Every now and then I dip into the world of electronic music production, to fulfill one of my longer-term goals to score short films and other projects with my own music. There are endless tools out there these days, but about ten years ago I discovered the geniuses at Sweden’s Teenage Engineering and picked up their OP-1 synthesizer. That kicked off a small collection of four more TE devices since then, including my latest, the OP-XY sequencer – a spiritual successor to their OP-Z. Along the way I also added Ableton Live Suite, as well as a full-size synth keyboard and MIDI pad to the setup.

I don’t have a formal music background, so I tend to learn best in small inspired bursts. One of the most helpful resources I’ve found is Synthdawg. Back in my OP-1 days, their workbooks were a revelation; part manual, part reference, and part workbook for jotting personal notes, all wrapped into an easy to follow systematic approach. Today they released their OP-XY workbook, alongside a fresh new site design and new pricing model. Thank you Synthdawg! Excited to dig in and see where it takes me next.