Why Michaël Brun swears by the OP-1 Field instead

When you’re bouncing between time zones and tracking vocals in hotel rooms, studio gear needs to pull its weight and pack light.

For producer and DJ Michaël Brun, that workhorse is the Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field.

Known for his genre-mixing productions and global collaborations, Brun often sketches song ideas on the go – usually beginning with voice notes on his phone. From there, his portable rig, anchored by a laptop and OP-1 Field, takes over.

“I use the OP-1 Field a lot,” he tells MusicTech.

“The thing that’s so appealing about the Field in particular is — like, I had the original OP-1 as well, but I barely used it; I always felt like I couldn’t integrate it into my setup properly.

But I was really committed! I thought, ‘This thing is so unique, maybe there’s something I’m not understanding.’”

“And I got the Field, and I was blown away. It’s so amazing sonically; it’s so lush. I use it as my keyboard, as a synthesizer, as a drum machine, and as a MIDI controller. I basically use it as an extension of my laptop.”

The OP-1 Field’s size, in particular, is a big part of its appeal (“It’s the size for me,” says Brun). Whether it’s a full session or a spontaneous beat on the road, the Field easily keeps up.

“I use my phone a lot for voice notes as well,” he adds.

“The voice notes help me get the organic side. And then the laptop plus Ableton Live – that’s everything else that you could ever want, right? So it feels like a good combo between those three things.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the producer also shares a simple but powerful philosophy that keeps him grounded both in the studio and on the road.

“Something passive is just accepting that, if I make stuff, some of it’s gonna be bad, some of it’s gonna be good, right? It’s about allowing that to happen,” says Brun.

“I think the ritual of just accepting whatever life is gonna throw at you, even outside of music, is very important, but in the context of music, it’s saying, ‘today I got nothing, but it’s fine. I’m not gonna be hard on myself. There’s always tomorrow, and I’ll try again.’ That allows me to create with a level of passion and in a very consistent way.”