Not sure how polyend does it but M8 can render individual sections or full track stems to sd card.
PT can render mix or stems to SD.
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Hello mtts,
thank you very much for the detailed and honest description of both devices.
I have cut both devices to size on paper and also see a certain problem with the size of the display on the M8.
What is particularly important to me is the sound, here you wrote that both devices sound equally good.
The advantages and disadvantages are due to the device, although you could think that the software could be improved on the Mini.
Ultimately, you would have to have both devices like you do and try them out for yourself.
I will think about it!
Firmware 1.1 is out with a number of important improvements
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Stereo line-in sampling! 
Good update, but some people is going get mad about the lack of synth engines.
It never had synth engines, why would people be mad that they weren’t added in this update?
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Because of the m8 and Polyend Play Plus. A lot people speculate because the plus got synth engines, that the mini could get synth engines,like the M8
That speculation was baseless, though, wasn’t it? To my knowledge polyend have never said they are implementing synth engines on the tracker.
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Serious question, and I don’t mean to start holy wars: my impression is that in the Polyend Mini vs M8 comparison, most people find M8 to be more powerful and recommend it over the Polyend Mini. I travel a lot for work, and would love to buy a small tracker like this to take with me. I am leaning towards M8 but the used marked for the first version is not that interesting - prices are pretty high.
So I am now deciding between:
- Waiting for the next preorder batch of M8 v2, then waiting for what seems like half a year until it arrives
- Buying the Polyend Mini right now, despite it being allegedly inferrior to M8 while costing the same
The question is: is Polyend Mini half-a-year-wait worse than M8?
Alot of people think anything is possible with a firmware update
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I know two people in real life with Trackers, and one of them also has a m8 . If you don’t need the synth engines, I’m not actually sure if it’s worth the wait - the people with Trackers make absolutely stellar music, and the dude who has both makes identically awesome music with both. I’ve only finished three songs with my m8 in the 9 months I’ve had it, even though I really enjoy using it. I get stuck around 80% of the way, and I personally don’t love editing the synth engines even though it’s fairly straightforward. It has become more of a “noodle around at work/ on the couch” device than a “get music done” device. I think the PtM would fall into the same category for me, but I don’t use samples aside from drums.
The wait is indeed long for a m8 and used prices are high. Personally, if you don’t need/want the synth engines, I’d say try out the PtM. If you don’t like the it, you can sell it and wait for a m8. I’m curious to try out the PtM at some point simply because the 16-step patterns on the m8 can feel a bit awkward when programming longer melodic sequences even when putting a chain together, though I’d miss having synths built-in. Maneuvering around the m8 is fast, but it requires a ton of button presses sometimes, and I do still get lost occasionally. Having dedicated buttons for different screens would be cool but obviously that goes against the m8’s heritage and design philosophy (and wouldn’t fit the form factor).
Ultimately this decision is so intensely personal that I don’t know if anybody will be able to give you a concrete answer. There are plenty of people who love or hate one or the other or both.
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I’ll say this,I had both and mini is alot easier to maneuver around. They say muscle memory kicks in with the m8, but it didn’t for me. But still ,I might pick up the new m8 to try out
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I wouldn’t consider the Mini “inferior” or “worse” in any way. It’s just another subset of features. The same way the M8 doesn’t have a lot of features the Mini has.
It’s mostly a matter of priorities… do you need the synth engines or your needs could be fulfilled by another device like a synth or samples?
Although both are trackers, they are very different from each other. I’ve chosen the Mini since I feel the M8 workflow is a pain (I know the LSDJ flow) and would not get used to it…
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People with trackers can make stellar music.
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Also there’s a wishlist item on Backstage (Polyend’s forum) asking for the Play’s synth engines to be added to the Tracker.
Since it was not closed by Polyend claiming it wouldn’t be viable (some other wishes were closed because of this), I think it might be possible to have it in a future updade.
Ref. Tracker Mini: Play+ Synth Engines - #37 by bsdelije1985 - Wishlist - Polyend Backstage
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Hi,
I’ve written a bit about my (brief) experiences with both here:
TLDR: M8 is definitely not half a year worth of waiting worse edit: better than the PT Mini.
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Sorry I introduced this wording but I am confused by it myself now, haha.
So, in your opinion, I shouldn’t wait for the M8, or i should?
Thanks