{"id":98367,"date":"2024-01-17T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/?p=98367"},"modified":"2024-01-17T16:18:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T16:18:39","slug":"yamaha-seqtrak-rich-groovebox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/routenote.com\/blog\/yamaha-seqtrak-rich-groovebox\/","title":{"rendered":"Yamaha SEQTRAK: a feature-rich groovebox undercutting its competitors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Yamaha enters the groovebox scene swinging for Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z portable electronic instrument.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The SEQTRAK is a colourful and compact portable music production system with a minimalist aesthetic akin to Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z yet notably bigger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making waves with its design and feature-rich capabilities, Yamaha’s SEQTRAK groovebox is a direct competitor for the OP-Z. Yamaha’s new offering will be more affordable at launch, however, as opposed to the price of the OP-Z. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yamaha SETRAQ <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yamaha has designed two colour schemes, including an all-black or a grey-and-orange combination (which I think is rather pretty). There’s a noteworthy likeness to Teenage Engineering’s instrument designs as well as striking differences like the panel of square buttons akin to Korg’s designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yamaha
Yamaha SEQTRAK user interface: a minimalist design available in two colour schemes: an all-black or grey and orange combination.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

featuring a minimIt’s clear that Yamaha has taken a step in a new direction and I do think the instrument looks awesome, but minimalist designs are becoming increasingly popular among manufacturers which may be detrimental for these instruments to stand out. Then again, it’s Yamaha we’re talking about, so we should move on to the fun stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making music with SETRAQ <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The lightweight digital instrument boasts a 7-track drum machine, a sampler, FM and sample-based synthesizers and a sequencer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SETRAQ’s 7-track drum section, where each track can host up to six sound layers, offers eight hardware encoders making it easy to control individual drum tones. You’ll also find 16 buttons that can act either as real-time inputs for triggering onboard sounds or as a programmable 8-bar sequencer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the SETRAQ’s synth section, there are level controls for three tracks (Synth 1, Synth 2 and DX), with the latter drawing inspiration from Yamaha’s classic DX synth series. Offering four operators eight-note polyphony, the DX is perfect for making leads, pads, sound effects, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile boasting 128-note polyphony, the sample-based synth utilises Yamaha’s long-standing AWM2 (Advanced Wave Memory 2) engine. You can make use of over 2000 presets offering pianos, strings, synths, percussive hits and more as a result. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A set of buttons in the synth section makes it easy to curate melodies with various scale or chord values using encoders. However, you can configure the buttons in the drum section to act as a full keyboard for chromatic playing and play onboard synths externally with a MIDI keyboard too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s also a neat collection of effects like reverb and delay effects, modulators, a compressor, distortion, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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