Polyend Tracker Mini: A Portable Powerhouse

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[@WxkR]

My justification for buying the original Polyend Tracker while owning the M8 is that I love the big screen, knob, and buttons grid. It makes so much sense for a tracker. That’s all gone. At this size, the M8 interface makes a lot more sense. It’s super fast once you learn the functions. Although the screen on this one seems bigger than the M8’s, I can already see those small buttons getting on the way all the time. It looks a bit like e one of those handsome and capable boxes that we’ll stop trying to use after a few weeks bc handling it is far from a joy.

[@Nintendj]

The M8's single pool of patterns and lack of naming anything was a real let down for me. All the instruments and channels need to use the same pool of 254 patterns and you cant give them any names. While it SHOULD be enough, it's only 32 patterns per channel, so if you have something that needs more than 32 patterns, you have to plan your patterns really carefully, which is impossible when you can't name anything!

[@XtianApi]

If you were trying to save some money do you think the original polyend tracker is worth it?

[@cray56]

at the moment PE Tracker is on sale US$359 @@XtianApi

[@JacobPadlock]

The clock instability of the original is one of the most brain-shreddingly annoying things I have ever encountered on any piece of gear I've ever used. The fact that it's an advertised feature on this thing just shows that they KNOW it's an issue that still persists even though they've repeatedly claimed in forum posts that it's fixed and they're not working on it anymore.

[@shatteredsquare]

they haven't even fixed a simple volume pop with adjacent velocity changes, I don't get it

[@JacobPadlock]

I should clarify I'm talking about the clock drift when you try to sync it with other MIDI gear sending it MIDI clock. The unstable clock during rendering is a WHOLE other beast lol.

[@fwsuperhero1]

Exactly. Using Polyend Tracker as a master clock with something like rc-505 is no GO. But I was stupid, instead of reading gearslutz, I watched enthusiastic videos on youtube, where of course nobody talked about it.

[@briannhinton]

Polyend mentioned midi clock fixes for the 1.7 firmware update . So they are working on it.

[@fwsuperhero1]

@@briannhinton Yes, you are right. I really hope they deliver this time.

[@distorson]

Great new product. But please Polyend bring as many of the improvements you made for the Tracker Mini also to the original Tracker. Otherwise, that one still feels like an unfinished product. There are still some unsolved problems with the original Tracker and if I experience that you are abandoning your products after a while, I will hesitate to buy a Polyend product again.

[@dbefore7165]

polyend have said there will be big updates coming for the og tracker

[@distorson]

@@dbefore7165 I surely hope so. At the moment it's just collecting dust next to my desk, but I really want it to be more than just a nice idea.

[@raysubject]

Stereo samples and audio over usb is absolute game changer for me .. great !

[@mortonrocket]

Loved the original tracker when I got it but pretty soon the jog wheel became faulty, and the clock drift when rendering tracks made it totally unusable in my workflow. That was a bitter pill to swallow when it came time to try and finish a bunch of tunes. Hopefully they've fixed the clock on this mini version but I won't be sinking 700 to find out. Renoise and a laptop ftw.

[@connorcarbon]

Oh dang, thought my faulty jog wheel was the only one. Yeah, it's a tremendous disappointment cus I remember originally thinking that the thing would be so ideal if it had a battery and could actually process stereo samples (especially binaural samples) and have enough storage to load up those binaural samples without sacrificing their qualitiy, but the price is way too high for what it is and for what it's competing with. I remember thinking the Polyend Tracker looked almost like a Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie and I wanted to eat it, and somehow, ironically, the Polyend Tracker Mini looks even closer to a Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie, but I don't find myself wanting to eat it.

[@trevor_mounts_music]

I was thinking about buying a Tracker but yeah....that's kind of a deal breaker for me. I could just go buy another cheap laptop and use the leftover money for weed and records 🤷🏻‍♂

[@lasherthirteen7456]

I got scolded on gearslutz for saying this exact same thing - you can't beat renoise and a lappy - and "this thing looks like a toy" - Well phuck you cuntz I was right

[@boptillyouflop]

Kinda funny that you say that being a big fan of melodies, chords and harmony got in the way of you adopting trackers... I've never felt that the tracker interface got in the way of that, you just always have to use multiple tracks, yes. The upside of the tracker interface is that you see the bassline and melody and harmonic instruments together on a single screen, it makes it easier to fit them and do tight voice leading... it's like arranging for wind bands!

[@toitoitoy]

Polyend make a standard big 2.0 version I'll buy with: *extended memory *stereo samples *audio over usb *mic would be nice too *bluetooth or wifi midi and sample transfer *small phone speakers built it

[@boorchboorch]

thanks for the video.. now i can peacefully preorder my M8

[@orovoid3290]

OS update for OG Tracker, please.

[@LowGainElectronics]

M8 forever

[@StephenMcLeod]

I love trackers. LSDJ is the main reason I got into electronic music, and I'm interested to check out the Polyend Tracker Mini (when the actual units materialise), though it does seem a bit weird that there was zero mention of the M8 in this video at all. That seems like an obvious oversight, especially given the chat about there being or not being a market for these devices. Your other videos appear very even handed and objective, which makes that omission even odder. If you were deeply involved in the development of this, and/or this is more of an ad/promotional video, that's totally understandable (and also very cool in many ways), but that could have been made way clearer. I am sure it's of zero concern to you or anybody else, but I'm a bit disappointed in the way this was presented (and some of the comments I've seen below/elsewhere). The tracker/chipmusic community has always been very supportive irrespective of potential 'competition', and this comes across quite differently. The tone is disappointing.

[@DomDomPop]

When you put it that way, I’d tend to agree with a lot of that. It’s weird that he specifically mentioned this being something they were working on years ago and just finished, when I’d find it very hard to believe that at least somebody at Polyend didn’t see the success of the M8 and say “we need to get our version out the door pronto”. At the very least, it must have made it a development priority, even if it was something they’ve been working on. As an early promo video of the first and only prototype outside of Polyend’s own hands, it’s a sure bet that it’s gonna go to someone who is both deeply involved and therefore rather partial to the product, but it does still feel a bit “corporate” when you consider that there’s zero mention of what it doesn’t do compared to the M8, or even what it potentially does better. It treats the M8’s existence as a non-factor, and we know there’s no way that could be the case.

[@trushreitsam5802]

Very good point my dude. And as far I can see, your video on this is the only one comparing the M8 and the Tracker Mini, which is very strange for me, since they seem to be in a very similar niche. (Well the Midlife Synthesist compared them a bit in his Tracker Mini vid, but that's kinda it) I'd really love an in depth comparison between both, since I love the M8, but no on-board microphone and no Jack Power for Small 3.5mm Condenser Microphones, means I won't be able to do some on-the-go sampling if I don't solder my own little Dynamic 3.5mm Microphone... (Seems to be the only way, since I could only find the Shure SM-11 Lavaliere Microphone, which normally ends in XLR) On the other hand, I'd really like to try the Tracker Mini, but since there are only sample based Wavetables (Which is actually really cool) and a Granular Synth, that seems a bit lacklustre since it always sounds choppy, when I love to use Granular Synthesis with much crossover and many grains to get lush pads borrowing on the original texture. Both are so close to perfect for me that it's frustrating. For now I have sided with the M8.

[@KordTaylor]

I love how you point out your bias and why you have them. It shows how good manufacturers work with artists like you to up their game and help artists get better tools. ❤

[@EdgyNumber1]

*The excitement of a type of product where, previously, the musician was quite skeptical..* Its great to see you really get on with these trackers. I remember OctaMED from my Amiga days and anyone outside of the scene never really understood them or the point of them. I was pleasantly surprised to see any company, let alone Polyend to take them seriously - and to another level! 👍

[@monsterlogostudios]

Very cool. I'm a big fan of the Dirtywave M8, but the larger screen and additional clickable accoutrements on the Polyend Mini are very appealing.

[@niklassilen4313]

Dirtywave M8 has way better controls, even if the actual number of buttons is less. The UI, the shortcuts and the touch-screen makes editing values a lot quicker in M8. I constantly see people struggle with Polyend Tracker. Heck, I don't think I've found a single video of it where the user looks super comfortable and makes things happen in an instant.. unlike M8 where there are tons of videos of people absolutely flying around the device. The only negative for the M8, for me personally, is that the screen is tiny and thus the fonts too, which is not a good thing for my tired old eyes.

[@TheK0lyan]

@@niklassilen4313 you could connect M8 to external screen (laptop, tablet, android phone)

[@niklassilen4313]

@@TheK0lyan Yes I know but that makes it slightly less portable. Would love to have a M8 Max, with a slightly larger screen. That would be epic!

[@croolis]

@@niklassilen4313 actually a headless M8 can be run on almost any screen with ease and performs just as well as the regular m8 ..

[@subiesojourner777]

@@niklassilen4313 Or a companion screen of same quality and size. (Tim, are you interested?)

[@livewarp]

Polyend release products that are not complete, the seq, tracker play and yet they still don’t have one satisfactory product. When you compare to the SP404, there is no comparison. Polyend are toys!

[@BCThunderthud]

I have both the Tracker and the M8, they both have their pros and cons but ultimately I prefer the tracker software in the M8 and I prefer the hardware of the Tracker. As someone who has used LSDJ a bit but FastTracker, etc. a lot more I'd often thought about what a hardware tracker should look like and I think they knocked the UI out of the park. I've seen a lot of video reviews that suggest that the ability to make music on the bus or in the park is very important to lots of folks, I've never been one of them, but this should be nice for them. For me, I like that they've made some upgrades but overall it's less appealing than the desktop version.

[@Deaphdot1]

100% this for me as well

[@alexey5602]

same

[@isellcrack3537]

Yeah writing whole tracks on these gadgets seems like a chore for me too. However I think they could be quite handy to put down any ideas you come up with. I mean I can`t count the times I`ve had some crazy a$$ beat in my head or compelling tune running in my head all day being excited to put it down and when I finally open my DAW ....it`s gone. Ofc there is a workaround this issue that is way more cost effective and less laborious i.e. using your phone to record yourself doing some lame af beatbox or trying to "sing" that melody heh :D Still using a device like this you can recreate said ideas more efficiently and expand and/or edit them a bit.

[@ToyKeeper]

@@isellcrack3537 The "beatboxing into a phone" solution works pretty well though. I find it's a great first step even when I have my whole studio in front of me, because I can record the stream of consciousness and capture ideas I would have never been able to save if I started trying to sequence notes right away. So now I try to hum my ideas into a phone first, often for a few days while the idea is bouncing around in my head, before I turn on any of my music gear. By the time I start entering notes, I've generally got a whole song structure planned out, with a bunch of fills and variations and A/B/C sections and melodies and harmonies and basslines and ... etc. This makes the production process a lot quicker and easier, and the end result turns out much more coherent.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

@@ToyKeeper 💯 Phone beatboxing is the secret weapon for not getting lost in setup/tech.

[@rishpanjeet7479]

I’ll keep my OG tracker and pick up a small one when it’s $4-500

[@shitmandood]

Man that’s still pretty high for more of the same. I’m not getting the mono vs stereo argument. You can push it all into your DAW and change it there. I guess for live play, you’re screwed.

[@rishpanjeet7479]

@@shitmandood I just like holding a machine with two hands VS working at a table or couch. The portable battery, larger storage, and audio over USB makes it worth $400 to me - but of course, I adore my Tracker.

[@youtubeii434]

Right, so they release a mkII before even fixing the v1... stem export is still buggy, the headroom is abysmal and midi still doesn't work right when paired with other instruments

[@freezerman5871]

Love this but one major gripe IMO is that having connectors at the bottom of the device is not practical for handheld device. At 700 euro this seems unexpectedly expensive too (i bought the very first pooyend tracker for less than 500 euro)

[@dfkman]

Sweet, a QY70 retrospective!

[@briannhinton]

One of my fav pieces of gear.

[@TheK0lyan]

I was a bit disappointed. While I have M8 I thought that PE going to improve their desktop tracker, but they decided to make a "competitor" to M8 with the old firmware and the same 8 tracks...

[@lessersooty]

Yeah im not gonna lie, seeing this product announced kinda got me annoyed. There are still stuff on the original tracker that make it unusable for my purposes like the constant audio clicking when using velocity modulation. Releasing a new product kinda makes me feel like I've been a beta tester for a product and it left a pretty sour taste on my mouth.

[@Luap-ls3ix]

Haven't been this excited about a new device in awhile. Never owned a tracker before and am ready to go down the rabbit hole.

[@acaposotta]

Honestly I think we (I preordered) will need a cover. Since is to scary to carry around a metal machine...

[@Wicked-RPG]

Polyend burnt me on the tracker. Never again. Buggy faulty crap

[@Terrible_Peril]

battery power, yay! battery is built in, ehhh.. I get wanting to have USB C on the list of specs but like... I didn't hear anything about how easy it is to replace the built-in lithium, which obviously makes me see this as something just waiting for the landfill until I find out otherwise. But it does look like a fun bit of kit, and right up my alley!

[@legitt6093]

Yeah. I'm with you on this one too. It seems as if the world has stopped caring for the longevity of the things we own...

[@ababyalbatross9016]

You can replace the battery on an M8

[@briannhinton]

Most of these are pretty standard, and they last a long long time. The newer notation circuits have a built in battery and people have already checked and can replace it.

[@eagleseeksthedeepestblue3198]

I feel like they nailed the form factor with the original tracker and I’m quite surprised the guys at Polyend and Benn Jordan thought that this smaller fiddly version was somehow an improvement. Even though I think the tracker is great in concept and fun to use, this announcement coupled with the bugs and hardware issues with the original make me want to trade in my tracker for something like a digitakt or just ditch any notion of hardware altogether and use something like renoise.

[@mcpu40]

BOOO

[@xizar0rg]

As a scorpio, you're really, *really* good at having been born between October 23rd and November 21st.

[@uyscuti5376]

Damn it's more expensive than the big boy lol

[@Baegus]

But the Dirtywave M8 has actual synths and is overall just so much better...

[@bwest6275]

Word 💯

[@foodstampz]

🤣🤣🤣 you wish.. the polyend mini tracker has a 4th plug in channel ..way more power and great i/o for on the fly inspiration. The m8 is left in the dust.

[@peadookie]

Tiny screen. Tiny ergos. Unobtanium.

[@Baegus]

@@foodstampz What is a "4th plug in channel"? Not sure I understand... Why would you need much I/O for "on the fly inspiration"? Isn't a self-contained pocket unit (that works well by itself) better for that?

[@bigman3274]

Wow Ben, I can't wait for you to review my Vim config. I've been waiting a while for this one!

[@alexanderlane]

wait did you make the same joke on RMR's latest vid or am I suffering deja vu haha

[@droussel7359]

What about compared to the elephant in the room (the M8 elephant). A comparison would have been welcomed and useful.

[@LowGainElectronics]

There have been handheld trackers for well over a decade

[@guywachtel5634]

Out of curiosity, like what?

[@lettersandnumbers993]

oh, so it is like how the OG Tracker should have been from the start, but with worse UI being without the encoder and the nifty buttons. well, probably cheaper to produce. btw I am usually not that snarky poster putting down anything new. but the OG Tracker was that frustrating "so close and yet so far" perfect sampler for me. that's why the frustration. wonky clock and CPU making it feel like I am programming tracks while skating on ice... while the encoder jumping randomly/skipping slightly and then working again made me ask if I am sane at all for months before they admitted the problem. and Benn is usually pretty thorough in digging into problems of instruments, but his love for Polyend and their cooperation creates a criticism-aversion-syndrome.

[@afk4lyf]

I'd been messing around with trackers since Impulse Tracker was a thing (sometime in the mid-late 90's), and so I was really psyched about the Polyend Tracker even with it's limitations. Stereo sample support is a big step considering we still have that 8 channel limit. I do still have my gripes about the odd portamento options, but it is what it is. I may not upgrade right away, but I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone makes with the Mini

[@badfeng]

Fuckyeah Impulse Tracker was so good. I even did some external MIDI sequencing with it. Jeffrey Lim is a rad dude.

[@ZZKJ396]

"SPITS COFFEE OUT!"... 700 BUCKS!

[@SantiagoGT15]

It ain’t even that bad… Elektron and Moog raised their prices about 100+ and nobody has stopped buying from them

[@chareslamb87]

@@profitsandloss preach! Just wait until they release a new tracker after people dropped $700 on a new silver edition

[@reasons4171]

Honestly im not buying it for this exact reason. Same goes for the ridiculous pricing teenage engineering is asking for with the op-1. You don’t need to spend this much money on a piece of gear to make great music. I’m surprised people buy these

[@harveytherobot]

But that’s what the original costs and it’s bigger, mono, has no battery, and is less powerful. Why is the price a shock?

[@zackcolbourne6921]

​@@harveytherobot If you paid $699 USD for your original Polyend Tracker, you got robbed.

[@knobs_matrix]

Definitely must have, nice video, thanks

[@stellar_cartographer]

Benn, any plans to make another science / outdoor adventure video soon? The nature field recording videos inspired me to get into capturing and it’s become a really fun part of my hobbies. I’ve been having an awesome time getting back out into nature and exploring the mountains

[@veryforest3937]

I was warned before buying the OG Tracker that Polyend would eventually abandon it, leaving it full of bugs, like they had done to all their previous products. Not surprisingly, Polyend abandoned the Tracker, and I have no doubt they'll do the same for the Mini while it's still in a less-than-complete state firmware-wise. It's annoying that I am sure many of the bugs that riddle the Tracker's firmware will be addressed in the Mini's firmware, though I am also suspect some will copy over since they're not starting from scratch.

[@dbefore7165]

you do know poylend have said they are releasing a big update for the OG tracker , right?

[@subiesojourner777]

@@dbefore7165 any idea on when? I didn't see anything on their website.

[@dictabeat]

I didn't always gel with all of Polyend's products, biggest reason for it being me. Having said that, Polyend as a company makes amazing products, has an incredibly friendly and polite customer service and I wish they would re-release some of their discontinued products as the've been ahead of the curve a few times already and in a market that just wasn't ready for them yet.

[@prinzbach]

Your last music trip with the Polyend play was amazing > Can't wait to hear the new one with the tracker mini.

[@JohnMark61355]

It is encouraging that, despite the fact you have racks of gear, you are still excited and want to make music with the Tracker.

[@WhiteWulfe]

Glad to see there's a portable version, and they've been able to cram a ton more into it. Here's hoping this also means the desktop version will see updated hardware as well ^_^

[@mastaboog749]

I snagged a polyend tracker this week on the cheap because people are selling there's for the mini! Not going to lie the mini looks 👌 💯 🔥 but I feel like I can make use of the full tracker and I'm excited for radio sampling. Also I want to try sequencing other gear with it.

[@akkonl]

Cant wait to see the new MPC Mini!!!!1!1!1!1!

[@iShredStreets]

Is that official?

[@briannhinton]

I’m sure it will continue to be too many things in one box.

[@mb2776]

3:39 it looks EXACTLY the same as the units they shipped, even with it's bendy case with gaps and the rubber buttons. huge letdown!

[@sodiumlights]

And folk are still getting units with a gap at the bottom of the screen. Dirt cheap manufacturing.

[@magicseadog8674]

Did they forget about ergonomics?

[@ThrillSeekerVR]

Been using the M8 quite a bit, but I still have some difficulty wrapping my head around trackers. I'm pretty used to the timeline style of music creation... but this kind of has me excited. Wondering if I'll maybe jive with this tracker a little more than the M8.

[@tormint5294]

didn't expect to see you here thrill

[@teckno_senpai]

man, those were some great demos! much respect. solid musician

[@chikoavena3407]

Psp and beaterator... It already has an amazing reverb and automation... Also synths! It is an op1 without the greed... (Maybe retro market greed?)

[@NicRowManSir]

So glad to see a m8 competitor! It’s only gonna lead to more attention and more innovation to these tiny music box thingies that I love so much. Will I get one of these, doubtful because I own and love the m8 but I hope this does well! I want to see a poly tracker mini 2 and or poly tracker micro?, In the future. So go and impulse buy this now! 😂

[@kabarxd8164]

I wouldn’t call this a competitor since they’re completely different types of trackers. The M8 is synthesis focused and the PTM is sample focused.

[@kabarxd8164]

@@Chibs ah no I meant that the M8 is more geared towards creating music using the synth engines while the PTM is more geared towards using the sampler. You can do the same on the PTM, but when it comes to sound design and making music as a fully standalone device (no samples needed), the M8 wins.

[@howlinberry1645]

Whoa!!! Ok I'm getting one.

[@wheatthicks]

This looks fun as hell. Polyend's site was struggling for me and prevented me from pre-ordering there, but I was able to place a preorder through Perfect Circuit. Hopefully they'll have inventory to ship around the time of product release. 🤞

[@jibbs1234]

Same 🤞

[@AmateurSynthusiast]

Can’t wait to stuff this in my JNCO jeans pocket

[@popwa6977]

😆😆😆😆

[@The12apostle]

Love people who point out paid review and biases,great review none the less much respect!

[@hazmatforhumanity7318]

Having the ability to play notes in rather than program them is a big selling point for me. Trackers were always such a foreign concept to me having useds DAWS and 4 track tape recorders my whole life

[@chintimin]

same

[@seedmole]

Interesting. The need for something like this got me into making puredata sequencers last year. Def makes sense that some newer sequencers were being designed/produced during that same timeframe.

[@Valencia-gh8fl]

This looks ok. We need a new BR-80 though

[@jansears4380]

Hi Ben! Thank you for this video! I have preordered the mini! It will be my first tracker. And I’ve never used a tracker or tracker software before. So I know there will be a learning curve for sure. Are you planning a full tutorial on this device? I’d love it if you did! Thank you for your time and great videos. Your honesty and humor make the information so fun!

[@sodiumlights]

ditto everything you wrote, although I'm hanging back until I've seen it in user's hands (I've yet to see any advances to pre-ordering anything). The form factor is one of the main draws for me, and to have this sat back to back with a kindle is my travel-pad heaven. Looking forward to seeing how well the op-z might work in conjunction with it.

[@theAristocrap]

Talented musician such as Benn will make the most clunky instrument or hardware look like it is godsend. This workflow isn't for me but I guess some people still use Ataris and Amigas to make music.

[@ChrisLeeW00]

After seeing this, I think I prefer the M8 🤷‍♂️

[@Rompler_Rocco]

I'm 4 weeks into my Tracker and fully in love. Polyend won me over big time by helping me with support even though I bought mine used- Good Lord, now I REALLY want zapiekanka!!! 🤤

[@jonstapleton3668]

I'm a little discouraged to hear you say that hardware trackers were largely unavailable before the Polyend Tracker besides "some Gameboy hacks"! The chipmusic community would like a word. In all seriousness, I'm curious about your thoughts re: this kind of thing vs the M8 and it's many headless/portable/reduced price options. They seem very different, but the M8 is engaged with very influential tracker workflows from the chipmusic scene and Polyend doesn't seem to be engaged with much outside of their design choices. Would be an interesting comparison!

[@guywachtel5634]

What trackers we're around before? (genuine question) I'm having a hard time finding old portable trackers anywhere online, might just be looking in the wrong places.

[@madguy228]

this is really cool but i already have a polyend tracker and i love it but i cant justify that price for a portable version of what i already own. it is very tempting tho

[@NSW-ye3xw]

700! When you have the Akai MPC, NI Maschine, Elektrons in that price bracket, can somebody justify the price for this?

[@dbefore7165]

easy, they aren't trackers or that portable

[@NSW-ye3xw]

@D before they do a lot more for the money though, especially the MPC.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

The original sold ‘like hotcakes’ for the first few months… then, there were so many of them used you could get one for cheap because people just wanted to sell them. They may have already played their ‘cool new thing’ card. Plus there are other quite amazing tools in this space now including the SamplTrek, which has a better interface. So i’d be surprised if this one sells as well as the original did. But who knows, maybe this version with worse physical controls (but hey finally stereo playback!) will be hugely successful. Polyend is pretty rude to average customers with legit support concerns so honestly i can’t say i’d ever buy another one of their products.

[@briannhinton]

That screen is what made the SmplTrek a nonstarter for me. Harsh color and tiny. Nope. That’s one reason the Mini is an instant buy. Big beautiful screen .

[@overwatchsmurfchannel4294]

I've only had really good experiences with Polyend customer service, and calling the SamplTrek as something with a better interface has got to be a joke, hard disagree

[@jibbs1234]

Thanks for the glimpse. Preorder instantly based on your vid. Looking forward to seeing more demos!!

[@dopedrums]

They've added much needed features I lacked on the original tracker (except for more channels) but they also removed what I liked about the original tracker, the button grid and the huge satisfying jog wheel :( I hope they'll release a 2nd version of the Polyend tracker.

[@randallhunt9170]

Geez... I haven't used a tracker since I had my Gravis Ultrasound card. That was.... 30 years ago. Man. I'm old!

[@truecuckoo]

Nice 👌🏼

[@kabarxd8164]

Benn you gotta review the M8 next lol

[@HilbertSpacersson]

Thank you for this video, found it directly after receiving their newsletter! Thanks benn!

[@NeverToBeSeenAgain]

this is EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING AND LOOKING FOR I got into writing music via LSDJ for the gameboy, I've tried a bunch of different things and grooveboxes and the only other one that really clicked was Korg M-01 for the Nintendo DS. The dirtywave didn't do it for me, for some reason. I loved my Polyend Tracker but hated how annoying it was to schlep around given its weird dimensions and it needing external power. I always end up going back to LSDJ because its the only truly portable groovebox I like. This thing is gonna be a game changer for me

[@helio1055]

i miss my LSDJ cartridge…

[@lebronsinclair8012]

I just came here to put this in the ethos. Tracker XL in the future!

[@issmodissmo1485]

That's the reason why we haven't had any updates for the original. Lol

[@lebronsinclair8012]

This looks interesting but definitely not pre-ordering. I need more users reviews.

[@devioustrip5728]

Wish it still had radio sampling & better control for finetuning samples i think the wheel was perfect for that

[@banyarling]

2:09 "Eurorack sequencer" he means the NerdSEQ which also has a portable version

[@wendelynmusic]

the polyend tracker was one of the first pieces of kit I ever bought. I thought it was interesting but it wasn't the direction I wanted to go so I sold it. now a few year later, I am starting to regret it because I am now to a point where what the tracker does would fit in where I am going with my music. And just in time along comes the mini! wow. I just may have to get this thing.

[@heckseven]

glad they finally made a device for you to travel with! def update your dusty M8 and take it for a spin. it's pretty rad these days

[@renaticoleman324]

The new 3.0 firmware for M8 is a fantastic upgrade!

[@KenithCopeland]

i've been wanting something i can actually fit in my bag while traveling that i DONT need a computer for. definitely getting one of these bad boys

[@lbac1]

Good seeing you I was your driver at the coventient center in Anaheim ill check your videos thank you

[@raulgorgulio9834]

I love portable gear, but the Tracker Mini is not for me I guess. It's cool to have a high-quality mic and the same software as the original Tracker in a small form-factor, but the workflow can't be the same without pads and jog wheel (I watched three videos about the Tracker Mini and I still don't understand how the controls are working). I also don't like the lack of FM-radio. I guess it's not a big deal for out-of-studio experience, you can find a lot of unique sound sources in the field, but still the FM-radio was a big selling point for me, and it would be nice to have it here too (I mean, people who don't need it just can ignore it). But still, software is great, built-in mic provides a lot of possibilities, so, I guess, the Tracker Mini has all the chances to be a popular piece of gear. I just hope that Polyend wouldn't abandon the original Tracker.

[@omnifvck2596]

They got rid of the radio!?

[@bigman3274]

I saw the leak and price early and was confused, but since it's basically the OG Polyend Tracker in a smaller form factor that's not nearly as surprising.

[@indek]

Looks great. Bluetooth MIDI would have really sealed the deal.

[@GOSHacid]

Nah, I’ll keep my M8

[@imehesz]

Did they fix the annoying "100 project" limit issue?

[@scientologypolice422]

it looks great and all but from what i understand this thing has a non-user replaceable battery? that artificially limits its lifespan to around 5 years before the cell is severely degraded if not dangerous. why would they do this? they need to make the battery an off the shelf part that can be replaced without taking the device apart before i will buy it. it's not like a phone where security updates would render the device useless after 5 years anyway, this thing could last a lifetime - but not with a non-replaceable battery.

[@dbefore7165]

its a standard battery and easy to replace

[@scientologypolice422]

@@dbefore7165 unless there's a battery hatch with removable battery it's not that easy and most people won't bother or won't know how.

[@sinewaymusic]

First Polyend, and first tracker that has me intrigued. Looking forward to seeing real-world reviews and tutorials to determine whether the workflow is fun. Benn, you mentioned chords, but you didn't really show how those are played easily on this thing. On eg a Digitakt, you can at least use the trigs as a keyboard in a pinch - is there some equivalent mode on this Mini where the eight buttons below the screen become a one-octave scaled keyboard? Or are you supposed to program notes in across three tracks and hope you hit the right notes?

[@Krmpfpks]

Insta buy. I planned on getting a polyend tracker with a power bank, but the missing stereo sample killed it for me. This is great.

[@indigosnow_]

Dope! Love my tracker just wish I had more time to use it 😅 This seems like a great way to take it on the go. Almost bought the M8

[@fabiofzero]

Buy the M8, trust me on this. I have the OG Tracker and the M8 and I'm defintely selling the Tracker. The M8 is in a completely different class and it's ridiculously better.

[@ickebins6948]

@@fabiofzero Or we might wait till the Mini comes out and we get some reviews of the finished product and can actually make a comparison...

[@milk_bath]

@@fabiofzero What do you like more about the M8?

[@SnazzyGoodTimes]

I'm gonna cry, this is amazing

[@VIRALBEATS360]

I cannot believe I missed the premiere...oh well. Nice work! This is definitely something to take a look at. Thanks for the demo and DnB. I have been enjoying (not) watching you (not) use it, on the road.

[@JohnPaulsonJohnisaStegosaurus]

how is this superior to the M8, which does the same thing, is done by a much smaller company, but has already had tons of updates and sells for less? if this is what you want, polyend is directly trying to undercut their market.

[@laptoples]

Thanks for showing all that !!!! That's a pretty rad device ! Especially to take on the road ! I'm seriously thinking about getting it !!!!! 🤟😁👍

[@Emily_M81]

The OP-1 fighter we deserve

[@beeohdee]

The only thing really bothering me is note entering. Without pads or the dial it seems to be a bit laborious.

[@compucorder64]

Your main video setup really works for you there. That lens and background really gel nicely with the colours and modular / lights backdrop. Well done! I hope you don't mind me asking what the camera/lens/light setup is? It's caught my attention and I'm taking notes :)

[@MentalFrizbee]

Benn and brows say STEREO? I'm in!!

[@matiaslanzi6132]

Love it. But.... they definitely need to add 1 encoder to it somehow, for volume, for filter sweeps, for a more human feel. Ad do put the I/O in the back please the front is annoying!