The day my M8 arrived, I disappeared for 4 hours and resurfaced with the types of sounds I've been chasing for the last couple of years. It's an absolute joy to use and a total world creator.
@@sonicmistress you might have a different definition of expensive... I don't consider 5 grand expensive for a motorcycle but a beginner with less income would. So I guess... Get out more?
At this point it's not even about money, it's about TE being an absurd company that many people claim to be designer brand and not music equipment brand.
As someone who has been using the M8 for almost two years now I find it difficult to not come across as completely biased when I sing it praises, so it makes me happy to hear some objective reviews of the device talking about both its perceived strengths and potential weaknesses. This might be my favorite introductory to it so far, I love your honesty. Cheers!!
M8 user here. I just want to echo the idea that it feels a bit like a video game or a puzzle to write music on this. I couldn’t agree more and I think that’s a good thing. The dream of something like the OP-1 is that you can use it on a long trip, but whenever i’ve tried to do that I’ve found myself uninspired to create musical ideas. With the M8, I don’t feel so daunted because I just can start plugging notes in until I have something that I like. The song mode makes it so easy to build up chains into full songs that before I know it, I have a fully fleshed our idea and I’ve arrived at my destination. I wouldn’t sweat the workflow too much. I got used it pretty quickly without much tracker experience in the past. The software was modeled after LSDJ so it was always intended to be able to be picked up easily by a wide audience. Before I made the plunge, I got a Teensy and made a M8 headless unit to see if I would gel with the workflow, and that helped a lot.
LOL. you can buy a real Synth for what this plastic toy costs, and the OP saying the OP1 is the Gold Standard....What an idiot....hahaha, you can get a $5 App that can do more.....Mugs selling their affiliate links and will say anything....$500 for this piece of crap....Gear snobbery for fools....
I love the M8 - feels like I am hacking the matrix and is very intuitive to use. I am struggling with sound design though - the FM and MI based synth are deep!
I'm not a musician/musical artist and I ordered an M8 on the first preorder. I'm a tech enthusiast with interest in music, and the M8 has given me not only a wonderfully satisfying tactile experience in using the device, but has taught me a lot about making music and making it accessible to me in an easy to use and HIGHLY portable package. I've also own an OP-1 for about 6 years now for this reason, and I'd easily say both the OP-1 and M8 are the coolest things I probably own that I *make time* to sit down and use.
I grew up with ModPlug Tracker in the late 90's/early 2000's.. I used it for probably 6 years and loved how quick it was to layout an idea. I since moved on to other DAWs like Reason, then later landing on Ableton for the last 10 years. While I'm content with Ableton, I don't feel like I can layout an idea as quickly as I was able to with a tracker. Polyend announced their Mini Tracker yesterday, and hilariously enough, it got me looking at the M8 again. I was always kind of put off by the low availability before as I've always suffered from the "I want it now." syndrom.. but I'm happy to say I put in a pre-order last night for one and can't wait for it to arrive (hopefully in July). It really feels like the instrument/groovebox/daw that I've been dreaming of my entire music making life. Normally a high learning curve would put me off on an instrument (I went through hell and back with the Octatrack 10 years ago), but I understand Trackers to a degree, so I don't think it will feel as daunting. Great video. Subbed. :D
One of the most intriguing pieces of musical gear I've seen in a long time, thanks for explaining it so well. I'm beginning to make a habit of watching one your videos with my coffee every morning. Your enthusiasm is highly contagious and your content is consistently top-quality and never boring. (That being said, displaying with such joy all this amazing tech is also severely affecting my bank account, maybe I should stop watching you for a while.)
This was so cool to read! Thanks so much for that and for making me a part of your morning coffee routine, I truly appreciate it❤️ much love and inspiration your way my friend! See you soon!
Great review - I've had my M8 for a few weeks now, and absolutely love it. Because of work, I haven't got as much time to spend with it as I'd like, but it's so easy to just pick up and start messing with, it's brilliant. Firstly, I love both M8 and OP-1. They are both very different devices, but I personally feel more productive on the M8. Something I wish the M8 had, which OP-1 has, is a built in mic, I like being able to just randomly record stuff with my OP-1, and instantly be able to play it. Like the importance of built in speakers, I think a built in mic is super useful on portable devices. That being said, I was able to plug my Android phone in via USB and sample directly from it, no config or anything - which is very nice. Being able to work, and save MULTIPLE tracks, and load them instantly is another area where the M8 beats the OP-1. I absolutely hate that the OP-1 only has one lousy 6 minute tape available (and the record device thing I suppose). For me, this means I only ever use the OP-1 for writing exported loops. The M8 is MUCH more suited for full song composition. I think the instruments on the M8 are much more predictable, and sound can really be created with purpose. Because of the M8s implementation of instrument tables, I don't think the OP-1 can compete with the M8 for complex synthesis. Note on instrument tables: Think of a dedicated sequence, per instrument (well, "per instrument" by default, but tables can be shared across instruments, one table can even trigger another table... Like tables within tables... Yeah, Table Inception is a thing!!). This Table sequence triggers every time an instrument note is played - and it can affect lots of parameters, for example: - sample start, length and loop position (I can see M8 edging towards granular synthesis in future - it already has the basics) - you can even fudge propper time-stretching by modulating sample values! - LFO and envelope values - Relative note triggering (for the most flexible arps to make even Octatrack users jealous!) - complex pitch slides - random generative sequences - parameters of OTHER tracks can be modified - step speed - the table can modify its own speed and groove... (Oh grooves, another amazing feature, super well thought out and implemented... but I digress!) It's mind blowing... Some of the generative stuff that people are doing with the M8 is amazing! For the most part, the OP-1 synths are kind of like "just keep randomly tweaking things until it sounds good" - which can be a lot of fun for sure, and you can definitely learn the sweet spots, but I sometimes find it frustrating, and end up just trying to find a sample instead. Also, the shared drum kit envelopes are not very good on OP-1. Like, they are infamously bad! The OP-1 is more immediate for note input though. Sometimes you just want to play out a melody inn that little keyboard. The M8 can't do that without plugging in an external keyboard. I already love trackers. I spent many years of my youth writing my crappy tracker music on the Amiga in the 80s and 90s... If someone does not like trackers, then they will not like the M8, no matter what its specs and UI are like. That being said, anyone who loves the Elektron sequencers and workflow would probably love working with the M8. Elektron sequencers are like trackers in disguise!) Watching videos does not do the M8 justice. When you use it, and start to see how smart and intuitive the UI is, it just becomes so much fun to use. Finally, the M8 is not cheap. It does have very good build quality, not quite to OP-1 level, but it's super solid. I don't however think the M8 is over priced - considering it's a boutique instrument, the price is actually very reasonable. The OP-1, on the other hand, is in no way worth its price. I have it because it's unique, and I like it. It was difficult to justify the OP-1 purchase though. The M8 was far easier to justify. As you can see, I'm pretty passionate about this little tracker. Trash80 is an absolute legend, I'm in total awe that one man was able to create something that is, in many ways, better than what larger synth companies with lots of employees can build. I feel inspired by this fact every time I turn it on. EDIT: I had previously said you could probably use the OP-1 connected to the M8 as a MIDI controller. That's not really the case. The M8 does not function as a USB host, so this probably wouldn't work (I cannot test as I don't have a mini USB to micro USB cable). I've removed that statement from my post.
Not sure whether they'd work nicely together, but if they did, M8 plus KMI's new QuNexus seem like an ultra portable solution to add a small keyboard (may need a power bank for the QuNexus, or can the M8 host and power non-power-greedy devices?). See loopop's review of the new QuNexus here: th-cam.com/video/zemTzTXcka0/w-d-xo.html Note that the problems of the old version apparently have been (mostly?) addressed.
@@helloneibor7586 I ordered mine on January 18 (Australia). It took a while before it was shipped - it was shipped on February 5. Once it was shipped, I received it within 3 days. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to get an order in for the batch that sold out in less than 8 hours. If you are buying/brought one, good luck, and I hope you are able to get that M8 in your hands soon!
@@stefanherzog I think you are right - OP-1 would likely not work with the M8 over USB, as the M8 does not work as a USB Host - I cannot test as I don't have a mini USB to micro USB cable. I wish the OP-1 had separate MIDI out... I have connected the M8 via USB to the Maschine +, and that works OK... MIDI and audio over USB... although it means you'd need to use the M8 as the in/out for all audio on Maschine +, which works, but might not suit all setups. The QuNexus looks interesting. I don't think the M8 will supply power over USB (though I'm really not sure), and cannot behave as a USB host, so maybe this would not work either. I really wish the M8 had USB C. Trash80 originally wanted to put USB C, but there were issues with that, so he had to go with micro USB. Shame... USB micro to USB micro (OTG cables), or USB Mini cables are harder to come by.
Coming from a software background, my new Polyend tracker does actually feel a bit like programming music, which makes it less intimidating for me to use it and to get into the scene. So I guess, as usual, the experience varies per person.
Great video! Really have been interested in the Polyend Tracker since the beginning. As a Renoise user I’d feel right at home! But the M8 is very intriguing as my desk is space limited and most my gear purchases have to be more portable. Thank you and happy jamming!
When I first saw M8, my first thought was "Is that a Gameboy Clone made by an Industrial Designer?" But it sounded awesome, so I looked up the website. It said the M8 was inspired by a program called LSDJ. Looked that up and found it's a tracker software made for the original Game Boy. Suddenly, the M8's design and layout made perfect sense as it somewhat replicates the Game Boy layout. Went ahead and got the parts for a headless M8 and have been running it on my laptop with a game controller and having a blast while I wait for the next round of pre-orders to start delivering. :)
@@UbiDoobyBanooby Heh... It gets even better when you find out that the LSDJ software is inspired by even older software that ran on the Commodore Amiga. :D
im glad someone brought up lsdj cuz the thumbnail of the layout made me click into this video... ive been looking into poclet operators... might just pop out my lsdj and gameboy pocket
@@UbiDoobyBanooby The Headless M8 is a Teensy 4.1 circuit board ($30) that you flashed the M8 software onto along with a compatible micro SD card and you run it using your PC as a display. You can also use a game controller to represent the buttons of the M8. This gives you most of the functionality of the M8 for a low cost of entry. It's great on its own or as way to practice while you wait for the M8s to start being delivered again.
Took me a year to appreciate and comprehend my OP1, but after I went through that I don't mind steep learning curves at all anymore... I used to use fast tracker back in the day and just loved the whole layout on the M8... Jeremy (Red means recording) shared a link to M8 headless which I'll start with to get/understand the software, looks like fun to bring around while travelling with proper amount of samples :)
I have been waiting for someone to compare M8 to OP-1 while I wait for my M8 to arrive. Having both the Polyend Tracker and TE OP-1, it seemed like it was as much, if not more, relevant to compare M8 to the OP-1 than the obvious tracker vs tracker standoff. Thanks so much for making this vid 🤘🔥🤘🔥🤘🔥
God. I can’t stand the waiting! Preordered mine a month ago. What I’m most excited about is just having a different approach to building a song. I switch from mpc live2, op1, blackbox, digitakt and the different approach and workflows always inspire something new or interesting. I really just can’t wait. Ps. For anyone who hasn’t had a chance to go play with the 1010 blackbox. Your missing out. So much fun.
Hi Corey! Nice to see you here again bro 🤟🏻 definitely check it out! Though I would go for the full unit as it is really a very cohesive and appealing design and a unique experience to use👍🏼 let me know how it goes, cheers!
It’s so cool that you cover a wide range of music making possibilities. I admire your resilience and patience. Although not a thing I’d consider making music with, I find this style fascinating. I remember a Japanese woman wrote a novel on her train commute using an old flip phone. This lil guy would be great for a commuter to write their opus. Then you mention midi connectivity and it’s like wow this thing is really meant for a lot of different applications. I also see that red means recording made an album using this thing and it’s a trip. Wild!
Hey brother! Happy to see you here and glad you liked the video! The M8 is indeed special, even though it is a bit “out there” vs more mainstrem devices. It’s not for everyone but I found it to be a blast! Lots of love my friend, see you soon!
Pretty much agree with every single point you made here. I've been in love with the M8 since I got mine last year, and it has more or less made most of my other devices feel rather obsolete. While I still love the deluge, I much often find myself reaching over for the M8, not only due to its form factor, but its ability to make something incredible, despite its limitations. I can have all the tracks I want with the deluge, and still find myself making songs just as complex on the M8. It's such a wonderful device and I highly encourage anyone with even a passing interest for trackers or the M8 itself, to look into the M8 Headless, which all comes out to around 40 bucks with the Teensy and a microSD card. It's pretty much the full M8 experience on your PC, but without the actual hardware, which I admit can be a hard sell, especially since the hardware itself is so god damn amazing, but this is a pretty cost effective way to see if you like the tracker and M8 workflow.
I’m really happy this video showed up in my recommended. I’ve been wanting to get into synths and electronic music, but I’m a guitarist and there’s something I just hate about having to pull up my laptop to work on music. It just feels really cumbersome and I’ve always wanted something like an OP-1 so I can just sit down wherever an play around. The issue, however, is that the op-1 is pretty high priced and I don’t mainly play with synths. Can’t justify the purchase at all. The M8, however, is a little more in my strike zone and honestly looks more like what I’d prefer using anyway. I really want to pick up one of these sometime and mess around with it.
Really enjoyed hearing your perspective on this bit of kit. It may not be for everyone, but for those who it is, I can foresee mega, super, ultra creative boosts. 🙂
@@MidlifeSynthesist the closest I can get to that at the moment is Deflemask on my iPhone. I’ve been discovering Chiptune music, getting super inspired and produced a bunch of chiptune tracks myself. A device like the M8 would be perfect. The form factor is a big appeal, like a juiced up pocket operator in a case. Potentiometers? Great channel of yours too! Power Up!
I might get one. I was looking at the poly end but i love portable small gear. I refused to buy the op1 because i tried to buy the op1 when T.E. Ran them on sale for $500 new, a few years ago..then the never sent it and refunded, so I can’t in good conscience buy one for $1000+ when i had paid for one at $500. TE never ran the deal again. I Digress, i started with a tracker on my commodore Amiga back in 87, si I’ve been nostalgic for that workflow…I’m thankful for this video…mind made up. I’m getting one.
Best pics of the M8 I've seen! I've been dismissing it, but you reminded me how I used to play with Simon. I closed my eyes, ignored the colored lights, and let "thumb memory" play the sequences.
Thank you for watching! I also have the polyend tracker and I feel that for me the workflow is faster on it than on the M8. That being said, the M8 has internal synths and fits in my pocket, so I think you definitely should have both🤣 #gas Have a great day!
Well I don’t agree that the M8 is a OP-1 killer because TE killed the OP-1 themselves by pricing it out of the market. But I understand his point, with the OP-1 out of reach of most people, we might see an influx of new users for the M8 because there’s not a lot of portable devices on which you can compose a multi track song. I think the M8 will become pretty popular for people who like composing music on the go.
Huge fan of external gear. Back in the day - it was literally all we had. No DAW, no VST. The only thing you had was boxes that made noise when you prodded them right... Usual via MIDI. Which again, was all we had. However, the idea of running a DAW simply as a way of creating notes and then having an EXTERNAL synth (or four) as the sound making part... To me that's exciting. I've already used Linux based DAW to run stuff via MIDI to add some (often much needed) analogue depth to sounds and musical phrases... It's an exciting thing, when you realise you can just alter things live, without having to preprogram anything
As someone who actively uses Little Sound DJ for the Gameboy, I think one thing that's really cool about the M8 is it's apparent similarities to LSDJ. In fact, for those who haven't already noticed, the button layout is very similar to a Gameboy and many of the shortcuts from what I can tell are identical to LSDJ. I think that's important to understanding what the M8 is trying to be. I'd love to try one of these someday.
Ive figured the same as well. thats coming from someone who used LSDJ all through highschool by emulating it on my phone. always wished I had the actual thing. Just might get one of these. idk yet tho
@@ayatan9119 as someone who used the actual thing, even paid for it over a decade ago, it was really funny and strange at the same time. I'm 35 now, so I'm used to a gameboy cause I played the hell out of it as a kid, pokemon, even had that gameboy camera and made noise with it. it collected dust over the years, but then there was this thing called chiptune when I was around 20 and one thing lead to another. that screen felt tiny and dimmer compared to when I was younger but yeah, once the button combinations kicked in, super quick to use changing the screens with select and stuff. lsdj was just to much for me at the time, I was more into nanoloop cause you'll get results quicker. but now after using renoise and being more into jungle, I'm super looking forward for the m8.
Your videos and delivery are very comforting and easy to watch, I like hearing your input on particular devices. I don’t think the M8 is for me (broke down and got a Deluge, still daunting to learn and use!) but I have heard a few great things from it.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the feedback🤟🏻 the M8 will definitely not be for everyone, but it’s so cool that something like this exists🎉 see you soon!
the M8 can be so much more. for example it can be a up to a octatimbral 8 voice synth. or any amount of timbrality you want. It can also be a dedicated arranger, using stems from another project. and many more
"At first glance, m8 is ticking all the boxes"...Nice! Appropriate. To me it never seemed like this could replace the op1 (which I don't have. Too spendy for me). The format of op1 is traditional so anyone who's played a toy piano as a child would feel familiar with it. Granted, the m8 has a Gameboy feel, so perhaps some (all my friends are synths) will have a similar familiarity experience, but not everyone has had a Gameboy. I was more curious about the experience and sound relative to the polyend tracker. But I completely see your point about pocketability and muscle memory. That's a huge plus for me and I don't have a machine that "ticks" those boxes. Would you be willing to do a comparison with the polyend for workflow and sound? That would be interesting.
The op-1 can be played as a synth as it has a keyboard, so it’s a completely different composing experience that most people can get into straight away. The m8 is brilliant based on the way it wants you to program the song, it is a lot of programming until you get the melody you want! I think that both are incredible instruments, but the OP-1 can appeal to everyone whereas the m8 will be more niche
All true, but it doesn’t have a keyboard. It is that little bit more difficult to come up with the melodies that you want because you have to programme each note instead of experiment with the keys on the fly. Also the op-1 too can be connected with external midi keyboards but granted it’s more difficult than the m8
@@eNikoltsios I think you have a point to a certain extent but the OP-1 keyboard for me wasn't actually playable as a keyboard. Kinda like using a qwerty keyboard. You are right that they are a different experience. Someone somewhere said the M8 is like a Digitakt. I never thought of a Digitakt as a tracker but I can relate to that idea which is why in the end I haven't ordered one much though I loved my now ex-Digitakt.
@@Jamslerr oh i didn't think of the midi keyboard or a little drum pad thing, that's smart. i never could get melodic/harmonic sounds i really liked out of the op1, but this one already has some sounds i dig.
Plus you have a FANTOM! I have a long story about the Fantom . Well not that long, sold my 6 cuz I NEED the 8, have an artist discount with Roland on the table which is amazing. BUT none of the 8s are available. And to add insult to injury I’d consider the new 0 series but those are also on back order it seems directly through Roland. I think about getting my hands back on an 8 or 08 pretty much daily now. Hopefully soon 🙏🏾
As always, entertaining and informative review! Fun is definitely a factor for me. I also have to say musicians should spend a few dollars and get Koala sampler on their smart phones. It is a fun experience that you can take anywhere and it goes deeper than you might think.
The M8 is the most appealing tracker I've seen in a long time... like a massively upgraded version of LSDJ. I'm not sure I ever want to go back to using trackers, but if I do, it'll be a top choice. For now though, I may try to just take some inspiration from it, and perhaps try structuring a couple songs in a M8-like manner on my current gear.
As for the OP-1, I've had one for 5 years now (wow, it has been that long???)... and it mostly lost its charm after just one year. The concept is good, but I end up constantly tripping over its limitations and quirks. It's like a little sketch pad, when what I really needed was a studio.
The Dirtywave looks and sounds really good and I love tracker interfaces ... but I'm not sure if I would enjoy inputting notes on so few buttons. One of the main advantages of trackers for me is the fast workflow on the computer keyboard, not sure if I'd really enjoy scrolling through notes to input them. Oh well, it's probably going to be out of stock five minutes after a batch gets ready to ship for the next couple of years, so I'll have plenty of time to think about it.
Same here! I really clicked with the Polyend Tracker cause the keyboard layout was so familiar, making my workflow insanely fast👍🏼 this is very fun and useful for the road or everyday commute, but given time and space to work on my music I’m grabbing a big boy workstation like the MPC lol. Thanks for watching!
Yeah i honestly don't see the point in owning this. Don't get me wrong, it's really cool, but so many people already take their laptops with them everywhere..... Just buy renoise. I get that working with a laptop vs a portable piece of hardware is not the same but in the case of trackers, a computer keyboard is far far better than this.
I usually don’t leave comments but dang, you are the only you tube channel I feel like I want to leave a like and a comment. Thanks for you great contents!
This looks insanely fun to use. I'm gonna keep my eye on these and maybe grab one when I have the expendable income for one hah, at least it's way cheaper than the OP-1!
Good, balanced review! My finger has been hovering over buy button on this thing for awhile; unfortunately we don't even have the option anymore because production is behind orders 😥
I feel the need to point out this thing is heavily based on the LSDJ tracker for Gameboy. The smooth muscle memory based workflow you praised so much comes directly from it, and if you look at the button layout, you'll realize it's essentially a gameboy, with for directional buttons on the left, A and B buttons on the right, and Start and Select below. It was a great review, and it's amusing to watch someone who's not coming from chiptune enjoy this thing so much, but it felt wrong to get all the praise directed at the guy who made the M8 instead of the creator of LSDJ, since the M8 is basically a guy going "man, LSDJ's workflow and interface are fantastic, I wish it wasn't limited to the gameboy's four monophonic channels" and then working from there.
...prototype units of the m8 had select and start printed on instead of shift and play. pics of them are still pretty easy to find but u know that probably ;) also yes, as someone who started using lsdj over a decade ago (omg...I'm getting old), it's a gameboy on steriods with wasd/arrow keys layout. lots of people forget its ergonomics is also based upon using it with the usb connected to a pc and streaming its screen onto a monitor. those rubber feet on the buttom are there for a reason^^ now, it becomes a controller with touchscreen, the software is now like using a tracker daw while using the arrow keys is exactly the same like using a pc with index, middle and ringfinger, not just with ur thumbs like when u hold it in ur hands instead. its really kinda cool cause thats a consequence of its desig, topshelf is just its pcb but the backside. btw, I'm also seeing live fun with it, screen sharing onto a big screen with a projector while with the other hand is on a midi controller to change parameter like filter cutoff/resonance
I think your comment about it being more cerebral than visceral is what sticks out for me - I have no doubt it's a brilliant piece of kit, but there's something to be said for being hunched over a terminal for an hour twiddling a knob a millimetre this way and a millimetre that way back and forth until it's just right! Saying that, I'll probably end up getting one and being back here in a few months to eat some humble pie 😂 Thanks for the great review 🙂👍
Well, I checked multiple TH-cam videos and decided to order a M8. Of course it helps that TE is into stratospheric pricing unrelated to the actual financial means of normal music makers.
@Electrus Co Nah, I'm a grown ass man with a bank account. You know, grown man stuff. Direct deposited checks, bank loans, mortgage, owning stuff, affording stuff. Crazy right!?
@Electrus Co I'm a 12 year old that uses punctuation, I must be Doogie Howser compared to you. Have fun googling that one and if you do respond, maybe try using a few commas and periods. Thats definitely something someone under the age of 13 does in the comment section. Commas are also helpful to identify how much money you have in your savings account, ie. No commas= broke, 1 comma = stable, multiple commas = fucking crushing it.
2:26 too funny. My M8 arrives later this week and I just KNOW I'll be using it on the throne. Hopefully this time will lead me to pay-dirt :P Also I really enjoy your presentations.
"At first glance the M8 is ticking all the boxes." OMG - Love this! lololol
😂 a little reference to an amazing youtuber❤️
Happy you liked it brother! See you soon! Cheers!
The day my M8 arrived, I disappeared for 4 hours and resurfaced with the types of sounds I've been chasing for the last couple of years. It's an absolute joy to use and a total world creator.
I really hope this takes up the OP-1s market share. The price of the OP-1 is disgustingly high and someone needs to fight against it
I agree.
I dont know, most good quality guitars go for about the same price. Music gear is and will always be expensive AF.
@@ayatan9119 Not the same at all....and music gear isn't expensive....Get out more....
@@sonicmistress you might have a different definition of expensive... I don't consider 5 grand expensive for a motorcycle but a beginner with less income would. So I guess... Get out more?
At this point it's not even about money, it's about TE being an absurd company that many people claim to be designer brand and not music equipment brand.
As someone who has been using the M8 for almost two years now I find it difficult to not come across as completely biased when I sing it praises, so it makes me happy to hear some objective reviews of the device talking about both its perceived strengths and potential weaknesses. This might be my favorite introductory to it so far, I love your honesty. Cheers!!
M8 user here. I just want to echo the idea that it feels a bit like a video game or a puzzle to write music on this. I couldn’t agree more and I think that’s a good thing. The dream of something like the OP-1 is that you can use it on a long trip, but whenever i’ve tried to do that I’ve found myself uninspired to create musical ideas. With the M8, I don’t feel so daunted because I just can start plugging notes in until I have something that I like. The song mode makes it so easy to build up chains into full songs that before I know it, I have a fully fleshed our idea and I’ve arrived at my destination.
I wouldn’t sweat the workflow too much. I got used it pretty quickly without much tracker experience in the past. The software was modeled after LSDJ so it was always intended to be able to be picked up easily by a wide audience. Before I made the plunge, I got a Teensy and made a M8 headless unit to see if I would gel with the workflow, and that helped a lot.
I am loving the trend of more affordable synths for those of us just dipping our toes into creating music with them
It's still a little pricey. That said OP-1 Field is not a move in the right direction either 💀
LOL. you can buy a real Synth for what this plastic toy costs, and the OP saying the OP1 is the Gold Standard....What an idiot....hahaha, you can get a $5 App that can do more.....Mugs selling their affiliate links and will say anything....$500 for this piece of crap....Gear snobbery for fools....
As a long-time Little Sound DJ user, M8tracker is a dream come true.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the experience too, cheers! :)
I love the M8 - feels like I am hacking the matrix and is very intuitive to use. I am struggling with sound design though - the FM and MI based synth are deep!
I'm not a musician/musical artist and I ordered an M8 on the first preorder. I'm a tech enthusiast with interest in music, and the M8 has given me not only a wonderfully satisfying tactile experience in using the device, but has taught me a lot about making music and making it accessible to me in an easy to use and HIGHLY portable package. I've also own an OP-1 for about 6 years now for this reason, and I'd easily say both the OP-1 and M8 are the coolest things I probably own that I *make time* to sit down and use.
at this price range and considering sequencing capabilities, a comparaison against op-z would have been more accurate for me
Or for the money buy a real Synth....and a real Seq....and have change....FFS....
@@sonicmistress like what grumpy pants?
I grew up with ModPlug Tracker in the late 90's/early 2000's.. I used it for probably 6 years and loved how quick it was to layout an idea. I since moved on to other DAWs like Reason, then later landing on Ableton for the last 10 years. While I'm content with Ableton, I don't feel like I can layout an idea as quickly as I was able to with a tracker. Polyend announced their Mini Tracker yesterday, and hilariously enough, it got me looking at the M8 again. I was always kind of put off by the low availability before as I've always suffered from the "I want it now." syndrom.. but I'm happy to say I put in a pre-order last night for one and can't wait for it to arrive (hopefully in July). It really feels like the instrument/groovebox/daw that I've been dreaming of my entire music making life. Normally a high learning curve would put me off on an instrument (I went through hell and back with the Octatrack 10 years ago), but I understand Trackers to a degree, so I don't think it will feel as daunting. Great video. Subbed. :D
One of the most intriguing pieces of musical gear I've seen in a long time, thanks for explaining it so well.
I'm beginning to make a habit of watching one your videos with my coffee every morning. Your enthusiasm is highly contagious and your content is consistently top-quality and never boring. (That being said, displaying with such joy all this amazing tech is also severely affecting my bank account, maybe I should stop watching you for a while.)
This was so cool to read! Thanks so much for that and for making me a part of your morning coffee routine, I truly appreciate it❤️ much love and inspiration your way my friend! See you soon!
Great review - I've had my M8 for a few weeks now, and absolutely love it. Because of work, I haven't got as much time to spend with it as I'd like, but it's so easy to just pick up and start messing with, it's brilliant.
Firstly, I love both M8 and OP-1. They are both very different devices, but I personally feel more productive on the M8.
Something I wish the M8 had, which OP-1 has, is a built in mic, I like being able to just randomly record stuff with my OP-1, and instantly be able to play it. Like the importance of built in speakers, I think a built in mic is super useful on portable devices. That being said, I was able to plug my Android phone in via USB and sample directly from it, no config or anything - which is very nice.
Being able to work, and save MULTIPLE tracks, and load them instantly is another area where the M8 beats the OP-1. I absolutely hate that the OP-1 only has one lousy 6 minute tape available (and the record device thing I suppose). For me, this means I only ever use the OP-1 for writing exported loops. The M8 is MUCH more suited for full song composition.
I think the instruments on the M8 are much more predictable, and sound can really be created with purpose. Because of the M8s implementation of instrument tables, I don't think the OP-1 can compete with the M8 for complex synthesis.
Note on instrument tables: Think of a dedicated sequence, per instrument (well, "per instrument" by default, but tables can be shared across instruments, one table can even trigger another table... Like tables within tables... Yeah, Table Inception is a thing!!). This Table sequence triggers every time an instrument note is played - and it can affect lots of parameters, for example:
- sample start, length and loop position (I can see M8 edging towards granular synthesis in future - it already has the basics) - you can even fudge propper time-stretching by modulating sample values!
- LFO and envelope values
- Relative note triggering (for the most flexible arps to make even Octatrack users jealous!)
- complex pitch slides
- random generative sequences
- parameters of OTHER tracks can be modified
- step speed - the table can modify its own speed and groove... (Oh grooves, another amazing feature, super well thought out and implemented... but I digress!)
It's mind blowing... Some of the generative stuff that people are doing with the M8 is amazing!
For the most part, the OP-1 synths are kind of like "just keep randomly tweaking things until it sounds good" - which can be a lot of fun for sure, and you can definitely learn the sweet spots, but I sometimes find it frustrating, and end up just trying to find a sample instead. Also, the shared drum kit envelopes are not very good on OP-1. Like, they are infamously bad!
The OP-1 is more immediate for note input though. Sometimes you just want to play out a melody inn that little keyboard. The M8 can't do that without plugging in an external keyboard.
I already love trackers. I spent many years of my youth writing my crappy tracker music on the Amiga in the 80s and 90s... If someone does not like trackers, then they will not like the M8, no matter what its specs and UI are like. That being said, anyone who loves the Elektron sequencers and workflow would probably love working with the M8. Elektron sequencers are like trackers in disguise!)
Watching videos does not do the M8 justice. When you use it, and start to see how smart and intuitive the UI is, it just becomes so much fun to use.
Finally, the M8 is not cheap. It does have very good build quality, not quite to OP-1 level, but it's super solid. I don't however think the M8 is over priced - considering it's a boutique instrument, the price is actually very reasonable. The OP-1, on the other hand, is in no way worth its price. I have it because it's unique, and I like it. It was difficult to justify the OP-1 purchase though. The M8 was far easier to justify.
As you can see, I'm pretty passionate about this little tracker. Trash80 is an absolute legend, I'm in total awe that one man was able to create something that is, in many ways, better than what larger synth companies with lots of employees can build. I feel inspired by this fact every time I turn it on.
EDIT: I had previously said you could probably use the OP-1 connected to the M8 as a MIDI controller. That's not really the case. The M8 does not function as a USB host, so this probably wouldn't work (I cannot test as I don't have a mini USB to micro USB cable). I've removed that statement from my post.
wow this could've been it's own video, thank you! def going to consider this; like you said, way easier to justify than the op1.
Not sure whether they'd work nicely together, but if they did, M8 plus KMI's new QuNexus seem like an ultra portable solution to add a small keyboard (may need a power bank for the QuNexus, or can the M8 host and power non-power-greedy devices?).
See loopop's review of the new QuNexus here:
th-cam.com/video/zemTzTXcka0/w-d-xo.html
Note that the problems of the old version apparently have been (mostly?) addressed.
When did you order yours? And did it take a super long time from when they started shipping?
@@helloneibor7586 I ordered mine on January 18 (Australia). It took a while before it was shipped - it was shipped on February 5. Once it was shipped, I received it within 3 days.
I was one of the lucky ones who managed to get an order in for the batch that sold out in less than 8 hours.
If you are buying/brought one, good luck, and I hope you are able to get that M8 in your hands soon!
@@stefanherzog I think you are right - OP-1 would likely not work with the M8 over USB, as the M8 does not work as a USB Host - I cannot test as I don't have a mini USB to micro USB cable. I wish the OP-1 had separate MIDI out...
I have connected the M8 via USB to the Maschine +, and that works OK... MIDI and audio over USB... although it means you'd need to use the M8 as the in/out for all audio on Maschine +, which works, but might not suit all setups.
The QuNexus looks interesting. I don't think the M8 will supply power over USB (though I'm really not sure), and cannot behave as a USB host, so maybe this would not work either.
I really wish the M8 had USB C. Trash80 originally wanted to put USB C, but there were issues with that, so he had to go with micro USB. Shame... USB micro to USB micro (OTG cables), or USB Mini cables are harder to come by.
Coming from a software background, my new Polyend tracker does actually feel a bit like programming music, which makes it less intimidating for me to use it and to get into the scene. So I guess, as usual, the experience varies per person.
That’s the beauty of being spoiled for choice nowadays! Thankfully there is something for everyone❤️ happy beatmaking!
I see it's been a year since you posted this video and the M8 is now up to version 3.03 and like a fine wine, it keeps getting better and better.
Great video! Really have been interested in the Polyend Tracker since the beginning. As a Renoise user I’d feel right at home! But the M8 is very intriguing as my desk is space limited and most my gear purchases have to be more portable. Thank you and happy jamming!
When I first saw M8, my first thought was "Is that a Gameboy Clone made by an Industrial Designer?"
But it sounded awesome, so I looked up the website.
It said the M8 was inspired by a program called LSDJ. Looked that up and found it's a tracker software made for the original Game Boy.
Suddenly, the M8's design and layout made perfect sense as it somewhat replicates the Game Boy layout.
Went ahead and got the parts for a headless M8 and have been running it on my laptop with a game controller and having a blast while I wait for the next round of pre-orders to start delivering. :)
I’m confused about what you’re all saying because I’m a newb but I feel like this is pretty badass and I want to do it as well. Lol
@@UbiDoobyBanooby Heh... It gets even better when you find out that the LSDJ software is inspired by even older software that ran on the Commodore Amiga. :D
im glad someone brought up lsdj cuz the thumbnail of the layout made me click into this video... ive been looking into poclet operators... might just pop out my lsdj and gameboy pocket
@@JakeSweeper I get that, but what’s this headless business? Are you telling me I can get a M8 chip and run it on my computer?
@@UbiDoobyBanooby The Headless M8 is a Teensy 4.1 circuit board ($30) that you flashed the M8 software onto along with a compatible micro SD card and you run it using your PC as a display. You can also use a game controller to represent the buttons of the M8.
This gives you most of the functionality of the M8 for a low cost of entry. It's great on its own or as way to practice while you wait for the M8s to start being delivered again.
Took me a year to appreciate and comprehend my OP1, but after I went through that I don't mind steep learning curves at all anymore... I used to use fast tracker back in the day and just loved the whole layout on the M8... Jeremy (Red means recording) shared a link to M8 headless which I'll start with to get/understand the software, looks like fun to bring around while travelling with proper amount of samples :)
haven’t come across your channel before, really nice stuff! very relaxing content
I cannot stop watching gear videos... And now here's another one I haven't heard of! Nice video.
Welcome to the club my friend!😜❤️
This size and quality of this is impressive, great video M8
I have been waiting for someone to compare M8 to OP-1 while I wait for my M8 to arrive. Having both the Polyend Tracker and TE OP-1, it seemed like it was as much, if not more, relevant to compare M8 to the OP-1 than the obvious tracker vs tracker standoff. Thanks so much for making this vid 🤘🔥🤘🔥🤘🔥
You know, now that we know the price of the OP-1 Field, I think we're gonna see a few more sales for the M8.
God. I can’t stand the waiting! Preordered mine a month ago. What I’m most excited about is just having a different approach to building a song. I switch from mpc live2, op1, blackbox, digitakt and the different approach and workflows always inspire something new or interesting. I really just can’t wait.
Ps. For anyone who hasn’t had a chance to go play with the 1010 blackbox. Your missing out. So much fun.
Some great humor in this one. Edit: also, calling it a musical puzzle definitely convinced me to set up a headless M8 to try it out.
Hi Corey! Nice to see you here again bro 🤟🏻 definitely check it out! Though I would go for the full unit as it is really a very cohesive and appealing design and a unique experience to use👍🏼 let me know how it goes, cheers!
It's good to see a review that talks more about the "why" rather than jumping right in to the "how." It's very helpful, thanks.
Thank you! That’s what I thought as well👍🏼 have an awesome day my friend!
It’s so cool that you cover a wide range of music making possibilities. I admire your resilience and patience. Although not a thing I’d consider making music with, I find this style fascinating. I remember a Japanese woman wrote a novel on her train commute using an old flip phone. This lil guy would be great for a commuter to write their opus. Then you mention midi connectivity and it’s like wow this thing is really meant for a lot of different applications. I also see that red means recording made an album using this thing and it’s a trip. Wild!
Hey brother! Happy to see you here and glad you liked the video! The M8 is indeed special, even though it is a bit “out there” vs more mainstrem devices. It’s not for everyone but I found it to be a blast! Lots of love my friend, see you soon!
Whats the novel called? Id love to read it
Pretty much agree with every single point you made here. I've been in love with the M8 since I got mine last year, and it has more or less made most of my other devices feel rather obsolete. While I still love the deluge, I much often find myself reaching over for the M8, not only due to its form factor, but its ability to make something incredible, despite its limitations. I can have all the tracks I want with the deluge, and still find myself making songs just as complex on the M8.
It's such a wonderful device and I highly encourage anyone with even a passing interest for trackers or the M8 itself, to look into the M8 Headless, which all comes out to around 40 bucks with the Teensy and a microSD card. It's pretty much the full M8 experience on your PC, but without the actual hardware, which I admit can be a hard sell, especially since the hardware itself is so god damn amazing, but this is a pretty cost effective way to see if you like the tracker and M8 workflow.
I’m really happy this video showed up in my recommended.
I’ve been wanting to get into synths and electronic music, but I’m a guitarist and there’s something I just hate about having to pull up my laptop to work on music. It just feels really cumbersome and I’ve always wanted something like an OP-1 so I can just sit down wherever an play around.
The issue, however, is that the op-1 is pretty high priced and I don’t mainly play with synths. Can’t justify the purchase at all.
The M8, however, is a little more in my strike zone and honestly looks more like what I’d prefer using anyway. I really want to pick up one of these sometime and mess around with it.
Really enjoyed hearing your perspective on this bit of kit. It may not be for everyone, but for those who it is, I can foresee mega, super, ultra creative boosts. 🙂
I preordered the M8 but had all of the same concerns you touched on. Thanks for talking about the experience versus just reposting the spec sheet!
Looks fantastic! Sounds Amazing!
Absolutely! Still can’t believe something this little sounds so huge! Thanks for watching, cheers!
@@MidlifeSynthesist the closest I can get to that at the moment is Deflemask on my iPhone. I’ve been discovering Chiptune music, getting super inspired and produced a bunch of chiptune tracks myself. A device like the M8 would be perfect. The form factor is a big appeal, like a juiced up pocket operator in a case. Potentiometers?
Great channel of yours too!
Power Up!
Still on the fence about getting one. Thank you for answering all the questions I had( some I didn't know I had)
I love your videos. Thanks for pumping out great content!
I appreciate your thoughtful explanation. I’ve been an OP-1 owner a few times and had wondered how this device compares.
I might get one. I was looking at the poly end but i love portable small gear. I refused to buy the op1 because i tried to buy the op1 when T.E. Ran them on sale for $500 new, a few years ago..then the never sent it and refunded, so I can’t in good conscience buy one for $1000+ when i had paid for one at $500. TE never ran the deal again. I Digress, i started with a tracker on my commodore Amiga back in 87, si I’ve been nostalgic for that workflow…I’m thankful for this video…mind made up. I’m getting one.
As an M8 headless user for a bit now I’ll answer... yes !
Lol! Thanks for watching my friend! The M8 sure is interesting and I hope it gets widely well recieved, it is truly unique!
thanks for the review! i have one on order, love trackers, BEYOND excited.
Best pics of the M8 I've seen! I've been dismissing it, but you reminded me how I used to play with Simon. I closed my eyes, ignored the colored lights, and let "thumb memory" play the sequences.
Nice video. I already have a polyend tracker, but if I see an affordable M8 popping in Europe, I might impulse-buy it ^^
Thank you for watching! I also have the polyend tracker and I feel that for me the workflow is faster on it than on the M8. That being said, the M8 has internal synths and fits in my pocket, so I think you definitely should have both🤣 #gas
Have a great day!
@@MidlifeSynthesist I totally agree with you, the internal synths of the M8 seem to be a huge plus!
I want it. Yes I do. I would also like to see you make a video where you show us your song writing/sound design workflow while you make a song for us.
I'm a huge fan of the M8, and Trackers in general, but they are so different to the OP-1 I can't even imagine comparing them.
*In amfas vocoder voice*: totally agreee
Tags what I'm saying, Just judge stuff on its own merit
Well I don’t agree that the M8 is a OP-1 killer because TE killed the OP-1 themselves by pricing it out of the market. But I understand his point, with the OP-1 out of reach of most people, we might see an influx of new users for the M8 because there’s not a lot of portable devices on which you can compose a multi track song. I think the M8 will become pretty popular for people who like composing music on the go.
Try starting at the price lol.
@@suntzu6122 I mean I can get a bike for £50 and a car for £5,000, and they both get me places, but that doesn't mean much.
the demo song at 3:04 reminded me a bit of droopy likes ricochet by c418, i like it!
Thanks for the vid! I'm getting closer to pulling the trigger on this one.
Huge fan of external gear. Back in the day - it was literally all we had. No DAW, no VST.
The only thing you had was boxes that made noise when you prodded them right... Usual via MIDI. Which again, was all we had.
However, the idea of running a DAW simply as a way of creating notes and then having an EXTERNAL synth (or four) as the sound making part...
To me that's exciting. I've already used Linux based DAW to run stuff via MIDI to add some (often much needed) analogue depth to sounds and musical phrases... It's an exciting thing, when you realise you can just alter things live, without having to preprogram anything
As someone who actively uses Little Sound DJ for the Gameboy, I think one thing that's really cool about the M8 is it's apparent similarities to LSDJ. In fact, for those who haven't already noticed, the button layout is very similar to a Gameboy and many of the shortcuts from what I can tell are identical to LSDJ. I think that's important to understanding what the M8 is trying to be. I'd love to try one of these someday.
Ive figured the same as well. thats coming from someone who used LSDJ all through highschool by emulating it on my phone. always wished I had the actual thing. Just might get one of these. idk yet tho
@@ayatan9119 as someone who used the actual thing, even paid for it over a decade ago, it was really funny and strange at the same time. I'm 35 now, so I'm used to a gameboy cause I played the hell out of it as a kid, pokemon, even had that gameboy camera and made noise with it.
it collected dust over the years, but then there was this thing called chiptune when I was around 20 and one thing lead to another. that screen felt tiny and dimmer compared to when I was younger but yeah, once the button combinations kicked in, super quick to use changing the screens with select and stuff.
lsdj was just to much for me at the time, I was more into nanoloop cause you'll get results quicker. but now after using renoise and being more into jungle, I'm super looking forward for the m8.
Your videos and delivery are very comforting and easy to watch, I like hearing your input on particular devices. I don’t think the M8 is for me (broke down and got a Deluge, still daunting to learn and use!) but I have heard a few great things from it.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the feedback🤟🏻 the M8 will definitely not be for everyone, but it’s so cool that something like this exists🎉 see you soon!
Glad I found you on YT. Straight up info here.
I got mine on preorder, definitely looking forward to it 😊
I think you’ll be surprised by it! It completely surpassed any expectations I had, hope you enjoy it! See you soon, cheers!
the M8 can be so much more. for example it can be a up to a octatimbral 8 voice synth. or any amount of timbrality you want.
It can also be a dedicated arranger, using stems from another project. and many more
"At first glance, m8 is ticking all the boxes"...Nice! Appropriate. To me it never seemed like this could replace the op1 (which I don't have. Too spendy for me). The format of op1 is traditional so anyone who's played a toy piano as a child would feel familiar with it. Granted, the m8 has a Gameboy feel, so perhaps some (all my friends are synths) will have a similar familiarity experience, but not everyone has had a Gameboy. I was more curious about the experience and sound relative to the polyend tracker. But I completely see your point about pocketability and muscle memory. That's a huge plus for me and I don't have a machine that "ticks" those boxes. Would you be willing to do a comparison with the polyend for workflow and sound? That would be interesting.
I just ordered one! Honestly it’s portability is what I always wanted in a groove box.
Mine is on order and I am really looking forward to it.
Thanks for an amazing review! It looks so intuitive and fun!
Love this channel! Thanks again.
Thank you so much my friend! I really appreciate it and hope to see you again soon! Cheers!
I love the keyboard shaped keys look, really makes it look very tactile.
The op-1 can be played as a synth as it has a keyboard, so it’s a completely different composing experience that most people can get into straight away.
The m8 is brilliant based on the way it wants you to program the song, it is a lot of programming until you get the melody you want!
I think that both are incredible instruments, but the OP-1 can appeal to everyone whereas the m8 will be more niche
The M8 has 8 note polyphony, multiple synth engines, is velocity sensitive, can be multi timbral, and can easily be set up with a midi keyboard.
All true, but it doesn’t have a keyboard. It is that little bit more difficult to come up with the melodies that you want because you have to programme each note instead of experiment with the keys on the fly. Also the op-1 too can be connected with external midi keyboards but granted it’s more difficult than the m8
@@eNikoltsios I think you have a point to a certain extent but the OP-1 keyboard for me wasn't actually playable as a keyboard. Kinda like using a qwerty keyboard. You are right that they are a different experience. Someone somewhere said the M8 is like a Digitakt. I never thought of a Digitakt as a tracker but I can relate to that idea which is why in the end I haven't ordered one much though I loved my now ex-Digitakt.
@@Jamslerr oh i didn't think of the midi keyboard or a little drum pad thing, that's smart. i never could get melodic/harmonic sounds i really liked out of the op1, but this one already has some sounds i dig.
Hey Algorithm, he is STILL HERE!
Plus you have a FANTOM! I have a long story about the Fantom . Well not that long, sold my 6 cuz I NEED the 8, have an artist discount with Roland on the table which is amazing. BUT none of the 8s are available. And to add insult to injury I’d consider the new 0 series but those are also on back order it seems directly through Roland. I think about getting my hands back on an 8 or 08 pretty much daily now. Hopefully soon 🙏🏾
We’ve all beeen waiting for this for YEARS
As always, entertaining and informative review! Fun is definitely a factor for me. I also have to say musicians should spend a few dollars and get Koala sampler on their smart phones. It is a fun experience that you can take anywhere and it goes deeper than you might think.
The M8 is the most appealing tracker I've seen in a long time... like a massively upgraded version of LSDJ. I'm not sure I ever want to go back to using trackers, but if I do, it'll be a top choice. For now though, I may try to just take some inspiration from it, and perhaps try structuring a couple songs in a M8-like manner on my current gear.
As for the OP-1, I've had one for 5 years now (wow, it has been that long???)... and it mostly lost its charm after just one year. The concept is good, but I end up constantly tripping over its limitations and quirks. It's like a little sketch pad, when what I really needed was a studio.
Great video on the M8. Thanks!
Thank you fro watching M8!
i wish they could make the screen bigger and perhaps even replace the lcd screen with something more battery efficient such as Sharp Memory LCD
The Dirtywave looks and sounds really good and I love tracker interfaces ... but I'm not sure if I would enjoy inputting notes on so few buttons. One of the main advantages of trackers for me is the fast workflow on the computer keyboard, not sure if I'd really enjoy scrolling through notes to input them.
Oh well, it's probably going to be out of stock five minutes after a batch gets ready to ship for the next couple of years, so I'll have plenty of time to think about it.
Same here! I really clicked with the Polyend Tracker cause the keyboard layout was so familiar, making my workflow insanely fast👍🏼 this is very fun and useful for the road or everyday commute, but given time and space to work on my music I’m grabbing a big boy workstation like the MPC lol. Thanks for watching!
Yeah i honestly don't see the point in owning this. Don't get me wrong, it's really cool, but so many people already take their laptops with them everywhere..... Just buy renoise.
I get that working with a laptop vs a portable piece of hardware is not the same but in the case of trackers, a computer keyboard is far far better than this.
@@adelaideacid7384 I thought the same until I tried it. I don't miss the Qwerty keyboard at all. In fact I prefer the M8's UI now
I usually don’t leave comments but dang, you are the only you tube channel I feel like I want to leave a like and a comment. Thanks for you great contents!
Seems cool, this makes me want the op-1 even more
This looks insanely fun to use. I'm gonna keep my eye on these and maybe grab one when I have the expendable income for one hah, at least it's way cheaper than the OP-1!
Thanks bro! Glad you found the awesome inside the M8! Too bad it happened in the bathroom. Make sure you wipe it down before shipping it back... 🤣
😅😅 “no M8s where soiled or harmed during the filming of this video”
Ps: thanks again brother! Literally could not have done it without you❤️
Looks fun. I had problems with teen engineering controls as well, namely volume with pocket operators.
This is my first time watching a video from this cannel, but I already appreciate the AufioPils refference
Great video and awesome description of the m8!
Good, balanced review! My finger has been hovering over buy button on this thing for awhile; unfortunately we don't even have the option anymore because production is behind orders 😥
Hey keep up the great videos man. You production looks very crisp!
Thanks!!🤩
I feel the need to point out this thing is heavily based on the LSDJ tracker for Gameboy. The smooth muscle memory based workflow you praised so much comes directly from it, and if you look at the button layout, you'll realize it's essentially a gameboy, with for directional buttons on the left, A and B buttons on the right, and Start and Select below. It was a great review, and it's amusing to watch someone who's not coming from chiptune enjoy this thing so much, but it felt wrong to get all the praise directed at the guy who made the M8 instead of the creator of LSDJ, since the M8 is basically a guy going "man, LSDJ's workflow and interface are fantastic, I wish it wasn't limited to the gameboy's four monophonic channels" and then working from there.
...prototype units of the m8 had select and start printed on instead of shift and play. pics of them are still pretty easy to find but u know that probably ;)
also yes, as someone who started using lsdj over a decade ago (omg...I'm getting old), it's a gameboy on steriods with wasd/arrow keys layout. lots of people forget its ergonomics is also based upon using it with the usb connected to a pc and streaming its screen onto a monitor. those rubber feet on the buttom are there for a reason^^
now, it becomes a controller with touchscreen, the software is now like using a tracker daw while using the arrow keys is exactly the same like using a pc with index, middle and ringfinger, not just with ur thumbs like when u hold it in ur hands instead. its really kinda cool cause thats a consequence of its desig, topshelf is just its pcb but the backside.
btw, I'm also seeing live fun with it, screen sharing onto a big screen with a projector while with the other hand is on a midi controller to change parameter like filter cutoff/resonance
Your video makes me really want an M8 ! Thanks
Thank you for this video. I think I'm going to get one.
Glad I could help!
Solid Review my Dude. Very insightful
Sounds good 👍 I want one if it can do everything the 33- KO does . LOOKS LIKE A GO ,but still liking the tracker ...maybe more .
If you're a tracker user, get this immediately. It's so good.
Thanks for this video man!
Thank you for watching!
I want the algorithm to know you’re still here
Nice video 🔥
Thank you my friend! This is what keeps the channel alive🤟🏻 have a great day king!
Very nice video! Looks very cool, would love to try one out!
Thanks for the info! Your review a enlightening!
Glad I stumbled upon your channel bro! Great video and subbed!
Great video!! That that thing looks awesome
Great great great great great video. Subscribed because of it. Did I mention how great this video is?
Seems truly amazing ! Workflow seems a little bit hard but for something so tiny and so powerful at the same time it’s not surprising
Good job 👌 it's like a tracker so playing means programing...probably not for everyone. The pocket size is a deal maker for traveling/creating.
Great video dude
I think your comment about it being more cerebral than visceral is what sticks out for me - I have no doubt it's a brilliant piece of kit, but there's something to be said for being hunched over a terminal for an hour twiddling a knob a millimetre this way and a millimetre that way back and forth until it's just right! Saying that, I'll probably end up getting one and being back here in a few months to eat some humble pie 😂 Thanks for the great review 🙂👍
Well, I checked multiple TH-cam videos and decided to order a M8. Of course it helps that TE is into stratospheric pricing unrelated to the actual financial means of normal music makers.
"One of the best things about having money is not complaining about not having money." - Normal music maker with goals and a savings account.
@Electrus Co Nah, I'm a grown ass man with a bank account. You know, grown man stuff. Direct deposited checks, bank loans, mortgage, owning stuff, affording stuff. Crazy right!?
@Electrus Co I'm a 12 year old that uses punctuation, I must be Doogie Howser compared to you. Have fun googling that one and if you do respond, maybe try using a few commas and periods. Thats definitely something someone under the age of 13 does in the comment section. Commas are also helpful to identify how much money you have in your savings account, ie. No commas= broke, 1 comma = stable, multiple commas = fucking crushing it.
@Electrus Co Thank you. Tip your waitress! Goodnight!
Thanks for the video. Hope it keeps getting views
Thanks for helping me in deciding to grab this. I have the Tracker by Polyend....the size of the M8 is my drawcard.
2:26 too funny. My M8 arrives later this week and I just KNOW I'll be using it on the throne. Hopefully this time will lead me to pay-dirt :P
Also I really enjoy your presentations.
Great tagline! Sarcasm & humor appreciated!
Great Video! Cheers dude.
Thank you so much brother! I appreciate it🙌🏻 see you next time!
I can't wait to get my hands on the M8 and learn how to use it. Sadly I can't order it yet
Feel the same over the sp404🥲
Just because you asked so nicely, you've got that like clicked
☺️🙏🏼
very cool video, I know VERY, very little about synths and I want to get one and play with it!
bruh, love this