Problem: unable to trigger tracker patterns from an external MIDI source
Manually triggering the patterns is OK. It’s not terrible. But many of us have poor natural rhythm and older users (I’m middle-aged with poor health and some joint difficulties), may find that it is difficult to sequence the patterns in a rhythmically stable way.
What should this feature achieve?
First up: my compliments and my deepest gratitude to the team. I can honestly say that I’ve been waiting about 20 years to see a piece of gear this cool and it just keeps on giving. Keep up the outstanding work. You guys are in a league of your own!!!
Feature Request: enable triggering patterns via MIDI from external sources
Manual triggering is the principal method. Song mode helps a little. But if it were possible to trigger patterns via MIDI it would open up some awesome integrations. For example, you could sequence all that sweet Polyend Tracker magic with Ableton Clips or Follow Actions (not to mention other DAWs or even hardware sequencers like the Squarp Hapax or another Polyend device). I especially love the idea of sequencing the patterns with clips as you can quantize clips to any division you like, set it to legato (or not) and clips also can contain CC messages that could be sent on to the Tracker (neatly quantized) so you could feasibly see how this could have many applications. I hope you will consider my request and many thanks for even making it possible to submit feature requests. You’ve built some really awesome equipment and I almost feel greedy asking. But I’d be an idiot not to. Cheers Team Polyend and Happy New Year!!!
Are there any workarounds?
To the best of my knowledge there is currently no workaround.
Workaround FYI…. You can change patterns per track via MIDI while in performance mode with midi CC 41 through 48. I made a free Max For Live device that allows you to trigger pattern changes from Ableton Live. It’s essentially sending CC 41-48 simultaneously. Same concept could be applied to things like TouchOsc & Lemur.
Hey there. Thanks for the tip and the cool device! But it is a different use case. Consider the control you have of pattern triggers when you hold down the first window button on the left and then hit any pad that has a unique pattern. Essentially, it’s a pattern change for all tracks rather than just a single track. And also, it is something you can access outside of performance mode. For me it would be really useful because you can trigger patterns manually while you are actively editing or playing patterns. So with this way of triggering pattern changes you can sequence them even as you compose. If I could do this from an external device over MIDI, this would be an absolute gamechanger for me. In any case, thank you for taking the time to message me. I really appreciate it. Cheers and Happy New Year!!!
I agree… I would welcome additional MIDI control including more direct control over pattern changes outside of performance mode. Just wanted to make you aware that a workaround existed albeit limited. I do appreciate the current implementation since it allows you to mix and match different patterns per track which can expose some interesting combos.
How does this work exactly? I’d like to drive my Tracker with the Digitakt. Are the messages for pattern switching documented anywhere? Thanks so much!