An unbiased and fair-minded gear review on youtube. What the hell?

Thank you so much !! It's crazy how hyped I was buying this and then I actually saw you using it and thought to myself what a nightmare to play on this thing ! amazing job and thank you for the review, I love space, you helped me understand that !

Brother i know what you are talking about - its about finding the device that "clicks" with you. Me, on another hand, i love the Seqtrak. Its super intuitive. Ep 133 i had to sell almost immediately. Other grooveboxes from akai through roland to Novation, sold as well. Yamaha is staying with me :) I wish you finding a device you would love. Cheers

Thank you very much for your thorough video, a lot of my concerns were cleared. KZfaq more content like this

Great unbiased and very transparent review. Absolutely respect your honesty and opinion on your user experience. I commend you sir! 🙏 Too many out there would have most certainly taken advantage and glossed over or even bashed this unit in regards to the things that you raised and spoke about in this video! Thanks for sharing and I’m sure this video will most certainly help those who are considering purchasing the SEQTRAK get a true insight before purchasing the unit.👍

This is a great review and overview, thanks for making this even if it didn’t click for you!

Thanx for this video you exactly addressed the concerns I had on this machine! The sample part on this was a big question for me, it seams completely underused compared on what they offer with the synth and other functions, and you just answered that for me! Was really hyped on this thing but more I saw videos more I said to my self "nah wait" ! So I'm going to wait and see if they will make updates on the sampler part. Cool honest and precise video 🎉

Good review, thank you. Videos about the SeqTrack were my first ever introduction to the concept of Grooveboxes. Well, i ended up ordering the Novation Circuit Rhythm, which i feel compliments my porduction in a DAW more. Haven't gotten it yet, but your review makes me feel like i made the right decision.

What I figured out about this device is the great portability factor. The Yamaha MX/MODX/Refacee all great Synths but maybe you need these in a desktop form factor. VOLA!!!! You have a generous selection of AWM sounds el/acoustic pianos, organs, clavs. Bowed strings, brass, flutes. Guitars etc etc. 4op FM so deep house organs, solid/lately bass, Balearic marimbas perc. And all this with a pretty nice app. Of which you could buy a $300 iPhone as an editor and dedicate to that one task. So use it not as a all singing all dancing groovebox BUT as a really capable SOUND MODULE 🎉😊

Fair enough! But I guess you are right. It is not primarily a sampler but more like a groove box. So it is just geared towards a different audience.

Fair review I think. If you wanted to play it you’d need a device that can have the midi channel specified per pad. I also have one but I am a person that enjoys step sequencing a lot. The thing I currently dislike most is that octave is 1 button and it is on the back. But it is a fun device to use so far. Still need to get a bit deeper in.

Thanks for the video! A question: I just recently got the EP-133. It’s fun, but I already start to feel the limitations and things that cost me too much time compared to a DAW. I’m mainly making music with samples and like to edit my real world sounds and making them to instruments. Would you recommend getting an iPad or the sp404 (for the haptic)?:)

It isn’t for me either. I figured that out before I preordered it. Yes, I still preordered it and will receive it and likely keep it for some time. While it isn’t for my music composition and production, it looks like it might be a fun thing to play around with. We shall see. MPCs and DAWs for me. Thanks for your candor.

We need more straight to the point folks like you bud!

It’s funny man, because I feel pretty much the exact same way as you do. I bought this thing with high hopes, and have been disappointed with it to a certain extent, BUT, after I created my return request on Amazon and it was approved to return, I haven’t been able to do it yet. I have to acknowledge a very strange fact, and that is that even though I really don’t like sequencing tracks, it’s never been that fun for me because I just find it tedious, but my truth right now is that I have made more music with this thing in such a short amount of time than I have with any piece of gear that I’ve ever owned. I’m typically a button pusher, I like to tap out my beats, which is why I also own a Maschine MK3, an SP404mk2 and of course Koala (my KZfaq channel is literally full of screen recordings of my tracks being played live in Koala. That’s basically how I get my final version of my songs). This thing is weird, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever used and been into. But I’m making music with it that I like and that’s just so strange to me. Lol. The way I have found myself using it is, I’m making songs with it and then sampling those songs into my SP or into koala, and creating from there using my preferred techniques. I’m basically creating my own samples with it and I actually love the idea of that. It’s something to think about! I took it with me on a trip last week and it’s perfect for an airplane ride! I still have until the end of the month to decide whether or not I want to return it, and I am still on the fence. I could use that money towards exchanging my polyend play for the plus version, or putting it towards some other new piece of gear that I haven’t tried yet. But right now it’s working for me, so I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Anyway, thank you for your videos. Your demeanor is very calming and relatable, and sort of has the general vibe of “if we knew each other, we would probably be friends“, and that makes your videos very easy to watch and entertaining. Keep it up!

Appreciate you telling it like it is. Too many content creators fluff companies releasing new products; and consumers get caught up in the hype train and get split from their funds. We need creators to call out companies that are releasing products that depend on apps. Those instruments won't be playable in 20 years...

13:37 There is the possibility to press "synth" + "sound" button and the 16 steps of the step sequencer will light up. Every step is a category: 1. Bass / 2. Synth Lead / 3. Piano / 4. Keyboard / 5. Organ and so on. Same thing applies to pressing any drum knob + sound. There are 16 categories for drum sounds. And it also applies to the Sampler where are also 16 categories of preset sampler sounds available.

So, what product is out there that can do what you want it to do (the OP 1 is $2000, so that is out of the question for me)? I use Koala as well and wanted a unit for the same reasons you were looking for.

Thank you so much for this review , it’s not too many on KZfaq right now and this was great. Looks like this device is for me

I returned my SEQTRAK yesterday. I had a 60 day trial and was able to return it. I was very excited and with the hype on KZfaq this was a must have for me. I have to remember so many settings, use the software and bring a midi controller to play. The options to play on the SEQTRAK are not working for me. And what happens to the software support when Yamaha labels the SEQTRAK as outdated. I expect that there will be fewer or no updates and that the newer smart devices / software will eventually no longer be supported, while the SEQTRAK will still work fine. I don't want to become too dependent on software. I own a Roland Fantom 0 with a great sequencer, almost 6000 sounds and basically the same workflow but with many more options. I mean, the loop creation, scenes and songs are almost the same as on the SEQTRAK. Yes, portability can be an issue, but there's no fancy Yamaha bag for the SEQTRAK, plus you'll need to carry a midi controller and a device for the software to do advanced things with it. Then I might as well take the Fantom. So for me a NoGo device

Awesome! Thank You!

Dearest Seqtrak, you're a really lovely device and I'm sure you'll find someone soon who's every bit as special as you are. Please remember; it's not you, it's me. Keep my toothbrush. Goodbye.

I was interested in this as well, but had a similar conclusion to you. I like keys because I play all of my parts into the sequencer. The JD-XI with some improvements would be more of what I need.

I had the KOII for probably 2 weeks before selling it as well. I also felt that it was extremely limited especially when I have koala sampler which does everything the KOII does and more... But the one thing I noticed is that when I had the KO sitting there with a pair of headphones I was much more likely to grab it and start messing around with a beat or some samples. In that sense I think it's a useful thing to have around creatively in the same way an artist carries a sketchbook/notepad. I feel hardware is valuable for its physical presence and its ability to draw you towards it. I think the seqtrack serves a similar purpose, but I just wish they had included a small screen. They let the design take over when they could have really made it much more pragmatic to use without sacrificing it's cool minimalist style.

I dont know if its possible, but can you control the Seqtrak with your MPC? Specifically for clock sync, finger drumming and triggering the samples via midi? I do this quite a bit with Maschine and the rest of my gear, its basically the control center for everything in my studio. That would be my workaround if its possible.

Great review and I agree with every point, but…….. Why I’m keeping mine. Midi thru my PolyBrute, midi synced with my Boss 505 Looper. What the SeqTrak added……..montage quality sounds, guitars, pianos etc……easy but creative drum machine and a no fuss sampler. The fx are pretty damn good too.

hi there, thanks for the review ! How about the Battery life ? How long does the battery last before recharge it ? Cheers

Excellent review.

Funny to hear you talking about the two “gate” videos I posted. Honestly, the slide gate video was just meant to be a little bit of fun so I hope no-one took it too serious, although even with light button pushes you will find yourself steadying the unit with your other hand. The keyboard issue is real though. I didn’t watch your video as I was driving so had it on audio only, but if none of your keys trigger from the edge I’d say you might have even more defective keys than me. The problem with mine was that all of the other keys were really sensitive and could be pressed lightly even on the edge, except this one key that didn’t trigger unless I pushed down much harder and in the dead centre of the key. To me that made that one key feel defective and it meant I kept having notes not record into the sequencer as I was playing them. It became annoying real quick. Okay, so maybe defective is a strong word, maybe better to say they had different tolerances which was definitely an annoyance. Anyway, great video! I’d not seen your channel before so have subscribed :-)

I agree completely. Received mine on Saturday, and decided it was going back by Tuesday, for similar reasons. It is an excellent piece of kit, with great sounds, but it doesn't work for me. I wanted something to noodle with, while sitting on the sofa, but I need a midi keyboard, not an octave of plastic buttons. This is just me, I hope others get on with theirs.

Sheeeit… I preordered this and I see the mpc right there… The live 2 is the piece of gear I make the most music with. Best investment for gear I ever made. I have the same workflow as you too.

Not sure what You expected out of the synth engines. There’s a ton of actually useable patches that don’t just demo the capabilities of synth by occupying the entire frequency range with massive layered rumbles and delays, and modulation on top of modulation that sound really cool, but You can’t find a place for them in You track unless they go solo. Instead the offered synth sounds are subdued, leaving space for fx, post production and mastering, and I like that. A few simple tweaks on the filter, some reverb and they are there. The DX engine is it’s own separate thing and can probably do more than a standalone Volca FM, even the stock patches on it are deliciously 80’s sounding. I could record a few of my favorite sounding Jura patches as chords and import them into the Sampler to have a 4th synth, but that just feels like too much work and would take less time to do the thing I want to do on the MPC instead.

Is there anything you could compare the synth sounds to? I know what the dx sounds like, but what about the others?

Thanks for sharing this video! I got mine and I'm quite enjoying the machine. However, one of the biggest limitations is not being able to play each track continuously in song mode. Every time the machine needs to pause, and it's pretty annoying if you are planning to play live.

Thanks for the honest review! Reminds me a bit of the OP-Z, which I owned very briefly. Tiny controls, not very usable without a screen (I know that some people like Cuckoo probably disagree 😅). For me it was a clear example of form over function. I don't really like the Roland approach either, at least for their grooveboxes, which is often very menu-divy... On the other hand I will never sell my OG Digitakt!

Good discussion❤❤❤

i own one, and your thoughts (except one) are correct. but for me its a everywhere geoovebox notebook, even way better tjan my OP-Z. Yamaha made 3 bad choices: 1. non velocity plastic keys, 2. advertising that crimpled sample engine and 3. put it on that very irritating cheap box. But its running with external midi controller (Akai MPD218) ALSO ican trigger the 7 sample sounds there (Midi channel 11) and that’s working for me fine. Ill keep it

Limited is probably the best description. In my opinion if the go against OPZ (clearly a huge inspiration for them) they should at least provide same if not more capabilities. Perhaps sequencer doesn’t need to be that advanced (but it would be nice) but the fact that ol’ dirty OPZ has more sample mangling and sound design capabilities is not understandable to me. Perhaps in future updates, however yamaha is not known for giving their devices a second life. I am afraid that there would be a lot of returns since many people don’t read manual and just assume that it is at least as capable as competition.

Definitely pairing this up with an akai mini +…

Good that you're honest. First for KZfaq.

How programmable is the awm2 engine? I'm looking for a cs6x/cs6r but maybe the awm2 in this is as programmable as that engine and this is more space effective, etc? Can I do things like select the waveforms, tweak envelopes and lfo's, change filter types, etc? Or is it just preset selection with no real editing?

I couldn't make music on anything other than the modern MPC, it has everything I want and it's easy to use and create music instantly, I tried the MC101 and I was very dissatisfied with it, I lost money selling it on after a few weeks, I'll wait for the rumours MPC mini

I received mine, and am kind of skeptical after trying it out for a bit.

Re: External MIDI keyboard. The problem seems to be that each drum is on it’s own separate MIDI channel. I really don’t get Yamaha’s logic on this one. Except maybe for some dubious internal routing choices. They were MIDI pioneers and now they do this! I have an advanced MIDI (cable) patch bay/processor, the MIDITEMP MT16X, that can split the input signal to the channels of your choice. I’m sure there are newer (and cheaper) alternatives. @ 10:08 In fact this is the first slide keyboard😉 Haven’t they heard of attachable rubber feet? I’m sitting by the mail-box, waiting for mine to arrive😎 Thanks for keeping it real, that’s a rare commodity. And you did really teach me a lot. 𝄆👍👏👍👏𝄇

is this already available in the UK? doesn't seem to be in the US yet.

Well it was either this or the "Do Expensive Eggs actually taste better?" video so I chose this one. No am just kidding I bought one of these am waiting for it to arrive next month. Honestly what appeals to me is that I can take it when traveling and play with it without worrying about losing a $1500 device. If I lose it (I hope) I can just order another and start up where I left off. For $400USD it's kinda easy that way. Will have to check out the MIDI control function problems you mentioned I don't think that's a dealbreaker for me but hopefully they have it straightened out in updates, as you said. Was thinking it would be kinda hilarious to use it in concert with an old Casio VL-Tone!! Probably not the first. But I like joking around a lot ok so am pretty sure this is for me at least to learn enuf so that I know how to play with it while I'm traveling. Does it have a headphone jack? Haven't heard anyone say but imagine it _must_ be there. If it has a headphone jack does it support nice headphones like Sennheiser HD650? A lot of devices don't support modern headphones properly so was just curious about that. If not, I can use my old YAMAHA HP-3 phones they work well with everything and sound pretty modern even tho' they're so old!! Was just curious what you tho't about using the SEQTRAK with headphones. Nice review thank you very much!

for finger drummer could you utilize the Bluetooth MIDI of the Seqtrak and have a drumpad app on your phone triggering the various MIDI channels. I don't have the Seqtrak, so noe way to try it, but maybe a solution?

If I am recollecting correctly you could input your drums on the phone or tablet screen.

I just got one for £299 from PMT in the UK. Just getting in to it at the moment.

Yeah i agree. I returned mines 2 mins into it.

By the way, I couldn't find an easy way to do finger drumming on the device itself, but in the app, there's a 'perform' tab where you can use a virtual on-screen drum pad. It even has decent latency, even with a Bluetooth connection.

The workflow of the SEQtrak is designed around the sequencer? Who would have thought 😅

I admire your wish to swim against the never-ending tidal wave of click bait. To do so you say that you will get straight to the reason why you're not a fan, which is because it doesn't fit in your workflow. Then you say that a few more times and kind of circle around that point as well. If you wish to be succinct then state your point WELL and move on. I found it frustrating that you stated it, then stated it again and then stated it again. That said, I have Liked and subbed because I can see you meant what you said. Anyway, I have found that my LPD8, iPad and Ableton Note are in the same ballpark, so I'm not getting one either.

I think the problem is that you got this without even knowing what it does. If you would spend a bit of time watching the videos they have on their channel, you would see all the pros and cons and limitations right there. I think this device is not made for everyone, which is great, because if every company makes the same devices, we can just give up on any innovation. Instead there are groovebox made for different types of music and musicians (OP-1, Seqtrak, MC-101 and so on); and that is a blessing I think. The fact it didn't work with you is just a matter of your needs not being matched by the device; I got the same issue with many synths and music hardware (for example I can't stand the MPC workflow, as I play keyboard more than use the pads, and the way to make music on the MPC is not my favorite), but these are awesome and well made, and it is just a matter of not matching with me.

Got mine ... and returned it back the day after. Very plastic. I didn't like the feeling of the keys, ... Waiting the mkII-metal-built version with real keys ;)

great info i canceled the pre order not for me i think ty

Is there an IOS app that you could use as a usb/midi drum pad? I mean, using your phone as a drum pad.

I'd say this is all about the sequencer and parameter locks. Like a budget Elektron.

Just noted that the Seqtrak app doesn't come up on my Android Pixel 1 but does load onto my Android Pixel 6a. I happen to have the PIxel 6a around as a fallback- generally use the PIxel 1. Will have to remember that when I take the Seqtrak traveling with me!

Shall I get this one or EP133?

Why not just plug the MIDI from your MPC into the Seqtrak and use that to play?

You need to add the Yamaha drum pad. The SeqTrak is freaking amazing.

Yamaha sounds are pretty dry out of the box. But are nice with fx... Is it fairly priced?

Great video even if not for you. Each of these devices has some major issue so none are perfect. I'm holding on to my KO II to see what the next few firmware updates bring. My SEQTRAK is on order.

06:30 that's one thing i don't like of seqtrack, why the drum tracks have fixed different midi channel numbers, it should be user definable i mean what's wrong on playing a whole drumkit on ONE midi channel. That's why you can't play the drum sounds with your external midi controller, you need to send midi notes on different midi channels. Horrible behavior, i like this device but that flaw 🤦‍♂️ is a not go for me. I hope yamaha change that on a next firmware. Nice video!! 🤘. PS. MidiOX can help in playing those drums on different midi channels.

The only part that sounded like a blocker for me was needing an app to load sounds. Is there no usb or SD slot that we can pull sounds from? I’ll go look into that. I don’t want to be thinking about space issues on my phone even if they fix it the way you mentioned. Fingers crossed on what I find out, I was really hopeful about this being my traveling device.

Dig the video man! Try plugging a MIDI keyboard into it maybe to play more finger drummy

No bpm readout on a sequencer?! That’s odd. This was a great review tho. Thank you

Build quality may be subjective but my piece is additionally bent 😅😅😅 ive sold KO II but this is something what i like . I don’t want to return it .

Hi I too am thinking of sending my SeqTrak back as well (only had it for a week) but I will agree as well, that it is an excellent little DAW. The only problem I have is with its app. I emailed Yamaha to find out about it but apparently there is no app for MOST Android users, only certain Android phones have the capability to work with Core MIDI & Core Audio. So for me the SeqTrak app isn't compatible with my phone or compatible with my chromebook, plus if they were available, Bluetooth isn't available for connecting for Android users. The desktop works fine but for my, I was sold on the fact that it could connect to my phone. It's a shame because its a super portable DAW with the capability of making some meaty sound, It's a bit of a let down for android users. Plus if Yamaha was to make some big updates, then how would that work with lights? There's no way of adding more light up word, a little two line display would of worked so much better especially as half their users can't use the app on the go.

Not quite as portable but given it can act as a MIDI host it seems like combining this with a LaunchPad Mini might be killer.

To get "blown away" from the synths you need to dive into the app to mess with the synth paths and LFO

That was quick. Was very interested to see what it was all about. In regards to my OK ii, I am in the same boat as many. Awesome little machine but ultimately hamstrung from being a must. Already having the SP I def will be offloading mine…now where the hell did that fader cap go …….crap

Your tattoos look badass

Nice review. There is no perfect sampler…

Thank you for this little review. With my SEQTRAK I noticed a different sensitivity of the drum buttons. I have to press the keys in the drum department a little harder than the sequence keys. Not dramatic, but there is a difference. However, I also find the Keygate video you mentioned exaggerated.

How many days have you had it?

One more comment - are the synth engines comparable to let’s say, jura or opx-4?

For Fingerdrumming: Hold a Drumtrack ans press oke of the „Synth/Scalebuttons ;) 12:12 in the TutorialVid: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oq2KhbyGx9fVp2g.htmlfeature=shared

How's the build quality? Supposedly, it's terrible.

I'll wait for the MPC mini

Why would you expect anything without big pads to be good for finger drumming? Straw man argument here.

I cant understand in this day an age why memory prices are cheap why it had has six patterns per track? That is nothing. I would run out in no time

Your voice sounds aliased and time stretched, down sampled to 12 bit

I wish the synth engine was more in depth even if it was at the cost of menu diving.

It is for this with the misapprehension $400 for such a device gets you buttons and knobs with any kind of long term reliability. Designed and built to last warranty plus a few weeks.

The huge Yamaha tag on it is ridiculous and a huge design error. I wonder what else . . .

The buile quality is unfortunately the weak point of this device

You need an RS7000...

Why didn't Yamaha just put in an LED screen? Shame

should have put a screen instead of a useless little speaker...

at 500$ and the limitations of it, its NOT for anyone

Too much fluff. Get to the point.

Same. Worst quality item.

BoBeat, loopop, Andrew Huang, the insufferable obnoxious red means recording, this is how you do a review. Take note and do better.