NAMM 2020: Teenage Engineering’s Ortho Remote turns up the dial on Bluetooth MIDI control

Teenage Engineering Ortho Remote
(Image credit: Teenage Engineering)

NAMM 2020: This time last year, Teenage Engineering was announcing its ambitious range of Pocket Modular instruments, but the launches of some of these didn’t go so smoothly. This year, it looks to have kept things a bit simpler by giving us… a dial.

Known as Ortho Remote, this is a wireless remote control that’s designed for use with TE’s OD-11 loudspeaker, enabling you to adjust your music’s volume, skip tracks and pause from any room at up to 20 metres distance. It has a magnetic back so can be stuck on any metal surface (your fridge, for example).

There is a bit more to it than that, though, as Ortho Remote is also a wireless Bluetooth MIDI controller that can be used with any BLE-MIDI-compatible music software. How useful it could be remains to be seen, but the option is there. The device can also be used to control your favourite iOS, Android or macOS music player.

The Ortho Remote can be ordered now from the Teenage Engineering website. It costs £79.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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