Awardee: Shane S-Quintanilla
Semester of Award: 2021-2022
Materials Awarded: Teenage Engineering OB-4 "Magic Radio" and OP-1 Portable Sampler/Synthesizer
Project Description:
The Teenage Engineering OB-4 and OP-1 informed the development and teaching of multiple courses, especially those in which sound art and sonic design play a part. These devices have been particularly helpful in my own creative practice, allowing me to explore new approaches to sound design in various video and audio projects, including a short audio piece I made alongside students as part of a sound/podcasting course, as well as longer work-in-progress personal essay film that incorporates live performance.
The OB-4 was used primarily for its high-fidelity sound output and live manipulation capabilities, enhancing lessons on live audio performance and sound design (the “ambient mode” that instantly turns any source into an ambient soundscape was particularly useful for this). The OP-1 was utilized as a portable synthesizer and sampler, allowing experimentation with sound creation and sequencing directly in the classroom setting or out in field recording settings. These devices offer hands-on learning and creative experiences that are less feasible with more “screen-based” technologies (such as computer, iPad, or smartphone-based synthesizers/samplers/DAWs). Teenage Engineering has intentionally designed these devices to go beyond mere utility—both the OP-1 and OB-4 stand out due to their whimsical, imaginative, and playful approach to user interfaces and features, as well as the physical and tactile feedback they provide: the OP-1 features an array of physical knobs as well as an accelerometer, which changes sounds and effects based on the position/movement of the device; the OB-4 features an always-active “scrub” feature that allows a user to rewind/fast-forward any audio source through a intuitive physical dial. Features like these and the fact that neither device requires connection to a computer have proven especially refreshing during the pandemic/post-pandemic phase of campus life when many of us, faculty included, have been suffering from screen fatigue.
