---
product_id: 16452307
title: "pocket operator PO-12 rhythm, drum machine and sequencer with parameter locks and punch-in effects"
brand: "teenage engineering"
price: "KSh20120"
currency: KES
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
category: "Teenage Engineering"
url: https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/16452307-pocket-operator-po-12-rhythm-drum-machine-and-sequencer-parameter
store_origin: KE
region: Kenya
---

# Studio-quality stereo output 1 month battery life 16-step sequencer precision pocket operator PO-12 rhythm, drum machine and sequencer with parameter locks and punch-in effects

**Brand:** teenage engineering
**Price:** KSh20120
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 🎶 Pocket-sized beats, studio-grade vibes — own the rhythm revolution!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** pocket operator PO-12 rhythm, drum machine and sequencer with parameter locks and punch-in effects by teenage engineering
- **How much does it cost?** KSh20120 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.ke](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/16452307-pocket-operator-po-12-rhythm-drum-machine-and-sequencer-parameter)

## Best For

- teenage engineering enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted teenage engineering brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Pocket-Sized Powerhouse:** Ultra-portable drum machine fits in your pocket for beats on the go.
- • **Endurance for Endless Jams:** Runs on 2 AAA batteries with up to 1 month of playtime—beat-making without limits.
- • **Seamless Sync & Chainability:** Easily sync with other Pocket Operators or Korg Volca gear for collaborative creativity.
- • **Studio-Quality Sound Anywhere:** Built-in speaker or 3.5mm line out delivers crisp stereo sound for professional playback.
- • **16-Step Sequencer & Punch-In FX:** Craft complex rhythms with 16 patterns and dynamic effects to keep your jams fresh.

## Overview

The Teenage Engineering PO-12 Rhythm is a compact, battery-powered drum machine and sequencer featuring a 16-step sequencer, 16 punch-in effects, and studio-quality stereo output. Designed for portability and creative flexibility, it syncs effortlessly with other Pocket Operators and Korg Volca devices, making it a must-have for millennial music makers craving professional sound on the move.

## Description

Buy teenage engineering pocket operator PO-12 rhythm, drum machine and sequencer with parameter locks and punch-in effects: Drum Machines - desertcart.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

Review: Love to jam - There are pros and cons to the Pocket Operators, but I think it's certainly more pro than con. So long as you know what you're getting, these things are FUN. With some help from an adult with YouTube tutorials, even children could be making some sweet beats in minutes. The Pocket Operators make great sounds and encourage you to make awesome freestyle jams. They may be the best thing on the market for playing with music. Pros: -Quick to use. Just install batteries and hit PLAY, funky beats come out of the built-in speaker. Hold down Pattern and hit 1-16 to try the 16 different loops. Hold FX and hit 1-16 to try different effects. -Love the design. Teenage Engineering is primarily a Japanese design company, and it shows. The Operators come in a paper box with a pull-tab down one side. The hanging loop on top gives it the look of some treasure you'd find tucked on a shelf in a hardware store. It looks like some 1980s pocket calculator. Funky oldschool design all the way. The little LCD display looks like an old electronic game, very neat. -Sound is incredible. Even if built-in speaker is clear and loud for what it is. The unit does distort at high volume, but if you want to output the sound leave the unit around 70% and use external gain. -Great range. You can change the BPM, volume, and parameters of all the included sounds. Add the FX, and there are tons of options. One filter can make everything sound 8-bit, another kicks up the bass to room-shaking levels. It's all there. -Syncs to a range of devices. The unit only inputs or outputs a click track, but this easily patches into the Korg Volca series and other units that have a customizable way to take an analog click track. You can also chain multiple POs, they'll all pass through the sound and click track to give you one output at the end. Love it for jam sessions. -The 16-step sequencer, with 16 sounds, and 16 effects, plus more. That's a lot to get in such an inexpensive synth. The closest competitor is probably Korg's Volga series, and one Volca may cost you as much as 2-3 POs while offering fairly similar experiences in terms of being able to put together immediately accessible jams. It's probably no coincidence that the PO can easily sync to the Korg Volca line. -Did I mention it has clock and alarm functions? In case you want this thing to wake you up with fresh beats, I guess. Cons: -The instructions in the packaging are useless. Look up a YouTube video immediately. -The screen doesn't actually give a lot of information. The main animation is mostly useless and barely relates to the sound in motion. Only a few of the icons really relate to your sound in progress. For instance, you can only tell if you're in RECORD mode because of one tiny little icon- that's easy to miss in play, which is a shame because the only real damage you can do to your loops is in RECORD mode so this should have a more obvious icon. -So many limitations that can frustrate people who know about music production, even if newcomers will never know they're missing a thing. Because there's no MIDI in/out, you can only get notes or melodies to play by twisting the parameter knobs. The sync track also won't share swing with other units, so you'll have to keep that in mind if you jam with multiple units chained. There are plenty more quirks to find in YouTube tutorials. Almost all these quirks are just things that someone with this as their only device will learn to play with, but if you're a real music producer you should check in-depth reviews before purchase. -For the price, they could probably put this in a plastic case. That's about my only complaint. The unit is so tiny, and it's a bare board, and it has such limitations- surely they could afford to either sell it a bit cheaper or put it in a case. The company does sell cases for about $30, but that jacks up the price of a Pocket Operator so high you might as well go for a Korg Volca. In the bare board form though, this is an okay deal. Plenty of people sell cheap 3d-printed cases online. Overall: In terms of only buying one unit to jam on, the Pocket Operators are about the most fun you can possibly have anywhere near this price point. High recommended as a gift for any music fan that loves to jam. Anyone who bothers looking up some tutorials will be making awesome songs in minutes. It's so neat to play with this thing. And it looks so cool, people will steal it out of your hands just to play with it. Which unit would I recommend out of all the POs? This Rhythm unit is really more of a drum machine, which some people need. It can make neat songs if you know a little about how to tweak the knobs, or it would be a fun backing for vocals or an instrument. If you need one unit for someone who already plays an instrument, or sings or raps, this is the one. The most complete unit to date is probably the 2x-series Arcade, which jams out 8-bit chiptunes (or, the kind of music you'd hear on old arcade machines). I'd recommend the Arcade for instance if someone wants to compose songs while riding the bus, assuming they like early videogame music. The next contender for a total unit apart from these two is the 3x-series KO, which lets you use samples- including things you record with the built-in microphone. Where to go from here? As said, this unit syncs both to other POs and to the Korg Volca series without much work, so it depends on how much money you have. Obvious connections in the PO line are the Sub, Tonic, KO, and Factory. The Korg Volca series makes an equivalent to pretty much all of those units- such as the Bass, Keys, and Sample. The click track syncs pretty well to almost any other synth that can output a click, so it should work in most environments. Not as recommended for people used to working with a PC(or DAW), as the lack of MIDI may hurt your work flow.
Review: Rhythm - Great, portable and powerful drum machine in a small size. The cheapest of the series. Great starting point. Fun to learn with and as complex as you would like it to be.

## Features

- pocket-sized sound – discover real synthesized drum sounds and sampled drum sounds all in one tiny pocket synthesizer.
- sequence and add effects – sequence your beats. the nano sized PO-12 also includes 16 punch-in effects to enhance and modify your sounds, get creative and tweak your compositions in any direction. use 16 pattern chains to put them together and build your track.
- studio quality sound – use the built-in speaker or the 3.5 mm line out to connect your headphones, like M-1, or plug into an external speaker like OB–4, to hear your tracks and in full stereo.
- a wall of sound in your pocket – pocket operators are small and ultra-portable music devices that can be used individually, together, or with other compatible gear. each edition is battery powered (2xAAA) with 1 month battery life and 2 year standby time. you'll also find a folding stand, clock and alarm clock function.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B00X6EYNQE |
| Batteries | 2 AAA batteries required. |
| Best Sellers Rank | #5,160 in Musical Instruments ( See Top 100 in Musical Instruments ) #5 in Drum Machines |
| Body Material | Bass Wood |
| Color Name | PO-12 |
| Color Screen | No |
| Connector Type | Auxiliary |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (768) |
| Date First Available | March 24, 2015 |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 07350073030538 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Weight | 1.76 ounces |
| Item model number | TE010AS012 |
| Manufacturer | TeenageEngineering |
| Material Type | Plastic |
| Number of Keyboard Keys | 23 |
| Product Dimensions | 7 x 3.5 x 0.2 inches |
| Speaker Count | 1 |
| UPC | 714573520413 142200968572 |

## Product Details

- **Brand:** Teenage Engineering
- **Color:** PO-12
- **Item dimensions L x W x H:** 7 x 3.5 x 0.2 inches
- **Material:** Plastic
- **Model Name:** PO 12

## Images

![pocket operator PO-12 rhythm, drum machine and sequencer with parameter locks and punch-in effects - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712sPFkIbkL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love to jam
*by P***L on February 12, 2018*

There are pros and cons to the Pocket Operators, but I think it's certainly more pro than con. So long as you know what you're getting, these things are FUN. With some help from an adult with YouTube tutorials, even children could be making some sweet beats in minutes. The Pocket Operators make great sounds and encourage you to make awesome freestyle jams. They may be the best thing on the market for playing with music. Pros: -Quick to use. Just install batteries and hit PLAY, funky beats come out of the built-in speaker. Hold down Pattern and hit 1-16 to try the 16 different loops. Hold FX and hit 1-16 to try different effects. -Love the design. Teenage Engineering is primarily a Japanese design company, and it shows. The Operators come in a paper box with a pull-tab down one side. The hanging loop on top gives it the look of some treasure you'd find tucked on a shelf in a hardware store. It looks like some 1980s pocket calculator. Funky oldschool design all the way. The little LCD display looks like an old electronic game, very neat. -Sound is incredible. Even if built-in speaker is clear and loud for what it is. The unit does distort at high volume, but if you want to output the sound leave the unit around 70% and use external gain. -Great range. You can change the BPM, volume, and parameters of all the included sounds. Add the FX, and there are tons of options. One filter can make everything sound 8-bit, another kicks up the bass to room-shaking levels. It's all there. -Syncs to a range of devices. The unit only inputs or outputs a click track, but this easily patches into the Korg Volca series and other units that have a customizable way to take an analog click track. You can also chain multiple POs, they'll all pass through the sound and click track to give you one output at the end. Love it for jam sessions. -The 16-step sequencer, with 16 sounds, and 16 effects, plus more. That's a lot to get in such an inexpensive synth. The closest competitor is probably Korg's Volga series, and one Volca may cost you as much as 2-3 POs while offering fairly similar experiences in terms of being able to put together immediately accessible jams. It's probably no coincidence that the PO can easily sync to the Korg Volca line. -Did I mention it has clock and alarm functions? In case you want this thing to wake you up with fresh beats, I guess. Cons: -The instructions in the packaging are useless. Look up a YouTube video immediately. -The screen doesn't actually give a lot of information. The main animation is mostly useless and barely relates to the sound in motion. Only a few of the icons really relate to your sound in progress. For instance, you can only tell if you're in RECORD mode because of one tiny little icon- that's easy to miss in play, which is a shame because the only real damage you can do to your loops is in RECORD mode so this should have a more obvious icon. -So many limitations that can frustrate people who know about music production, even if newcomers will never know they're missing a thing. Because there's no MIDI in/out, you can only get notes or melodies to play by twisting the parameter knobs. The sync track also won't share swing with other units, so you'll have to keep that in mind if you jam with multiple units chained. There are plenty more quirks to find in YouTube tutorials. Almost all these quirks are just things that someone with this as their only device will learn to play with, but if you're a real music producer you should check in-depth reviews before purchase. -For the price, they could probably put this in a plastic case. That's about my only complaint. The unit is so tiny, and it's a bare board, and it has such limitations- surely they could afford to either sell it a bit cheaper or put it in a case. The company does sell cases for about $30, but that jacks up the price of a Pocket Operator so high you might as well go for a Korg Volca. In the bare board form though, this is an okay deal. Plenty of people sell cheap 3d-printed cases online. Overall: In terms of only buying one unit to jam on, the Pocket Operators are about the most fun you can possibly have anywhere near this price point. High recommended as a gift for any music fan that loves to jam. Anyone who bothers looking up some tutorials will be making awesome songs in minutes. It's so neat to play with this thing. And it looks so cool, people will steal it out of your hands just to play with it. Which unit would I recommend out of all the POs? This Rhythm unit is really more of a drum machine, which some people need. It can make neat songs if you know a little about how to tweak the knobs, or it would be a fun backing for vocals or an instrument. If you need one unit for someone who already plays an instrument, or sings or raps, this is the one. The most complete unit to date is probably the 2x-series Arcade, which jams out 8-bit chiptunes (or, the kind of music you'd hear on old arcade machines). I'd recommend the Arcade for instance if someone wants to compose songs while riding the bus, assuming they like early videogame music. The next contender for a total unit apart from these two is the 3x-series KO, which lets you use samples- including things you record with the built-in microphone. Where to go from here? As said, this unit syncs both to other POs and to the Korg Volca series without much work, so it depends on how much money you have. Obvious connections in the PO line are the Sub, Tonic, KO, and Factory. The Korg Volca series makes an equivalent to pretty much all of those units- such as the Bass, Keys, and Sample. The click track syncs pretty well to almost any other synth that can output a click, so it should work in most environments. Not as recommended for people used to working with a PC(or DAW), as the lack of MIDI may hurt your work flow.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rhythm
*by D***N on February 10, 2026*

Great, portable and powerful drum machine in a small size. The cheapest of the series. Great starting point. Fun to learn with and as complex as you would like it to be.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very cool. I use this to practice with when I play guitar.
*by G***Y on February 10, 2026*

Very cool. I use this to practice with when I play guitar. TE pocket operators are great for practice and they open up new ideas. I often carry one around with headphones and play wiht it when I have free time.

## Frequently Bought Together

- teenage engineering pocket operator PO-12 rhythm, drum machine and sequencer with parameter locks and punch-in effects
- teenage engineering CA-X Silicon pro-case for Pocket Operators with Built-in Battery Protection and Anti-Slip feet (Black)
- teenage engineering CA-X silicon pro-case for pocket operators with built-in battery protection and anti-slip feet (red)

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*Product available on Desertcart Kenya*
*Store origin: KE*
*Last updated: 2026-02-20*