Just got mine today. First go at a tracker and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing lol. Gonna crack open the manual after a few more hours of self discovery. I will say I’ve figured out quite a bit on my own so far, interface feels intuitive enough just gotta get the muscle memory down, just like any video game lol.
It sounds really dope and so far I’ve just been spending time using the synth engines to make drum sounds and sequencing them in a very basic sequence.
Really loved the packaging and unboxing experience. I know in the grand scheme of things it’s not a big deal but theres also something very fun about unboxing something that feels like attention was taken towards the experience. And the fact that it comes with not only a case but a protective cloth sleeve is a big plus. Pretty much every other company you’d be buying a $30-$60+ case on top of the device. Already I think the M8 hit a good price point but to come in with extra goodies like that it a very big bonus to me.
Great first impressions so far. I should also mention its bigger in person than I expected and thus feels very good in the hands, ergonomics was a concern of mine and now that I have one in hand it definitely is not an issue.
Edit:
Oh yeah, also being able to edit the color scheme within the hardware itself is dope. I don’t know how I missed that in the Discord Meetups but I always just assumed people were editing a .ini file or something to get their custom themes. And the boot up logo and sound is also fun, I love when devices have cool bootups lol. (The Digi and Octatrack boxes also have super dope start ups).
@trash80 I know your plan is to sell leftover units at the end of October after the preorders have been filled and I know there isn’t a specific time you can give for that, but can you give a rough estimate of how many you think might be left before the restock in December/January? Like, 20, 50, 100, 200+
I have been refreshing my email and the M8 webpage about ten times a day after preorders started arriving and given that people are losing their minds reviewing it I feel like those leftovers are going to sell out instantly. Just trying to temper my expectations and avoid that shiny gear heartbreak if the M8 is going to be elusive for months.
Probably the most amazing product development and launch by a single person I have ever seen by the way!
It looks like 200ish units are left but I should probably not build and sell them all out because support/spare units. Price will go up fairly significantly ($100USD or so) for direct orders because at this point I can’t afford the next batch and rents/expenses. Need to price it where everyone is happy including the business (which I am terrible at). Also found out all components are in a worse garbage fire than it is was in May, and as such everything has gone up in cost.
With everyone from Elektron to Polyend raising prices, it should be expected you’d have to as well. The device you’ve built is worth it. Don’t undersell it (or yourself)
I’m not trying to cut into my own purse but you could sell them for twice the price and they would still blow out. I think Polyend showed that trackers have a market and you have things like the OP-1 selling at +$1000 after a decade. The only thing I have seen recently with as much hype as the M8 in the electronic gear world is the 404mkII, and y’know, literally an update to a legend there. Just fiddling around with the headless keeps blowing my mind, the possibility of getting a hardware M8 has tempted me away from several devices in the $400-$1000 range over the last few months.
Get your money, you’ve earned it! I will keep checking the website like a fiend this month and I am sure there are more than 200 other people out there doing the same.
Just received my tracker. Haven’t turned it on yet, is it normal to have a little rattle sound? Sounds like something is loose inside. Not sure if I should open it up and check
I flip samples and purchased an M8 with the sole intention of making beats, but this is my first tracker and it’s like learning a new language for me so far lol but sampling into the device and setting your slices is very straightforward. The device is actually quite intuitive. Navigation is quick and easy too.
I love mine already, but I’ve still got a lot to learn.
It has a pretty similar set of features to the Polyend Tracker, minus PT’s granular and wavetable synthesis, roll effects, and performance mode, but the M8 does have two freely assignable envelopes and lfos per sample, as well as a table per sample, which might be its most powerful feature, IMO. The M8 also has a really nice global chorus in addition to reverb and delay.
I would say that the PT still outshines the M8 in certain areas of sample manipulation, and yet the M8’s sampling feature’s still sound better to me. Could be the higher resolution stereo audio, or the way step effects transition between one another, or it’s just in my head cuz I’m really smitten with the M8
To add to this. Once you’ve sliced your sample (Based on whatever preset amount you choose) you can then use a sample position effect to set a new position within that slice. It seems like it would be difficult but I actually found it to work pretty well, and you can get into some very high resolutions. The only thing is, you don’t have the waveform to visualize while you’re using slice mode, so it’s all ears.
