Yeah I’ve been also thinking if those buttons at the top could be used for inputting and playing notes in a scale. It would be a nice solution.
The issue with knobs is, that they couldn’t be used handheld. But they could put rotatable encoders on each side, like those volume controls on old walkmans, just endless type, to be used for live tweaking parameters (and I guess other things like scrolling a pattern or menu selection). Right now the only option is to connect small midi controller, but no handheld jamming this way and way more bulk and cables.
Yeah, I’ve had that exact idea too. One on each side, then two more on the shoulder (top) side. Would have offered a lot more expression. That’s my concern basically, that this tracker workflow doesn’t allow for any musical expression - everything is programmatic.
tbh the people feeling a need for the jogwheel may just not be the audience for this. if it feels close to as good as it feels to input data on the M8, the speed more than makes up for the lack of expression. its just not meant for live note input/jamming, i think thats the nature of the beast.
I’m not yet a tracker mini believer but I must say that everything about the full size tracker is perfect UX wise. An amazing machine to use. I hope the mini surprises me and replicates the magic despite the new buttons and no jog wheel.
Looks like a delay in initial shipments of the Mini per an email from Polyend:
We apologize for the inconvenience, but there has been an unexpected delay with a crucial part for the Tracker Mini. The delay is only a few weeks, but it will impact our release schedule. Originally, we planned to start shipping in mid-July. However, the first orders will now be shipped by the end of July, with the majority of orders being shipped in August.
We will fulfill pre-orders in the order they were placed, and we are committed to delivering the highest-quality instruments to you. If you ordered directly, you will receive a confirmation email once your order is ready for shipping.
We will also keep you updated on Tracker Mini shipping and firmware developments here. We have some exciting news on firmware developments coming soon as well! Thank you for your understanding.
Shipping schedule starts for:
1st batch - end of July - early August
I’m not vested in this so my feelings aren’t as strong or valid as a paying customer, but I have mixed feelings about a delayed product launch set for mid July which is announced on the 8th of July.
Sort of like a person who calls to cancel lunch plans when you’re already on your way to the restaurant…
Aside from that, product launches get delayed all the time so no big deal, but that means either they have known this would happen and waited to notify until the last minute, or their production hasn’t even completed and for a launch that was going to be a week away to still be building the units, when does the QC happen at polyend?
Perhaps an unwelcome opinion but an opinion none the less!
I don’t know if this is typical for a delayed launch, but it is indeed typical Polyend; they lack in transparency, as per usual, and although it might be within reason that the delay is stated this close to the initial release, it’s seems a bit fishy and Polyendesque lol. I’m really trying not to hate, but they just seem to mess things up with their communications again and again.
I am disappointed, because I had hoped to get mine in time for a trip I’m taking for the first two weeks of August. And I get what @shigginpit is saying; more notice would have been good.
Working on and off with hardware manufacturers over the last thirty years, I kind of get it. I don’t know that this is their problem — I have no contact with them aside from having them update a shipping address after I preordered an OG Tracker when we evacuated for the CZU Fire Complex in 2020, which they happily did — but I suspect something came up in manufacturing in the first batch that they were going to ship. I sure hope it was caught in the last pre-production run, though; manufacturing a batch, even a small one, and having to toss what you’ve built is an awful way to get a write-down.
I’ve been told — and cannot share — some horror stories of hardware delivery at Google where it was an all-hands-on-deck “fix these post-manufacturing” in China to make a delivery date. Not fun. And I’ve seen it elsewhere.
Part of this is the risk a firm takes in taking pre-orders, or even pre-announcing. And of course, part of it is our risk in actually believing those dates.
So, yeah — I’m frustrated, but I get it, and I’d rather wait and have a better thing in my hands.
Feels to me like they pre-announced quite early even without the delay. At least they are helping some of us to reduce the GAS because at this point, I’ve already more or less moved on. If this thing would have been available immediately, I probably would have owned one already.
One on each side, then two more on the shoulder (top) side. Would have offered a lot more expression. That’s my concern basically, that this tracker workflow doesn’t allow for any musical expression - everything is programmatic.
