My first choice would be the Office PO because it has really cool industrial sounds but the Tonic is a close second. Definitely a pocket operator you need for a proper beat. The thing about the Pocket Operator series is that you certainly can compose a jam with just one but once you start using them together things really open up. This one has its unique charms as all the rest do. I personally have no interest in using the Tonic DAW plugin or application to swap out sounds but that's an option if you want to synthesize some cool drum sounds. I'm more of the type that'll make a beat as good as it'll get on the operator itself and then go off and mess with the sound in a DAW the rest of the way to get it how I want it in my mix.

Product is what I ordered but, arrived partially defective because of horrible packaging. It should've been shipped in a box and NOT an envelope. And of course there are no refunds. Rather frustrated as it is not exactly the cheapest little gadget.

I like my pocket operator and it seems from youtube research to have the best variety of sounds to create a decently-layered song. Options to create melodies are there but limited because I haven’t discovered how to control the sustain of the synth waves. Still a fun little composer.

Pretty cool little drum machine, great for the money. But I received a used one and I paid for a brand new one. The little box was already ripped open, and the screen protector had been removed and put back on as there was dirt under it and was not sealed properly.Dont let my review discourage you from buying, but the seller needs to get it together and not ship out USED items when I am paying a premium for a new product.

I already owned the other two PO's from the "Metal Series" PO-33 KO (Sampler) and a PO-35 Speak, so I knew what I was ordering.Pro's:- Portability- Sound(s)- Easy to learn (which is valid for all PO's).- A great first "drum machine" for beginnings, who "just want to see" if they like programming patterns on, without breaking the bank.- Can by synced to other PO's, Volca's, etc- Can "interact" with Microtonic VST Plugin (Needs to be purchased separately but it's worth it) --> You may actually get a discount if you send an e-mail with your PO-33 serial and copy of the invoice to the developperCon's- Due to it's "circuit board" style, it can break pretty easily if not protected during transportation (I have seen several units with smashed screens, etc.- No MIDI- Price is almost equal to the ones of the Volca's or even used Elektron Model:Cycles/Model:Samples. (Especially the latter ones are fully fledged machines, which can do much more but they won't fit into your pocket, so it always depends on what exactly you are looking for).Verdict:I already had a PO-35 Speak and a PO-33 K.O and wanted to complete the Pocket Operator "Metal series" by adding the PO-32. Here is a short overview/verdict about all 3:PO-33 (K.O.!): It's a sampler (with integrated mic) and I adore it! There are no limitations whatever! You can record whatever you want and then tweak the sound(s). If there is one Pocket Operator which is clearly above all others, then it is that one. You can also get the "Street Fighter" edition, which has different graphics but does the same. From me the PO-33 K.O. get's a 5+ star rating!PO-35 (Speak): Is a vocal synthesizer and sequencer. Like the PO-33, it has a built-in microphone. It let's you record phrases and then you can apply 8 different voice characters, do formant shifting, etc.It's fun but it's use is rather limited. (I also bought a "PO-137 - Rick and Morty Edition" just for the looks).I would give the regular one a 4-star rating due to it's limited use and the "Rick and Morty Edition" a 4.5-star rating cause I think it looks cool... but that's only a matter of personal taste! ;-)PO-32 (Tonic): Great little drum machine. Much more versatile than PO-12 Rhythm (which also is a drum machine) cause this one allows you to back-up and exchange sounds, through the separately available Microtonic VST Plugin. That one is also highly recommended! I give the PO-32 a 5-star rating cause it does what is supposed to do and it does it well. Especially in combination with the VST (which let's you sculpt sounds and program patterns, which you can then "upload" into the PO) it's a powerful package... and certainly the best drum machine in that tiny form factor!(Maybe I should highlight that Microtonic can also be used as a regular VST in DAW's, without the need of owning the PO-32... and it's great!) :)

So most people are probably going to buy this to make cool jams and make house/techno/EDM music which it does well and is a cool niche. But I think it has a wider use for a variety of musicians. This thing is an awesome metronome. Assuming you are in 4/4 time (I think you can force it into 3/4 I have not played with this yet) the PO-32 lets you laydown a simple drum track with bass drums, snares and high hats that although a little mechanical it is light years more fun to practice to than a sterile click from a metronome. You can add some swing for Jazz or blues tracks. it holds 16 rhythms that you can program and you can chain these together to make a more complicated backing track. This is definitely helping me with practicing rhythm guitar.

5 out of 5. The deep tones from this little machine is worth more than the price. Once you figure out to use the PO, the interface never changes from one to the other. The pros of the tonic is easy drum modulation, you can get whatever sound you are looking for on it. The swing is clutch. You can do cool break, melodic, or uptempo beats. Program sixteen patterns with endless combinations.The only con I have is that it is a little tricky to put different sounds on it. The microphone on it is only used as a way to transfer different drums made in micro tonic which is an additional 99. Although there are many different drum packs that can be downloaded and ran on your speaker online.Another con would be the durability , I would suggest buying or 3D printing a caseI personally use this with a PO-33 KO for sampling, and the PO-20 arcade for chromatic chord progressions

Looking for a simple way to start out in the world of drums? Then go into the kitchen and band some pots and pans with wooden spoons.However if you fancy dipping your creative toe into the world of drum machines then the PO tonic is a great place to start. As small as a calculator and easy enough for a trained chimp to program in some sick loops. I can think of no better way to have fun with a battery operated gadget. Actually I can but let’s leave that.Bid beats from a small package. Programmable, portable and cheap. Get one and summon up your inner Neil Peart.What a banger!

Muy buen “Drummachine” por el precio y mas Microtonic tienes varias opciones para experimentar, lo unico que no me agrado fue que el mio empezo a mostrar rastros de oxidacion en varios botones (particularmente el de FX) tal vez solo sea falla de el que yo compre.

All units operate in a similar manner so really starts to entertain from the moment you put the batteries in . I now have nine of these little machines and sadly this one has the same low volume problem as two of the others hence knocking down to four stars ,.....( Unfair really )........ just plug it into an Amplifier and..........Problem solved!You will lose hours with these playing around with these machines and your face will ache with the grin that comes from such a simple yet complex sound generator .

I have the PO-12 Rhythm and a few of the other melodic Pocket Operators from this series. The PO-32 Tonic is just better than those other devices. What makes this unit interesting (and arguably worth the $30 higher starting price) is that it's not sample player, but more like a stripped-down version of an analog drum machine stuffed into a microcomputer the size of a credit card.For some background, the "full" version of this sound engine is MicroTonic - a PC and Mac-based drum machine plug in first released in December of 2003. Not only does the PO-32 Tonic operate a simpler version of MicroTonic, but the designers of that program collaborated on the production of the PO-32, and it is capable of loading sound patches and pattern data if you have the full paid desktop version (costing $100). MicroTonic actually looks like a great program, but I didn't much interest in buying a $100 VST to use with a $89 drum machine.But as it turns out, I don't think you have to be a MicroTonic owner to appreciate what the Tonic does. It ships with 16 different instrument sounds, and as with the other Pocket Operators, these actually can be pitched and morphed with both the A/B modifier knobs and an even-more-awesome collection of 16 effects that can be applied live or on a per-step basis. The performative aspects of the Pocket Operators and implementation of effects are arguably the strong point of these devices, and the Tonic is the best example yet of that. Along with distortion, bit crush, and filter sweeps, there are several time based "delay" and stutter effects, including a crazy accelerating delay that sounds like a bouncing rubber ball.However, since the patch transfer is accomplished by fax-style data bursts (either through a built in mic or direct line transfer), you can back up your own data as 30-second data bursts, or grab other data bursts off of YouTube or SoundCloud. So, while you won't have the ability to customize your own sounds, you can still expand the palette of the PO-32 with a surprisingly effective transfer method (I tried it a few dozen times without reading the instructions too closely and it worked every time - both from PC and from smartphone). The Tonic sound engine seems impressively powerful and varied. I've heard patches that run the full range from classic analog drum machines (808/909/etc), to more driven, electro-style kicks and blips, to almost acoustic-sounding drum sets.All the normal caveats for Pocket Operators apply - these things are small and they are FRAGILE. The failure point that concerns me the most are the super thing metal tabs that hold the AAA batteries in place. If those begin to fatigue and no longer hold pressure, I assume my PO's will be done. The PO-32 has a workflow that isn't necessarily intuitive from the instructions, but there's actually quite a bit of depth there and you pick it up over time. Same goes for the pulse/CV synchronization with other hardware. It took a bit of trial and error and watching some YouTube videos to get each device in the proper mode, but it did work well after that (except for the problem that devices earlier in the chain are significantly more quite than those closer to the output).Minor gripes aside, there are some seriously great sounds in the PO-32 Tonic. I think the melodic Pocket Operators are more limited because they really suffer from limited scaling and no MIDI or external note sequencing capabilities. But the PO-32, like the PO-12 before, is a self-contained drum machine, and an extremely fun one at that.

I got this for my birthday from my kids. (One of them already has a couple of other PO models.) I'm a complete goof musically, and I'm having an immense amount of fun with this. Being small and limited compared to $900 machines like the OP-1 I see how its value is a matter of debate among pros, but for someone who just likes to play with interesting beats and sounds and effects I find myself picking it up throughout the day. I plan to get another in the future (Factory or Robot maybe).

Got this as a gift for my boyfriend, and I swear he hasn't put it down yet. The sounds are crisp and clear, and just the whole idea of this thing is amazing. Runs on 2 AA batteries, has recording capabilities, and a cute little game & watch-like screen that reacts to the different inputs. Incredibly interesting and just fricken fun to play with!