ah, a hardware tracker, to keep track of my hardware and where I placed it. cool. No more lost synths and no "oh there you were hiding all the time!" moments.
Glad to see you got an M8, Gabe! I received mine a couple of weeks ago - I absolutely love it. Not sure if you've updated your M8 since this video, but you should definitely look at installing the 2.5 update - which has a heap of cool new features! The new scales implementation is particularly impressive (you can actually use it in combo with the FM synth to easily write chords - and there is even a little piano graphic showing the notes playing for the selected track, which is actually way more useful than it sounds!)
Man i am jealous, I want one of these, this is truly the most musical creation power ever fit into a pocket sized truly anywhere device! Curse my job loss!!
So I've noticed you mention, in this video and others, the buttons of a unit being "clicky". It may be a bit pedantic, but in the mechanical switch world that means something specific that does not apply to these. There are three switch types: linear, tactile, and clicky. Linear just go straight up and down with no perceivable change along their travel. Tactile have a small "bump" where the resistance gives way to let you know when the switch is engaged. Clicky are like tactile but have an extra mechanism that thwacks back into place when the bump is passed to generate an audible click sound. (Check out "blue" switches to get an idea of what that's like.) The M8 and the Polyend Tracker use Kailh Brown low-profile switches, which are tactile, not clicky. In contrast, Elektron's Digi units use linear switches (also by Kailh, but not the same mechanical keyboard variety). tl;dr: Are these keys a bit noisy? Yes. Are the clicky? No, and it might mislead folks to say so. Figured it might be helpful to point out. Cheers and keep up the great work.
Could the M8's switches be replaced with linear switches for quieter operation, without desoldering? I know swapping parts between keycaps is a thing in the mech keyboard community, but I've never done it myself so I don't know how practical it is.
@@iishirasu You can definitely replace them, but it's not going to reduce much. The bump isn't what's making the noise. The noisiness mostly comes from the stem hitting the housing when you bottom out and when you release. O-rings can help on the bottom-out for MX switches, but I don't think there's an equivalent for these low-profile "choc" switches yet. In the MX world there are also switches with softer housing or stem impact pieces that reduce the noise, but again, I don't think we have a choc equivalent yet. You might be able to lube the stem impact points, but I wouldn't expect much improvement from it tbh. Now, once you release the switch you might notice a "ping" sound. That's the spring. That can be reduced by lubing the spring, which is what I've done with mine. All this said, if there DO come about some new choc switches designed to be quieter, then you can easily swap them out, as the M8 board has hot-swap sockets. Kudos to Tim from Dirtywave for that.
just to be clear the switches are hot swappable. so you can get whatever Kailh low profile switches and key caps you want and put them in to customize the feel / sound. don't tell r/MK or all those keyboard crazies will be over here (says the person who just finished 2nd custom board). lol
M8 has definately one of the best sound engines amongst all the grooveboxes, like you could tell on all the M8 videos, but the tracker type workflow is not very inspiring for me. I've got an M8 headless installed on my teensy, and my GAS for M8 has been cured. IMHO, M8 shared the same market of OP-Z. Both are targeting at portable musical device, with the similar price range. But from almost every perspective, this little monster is on the opposite of OP-Z, which has such an intuitive and inspiring workflow, and so many features for live performaning, but with such a weak sound engine and very limited expanding capabilities (lack of midi, stereo line in, very limited ram, etc). With M8, you can write a pretty complex song with rich sounds, but very slow. With OP-Z, you can sketch a phrase very very fast, but the outcome is very limited. If Dirtywave has got another project with a linear workflow, or an OP-Z with M8 inside, that would be the ultimate portable groovebox.
IMO the whole point of it is that it's a tracker. There are plenty of other grooveboxes out there that have non-tracker sequencers and similar synthesis options.
@@0Fdigital But none of them have this compact form factor. That’s the advantage of tracker. Maybe a Nintendo Switch with Korg Gadget could be on par? 😄
@@grouponspeam9236 The touchscreen functionality in the Switch version of Korg Gadget is pretty terrible and there's no MIDI implementation. Better to go with an iPod Touch. (I say that as someone with no love for Apple.)
The whole concept of testing it out blind and then coming back to it after digging into the manual is a really cool video format to share with folks. Glad you were able to appreciate its clean interface and UX without any prior knowledge or experience with this specific tracker style. Cheers :)
I so much wanted one of these when they were $450 and unavailable……. now the AHEM “Chip Shortage” pricing of $550 makes it sooooo much less appealing. Much like the Polyend Tracker, my ancient Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with Renoise on it and a beat up old Akai MPD218 or even my $30mMechanical keyboard can scratch the itch or a Rasberry Pi with Touch screen and tracker software. I LOVE HARDWARE buuuuuuut theres times when it Simply makes more sense to use software and a controller or touch screen. i think I can even get a decent Tracker for my iPhone. I can also approximate Tracker like workflow on my MPC One as others have pointed out. Shame the Gameboy Tracker isn’t really an option anymore you can buy Gameboys for Pittance. Yeah sometimes I’m a CHEAPSKATE. LOOKS like a great piece of kit tho
My past self would have absolutely loved one of these. It has most of what I wanted back when I was using trackers. I would have taken it pretty much everywhere and made a ton of songs on it. After using newer workflows though, it's hard to go back... even for something this cool. I'm glad to hear it's constantly sold out though, because that suggests the work its creator put in is paying off, and this thing is pretty awesome.
Great video! I love how you show the whole process from being a little confused at first to becoming comfortable with the interface. I think it's important to show that initial period of confusion as that's likely to be most people's first impression. It's nice to have watched this device go from a cute little tracker sequencer to something a lot of people want in the space of two years :)
Loved the unprepared vs post-read-up format, shows up front what it seems a lot of people experience with the M8. Personally I, emotionally, feel it's really simple to use, but then I've been using LSDJ for years, so I find people's confusion kinda bewildering so this was a nice illustration of the journey. 'Live quantize' refers to live mode (where you got stuck with the track refusing to stop in the earlier part of the video. Shift+Left and to get in and out, but I imagine you figured that out by now) It's the quantization of when triggering a chain in the song screen, in live mode, takes effect (4 bars etc). ie how it syncs with the rest of the song, if your familiar with clip/global quantization in ableton, essentially the same thing.
I'd like to see how the M8 plays with outboard gear over MIDI. Looks like one hell of a fun idea machine. Too bad I don't have the eyesight for the ant trails display though.
You’ll be happy to know that MIDI sequencing was implemented early and is solid (with most of the internal synth engines added afterward.) I wear glasses these days, and you might be surprised by the display clarity in person. It’s really good. That said, there’s also remote display over USB, complete with audio I/O, the screen as big as you want on your computer monitor, driving it with its buttons or a keyboard or controller, etc.
Thank you,love the percussive macro synth pattern at the end 😎 do you know if this gorgeous machine chucks out radio waves ? The teenage engineering pocket operator gave me horrible headaches and made it unusable 😣 I’m praying it’s not the case with this as I definitely want to by one,thank you 😊
@MEILĖS TERORISTAI I already tried m8 with an 35 Dollar teensy 4.1 and the web display 😀 I did not like it sadly for me but I wanted to know how gabe thinks about the usability in compharison to other Devices
there's a comparison on other channel between these two, personally i've got PT and it's very easy and intuitive to use (and i didnt use any trackers in the past), M8 on the opposite - after watching many videos - seems to have much more difficult learning curve (partly because of small screen an less keys, altough its touch sensitive), but on the other side M8 got much more powerful synth engine and richer sound, but im happy with by PT so far, because easy of use out of the box, and how fast you can make sketches and turn them into songs is for me much more important ("fun factor")
Personally, I find the M8 easier to navigate than the PT, but less immediate or flexible. I'll probably have more thoughts as I do dedicated reviews for both.
I've had both for awhile, and I did not come from a tracker background, nor LSDJ. For me, I think the usability of the Polyend Tracker has the M8 beat, if only because of the ways that Polyend chose to DEPART form the classical tracker ways. For example, the Polyend doesn't really use hexadecimal, and has a few non-tracker-y tricks up its sleeve, like FILL, and the one-button-per-function is seriously underrated. The M8 is probably more powerful in terms of features, and obviously far more compact and portable, but also more technical and menu-divey. More like you're 'programming' your music. Both handle samples VERY well... something that I don't think anyone really expected. They're both full-on actual samplers, although the M8 doesn't have 'real' timestretching.
Is it worth getting a m8 when i have a digitakt? For the synth engines and other features could they work well together or is it more redundant? Great video and presentation btw! Thanks for this.
Started playing around with mine last week. The build quality is absolutely outstanding! I'd say at least the same level of quality as SOMASYNTH Lyra-8.
I'm someone who have quite good feel with sounds but never really started to make music and don't know these piano term and so on, is this or OP1, OPZ and other devices or just use MacBook Pro keyboard and GarageBand and Logic Pro better if I want to make futuristic modern musics and soundtracks from Tenet, Tron, and Blade Runner movies and Wipeout flying car games and also want to make sounds for game development?
Looks like a interesting gadget for sure. I used to dabble with famitracker but found the tracker environment wasnt very inspiring or hands-on when actually writing a track. Its pretty much music production for computer programmers lol.
I am usually someone who get's hyped very easy with new gear. But it just dosen't happen for me with the M8. What I heart from some of the Videos of the M8 is really impressive. But the layout and the screen full of numbers is just not talking to me.
Epic, Gabe. Thanks! Can't wait or your deep dive on the M8. Mine (along with my Polyend Tracker) have become my go-to music boxes lately. Sadly, they've both displaced my MC-101 and are making it difficult to keep ahold of the Circuit Rhythm. As far as the power-to-size ratio, do you think anything on the market even comes close to the M8, save for a smartphone?
Gabe, thanks for another enjoyable upload. This devce really has me excited. We are sooooo so lucky to have individuals whose passion and dedication push the envelope . These are the creators we should all support, they provide for us the space to step outside the box with devices and systems that make this such a dynamic past time... Like Polyend, 1010 Music and Elektron M8 is a must....order in.
@@alecsbuga better in terms of possibilites (fat synth engines) but lacks in terms of learning curve/easy to use which here is quite opposite then in PT, also PT has way better sample editing possibilities (what might be important for those more sample focused beatmakers)
@@Niko80s the latest updates has added a lot of new functionality to the sample editor, and also worth noting that M8 has full stereo unlimited length samples versus the mono samples on the polyend. M8 has actually become my go to sampler over the 404, mpc and po32.
@@bangsjamin im fully aware that on many fields it beats PT :) though personally i think that if someone (like me) didnt have any previous experience with trackers, polyend is really easy and its big screen with many function keys, scroll encoder and octave grid also have huge advantage in terms of use over M8 (altought M8 overall seems to be more powerful ).
I find it very funny that this device has the interface of a Game Boy running LSDJ. Really want one, but they don't sell it in Europe and importing would be too expensive.
The m8 does look cool.... BUT.... who on earth would want to operate a tracker with such few buttons? I get that its portable but you lose so much speed here. If you want a portable tracker, get something like a thinkpad x220, install a new battery and an ssd, buy renoise. You will have a much better experience using a tracker with a full keyboard plus you get vst support plus you can download amazing user made renoise plugins and instruments for free.
So this is basically a fancy expensive LittleGPTracker aka PiggyTracker.. looks quality (very much in comparison of my new Powkiddy V90 running LGPT) Thanx for taking your time to demonstrate this!
So the question is... How come it sounds so freaking good! This one guy apparently writes better synth code than all of those big companies? The DAC etc is just better? what's going in... Compared to a deluge or Circuit to my ears this sounds way way better
To also signal boost like I did on Jeremy's video: there is the headless M8 that you can get up and running on the cheap to get a feel for the interface to avoid scalpers. This thing excites me, need more time on mine
I came across your video yesterday, and today I ordered one. I love everything I see and hear from this device. Haven't been tracking since 2002, so this will surely give me inspiration and nostalgia in loads. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome reviews. I appreciate you taking the time to do these. They really help us to make more sound choices in our search for the gear that fits us best. Looking forward to more videos of cool stuff to make awesome music with.
Will you do more stuff with the M8 soon? Quite curious to see what you can do with it! I finally bought the bullet and ordered one. September looks very far away. Btw, I really like this format where you show your initial struggles with the devices as it makes things really relatable and I think it's encouraging for me as a mere mortal :D
Thanks! I actually think the menu diving is not bad at all, although my opinion might be shaped by spending too much time with various grooveboxes. Composition itself might involve more friction though, I'll report back in my full review.
Looks like a mini polytracker but with so few buttons and no touch screen it really hurt my head to see its interface and usage. Not sure why they didn't go with a touch screen solution like the 1010 blackbox; because if you want to use as few controls as possible, you need a touch screen; or you go for the full tracker interface like the polyend. Interesting but it is really for few
@@paulatreides0777 depends; like everything in life. I would take any day a device with knobs and touch screen, compared to a device with buttons and no touch screen
I ordered it April of last year, and it arrived in October. I got pretty overwhelmed with other projects so it took me a while to get around to both starting and finishing the video. Well worth the wait though!
I have to disagree: The UI is genius! Tried, tested and refined over many years via LSDJ. I admit it's probably not for everybody. Best to give it a try over a day or two (e.g. using the headless version). Videos tend to make it look more intimidating than it really is.
i had own many grooveboxes, and those two are completely different machines, mc-101seems to be way easier to use, but still needs some menu diving that with it's little tiny screen is not so comfortable, more proper comparison would be to put M8 along Polyend Tracker which - while many find confusing after watching videos - is in reality very easy and out-of-the-box to use, altought not so powerfull and sometimes limited, compared to M8.
I'd probably recommend the MC-101 for starting. It's polyphonic (each track can play multiple notes at once) and the workflow is a little more Ableton style. I worked my way into the Tracker workflow over time, and I still don't find it as immediate as something like an MC-101 or Circuit.
@@GabeMillerMusic that's interesting, because i would say that Circuit is as easy as PT, and with both of them i didnt need to look into manual for first few days, and was able to do quick sketches, altough they're of course two very different machines, and for some people that "excel sheet" view on pattern screen might be a bit overwhelming, altough fun fact is that you dont really have to put any attention to all those letters and numbers while recording stuff :)
@@FastRCToys 8 monophonic tracks, which can then be up to 32 note paraphony (macrosynth paraphonic modes or fmsynth parallel algorithms). No idea where you're getting 3 from there.
@@InfotoxIn So no polyphony at all... I've checked with Renoise, each trach have polyphony and you can play chords easily. So it's just a 40 usd Teensy 4.1 microcomputer overpriced... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gf1Blf8M7XE.html
@@FastRCToys Why use renoise’s limited per track note polyphony when you can use ableton? ;) The overpriced hardware as you put it enables me to make it economically feasible while continuing development and running production. It also enables me to give the firmware out for free as “headless” (which is the video you linked to) as a low cost option for those that either can’t afford M8 or want to try it first without buying the official hardware.
Okay but VS Polyend? I almost ended up with one of them but after watching so many demos of the continuous vertical scrolling I decided it wasn't for me. Personally I'd like to see Yamaha put out new QY... I had a used 70 but one of the main buttons contact was worn out and I think caused permanent damage to my right thumb so I returned it.
@@DJDigitalJosh Or that possibly... I have an RM1x I never use and I actually like those "dated" 90's DnB type sounds in there. Only real issue is the disk drive needs minor repair (it's loose and falling out of the case) Also the screen is now dim. What I'm on about the QY's (the later ones) is the smaller form factor like the M8, Gameboy/PSP style
i've got Polyend and was considering to get also M8 because its so small portable and has fat synth engines, but after watching many videos i've decided to stick with PT - it's very fun, quick and easy to use, while M8 seems to have much more advanced learning curve. PS. in PT you can change scrolling to vertical - it was included in one of the recent firmware updates (which are still continuing and are developing new possibilities)
@@DJDigitalJosh i did own rm1x in the past and it was one of the most easy and fun to use hardware grooveboxes, full agree that would be awesome to see some new refreshed box to get developed by Yamaha ;)
@@Niko80s Same here. The M8 seems to be much more powerful than the PT, but the more "simplistic" approach of the PT is what i like so much about it. I can just hop on it, don't have to remember that many key combinations and just have fun. And if I want to do extensive sound design and more complex stuff, I turn on Ableton.
I don't think it is. Retro seems to be popular, yes, but it's advancing in other ways. Keep in mind that this thing has multiple synth engines in it and basically a full DAW interface while being really small and portable.
@Timothy Lamb What you are saying is just nonsense. M8 is a 40 usd teensy microcomputer sold 550 usd with a cryptic 6502 assembly code interface. But the main problem right now is the bad sound of T-72 russian tanks...
