Some of the Pocket Operators are actually really nice and remind me of the Machinedrum and Monomachine in many ways.
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Plus OP-Z is the only one with the option to install a haptic sub rumble module. It’s nice.
I think you’ll be happy with it for that.
That’s the reason I am currently hanging onto it, the FX are good and you are right about the price. It’s possibly worth it just for them alone.
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I’d like the Tonic as it would be fun to play around with Microtonic and then take the beats onto the mobile device.
I have an Arcade at the moment and it’s a little toylike for making decent things with.
Quick update to the thread.
I got the opportunity to swap my TR-6S for a Model Cycles and though it’s early days that seems to hit the spot to some degree in that it’s quite small and self contained and quick to play with. Probably a bit big and not battery powered, but certainly fun.
Weirdly I like it a lot more than the Syntakt which I didn’t really like at all.
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Interesting. Care to elaborate? I have not tried it (and don’t plan on it, just curious.)
I’ve been enjoying my Torso T-1 and my laptop with Ableton - even if I usually (and still) really am totally unengaged when I try Ableton for anything by recording.
It’s not small, and not one. But it’s cordless and uses the laptop speakers so it’s cordless except for one small usb cable between the two.
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It’s hard to say
One thing is that the Syntakt and the Cycles both felt like specialised drum machines rather than a full on track production studio like an MC-707 or MPC and that’s more acceptable on a £250 machine than an £800 machine.
I use the devices on my lap and the Syntakt was heavy and ran really hot. Also because of the power draw it’s not a great device for use on a power bank.
The Cycles is also a lot more “Knob per function” and approachable friendly as something to just jam on where as the Syntakt was a bit more cryptic.
The Cycles seems a bit more lo fi and crunchy whereas the Syntakt was a lot cleaner which just highlighted that the Synths didn’t sound all that special compared to the MC-707 or using a Laptop.
The machines on the Cycles seem quick to get nice sounds on and have a kind of logic which makes them easy to understand whereas I found a lot of machines on the Syntakt really hard to understand (They aren’t complicated just weirdly named parameters and easy to make them sound bad, or muddy).
I think ultimately the Cycles feels like a companion device, drum machine basic groovebox whereas the Syntakt felt like a centrepiece that didn’t have enough sonic firepower to justify having 12 tracks.
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I feel exactly the same about both devices, though I only have M:C. Just the image that I got. Syntakt is weird because it’s big inside, like a Machinedrum. But the functionality, at least at the onset, was not enough to produce tracks comfortably. It still lacks kits, which would help it make more sense imo. I suppose you could limit yourself to a 1 or 2 patterns, using song mutes and performing stuff live. Elektron stuff has a weird way of forcing you to make choices, none of them can do it all the way an MPC can. But they’re oh-so-fluid… and stable!!! M:C is a fantastic companion device but I’ve actually produced entire tracks with pretty must just the M:C. It’s kind of like making songs in a Tracker, at least I imagine. Everything that’s not performed live is very surgical and if you have multiple patterns you have to do a lot of housekeeping if you make changes to a sound for instance. But you get used to it and somehow it inspires. I recommend giving it a try! I’ll also take this opportunity to plug my lovingly crafted M:C sound packs, should you be interested in that kinda thing. 
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The rounded corners and edges of the Models + the presumably lighter weight than one of the more expensive steel boxes does make sense for being better suited for on the lap on the sofa use. I don’t think I’d want to try and use my OT on my lap for very long 
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You should give the OT a try, you never know what will pop up.
TE Pocket Operator PO-33
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I wonder how small you could make an Octatrack and still have all the functionality? Would be minijack I/O, smaller buttons etc.
I suppose that’s the intention of the 1010 Blackbox…
I’m kind of counting the physical interface as part of the functionality, touch screen and too much menu diving/page swapping is a nah for me generally (for what I want to use the OT for, for many use cases the Blackbox looks great honestly). I was thinking hypothetically how small could a manufacturer cram in all or mostly all the physical controls and capabilities of the OT into a more compact device.
You end up with something like the Roland SE-02 where everyone agrees it’s a great synth but horrible to use because the knobs are tiny.
Buy yourself an analog wrist watch. about 85% of the time id take my phone out to look at the time id get distracted with all the other stuff phones do. Wearing a watch cut that down significantly.
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