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TIL: Exploring OpenAI's deep research API model o4-mini-deep-research. I landed a PR by Manuel Solorzano adding pricing information to llm-prices.com for OpenAI's o4-mini-deep-research and o3-deep-research models, which they released in June and document here.

I realized I'd never tried these before, so I put o4-mini-deep-research through its paces researching locations of surviving orchestrions for me (I really like orchestrions).

The API cost me $1.10 and triggered a small flurry of extra vibe-coded tools, including this new tool for visualizing Responses API traces from deep research models and this mocked up page listing the 19 orchestrions it found (only one of which I have fact-checked myself).

A web page showing information about historic orchestrions. The header reads "Historic Orchestrions Around the World" with subtitle "A collection of rare and remarkable mechanical orchestras" and three pills showing "19 Orchestrions", "7 Locations", and "7 Countries". Below is a white card titled "The Musical Museum (Brentford)" with a location pin icon showing "London (Brentford), UK" and a blue "View on Google Maps →" button. The card contains three sections: DESCRIPTION: "Imhof & Mukle pipe-organ orchestrion (1899) with multiple registers and percussion (drums, tambourine, triangle) (www.soundsurvey.org.uk)." HISTORY: "Built in London c.1899 by Imhof & Mukle; remained in their Oxford Street showroom until company collapse in the 1970s, when it was acquired by the Brentford Musical Museum (www.soundsurvey.org.uk)." NOTES: "The museum advertises that the soprano Adelina Patti used a similar Imhof orchestrion at her home in Wales (www.soundsurvey.org.uk)."

Posted 18th October 2025 at 7:21 pm

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