Polyend Tracker+ Review: Powerful but Niche

Polyend’s Tracker+ is a big replace to its highly effective (if considerably anachronistic) sample-based groovebox, the Tracker. What made the Tracker so distinctive, and in addition confounding, was that it was a tracker (small t), however in {hardware} type. Trackers had been an early type of music-making software program that emerged within the late ’80s. They had been initially used primarily for online game music however finally discovered favor with a sure pressure of digital musicians, most famously Aphex Twin.

They’re very a lot a product of their time although, designed to work across the limitations of late twentieth century private computer systems just like the Amiga. The brand new $799 Tracker+ has advanced to reap the benefits of trendy expertise, however its interface stays true to its forebears. One of the simplest ways to explain a tracker is that it’s like composing in Excel. They’re vertically scrolling, spreadsheet-like collections of letters and numbers that may simply scare off a newcomer. However persistence will reveal a surprising quantity of flexibility.

The Fundamentals

Let’s get all of the specs stuff out of the way in which first. The Polyend Tracker+ is a 16-track groovebox. Eight of these tracks can help stereo samples, with numerous strategies of playback, and the opposite eight tracks can both management exterior gadgets through MIDI or one of many 5 built-in digital synths. Samples might be easy one-shots or loops; you’ll be able to slice up loops, and even load them into granular and wavetable engines for sample-based synthesis.

All the tracks are monophonic. So enjoying a chord will eat up a number of tracks except you’re utilizing a pattern of a chord. However tracks aren’t devoted to any particular instrument so, you’ll be able to mix kicks and snares on observe one and possibly squeeze your bass in between hi-hats on observe two.

The tracks themselves might be as much as 128 steps, and every step incorporates instrument and notice information, together with two slots for FX. The “FX” on this case aren’t refrain or reverb however issues like probability, micro timing, and rolls. These two results slots are the important thing to creating your music not sound prefer it was written in a spreadsheet.

Along with the elevated pattern reminiscence, digital synths, and stereo sampling, the opposite massive improve from the unique Tracker is help for audio over USB. This implies you’ll be able to join the Tracker+ to your pc and get 14 stereo audio tracks out straight into your digital audio workstation (DAW). This makes it straightforward to place the ultimate touches on an association you’ve created on the Tracker+.

In Use

Polyend almost nailed the {hardware} with the unique Tracker, in case you ask me. The Tracker+ introduces some minor tweaks, nevertheless it’s largely the identical. It’s lighter and simpler to toss in a bag however feels stable sufficient. The buttons are barely clicky however have a brand new soft-touch end. The massive encoder has a bit extra resistance, and the display screen is brighter.

The grid of 48 pads is identical and stays, at greatest, usable. If you happen to plan to make use of the built-in synths, I like to recommend connecting a MIDI keyboard. The pads are tiny, not velocity-sensitive, and don’t really feel significantly pure to play. The standard of the {hardware} right here is vital because the interface can really feel a bit like doing workplace work. However the really feel of the keys and the resistance of the clicking wheel are all extremely satisfying.

Polyend put plenty of thought into the interface to maintain issues from getting too tedious. There are shortcuts for rapidly filling in complete tracks with information. As an example, you’ll be able to rapidly lay down a four-on-the-floor kick sample with just some button presses, generate a melody quantized to a selected scale, or randomly tweak the rate on a hi-hat to provide it a extra pure really feel.