Managed to get my hands on Teenage Engineering's new sequencer/synth/all-in-one portable music studio thing. In order to work out the details of it I set about condensing the manual. Ended up with three pages of quick reference details that you can print, fold up and keep with your OP-Z so you can play with it without hooking it up to a screen. I also made a guide for the oplab module in another post. Links below.

General observations:

The interface is a lot like the Pocket Operators in that you hold down a button to change the meaning of a set of other buttons. (The OP-Z is essentially a professional-grade PO.) Page 3 below has diagrams that show this.

At first, tapping shift to change parameter pages for each track can seem like a huge amount of information to memorize, but as you can see on Page 1 below, the colors are consistent across tracks and the functions rarely change. Memorize the meaning of the five colors (main, ADSR, LFO, ARP, FX) and you're well on your way.

Only three parameters act like menus with specific choices instead of a range of values. (LFO destination & shape, and ARP pattern)

The yellow and red dials are always filter and resonance for drums, synths, FX and main.

Punch-in effects are almost identical for the drum side and the synth side, with just three buttons behaving differently.

Types of step components:

🥁 Rhythm-based:

Pulse, Pulse hold: These lengthen your sequence by replaying a note or holding it for a certain number of steps.

These lengthen your sequence by replaying a note or holding it for a certain number of steps. Multiply: replays a note in the space of one step. (broken chord works on the chord track to "open" the chord on that step)

replays a note in the space of one step. (broken chord works on the chord track to "open" the chord on that step) Velocity: set how "hard" a step is played.

🎹 Note based:

Ramp up, Ramp down, Random: Increases/decreases/randomizes the pitch of each selected note, within a certain range, for a cycle.

Increases/decreases/randomizes the pitch of each selected note, within a certain range, for a cycle. Portamento: Makes a pitch glide between notes (from the previous step to the one you selected)

🔴 OP-Z native:

Sweep: The dials. Automate a sweep of filter, synth parameters, or pan. You just need to add one step to have it affect the entire sequence.

The dials. Automate a sweep of filter, synth parameters, or pan. You just need to add one step to have it affect the entire sequence. Tonality: Transposes notes in various ways, either with or without paying attention to the Master track (which is conveniently right above it)

Transposes notes in various ways, either with or without paying attention to the Master track (which is conveniently right above it) Jump: Controls where the active step is at any given moment.

👾 Programming-based spark components:

Parameter lock affects when certain parameter changes (the dials) play on that step.

affects when certain parameter changes (the dials) play on that step. Step component affects when a step component is or isn't triggered on that step.

affects when a step component is or isn't triggered on that step. Trigger(step) affects whether a step plays at all or not.

Step buttons change colors, and this is what they mean:

Forums:

Tutorials and resources:

⭐️ Just updated for OP-Z OS 1.2!

Download A4 pdf files here:

Monochrome-friendly/higher contrast versions: