NAMM 2023: Polyend Tracker Mini is a new handheld version of the Tracker hardware groovebox with a built-in sampler, granular synth, and more.
That was a short leak. Tonight (Europe Time), Polyend officially launched the Tracker Mini.
According to Polyend, it offers a refined signal patch providing more headroom and pristine stereo audio playback. The sampling time has been increased to four times the capacity of the original Tracker. So it now has stereo samples support? It’s not yet confirmed, but it would be a significant upgrade to the regular Tracker.
Here is a little video showing the Tracker Mini in action.
Leak Article From April 12, 2023 (3PM Europe)
The NAMM Show, Superbooth, etc. are the times of many new product presentations. This includes leaks. These often come from big stores. This time comes to a leak from Sweetwater.
The American music retailer has leaked the Polyend Tracker Mini, which will be presented at NAMM 2023.
Polyend Tracker Mini
According to Sweetwater (leak), it packs all the essential parts of the firmware in a new, more sleek, portable hardware device. It comes with a vivid display screen, 32 gameplay-grade buttons, and an intuitive interface, says the product page. The design reminds me of many classic gaming handhelds and goes well with the Tracker.
On the engine side, it will feature a sampler with granular synthesis and a wavetable Synthesizer again. You can manipulate samples on the fly in limitless ways with pitch-shifting, envelope generators, filters, one-shot, reverse, and ping-pong modes, and reverb. Samples can be uploaded via microSD or captured on the unit using the onboard mic or line input.
There is also again the built-in Tracker-style sequencer with the best-known vertical column configuration. Each project allows 48 instruments and 256 patterns with 128 steps per pattern for building massive tracks. The Tracker Mini can also be used as a MIDI control to send out MIID data to other hardware devices.
On the connection, you have a line in, a line out on the front side, and MIDI on 3.5mm TRS on the front panel. On the back side, you have the microSD card slot and a USB-C port capable of sending audio over USB to your computer. The leak says it’s bus-powered via the included USB-A power adapter.
Interestingly, the Polyend Tracker Mini will feature an onboard battery providing up to 8 hours of operation. This is very handy so you can use the Tracker Mini when traveling or outside the studio. It also includes a hard case.
First Impression
The original tracker is an interesting take on a groovebox. Above all, the engine with granular synthesis and wavetable synthesis is a lot of fun. Now even more compact and with a more retro handheld charm, the whole thing could be a good move forward for the Tracker engine. I think the new internal battery is a great addition to the Tracker. That makes it more portable and mobile.
Polyend Tracker Mini will be available soon for $699/699€.
More information here: Polyend
Available at my partner
This is really stupid. Put an 8 hour long battery in the original Tracker, which is portable enough, and that’s it.
However that would not allow them to sell a new product.
I bought the m8 tracker at an expensive price I just wish we could get some kind of a warning or open discussion from these companies I don’t plan on becoming a hoarder! This look’s really cool and the synthesis engine from the tracker is almost infinite!
The M8 is infinitely more powerful you don’t need to gas for this.