Teenage Engineering has today released the EP-40 Riddim Supertone, a new reggae-inspired groovebox and matching EP-2350 FX microphone.
It’s no secret that new Teenage Engineering products are on the verge of release. After initial leaks in September, the team toured Jamaica and other countries, showcasing the latest products in action.
Yes, I’m talking about the Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim Supertone & EP-2350 Ting. Both are now available.
Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim Supertone & EP-2350 Ting
The EP-133 K.O. II is one of Teenage Engineering’s most successful products of recent years. Initially, there was a real rush for the units. Due to its success, or perhaps a long-standing plan, it was developed into a series of products.
Following the K.O. came the striking EP-1320 Medieval in Summer 2024, an adapted version of the K.O. II with medieval sounds and new effects, but without altering the core concept.
With the EP-40 Riddim Supertone, Teenage Engineering explores a new yet familiar musical direction that has influenced many others. As the marketing campaign and images already indicate, this new edition of its groovebox is about reggae.
Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim Supertone
The concept of the new EP-40 Riddim Supertone remains unchanged from previous EPs. However, Teenage Engineering has adapted the design and content to reggae music and sounds.
EP-40 Riddim Supertone is described as a powerful sampler, sequencer, and composer designed for expressive live performance. Tightly synchronized MIDI sequences, grid-synced loops, and reggae-inspired effects allow for real-time sound shaping.
At its core, it offers 12 stereo or 16 mono voices. It includes the tried-and-tested on-the-fly sampler, which captures the sounds you feed it at 46kHz/16-bit. Alternatively, you can upload your own samples into the 128MB internal memory, using the K.O. editor.
In addition to the sampler, this also features a premiere: a subtractive Synthesizer engine that allows you to design basses and leads. The press release doesn’t specify how deep this feature goes, but I think it covers classic ground like pitch control, a filter, and an envelope, among others.
The EP-40 ships with over 300 hand-picked instruments and sounds from iconic reggae products, including pressure-sensitive dub sirens that offer extensive creative possibilities.
Punch-In Effects
Even though the Riddim Supertone uses a different themed engine, the concept and workflow are familiar. You build grooves from the sampler and synth elements, which are tightly synced to the grid. They can be saved into nine user-editable projects.
Yes, the punch-in effects, one of the most popular features in Teenage Engineering products (Pocket Operators, OP-Z…), have also found a home here.
Alongside seven main effects, the EP-40 features 12 new punch-in effects, specially designed for reggae music. With these, loops can be creatively manipulated in seconds or even completely turned upside down. Not to forget is the slider that hopefully does not trigger another slider gate.
The Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim Supertone features a connection side identical to that of the other EP products, including stereo input and output, sync in/out, MIDI in/out, and a USB-C port. Plus, the new CME WIDI K.O.II adapter for Bluetooth MIDI is also compatible with it.
You can power it with batteries or via USB, and it also has an on-board speaker.
EP-2350 Ting
The leak from September also showed a microphone with an old-school look. That’s a product too. The EP-2350 Ting is a compact, super lightweight (0.090 kg) Lo-Fi performance microphone with built-in effects and samples.
On the hardware, you work with four effects: echo, echo + spring, pixie, and robot, each with adjustable parameters. Additionally, you can trigger four customizable samples from the mic.
It outputs its sound via a 3.5mm line output that can be connected to the RIDDIM or any other sound system.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw the EP-2350 Ting was those creepy microphones you find in every children’s toy section of supermarkets or dollar stores, where you can speak into them and your voice is instantly distorted.
Perhaps the EP-2350 Ting is now the upscale version of this product from my childhood that I once found horrific.
First Impression
I expected Teenage Engineering to expand its EP series. Ok, Reggae wasn’t on my radar, I think. Well, the same could be said for the Medieval version.
Maybe we’ll see a German Schlager version or a Swedish death metal version in the future—who knows what else TE has up their sleeve? Musicians with a penchant for reggae music will indeed find here an exciting and inspiring instrument for jams and compositions.
I’m more curious to hear how the lo-fi performance microphone sounds. I reckon it’ll be better than any kiddie microphone. It’s a cool move that TE is offering the Ting microphone for free in a limited edition for early adopters of the EP-40.
Teenage Engineering EP-40 Riddim Supertone and & EP-2350 are available now: the EP-40 is 349€, the EP-23250 is 59€, or in a limited edition bundle for 349€.
More information here: Teenage Engineering
Available from my partners
Picked up Riddim today, gonna chain it to my KO II soon. Life is good.
Very cool devices! Not quite into the look of the Riddim but it’s such a cool update. I absolutely do not need such a device yet i’m wanting one.
Seems like a powerful and very playful box. We’re spoiled with cool machines!
Picking one up today @ local Guutar Center.