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Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator PO-33 K.O.! Micro Sampler and Drum Machine with Built-in Microphone, Sequencer and Effects

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$99.00

$ 47 .99 $47.99

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About this item

  • PROVIDES 40 SECONDS OF SAMPLING MEMORY - The Teenage Engineering PO-33 has a built-in microphone for you to record 40-seconds of samples directly.
  • PLAYS YOUR SAMPLES CHROMATICALLY OR AS ONE-SHOTS - The 8 melodic slots let you play your own samples chromatically while the 8 drum banks play your sample as a one-shot.
  • ADDS PERCUSSION TO YOUR PERFORMANCE - The PO-33 is a 4-voice sampler. Its built-in micro drum machine allows you to layer more drum sounds over the sample recording.
  • ENHANCES YOUR SOUNDS - You can add a loop or stutter FX from the 16 onboard effects to create knockout samples.
  • SYNCS WITH MULTIPLE UNITS - You can connect PO-33 KO with 2 other Pocket Operators using standard stereo audio cables. You can also sync PO-33 with external devices like a PC.



Product Description

PO-33 K.O!
micro-sampler
3.5mm audio out / headphone sync out
high quality components, including the speaker
small device, big sound
create a pocket operator band. sync and play up to 9 units.
pro-case one size fits all

Richard Bradley
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2025
Very cool little device!
Richard Bradley
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2025
Very cool little device!
Eduardo C
Reviewed in Mexico on September 3, 2024
Tuve la grata sorpresa de recibir un equipo 100% funcional a pesar de las malas experiencias de algunos compradores del mismo en la página.Muy entretenido, se requiere de algunas horas de practica.
Eduardo C
Reviewed in Mexico on September 3, 2024
Tuve la grata sorpresa de recibir un equipo 100% funcional a pesar de las malas experiencias de algunos compradores del mismo en la página.Muy entretenido, se requiere de algunas horas de practica.
Murat Kayahanli
Reviewed in Turkey on June 14, 2024
Boyundan büyük işler yapan bu ürünü meraklısına tavsiye ederim. Küçük bir oyuncak görüntüsüne göre fiyatı pahalı görünse de bilgisayara bağlanmadan müzik yapmanın en ucuz yolu. Kırılgan bir yapısı var gibi kılıfını da ayrıca almanızı öneririm daha güzel ve korunaklı oluyor. Farklı modelleriyle ve diğer hardware cihazlarla bağlantı yapılabiliyor...
Murat Kayahanli
Reviewed in Turkey on June 14, 2024
Boyundan büyük işler yapan bu ürünü meraklısına tavsiye ederim. Küçük bir oyuncak görüntüsüne göre fiyatı pahalı görünse de bilgisayara bağlanmadan müzik yapmanın en ucuz yolu. Kırılgan bir yapısı var gibi kılıfını da ayrıca almanızı öneririm daha güzel ve korunaklı oluyor. Farklı modelleriyle ve diğer hardware cihazlarla bağlantı yapılabiliyor...
Laura Doran
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2024
Great battery life and fun to play around with. Takes a bit more of a learning curve to use and is quite delicate. It’s very impressive and compact! It’s awesome to be able to fit it in your pocket and have a dedicated music device that you can create yourself. It’s a bit expensive, but a neat item to have on hand! Of all the different types of pocket synths, this seemed to be the best choice because it allows 3 channels of music layering.
Laura Doran
Reviewed in Canada on March 30, 2024
Great battery life and fun to play around with. Takes a bit more of a learning curve to use and is quite delicate. It’s very impressive and compact! It’s awesome to be able to fit it in your pocket and have a dedicated music device that you can create yourself. It’s a bit expensive, but a neat item to have on hand! Of all the different types of pocket synths, this seemed to be the best choice because it allows 3 channels of music layering.
Holden
Reviewed in Italy on February 2, 2022
Il PO-33 mi ha veramente stupito. Piccolo e leggerissimo, sembra un giocattolo, ma non lasciatevi ingannare... Non lo è affatto! L'oggettino è un campionatore (ha un mic integrato, un line-in e un line-out) con sequencer e permette di creare beat anche molto complessi. I 16 pad che permettono di suonare, sono suddivisi in due sezioni: "Melodic", dedicata ai suoni che vorrete suonare su una scala cromatica per creare appunto linee melodiche e "Drum" per i suoni di batteria e percussioni. La polifonia è a 4 voci, cioè potrete utilizzare fino a quattro campioni che suonano sovrapposti contemporaneamente, ma c'è da precisare che nella sezione Drum ad ogni pad viene assegnato un intero drum set composto da 16 suoni percussivi, che però corrispondono ad un solo campione; questo comporta che che non potrete, da un unico drum set, suonare contemporaneamente due suoni sovrapposti (es. una cassa e un hi-hat) per farlo dovrete scegliere il secondo suono da un altro drum set. I campioni precaricati in fabbrica non sono entusiasmanti, ma utili per muovere i prami passi con lo strumento e capirne il funzionamento prima di passare a campionare ed elaborare i vostri suoni. Per chi volesse sperimentare da subito con altri sample packs già pronti all'uso, sul sito della casa produttrice potrete scaricarne un paio niente male a questo indirizzo: teenage.engineering/downloads/po-33Insomma, se quello che cercate è uno strumento realmente tascabile per poter campionare e creare beat ovunque vi troviate, questo è quello che fa per voi.
Holden
Reviewed in Italy on February 2, 2022
Il PO-33 mi ha veramente stupito. Piccolo e leggerissimo, sembra un giocattolo, ma non lasciatevi ingannare... Non lo è affatto! L'oggettino è un campionatore (ha un mic integrato, un line-in e un line-out) con sequencer e permette di creare beat anche molto complessi. I 16 pad che permettono di suonare, sono suddivisi in due sezioni: "Melodic", dedicata ai suoni che vorrete suonare su una scala cromatica per creare appunto linee melodiche e "Drum" per i suoni di batteria e percussioni. La polifonia è a 4 voci, cioè potrete utilizzare fino a quattro campioni che suonano sovrapposti contemporaneamente, ma c'è da precisare che nella sezione Drum ad ogni pad viene assegnato un intero drum set composto da 16 suoni percussivi, che però corrispondono ad un solo campione; questo comporta che che non potrete, da un unico drum set, suonare contemporaneamente due suoni sovrapposti (es. una cassa e un hi-hat) per farlo dovrete scegliere il secondo suono da un altro drum set. I campioni precaricati in fabbrica non sono entusiasmanti, ma utili per muovere i prami passi con lo strumento e capirne il funzionamento prima di passare a campionare ed elaborare i vostri suoni. Per chi volesse sperimentare da subito con altri sample packs già pronti all'uso, sul sito della casa produttrice potrete scaricarne un paio niente male a questo indirizzo: teenage.engineering/downloads/po-33Insomma, se quello che cercate è uno strumento realmente tascabile per poter campionare e creare beat ovunque vi troviate, questo è quello che fa per voi.
C.S.
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020
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C.S.
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2020
The media could not be loaded.
ShaaBaaZ
Reviewed in France on January 30, 2020
Pour ceux qui connaissent, je me cherchais un mini sampler standalone à pile type Yamaha SU-10 ou Roland MS-1 de l'époque.Les protagonistes sont les microgranny, volca sample, ou appli android/iPhoneMicrogranny trop cher, Volca Sample -possédé, revendu- qui ne sample pas vraiment, et sur un smartphone trop peu de "ressenti instrumental" et qui nécessite une interface supplémentaire pour pouvoir sampler.Et TE a sorti le PO-33.Merci.Parce que tout comme toi lecteur, en tant que beatmaker devenu papa de 3 enfants, et bien c'est bien pratique de pouvoir pratiquer notre art commun assis tranquillement dans son lit, casque vissé sur les oreilles.Les plus :Le son: machine spéciale hip-hop lo-fi, bien aidé par la durée limitée d'echantillonageLe traitement des samples est vraiment bien foutu, une partie mélodique qui joue chromatiquement les samples, et une partie drum qui découpe les samples le tout sur 16 pas.Pour nous autres amateurs de boombap bercés à la MPC et autres SP, cette section drum est fort intéressante car une fois les chops ajustés, ceux ci sont jouables en mode mute group (le déclenchement d'un sample coupe celui en cours de lecture) ce qui rend le tout aussi musical que nous l'attendons pour un sampler tel que nous l'entendons.Le swing, le pitch shift, les effets, les filtres (omg ils sont fous) in fine même la durée de 40s est fort honnête, et bien sur tout ça dans un prix qui dépasse toute espéranceLes moins:Pour ma part ils sont d'ordre ergonomique. Mes peluches nécessiteront sous peu l'aide d'un boîtier permettant de mieux appréhender les touches qui, même si elles sont très fonctionnelles (au point de pouvoir fingerdrum sans problème en enregistrement live), mérite une meilleure surface de contact.En l'occurrence plus large pour moi.En conclusion:Ce qui est bon avec ce sampler c'est qu'il concentre les bons points de tout ce qu'on a eu de mini dans les années 90: les boss sp202/303, lesdits SU-10 et MS1, portabilité et autonomie en plus, mais sans les inconvénients.Allez il manquerait une fonction resample et là et bien ma foi... Ils exploseraient le marché 😅Teenage Engineering si vous me lisez...Parce que du coup pour rendre le truc ultime de chez ultime, c'est pas 1, mais 2 po33 qu'il faut...😁
ShaaBaaZ
Reviewed in France on January 30, 2020
Pour ceux qui connaissent, je me cherchais un mini sampler standalone à pile type Yamaha SU-10 ou Roland MS-1 de l'époque.Les protagonistes sont les microgranny, volca sample, ou appli android/iPhoneMicrogranny trop cher, Volca Sample -possédé, revendu- qui ne sample pas vraiment, et sur un smartphone trop peu de "ressenti instrumental" et qui nécessite une interface supplémentaire pour pouvoir sampler.Et TE a sorti le PO-33.Merci.Parce que tout comme toi lecteur, en tant que beatmaker devenu papa de 3 enfants, et bien c'est bien pratique de pouvoir pratiquer notre art commun assis tranquillement dans son lit, casque vissé sur les oreilles.Les plus :Le son: machine spéciale hip-hop lo-fi, bien aidé par la durée limitée d'echantillonageLe traitement des samples est vraiment bien foutu, une partie mélodique qui joue chromatiquement les samples, et une partie drum qui découpe les samples le tout sur 16 pas.Pour nous autres amateurs de boombap bercés à la MPC et autres SP, cette section drum est fort intéressante car une fois les chops ajustés, ceux ci sont jouables en mode mute group (le déclenchement d'un sample coupe celui en cours de lecture) ce qui rend le tout aussi musical que nous l'attendons pour un sampler tel que nous l'entendons.Le swing, le pitch shift, les effets, les filtres (omg ils sont fous) in fine même la durée de 40s est fort honnête, et bien sur tout ça dans un prix qui dépasse toute espéranceLes moins:Pour ma part ils sont d'ordre ergonomique. Mes peluches nécessiteront sous peu l'aide d'un boîtier permettant de mieux appréhender les touches qui, même si elles sont très fonctionnelles (au point de pouvoir fingerdrum sans problème en enregistrement live), mérite une meilleure surface de contact.En l'occurrence plus large pour moi.En conclusion:Ce qui est bon avec ce sampler c'est qu'il concentre les bons points de tout ce qu'on a eu de mini dans les années 90: les boss sp202/303, lesdits SU-10 et MS1, portabilité et autonomie en plus, mais sans les inconvénients.Allez il manquerait une fonction resample et là et bien ma foi... Ils exploseraient le marché 😅Teenage Engineering si vous me lisez...Parce que du coup pour rendre le truc ultime de chez ultime, c'est pas 1, mais 2 po33 qu'il faut...😁
Blaire
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2018
If you are looking to buy your first pocket operator, I would choose the KO 33. You are now able to insert your own samples, splice them up and create music. It cost $89, but I see it going for upwards of $130 or more. The 33 version seems to be the one that is always sold out. There is a reason for that. You will probably have more fun with this than any of the other pocket operators, but that's up to you. Metal series is hours of fun for someone who is creative.However I must include this disclaimer, that if you wanna create a tune that sounds good, you need to spend time learning this device in-depth. Yes, it's a cool looking gadget by itself, but trying to learn it and produce great sounding tunes is another story. If you don't know how to use it, you will get lost and frustrated, and you will question why you spent so much money on it. $89 is not cheap, neither is $139. It's not going to make music by itself. Pocket Operator 33 has a steep learning curve, all of them do really.I suggest you watch all introduction and tutorial videos on youtube, and even then you might not get it the first couple of tries, even with the included instructions. It's not something you can just pick up and make music with no prior knowledge of how PO operates. It's a device that needs to be used for hours, sometimes days until you get the hang of it. Don't get me wrong, it's a very capable device, and very rewarding once you learn how to use it properly, but it's not newbie friendly. Sure you might record a sample, but that's not enough.So having that, if you are someone who likes to tinker with things, and spend hours trying to learn something new, this is the device. I suggest getting a case for it, and not the one Teenage engineering offers, there are far better cases out there for the same price or cheaper. This is just my honest opinion for those looking to buy this for themselves or a gift. My suggestion, don't buy it just because it looks cool, it's more than just a cool looking device.This and the Arcade are my favorite.
Blaire
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2018
If you are looking to buy your first pocket operator, I would choose the KO 33. You are now able to insert your own samples, splice them up and create music. It cost $89, but I see it going for upwards of $130 or more. The 33 version seems to be the one that is always sold out. There is a reason for that. You will probably have more fun with this than any of the other pocket operators, but that's up to you. Metal series is hours of fun for someone who is creative.However I must include this disclaimer, that if you wanna create a tune that sounds good, you need to spend time learning this device in-depth. Yes, it's a cool looking gadget by itself, but trying to learn it and produce great sounding tunes is another story. If you don't know how to use it, you will get lost and frustrated, and you will question why you spent so much money on it. $89 is not cheap, neither is $139. It's not going to make music by itself. Pocket Operator 33 has a steep learning curve, all of them do really.I suggest you watch all introduction and tutorial videos on youtube, and even then you might not get it the first couple of tries, even with the included instructions. It's not something you can just pick up and make music with no prior knowledge of how PO operates. It's a device that needs to be used for hours, sometimes days until you get the hang of it. Don't get me wrong, it's a very capable device, and very rewarding once you learn how to use it properly, but it's not newbie friendly. Sure you might record a sample, but that's not enough.So having that, if you are someone who likes to tinker with things, and spend hours trying to learn something new, this is the device. I suggest getting a case for it, and not the one Teenage engineering offers, there are far better cases out there for the same price or cheaper. This is just my honest opinion for those looking to buy this for themselves or a gift. My suggestion, don't buy it just because it looks cool, it's more than just a cool looking device.This and the Arcade are my favorite.
StormJH1
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018
The first time I saw a demo of the Pocket Operators - a YouTube video of the PO-12 Rhythm shot in some dreary, overcast field in Scandinavia - I was blown away. I assumed what I was looking at was just a prototype (nope) and they would rehouse this fragile-looking computer chip...thing in some actual protective case for sale (nope again). But still, it sounded incredible into a powered speaker, seemed legimiately fun to tweak and program, and cost only $60!We've reached a total of nine Pocket Operator units now (as of August 2018), and while the various models have had their ups and downs, it wasn't until I saw demos of the PO-33 K.O. Sampler that I was "blown away" by this series the way in the way that I was when I first saw that YouTube demo and was introduced to the whole concept. Until now, each Pocket Operator seemed planted in its own little niche, but the K.O. Sampler seemed almost limitless. A credit card-sized sampler that can actually sample 40 seconds of audio via on-board microphone OR 3.5mm line in? Powered by 2 AAA batteries?!? For less than $100?!!?Of course, you can't triangulate affordability, quality, and depth of features without making some compromises, and there are important limitations you should know about the PO-33. But I find it to be that rare case with music gear where an affordable piece of hardware with notable shortcomings on paper turns out to be much more powerful and enjoyable once you actually get it in your hands.SAMPLING ENGINE & SOUND QUALITY:There really are quite a large number of ways to get sound onto the PO-33 and then move them around and edit them once there, so I will try to keep this short. The PO-33 is an 8-bit sampler, which basically means that it has a fraction of the digital "information" contained in a note from a 12-bit sampler or a 16-bit Compact Disc, for example. While I found it to be entirely capable of clear, detailed notes, it does reveal a gritty, raw character on many sounds, particularly when you turn it up. This may come across as "bitcrushed" or even "chiptune", depending on the type of sound involved, but this is consistent with the character of the overall Pocket Operator series. In some cases, the 8-bit audio engine creates a cool, driven effect, but I do have to admit I've struggled with it trying to sample a lot of sounds with the Line In jack - particularly bassy sounds like an 808 Bass Drum, which becomes fizzy and almost unrecognizable. Crisper or higher pitched sound better, and you can work with filter/resonance control to try and improve this further.The face of the PO-33 has 16 numbered buttons. These represent both the 16 steps of the sequencer, as well as the 16 "banks" for sampled content. Banks 1-8 are "Melodic" samples. By selecting one of these 8 banks, you get control over 16 notes, representing two octaves of a "harmonic minor plus one" scale. (The original sample/root note is located at the "5" key, and one octave lower on the "13" key, so the scales mirror each other on the upper and lower halves, which is nice). This is a bit of a strange decision by Teenage Engineering, as many of their other melodic Pocket Operators were locked in a C Major scale, presumably so those new to music could just mash in notes and play things in key with multiple devices. More on that in the "Workarounds" section later.Sound banks 9-16 are for "Drum" samples, but here's where it gets a little weird. The default way that "Drum" banks handle samples are to listen for transients and "slice" up 16 samples of different sounds to be laid out as buttons 1-16. So if you sampled a 3-second clip of an "Amen Break", or whatever, it would (in theory) grab different kicks, snares, and hats, and lay them out as 16 triggerable samples. That's potentially very cool, and you CAN adjust the start point and length of each slice, but it isn't a very repeatable or dependable way to set up a new kit. What you can do as an alternative is to copy and paste individual hits recorded as melodic samples into the slots of a "Drum" kit, though that takes a bit of doing.The way that you sample is to hold down the red "record" button and then either make a noise into the microphone OR play a sound through the left side 3.5mm audio jack. The quality of the resulting 8-bit audio is a mixed bag. Some of the synth notes I tried to sample into the K.O. had a noise floor going on that made them almost unusable. At the same time, I was amazed how clear and dynamic the extremely small on-board microphone picked up noises. As an example, I banged an empty soda can on the table, figured out that the note I made with that was close to a C#, and then made a whole melodic loop out of...banging a can on a table. That's an absurd example of what you could do much more effectively with your voice or an actual instrument.One minor annoyance is that while the sample doesn't record until it senses a certain noise level, you do have to hold down two buttons at one time, which then makes it hard to produce whatever noise you are making with your one free hand.SEQUENCER:I won't say too much about the sequencer because if you are familiar with Pocket Operators, it is very similar to how the other units work. I also think the sequencer is the glue that holds these units together and converts them from "adorable music toy" to "surprisingly deep sub-$100 musical instrument". Although each pattern is only one bar (16 steps in 4/4 time), you can program 16 of them and then chain them to repeat in any order over 100 times. It's almost embarrassing how much more powerful the sequencer is on Pocket Operators versus some "serious" music gear costing 5 times as much. And it's full of hidden tricks, such as the ability to set up to 8 note re-triggers per step. (Start playing a sequence, program a note, and then hold the button for that step while pressing the BPM button to cycle through re-trigger options).EFFECTS:The effects options in the PO-33 K.O. aren't as memorable as some of the other units in this series (notably the PO-20 Arcade and especially the PO-32 Tonic), but they cover the basic needs of a sampler and get the job done. You have low- and high-pass filters and resonance control for each sample. There are 15 different effects (plus an "erase" key on "16"), though most of these are variations of stutters and loops. It's still a lot of fun for live performance, and you automate different effects and control parameters within a sequence.LIMITATIONS & WORKAROUNDS:In researching the PO-33, I came across a few pretty major limitations that I feared might sink the device. However, thanks to the overall depth of features, and some clever workarounds to defeat these weaknesses, I find that the K.O. Sampler overcomes them.Probably the most major limitations is that each SAMPLE slot (of which there are 16) is monophonic, while the overall polyphony of the device is limited to four samples played per step. What this means is that if you load "Drum" Bank 9, you can't play a snare and a hi-hat from that bank on the same step. You also can't layer different pitched notes from a single "Melodic" sample on the same step to make chords. I believe the PO-33 prioritizes "Melodic" hits over "Drum" hits. However, you can play multiple "Melodic" samples from different banks at the same time, or individual drum hits from different banks, provided the total number of sounds does not exceed four. You can also copy instruments from the "Drum" banks as individual melodic samples, and the K.O. functions much more like an actual drum machine in that way.The limitations on the scale are another annoyance, but there's an ingenious workaround I came across online that should allow you to play in any major or minor scale:Minor scale: The note you sample becomes the root note of the scale, playable with the "13" button. The remaining notes of the Minor scale can be played in this order: 13-14-15-16-9-10-11-5Major scale: Sample a note that is 3 half-steps or "semitones" lower than your intended root note. So, if you want a C Major scale, sample an "A" note, and then the root "C" will be on the "15" key. The remaining notes of the Major scale will be on these buttons: 15-16-9-10-11-5-6-7.It sounds convoluted, but try it and match it up to a piano or other instrument for reference, and you'll immediately hear the notes of your scale!SUMMARY:I'm leaving out a ton of features, but the bottom line is that this is a very full-featured sampler that's just a lot of fun to use, and extremely affordable. By comparison, the Korg Volca Sample is nearly twice the price, holds just a bit more sample data (65 seconds vs. 40 seconds on the PO-33), and you cannot load any samples onto it without a computer data transfer. It's really the ability to sample anything, anywhere with such a small (albeit fragile) device that propels the PO-33 K.O. to new heights. Its limitations of a piece of hardware are noteworthy, but the musical possibilities with it are endless.
StormJH1
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018
The first time I saw a demo of the Pocket Operators - a YouTube video of the PO-12 Rhythm shot in some dreary, overcast field in Scandinavia - I was blown away. I assumed what I was looking at was just a prototype (nope) and they would rehouse this fragile-looking computer chip...thing in some actual protective case for sale (nope again). But still, it sounded incredible into a powered speaker, seemed legimiately fun to tweak and program, and cost only $60!We've reached a total of nine Pocket Operator units now (as of August 2018), and while the various models have had their ups and downs, it wasn't until I saw demos of the PO-33 K.O. Sampler that I was "blown away" by this series the way in the way that I was when I first saw that YouTube demo and was introduced to the whole concept. Until now, each Pocket Operator seemed planted in its own little niche, but the K.O. Sampler seemed almost limitless. A credit card-sized sampler that can actually sample 40 seconds of audio via on-board microphone OR 3.5mm line in? Powered by 2 AAA batteries?!? For less than $100?!!?Of course, you can't triangulate affordability, quality, and depth of features without making some compromises, and there are important limitations you should know about the PO-33. But I find it to be that rare case with music gear where an affordable piece of hardware with notable shortcomings on paper turns out to be much more powerful and enjoyable once you actually get it in your hands.SAMPLING ENGINE & SOUND QUALITY:There really are quite a large number of ways to get sound onto the PO-33 and then move them around and edit them once there, so I will try to keep this short. The PO-33 is an 8-bit sampler, which basically means that it has a fraction of the digital "information" contained in a note from a 12-bit sampler or a 16-bit Compact Disc, for example. While I found it to be entirely capable of clear, detailed notes, it does reveal a gritty, raw character on many sounds, particularly when you turn it up. This may come across as "bitcrushed" or even "chiptune", depending on the type of sound involved, but this is consistent with the character of the overall Pocket Operator series. In some cases, the 8-bit audio engine creates a cool, driven effect, but I do have to admit I've struggled with it trying to sample a lot of sounds with the Line In jack - particularly bassy sounds like an 808 Bass Drum, which becomes fizzy and almost unrecognizable. Crisper or higher pitched sound better, and you can work with filter/resonance control to try and improve this further.The face of the PO-33 has 16 numbered buttons. These represent both the 16 steps of the sequencer, as well as the 16 "banks" for sampled content. Banks 1-8 are "Melodic" samples. By selecting one of these 8 banks, you get control over 16 notes, representing two octaves of a "harmonic minor plus one" scale. (The original sample/root note is located at the "5" key, and one octave lower on the "13" key, so the scales mirror each other on the upper and lower halves, which is nice). This is a bit of a strange decision by Teenage Engineering, as many of their other melodic Pocket Operators were locked in a C Major scale, presumably so those new to music could just mash in notes and play things in key with multiple devices. More on that in the "Workarounds" section later.Sound banks 9-16 are for "Drum" samples, but here's where it gets a little weird. The default way that "Drum" banks handle samples are to listen for transients and "slice" up 16 samples of different sounds to be laid out as buttons 1-16. So if you sampled a 3-second clip of an "Amen Break", or whatever, it would (in theory) grab different kicks, snares, and hats, and lay them out as 16 triggerable samples. That's potentially very cool, and you CAN adjust the start point and length of each slice, but it isn't a very repeatable or dependable way to set up a new kit. What you can do as an alternative is to copy and paste individual hits recorded as melodic samples into the slots of a "Drum" kit, though that takes a bit of doing.The way that you sample is to hold down the red "record" button and then either make a noise into the microphone OR play a sound through the left side 3.5mm audio jack. The quality of the resulting 8-bit audio is a mixed bag. Some of the synth notes I tried to sample into the K.O. had a noise floor going on that made them almost unusable. At the same time, I was amazed how clear and dynamic the extremely small on-board microphone picked up noises. As an example, I banged an empty soda can on the table, figured out that the note I made with that was close to a C#, and then made a whole melodic loop out of...banging a can on a table. That's an absurd example of what you could do much more effectively with your voice or an actual instrument.One minor annoyance is that while the sample doesn't record until it senses a certain noise level, you do have to hold down two buttons at one time, which then makes it hard to produce whatever noise you are making with your one free hand.SEQUENCER:I won't say too much about the sequencer because if you are familiar with Pocket Operators, it is very similar to how the other units work. I also think the sequencer is the glue that holds these units together and converts them from "adorable music toy" to "surprisingly deep sub-$100 musical instrument". Although each pattern is only one bar (16 steps in 4/4 time), you can program 16 of them and then chain them to repeat in any order over 100 times. It's almost embarrassing how much more powerful the sequencer is on Pocket Operators versus some "serious" music gear costing 5 times as much. And it's full of hidden tricks, such as the ability to set up to 8 note re-triggers per step. (Start playing a sequence, program a note, and then hold the button for that step while pressing the BPM button to cycle through re-trigger options).EFFECTS:The effects options in the PO-33 K.O. aren't as memorable as some of the other units in this series (notably the PO-20 Arcade and especially the PO-32 Tonic), but they cover the basic needs of a sampler and get the job done. You have low- and high-pass filters and resonance control for each sample. There are 15 different effects (plus an "erase" key on "16"), though most of these are variations of stutters and loops. It's still a lot of fun for live performance, and you automate different effects and control parameters within a sequence.LIMITATIONS & WORKAROUNDS:In researching the PO-33, I came across a few pretty major limitations that I feared might sink the device. However, thanks to the overall depth of features, and some clever workarounds to defeat these weaknesses, I find that the K.O. Sampler overcomes them.Probably the most major limitations is that each SAMPLE slot (of which there are 16) is monophonic, while the overall polyphony of the device is limited to four samples played per step. What this means is that if you load "Drum" Bank 9, you can't play a snare and a hi-hat from that bank on the same step. You also can't layer different pitched notes from a single "Melodic" sample on the same step to make chords. I believe the PO-33 prioritizes "Melodic" hits over "Drum" hits. However, you can play multiple "Melodic" samples from different banks at the same time, or individual drum hits from different banks, provided the total number of sounds does not exceed four. You can also copy instruments from the "Drum" banks as individual melodic samples, and the K.O. functions much more like an actual drum machine in that way.The limitations on the scale are another annoyance, but there's an ingenious workaround I came across online that should allow you to play in any major or minor scale:Minor scale: The note you sample becomes the root note of the scale, playable with the "13" button. The remaining notes of the Minor scale can be played in this order: 13-14-15-16-9-10-11-5Major scale: Sample a note that is 3 half-steps or "semitones" lower than your intended root note. So, if you want a C Major scale, sample an "A" note, and then the root "C" will be on the "15" key. The remaining notes of the Major scale will be on these buttons: 15-16-9-10-11-5-6-7.It sounds convoluted, but try it and match it up to a piano or other instrument for reference, and you'll immediately hear the notes of your scale!SUMMARY:I'm leaving out a ton of features, but the bottom line is that this is a very full-featured sampler that's just a lot of fun to use, and extremely affordable. By comparison, the Korg Volca Sample is nearly twice the price, holds just a bit more sample data (65 seconds vs. 40 seconds on the PO-33), and you cannot load any samples onto it without a computer data transfer. It's really the ability to sample anything, anywhere with such a small (albeit fragile) device that propels the PO-33 K.O. to new heights. Its limitations of a piece of hardware are noteworthy, but the musical possibilities with it are endless.