Polyend Tracker Manuale di istruzioni
Tracker
Polyend Tracker
Version: 1.2.0
Instructions of use for Polyend Tracker - Standalone Audio Workstation
Index:
Quick start / Tips & tricks
Introduction
Interface
Back panel
Audio architecture
Dedicated controls
Using the pads as a custom controller
Loading & saving projects
Importing & exporting projects
Sampler
Recording Audio
Sample playback
Sample editor
Sample Loader - Preparing Instruments
Instrument parameters and automation
From step to pattern
What is a step?
Pattern views
Pattern editing
Step & Fill tools
Other Pattern tools
Real-time pattern recording
Song mode
Master section
Performance mode
Punch-in effects
Pattern tracks remixing
Audio rendering
Tracker configuration
Firmware updates
In case of trouble
Warranty & Safety
Appendix
The FX step effects list
Performance mode FX list:
List of musical scales filters available for the pads
What's in the box?
Quick start / Tips & tricks
Basics:
Play Pattern: press Play.
Play Song: Song + Play (from the Pattern view).
Main volume: Master + jog-wheel.
To edit pattern press Rec (red frame), press it again to disable edit mode (green frame).
Important features and information:
The Tracker runs on 5V/1A and can be poweredfrom a power bank.
Firmware update: go to Config > Firmware > chose file from SD card > Confirm.
Switching pattern view: hold Pattern key + one or two of the Note/Ins/Fx colored keys.
Off/Fade/Cut step: turn the jog-wheel all the way left.
Changing (transposing) many parameters at once: select steps > choose the parameter
(Note/Instrument/Fx1/Fx2) > use the jog-wheel.
Overwrite all steps with a single value: select steps > choose the parameter > use grid
pads.
Copy/Paste/Del works in: Pattern – for all the selected steps; Song – for slots/tracks,
Sample Loader – samples/instruments.
All changes in your projectare being autosaved.
From Sample to Instrument:
Capture audio using Sample Recorder > set source > set gain > record > crop > save &
load as an instrument.
Select audio files > use Sample Loader key to open SD card browser > add samples to
project instruments by copying them from the left to the right side. Set their attributes
using the Instrument Properties module.
Turn samples into wavetable/granular synthesizers or chop them in the Sample
Playback module,
Use the Sample Editor module to access instrument overview and apply renderable
lossy audio effects.
From Step to Pattern:
A step is a Note, an Instrument and two Fxs displayed as lines of colored characters,
Use Pattern module to enter sequencer screen > choose pattern number and its length.
Input/edit any step parameters > enter Edit mode with a press of the Rec key.
Input values step by step > using grid pads, jog-wheel and arrows.
Live-record pattern (Rec + Play).
To switch between step values use four color keys.
Use the Fill tool to populate tracks with steps automatically.
Step function adjusts the interval for the incremental value input.
From Pattern to Song:
Press Song key > add/del Slots with patterns for arrangement > press Play Song.
Render song to audio > Go to File > Export > choose what will be rendered.
From Pattern to Performance:
Use Perform key to tweak tracks, patterns or songs in a “live – on the fly” way.
Customise and use up to 12 Punch-in effects at the same time: turn on Edit mode >
select effects with their values per grid pad row (first is off by default, remaining three
are configurable) > using the 1 to 8 screen buttons point the tracks which will be
affected > use effect corresponding pad rows with set values to perform.
Mix selected tracks from different patterns: hold the screen button + up/down arrow
keys > remix tracks from different patterns.
Shift + 1-8 screen button shortcut mutes each of 1-8 track in the Pattern screen. The
same is possible in the Master section with add of track Solo + visual track volume
feedback.
Important shortcuts:
Tempo: Song + jog-wheel.
Play Song: Shift + Play.
Record Pattern live: Rec + Play.
Go to the top step of the pattern: Shift + Insert (Home) in Edit mode (Rec is on).
Select more than one step on one or more tracks > Shift + arrows (works for clips in
Song mode too).
Select all steps in the track: when on the top of the sequence: Shift + Up arrow (once
again to select all steps in all tracks).
Use Home (Shift + Insert) key shortcut in the Song mode to immediately jump to the
top of your composition.
Copy/Paste entire Pattern: while in edit mode (Rec is on) hold Pattern key (right to the
color keys) + press Copy > go to new Pattern > hold Pattern key + Paste (Shift+Copy).
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GcgdScLbYKQ?feature=oembed
Introduction
The Polyend Tracker is a unique take on a retro form factor, aimed at artists who break
patterns daily. Despite the retro look, it is equipped with powerful modern functionality, Fx,
and a handful of forward-thinking creative tricks. The Polyend Tracker is an innovative,
inspiring and immediate tool for making music. It functions as a sampler, a synthesizer, and
equips you with a powerful and creative sequencer. Tracker has a large screen, ergonomic
keyboard, and a big knob for fast and easy navigation. With Bidirectional MIDI control, it
plays nice with other gear. It is also standalone and portable – everything you need to
produce music anywhere you are.
Tracker features an 8-track sequencer. Each project you create can hold 255 patterns with
up to 128 steps each. Every step on each track has dedicated slots for inserting Notes,
Instruments, and 2 Effects. Use Song Mode to arrange different patterns together to create
a Song, Take advantage of the Perform Mode to mangle, remix, and apply global Fx
parameters to different tracks on different patterns. Finally render your sequences to audio
files internally, without the use of a computer.
Our new instrument was made to bring back the fun to a process of music composing and
sound design. Something we feel we all became very ignorant about with time and all the
new technologies around us, and something best about it at the same time. It is certainly a
machine that will bring a new fresh breath of enjoyment to your creative process.
Your new adventure starts here, enjoy.
Interface
The Polyend Tracker user interface is divided into five sections:
A – Display – 7″LCD TFT 800 x 480. A centre point of the instrument that displays all the
functions and operations in real-time. With brightness level control.
B – Screen keys – mechanical controls that correspond to whatʼs displayed on the screen
directly above them.
C – The Grid pads – 4 x 12 grid of multifunctional (not velocity-sensitive) silicone buttons. It
serves as a customizable pitch/tone input keyboard, scalable controller for quick value
entering, regular QWERTY keyboard for naming files and for many other functions explained
below. Comes with brightness level control. The pads can also visually display the
notes/instruments used in the pattern/track sequences (this can be toggled on in the Config
menu).
D – The Function keys – a dedicated group of quick-access keys that allows fast access to
different modules.
E – The Navigation keys & Jog-wheel – dedicated controls, transport, arrow keys for
navigation, Insert/Home,Copy/Paste, Delete/Backspace and Shift function keys for all the
basic and advanced operations.
Back panel
On the back panel, from left to right – find the following ports:
Out – main headphones/line stereo audio output port – use a 3.5mm stereo plug (adapter to
1/4” jack is included in the kit).
A cable inserted to this port will serve as the onboard FM radio antenna.
Line input port – use a 3.5mm stereo or mono plug.
Microphone input port – use a 3.5mm stereo or mono plug.
MIDI data output port – use the included TRS type-B 3.5mm jack to MIDI DIN adapter to
connect to MIDI Input of an external MIDI device.
MIDI data input port – use the included TRS type-B 3.5mm jack to MIDI DIN adapter to
connect to MIDI Out of an external MIDI device.
SD card slot – use the included16 GB micro SD card as a data storage.
The micro SD card needs to be inserted in the port in order to make the Polyend
Tracker operational.
The micro SD card must be formatted as MS-DOS Fat32. In order to format larger
capacity SD cards with Fat32 partition, you may use this tool.
Use the included micro SD card to USB type-A dongle adaptor to access the SD card
from a computer.
The included SD card is 16GB but SD cards with a bigger capacity can be used
(successfully tested up to 256GB).
Sample folders containing more than 100 files will be automatically split to subfolders.
Reset button – hidden reset button for emergency flashing procedure (explained in the
Firmware update section of this manual).
USB Type–C port – 5V 1A power input from any USB power source (included Polyend AC
adapter/USB port/power bank).
Provides bidirectional MIDI class-compliant communication.
Serves for MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) which allows browsing the files and folders
stored on the SD card from a computer level. In order to use it, activate the File
Transfer mode in the Config menu. On Windows 10 the card will mount as a new drive.
On macOS, you need to use the Android File Transfer application. Some hubs and
adapters may cause connection issues. Use straight connections only or quality
adapter kits if necessary.
Power switch – press once shortly to turn the unit on or press and hold for a momentto
switch it off.
Audio architecture
The schematics shown below will help you understand the workflow. The first diagram
demonstrates the Polyend Tracker’s audio signal flow with the list of steps that input sound
goes through in order to be heard through the output (the signal flow is the same for each of
its eight audio voices).
The implemented reverb algorithm code is created by Émilie Gillet of Mutable Instruments
and is used under MIT license.
The second diagram presents each instrument’s amplifying structure.
Dedicated controls
Polyend Tracker’s user interface offers different types of controls that can all be used
alternatively to navigate and operate the instrument.
Most of the values/data input in the Tracker is done by using the siliconegrid pads,
aluminum jog-wheel, the dedicated mechanicalfunction keys and the display corresponding
screen keys.
In most scenarios, these controllers can be used interchangeably – e.g. volume Fx1 value can
be precisely entered using the jog-wheel scrolling for the desired value but also entered with
a single press of the pad with the exact value.
The multifunctional grid pads can have various applications. They can serve as:
Customizable tonal keyboard (with scales) for pitched instrument playback.
Per pad instrument triggering.
Per pad slice triggering.
QWERTY keyboard.
Fast and convenient tool to enter the preprogrammed values (where the first pad is
always 0%, and the last one is 100%.)
Visual feedback > in the Pattern screen, pads can highlight the notes in the active line.
Choose between highlighting only the active track’s notes, or the entire pattern’s active
line using the Config menu options,
Important:
Shortcuts – while most of the Polyend Tracker functionalities are rather self-
explanatory (just look at the scheme and key names), there are some tricks and
shortcuts implemented to speed up the composition process which might not be so
obvious at first glance. Most sections are using shortcuts. Itʼs good to master them to
compose music in a fast and easy manner.
Shortcuts apply in similar ways in different sections of the Tracker and are mentioned
in these particular sections of the manual, but few are worth mentioning here at the
beginning:
Master key + jog-wheel> Master volume control,
Song key + jog-wheel> Song Tempo control,
Insert/Home key> always work as the onscreen Enter key corresponding to the
selected screen key,
Delete/Backspace key> always works as the onscreen Delete key corresponding
to the selected screen key.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GcgdScLbYKQ?feature=oembed
Using the pads as a custom controller
In the Configmenu you can set grid pads:
Musical scale filter (see a list in the appendix),
Layouts,
Root note,
The 4 x 12 grid of low profile silicon pads allow you to easily strum fingers across pads. They
work great for playing both internal and external instruments live. With or without one of the
39 included musical scales filters applied. Not only the scale filter can be set but the pads
layout too (the relationship of notes on the pads) and the root note too.
Altri manuali per Tracker
2
Indice
Altri manuali Polyend GPS
