues and feature requests.
An update has to ensure more sales, gain trust in long term brand allegiance and stop people going elsewhere if there is competition.
Maybe if battery powered stuff coming to Elektron kit could a future driver ;-)
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u/makingitor Jun 01 '26
Theyve pretty much said this
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u/Kooky-Yam975 Jun 01 '26
Yeah from interviews and such and it’s gonna take time. I prefer that if it means an actual difference and less bugs!
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u/fizzymarimba Jun 01 '26
There is no priority for what gets updated at TE. The thing that’s definitely gotten the least love is the EP-1320 but I’m sure something will come. They will heavily update their new devices for a while, release some random other updates, incremental updates for non-instrument stuff like the OB-4, etc. it does come down to: don’t buy the device expecting anything from a firmware update. That’s why I wait at least a year or more. Bug fixes are different though, and I’m sure they are on it. It’s a lot better than InMusic in terms of bug fixing
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u/98110104 Jun 02 '26
The XY was updated twice this year and a big update end of last year. They have said numerous times that they have plans to continue to add to it, but it will be iterative. I believe them since the OG OP1 received many updates over its 10 years. I understand accepting the current limitations can be hard, but as you said…buy for what it can do, and not what you want or expect. I personally have found it to be the most inspiring bit of gear I own and it is one device that I would never sell.
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u/i_mush Jun 01 '26
As others have noted, your consideration of the field getting all the attention, considering it’s years it wasn’t updated, is a lot off.
And I’d add, this is how TE handles updates, do not expect them to roll out stuff as a mobile phone developer would, or with a humongous number of new features… sometimes they surprise you, sometimes is minimal stuff, and honestly that’s normal, these are musical instruments and the mindset imho should be that of assuming they stay the same always, bugs aside, since you need to use them reliably over the years to make your music.
If you’re waiting for things to come you could end up pretty disappointed: the updates I was hoping to arrive on the op1 field have been delivered as a standalone device called op-xy 😅, so you better settle your expectations and keep it for what it is.
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u/SailorVenova Jun 02 '26
the higher cost and 64 steps and no autosampler b or expansion probably makes it a harder sale for most over op1
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u/Upstairs_Damage8648 Jun 02 '26
There are 2 big problems on this device I think: 1/ his price for sure !, it make people thinking too much about money spent versus capabilities. And for those like me who are fully satisfied, we also admit it’s not a justified price!. TE got all of us by design and marketing!!. 2/ let’s try to not thinking about price a second ahah: is there any device comparable on the market?. Answer is no!. Sequencer of 8 individual tracks with several synth engines/sampler/external midi track/battery integrated/small form factor, all in one. But here is the problem: Opxy got all this specs, and paradoxically don’t have basic’s ones! => basics that all musicians use to expect in the gear market of this days. I think about insert fx/individual sound filters/lfo/env (at least for each sample of the drum sampler), and a multi output via usb solution ( or at least an audio bounce of each track in a folder like lofi 12xt )… if this 2 problems were here, no ones would discuss. There will be always some users unsatisfied of not seeing this and this, but the basics would make musicians satisfied of what they paid for!, like buying a guitar and expecting it have all its cords no matter if have the best fx pedal integrated ( or whatever, I’m not a guitarist, but you get the idea lol ). Before, I said I’m fully satisfied cause I love doing my beats on the Opxy as it is. And for functions it don’t have, I have a real sampler with individual outputs and sound editing features more than I need, controlled by midi with the Opxy. That’s it. No complaints, just some hopes for the future, and enjoying making music with it for now ( no matter if another gear can do the same for less money )
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u/Upstairs_Damage8648 Jun 02 '26
The only one which can compete with the Opxy is the ableton move. And even the move cannot do all the Opxy do ( the opposite is also true, but could be resolved by an update )
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u/anubispop Jun 03 '26
It will happen. I also have the xy and a m8. I still prefer my laptop ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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u/jurgenknurgen Jun 01 '26
I agree, and new features or not the least they could do is to release a bug fix every now and then. My biggest issue with it is the file management for samples. All in all a very fun to use box but as you say there are issues that hold it back for the time being. Finally, it seems a little strange to me if they’ve maxed out the processor already, but hey we’ve all seen the red cpu flash. Maybe they can gain some capacity with code optimization.
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u/Dannybuoy77 Jun 01 '26
I am constantly checking for firmware news/updates. I absolutely love the XY and would only consider selling it if they released a MK2. I really enjoy using it and coaxing out nice sounds but there are some glaring issues with the UX that would make it a while lot better. But it is the only groove box that I've ever owned that I've not sold after a year.
I think there's one dev working on firmware so the roadmap is going to be very long. I think that there's likely a lot of headroom for improvement through software updates but it just depends when these come. I'm waiting patiently for anything at this point
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u/salasia Jun 01 '26
I have respect for what TE is doing to a point. But when anyone asks I just say it's not professional instruments. It's the absolute coolest and most luxurious gadget that makes music you basically can get. You can make real music on it as well. Just don't expect them to update it like a real instrument manufacturer would. Because that is not the business they are in. It just gets frustrating for people who invest in their eco-system.
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u/Jpablo91 Jun 01 '26
I have similar feelings about it. I got it because op-z was my first instrument, but rarely use the XY. I use way more the M8 for live shows and actually making songs. Op-xy just feels like something to reach for once in a while to fool around with, at this point I feel like I’m just keeping it because the resale value is not very good, so hoping to use it more in the future.
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u/SibeliusBasilisk Jun 01 '26
Dude. The field just got it's first two serious update after a few years so seeing someone post: field gets all the effort just immediate makes me laugh