As an old, I am indeed asking myself this. How would I know before buying? My eyes are not good enough for some of the old tiny Expert Sleepers screens.
1 Like
Hard to know without getting your hands on one, but I suspect if you can read text on your phone (like this forum) for long stretches, you shouldnāt have a problem with the M8 screen
3 Likes
You can also do custom themes on M8, so itās possible to increase contrast even if increasing font size isnāt possible.
Otherwise, M8 web display (which many people use to do M8 headless) also works great with the hardware M8 unit and allows you to use a larger laptop or desktop screen with zoom capabilities!
3 Likes
Screen size was a huge concern for me before I got my M8. I find it super easy to see and navigate though
1 Like
You mentioned a laptop.
I bought a new laptop, 250,- euro bucks. It was the cheapest I could find.
I needed something to write emails or search something in the web while on vacation.
Cheaper than some tablet computers.
I installed Linux Mint on it, and I already had a renoise licence, so I gave it a shot.
Renoise runs on it like on the bigger boxes, itās worth a try.
Polyend tracker has the tactical sensation. I really love the buttons and the jog wheel on it.
If yo donāt need that just use what you have.
I canāt say anything about m8 tracker honestly, but I think its great.
I need to investigate if you can change the battery on it.
edit:
Ohā¦ Posting on a resurrected thread.
Yes resurrected.
Funny thing is I still havenāt made up my mind. I have the m8 tracker running on a teensy and I was planning to make it work with my raspberry gamehat that was collecting dust but didnāt fully commit. I tested it on a computer and hated the workflow but this is probably because it inherently sucks on a modern keyboard and it felt less fun than using my model:sample or koala sampler. The magic is probably that the m8tracker work out of the box but there is no way I will spend that sum of money without being able to try it.
Yet I didnāt really found the time to try out renoise again, ended up sellling all my hardware and did all my recent music stuff on koala sampler because of its capability to record anything or grab and manipulate samples in a matter of seconds from the smartphone.
Bottom line: whatever device/software you choose it is useless without a large enough amount of free time.
1 Like
Try mapping a gamepad for a much more similar experience.
I ran the Headless M8 on a cheap rg351v retro gaming console before buying the real thing. Itās not exactly the same, but much closer to what the real thing feels. On my Macbook keyboard it was always just awkward.
Try the headless with the webdisplay and buy a wireless numerical keypad.
Map the keypad to the m8 layout, this gives you a nice feeling on the real deal. I actually own a m8 and still use it in this setup when sitting behind the desk.
1 Like
No regrets getting the M8 (hardware, not headless) and making tunes on that.
The surprise for me was the number of fellow M8 users who are scared of Sunvox.
I bought the M8 a few weeks ago, mostly because of portability and because it seemed to me that this is already a mature, well-designed product.
However, I was worried that the tracker logic wouldnāt fit me and Iād have spend my money for nothing. I also thought that itād take me ages before I could enjoy it because I have very limited free time. Thatās when portability came into play. As @Uija wrote, itās great to use it pretty much whenever youād otherwise kill your time meaninglessly in front of your phone. Needless to say, I didnāt have to invest lots of time before I could write down stuff, itās both easy to learn and immidiate.
Canāt say if itās a good choice for you, but for me too, I feel there is a certain magic to using it. Hope this helps a bit.
2 Likes
Sunvox never really gelled with me, possibly because Iāve always had tons of other stuff going on and never gave it enough time. It seems great and very capable but the interface seems a bit fiddly. That said, I just got an ipad so I might give it another go sometime.
I learned Sunvox on iPhone, which in retrospect is not the friendliest platform for Sunvox.
I think an iPad will deliver a more pleasant experience, just by having more screen space to show the timeline, the modules, the pattern sequencer, etc.
I think that most people are scared of Sunvox (like me) not because the software itself might looks terrifying, but because they hate working on phones or tablets. I really really envy people who are happy and productive after selling all their gear and go full apps, but I am not one of them. I tried. I really really tried. And I really loved the possibilities and the value for money on the apps (from tools over sounds to FX) but after hours of trying at home, in bed, while traveling etc, I just cannot ignore the fact, that working on a touchscreen is not working for me 
2 Likes
I just like buttons, man lol something about a good button is so satisfying
Thereās also a desktop version, and thatās the free one - though Mr. Zolotov does ask for donations.
Admittedly adding to my struggle to learn it on phone was Solar Luneās otherwise excellent YT tutorials being done on his desktop machine. This required burning extra brain cells trying to translate his desktop actions to iPhone actions.
I really should have learned it on desktop first. I was trying to prepare for a trip or something and didnāt have a laptop at the time for travel.
I tried to get into Ipad production years ago when I was touring and broke. Sunvox was my jam, I liked it but I also got really sick of working on an ipad. I donāt even like typing on my iphone but its a necessary evil now. Hardware for me though and the M8 delivers there.
Also Renoise is an awesome tracker for the laptop. I love my macbook, and one reason is it has physical keys to press.
Shall we add Polyend Tracker Mini and have back at it?
ā¦even given the fact, that polyend did a great job with their mini trackerā¦
iād still go for dirtywaveā¦pocketsize is pocketsizeā¦gameboy beats ipadā¦
2 Likes
I love the added features the mini received with stereo samples and upgraded internals, but miss the hands on control of the pads and jog wheel. Im positive polyend is already working on an updated mk2 model of the og tracker with the upgrades the mini received, but that most likely wont come until end of the year or sometime in 2024. Probably will also cost more than the current $699 both models are currently going for (which is why i believe the mini was priced the same as the full size right out of the gate).
As it is currently, the mini just doesnt look like any fun to program with no jogwheel, or pads compared to the original. Just my opinion from what ive seen so far, but would still love to try the mini and be proved wrong.
4 Likes