Right after the big Tracker+ release, Polyend has a big update for the little Mini: now with Synth Engines, PERC drum engine, USB mass storage, more MIDI tracks and other improvements. And there’s a huge sale on right now, this week only.
Tracker Mini has come a long way. Sequencer 1.x improved performance and clock accuracy, but also added major improvements to stereo sampling and workflow. Now 2.0 is all about new stuff – in particular, Synth Engines and that PERC drum synth. This brings it in line with Tracker+ and Play+, including five synth patterns and drum synth. The firmware is available now as a free download.
Those engines once again – let me save time to write other things by copying my self for this (although you’re probably smart enough to understand what ACD means):
- ACD monophonic analog synthesis with an oscillator.
- GREASE 3-oscillator analog synth with drift and disassembly. (she at least)
- Acts Virtual Analog Polysynth with dual oscillator architecture and mod matrix.
- WTFM 2-op FM synth with wireless oscillators and 3x feedback system.
- FOR C drum machine, which uses only one synth sound but plays up to five drum sounds at once, including Kick, Tom, Snare, Hi-Hat, Cymbal and Perc for each kit with many editable parameters.
WTFM debuted on Play+ and PERC on Tracker+. The great thing is that if manual is more your speed, the Mini is now a really worthwhile option. They have a nice overview video for you:
Tracker Mini Downloads
Don’t have a Tracker Mini yet? It’s on sale for about $549 on the street, a one-week limited sale of about $150 off. (Tempting!)
If you buy something from a CDM link, we may earn a commission.
Tracker Mini Portable Sampler Station Workstation [Perfect Circuit]
Polyend Tracker Mini standalone audio workstation [Guitar Center, who are adding an additional 10% in rewards back, too]
Polyend Tracker Mini Standalone Portable Audio Workstation [Sweetwater]
Let’s do all the specifics. They haven’t renamed this Tracker Mini+, but that’s actually what it is – the Mini brought the architecture that would power the “plus” versions of the Big Momma Tracker+ and Play+. TL:DR version:
- Four exclusive Synth engines: the ACD, FAT, VAP and WTFM engines provide one
exceptional sound experience.- PERC Drum Synth Engine: Customize seven unique drums per kit.
- Advanced Synth Editor: Full-spectrum sound design control.
- Synth and Drum Engine Macro Control: evolve synth tones over time in step-fx
sequencer or create custom live controls with 6 multi-macros.- More Tracks: Eight additional MIDI and Synth tracks.
- Expanded Song Mode: Song Mode now includes 16 songs.
- Enhanced USB: Enhanced USB 14-track stereo connectivity.
- Extended Mixer: Mixer controls for any synth engine.
- USB Mass Storage: Easy file management and storage.
- UI Optimization: A bunch of small UI tweaks for a smoother workflow.
And everything:
NEW FEATURES
- Extended model with 8 additional MIDI tracks (optional)
- MIDI can now be sequenced to 16 tracks in total
- Synth Engines can now be sequenced to 16 tracks in total
- 3 synthesizer instruments with up to 8 synthesizer voices in total (optional)
- Including 5 models to choose from: ACD, FAT, VAP, WTFM (as featured in Play+) and the new PERC synth drum engine
- Synth parameters, Synth macro pages including loader and patch editor
- Synth Mixer on p. 3 of the Master page with separate level control of all three synthetic engines
- The Reverb and Delay sends for the Line In channel have been moved to the dedicated Master Reverb/Delay screens on p. 1 of the Master page
Performance FX for synths
- Special FX which includes Delay/Reverb sends and 6 macros for all three synths
- Updates to existing Sample Instrument / MIDI perform FX, mostly cosmetic
USB storage mode
- SD card storage can be accessed through Setup > USB
- Setup for audio via USB
- The Audio over USB setup can also be accessed via Setup > USB
CPU Overload Indicator
- Indicator appears above timer in header when CPU usage exceeds 85% yellow, 93% orange, 99% red
Adding the destination to the FX Description dialog
- Also updated all FX descriptions to account for Synths
The Instrument Synthesizer functionality (in the Instrument Parameters/Effects screen) was renamed to Instrument MIDI Mapping to distinguish it from the current Synth Instruments
CHANGES
- FX model length rendering was not working with 128 steps value
- Sometimes model 0 would load when switching models or switching between the Perform and Model pages.
- Part names were not saved with the project after restarting the unit
- Pressing Sample Recorder and then Sample Editor during playback disabled the Cancel screen button
- After using specific Start Annotations settings/scales, steps in the model were disappearing when navigating through the model editor. Additionally, in this state it was sometimes not possible to manually modify the model steps and the Tracker could also freeze completely.
- Rendering and loading samples loaded in mono (if used immediately after rebooting the device)
- In the Sample Recorder, the start point can be moved after the end point resulting in a freeze after cutting
If you want something more extensive, of course, check out last month’s roundup of Tracker+. This gives you the scroll wheel, added mesh, more space, bigger screen and most importantly, FM radio – although if none of that matters, the Mini is definitely the winner: