Maybe they want to keep you in their ecosystem.
I’ve never touched one, but judging from the specs and videos, it seems the OP-XY doesn’t offer as much as the M8 in terms of sound design. You don’t have so many parameters to tweak in the synths (that’s what stopped me from considering it as an option).
If you’re deep into sound design, not sure TE can compete with the M8.
That’s true. When it comes to sound design, the XY can’t compete. For me, sound design is not everything.
However, the XY is much more “hands on”, supports multisamples, has 24 voices and allows polyphonic playing (without turning polyphonic tracks into rocket science like the M8).
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In the meantime I grabbed a Teensy 4.1 and installed the M8 headless on it. I ordered one of those Anbernic console that looks like a gameboy to use as a controller. Let’s see how far I will get with it.
I am pretty sure I will miss the immediacy of something that is not a tracker 
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ive been basically looking for the same thing, its really impressive how much you can do sound design wise with the M8 and I would absolutelylove to have something like that in a more immediate form as well, with an elektron etc. style step sequencer.
I also don’t see how its not possible to make something like that, I have been wondering for a while why in all other grooveboxes theres always some weird arbitrary limitations, except with the M8 that seemingly does everything you’d want.
This thread has it right overall imo, the OP-XY is a contender in terms of portability, sports a great sequencer too. but yeah the sound design versatility isn’t really there in the synths, and especially for me, I do not like how limited sampling is on that thing. It’s also significantly more expensive, of course. Put the M8 synth engines into the OP-XY, add native timestretching for good measure or make it possible by modulating the sample playhead like on the M8, make it able to load longer samples/increase overall sample memory per project, and you’d have my dream groovebox…
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Welcome! No need to crucify you 
I have plenty of apps on iOS that I use regularly but I just can’t get used to making music on those devices. I still need something I can play on with tactile feedback, thus why I like having pads and encoders to fiddle around with. It makes for a whole different experience. I know it’s just personal taste, but that’s one of the reasons I am looking for a physical device and not something with a touch screen.
And btw I am not even interested in a tracker experience, but I would love to have a device that works as a tracker under the hood but does not force me to input the data in the tracks manually, which is somehow similar to how the Elektron boxes work, if you think about it.
The M8 looks like the closest gadget as per pertability and sound design, but it completely lacks the “playability” part. On the other hand, the OP-XY has great playability but lacks in sound design. That’s where something that apparently does not exist would really shine.
Regarding playability, is it that you’d want to have sequencer data recorded for editing later, or would you want recorded audio to sequence and manipulate?
I agree that the M8 is not primarily designed for these uses but it can work for both to a degree if you have a midi keyboard attached.
The usb host/trs midi issue then rears its head, meaning cables and devices etc but might be worth considering?
Honestly I feel like people are discounting the sound design on the XY a little too heavily… coming from someone who has a large modular, deep Waldorf synths an M8 and an XY. I’d say I prefer the sound design on the XY over the M8 for bread and butter type stuff, neither of them will scratch the truly deep sound design itch like a device dedicated to it… M8s fm engine is impressive for sure but I think the over all quality of the XY engines is higher and creatively abusing the macros has a lot to offer and at least put it in equal footing. You do have to resort to sequencing parameters sooner in the XY but it does do so quite well. As far as mastering chain sound design type stuff goes XY is fantastic.
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Honestly just buy an m8.
I have an embarrassment of grooveboxes.
M8 is without doubt the best. I also love my octatrack, op1f, deluge. They’re all very different, they work as workflow wasabi to each other.
I’ve used many more and sold them btw.
The m8 sound design, firstly, is phenomenal. The portability means that I use it constantly. As for the tracker “workflow”… I thought I’d just be tolerating it. And it’s not always what I’m in the mood for (nor is the op1f tape workflow, or the deluge button matrix). But the m8 workflow grows and grows and grows on you. There’s nothing as good, anywhere, especially for arrangements, but also so much other weird stuff like polyrhythms. The interface overall, outside the sequencer, is a true modern masterpiece of efficiency.
It’s the best device I’ve ever owned in any category. You won’t love any device all the time. If you want something else, buy something else alongside it. M8 plays brilliantly with other devices. Run them thru the m8 distortion (omfg), sequence them from m8, use them to sequence m8 synths or play m8 instruments live from an external keyboard, sample loops from other devices instantly in the new m8 firmware, plug in a controller and assign knobs to m8 parameters.
It’s just magnificent. It’s so easy to take to the sofa or the train. It can sample capture your great work from other bigger devices and then you have them with you, everywhere. You can get phenomenal live expressive knob twisting vibes -for a tiny device- from the two axes of cc on the touchscreen. It’s just perfect.
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I know opinions and preferences differ, and I completely agree on the lack of “playability” regarding the m8, at least in comparison to similar instruments. But putting the TE OP-series in the same box surely is a hot take I’ve never read before. The playability of both the OP-1f and OP-XY is among their greatest strengths imho.
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I had 2 Deluges - both couldnt cope with sample usage and kept crashing - gone
I had 2 OP-1s - Once you get past the cool factor, very limited - gone
Also had MPCs, SP, s2400s etc
But the M8 im constantly amazed by. I love its aesthetic (80s Ceefax, early BBC computer OS)…The synths sound great and very usable and the tracker workflow allows me to make songs far quicker than a DAW - your forced into thinking about a part A, part B, part C of a track. And not a single crash - super quick workflow.
And whenever i get the slightest doubt of my M8 (rare) i load up a M8 project file of Red Means Recordings album ‘Rituals’. So amazing the capabilities of the M8 for writing fully fledged music.
Going back to the OP OG concern - lack of knobs etc. Get the OMX-27 keyboard which has configuered knobs for the M8
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I hear where you are coming from, and trackers aren’t traditionally strong in this area. I’ll say in defence of the M8 of all the trackers I’ve used it’s easily the most playable.
The realtime song mode, XY touch screen for parameter/filter sweeps. Once you get a bit of muscle memory you can jump around that song view and arrange in real time on the fly, very like I’d do on a Elektron box. It tickles that same part of my brain “I’m playing this thing”
I would love the M8 in a Digi sized desktop box. I don’t fully know how this would work in practice, while keeping the core of the UX the same - perhaps a few shortcut buttons, a handful of mappable encoders, bigger screen, proper size MIDI & audio jacks ?
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what do you mean by couldn’t cope with sample usage, could you elaborate?
Hello everyone,
I have been interested in this topic for years and have been waiting for the ultimate Grovvebox and the longer I waited, the worse they got.
Yes, there is a Grovvebox, but there is always a catch. There have been some good alternatives listed now, but it doesn’t work for me.
M8 I’ve now had in hand via a friend. Even with glasses, the screen is way too small for me. XY small screen, small buttons, not that I have sausage fingers, this is supposed to be fun, I don’t know.
Now I just find a new video with the EMX-1, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBFpn3hz_AM, that looks like fun. It’s just the prices that are being charged these days, people should come down.
The only thing I can think of at the moment that I might like is PTNSHIFT, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArXQ9S3Si8Q&t=103s.
But then again, maybe I just don’t know what to do.
Are you using the larger font on the M8 or is it an M8 MK2 with the larger screen? I’ve not had any issue with those font sizes.
I mean they would crash quite often with basic samples
Mustnt criticise Deluge etc - i get it…But i tried twice, OG and LED…Couldnt hack sample playback…Just random crashes - always with samples involved…Red Means Recording mentioned something similar - the M8 just handles samples like a dream compared to the Deluge…Not had a single crash
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not at all, I don’t care about that… I do however care about my issues with my beatmachines, I haven’t encountered this with the Deluge, but it was concerning to read that, being that I got mine primarily for sample based use.
Did RMR go into any depth of what the issue is and could you maybe link it?
Wherever there is a deep, flexible groovebox, loved by many, you will find some people saying it’s hard to use.
A reface CP, or a 303 clone, I can evaluate the workflow and fun in a few minutes. When I first touched m8, octatrack, deluge, I did it knowing that I was going to have to put weeks in to get to the bottom of it.
The things I’ve sold on, tbh, were the things that felt easiest at first touch. They were simpler but thin.
in this case the OP is familiar with and already knows how to use trackers, it just wasn’t what he was looking for
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Learning (and getting used to) the Tracker workflow is way more easy, than finding a new machine.
On top of that: Elektron devices are so close to tracker workflow, that the only thing you need to get used to is the way tracks a displayed. And you might be impressed how well the device is controlled only with those few keys.
Having it that small, so you can pull it out where ever you are, is such a gamechanger!
OT: I had to lauch about all the “PE Tracker” Posts in a thread, where the OP asked for a devices with the same features but without the tracker interface. PE Tracker is the complete oposite to his request. But where ever M8 is mentioned, people come and point at PET 
To be fair, I think its the same the other way around.