There has been a finger drumming update in beta for a year now. When should we expect a new firmware update? I’m actually not super interested in the finger drumming but I’m hoping for QoL improvements. Any information about this would be awesome!
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Just want to know if
- Pad Colors for sounds and channels
- Pad colors for pattern and fluid Song mode (no waiting on pattern copies)
- Sample Slice (waveform?)
- Synth and MIDI mapping per encoders
These would be amazing 
wavetable and granular engines from tracker would be a dream … sorry … just thought Id squeeze this one in there 
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The Beta came out in Mid November 2024
Here’s the official word 
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For us that are on the outside looking in, can you please list the QoL features you wish to see in a update…
Play + a modular is still high on my list as a portable live setup but so many cool units are out or comming out and its hard to remain patient …
On the flip side the Play is one of the most ingenious sequencers and arrangers I know of both in terms of features and workflow/speed …
But I have to say it’s a bit worrying how long this major update is taking 
First I love the Play its exactly what I needed from a device like this. I can pick it up and in literally minutes I can have a awesome groove going. I love that I don’t need my computer or iPad to get creative.
The fix I’m looking for (ironically after what I said above) is an issue with USB audio to a computer. If I load up a synth on the Play + sometimes the sound is corrupted and I have to mess around to get it playing the audio correctly. Polyend is aware of the issue. It only happens with the synths which I haven’t played around with too much so it’s not a show stopper. Still for the price of this device I would expect it work properly.
I think the delay on updates is due to polyend dropping two new hardware units in the past few months.
I have 2 questions:
What is the end date for the beta period?
Aside from new features (MIDI perform mode and finger drumming) are bugfixes for other reported bugs going to be rolled into the next firmware release?
New features are great, but as OP said quality of life updates and bugfixes are way more important. I hope that the new features in the open betas aren’t holding these back from being released earlier.
There has been no announcement. The beta was supposed to be released last year.
Could you be a bit more specific on these QoL improvements or fixes you’re aiming at?
As far as I know both open ‘new feature’ betas are based on an earlier version of the firmware for Play / Play+ than the one released right before the start of these open ‘new feature’ betas.
So I would suspect a new (open beta) version first, containing both ‘new feature’ versions integrated into the latest public firmware version for Play / Play+.
I don’t know if there’s a new firmware version in the works that would be released right after that. I thought @Mitch said they would release ‘smaller’ open betas more often. But once in a while there should be a stable ‘integrated’ release, too.
@elegant.book6772 QoL features I’ve been wanting on the Play+ are:
- Basic file management (eg. the ability to delete projects and move files without needing to put the SD card into a PC)
- The ability to turn off capacitive touch on the knobs, using knob wiggle instead to select parameters
- The ability to bounce generative features/playback modes (where it makes sense) into a note track, similar to how the Randomize knob already works
- Randomize for synths is strangely limited, why does it only allow randomization of one of the macro knobs? Why not all 6?
- Macro values don’t properly set themselves to zero when reloading projects or switching between patches with bipolar and unipolar macros (I put in a bug report for this)
- Customizable track playback speeds, 2/3 and 3/2 are as close as you can get to doing proper polyrhythms without making overly long tracks and adjusting the overall BPM to compensate
- Wet/dry mix for overdrive and bitcrush (it sounds like it’s 50/50 wet/dry, which means there’s no way to dial in the effect)
- On synths, the delay send feels way too overpowered, making the useable range around 1 - 10. Anything over this and the delays are too wet. Trying to compensate by adjusting the delay itself makes it die off too quick
- The ability to set patterns to play a certain number of times before moving on to the next pattern when pattern chaining. AFAIK the only way to do this is to copy/paste the same pattern numerous times, which seems redundant.
There are others I can’t think of right now, and I have new feature ideas too. But I feel like these are either low hanging fruit development wise, or should have been part of the original design scope, or unforeseen bugs that didn’t get identified in beta.
BTW, I absolutely love my Play+, it is such an amazing piece of kit and I’m having a blast with it! It does feel a bit like it got rushed to market though and needs love in some areas.
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Have you seen this?
I agree with you on the most points you’ve made. Also, I think we need scale per pattern or even per track, tempo per pattern and master FX per pattern.
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Ooh nice workaround - thanks @katzi
In general I think the pattern mode is fairly basic, which is in stark contrast to everything else the Play/Play+ can do. I think there’s a lot of potential in this mode, one of these days I’ll put in a feature request with some ideas
I’m with you.
It’s extremely easy to get an idea going - the Play must be the fastest device in that regard - but the experience of making an actual arrangement in pattern mode can be painful at times.
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this is really the only reason I keep checking in.
at the very least having some colour coding on the parts/midi channels…cant be that hard.
not holding my breath.
my first and last polyend product, thats for sure.
Overall I’m really happy with the Play it has really transformed how I creatively approach a project. Most of the limitations help me stay focused. I can always pull the stems into iPad/computer if I wan to take it further. That’s why my biggest issue is the corrupted audio bug over usb.
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I use it mostly as a midi sequencer and its mostly awesome. you can power it with the ipad even.
but having all notes being same led colour becomes a nightmare real quick. its bizarre this rudimentry qol isnt a feature from day one.
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I think you can turn off capacitive knobs in the config menu.
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I love the delay it’s absolutely perfect for me.
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I would love to see a better bit crushing that sounds like a typical bitcrusher, and more distortion. Those effects yes, it seems that are too weak, at 50/50.
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the number of bars in a pattern before change would de absolutely amazing, Play+ needs a better song mode in which you can set a pattern chain as you want.
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I think I’ve encountered the macro value problem in a live situation and was bad. Needed to stop playback. It’s here in the forum on video. Synth totally out of tune.
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One more layer of chance. Only one. This has been discussed and it seems that it could be possible to add another layer. Example. Random note and random sample at the same time.
I’m with you on this one
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I haven’t found a way to do it - I can only turn off double tapping to switch parameters (which I have done).
I like that you can select parameters with the touch of a knob, but I find more often than not I’m accidentally choosing parameters because my hand just brushed a knob by accident. Workflow wise, it feels a bit like having hiccups, and I’d like the ability to turn it off.
Well, the official word was less promising then it seems…
@Mitch meant that Play would receive an update before the Tracker, so not saying its update would be the next update in line.
There’s no clear line, it’s more like a parking space… we’ll simply have to wait a little longer.
Hey I’m happy to address this in the appropriate thread, but please keep subjects on the topic of a thread -
Yes, sorry I overestimated how fast the Play updates would go, so I’m not going to try and estimate any timelines now. I’ll post my quarterly update with more info in the next week. I’m not really sure any company is sharing roadmap updates though.
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