Reverb, the online gear marketplace, has shared its annual list of the best-selling electronic gear, giving us a fascinating insight into which synths, drum machines, samplers and controllers dominated the new and second-hand markets in 2024.
For the past five years running, one company has taken the top spot on Reverb's round-up of most-wanted tech: Teenage Engineering. This year, though, the Swedish brand's sought-after synth/sampler OP-1 has finally been unseated, falling a total of four places to sit at a far less impressive No 5 on the combined list of new and used sales, and sliding to No 3 on the second-hand chart.
The OP-1 has been ousted by none other than Digitakt, a sampler and drum machine designed by fellow Swedish manufacturer Elektron. Though we'd grown accustomed to the OP-1's enduring supremacy, we'll admit this isn't a hugely surprising turn of events: Digitakt is an immensely popular sampler, and in the music tech world, you can't scroll through Instagram or YouTube for more than a few minutes without spotting one of these two machines blinking away beside a succulent or two.
Why has the OP-1 fallen from grace, then? A number of factors are at play here. As Reverb observes, Teenage Engineering has expanded its product line in recent years to include the OP-1 field - a next-gen version of the OP-1 - and the more recently unveiled the OP-XY, a stomach-churningly expensive hybrid of the more affordable OP-Z and the OP-1.
What's more, the company's EP-133 K.O. II, a $299 sampler and calculator lookalike released in late 2023, gave music-makers a means of getting some of that sweet Teenage Engineering action without applying for a second credit card; the K.O II now sits just behind the OP-1 in the best-seller list at No 6. All of these products have stolen the original OP-1's limelight, to a degree, but its price (both new and used) has remained relatively high for an instrument released in 2011.
This brings us to Digitakt. Released in 2017, the machine found Elektron squeezing the sophisticated sequencing and love-it-or-hate-it workflow that drew producers to products like the Octatrack into a more accessibly-priced and portable package, and the strategy paid off. Digitakt's since become one of Elektron's most popular machines, and the company has released several variations on its form factor, Digitone and Syntakt, that have also found favour with hardware-focused beatmakers.
Earlier this year, Elektron unveiled Digitakt II, a stereo-equipped sequel that bolstered the capabilities of the original with improved modulation, filters and effects. The expanded spec sheet came with an expanded price, however, and its $999 MSRP placed the machine out of reach of many potential customers. Digitakt II's release also drove down the price of its predecessor, which can now be picked up for less than half that amount - and significantly less than an OP-1.
Close behind the Digitakt on Reverb's list is Push 2, the second iteration of Ableton's controller for Live. Interestingly, Push didn't even make it into the top 10 last year, likely because its average price hadn't yet fallen following the launch of the Push 3 in July. It did this year, though, and according to Reverb's price guide, the average price of a Push 2 is around 20% less than it was last December, accounting for its boost in popularity.
Another interesting point here is that both Push 2 and Digitakt are 'last-gen' products, so to speak; they're a generation removed from the newest version. There are four products of this category in the top 10 this year (though we probably shouldn't count the Digitone, as its sequel only arrived in October) as opposed to a single last-gen product in 2023's list, the OP-1. Perhaps, as purse strings tighten and cost-of-living rises make electronic gear feel like a more decadent purchase, increasing numbers of music-makers are choosing to save a few cents by opting for outdated versions of popular products.
Elsewhere on the list, Roland's enduringly popular SP-404MKII sampler and Arturia MicroFreak, a generously-priced oddball of a synth, have remained in the top 10 for another year, along with Native Instruments Maschine Mk3 and Elektron Digitone. Making its first appearance in the top 20 this year is Korg Drumlogue, a hybrid analogue/digital drum machine that dropped in price this year to $299.
