Polyend's killer feature

General
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Hi folks, I’m a long term watcher and more recent convert to Polyend’s stuff. Tried the OG tracker, then got the Mini for real earlier this year, and recently upgraded the the Tracker+. It’s quickly becoming my main music making device.

Just wanted to say hi to the group and to mention my favourite feature of the Polyend gear. And it’s sortof not a feature (and honestly it shouldn’t be anything to be excited about - but here we are!)

While I really enjoy the Tracker for lots of reasons musically, I particularly enjoy the way it handles files. I’ve bought all sorts of music hardware and software over the years, and increasingly they are tied to some sort of app that you have to use to interface with the hardware. This quickly descends into a madness of keeping all these things up to date all at once. I’d rather make music than be a project manager for files. If you look online there are so many comments about folks wanting to jailbreak their device because the update/transfer software so annoying. I’ve seen this with Transfer by Elektron, Components by Novation and many others.

I don’t know if Polyend made the flat SD card format intentionally, but for me it’s one of the best things about the system. No tricks, no internet required, no icons popping up constantly reminding you to update - just put your files on an SD card and make music.

I’m sure changes are coming for both Play and Tracker, but if there’s one thing I hope Polyend never change; it’s the flat file system. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I sincerely hope Polyend don’t go the way of Inmusic. If they start adding WiFi to their future Polyend Tracker Jon Holmes +++ Edition when we are royally F’d.

Subscriptions, updates, shit in the Cloud. You know the drill. :joy::joy::joy::joy:

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Yep - Wifi, over the air updates, managment centres that need their own updates etc. Like, I can see why these features get added as a selling point. But to my knowledge no-one else is doing it the Polyend way (maybe Dirtywave, but I don’t have that device?) It’s usually a hot, hellish mess and I just think the simplicity is where it’s at.

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Oh right…where’s the online activation and token exchange? That thing just worked…that’s not how 2024 is supposed to function, is it!? o.O

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I bought an Akai Force on a whim a while ago and I think its classification as a “standalone” device is hilarious … the only thing missing from it is a Youtube app. I never use it because I just simply prefer my Trackers.

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Fantastic take. I never thought about this yet your post reminded me about the experience with the Digitakt or Circuit Tracks how cumbersome that is in terms of the experience. Drag, drop, chop. Great perspective!

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But there is a BIG problem here…

Since I have my portable standalone devices, tracker mini and M8… my setup full of synths it’s filling up with dust. :joy::sob:

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Yeah exactly, it’s the sort of thing that’s not actually a feature, but it’s actually a significant advantage. If I were Polyend I’d be talking about it in the sales blurb.

I keep spotting this issue on other devices and I’m like “here we go…” Register the hardware (OK you need to do this with Polyend, but in the early days even that wasn’t needed.) Then download the download centre, update the download centre, download your firmware, then go through some ludicrously convoluted sample management system. In some cases the device can only be serviced via a web browser as well, which isn’t super cool.

I respect Novation but the whole packs system (initally developed for Circuit 1) including dragging and dropping individual samples in that interface isn’t the best, but oh lord before they implemented full pack downloads for the Circuit Rhythm it was painful. And I hear too many people saying they chop samples in their DAW to use in Digitakt because otherwise it doesn’t work that well, but I don’t have that one. It looks fun otherwise.

One of the most underrated features of a piece of gear is how easy it is to service, as well as how easy it is to use. I can’t believe no-one thought “shall we not just do y’know files like on the computer?” That plus plugging it in with one cable, which serves as a data transfer, power and audio over USB is just so well thought out. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see someone come out and copy Polyend in that space because all the others are way behind imo. Sometimes simpler is just better.

So props Polyend, your system makes life much easier - please stick with it!

My big problem is it makes me want to buy a Play! :innocent:

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Required desktop transfer software indeed is ‘problematic’, but I don’t think that’s the same as WiFi, USB or other additional connectivity options. These are all really standard connections for file transfer… at least, if a vendor wants to use them in such way.

Also, the required registration of your hardware to activate it, before you can even use it, is ‘very problematic’, and a no-go. Especially when a vendor isn’t known for decent maintenance and reliable (future) support.

I’m glad Polyend doesn’t require you to register your device and/or activate it (periodically or even after a reset). I also don’t need WiFi, but direct file transfer over USB-C by exposing the Play via a standard file system integration would be very welcome. File management and transfer based on solely SD-cards is very fragile.

A bad example here would be Native Instruments:

  1. They took a very scary turn with Native Access, which is a buggy piece of […] and it’s required to download and update everything you own.
  2. Besides that, your Maschine+ or other hardware doesn’t function at all (!) if you don’t activate it online… also after a reset. Well, that’s simply not acceptable to me.
  3. The M+ also offers WiFi, but it’s only usable for activation of the device and downloading Expansions registered to your NI account. So you don’t have or own really anything…
  4. Then there’s USB-B, but the device has to be in Storage Mode to access it from a PC. I think it’s because files are stored on an SD-card that becomes isolated and accessible in that mode.
  5. It also offers two USB-A ports, but the file management for (supported) external HDDs / SSDs is very limited. You can read from it, but no management or backup of projects, etc.

So from a hardware perspective it’s ticking all the boxes, but when it comes to usability and reliability there’s really a lot left to wish for.

When it comes to Elektron, (thus far) they have a good track record for supporting their gear. I also can’t remember I had to activate my DT or ST. They only use the Transfer app for accessing the internal storage and update the firmware. As I’ve also seen some videos about updating, backing-up and managing the DT with SysEx Librarian (and other tools), I guess we as users aren’t really locked-in there.

Same goes for Roland (as far as I know), there’s no need to (re)activate an instrument. Only for managing banks, presets and samples some devices require or can use dedicated software. For instance, the TR-8s can use a tool that connects over USB, but also make use of the SD-card slot. Same goes for the SP-404mk2, it offers both.

Then some other synths like the UNO Synth series by IK Multimedia, it also offers library software, but also SysEx over MIDI, and also no registration required. Same goes for ASM Hydrasynth, the latest Behringer synths and expanders, Moog sound studio series (even no editor, only SysEx), …humm… I could go on, but I think NI and Akai are the only big names that seem to have made their users completely dependent of there online services.

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I absolutely agree! And with the recently added feature for accessing files over USB, as a standard USB storage device, it’s gotten even better.

An aspect of this is that it works with any computer. Not just Windows, or Windows and Mac. But also Linux, BSD, anything with a USB port. And you can use a familiar interface - the file browser of your OS.

Killer feature indeed!

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Yep, and that’s why the Play series needs it, too.
Hook up, drop, organize, disconnect, playtime.

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