The Polyend Tracker Is Weird And I Love It 👾 | Review & Demo

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Howdy doody, frienderoonies! Today we're here to explore the weirdly wonderous Polyend Tracker - a unique hardware tracker device that can be used as a standalone DAWless jamming station, a hardware sequencer, a generative music tool, or even a portable sound sculpting and sampling tool.

The Polyend Tracker is definitely a bit of an oddball in the world of gear and sequencers, but I've grown to really love the workflow and it's been a very inspiring addition to my setup. The Tracker is just as at home as a standalone jambox as it is a sampler or sequencer, which makes it a pretty flexible addition to any studio setup.

▼▼▼TIMESTAMPZ:▼▼▼
0:00 Howdy
3:09 WTF Is A Tracker?
7:37 As A DAWless Tool
8:24 As A Sound Design Tool
15:08 Portable Jamming
16:09 MIDI Functionality & Jam
20:57 Pros & Cons
26:07 Closing Thoughts

Stay classy!

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[VenusTheory]

Sorry about the re-upload 😅 YouTube finally decided to make this version HD after 4 tries!
▼▼▼🎹 Get a Polyend Tracker 🎹▼▼▼

[GabeMillerMusic]

Glad you're digging it! I've had a harder time really getting into the flow with the Tracker myself, but the features built into this thing are surprisingly powerful.

[hblomqvist]

Brings back memories from the late 80's on the Commedore Amiga 500 with

[michaels]

I got one, and I am in love..It's NOT what you think if you have MPCs and DAWs, and you can take it anywhere.You can take it on a bus/train, sit in the park, and use a powerbank..amazing...

[graoogroo]

For people with little time for composition; there is an in-unit mod option. You just have to compose with octomed, renoise or others via your computer / convert it / upload in tracker and let's go. I think tracker with tempera (granular) can be a great combination.

[JamesRamboPearce]

I love the tracker it literally has been my go to for making tunes and music when I don't have time to get stuck in! I also take it on walks and jam in the countryside which is super refreshing, sometimes even bringing a microphone to record stuff. Really great review and you made so e lush stuff straight away, would dig a Blofeld and tracker performance full video!

[strangersun]

Agreed. Polyend is criminally underated. Their hardware is top notch, the features are interesting, the support is great. They are the real deal. I resisted getting the Tracker at first, but man I'm I glad I took the plunge. Got me excited about recording again.

[jeremyfox]

Always superb content, thank you. Also, it's cool that you mentioned Ricky Tinez - I had no idea that you knew one another but strangely I always list Venus Theory and Ricky Tinez as two of the best youtube music production channels, you both have different styles but both share the same superb energy and top quality content which is often way ahead of the game when compared to other youtubers in the same category. and always with the super pro tech details and pro opinoons that we all love. Thank you

[JosuaKarlson]

The performance features of the tracker are really dope! I come from Elektron devices and it definitely reminds me of the Octatrack how you can completely go nuts with fx performance!

[kenflagg]

Wait, I don't have to remember the HEX codes for each instrument and effect?

[orbitfold]

Since I used trackers alot in my teens it felt like home. There's a reason this idiom was so popular.

[garethc]

Only had mine a couple of weeks and I've only had limited time on it although I'm getting my head around it quicker than i thought. I used Octamed as a kid in the late 80s on my Amiga so the workflow isn't totally alien to me. The best thing out it is ironically it's limits. When i used a DAW with limitless, channels, fx, plugins etc, etc I'd get lost tweaking superfluous stuff for hours. With the Tracker you know when the limit has been reached and you don't end up going down a rabbit hole needlessly tweaking stuff like you would on a DAW.

[gt]

Sunvox is also a good modern software tracker 👍

[scottmcdiarmid]

Learning the Elektron workflow made the transition to the Tracker much easier, also the Polyend YT tutorials are clear and quick per function. I can create some really whacky/bizarre sequences, very keen to hook it up to other midi synths to see what comes out and resample live into my 1010 Blackbox and OT Mk2

[artsolomon]

I dont know how one would want to stretch the word sounddesign, but for me its the righ tool for it and recently i decided to buy the mini to, its even better and to have them both is a creative inspiration for me, that will last a long time.

[hiding_my_name]

It took me a while to unlock the power of the tracker, but once I figured everything out, I really love it. To get the most out of the wave table synth, you have to assign an envelope or a LFO to the wavetable position.

[insektgod]

I love the Polyend Tracker... got it just before firmware 1.4 dropped... I was holding off since I was also considering the the Dirty Waves M-8 tracker... the larger screen and Performance Mode won me over to the Polyend Tracker. Still throwing side glances at the M-8 as it has the Mutable Braids engine... and has a 3 FX slots and is much more portable/pocketable... the support for tracker tables is also a big addition. I was using NitroTracker 0.4 on the Nintendo DS-Lite a whole bunch on the go... and decided I wanted a tracker with actual MIDI connections. Performance Mode is the Polyend Tracker's killer feature that ultimately pushed me over the edge. I'm in the 7.6% of your demographic chart... so I remember the 80's. NES ROM support might also have given the Polyend a slight edge... but in that regard the DS-Lite will play Kirby's Adventure while the Polyend Tracker said "Defender 2 and Joust are good enough for you, now go make some music."

[iamsimonmorris]

For a non Music noob who just bit the I am still so excited and happily surprised at how my 'F#-"*- Ups' can still come together. Mistakes can be magic and the standalone Tracker is a wonderful product for doing just that. Explore and be amazed...

[doctorauxiliary]

I cannot believe it has taken me a year to watch this vid!! really great coverage of one of my most beloved magickal gadgets. bravo, polyend!! bravo, cameron!! yaaaay!!

[bahutu]

For me personally, the kind of microscopic control the Tracker workflow is offering is exactly what I was kind of craving for on other devices (like the MPC). I mean, I also enjoy jamming intuitively with analog instruments in a band, or digital ones in the studio, and give myself away to just let music evolve. Yet, when it comes to actually arranging a song idea, I really enjoy to go into all those nitty gritty details. Maybe it satisfies a slight OCD tendency inside myself 📎
+ there seems to be something inherent in the workflow + randomization features etc. which facilitates reproducible happy accidents; which one can then decide to eliminate OR to evolve further. I really like that.