It looks fun and slightly less flimsy looking than the OP-Z. I'd have been more impressed if someone had copied, improved upon and come in at a sensible price for an OP-1 field-alike, but I suppose there's always next year. I like TE designs, but their prices just take the p*ss.
I guess the big advantage of companies like Yamaha, Roland or Korg is that they can reutilize a lot of stuff they have already done in the past. Like for example all those DX sounds developed in the 80s. Therefore they have less development costs and can release a device competing with TE but at much lower costs. By contrast TE has to create everything from scratch..
TE may flimsy in terms of build quality, but the Seqtrak is flimsy in terms of production quality. I don't even like TE and love Yamaha, but this thing is a prosumer joke (aka money grab). No TRS outs, cheap speaker instead of a screen, 4hr battery life, only 2 synth tracks meaning you will either be missing lead, bass or chorus, no high quality sample is going to come out of that mic.. It's just a bunch of cheap and incomplete tools thrown together in a popular style they ripped off from TE. They even added a fucking clothes tag, so you know it's cheap😂
@@TJ_PowPow Good analysis! I guess they are not really targeting the pros, but much more beginners which are looking for an affordable device. Maybe Yamaha will come up with a more professional device based on the SEQTRAK in another price range competing wie Elektron products. Like TE developed the K.O. II based on the pocket operators.
@@TJ_PowPow then people make a stand for your phone or a tablet that is also portable. It’s a lot more usable Screen than half this other Dawless/ standalone gear out here. It’s touchscreen as well ?!! high quality battery banks are a dime a dozen. The audio quality is very good. $399 is nothing for all of its features. I went over all the other features in the other comment of yours. What more do you want in audio possibilities? I apologize for coming across rude, but I think your points are debunked. That being said. i’ll wait until they make a higher quality build/ and or improve upon some of it before I put any money out for it. Colors are lame. I’m obviously a fan of Yamaha, as are you. I share the frustration with the cheap corners they cut. I’m just saying. I’m grateful they’re finally making something that’s very useful, affordable and looks fun. They need to get roasted, but they also need a pat on the back
@Jinji11 It might be worth $399, but people shouldn't be fooled by the "studio caliber sound", which is not some type of real measurement. The whole thing is just off character for Yamaha... They could've come out with something truly innovative.. Like a drum machine that integrates with the Montages and/or Cubase.. Instead they built a cheaper version of something that already exists, taking away market share from a much smaller company (that I don't even really care for). There's already like 100 cheap groove boxes/synths..
Seqtrak is another beast IMO. Spending time with this thing everyday for the past 3 months, I'm really impressed. Learn something new everyday about it. I use it for live performance. It is totally different.
It's great to see Yamaha reentering the groovebox territory. I'm excited about the FM It will look nice on the table connected to the EP-133 K.O. II. 😃
That's all it will do is look good. Congrats. You took the bait. "Hey, I can have something that looks like TE, but is a fraction of the price. It's a bunch of low grade tools packaged up to look slick to target prosumers.
3:35 One of the reasons I got the Circuit Rhythm is that it has no screen. I like that it's unique in that way and it makes it feel more like an instrument than a computer or piece of hardware. This forces the controls to be much more intuitive and there's no menu diving.
I do like that it has an interactive tutorial manual. Overall everything seems great. I’m getting one to see if I can replace my OPZ with it. It’s missing the 2 octave keyboard but when I saw that it has an editable piano roll in the companion app I ordered instantly. For me having that editable piano roll makes up for the non traditional keyboard layout.
No screen has downsides too. Easier to get lost. I haven’t used a Circuit before, so it might be alright on that one, but in the case of the seqtrak, if you want to go deeper, you kinda need to connect an external screen (Ie iPad). All depends on what you’re doing of course, but in my experience, the elektrons have just the right amount of screen. They don’t try to be a laptop like the akai devices, but they do have enough information visible at all times.
@@svenmify I’m already used to that with the OPZ, but with the OPZ if you use it regularly you don’t really need the screen. I’m hoping the Seqtrak is the same with most of the main features. Seems to be that way. I just gotta see first hand how deep I can get without the screen. Editing with the piano roll def needs the screen, but that’s a welcome feature I never had on the OPZ. I’m hoping the iOS version of the app has the piano roll. That would be awesome.
The Circuit Rhythm is fairly limited in what it can do so it's not likely you'll get lost unless you're a complete beginner to groove boxes/music production. I can see how it would be significantly harder on the seqtrak.@@svenmify
The reason to get an op-z was always the incredibly advanced sequencer. It was like TE looked at Elektron sequencing and thought "how can we take this as far as possible?" Even though it was built like shit, it was incredibly innovative and you're seeing the ripples from it now in stuff like the Polyend Play. When you got the midi expansion (which should have been built in), controlling hardware synths with that thing was just mesmerizing. But again due to the terrible QC, mine fell apart. The sequencer on the yamaha looks kind of standard. I get it, its a roland TR style with a few fancy features, been there done that on every groovebox ever. They're taking the Scandinavian aesthetic but not the design decisions that made it sing.
The master track was/is next level, change every tracks key in real time or p-lock it was a level of witchery you just don't see anywhere else.. still love my opz.. the build quality was not horrible for me.. still holding up very well.. slightest bend but I dgaf really..
Music Tribe/Behringer is valued at about 2 billion dollars. Teenage Engineering is not starving, but they're a lot more like a little band of archers as a very small company trying to survive on very few highly specialized products. Nobody's giving anything to the poor, because if you can afford >$300 on a little musical device for fun, you may be a dummy, because you can get something ten times better for about twice the price, but you aren't poor. so I guess in your version of Robin Hood, a rich guy steals from a small band of archers to help a bunch of dummies, while the poor people just watched.
A big difference is the size. The desktop footprint of the Seqtrak is actually a little larger than that of a Digitakt. For portability you'd need a decksaver because of all the knobs, and it would take up a chunk of your backpack. An OP-Z doesn't need knobs that stick out unless you add them, and you can carry it in a coat pocket. So the portability is completely different.
The sampler seems to be built around one-shots. You can edit start and end points on the app (and some minor envelope and filter parameters, IIRC). Basically, 11 tracks (7 drums, 3 synths, and 1 one-shot sampler) x 6 patterns per track x up to 8 bars (128 steps) per pattern x 8 projects. Use it with the app (computer, phone, or iPad) for complex things and stand-alone to capture quick ideas. Could be interesting.
,,,Yamaha will most certainly add more features to the device further down the line and I certainly believe that there will indeed be a chop feature added alongside a great deal more to it’s sampling functionality. Yamaha are not like T.E they have been in the game a long,long time and unlike T.E , I’m extremely confident that their products won’t hit the market place with such incompetence in regards to quality assurance and component reliability!
Yamaha made these toy-sized drum and groove boxes in the '90s... probably long before any of those teenage engineers even had hair on their balls... of course, they take note of what the competition does when introducing their new iteration in this line of products and provide similar features as they know they will also be compared in that regard... at least Yamaha's quality control is usually pretty good, and I still have one of those little QY70s at my parent's house still running completely fine. First I though that this is so dumb without a screen but with the built in bluetooth connection you simply use an app and you are good... there is a market for this and a lot of people like to be mobile sketching some songs on it and use it like we used the older versions as sketchbooks for musical ideas... but there are also many who like to jam with a mobile setup outside under the sun. but in the end this is still a luxury item...
Why do people think the op-z has 16 tracks? It has 8 sound track (4x drums and 4x synths), the other 8 are control tracks and don't make sound. The Seqtrack has 11 tracks. As far as I get it the Seqtrack drum tracks can only hold 1 sample at a time, so you can only sequence 1 sound at a time, which makes the tracks basically mono tracks. The op-z can have 24 sound per track, so more choice and some tracks are polyphonic.
Teenage Engineering dropped the price of the OP-Z as a result. But Yamaha really did a great job with this improving two important areas, a smoother more accessible fluid workflow and bigger functional buttons/ controls that normal human sized fingers can use
I can understand what they try to do here. Is like a mini MPC with no digital display and the idea smaller is better. For me it will be a new learning curve in order to understand it. For example I use Fl Studio for more than 10 years now. When I got the akai fire I had to learn how to used it. I did not jump right in with the basic stuff. You have to go deep in order to learn it. Not even everybody knows the akai fire has touch sensibility like a regular midi keyboard.
I appreciate Yamaha creating this because the more companies putting out small groove boxes the better. Maybe they’ll inspire one another and push each other to do new and cool things, like the M8
Sequencer : 128 steps + song mode. I was sure you would be asking for the sampling/trimming/chopping capabilities 😅 for me this is the only problem with this unit right now. Requiring the the app to do that is not convenient. An actual VA synth would be cool too. But I see they are two synth slots, maybe there is room to assign a VA synth in there 😉
Some of the best electronic music in history was made on machines with limits and timy/no screen...the SP-12 comess to mind...same as Yamaha's DX-100. I ordered one in Black/Grey because that 'orange-half orange' looks hideous. And I love the color Orange. This product is only doomed to fail because nobody cares about Yamaha, AWM2 synthesis or their late-90s-early 00s hits (SU-700, Rm1-X DX-200...) Here's hoping one day they reach further back and remake an SY-2 or one of their other great analog synths...but I have a place for this!!
looks decent (if it can edit samples, if not forget it!) but i’d rather wait for an OP-Z field vs learning a new piece of gear. My OP-Z still works properly and isn’t bent, and it’s a lot of fun, even though there are some improvements that I’d make for sure.
Simple isn’t always good. Simple sometimes just means limited. This can make beats but not sure it can excel at anything else. I preordered one but I don’t intend to compose much on this. For me, it’s just an idea machine you can throw in a backpack.
and that is how people used these little machines back in the 90s... a fun little sketchbook. got a used QY70 in the early 2k and it still works like a charm. but there are a lot of people doing live jamming under the sun these days with some backpack-sized equipment so for them this is golden.
@@Ra_Sharpness_ cheers brother, I have ordered the ko-ii, to ease myself into the world of digital. From only playing acoustic instruments my whole life, and I got a rc505 mk-ii. Thank you, great content.
It looks like a cross between the KO 2 and the op1 ...but tbh it seems dope af especially for the price I hope it can sample from the line in too and hope it samples loops and chops and not just one shots if so all be getting one when I can afford it
With all the features and augmented reality and visualizer i never pre-ordered something so fast !!! even down to the auto-save and undo-redo missing from most grooveboxes. I just hope they update being able to bring sample tracks over to the drum tracks like with the synths that would be lit ! opz also only has 8 tracks the others are for midi ot lights or something. 100% sample page has start and end points and i think it can do chords at least 4 poly
Cant wait to see your product review Digi. I would like to see what you can do with this. I actually preordered one just to give it a spin. Ya never know, Maybe a RM1x Mark II is down the pipeline!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this....This is interesting...i was considering the Novation Circuit even tho it's older but i love the Layout and the Mod Matrix on the Circuit and has lot's of usable features...i guess i need to see more videos on this Seqtrak....I agree with the No Screen option...hmmm,,,it's going to be a tough decision...Love to hear your thoughts on the Circuit compared to this..
I hate how we also get house music demos for every new device. Can we get more sample based hiphop pop production demos. Hiphop producers like hardware too, not just Ableton or FL
Dude the Ep133 feels like a toy and it’s only a 4track. The op-z is over priced . This thing meets it in the middle but all these things feel like toys. Something you leave in your backpack incase you have a long wait at the buss stop or you have a long train commute everyday
TE doesn’t own minimal design. This style of design has been around forever. Yamaha did it right by making an intuitive system that doesn’t require a screen. The OPZ was poorly executed with a forgettable design. It has nothing to do with this. This is a professional tool, not a gimmick. It’s a miniature, slimmed down, screen less Yamaha RS 7000 from the Y2K era
This is not a professional tool. Pros use mics for sampling that cost multiple times what this thing does. No multitrack out, no TRS audio out, cheap speaker, 4hr battery life.. It's marketed at prosumers.
@@TJ_PowPow OK. good point. It’s prosumer then. Pros also use Casio SK-1’s to sample with. From what I’m seeing, people use high end effects pedals with anything that makes a sound, to create lofi/hifi samples. A wide range of options. The Seqtrak is a Groovebox, External Hardware Sequencer, a Sampler, Rompler, 4 op Fm synth, drum machine, and beyond. I’d say it’s worth $399. It’s more powerful and usable than most hardware synths, plug-ins or VST‘s. And you can actually sell it, when or If you’re over it. It has full midi implementation. Midi in and out plus USB midi. Wi-Fi. A real time Animated Visualizer. A full Software editor, if you want to improve/expedite the screenless workflow. It lets you use Midi Effects, and audio Effects while performing. With automation recording?! It’s a better value then most gear two to three times the price. It has TRS in and TRS headphone out. Good enough. There are top tier musicians/producers/artists that can make magic with music gear considered trash to most “Professionals.” You made Good point’s, but it’s beside the point. Combine this with one or two other pieces of kit and it’s 10 X more useful. It’s a sketchpad and a performance tool. I’m grateful that Yamaha’s giving back when it comes to the SeqTrak. I hope it’s the beginning of a lot more standalone tools for creative exploration
neither do I, but i like to have the option, makes it way easier to see a wav form to work with samples, visuals are faster to work with. happy that you don't though, all good @@Deezeone
@@wozfromoz8795you don’t add another thing, let’s not pretend you don’t have your phone by your side all the time just like everyone else, there is no extra purchase of anything and not having the screen keep the cost low.
A bit bigger than the OP-Z, but at least its enclosure won’t bend and destroy itself with time 😅 I’m not against Yamaha getting inspired of a very innovative synth by TE but which is also an industrial failure (so many issues). Maybe TE has the opportunity to reply with an OP-Z Filed that would fix all of the issues of the OG. Possibly I would even prefer this to the Yamaha. Time will tell. The SEQTRAK is interesting take on this market.
I also heard about those OP-Z problems. It's so hard to build a little plastic box these days 😄. An OP-Z Field will never come, because then we are in MPC price range.
@@towerrunner4675 that didn’t prevent OP-1 Field to happen. If they can put a small OLED screen for ease of use and sample trimming, that could justify a higher price. Even with the Yamaha we already aren’t far from the MPC One pricing.
@@alexandrosroussos OP-Z and Seqtrak put a lot of functions into the app to keep it cheap. A "Field" upgrade means higher price to me. Those two concepts just don't fit together.
@@towerrunner4675 you are right but TE+higher price, I believe it's not longer shocking anyone either. I don't know how much cost they add if they change the material of the OP-Z to metal and add a small OLED screen, but if they stay reasonable they could keep-it close to the SeqTrak's. I don't think they ever minded if they were too expensive against an MPC or any other product.
@@alexandrosroussos The best thing, TE can do, is a material upgrade for the OP-Z. An OLED would break the concept of having only one display in use (two are confusing).
It looks nice and seems like a really competent little groovebox but it seems like all the presenters really don't spend much time at all trying to demonstrate the synth sounds, neither the AWM or FM sounds so I'm a little concerned it might a tad boring in the sound design category. That's one area I see the OP-Z still having the edge.
lol,. man so I don't really know if a product like this is even made for like traditional hip hop producers,. with just such a lack of a traditional powerful sampler with a line-in etc,. but I say that humbly because I do not know how to load my SD card up with samples and use samples in a beat like that,.. but eventually I'm gonna try and learn,. lol,. but I don't know with the KO-2 being so dedicated to traditional sampling and hip hop producers,. and a $100 cheaper i have to go that route over this,.
@@Thekidisalright Yamaha originally announced with a $599 price and that was widely reported. I see now it's changed, but I'm not daft. I went by the credible information as of ... 3 days ago.
Meh not really. It's certainly it's own thing. I feel like Yamaha is trying and could still do better but struggles to break away from traditional logic like TE does with design. You have to hand it to the designers at TE for really making such unique things.
They are cheating to make it look cool: a) Additional functions only by attaching an external device. b) Small buttons on the sides. OP-Z is one of the weaker TE things - no need for a copy at all.
You're right about the novation stuff. They need to find a way to lengthen those tracks. It's such a pita to edit them if you use two patterns to make your pattern 64 beats. And they need to do something about that synth engine; it sounds like a Casio. BTW, I own the tracks and the rhythm.
Saying Korg copies TE is kinda ridiculous. The company that literally was instrumental in developing MIDI sequencing is copying. TE gear is built off of the R&D department of Korg and copyrights held by Korg. If you mean the aesthetics, well TE is just copying Mac. Who cares.
$399 is throw away money for most legit adults. I pre-ordered one 2 mornings ago. It ships in mid feb and, stock will be limited due to chip shortages. Better get one.
Copying homework. 🤣🤣🤣 These days, everything’s starting to look the same. And cost the same. I may just get some arduino parts and create my own “toy.”
Sorry but Yamaha simply filled up a hole in the market. TE stuff is only good for boom bap beat makers, but to producers it's nothing but a toy. What even is that shitty synth engine? The seqtraq isn't and yamaha didn't copy shit.
It looks fun and slightly less flimsy looking than the OP-Z. I'd have been more impressed if someone had copied, improved upon and come in at a sensible price for an OP-1 field-alike, but I suppose there's always next year. I like TE designs, but their prices just take the p*ss.
I guess the big advantage of companies like Yamaha, Roland or Korg is that they can reutilize a lot of stuff they have already done in the past. Like for example all those DX sounds developed in the 80s. Therefore they have less development costs and can release a device competing with TE but at much lower costs. By contrast TE has to create everything from scratch..
TE may flimsy in terms of build quality, but the Seqtrak is flimsy in terms of production quality.
I don't even like TE and love Yamaha, but this thing is a prosumer joke (aka money grab).
No TRS outs, cheap speaker instead of a screen, 4hr battery life, only 2 synth tracks meaning you will either be missing lead, bass or chorus, no high quality sample is going to come out of that mic..
It's just a bunch of cheap and incomplete tools thrown together in a popular style they ripped off from TE.
They even added a fucking clothes tag, so you know it's cheap😂
@@TJ_PowPow Good analysis! I guess they are not really targeting the pros, but much more beginners which are looking for an affordable device. Maybe Yamaha will come up with a more professional device based on the SEQTRAK in another price range competing wie Elektron products. Like TE developed the K.O. II based on the pocket operators.
@@TJ_PowPow then people make a stand for your phone or a tablet that is also portable. It’s a lot more usable Screen than half this other Dawless/ standalone gear out here. It’s touchscreen as well ?!! high quality battery banks are a dime a dozen. The audio quality is very good. $399 is nothing for all of its features. I went over all the other features in the other comment of yours. What more do you want in audio possibilities? I apologize for coming across rude, but I think your points are debunked. That being said. i’ll wait until they make a higher quality build/ and or improve upon some of it before I put any money out for it. Colors are lame. I’m obviously a fan of Yamaha, as are you. I share the frustration with the cheap corners they cut. I’m just saying. I’m grateful they’re finally making something that’s very useful, affordable and looks fun. They need to get roasted, but they also need a pat on the back
@Jinji11 It might be worth $399, but people shouldn't be fooled by the "studio caliber sound", which is not some type of real measurement. The whole thing is just off character for Yamaha... They could've come out with something truly innovative.. Like a drum machine that integrates with the Montages and/or Cubase.. Instead they built a cheaper version of something that already exists, taking away market share from a much smaller company (that I don't even really care for). There's already like 100 cheap groove boxes/synths..
Seqtrak is another beast IMO. Spending time with this thing everyday for the past 3 months, I'm really impressed. Learn something new everyday about it. I use it for live performance.
It is totally different.
It's great to see Yamaha reentering the groovebox territory. I'm excited about the FM It will look nice on the table connected to the EP-133 K.O. II. 😃
You and me both!
That's all it will do is look good. Congrats. You took the bait. "Hey, I can have something that looks like TE, but is a fraction of the price.
It's a bunch of low grade tools packaged up to look slick to target prosumers.
@@TJ_PowPoware you something other than a prosumer?
@maxsmart9116 Yeah. What's your point?
3:35 One of the reasons I got the Circuit Rhythm is that it has no screen. I like that it's unique in that way and it makes it feel more like an instrument than a computer or piece of hardware. This forces the controls to be much more intuitive and there's no menu diving.
I do like that it has an interactive tutorial manual. Overall everything seems great. I’m getting one to see if I can replace my OPZ with it. It’s missing the 2 octave keyboard but when I saw that it has an editable piano roll in the companion app I ordered instantly. For me having that editable piano roll makes up for the non traditional keyboard layout.
No screen has downsides too. Easier to get lost. I haven’t used a Circuit before, so it might be alright on that one, but in the case of the seqtrak, if you want to go deeper, you kinda need to connect an external screen (Ie iPad). All depends on what you’re doing of course, but in my experience, the elektrons have just the right amount of screen. They don’t try to be a laptop like the akai devices, but they do have enough information visible at all times.
@@svenmify I’m already used to that with the OPZ, but with the OPZ if you use it regularly you don’t really need the screen. I’m hoping the Seqtrak is the same with most of the main features. Seems to be that way. I just gotta see first hand how deep I can get without the screen. Editing with the piano roll def needs the screen, but that’s a welcome feature I never had on the OPZ. I’m hoping the iOS version of the app has the piano roll. That would be awesome.
The Circuit Rhythm is fairly limited in what it can do so it's not likely you'll get lost unless you're a complete beginner to groove boxes/music production.
I can see how it would be significantly harder on the seqtrak.@@svenmify
All the deeper sound design stuff is in the software that you need a fucking screen for.
The reason to get an op-z was always the incredibly advanced sequencer. It was like TE looked at Elektron sequencing and thought "how can we take this as far as possible?" Even though it was built like shit, it was incredibly innovative and you're seeing the ripples from it now in stuff like the Polyend Play. When you got the midi expansion (which should have been built in), controlling hardware synths with that thing was just mesmerizing. But again due to the terrible QC, mine fell apart.
The sequencer on the yamaha looks kind of standard. I get it, its a roland TR style with a few fancy features, been there done that on every groovebox ever. They're taking the Scandinavian aesthetic but not the design decisions that made it sing.
The master track was/is next level, change every tracks key in real time or p-lock it was a level of witchery you just don't see anywhere else.. still love my opz.. the build quality was not horrible for me.. still holding up very well.. slightest bend but I dgaf really..
That "Scandy Aesthetic" you're talking about, is Japanese in origin.
@@DetroitMicroSoundexactly, these TE fanboys don’t know anything except dieter rams lol
Behringer ripping off teenage engineering could be the most Robin Hood thing they can do.
Music Tribe/Behringer is valued at about 2 billion dollars. Teenage Engineering is not starving, but they're a lot more like a little band of archers as a very small company trying to survive on very few highly specialized products. Nobody's giving anything to the poor, because if you can afford >$300 on a little musical device for fun, you may be a dummy, because you can get something ten times better for about twice the price, but you aren't poor. so I guess in your version of Robin Hood, a rich guy steals from a small band of archers to help a bunch of dummies, while the poor people just watched.
To bad this was made by Yamaha 😂😂😂
@@SteveFranchise23 Behringer cloning teenage engineering is the next link in the chain.
A big difference is the size. The desktop footprint of the Seqtrak is actually a little larger than that of a Digitakt. For portability you'd need a decksaver because of all the knobs, and it would take up a chunk of your backpack. An OP-Z doesn't need knobs that stick out unless you add them, and you can carry it in a coat pocket. So the portability is completely different.
The sampler seems to be built around one-shots. You can edit start and end points on the app (and some minor envelope and filter parameters, IIRC). Basically, 11 tracks (7 drums, 3 synths, and 1 one-shot sampler) x 6 patterns per track x up to 8 bars (128 steps) per pattern x 8 projects. Use it with the app (computer, phone, or iPad) for complex things and stand-alone to capture quick ideas. Could be interesting.
,,,Yamaha will most certainly add more features to the device further down the line and I certainly believe that there will indeed be a chop feature added alongside a great deal more to it’s sampling functionality.
Yamaha are not like T.E they have been in the game a long,long time and unlike T.E , I’m extremely confident that their products won’t hit the market place with such incompetence in regards to quality assurance and component reliability!
Yamaha’s build quality and customer service will likely be an improvement over the garbage that is TE’s customer service.
Yamaha made these toy-sized drum and groove boxes in the '90s... probably long before any of those teenage engineers even had hair on their balls... of course, they take note of what the competition does when introducing their new iteration in this line of products and provide similar features as they know they will also be compared in that regard... at least Yamaha's quality control is usually pretty good, and I still have one of those little QY70s at my parent's house still running completely fine. First I though that this is so dumb without a screen but with the built in bluetooth connection you simply use an app and you are good... there is a market for this and a lot of people like to be mobile sketching some songs on it and use it like we used the older versions as sketchbooks for musical ideas... but there are also many who like to jam with a mobile setup outside under the sun. but in the end this is still a luxury item...
I was waiting for the reaction of this from ya Ave! All love, keep going!
More to come!
love how ave just approaches this with an open mind and is like "mmmmmhmmmm" with a big smile when he sees something he likes. always makes me smile.
I ordered it - in black - on the SAME DAY Chompi was coming out - Chompi said $499 at the time of order then I said NO - Yamaha unit is #1
Why do people think the op-z has 16 tracks? It has 8 sound track (4x drums and 4x synths), the other 8 are control tracks and don't make sound. The Seqtrack has 11 tracks. As far as I get it the Seqtrack drum tracks can only hold 1 sample at a time, so you can only sequence 1 sound at a time, which makes the tracks basically mono tracks. The op-z can have 24 sound per track, so more choice and some tracks are polyphonic.
Gotta love the irony of calling the Seqtrak a copycat... with a reaction video 🤣
Teenage Engineering dropped the price of the OP-Z as a result. But Yamaha really did a great job with this improving two important areas, a smoother more accessible fluid workflow and bigger functional buttons/ controls that normal human sized fingers can use
Hahahahahha
Loved the Mario 64 asmr thank u
I can understand what they try to do here. Is like a mini MPC with no digital display and the idea smaller is better. For me it will be a new learning curve in order to understand it. For example I use Fl Studio for more than 10 years now. When I got the akai fire I had to learn how to used it. I did not jump right in with the basic stuff. You have to go deep in order to learn it. Not even everybody knows the akai fire has touch sensibility like a regular midi keyboard.
I’ve the way you’re following along, stopping and commenting .. Nobody else did it like this . Great job
🫡
I zoomed in on pics to check built quality and it looks like it could break into three parts after a year of use.
😂😂😂
That's intended, because it's one of those LEGO type gear. 😜
I appreciate Yamaha creating this because the more companies putting out small groove boxes the better. Maybe they’ll inspire one another and push each other to do new and cool things, like the M8
Sequencer : 128 steps + song mode.
I was sure you would be asking for the sampling/trimming/chopping capabilities 😅 for me this is the only problem with this unit right now. Requiring the the app to do that is not convenient.
An actual VA synth would be cool too. But I see they are two synth slots, maybe there is room to assign a VA synth in there 😉
Some of the best electronic music in history was made on machines with limits and timy/no screen...the SP-12 comess to mind...same as Yamaha's DX-100. I ordered one in Black/Grey because that 'orange-half orange' looks hideous. And I love the color Orange. This product is only doomed to fail because nobody cares about Yamaha, AWM2 synthesis or their late-90s-early 00s hits (SU-700, Rm1-X DX-200...) Here's hoping one day they reach further back and remake an SY-2 or one of their other great analog synths...but I have a place for this!!
Nobody cares for Yamaha? How'd u know why u speaking for us. Their market was for the pro now they're getting back to the masses
looks decent (if it can edit samples, if not forget it!) but i’d rather wait for an OP-Z field vs learning a new piece of gear. My OP-Z still works properly and isn’t bent, and it’s a lot of fun, even though there are some improvements that I’d make for sure.
Simple isn’t always good. Simple sometimes just means limited.
This can make beats but not sure it can excel at anything else. I preordered one but I don’t intend to compose much on this. For me, it’s just an idea machine you can throw in a backpack.
and that is how people used these little machines back in the 90s... a fun little sketchbook. got a used QY70 in the early 2k and it still works like a charm. but there are a lot of people doing live jamming under the sun these days with some backpack-sized equipment so for them this is golden.
I will…..do a comparison video - might be securing the seqtrak
I returned my ko2 today. It stop functioning correctly it was a nightmare bro
would say its better to get the seqtrack?
@Andreas1683 from what i heard no but to each their own. What might be dope for some might suck for others. Zzsounds gives you 45 days to try sh!t out
@@Ra_Sharpness_ cheers brother, I have ordered the ko-ii, to ease myself into the world of digital.
From only playing acoustic instruments my whole life, and I got a rc505 mk-ii. Thank you, great content.
@@Andreas1683 enjoy
I know you got your mega synthesis let’s go live
It didn’t come yet
I got mine today waiting on you
😅just checking to see if you were talking about the new MPC
Im sure you seen the leaked photos of the Akai MPC KEY 37 🤔😏👍🔥💯
It looks like a cross between the KO 2 and the op1 ...but tbh it seems dope af especially for the price I hope it can sample from the line in too and hope it samples loops and chops and not just one shots if so all be getting one when I can afford it
With all the features and augmented reality and visualizer i never pre-ordered something so fast !!! even down to the auto-save and undo-redo missing from most grooveboxes. I just hope they update being able to bring sample tracks over to the drum tracks like with the synths that would be lit ! opz also only has 8 tracks the others are for midi ot lights or something. 100% sample page has start and end points and i think it can do chords at least 4 poly
I’d pay the extra $100 for the OP-Z
Cant wait to see your product review Digi. I would like to see what you can do with this. I actually preordered one just to give it a spin. Ya never know, Maybe a RM1x Mark II is down the pipeline!!
@@nalaeel219 I wish! The RM1X is much more desirable than this. But there is probably nobody at Yamaha who understands this.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this....This is interesting...i was considering the Novation Circuit even tho it's older but i love the Layout and the Mod Matrix on the Circuit and has lot's of usable features...i guess i need to see more videos on this Seqtrak....I agree with the No Screen option...hmmm,,,it's going to be a tough decision...Love to hear your thoughts on the Circuit compared to this..
I'll ALWAYS have more faith in Yamaha, than TE.
We were waiting for you
I wonder how the internal speaker sound
So what ya think of the mpc keys 37?!?!?wink
Question - can I use the Universal Audio 1176 pedal with it?
Shall I get this or EP133?
I am in the same boat dude - Have you decided yet? - Thanks
I hate how we also get house music demos for every new device. Can we get more sample based hiphop pop production demos. Hiphop producers like hardware too, not just Ableton or FL
Dude the Ep133 feels like a toy and it’s only a 4track. The op-z is over priced . This thing meets it in the middle but all these things feel like toys. Something you leave in your backpack incase you have a long wait at the buss stop or you have a long train commute everyday
Sample editing mostly on app basic on device
SeqTrak is cool although I have yet to out work my Yamaha QY100
Unc I already know you thinking about getting it. If you get it. You gotta give me the MPC LIVE 2.
TE doesn’t own minimal design. This style of design has been around forever. Yamaha did it right by making an intuitive system that doesn’t require a screen. The OPZ was poorly executed with a forgettable design. It has nothing to do with this. This is a professional tool, not a gimmick. It’s a miniature, slimmed down, screen less Yamaha RS 7000 from the Y2K era
This is not a professional tool. Pros use mics for sampling that cost multiple times what this thing does.
No multitrack out, no TRS audio out, cheap speaker, 4hr battery life.. It's marketed at prosumers.
@@TJ_PowPow OK. good point. It’s prosumer then. Pros also use Casio SK-1’s to sample with. From what I’m seeing, people use high end effects pedals with anything that makes a sound, to create lofi/hifi samples. A wide range of options. The Seqtrak is a Groovebox, External Hardware Sequencer, a Sampler, Rompler, 4 op Fm synth, drum machine, and beyond. I’d say it’s worth $399. It’s more powerful and usable than most hardware synths, plug-ins or VST‘s. And you can actually sell it, when or If you’re over it. It has full midi implementation. Midi in and out plus USB midi. Wi-Fi. A real time Animated Visualizer. A full Software editor, if you want to improve/expedite the screenless workflow. It lets you use Midi Effects, and audio Effects while performing. With automation recording?! It’s a better value then most gear two to three times the price. It has TRS in and TRS headphone out. Good enough. There are top tier musicians/producers/artists that can make magic with music gear considered trash to most “Professionals.” You made Good point’s, but it’s beside the point. Combine this with one or two other pieces of kit and it’s 10 X more useful. It’s a sketchpad and a performance tool. I’m grateful that Yamaha’s giving back when it comes to the SeqTrak. I hope it’s the beginning of a lot more standalone tools for creative exploration
Funny - they went after Chompi ON THE SAME DAY they were released
No screen = it's a no from me dawg
I love the mario n64 music in the background
Woah, it's bigger than I thought
If it can’t multitrack out, it’s a toy/scratch pad
85 single and Master effects🤯
damn, no screen, i'll stick with the OP-1 Field
I dont need s screen to make music..
neither do I, but i like to have the option, makes it way easier to see a wav form to work with samples, visuals are faster to work with. happy that you don't though, all good
@@Deezeone
There is an app.
@moldythoughts4765 yeah that's cool, I like something that's built in on a portable, so I don't need to add extra things
@@wozfromoz8795you don’t add another thing, let’s not pretend you don’t have your phone by your side all the time just like everyone else, there is no extra purchase of anything and not having the screen keep the cost low.
A bit bigger than the OP-Z, but at least its enclosure won’t bend and destroy itself with time 😅
I’m not against Yamaha getting inspired of a very innovative synth by TE but which is also an industrial failure (so many issues).
Maybe TE has the opportunity to reply with an OP-Z Filed that would fix all of the issues of the OG. Possibly I would even prefer this to the Yamaha. Time will tell. The SEQTRAK is interesting take on this market.
I also heard about those OP-Z problems. It's so hard to build a little plastic box these days 😄. An OP-Z Field will never come, because then we are in MPC price range.
@@towerrunner4675 that didn’t prevent OP-1 Field to happen.
If they can put a small OLED screen for ease of use and sample trimming, that could justify a higher price. Even with the Yamaha we already aren’t far from the MPC One pricing.
@@alexandrosroussos OP-Z and Seqtrak put a lot of functions into the app to keep it cheap. A "Field" upgrade means higher price to me. Those two concepts just don't fit together.
@@towerrunner4675 you are right but TE+higher price, I believe it's not longer shocking anyone either. I don't know how much cost they add if they change the material of the OP-Z to metal and add a small OLED screen, but if they stay reasonable they could keep-it close to the SeqTrak's. I don't think they ever minded if they were too expensive against an MPC or any other product.
@@alexandrosroussos The best thing, TE can do, is a material upgrade for the OP-Z. An OLED would break the concept of having only one display in use (two are confusing).
It’s 8 bars. They said it on the andertons video
It looks nice and seems like a really competent little groovebox but it seems like all the presenters really don't spend much time at all trying to demonstrate the synth sounds, neither the AWM or FM sounds so I'm a little concerned it might a tad boring in the sound design category. That's one area I see the OP-Z still having the edge.
Trust me, I feel the same way as you
Which color would you get ave?
Black
lol,. man so I don't really know if a product like this is even made for like traditional hip hop producers,. with just such a lack of a traditional powerful sampler with a line-in etc,. but I say that humbly because I do not know how to load my SD card up with samples and use samples in a beat like that,.. but eventually I'm gonna try and learn,. lol,. but I don't know with the KO-2 being so dedicated to traditional sampling and hip hop producers,. and a $100 cheaper i have to go that route over this,.
It’s missing the Locrian mode. Unusable 🤡.
Yamaha is #1
I dig the 🚬 color way
Oh shit. haha. I was wondering why I wanted a cig.
they didn't rip the sampler functions, so samplimng really su**s with the seqtrak
It’s 8 bars per pattern
128 steps 11 tracks
Thanks for confirming
So long as it doesn't bend for "reasons" like the OP-Z, that'll put it up a few notches.
lmfao are you playing the music from super mario 64 in the background of you speaking?
Perfect for ME - I do Facebook Reels and 90 second Music Videos
OP-Z is still better in some ways. But there’s a few really neat original features that look really cool with this synth… tempted!
I wouldn’t mind giving it a try. I looked at the OP-Z a few weeks ago when KO2 fomo was high.
Nice job
I believe it is pronounced "Seek-o Track-o" 😮❤
I would have named this thing Yamaha Micro-Motif DX-RMX 😅😅😅😅😅
Uh, cheaper than what? The OP-Z is $499.
I ordered one at SweetWater for $399, same goes to almost every retailers, you TE fanboys are daft or what lol
@@Thekidisalright Yamaha originally announced with a $599 price and that was widely reported. I see now it's changed, but I'm not daft. I went by the credible information as of ... 3 days ago.
Let's be honest, they couldn't have made it more expensive than TE!
Actually they did, it's $599 MSRP. 😆
@@towerrunner4675You know most retailers don’t sell as MSRP right, from sweetwater to perfect circuit everywhere is selling at 399
No chopping
Funny - does it have an 1/8 balanced output to run my external speakers
128 steps per pattern, nah I'm good
Meh not really. It's certainly it's own thing. I feel like Yamaha is trying and could still do better but struggles to break away from traditional logic like TE does with design. You have to hand it to the designers at TE for really making such unique things.
They are cheating to make it look cool: a) Additional functions only by attaching an external device. b) Small buttons on the sides. OP-Z is one of the weaker TE things - no need for a copy at all.
You're right about the novation stuff. They need to find a way to lengthen those tracks. It's such a pita to edit them if you use two patterns to make your pattern 64 beats. And they need to do something about that synth engine; it sounds like a Casio. BTW, I own the tracks and the rhythm.
Doesn't sound too bad though.
Saying Korg copies TE is kinda ridiculous. The company that literally was instrumental in developing MIDI sequencing is copying. TE gear is built off of the R&D department of Korg and copyrights held by Korg. If you mean the aesthetics, well TE is just copying Mac. Who cares.
9:14 beneficuary
Good teenage engineering are a bunch of hypocrites that pray on newer producers
Funny - can I use Yamahs Design 6 - with it?
They copied a cigarette 🚬 🤷🏿♂️
Funny - can I use my Sennheiser 416 mic with it
$399 is throw away money for most legit adults. I pre-ordered one 2 mornings ago. It ships in mid feb and, stock will be limited due to chip shortages. Better get one.
It cost $599 at launch
$399; $599 is MRSP
@@pavelbuga73 yeah now I see too 😅
Copying homework. 🤣🤣🤣
These days, everything’s starting to look the same. And cost the same.
I may just get some arduino parts and create my own “toy.”
No!
It actually looks better and much more usable than any of the recent TE scam. This is the way!
I’ll pass !
Annoying format
400dollar door stop
Sorry but Yamaha simply filled up a hole in the market. TE stuff is only good for boom bap beat makers, but to producers it's nothing but a toy. What even is that shitty synth engine? The seqtraq isn't and yamaha didn't copy shit.
vocal volume way too highhhhhhhh