![]() ![]() Wavetable mode is straightforward, giving you two parameters to select, Position sets the part of the sample that’s initially played back, and Window controls the length of the sample playback. Wavetable and granular instrument modes offer a more sound design-centric approach. Both modes offer automatic slicing capabilities, and you can add and position slices manually, with a helpful zoom control for fine-tuning sample start points. In Beat Slice mode, each slice is triggered by a different note, so you lose the ability to play chromatically but save yourself an effects parameter slot. In Slice mode, you can play the sample chromatically using different notes, with the Slice FX parameter controlling which slice is played. It’s not a huge number but this limitation is mitigated by the fact that there are eight instrument modes, two of which (Slice and Beat Slice) allow different parts of larger samples to be triggered in a couple of different ways. Up to 48 instruments can be used in a project. The next field is the instrument parameter, which is where the user tells the Tracker what samples to play. You can use these buttons to select instrument and effects settings too when their respective buttons are depressed, and it’s also possible to enter and edit note values with the jog wheel. These buttons aren’t labelled but they’re pretty logically laid out with an octave on each row, and it shouldn’t take too long to get used to this input method. Note information can be entered using the 4×12 matrix of small silicon pads that represent four octaves from C3 up. To navigate the pattern, you can use the computer-keyboard-style arrow keys, and there’s a jog wheel for faster navigation, which can be used to select parameter values as well.Įach track has four fields – Note, Instrument, FX1 and FX2 – where the user enters programming information, and each has a dedicated selection button. The insubstantial track count is limiting but some users will find its enforced focus creatively liberating, and it also has the positive side effect of ensuring that Pattern Mode page navigation never becomes too unwieldy. This is its biggest limitation, and means it doesn’t come anywhere near the capabilities provided by contemporary software-based trackers the free open-source OpenMPT, for example, offers up to 127 channels. More limiting is the fact that the Tracker only offers eight audio/MIDI tracks, meaning you’ve got a maximum polyphony of eight voices. The upper limit of Tracker’s tempo is a brisk 800bpm so there’s plenty of wiggle room here, and songs can use up to 256 patterns, which is more than enough for even the most hardcore of sequencing fanatics. If you’re interested in obtaining higher resolutions, you can double or quadruple the project tempo to get 32nd or 64th-note resolution. Patterns are made up of 16th-note steps and can be up to 128 steps long – that’s eight bars at 16th-note resolution. ![]() The pattern page is where the Tracker’s sequencing occurs. Tracker’s screen is a substantial seven inches and features three brightness settings, ample for displaying the various parameter pages, waveform displays and all-important pattern page. What’s even more convenient is that it auto-loads the last open project. Once plugged in and powered up, the unit is ready to operate in just a few seconds. The pads, buttons and jog wheel are as responsive as you’d expect and, while we initially have some stickiness issues with some of the buttons, this seems to settle down after a little use. Overall, the Tracker’s physical quality is high. A MIDI five-pin DIN to 1/8-inch jack and dual 1/4-inch jacks to stereo 1/8-inch jack are included too, and you also get a smart MicroSD to USB-A adapter for adding files via a computer. The only other connections are five 1/8-inch jack slots for MIDI-in, MIDI-out, mic, line-in, and output. In addition to the USB-C connection, there’s a slot for the included 16GB MicroSD card that’s used for sample and project managements, as well as firmware updates. The unit doesn’t have an onboard battery but its modest 5V/1A power requirement means that it can run off any half-decent USB brick. The unit is USB-C powered, and comes supplied with a USB-C to USB-A cable, as well as a wall adapter. It feels solidly built at 2kg, and the attractively cold metallic body lends it a further sense of quality. Its lap-friendly 357 x 245 x 16mm dimensions are roughly on a par with those of a Native Instruments Maschine Mikro MK3. It has limitations but boasts a few innovations to compensate for them. The Tracker is a dedicated self-contained hardware tracker unit. ![]()
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