Polyend Tracker Tutorial: Get Tracking in 1 Hour

[@XtianApi]

This tutorial is insanely better than anything out there.

[@johansmolinski]

This is by far the best walkthrough of the Polyend Tracker I've came across. I strongly believe in learning by doing, but I would never get these many answers in an hour by just fiddling around myself. I've had a Tracker, used it for a while, then sold it. Now I have one again, which has been idling in its box for too long. I guess this video is just what I need to get going. Thanks!

[@mylarmelodies]

That’s brilliant, thanks for the feedback!! Hope you get going with it ASAP, it’s great

[@Rxke]

Hot Damn! That is the best way to demonstrate how fast somebody can get the hang of this thing and come up with crazy fun stuff!

[@stefanhansen5882]

This was the best demonstration of a piece of gear I've ever seen. Brilliant - and brilliant machine.

[@marco_movie]

I've watched many P. Tracker videos on YuTube, but yours is the first that makes me want one. Considering that you also made me purchase a DFAM as my first synth... well, you've got a lot on your conscience!

[@mylarmelodies]

Hah, sorreeeee!! (and thanks 🙌)

[@GrootsieTheDog]

After ordering a Tracker, I woke up in the early morning hours with a slight buyers remorse anxiety attack. But after watching this fantastic tutorial, I feel excited about the creative adventures I'm going to have with this monster. Thanks!

[@mylarmelodies]

Thanks. I think that once you get the hang of it, you'll not regret the choice at all. It's unique and something you can really get full tracks out of. That's what counts!

[@GrootsieTheDog]

​@@mylarmelodies Yes! Thats what really drew me to this - productivity. Wow -Its rather logical - much easier than I thought it would! I was slightly skeptical before I had a chance to actually work with it. This is truly a wonderous machine! And this video is fantastic as a learning tool for how to get around on it. :)

[@maccagrabme]

A year on was it a worthwhile investment?

[@JohnParkMakes]

Thanks so much for this! I love this format of you having a hands-on conversation about the foundational elements of the Tracker, it made so many things about it suddenly make sense.

[@mylarmelodies]

Thanks John 👍

[@MeerkatMuzic]

Love the device the workflow just clicked after watching this. Great armchair device as described.

[@zacholbrook8210]

This is a really great format to learn the functions of a new instrument. Thanks

[@Jegkedermigmega]

This is funnily enough the most thorough video of the Tracker I've seen. Nice pace of run-through btw. Good job :)

[@Polyend]

Nice work Łukasz and Alex, thank you guys!

[@bahutu802]

Dear Polyend team, that kind of video format (Łukasz looking over the shoulder of an other user exploring the device) was super informative and inspiring. I think it might be very interesting to see the same video format, but with someone from Polyend interacting with a more advanced Tracker user. I think it might be highly inspiring as one could explore some advanced sound design / arrangement techniques, instead of just 'scratching the surface' of what the Tracker is capable of.

[@DrLaemmerbein]

Really excellent! I liked how you kept asking questions and Łukasz was really loosening up because he realized that you are actually interested in knowing these things :D I work in IT, I often get asked questions and most people aren't exactly interested in the finer details.

[@cymbolic_space1832]

would love to see where you are with this lovely machine today.

[@dillipphunbar7924]

That was fun. Nearly bought one of these, but the delay in shipping made me decide on the MPC One....which is also a gr8 device. The combination of complex arrangement and realtime punch-in fx playability, coupled with the large screen, make this a very appealing instrument.

[@SanchezOKelly]

Hopefully we get one of these for the mini - I get that it is relatively the same. Just the buttons/shortcut updates would be nice.

[@TerekkiTerekki]

This is so nice to work along with - more of this format please...

[@bahutu802]

Wow, it's so valuable to have Łukasz from Polyend on here, as he can directly address some issues a newbie might have with the device, as well as explaining a bit more about the underlying philosophy and resulting design decisions. In case you're still working with the Tracker, I think it would be awesome doing a follow up video in the same format, where both of you could go a bit more into detail, like on a more advanced level.

[@Jin-Hu]

Just picked one up for £250, this will be my manual, thanks m8 👍🏼

[@mylarmelodies]

Bargain. have fun with it!!

[@rrtramel]

OK, I have been down on trackers for a while, figured I'd watch this on lunch break, but clearly I need to take notes so I know what I'm talking about.

[@mylarmelodies]

Hope it helps!

[@mk1st]

I too played around with trackers on my Amiga back in the 80s. When I saw the Tracker I got all nostalgic, and then ordered one not too much later. Still getting my head around it, but love the way it works.

[@MatsueMusic]

For those that are wondering about the “destructive” sample editing, this is directly from the manual: These effects are applied destructively and baked into the selected audio sample in project memory. The undo command can restore a prior state unless saved. The original file on the SD card remains intact and is unaffected.

[@brandonaikin5445]

I could say a lot more, but to save space I'll just say this is a great instrument and a thorough tutorial. Thank you.

[@mylarmelodies]

Thank you!! Agree, it’s ace we have have things like the Tracker innit

[@justinc9777]

This is exactly what i needed. More future tracker content?

[@mylarmelodies]

Hope so! I just need to do some music proper with it. Have plans

[@robertsyrett1992]

Looking forward to seeing how the PT fits into the Mylar Melodies Cinematic universe. :)

[@fairyfingers]

Thank you Guys, really useful moment 🎉🎶🎵

[@Zen_Mox]

Looking forward to your take on this, I use mine mainly to sequence to my analogue gear and as the master clock.

[@mylarmelodies]

I’m most interested in it as a way of sampling - but sequencing is a great shout too. Esp if you could get it to create modulation

[@hiding_my_name]

Does anyone have a link to the site that Łukasz said he posts his music on? I'm not sure I heard the name correctly since I can't find it when I google it.

[@charlescowper]

how does exporting work? Can you print and save or do you have to track individually in realtime? Thanks for a great video.

[@rorz999]

You can export either the whole song, stems, or both. It's not done in realtime, it's faster than that

[@mylarmelodies]

Worth mentioning you would need to do real-time to use punch in FX I believe (and the output effects like Bass Boost and Space)

[@music4screens]

Thanks for the tutorial!

[@johnrichardson3297]

Mylarmelodies. Did you have reservations on the Dirtwave M8 tracker? Preference ?

[@mylarmelodies]

Not when I also have this! Need to look more into it as I know it’s meant to be great

[@jsleeio]

your comment about using it with a little sound-design modular aligns so well with my experience in my teen years with PC-based trackers, initially ScreamTracker and then Impulse Tracker... a friend I was sharing a flat with had a Juno-6 (they were cheap back then!) and we made entire tracks with only samples recorded from the Juno and mangled in Cooledit. Maybe I'll end up back in that vibe but with the Polyend and the big modular one thing that wasn't mentioned here is whether it supports multi-samples - I'm guessing not, given the memory constraints?

[@mylarmelodies]

Exactly! I really like the idea of this as a way to take sample material and make instant use of it. As for multi samples, no I don’t think so. But of course you can make samples with basically endless amounts of layers since you can resample internally over and over.

[@weave_of_k]

Thank you for this 👌

[@nivenofficial]

Been very interested in these for a while, maybe just maybe I'll take the plunge...really feels like you've to pretty radically overhaul your whole workflow though, not sure if that's a great or terrible thing.

[@mylarmelodies]

Ahh I see this as something you have “in addition” - it’s a place to give all those noise boxes you’ve accumulated a purpose. Sample material!

[@rorz999]

It depends what your existing workflow is I think and how your brain works. It makes perfect sense to me, everything is so logical and well thought out. But then I had experience of using trackers such as Renoise previously

[@sub-jec-tiv]

I find that i write somewhat differently on tracker than i do sitting in front of a keyboard. The tool itself can influence how you think about structuring music. If this type of flow appeals to you, it’s a great tool to use. You could start a composition on tracker, then kick it to DAW and do final editing and arrangement, and use all the lovely mixing plugins. You end up with the best of both worlds.

[@atlantisrelaxingmusic294]

thanks for this amazing video.... really informative ... the only thing is peharps missing is the way to sync the PT with DAW like Ableton a-everybody says just change on config to USB but what about the rest .. of the line to DAW which cable what preferences in ABLETON ... because i can't get it works.. if you have a clue...

[@DavidDeLuge]

Excellent video. You might want to take a look at the Dirtywave M8.

[@mylarmelodies]

Yeah would defo like to someday, everyone says it’s amazing

[@jansenbrown3435]

came here looking for a complete tutorial. Found a really good one for people who are already up and running.. therefore the title is disappointing as I was expecting some explaination of things like where to insert the SD card, how to format it, how does registration work, how do i firmware update.. how do i put my own samples on the SD card to be loaded as instruments, can i import mod/mtm/ft2/s3m or IT files? Thanks,, an update with that would be fantastic. Thank you however for the rest of the tutorial i know these things take DAYS to put together, but i wanted to give you honest feedback so you can improve even more! thank you

[@mylarmelodies]

Yes indeed the video does not cover switching on/inserting cards, it’s how to actually make music on it. The manual is a good place to discover absolutely everything the device can offer and administrative basics as you’ve mentioned

[@rezganger]

its difficult to see what pattern you put into a regular sequencer? not on any of the few ive used. maybe i didnt understand. i definitely see how this can be useful,tho. thinking of something like this my self.

[@unsoundmethodology]

Well, I don't have deep experience with other (hardware) sequencers, but on my Minibrute 2S, it's not easy to see the values in a sequence apart from just which steps are gates. You have to select the track and turn each step's knob just one click to show what's set there. That's not an inherent property of sequencers - you could certainly build a sequencer with a big screen, or a little readout per step - but that gets expensive. (Of course all-analog ones like the ∅-Control have the knobs themselves be the indicator, but that has its own problems.)

[@junelopez9520]

This would drive me insane

[@d1g419]

Scary. I admire your trepidation 😎✌️

[@mylarmelodies]

Despite the spreadsheet look, once you spend an hour or two with it, it starts to make sense

[@mvd6432]

Hope 1.7 fixes radio crashing or is it a hardware thing? Anyway cool thing.

[@toslinked]

fixed in 1.8

[@Digiphex]

Ostinato - repeating the same random thing becomes "techno."

[@PDJMDS]

Have they sorted out they synchronisation issue. Can you have more than 4 lines per beat? If so they have my money

[@mylarmelodies]

Not sure what you mean, what was the issue?

[@PDJMDS]

@@mylarmelodies A friend of mine was a beta tester. When we tried to synch it the beats coming from the polyend were always fractionally out of time (I forget if early or late). Also you could not have more than 4 lines per beat. I compose in renoise using 8 or 16 LPB. I actually wrote to them and asked about this and got no reply. I'd buy one tomorrow if I knew both these issues had been addressed

[@rorz999]

@@PDJMDS the first issue has definitely been addressed. As for your second issue, can't you just double the BPM?

[@PDJMDS]

@@rorz999 yes but that's not a good fix. Quadruple for 16 lpb. I'll be running at 680bpm for a track at 170... visually it's completely different too...

[@PDJMDS]

@@rorz999 Just to labour the point, because it is a serious over sight in the development of an otherwise excellent idea. What if I want 6 LPB, or 12, or 7, or 5 etc etc. And even if I accept to quadruple the speed to get more resolution, how does the work with synching with other devices. I really think it is a great idea and potentially excellent, so weird to overlook having more than 4 lines per beat. . . And more to the point I want one, really badly, that will do that!! I'm quite sure there are a lot of people in the same boat as me... Like I say, I'll buy one tomorrow if that gets sorted...

[@_meury]

🤯

[@thelnly6348]

Didn't know Vsauce worked at Polyend

[@ImagineGTAVI]

I getmine today🎉

[@maccagrabme]

What are your thoughts 6 months on?

[@ImagineGTAVI]

​@@maccagrabmeI haven't been able to use it much. I wish I thought more about music because I know it is a lot of fun.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

It’s a shame about the mono samples. Baffling why great minds at Elektron and Polyend are releasing sample instruments that only play mono samples. In this day and age there’s no reason. I’m specific about spacialization of all my sounds (drums too), and i just can’t use any sample-based instrument that brings me all the way back to my mono Amiga days. Great, trackers are amazing, why no stereo samples with the tracker workflow? (Before some joker tells me to bounce out a ‘left’ and a ‘right’ sample and use two rows: No.) 😂

[@hiding_my_name]

You can bounce out a 'left' and a 'right' sample and use two tracks.

[@ZenMountain]

You need to bounce a left and a right sample and use 2 tracks.

[@RobotSnake]

Have you tried bouncing out a left and a right sample and use two rows?

[@cymbolic_space1832]

'left' sample use tracks can bounce a two 'right' and you and out.

[@RobotSnake]

@@cymbolic_space1832 I have no idea what that says

[@bobmortimerisweird]

I own one and it's too complicated for me.

[@warius1]

Dude is clearly tired of explaining the basics again LOL

[@endoflevelboss]

DAW pronounced door... If you say Dee Ay Double You, you are kind of defeating the purpose of the acronym and shortening your own life

[@hotchameanshotcha]

I wish you'd have prepared yourself better.... "i don't remember how I did this" at one point was quite shocking, but the guy from Poland did a very good job nonetheless.

[@DaveyMulholland]

Randomisation is boIIocks. I saw some guy slating the polyend tracker because it was struggling to put randomisation on EVERY SINGLE EVENT he entered... I'm like, why don't you try actually writing some music FFS!

[@outpostbabu676]

Somehow having Lucasz guide you through this instead of, for example, him showing directly on the device himself was super informative to me. This is great!