How do I record to tape?
OP-1tape recording4-trackrecord
Recording to tape is the core workflow of the OP-1:
Enter tape mode: 1. Press the tape button (4-track icon) 2. You'll see the tape display with 4 tracks
Select a track: 1. Press track buttons 1-4 to select which track to record on 2. The selected track is highlighted
Start recording: 1. Press record button 2. Press play (or record will start playing automatically) 3. Play your sounds — notes are recorded to tape 4. Press stop or play again to stop
What you can record:
- Synth engines (press synth, play keys)
- Drum sounds
- Sampled audio
- External input via line in
Tape controls:
- Rewind/fast forward with arrow keys
- Press shift + arrows for frame-by-frame nudging
- Turn blue encoder to scroll through tape position
Recording tips:
- Watch the tape meter — red means clipping
- Each track holds about 6 minutes
- Record on track 1, then add layers on tracks 2-4
- Use the metronome (shift + tempo) to stay in time
Punch-in recording: 1. Play the tape 2. Press record when you want to start recording 3. Release record to punch out 4. Great for fixing mistakes or adding parts
After recording:
- Press tape again to exit and review
- Use lift/drop to move recorded sections
- Bounce tracks to free up space