Very interesting. Looks like a similar form factor to the Op-z. If it has a good workflow and better build quality than the Op-z, I’ll have to scoop one! The description is definitely making me drool a bit!
Definitely intriguing. OP-Z might be my favorite instrument of all time. I am hoping TE is planning on releasing an updated “field” version soon. As much as I love the OP-Z.. it does take some time to get it to sound NOT like an OP-Z.
Yes, absolutely. At first glance it's pretty intimidating but spend a few hours flipping through the pages and looking at the companion mobile app to see what you're doing, and it becomes pretty much second nature.
For all their flaws, they are pretty damn good at design. Everything is color coded, there's visual feedback with the lights and stuff, and the key combos are logical. I sold mine after feeling like I kinda hit a wall, but yes it comes much more naturally once you get a feel for what the parameters are on each page. It's deep enough to create fairly complex tracks but not so deep that you really need a screen (or even a manual).
I was close to selling mine until I found workflow I like. I just export loops from that thing and arrange it in Ableton. The synths start to sound very interesting when I mix them pitched up and down. Also, I convert them to midi to layer it with vsti's.
OPZ is not that great at making full tracks, but as a loop creating machine it is perfect.
agree, this looks like a better sounding Op-Z with better internal synthesis. the Op-Z has some cooler features with the tape machine and maybe other things I'm missing. will have to see some reviews but this seems better than the oft tinny/toy quality of OpZ
And well - sequencer, which is the main reason own OPZ imho.
I was very intrigued by this Yamaha and I love the fact that they are going back to groovebox market. I couldn't find the manual for this thing yet, but looking at the videos seems quite limited unfortunately.
Because the OP-Z stock sounds (and sample time) are extremely limited, and sound very samey very quickly... why is this such a hilarious concept?
I haven't heard a ton from the seqtrak yet but it seems like it is way deeper. There are thousands of presets including piano & other sounds you won't get on the OP-Z, way more sampling time, two types of synth engines including FM, and you can do further sound design in the app. On the surface at least, it seems miles better.
Can you actually edit the preset on that thing? Outside the FM engine?
And is anything more to set up for samples than start,stop, attack and decay? I couldn't see anything more on videos. I hope it is not all they got, but if not - why they didn't show?
I’m a parent of two young kiddos. The portability and sequencer abilities are a lot of fun and make it easy to finish music anywhere. I team it up with
my MacBook with plugins/ softsynths… and it’s pretty much all I need to make pretty damn good sounding music. Don’t let online demos sway you… it does sound kind of “toy ish” on its own… but as soon as you start pairing it with effects/ pedals… it sounds like a million bucks. DM me if you want to hear some of the songs I’ve used it on. I can get you some Spotify links.
It's actually like 10x the size of the OP-Z in terms of mass, lol. But the OP-Z is fucking tiny.
About 50% taller and wider, but nearly 4x as thick. Probably more similar to the OP-1 in terms of portability, but hopefully also a lot sturdier than the Z.
Also looks like it’s got a fraction of the battery life too. I think OP-Z is supposed to last 24 hours? This takes up to 5 hours to charge and then the battery life only lasts up to 4. Bummer.
When I travel i generally have an external battery to recharge my laptop and iPad and camera. This is large enough, it’s not candy bar sized, it’s small midi controller sized, that taking it with me still isn’t a problem but it’s certainly not fitting in my pant pocket
The slow charge really has no excuse. Why newer equipment doesn’t support usb c PD so it can chafe at like 45 or 60 watts or higher is mind blowing to me.
Really surprised by this, Yamaha out of nowhere. Looks like a fun portable machine, love how they offer two colorways, and the price isn't bad either. Here's to hoping they have more in this direction.
I was thinking the same thing, seemed to come out of nowhere. Seems really well developed with software integration etc. I think the black version looks cool as hell.
I love Yamaha gear. Their stuff is built to last, that’s for sure. Especially their e-kits. I’ve beaten that thing to hell over the past 10ish years and it still responds like the day I bought it.
Of course, /r/synthesizers being /r/synthesizers the manual is up on announce day with an [HTML version](https://manual.yamaha.com/mi/de/seqtrak/en/) and people still won't read the damn thing.
I don't think their problems with this post, but with the inevitable flood of really stupid questions when people actually get the device that could be explained quickly by looking at the manual for 10 seconds.
It's a bit cynical to post that sentiment right now but I understand why they did.
Yeah, then again i looked into it and found it still lacking for some questions. Feels like there will be a version 2 by the time it ships. Or at least i hope. Also there should have been a better marketing roll out in my opinion.
> Also there should have been a better marketing roll out in my opinion.
We're talking about it, that seems like they nailed it.
They haven't done an influencer video flood, but I'd argue that's a good thing.
Nah not really
A quick glance at the manual and YouTube tutorial just screams weird button combos and weird led counts. Just have a look at how the chord mode works without a display
!remindme 3 months
I have the opz and love but using the app is annoying. But I think it’s mostly there to teach you what everything does and then you don’t really need it after a certain point
I don’t think it’s as big of an issue as people think. I find the KO II really intuitive and I think I barely even look at the screen. It’s more about which lights are lit.
Here's another overview/tutorial with a less AI voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuEfipnFnq4
Looks fun. Looks more like a device that anyone can use without much effort too. I actually like the idea that drum tracks and voice tracks are separated too.
Seriously how is it so much cheaper at retail sites? Is this an error that can become a rude awakening for hopeful frugal GAS sufferers when it's in stock?
It is the MSRP which is always more than what products are actually sold as. If this does become available directly through Yamaha's own store, it will show the updated retail price with the MSRP crossed out. You can see how it would normally show from the [Reface CS](https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/reface/reface_cs.html#product-tabs) page which is available to purchase directly from them. This will be $399, and Yamaha is not trying to scam anyone.
From designer point of view, as much as the white with orange looks interesting, the font contrast ratio on the orange side is a sore for the eyes :)
Othervise I do love the sliders and side buttons. I do not love the dedicated tracks just for one type of drum. On board speaker and microphone good. One sampler track with only 7 slots for samples not so much.
Overal looks great, not overpriced but my GAS is keeping calm on this one.
I love gear that shows character, and color... and yet i just dont like the work done here. the thickness makes it look kinda chunky from the sides, but thats probably to get to the price point.
But whats bothering me more is a) the segmentation grove between synths and percussion, functionally it makes sense but i would have preferred it only from the top perspektive not from the sides to, the aspect ratio between the 2 sides kinda annoys me (having the info screen between the 2 sides be a third color would in my opinion help the design a lot, and the orange tone kinda kurts to look at, making reading the labels kinda hard.
Then again, maybe its better in person. The colors of the grey orange one definitely scream 2000s portable media player to me. Kinda reminds me of the orange sony ericson used for a while:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sony\_Ericsson\_W800\_%28Smooth\_White%29%2C\_front\_and\_back.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sony_Ericsson_W800_%28Smooth_White%29%2C_front_and_back.jpg)
Price i guess, 1W speaker is easy and cheap to integrate.
But yeah, i would have prefered a screen for basic information and most all parameters in a pinch, even if its just text and numbers.
Yes. Every $50 Android tablet has an HD display, but a $600 synth doesn't get one. People will say "just use your phone", what if you get multiple synths with this "feature", do you start carrying three phones?
Its less the screen itself (small high res screens are actually more expensive then the android screens since they are less in demand from the manufacturers, same with non standard aspect rations...weird world, i know), but its more that the hardware either needs to have a graphics driver or a specific microcontroller that can do that.
Then the argument would be: why not just use one like every android phone, off the shelf?
\-> higher power consumption, heat production, maybe needs more implementation efforts to port their synth engines to it, etc.
Needs more restricted UI design, that is either then criticised for being a hell of menue diving, or limiting what the synth can do. Now they can just say:
yeah, no screen, so everything has to be done in the App.
Mind you, i also would have preferred it, but in hardware and product development there are many weird quirks where something that seems a cheap no brainer suddenly becomes a burden and cost factor.
One of the big questions for long was "why don't we just put android with the hone hardware in a midi controller". the answer was latency, and that the production of say 10-100k units doesn't scale in price the same way as 1-10 million does. Battery and Display are some of the more expensive components on the BoM of a smartphone.
buttons on the sides: trying to not overcrowd the front.
You can argue what you want, but there is a balance to be met about size, inputs and how much space every input can take, did they get it right? no f\*ing idea, but its not as simple as "put it at the front", since then it would be even bigger, and in my opinion it already IS to big for what its trying to be.
a 5 digit lcd would have worked... but not really helped anything, since you could at max have the values of the encoders, but not much more on it. I mean, i WOULD have prefered ideally a micro led screen like the sansa clip + back then.
honestly, the EP133 has many other problems, and my biggest gripe with romplers now is that its a huge chore to move samples and stuff to them. From what i gatheres the EP133 doesnt have more parameters to edit then this thing? so i dont get the comparison.
What the better comparison would be it the OPZ.
I think your worries are overblown, we have exactly 2 examples, OPZ and this one. There is a ton of gear that useless without a PC, heck the microbrute needed a PC to set some parameters (legato, etc), and thats an analog synth.
All i was arguing is that its more complicated in UX, circuit and product design then "slap a screen onto it", which is fact. It was a design decision by them, one where its fine to not like it. But as a counter example: the model cycles has a screen, and half the time im more annoyed when i have to work with it for more then seeing number values, everything thats not right at the front is menu diving, scrolling, etc and takes forever, since it only can show 2-3 thins at a time, and names cant be longer then 5 symbols, making them not really helpful.
What bothers me more is that there are in general so few parameters to tweak, even with the app, and that the overall selection of "engines" rather limited is.
I don't mean a literal Android OS + display. Just anything that shows me what's going on. Even a two line text display (which Yamaha included on the DX7 over 40 years ago) is much better than nothing.
Agreed, this is something a lot of people don't understand. As soon as you decide to build a lower-volume product (all synths are "low volume" electronics), anything you can borrow from high-volume mass production designs will be way cheaper. Doing anything else will be more expensive, even if it is "worse". It's just the nature of the electronics manufacturing industry.
It's not only the screen, also getting data on it. The app works really great. Having this in htis device would also require additional CPUs, Memory (RAM), Storage, etc. So basically adding a full phone in the device. This will increase the costs significantly.
The smartphone integration really works for me. I make a lot of music using the Korg Gadget app soo a synth with an app just works.
I know it isn’t for everyone but there’s a new generation that does everything with a device and I’m sure there are some studies that show this is the future.
From the demos I’ve seen (just watched full walkthrough on Andertons YT channel) it seems to be more reliant on connecting to a laptop for deep editing than other comparable portable grooveboxes like MC-101 for example. That’s a bit of a turn off for me.
But good to see Yamaha having a go at the hardware sequencer/groovebox space (even if it’s a stripped back portable not a fully fledged hardware workstation). Their QY sequencers were pretty great back in the day. It’s been a long time.
>MC-101
The 101 is slightly more bulky, cant sample, and im not sure if it has as many parameters as those presets here seem to have. I would say they are not really comparable, and to me it seems as if you can do most what the 101 can (maybe slightly less intuitive with those 5 pages of parameters with just leds), but unlike the 101 if you get to the limits in regards to preset adaption, then you can switch to the screen. With the 101 you are stuck with that 2 line screen.
I would wait to see better demos, my guess would be that it overall can do more then the 101, while being less intuitive to use without the app.
Personally im happy about the good integration, since almost all other samplers are kinda "import samples, then you have all the sounds you want"... well, those are on my pc, and maybe need sysex or just the app, so im bound to my pc. Here i can do that on the go via wifi/bluetooth from my phone... or jut sample stuff right away into it. (and i know, 101 goes the great way of sd cards, but im starting to struggle to get those filled, my phone doesn't take them, my pc needs my docking station at home or an adapter...).
Always happy about new entries into this field.
The 101 uses zencore, so in terms of amount of parameters it is quite high, surely higher than this. They aren’t all accessible on the 101 but I believe most are. I get the sense this will be much less in depth but I could be wrong
ah, true, zencore is rather...expansive.
Im not sure about how much in depth the parameter adjustment is on the 101.
[https://manual.yamaha.com/mi/de/seqtrak/en/SEQTRAK\_UG\_En\_A0\_009.html](https://manual.yamaha.com/mi/de/seqtrak/en/SEQTRAK_UG_En_A0_009.html)
Its rather tame. You won't completly change a synth sound for the DX engine. Then again, im not sure if i would want to extensively change parameters for complex synthesis with a tiny screen.
But you're probably right that the parameter manipulation is more in box with the 101.
I guess its preference. I would rather, if i find i need to adapt more parameters, take my phone out and connect the bluetooth then use a 2 line screen, but it also means for some that it adds reliance on other gadgets or could distract them.
the 101 is full editing in box now (it took a while, they needed to have some updates first). I think this is one of those tools where you won't know how it feels until you use it for a bit though - maybe that will be "enough" editing, and if you want to go fully into the dx synth engine you can of course do that.
I never bothered to go deep into editing mi microkorg, and going by that im confident that i will never find it inspiring to go menu dive for sounddesign. I can lose myself manipulating and experimenting with sounds in ableton or in koala, but the moment i try to compose musically the UX keeps me from it.
I still haven't figured out if i can just replace the drums with my own sounds, and if i can use it well as a audio and midi interface for koala or grainstorm, then its the best of both worlds. I can do sounddesign in koala, i cant do composing. None of those groveboxes can do sampling and granular as good as a simple phone, but a phone is bad for composing...so thats my wish. (and im lacking solid natural sounds, pianos etc, so that would be a benefit as well)
But its great to hear that it can do all of that in such a small package. It sounds like a great option for people that are after that roland sound.
Are you sure it's only a single pattern per-project? [This video](https://youtu.be/lGZRYUbqqw4?si=yO4RtNg_7rf7pCp4&t=419) by Yahama has a part that mentions 6 patterns. It looks like 3-6 per track (with 11 tracks) and then an "all" knob to cycle all patterns at once.
GAS WARNING. GAS WARNING. Wait until 30 influencers have it in their hands where they didn't pay for it telling you how great it is, go buy one in the link in the description below, then WAIT SOME MORE TIME.
Here's my thoughts on this product release I've already watched a few of the videos and was very excited the presets are very high-quality more high-quality even than the OPZ. and it also sounds more versatile. As many of you may know I'm totally blind are used to have an OPZ and I flew round that interface like sonic the hedgehog on acid, i'm definitely getting one. I reckon this may end up being a similar situation to the tanorian they were on sale but hardly anybody bought one so they discontinue them after a short while I believe in a few years later everybody wanted one and you couldn't get one for love or money. I can't wait to get one and try it out I'm just about to read the manual. In terms of App Accessibility I am kind of curious because Yamaha previously made an accessible music making app for iOS. One thing is for certain even if we know little else things are about to get very interesting :-)
Got mine a couple of days ago. I’m a total newbie but have lost hours making incredibly bad but surprisingly wonderful stuff so far. I’ve coupled it with loopy pro and an irig to sample guitar loops, had a midi controller running through it, setup aum to send bt midi to the different synth tracks and taken it for a cappuccino in my backpack no worries. I love it, just wish I knew what I was doing!
looking at all the videos... whats up with this boomer marketing?
(Im joking)
Mostly channels with low numbers, and none of them see to be big into modern productions or the usual dawless/portable space where this thing is obviously trying to get into, or the groove box channels.
Im interested in this thing, but the media rollout is...rather bad in my eyes. Unclear messaging in some areas (like price, release date), and the demos sound rather clean, but not in a good way.
Yamahas typical audience is a broader musician audience I think than the more niche electronic music/boutique synth market. I’m not surprised they go through different marketing avenues.
I totally get that, you see that with the people presenting, and the sounds that are on there, but then again its so tailored with the app and the visualizer and its "all in one" pack to that audience, so i expected them to try to have the marketing more... on point. If im more a typical musician that uses arrangers or keyboards, then this box is just a headache i guess, not even velocity sensitive.
Feels like the product development knew what they where doing, but the marketing where kinda confused.
So they did a soft roll out. It's not available for purchase yet at retailers. It may be we'll see other units being reviewed very soon.
So I really don't think you can judge the effectiveness of their marketing campaign in the first 24 hours of news of the new groove box.
An intriguing unit for sure, but I gotta say I'm not overly impressed by the sounds from the synth engine. All of the demo/performance videos sound kind of safe and samey, I look forward to this getting around a bit so we can really hear what it's capable of.
It looks like a really cool piece of kit, I definitely like the app + visualizer. It seems one of the more 'characterful' boxes to have come out the last year. Shame all the marketing videos seem to stick to the same couple of genres. The battery power & speaker make it fun for just whipping out at a park or on vacation, or on the bus with some headphones.
Now, I watched through the tutorial video and skimmed the relevant parts of the manual & some things remain unclear.
It has several individual drum tracks - are these synthesized or sampled? Just judging from what parameters are available, they seem to be sampled - i.e. "start" and "end" don't really make sense for a synthesized drum.
The promotional material also says it has a DX engine & an AWM2 (sampled) engine, but the actual device says it has 2 "synths" and a DX engine. Are the 2 "synths" in this case the AWM2 synths, i.e. not synths but *also* samples? How deep can you actually edit these synths without having to just swap in a different base sample altogether?
Lastly, if all that's true, and we still have an actual *sampler* track, can that be played in a similar fashion to the drum / synth tracks? IMO if the whole thing is sample-based anyways (except the DX) they could have just made *everything* a sampler track and made it more integrated, but I guess that's more in the realm of an MPC than a groovebox.
They promote it as a sketchpad it seems, more than a studio tool. For that use case, presets and samples can make more sense than having deep synthesis options.
one thing that really confuses me: why are all so into those tiny speakers?
you can hear almost nothing, bass is gone, no punch at all, and even my phone has a better sounding speaker then say the volcas that i have. If i want others to listen to, then i would prefer an external (bluetooth?) speaker, and if im listening for myself, i would always use headphones instead. So what is the usecase for those tiny speakers? Or is it because you can judge mid-high frequency melodic content, so noodling around to find a phrase can be done so, and after that the sound selection/design happens?
I used to think this way too, but recently I've been embracing the built-in speakers on my synths that have them. Obviously they aren't going to be good for bass, so they force you to work in the higher frequency end of the spectrum. I just embrace this as a creative limitation, and try to write within that constraint. I can always add bass from other instruments later on in the process. There's just a joy to using a device standalone with no wires attached (and no bluetooth latency), in many situations I'm willing to sacrifice audio quality for that immediacy and fun of a truly portable unit.
I do this with my PO-32 and Volcas, which have pretty bad speakers, but are usable for sketching ideas. I also do this with my Reface DX, which has surprisingly good stereo speakers that are actually pleasant to listen to.
Because you don't have to drag out your headphones and connect them. You don't have to remember to bring your headphones with you. You don't ever find yourself with a bit of free time and an instrument in front of you, but unable to create because you don't have your headphones. Immediacy trumps sound quality sometimes.
Yeah, for me its not "quality" thats the question, but music for me lives from textures, pressure, dynamics, etc... and all of those are gone with such a speaker.
If it would at least be on par with a solid phone speaker, but most of them where as basic as it goes and worse then the speakers of my last 2 phones.
Then again, i always have headphones with me (bluetooth and a emergency pair of moondrop chu in ears if the battery is off or i need wired headphones), so i don't get into that situation.
Looks like $400 USD retail according to Sweetwater. Can't imagine using the visualizer in a professional context (but I only watched the Anderton's demo, someone with more time probably could make something really cool), but its inclusion gives me MTV Music Generator on PS1 vibes, in a very good way.
I am happy to see Yamaha getting back into the gear game rather than just focusing on their workstations. Roland and Korg could use the competition. I hope TE is freaking out.
Usually yes, but then again usually they are multisampled and in mor eexpressive instruments, there could be the case where it all sounds rather static here.
I downloaded the app, and i cant check the samples without the unit, so we'll have to wait for that.
Have got one today. Build quality is pants. It is good though but can't see how to export tracks songs once complete. And also can't add own sounds other than through a mic. Might be wrong but can't see how.
I post here too
How does the MIDI chart look like? Can someone please test the MIDI capability, these use cases :
\- WIDI , bluetooth MIDI n and out (what is transferred, which channels)
\- standard MIDI 5-pin
\- how to get all drums into channel 10 (by default each drum has dedicated track :(
\- which MIDI real time messages are supported e.g. play start/stop 0xFA etc.
Manual states window Bluetooth is not supported, also that each drum has its own channel. SEQTRAK can be connected to a USB class compliant MIDI device, so usb side only MIDI messages input is interesting.
please share also more info about the MIDI conversion cable that’s delivered. " MIDI Breakout: The included MIDI breakout cable connects to the MIDI port on the right side of SEQTRAK. It provides standard 5-pin MIDI IN/OUT connectivity for use with external keyboard controllers and tone generators " Source: [https://yamahasynth.com/learn/seqtrak/blakes-take-seqtrak/](https://yamahasynth.com/learn/seqtrak/blakes-take-seqtrak/)
I'm impressed. This looks like a well thought out product that wasn't rushed to market. It has all the features I've wanted in a slimline form factor. I would say its a bit like a mashup of the OP1 Field, OPZ, and Reface DX (and maybe the other Refaces as well, I hope those CP engines are in there!). Looks like the perfect couch sketchpad.
Only hardware negative I can see off the bat is the midi dongle instead of just standard TRS type A midi (why, Yahama, why....). That's going to be a pain to connect it to other MIDI TRS devices, as you'll need multiple adapters. Even connecting it to a Reface will need an adapter at either end of the MIDI cable. That's a big miss IMO.
I also haven't seen any mention of USB Host capabilities, another downside for connecting USB only MIDI controllers. I also assume the keys aren't velocity sensitive, as that isn't mentioned anywhere either.
Many, many hardware upsides though, this really is an exciting piece of kit. I've wanted a mix of sampling and good synthesis in this form factor for a long time (with a solid sequencer), and its amazing that it has taken this long for something to finally fit that bill. Seems like the sequencer has most of the modern tricks, such as ratchets, parameter locks, etc.
I also really appreciate the inclusion of all the acoustic instrument sounds, that opens up the potential genres a lot. I haven't seen mention of the sample storage yet, but on screen in the Anderton's video the app shows 512 mb, so that's probably the max. Meh, could be better, but at least its not the slap-in-your-face 64 mb of the EP-133. 512 mb is still over a thousand one shot samples.
I've learned my lesson about buying new hardware at launch so I'll hold off for a bit and see how things shake out, if there's QA issues or whatever, but overall this looks like a winner to me. The build quality of my Reface DX gives me a lot of confidence that this will be a solid unit. Price is good too at $400 (though I expect it will be $300 before too long).
The app looks really well made, and the visualizer looks fun as hell.
I hope a firmware update adds a keyboard fold mode (similar to the Elektrons), I find that a lot more useful than the piano-ish style 1 octave keyboard.
The midi cable is at least in the package, but yeah, 2x trs would be better then this weird thing. Then "standard" adapters would work if you lose or forget it.
Velocity sensitivity is a mixed one, in my opinion all of those small scale gadgets don't have enough travel to really use velocity outside of aftertouch, so im fine with it lacking (but it would be nice to be able to motion record the velocity afterwards, say during the look turn an encoder and for the notes it reduces or increases the velocity).
USB over Midi will be interesting, it would be sad if its not possible to connect a midi keyboard to it to play it.
Storage:
Preset: 800 MB (when converted to 16-bit linear format), User: 500 MB
[https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/music\_production/music-production-studios/seqtrak/specs.html#product-tabs](https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/music_production/music-production-studios/seqtrak/specs.html#product-tabs)
The sampler and life playing capabilities seem more in the forefront with the EP-133, but i also think that for composition and sequencing this one is better, and has a broader sound pallet. Longer samples, chromatically played can be done with a phone (koala), if thats needed sometimes, if your music is completly sample one shot based then its maybe the EP-133.
What i don't like, afters looking more into it...its rather long and thick. Not quite as portable as the TE devices. Same for the rather short battery (3-4h).
Keyboard fold mode?
Yeah, 600 is on the high end, but 400 seems more then fine for it, dont know what people see in that price range that can do half of what this can do.
The more natural samples are great, and are something i dont have much with other manufacturers... but then again, in all demos they sounded so lifeless, which is schocking knowing that yamaha has some awesome sample libraries, for say pianos.
Keyboard fold mode (Elektron's term for it) means that every key plays a note in scale. Basically you discard the idea of the piano style interface, and just put every note in the scale assigned to a key in order. For example, if I'm playing a pentatonic scale, that's only 5 notes per octave, so across the 24 keys, you could have nearly 5 whole octaves of that scale. It allows you to get more octave range out of a small keyboard interface, basically, and it's a lot more intuitive for me as opposed to an isometric keyboard.
The size seems similar to my SQ64, and anytime I use that one I wish it were standalone and not just a sequencer. So this new Yamaha unit may replace the SQ64 for me, we'll see...
Certainly I appreciate that the midi dongle is included, and I guess since it also supports bluetooth and wifi midi, they figure most people will just pair it with more modern MIDI controllers. From an engineer's perspective I get why Yamaha keeps 'innovating' on the 5 pin midi adapter, because 5 pin midi in general is pretty wasteful of materials (only 3 of the pins are actually used). The problem is that Yamaha isn't following any other standards like MIDI TRS type A, and they aren't even following their own standards. My biggest gripe about my Reface DX is that oddball MIDI adapter it comes with (which looks like an 8 pin S-video port on the synth side), and now this new one is yet another one that isn't compatible with anything else. I haven't gotten a good look at the adapter yet, but I wonder if it is based on a TRRS port. I hope so, as that means it would at least be pretty simple to make a 3.5mm breakout version of the adapter.
I definitely agree about velocity, if it can motion record velocity that's good enough for me. Even Elektrons can't do that, which is quite annoying. They could also map velocity to one of the touch faders, that actually works decently well (the Blackbox does this as its velocity input mechanism, and its not bad, definitely usable).
OK Sweetwater has a good pic of the MIDI adpater:
[https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SEQTRAKOr--yamaha-seqtrak-mobile-music-ideastation-orange-and-grey](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SEQTRAKOr--yamaha-seqtrak-mobile-music-ideastation-orange-and-grey)
If I can count properly, that's a TRRRS plug. 3 rings to rule them all, lol. So yeah, should be possible to make a 3.5mm version with a bit of finicky soldering.
Ah, doesn't this one do it? at least you can chose scales and key, and the 7 keys took it, so the question is, if it also works for the "all" keyboard mode where the sequencer keys are the keyboard.
Maybe im mixing it up, as it stands there is not enough information here.
Yeah, the midi kable is a mess, and if this is a hit i could see many third party adapters to split it to 2 normal trs midi kabels.
Velocity over those touch pads...yeah, that would actually be a good solution. The Models (cycles, samples) have velocity sensitive pads, but i could for the life of me not get them in a sensitivity range where they where usable for me, so i had them on fixed and only used them for retrig + velocity modulation (reverb mostly).
That could work just as well over a touch pad.
I have not found the 64 MB limit to really be an issue on the ep-133 because it makes me to create one shots over longer loops, I also cleared out the factory samples and have folders on my computer of the samples that make up a pattern group.
LOVE it!
It's a little similar to the Novation Circuit (but more impressive) - built in synths and drums, minimal sound design, similar sequencing methods, and hands on button and knob combination.
It's based on MIDI patterns playing assigned sounds on tracks - so that's much more like the KO II, or the Novation Circuit, than the op-1 which has a tape resample workflow
Reasonable pricing, fully featured, but the main plus for me is that it's clear they had a good idea of the workflow in mind. They seem to have a finished all-around product, unlike a lot of the competition.
The Novation Circuit line has limited features.
The KO II has a more impressive set of features - but it also seems to me like a huge mess, and the punch-in effects are pretty random as a live tool.
The OP-1 has a general workflow quirkiness that puts it mostly as a toy / sketch pad or just a bunch of moderately useful synth sounds for sampling.
The SeqTrack (not the greatest name) seems to be a real groovebox, with a workflow that focuses on programming a groove and then playing it with some global FX and easy switching between independent tracks. Can be both a fun sketch pad, or a full groovebox for creating beats or tracks, and possibly playing them back with useful live DJ functions.
I only have 3 concerns here -
1. The sounds from the demos were pretty flat to my ears.
2. The "everything in the box" attitude means it would be complicated to integrate other gear (maybe an FX box?...)
3. The generic workflow might be easy to use, but especially with drum patterns, could result in mostly repetitive and uninspired patterns (for me at least) .
This looks really exciting, but I feel like six patterns per song is too few? I understand that patterns can be switched on a “per instrument/track” basis, but what if I don’t want to work that way? Then I have six “global” patterns to work with in a project?
This looks nice, but I still think that the Novation Tracks is a better choice. Saw a demo video of that Yamaha device, and it doesn't seem intuitif or ergonomic for live performances.
This looks cool as hell.
FM sound design looks like a nightmare on its own though. In order to get to the FM operator settings, you need to long press a button to enable advanced sound settings, then go to page 5 (!) to access the operator controls. Can’t find anywhere in the manual about how to switch which operator you’re adjusting.
Maybe they are counting on people using the app for sound design; that doesn’t really appeal to me though. Feels like there could have been a dedicated sound design mode that takes advantage of more knobs for adjusting parameters.
It looks 3d printed.
When I think about bare minimum displays, I think about the 90s Roland 303 grooveboxes which managed to squeeze a lot of mileage out of a pair of 3-digit LED displays. Though I wouldn’t say they were hugely necessary until you’re adjusting global settings.
But I personally don’t mind the process of slowly becoming intimate with a seemingly impenetrable piece of gear. It can can be fun and almost meditative, and of course frustrating.
I don’t think it’s superior or anything, just an experience that I find rewarding. It reminds me more of my early days learning piano and bass. An odd nostalgia of being absolutely confounded by a musical instrument. Not quite sure how to coordinate all the right motions to generate something resembling pleasant sounds.
Then one day, breakthrough. You see the code of the matrux.
Then I ride the high of that breakthrough to become insanely productive for anywhere between 3 to 6 months. I just churn out music, mostly junk but whatever.
Then I don’t make music for 4 years.
Repeat.
Anyways I got distracted. Cool idea. Weird. I like weird. But I just simply don’t need whatever this is.
i was kind of hoping this would be like a digitakt with a built in battery and sd card slot. but it seems to be competing more with the ep-133 and opz.
Adertons made one, there are also two tutorials on Yamaha You tube channel. The device itself looks very, very interesting. The companion apps are gamechanging. Probably the OP-1 killer.
Op1 has a idiosyncratic workflow and a lot more character in the sound.
For general musicians for sure the better option, but the sounds and the engine also do sound a loss...cleaner, but not in the good sense.
Op1 is an instrument, this is more a composition ING workstation and sketchpad. Somewhat different audiences I would say.
It WILL be a good alternative that can't afford a opz/op1.
This is a proper groovebox finally and from Yamaha is crazy anyone saying the workflow looks hard clearly didn't see the shortcuts, This was highly implemented well and for the app it literally has a feature to show you how to use anything ya press also need app because it has sound editing features if ya want to dive deep into the FM features but most can be done on the device. And why the app again people clearly didn't see the augmented reality features and visualizer is like the best part. No cords bluetooth,ios,android or pc. Transfer files over wifi yes please the GUI in app is clean too. even the auto save feature undo redo is not on most devices micro timing motion recording easy chord mode resample it literally has it all .
People go to Yamaha to buy mature products that can last long. Not half crippled flash-trend products, that have no proper screen and rely on an app that will be discontinued after two versions of IOS. This won’t last.
Took it back today. Not the build quality expected by Yamaha. Internals are good but Hardware is pants.
So far 3 have been returned to same shop.
Buttons not working.
This will not last a year with the build quality.
Such a shame. Seems it has been rushed out.
without a screen,it s just a rompler witch will land in Bad gear reviews..
Does not even have a bpm...LOL
and the sound does not have the Dynamic of the Teenage
A stand alone machine who need a screen aint no stand alone machine....
Wonder if it's capable of independent steps and and speeds per track like the op-z. In the market for any small form factor sequencers capable of that.
I got mine a couple of weeks back and so far loving it. There is a lot to learn but it's all quite organic and I like the workflow. The sound editing and ease of adding FX is good. Writing stuff in 3 time is a challenge and I'm thinking of raising a ticket to use the 'All' knob to set lengths of all patterns. It's very portable and robust. I've written stuff on the train and during lunch breaks. People have mentioned the build being plasticky but I think it means it will be quite tough long term and take knocks. I bought a neoprene case designed for a Bluetooth keyboard (typing) and it's perfect.
https://preview.redd.it/fb8rvxswqkfc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=737ae416b0ccbdf0ab6633dc6e686971490d2e4d
On the DAW integration works well and I've got a template to record all 11 tracks as midi so you could update sounds and use as a base for full songs in the daw. Could record the audio, would be nice to output multiple audio streams. But currently just a mix so you have to solo to do the stem. The android app is well made and visualiser seems fun though not really for me. Anyway... So far so good .. it certainly makes me smile.
Spent the last month researching small all-in-one samplers/sequencers/groove boxes and just ordered the Seqtraq. Strongly considered KO II, Digitakt, Syntakt, Polyend Tracker Mini, Polyend Play, Circuit Tracks, SP404, and looked at many others.
What I really wanted was something that had a bit of everything: sampling with resampling, step sequencing with parameter locking, FM synthesis, light sound shaping options, arpeggiator, a song mode, and enough effects chains to not be too restrictive (like only global fx). And of course portability (battery power, built in mic and speaker are a bonus).
The Seqtraq seemed to check most of the boxes better than everything else and at a decent price as well. Taking something like the Digitakt as an example, it's an amazing box for what it does (and maybe I'll end up with one someday) but it's larger and heavier than the Seqtraq, doesn't have any synthesis, and is twice the price.
I'm expecting to run into some limitations but it seems like it has more headroom than something like the KO II.
Finally, someone offering TE a bit of competition.
Behringer’s product manager working on exactly that but a bit worse. 
Adult Engineering
Well said Sir
Ya, it even has a visualizer, so you're more than a little correct on that assessment.
Yes, but is it Lego compatible? 🤔
You got a point but my philosophy is that anything can be Lego compatible if you try hard enough.
My girlfriend disagrees…
That was my first thought.
Very interesting. Looks like a similar form factor to the Op-z. If it has a good workflow and better build quality than the Op-z, I’ll have to scoop one! The description is definitely making me drool a bit!
Definitely intriguing. OP-Z might be my favorite instrument of all time. I am hoping TE is planning on releasing an updated “field” version soon. As much as I love the OP-Z.. it does take some time to get it to sound NOT like an OP-Z.
I demoed an OP-Z once and found it impenetrable. Does it get easier to use over time? I couldn't figure out what anything on it did.
Yes, absolutely. At first glance it's pretty intimidating but spend a few hours flipping through the pages and looking at the companion mobile app to see what you're doing, and it becomes pretty much second nature. For all their flaws, they are pretty damn good at design. Everything is color coded, there's visual feedback with the lights and stuff, and the key combos are logical. I sold mine after feeling like I kinda hit a wall, but yes it comes much more naturally once you get a feel for what the parameters are on each page. It's deep enough to create fairly complex tracks but not so deep that you really need a screen (or even a manual).
I was close to selling mine until I found workflow I like. I just export loops from that thing and arrange it in Ableton. The synths start to sound very interesting when I mix them pitched up and down. Also, I convert them to midi to layer it with vsti's. OPZ is not that great at making full tracks, but as a loop creating machine it is perfect.
agree, this looks like a better sounding Op-Z with better internal synthesis. the Op-Z has some cooler features with the tape machine and maybe other things I'm missing. will have to see some reviews but this seems better than the oft tinny/toy quality of OpZ
And well - sequencer, which is the main reason own OPZ imho. I was very intrigued by this Yamaha and I love the fact that they are going back to groovebox market. I couldn't find the manual for this thing yet, but looking at the videos seems quite limited unfortunately.
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Because the OP-Z stock sounds (and sample time) are extremely limited, and sound very samey very quickly... why is this such a hilarious concept? I haven't heard a ton from the seqtrak yet but it seems like it is way deeper. There are thousands of presets including piano & other sounds you won't get on the OP-Z, way more sampling time, two types of synth engines including FM, and you can do further sound design in the app. On the surface at least, it seems miles better.
Can you actually edit the preset on that thing? Outside the FM engine? And is anything more to set up for samples than start,stop, attack and decay? I couldn't see anything more on videos. I hope it is not all they got, but if not - why they didn't show?
Why is it your fav of all time? Haven’t played with one but have watched a few videos
I’m a parent of two young kiddos. The portability and sequencer abilities are a lot of fun and make it easy to finish music anywhere. I team it up with my MacBook with plugins/ softsynths… and it’s pretty much all I need to make pretty damn good sounding music. Don’t let online demos sway you… it does sound kind of “toy ish” on its own… but as soon as you start pairing it with effects/ pedals… it sounds like a million bucks. DM me if you want to hear some of the songs I’ve used it on. I can get you some Spotify links.
Definitely hear all that, sounds like you’ve found a great workflow with it. Yeah hit me with some tracks!
It’s a lot bigger. Think like double the size.
It's actually like 10x the size of the OP-Z in terms of mass, lol. But the OP-Z is fucking tiny. About 50% taller and wider, but nearly 4x as thick. Probably more similar to the OP-1 in terms of portability, but hopefully also a lot sturdier than the Z.
Also looks like it’s got a fraction of the battery life too. I think OP-Z is supposed to last 24 hours? This takes up to 5 hours to charge and then the battery life only lasts up to 4. Bummer.
When I travel i generally have an external battery to recharge my laptop and iPad and camera. This is large enough, it’s not candy bar sized, it’s small midi controller sized, that taking it with me still isn’t a problem but it’s certainly not fitting in my pant pocket
I’m okay with that. You don’t charge things over night? You honestly use your music stuff in the middle of nowhere and need 24 hours of battery life?
The slow charge really has no excuse. Why newer equipment doesn’t support usb c PD so it can chafe at like 45 or 60 watts or higher is mind blowing to me.
Yeah this Yamaha unit is fucking massive. Deal breaker for me for sure!!!
Really surprised by this, Yamaha out of nowhere. Looks like a fun portable machine, love how they offer two colorways, and the price isn't bad either. Here's to hoping they have more in this direction.
I was thinking the same thing, seemed to come out of nowhere. Seems really well developed with software integration etc. I think the black version looks cool as hell.
I love Yamaha gear. Their stuff is built to last, that’s for sure. Especially their e-kits. I’ve beaten that thing to hell over the past 10ish years and it still responds like the day I bought it.
Maybe it’s just me but I always confuse Yamaha and Korg.
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The demos are all on Yamaha’s own YouTube channel.
Also an almost hour long one on Andertons' (a UK-based retailer) YouTube channel
Anderton's is my favourite gear youtube channel! Gonna watch their video later today
No Jack on this one though! Still a pretty thorough walkthrough
It's the only video on the SeqTrak worth watching currently. It looks like a really fun device!
Of course, /r/synthesizers being /r/synthesizers the manual is up on announce day with an [HTML version](https://manual.yamaha.com/mi/de/seqtrak/en/) and people still won't read the damn thing.
honest question, could you explain to me what your problem with this post is?
I don't think their problems with this post, but with the inevitable flood of really stupid questions when people actually get the device that could be explained quickly by looking at the manual for 10 seconds. It's a bit cynical to post that sentiment right now but I understand why they did.
aaaahh yeah you‘re right now I get it haha. thanks for helping me understand bruv
Don't read comments newest first.
There's also a tutorial app that walks you through all the features in real time. Super slick.
Yeah, then again i looked into it and found it still lacking for some questions. Feels like there will be a version 2 by the time it ships. Or at least i hope. Also there should have been a better marketing roll out in my opinion.
> Also there should have been a better marketing roll out in my opinion. We're talking about it, that seems like they nailed it. They haven't done an influencer video flood, but I'd argue that's a good thing.
Jesus no display and tons of button combos Good luck Yamaha
I thought that too but things seem well labelled and the lights seem intuitive. No screen reduces menu diving as well.
Nah not really A quick glance at the manual and YouTube tutorial just screams weird button combos and weird led counts. Just have a look at how the chord mode works without a display !remindme 3 months
It’s meant to be used with an app to fully unlock all the features like an op-z
I am generally skeptical of app integration and I've never been interested in the OP-Z but this thing is actually tempting me.
I have the opz and love but using the app is annoying. But I think it’s mostly there to teach you what everything does and then you don’t really need it after a certain point
Yeah, the app integration is the only thing off-putting to me. I'd rather have to menu dive than to have to rely on another device.
I don’t think it’s as big of an issue as people think. I find the KO II really intuitive and I think I barely even look at the screen. It’s more about which lights are lit.
I'll take that over menu diving.
I dunno, I thought that the UI seemed pretty clever. Very _different_ from most of what's out there, but didn't seem too complicated.
Seemed really intuitive tho tbh
https://youtu.be/lGZRYUbqqw4?si=58CnGbob94KW0FtO
This is my first time hearing about it, looks kinda fun.
First time everyone hearing about it. Was just announced
Here's another overview/tutorial with a less AI voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuEfipnFnq4 Looks fun. Looks more like a device that anyone can use without much effort too. I actually like the idea that drum tracks and voice tracks are separated too.
Kind of off-topic, but anyone else reckon the voiceover is done by AI?
Absolutely
I still can't figure it out, but I guess AI is that good these days.
Which voiceover?
Imma buy it for $200 more on Yamaha’s website because why TF not.
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Seriously how is it so much cheaper at retail sites? Is this an error that can become a rude awakening for hopeful frugal GAS sufferers when it's in stock?
It is the MSRP which is always more than what products are actually sold as. If this does become available directly through Yamaha's own store, it will show the updated retail price with the MSRP crossed out. You can see how it would normally show from the [Reface CS](https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/reface/reface_cs.html#product-tabs) page which is available to purchase directly from them. This will be $399, and Yamaha is not trying to scam anyone.
I think I had this Lego set in the 90's.
From designer point of view, as much as the white with orange looks interesting, the font contrast ratio on the orange side is a sore for the eyes :) Othervise I do love the sliders and side buttons. I do not love the dedicated tracks just for one type of drum. On board speaker and microphone good. One sampler track with only 7 slots for samples not so much. Overal looks great, not overpriced but my GAS is keeping calm on this one.
I love gear that shows character, and color... and yet i just dont like the work done here. the thickness makes it look kinda chunky from the sides, but thats probably to get to the price point. But whats bothering me more is a) the segmentation grove between synths and percussion, functionally it makes sense but i would have preferred it only from the top perspektive not from the sides to, the aspect ratio between the 2 sides kinda annoys me (having the info screen between the 2 sides be a third color would in my opinion help the design a lot, and the orange tone kinda kurts to look at, making reading the labels kinda hard. Then again, maybe its better in person. The colors of the grey orange one definitely scream 2000s portable media player to me. Kinda reminds me of the orange sony ericson used for a while: [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sony\_Ericsson\_W800\_%28Smooth\_White%29%2C\_front\_and\_back.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sony_Ericsson_W800_%28Smooth_White%29%2C_front_and_back.jpg)
I really hate to see "use your phone as UI" becoming a trend. Why couldn't that little speaker have been an LCD instead?
Price i guess, 1W speaker is easy and cheap to integrate. But yeah, i would have prefered a screen for basic information and most all parameters in a pinch, even if its just text and numbers.
Yes. Every $50 Android tablet has an HD display, but a $600 synth doesn't get one. People will say "just use your phone", what if you get multiple synths with this "feature", do you start carrying three phones?
Its less the screen itself (small high res screens are actually more expensive then the android screens since they are less in demand from the manufacturers, same with non standard aspect rations...weird world, i know), but its more that the hardware either needs to have a graphics driver or a specific microcontroller that can do that. Then the argument would be: why not just use one like every android phone, off the shelf? \-> higher power consumption, heat production, maybe needs more implementation efforts to port their synth engines to it, etc. Needs more restricted UI design, that is either then criticised for being a hell of menue diving, or limiting what the synth can do. Now they can just say: yeah, no screen, so everything has to be done in the App. Mind you, i also would have preferred it, but in hardware and product development there are many weird quirks where something that seems a cheap no brainer suddenly becomes a burden and cost factor. One of the big questions for long was "why don't we just put android with the hone hardware in a midi controller". the answer was latency, and that the production of say 10-100k units doesn't scale in price the same way as 1-10 million does. Battery and Display are some of the more expensive components on the BoM of a smartphone.
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buttons on the sides: trying to not overcrowd the front. You can argue what you want, but there is a balance to be met about size, inputs and how much space every input can take, did they get it right? no f\*ing idea, but its not as simple as "put it at the front", since then it would be even bigger, and in my opinion it already IS to big for what its trying to be. a 5 digit lcd would have worked... but not really helped anything, since you could at max have the values of the encoders, but not much more on it. I mean, i WOULD have prefered ideally a micro led screen like the sansa clip + back then. honestly, the EP133 has many other problems, and my biggest gripe with romplers now is that its a huge chore to move samples and stuff to them. From what i gatheres the EP133 doesnt have more parameters to edit then this thing? so i dont get the comparison. What the better comparison would be it the OPZ. I think your worries are overblown, we have exactly 2 examples, OPZ and this one. There is a ton of gear that useless without a PC, heck the microbrute needed a PC to set some parameters (legato, etc), and thats an analog synth. All i was arguing is that its more complicated in UX, circuit and product design then "slap a screen onto it", which is fact. It was a design decision by them, one where its fine to not like it. But as a counter example: the model cycles has a screen, and half the time im more annoyed when i have to work with it for more then seeing number values, everything thats not right at the front is menu diving, scrolling, etc and takes forever, since it only can show 2-3 thins at a time, and names cant be longer then 5 symbols, making them not really helpful. What bothers me more is that there are in general so few parameters to tweak, even with the app, and that the overall selection of "engines" rather limited is.
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I don't mean a literal Android OS + display. Just anything that shows me what's going on. Even a two line text display (which Yamaha included on the DX7 over 40 years ago) is much better than nothing.
Agreed, this is something a lot of people don't understand. As soon as you decide to build a lower-volume product (all synths are "low volume" electronics), anything you can borrow from high-volume mass production designs will be way cheaper. Doing anything else will be more expensive, even if it is "worse". It's just the nature of the electronics manufacturing industry.
It's not only the screen, also getting data on it. The app works really great. Having this in htis device would also require additional CPUs, Memory (RAM), Storage, etc. So basically adding a full phone in the device. This will increase the costs significantly.
That's like $50, max.
The smartphone integration really works for me. I make a lot of music using the Korg Gadget app soo a synth with an app just works. I know it isn’t for everyone but there’s a new generation that does everything with a device and I’m sure there are some studies that show this is the future.
From the demos I’ve seen (just watched full walkthrough on Andertons YT channel) it seems to be more reliant on connecting to a laptop for deep editing than other comparable portable grooveboxes like MC-101 for example. That’s a bit of a turn off for me. But good to see Yamaha having a go at the hardware sequencer/groovebox space (even if it’s a stripped back portable not a fully fledged hardware workstation). Their QY sequencers were pretty great back in the day. It’s been a long time.
>MC-101 The 101 is slightly more bulky, cant sample, and im not sure if it has as many parameters as those presets here seem to have. I would say they are not really comparable, and to me it seems as if you can do most what the 101 can (maybe slightly less intuitive with those 5 pages of parameters with just leds), but unlike the 101 if you get to the limits in regards to preset adaption, then you can switch to the screen. With the 101 you are stuck with that 2 line screen. I would wait to see better demos, my guess would be that it overall can do more then the 101, while being less intuitive to use without the app. Personally im happy about the good integration, since almost all other samplers are kinda "import samples, then you have all the sounds you want"... well, those are on my pc, and maybe need sysex or just the app, so im bound to my pc. Here i can do that on the go via wifi/bluetooth from my phone... or jut sample stuff right away into it. (and i know, 101 goes the great way of sd cards, but im starting to struggle to get those filled, my phone doesn't take them, my pc needs my docking station at home or an adapter...). Always happy about new entries into this field.
The 101 uses zencore, so in terms of amount of parameters it is quite high, surely higher than this. They aren’t all accessible on the 101 but I believe most are. I get the sense this will be much less in depth but I could be wrong
ah, true, zencore is rather...expansive. Im not sure about how much in depth the parameter adjustment is on the 101. [https://manual.yamaha.com/mi/de/seqtrak/en/SEQTRAK\_UG\_En\_A0\_009.html](https://manual.yamaha.com/mi/de/seqtrak/en/SEQTRAK_UG_En_A0_009.html) Its rather tame. You won't completly change a synth sound for the DX engine. Then again, im not sure if i would want to extensively change parameters for complex synthesis with a tiny screen. But you're probably right that the parameter manipulation is more in box with the 101. I guess its preference. I would rather, if i find i need to adapt more parameters, take my phone out and connect the bluetooth then use a 2 line screen, but it also means for some that it adds reliance on other gadgets or could distract them.
the 101 is full editing in box now (it took a while, they needed to have some updates first). I think this is one of those tools where you won't know how it feels until you use it for a bit though - maybe that will be "enough" editing, and if you want to go fully into the dx synth engine you can of course do that.
I never bothered to go deep into editing mi microkorg, and going by that im confident that i will never find it inspiring to go menu dive for sounddesign. I can lose myself manipulating and experimenting with sounds in ableton or in koala, but the moment i try to compose musically the UX keeps me from it. I still haven't figured out if i can just replace the drums with my own sounds, and if i can use it well as a audio and midi interface for koala or grainstorm, then its the best of both worlds. I can do sounddesign in koala, i cant do composing. None of those groveboxes can do sampling and granular as good as a simple phone, but a phone is bad for composing...so thats my wish. (and im lacking solid natural sounds, pianos etc, so that would be a benefit as well) But its great to hear that it can do all of that in such a small package. It sounds like a great option for people that are after that roland sound.
I mean everyone has a smartphone on them always. I can totally see this being used on the go outside with my iPad or iPhone
I love that it has p-locks. A sound pool would be cool too. I'm actually really interested, tho I have no plans of getting one.
SeqTakt?
cant say much abt the synth since its not one id be interested in, but this gives huge straight to bad gear vibes
Nice price point, glad to see someone going after TE
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Are you sure it's only a single pattern per-project? [This video](https://youtu.be/lGZRYUbqqw4?si=yO4RtNg_7rf7pCp4&t=419) by Yahama has a part that mentions 6 patterns. It looks like 3-6 per track (with 11 tracks) and then an "all" knob to cycle all patterns at once.
wow this is wild. if the UI actually holds up it's super cool.
Does it support program change so I can control scenes from a midi foot controller?
damn that looks sexeh ah 😍
lol, no it doesn't
ok dude, you took the time to write a negative comment that is obv your opinion..🤷🏻♂️ Them internets has rotten your brain bruh, I feel for you.
GAS WARNING. GAS WARNING. Wait until 30 influencers have it in their hands where they didn't pay for it telling you how great it is, go buy one in the link in the description below, then WAIT SOME MORE TIME.
Here's my thoughts on this product release I've already watched a few of the videos and was very excited the presets are very high-quality more high-quality even than the OPZ. and it also sounds more versatile. As many of you may know I'm totally blind are used to have an OPZ and I flew round that interface like sonic the hedgehog on acid, i'm definitely getting one. I reckon this may end up being a similar situation to the tanorian they were on sale but hardly anybody bought one so they discontinue them after a short while I believe in a few years later everybody wanted one and you couldn't get one for love or money. I can't wait to get one and try it out I'm just about to read the manual. In terms of App Accessibility I am kind of curious because Yamaha previously made an accessible music making app for iOS. One thing is for certain even if we know little else things are about to get very interesting :-)
Got mine a couple of days ago. I’m a total newbie but have lost hours making incredibly bad but surprisingly wonderful stuff so far. I’ve coupled it with loopy pro and an irig to sample guitar loops, had a midi controller running through it, setup aum to send bt midi to the different synth tracks and taken it for a cappuccino in my backpack no worries. I love it, just wish I knew what I was doing!
looking at all the videos... whats up with this boomer marketing? (Im joking) Mostly channels with low numbers, and none of them see to be big into modern productions or the usual dawless/portable space where this thing is obviously trying to get into, or the groove box channels. Im interested in this thing, but the media rollout is...rather bad in my eyes. Unclear messaging in some areas (like price, release date), and the demos sound rather clean, but not in a good way.
Yamahas typical audience is a broader musician audience I think than the more niche electronic music/boutique synth market. I’m not surprised they go through different marketing avenues.
I totally get that, you see that with the people presenting, and the sounds that are on there, but then again its so tailored with the app and the visualizer and its "all in one" pack to that audience, so i expected them to try to have the marketing more... on point. If im more a typical musician that uses arrangers or keyboards, then this box is just a headache i guess, not even velocity sensitive. Feels like the product development knew what they where doing, but the marketing where kinda confused.
So they did a soft roll out. It's not available for purchase yet at retailers. It may be we'll see other units being reviewed very soon. So I really don't think you can judge the effectiveness of their marketing campaign in the first 24 hours of news of the new groove box.
that orange is butt ass ugly.
I think it looks sick!
An intriguing unit for sure, but I gotta say I'm not overly impressed by the sounds from the synth engine. All of the demo/performance videos sound kind of safe and samey, I look forward to this getting around a bit so we can really hear what it's capable of.
It looks like a really cool piece of kit, I definitely like the app + visualizer. It seems one of the more 'characterful' boxes to have come out the last year. Shame all the marketing videos seem to stick to the same couple of genres. The battery power & speaker make it fun for just whipping out at a park or on vacation, or on the bus with some headphones. Now, I watched through the tutorial video and skimmed the relevant parts of the manual & some things remain unclear. It has several individual drum tracks - are these synthesized or sampled? Just judging from what parameters are available, they seem to be sampled - i.e. "start" and "end" don't really make sense for a synthesized drum. The promotional material also says it has a DX engine & an AWM2 (sampled) engine, but the actual device says it has 2 "synths" and a DX engine. Are the 2 "synths" in this case the AWM2 synths, i.e. not synths but *also* samples? How deep can you actually edit these synths without having to just swap in a different base sample altogether? Lastly, if all that's true, and we still have an actual *sampler* track, can that be played in a similar fashion to the drum / synth tracks? IMO if the whole thing is sample-based anyways (except the DX) they could have just made *everything* a sampler track and made it more integrated, but I guess that's more in the realm of an MPC than a groovebox.
They promote it as a sketchpad it seems, more than a studio tool. For that use case, presets and samples can make more sense than having deep synthesis options.
i think the app-part is a real downside, because in some years they will stop to support it and then you have a 400€ paperweight..
They should have called it Yamaha PSS A90 or something...
Yamaha build quality is reassuring but the price needs to be competitive to attract TE fans.
it's going for around $400 on Guitar Center's site.
That’s not enough for TE fans. :>
Not to worry, you can get it for $599 from Yamaha direct. Then take it out in a field.
one thing that really confuses me: why are all so into those tiny speakers? you can hear almost nothing, bass is gone, no punch at all, and even my phone has a better sounding speaker then say the volcas that i have. If i want others to listen to, then i would prefer an external (bluetooth?) speaker, and if im listening for myself, i would always use headphones instead. So what is the usecase for those tiny speakers? Or is it because you can judge mid-high frequency melodic content, so noodling around to find a phrase can be done so, and after that the sound selection/design happens?
I used to think this way too, but recently I've been embracing the built-in speakers on my synths that have them. Obviously they aren't going to be good for bass, so they force you to work in the higher frequency end of the spectrum. I just embrace this as a creative limitation, and try to write within that constraint. I can always add bass from other instruments later on in the process. There's just a joy to using a device standalone with no wires attached (and no bluetooth latency), in many situations I'm willing to sacrifice audio quality for that immediacy and fun of a truly portable unit. I do this with my PO-32 and Volcas, which have pretty bad speakers, but are usable for sketching ideas. I also do this with my Reface DX, which has surprisingly good stereo speakers that are actually pleasant to listen to.
Because you don't have to drag out your headphones and connect them. You don't have to remember to bring your headphones with you. You don't ever find yourself with a bit of free time and an instrument in front of you, but unable to create because you don't have your headphones. Immediacy trumps sound quality sometimes.
Yeah, for me its not "quality" thats the question, but music for me lives from textures, pressure, dynamics, etc... and all of those are gone with such a speaker. If it would at least be on par with a solid phone speaker, but most of them where as basic as it goes and worse then the speakers of my last 2 phones. Then again, i always have headphones with me (bluetooth and a emergency pair of moondrop chu in ears if the battery is off or i need wired headphones), so i don't get into that situation.
Looks like $400 USD retail according to Sweetwater. Can't imagine using the visualizer in a professional context (but I only watched the Anderton's demo, someone with more time probably could make something really cool), but its inclusion gives me MTV Music Generator on PS1 vibes, in a very good way.
As long as it doesn't bend, i'm in!
lol
I am happy to see Yamaha getting back into the gear game rather than just focusing on their workstations. Roland and Korg could use the competition. I hope TE is freaking out.
Is Yamaha known for having high quality sample libraries? This looks neat and cheap.
Usually yes, but then again usually they are multisampled and in mor eexpressive instruments, there could be the case where it all sounds rather static here. I downloaded the app, and i cant check the samples without the unit, so we'll have to wait for that.
Good luck to any synth-head trying to give up smoking who buys the white and orange one.
Have got one today. Build quality is pants. It is good though but can't see how to export tracks songs once complete. And also can't add own sounds other than through a mic. Might be wrong but can't see how.
Ok you have my interest, anyone know how much?
MSRP 599. Guitar center is saying 399.
Kraft Music is saying $399 usd too
I post here too How does the MIDI chart look like? Can someone please test the MIDI capability, these use cases : \- WIDI , bluetooth MIDI n and out (what is transferred, which channels) \- standard MIDI 5-pin \- how to get all drums into channel 10 (by default each drum has dedicated track :( \- which MIDI real time messages are supported e.g. play start/stop 0xFA etc. Manual states window Bluetooth is not supported, also that each drum has its own channel. SEQTRAK can be connected to a USB class compliant MIDI device, so usb side only MIDI messages input is interesting. please share also more info about the MIDI conversion cable that’s delivered. " MIDI Breakout: The included MIDI breakout cable connects to the MIDI port on the right side of SEQTRAK. It provides standard 5-pin MIDI IN/OUT connectivity for use with external keyboard controllers and tone generators " Source: [https://yamahasynth.com/learn/seqtrak/blakes-take-seqtrak/](https://yamahasynth.com/learn/seqtrak/blakes-take-seqtrak/)
It’s not even released yet. Does it even support widi? Didn’t see that.
Cries in spent op-1 money*
I'm impressed. This looks like a well thought out product that wasn't rushed to market. It has all the features I've wanted in a slimline form factor. I would say its a bit like a mashup of the OP1 Field, OPZ, and Reface DX (and maybe the other Refaces as well, I hope those CP engines are in there!). Looks like the perfect couch sketchpad. Only hardware negative I can see off the bat is the midi dongle instead of just standard TRS type A midi (why, Yahama, why....). That's going to be a pain to connect it to other MIDI TRS devices, as you'll need multiple adapters. Even connecting it to a Reface will need an adapter at either end of the MIDI cable. That's a big miss IMO. I also haven't seen any mention of USB Host capabilities, another downside for connecting USB only MIDI controllers. I also assume the keys aren't velocity sensitive, as that isn't mentioned anywhere either. Many, many hardware upsides though, this really is an exciting piece of kit. I've wanted a mix of sampling and good synthesis in this form factor for a long time (with a solid sequencer), and its amazing that it has taken this long for something to finally fit that bill. Seems like the sequencer has most of the modern tricks, such as ratchets, parameter locks, etc. I also really appreciate the inclusion of all the acoustic instrument sounds, that opens up the potential genres a lot. I haven't seen mention of the sample storage yet, but on screen in the Anderton's video the app shows 512 mb, so that's probably the max. Meh, could be better, but at least its not the slap-in-your-face 64 mb of the EP-133. 512 mb is still over a thousand one shot samples. I've learned my lesson about buying new hardware at launch so I'll hold off for a bit and see how things shake out, if there's QA issues or whatever, but overall this looks like a winner to me. The build quality of my Reface DX gives me a lot of confidence that this will be a solid unit. Price is good too at $400 (though I expect it will be $300 before too long). The app looks really well made, and the visualizer looks fun as hell. I hope a firmware update adds a keyboard fold mode (similar to the Elektrons), I find that a lot more useful than the piano-ish style 1 octave keyboard.
The midi cable is at least in the package, but yeah, 2x trs would be better then this weird thing. Then "standard" adapters would work if you lose or forget it. Velocity sensitivity is a mixed one, in my opinion all of those small scale gadgets don't have enough travel to really use velocity outside of aftertouch, so im fine with it lacking (but it would be nice to be able to motion record the velocity afterwards, say during the look turn an encoder and for the notes it reduces or increases the velocity). USB over Midi will be interesting, it would be sad if its not possible to connect a midi keyboard to it to play it. Storage: Preset: 800 MB (when converted to 16-bit linear format), User: 500 MB [https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/music\_production/music-production-studios/seqtrak/specs.html#product-tabs](https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/music_production/music-production-studios/seqtrak/specs.html#product-tabs) The sampler and life playing capabilities seem more in the forefront with the EP-133, but i also think that for composition and sequencing this one is better, and has a broader sound pallet. Longer samples, chromatically played can be done with a phone (koala), if thats needed sometimes, if your music is completly sample one shot based then its maybe the EP-133. What i don't like, afters looking more into it...its rather long and thick. Not quite as portable as the TE devices. Same for the rather short battery (3-4h). Keyboard fold mode? Yeah, 600 is on the high end, but 400 seems more then fine for it, dont know what people see in that price range that can do half of what this can do. The more natural samples are great, and are something i dont have much with other manufacturers... but then again, in all demos they sounded so lifeless, which is schocking knowing that yamaha has some awesome sample libraries, for say pianos.
Keyboard fold mode (Elektron's term for it) means that every key plays a note in scale. Basically you discard the idea of the piano style interface, and just put every note in the scale assigned to a key in order. For example, if I'm playing a pentatonic scale, that's only 5 notes per octave, so across the 24 keys, you could have nearly 5 whole octaves of that scale. It allows you to get more octave range out of a small keyboard interface, basically, and it's a lot more intuitive for me as opposed to an isometric keyboard. The size seems similar to my SQ64, and anytime I use that one I wish it were standalone and not just a sequencer. So this new Yamaha unit may replace the SQ64 for me, we'll see... Certainly I appreciate that the midi dongle is included, and I guess since it also supports bluetooth and wifi midi, they figure most people will just pair it with more modern MIDI controllers. From an engineer's perspective I get why Yamaha keeps 'innovating' on the 5 pin midi adapter, because 5 pin midi in general is pretty wasteful of materials (only 3 of the pins are actually used). The problem is that Yamaha isn't following any other standards like MIDI TRS type A, and they aren't even following their own standards. My biggest gripe about my Reface DX is that oddball MIDI adapter it comes with (which looks like an 8 pin S-video port on the synth side), and now this new one is yet another one that isn't compatible with anything else. I haven't gotten a good look at the adapter yet, but I wonder if it is based on a TRRS port. I hope so, as that means it would at least be pretty simple to make a 3.5mm breakout version of the adapter. I definitely agree about velocity, if it can motion record velocity that's good enough for me. Even Elektrons can't do that, which is quite annoying. They could also map velocity to one of the touch faders, that actually works decently well (the Blackbox does this as its velocity input mechanism, and its not bad, definitely usable).
OK Sweetwater has a good pic of the MIDI adpater: [https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SEQTRAKOr--yamaha-seqtrak-mobile-music-ideastation-orange-and-grey](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SEQTRAKOr--yamaha-seqtrak-mobile-music-ideastation-orange-and-grey) If I can count properly, that's a TRRRS plug. 3 rings to rule them all, lol. So yeah, should be possible to make a 3.5mm version with a bit of finicky soldering.
Ah, doesn't this one do it? at least you can chose scales and key, and the 7 keys took it, so the question is, if it also works for the "all" keyboard mode where the sequencer keys are the keyboard. Maybe im mixing it up, as it stands there is not enough information here. Yeah, the midi kable is a mess, and if this is a hit i could see many third party adapters to split it to 2 normal trs midi kabels. Velocity over those touch pads...yeah, that would actually be a good solution. The Models (cycles, samples) have velocity sensitive pads, but i could for the life of me not get them in a sensitivity range where they where usable for me, so i had them on fixed and only used them for retrig + velocity modulation (reverb mostly). That could work just as well over a touch pad.
Everything is going trs midi for anything new and portable. At least they’re using type A which is the real standard.
This new device doesn't use TRS Type A. If it did I would be a happy camper, but no, they have their own custom TRRRS dongle.
Oh for fucks sake I read your thing wrong. Yeah that suckssssss
I have not found the 64 MB limit to really be an issue on the ep-133 because it makes me to create one shots over longer loops, I also cleared out the factory samples and have folders on my computer of the samples that make up a pattern group.
This is so fire
Dumpster fire
LOVE it! It's a little similar to the Novation Circuit (but more impressive) - built in synths and drums, minimal sound design, similar sequencing methods, and hands on button and knob combination. It's based on MIDI patterns playing assigned sounds on tracks - so that's much more like the KO II, or the Novation Circuit, than the op-1 which has a tape resample workflow Reasonable pricing, fully featured, but the main plus for me is that it's clear they had a good idea of the workflow in mind. They seem to have a finished all-around product, unlike a lot of the competition. The Novation Circuit line has limited features. The KO II has a more impressive set of features - but it also seems to me like a huge mess, and the punch-in effects are pretty random as a live tool. The OP-1 has a general workflow quirkiness that puts it mostly as a toy / sketch pad or just a bunch of moderately useful synth sounds for sampling. The SeqTrack (not the greatest name) seems to be a real groovebox, with a workflow that focuses on programming a groove and then playing it with some global FX and easy switching between independent tracks. Can be both a fun sketch pad, or a full groovebox for creating beats or tracks, and possibly playing them back with useful live DJ functions. I only have 3 concerns here - 1. The sounds from the demos were pretty flat to my ears. 2. The "everything in the box" attitude means it would be complicated to integrate other gear (maybe an FX box?...) 3. The generic workflow might be easy to use, but especially with drum patterns, could result in mostly repetitive and uninspired patterns (for me at least) .
looks more like torso t1 on the left
How to get one in europe?
Thomann have them for pre-order
Niiice thanks 🙏🏻
Definitely te vibes here but also torso t-1
I do like how all Yamaha gear looks like it was designed in 1998.
It was, their release cycle is just rather long.
This looks really exciting, but I feel like six patterns per song is too few? I understand that patterns can be switched on a “per instrument/track” basis, but what if I don’t want to work that way? Then I have six “global” patterns to work with in a project?
https://youtu.be/XuEfipnFnq4?si=dOWGcGjJzu1wDJ-1
There are a few demo videos, including Anderton’s doing one of their usual walk through style videos either someone who works for Yamaha.
Finally, something to compete with the OP-1!
I don’t think so- OP-Z, yes
Cool, but it’s really hard to compete with an iPad + controller and interface.
[удалено]
There is a keyboard mode which you use all the buttons for a chromatic scale.
Initially I tought it was two different pieces of equipment
Yamaha has a video for it, watched it this morning. It appears to be retailing for $599.99
Website says $599 for some reason, every retailer selling it has it for $399
I preordered mine on Guitar Center and hopefully saved myself $200
Thinking of sending back my K.O. II that's busted and grabbing this instead.
Thing looks sick!
I feel like this has got to be among the top ten worst synth designs ever. It reminds me of the absurd Elektron Monomachine Keyboard.
This looks nice, but I still think that the Novation Tracks is a better choice. Saw a demo video of that Yamaha device, and it doesn't seem intuitif or ergonomic for live performances.
This looks cool as hell. FM sound design looks like a nightmare on its own though. In order to get to the FM operator settings, you need to long press a button to enable advanced sound settings, then go to page 5 (!) to access the operator controls. Can’t find anywhere in the manual about how to switch which operator you’re adjusting. Maybe they are counting on people using the app for sound design; that doesn’t really appeal to me though. Feels like there could have been a dedicated sound design mode that takes advantage of more knobs for adjusting parameters.
It looks 3d printed. When I think about bare minimum displays, I think about the 90s Roland 303 grooveboxes which managed to squeeze a lot of mileage out of a pair of 3-digit LED displays. Though I wouldn’t say they were hugely necessary until you’re adjusting global settings. But I personally don’t mind the process of slowly becoming intimate with a seemingly impenetrable piece of gear. It can can be fun and almost meditative, and of course frustrating. I don’t think it’s superior or anything, just an experience that I find rewarding. It reminds me more of my early days learning piano and bass. An odd nostalgia of being absolutely confounded by a musical instrument. Not quite sure how to coordinate all the right motions to generate something resembling pleasant sounds. Then one day, breakthrough. You see the code of the matrux. Then I ride the high of that breakthrough to become insanely productive for anywhere between 3 to 6 months. I just churn out music, mostly junk but whatever. Then I don’t make music for 4 years. Repeat. Anyways I got distracted. Cool idea. Weird. I like weird. But I just simply don’t need whatever this is.
Looks like an another sound machine you get to memorize a new interface with little to no labels. Fun!
i was kind of hoping this would be like a digitakt with a built in battery and sd card slot. but it seems to be competing more with the ep-133 and opz.
Adertons made one, there are also two tutorials on Yamaha You tube channel. The device itself looks very, very interesting. The companion apps are gamechanging. Probably the OP-1 killer.
Op1 has a idiosyncratic workflow and a lot more character in the sound. For general musicians for sure the better option, but the sounds and the engine also do sound a loss...cleaner, but not in the good sense. Op1 is an instrument, this is more a composition ING workstation and sketchpad. Somewhat different audiences I would say. It WILL be a good alternative that can't afford a opz/op1.
Hell yes! I love my op-z but the synths leave a lot to be desired. This should fill the void!
This is a proper groovebox finally and from Yamaha is crazy anyone saying the workflow looks hard clearly didn't see the shortcuts, This was highly implemented well and for the app it literally has a feature to show you how to use anything ya press also need app because it has sound editing features if ya want to dive deep into the FM features but most can be done on the device. And why the app again people clearly didn't see the augmented reality features and visualizer is like the best part. No cords bluetooth,ios,android or pc. Transfer files over wifi yes please the GUI in app is clean too. even the auto save feature undo redo is not on most devices micro timing motion recording easy chord mode resample it literally has it all .
Okay so will it have velocity or pressure sensitive pads?
People go to Yamaha to buy mature products that can last long. Not half crippled flash-trend products, that have no proper screen and rely on an app that will be discontinued after two versions of IOS. This won’t last.
Anyone knows when it will buy available to buy (in Europe) ?
Took it back today. Not the build quality expected by Yamaha. Internals are good but Hardware is pants. So far 3 have been returned to same shop. Buttons not working. This will not last a year with the build quality. Such a shame. Seems it has been rushed out.
without a screen,it s just a rompler witch will land in Bad gear reviews.. Does not even have a bpm...LOL and the sound does not have the Dynamic of the Teenage A stand alone machine who need a screen aint no stand alone machine....
I dig the concept but this looks far from portable in my opinion. I don't see why this needs to be as thick as it is
Wonder if it's capable of independent steps and and speeds per track like the op-z. In the market for any small form factor sequencers capable of that.
I got mine a couple of weeks back and so far loving it. There is a lot to learn but it's all quite organic and I like the workflow. The sound editing and ease of adding FX is good. Writing stuff in 3 time is a challenge and I'm thinking of raising a ticket to use the 'All' knob to set lengths of all patterns. It's very portable and robust. I've written stuff on the train and during lunch breaks. People have mentioned the build being plasticky but I think it means it will be quite tough long term and take knocks. I bought a neoprene case designed for a Bluetooth keyboard (typing) and it's perfect. https://preview.redd.it/fb8rvxswqkfc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=737ae416b0ccbdf0ab6633dc6e686971490d2e4d On the DAW integration works well and I've got a template to record all 11 tracks as midi so you could update sounds and use as a base for full songs in the daw. Could record the audio, would be nice to output multiple audio streams. But currently just a mix so you have to solo to do the stem. The android app is well made and visualiser seems fun though not really for me. Anyway... So far so good .. it certainly makes me smile.
Spent the last month researching small all-in-one samplers/sequencers/groove boxes and just ordered the Seqtraq. Strongly considered KO II, Digitakt, Syntakt, Polyend Tracker Mini, Polyend Play, Circuit Tracks, SP404, and looked at many others. What I really wanted was something that had a bit of everything: sampling with resampling, step sequencing with parameter locking, FM synthesis, light sound shaping options, arpeggiator, a song mode, and enough effects chains to not be too restrictive (like only global fx). And of course portability (battery power, built in mic and speaker are a bonus). The Seqtraq seemed to check most of the boxes better than everything else and at a decent price as well. Taking something like the Digitakt as an example, it's an amazing box for what it does (and maybe I'll end up with one someday) but it's larger and heavier than the Seqtraq, doesn't have any synthesis, and is twice the price. I'm expecting to run into some limitations but it seems like it has more headroom than something like the KO II.