Want to buy a PLAY? Use my affiliate link bit.ly/PolyendPlayPC and support the channel without any cost to you DON'T miss my vid on the new PLAY 1.1 update which brings STEMS EXPORT FUNCTIONALITY: kzread.info/dash/bejne/oo2CxbNrfcXIhpM.html One thing I wished explained better is that the midi tracks do have a chord mode. This lets you set a chord per step without using multiple tracks. What I was trying to get across was that if you want to play individual notes with articulation you need to use multiple tracks. But the chord mode works great for static chords and its a very good inclusion.

@michaeltharrington8858

Жыл бұрын

Oooo, that is indeed a nice option. Appreciate ya sharing this update! 🙏

@simonc8265

Жыл бұрын

Thankyou for adding that. I was looking at this as the brain of a setup ? but it seemed a bit limited in terms of midi capacity and connectivity. It feels like it might be better as you done piggy backed onto two instruments. Great review. long format must take a lot of thought and time but they really stand out. Thankyou.

@sebastienbarre

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video! What Anker power bank are you using, if I may ask?

I honestly think you're the most unbiased and realistic gear reviewer on KZread. Thank you for that 🙏

@Centomila

Жыл бұрын

OT: What a trippy avatar

Thank you for sharing your honest opinion Bo!

In performance mode, you can also turn any encoder to affect the selected tracks, and they will also revert to original values when exiting performance mode. That is just awesome

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for reminding me! I havnt used this much but yes, its a brilliant feature

@flybyrecords1087

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats love your channel! Yes you can use it to change sample on a track, filter sweeps, swing, track length etc! Without being restrain to the preset on the performance pads.

@LegPuppy

Жыл бұрын

how long can the samples be u input? eg: I think Circuit lets u input like a 3 second sample. I would love to have longer samples

@bobeats Thanks for the great review. You can actually play per step Chords in Midi Mode. You just need to use the Sample Start button to select from an available set of preset chords. Pick your Step, and tap on Sample Start, and there's your Chord list. It works like this on the Tracker as well, so you don't have to fill up multiple tracks for Chords in Midi Mode. So give that a look and see if the Chords you like are in that long list. Cheers.

Thanks for the video! I think multitrack over USB would sell me on this. As it stands, I'm considering a Digitakt or Digitone as my next studio addition.

Good stuff Bob! The external midi control seems like it wouldn't fit into my current workflow, where this might replace my mpc, and the lacking sample manipulation sort of excludes it from that role as well. But for just drums, or self contained grooves, this seems really fast and fun.

Back at Superbooth, one had no chance to try it because the booth was constantly crowded. Nice to get a chance to understand what it is this way.

Thanks for this. I had looked at this but wasn't quite sure what to make of it when I saw it in the shop

Monster review. I feel like this is the best review I've watched in a few years!

i really love its performance related options, which to me are awesome

I've enjoyed mine a lot so far. Biggest wishlist item is USB interface stuff. The ability to manage samples from a computer, audio over USB and exporting stems would make this a lot less tedious to work with. I'd only recommend this for (1) people who are likely to use the performative aspects of the device, (2) those who have a pretty organized library of samples they are intimately familiar with, or (3) people who want to be delighted by the random generative aspects of the play

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Well put!

Great review and fair comments on the very few negative aspects. Since we are still on V1.00 of the firmware, I fully expect subsequent releases to take it to the next level. The Play and The Dirtywave M8 are my two current goto devices. Loving the outro tracks! 👍🏻😁

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thanks!! And I too think Play has a bright future ahead of it

@DavidDeLuge

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats thanks, also, for featuring my comment about the touch sensitive knobs in the video too 😉

Excellent review, loved the play already when it was announced. Seems so much FUN (to play). I think i’m going to marry it with my Pioneer SP-16 which is excellent for just playing with loops. Jam on the Play, record the loops and then make some soup out of it :)

I just got a Play and learning it through the user manual and tutorial videos. This is a very good resource, thank you BoBeats!

@BoBeats

4 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!!

Fantastic review. I have like a _love-hate_ relationship with the PPlay. But performing with it is so fun.

Good review 👍. So many of these "box of buttons" devices seem too complicated to me but this looks very intuitive. Jam/performance friendly too. I can imagine using this alongside my MPC One. It's a pity the Canadian prices are so high right now.

Love the long form reviews. I like the negatives too. That's why I know I need to hold off on this. Need stem export and effects automation recording. Grea video.

HAHAHAH THE DAD GROOVES ARE BACK!!! cool sounding dad grooves BTW

@harveytherobot

Жыл бұрын

THE DAD GROOVES ARE BACK should be a T-shirt.

I’m also really enjoying the play l would also like to see recording in play mode, some more fx’s, manual changes in fill mode. One feature you didn’t mention was recording automation. Great review Bo l know Polyend has mentioned a update is coming soon.

Great review! 🔝 And great demo songs! I think I'll stick to my push2 for sequencing and performances, and problably give the Digitakt a try for sound desing.

I love those beats. All of them. You are getting better each time. I already liked your SP404 mk2 review. Please fiinish some of those beats (404 recording tracks from play synced). I love the play, but you gave me new ideas.. I record one track after another with the MPC and then into the DAW.

Loved this!

I wish the play and tracker had a baby like a syntakt with a sampler 😂

You can preview (hear) any step by holding the main encoder down while pressing a step

Thank God….a Bo Beats review on the Polyend Play. I was waiting for this vid after the briljant Loopup one. Booth deserve a knighthood.

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Bobeats & Loopop, or Boopop as our new duo is called

Hi Bo, there is one thing that is not correct in this video, midi can be polyphonic. Use the sample start button, in midi mode, and you can enter chords, it’s pretty cool! Also, having seen what Polyend have done with the tracker, and the amazing updates and customer support, I bought the play knowing full well it’s on v1.0.0… Looking forward to lots of updates, I’m sure they’ll fix a lot of the things you mentioned. It is a fantastic device already, and like you said, it is very fast to come up with ideas, which is why I got it. Great review as always, thanks!

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Like I said in another comment: i missed showing the chord mode (its great) but its not truly polyphonic. Its static chords. But its ofc a good inclusion and works very well.

@simonmorton3746

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats Oh apologies Bo, I missed that bit!

Great sound examples!!!

Love your content Bo. One thought, I would love to see you challenge yourself to create more varied beats in your reviews. I’ve noticed that they’re often quite similar in tone, tempo, format, etc. (something I struggle with myself too) and am curious what would come about if you intentionally pushed outside that comfort zone.

Woah! So thorough! I'd love to take her home 😄

Man, I almost was sure to get the play when I found out about it. I personally love polyend but the tracker part of the tracker scared me. I love groovebox`s. Right now I'm paying off the syntakt and will probably take a year. So winning the play would definitely help! Either way, thanks for the video bo!

Hey, Bo, thank you very much for this great video. I really appreciate this longer format. It is very informative and also entertaining 😁👍. As a user of a Digitakt (which I love and which is one of my gear, which I wonˋt ever sell) I am wondering, if the Polyend Play would fit to my Digitakt… o no… GAS-Alert 😆

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Digitakt vs Play vid coming!

Great review.

Nice instrument! It is quite new but it is a fresh look at grooveboxes. Modern workflow and unique features make it quite a good purchase. Unfortunately you need to use SD card but it is not an end of the world.

I ve played it for twenty minutes and I am just playing! This is a perfect device

It's rather interesting and I dig the look of it. I think I probably have most of these bases covered with other gear (like the Digitakt, Model:Samples, Circuit Rhythm, etc.) but this seems like a great groovebox. But hey, if I win one, I'll give it a warm and loving home. :) Nice video, Bo. Edit: Just looked at the price. $799 for that?! No way would I pay that much for it.

This is a perfect old school IDM machine.

This is great, thank you!

Would be cool if they made the MIDI section 8x8, so each MIDI "track" contained 8 rows of sequence, which could be polyphony, or LFO's & CV modulation via MIDI CC's, option to sequence gate & pitch separately etc. Then all the knobs available to assign as offset/attenuator/attenuverters...

Great review! Where'd you get the firmware update from??? Only seeing 1.0 on the polyend site

Hey Bo is there a particular site you’d recommend for buying samples for the play? I know a few sites but the packs seem too small for the money. Also would you consider doing a video on how to correctly organize samples when loading to the Play in order to take full advantage of all the features?

It’s super interesting!!!!

how can I find that polybrute shirt, bo? nice video, I have been interested in checking this and a couple other groove boxes out

@hungyG

Жыл бұрын

I'm looking for one too! bo can you please let us know?

Ooooh! I envision this instrument as the final step of workflow. I wouldn’t be as worried about individual stems after the Play. I’d be working on them before the Play. I also envision it as the performance tool for the samples I’ve cooked up. Looks like fun!

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Could totally work for that.

I have a question. If I sample a note from my guitar and import it in to the play, when I have it in keyboard mode (not sure what its called), when I play a higher note, will my sample be sped up and shorter and when I play a lower note, will my sample be slowed down and longer? How do you go about if you want to sample a note from a piano that you want to use to make a melody?

Very well explained in video by BoBeats, now I get it. I tried to play with it at NAMM22, definitively not intuitive, steep learning curve, deterring from buying.

Hi Bo, is it the Kenton Thru-5 you’re using, and would you recommend this or something else if I’m buying something specifically for use with the Play? Also, if that’s only MIDI out, how did you get MIDI in from the synth?

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

You have a midi input and I think you need to buy an extra cable for that. The thru box is just for sending out midi to multiple devices. Kenton midi thru 5 is solid

@JamesHumberstone

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats Thanks so much. I had loads of extra cables which came with my Elektron & Arturia devices but turns out they are type A and Polyend takes type B! Ordering the Kenton MIDI thru 5 on your advice now - thank you again!

Yes

Can you have the beat fills be 32 steps or would it just be the 16 step fill repeated

The sound signature reminds me of the OPZ

I’m hoping for firmware update that adds sample slicing, please Polyend 🙏🏾 also, I would like it for the OG play, not just play +

I love my Play!

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

What do you feel is the biggest strength and anything you’d want changed/added?

@jthek2000

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats The first thing I love is the instant rhythms I can create in just a little box, and makes a different electronica genre than what my eurorack makes. It has been a real conductor for my other standalone synths to play together via midi, as my standalones sometimes get neglected. The Play has truly resurrected my ‘dance’ music creations that eurorack typical leaves out as it requires a mature ear. I’m wishing that I can load larger kits all at once without being maxed out. I’m happy to hear about the new firmware updates!

I'd wait until polyend finds a way to apply the performance mode to midi outs.

@waddy707

17 күн бұрын

It’s coming in v1.5 I believe, which is due for release anytime soon

How does this compare to the Oxi One? I was after an Oxi but really hard to get here for a decent $, the Play seems more expensive but I already have the SEQ with 32 x 8 grid. I would hands down have gotten the Play had it had 32 steps and this is the only reason I will never get rid of the SEQ. I love the randomness you can get with the Oxi but have seen I can get similar results with the KSP for generative creations. I see the PLAY does excel for live performances, somehow I see over lap with my SEQ, The Force and KSP. None the less, I think we are spoiled for choice when it comes to all these new pieces of kit.

@rorz999

Жыл бұрын

The Play has 64 steps per pattern

@dankeplace

Жыл бұрын

@@rorz999 I know what it has per pattern, I was stating that if it had 32 steps grid, I would hands down get one. The SEQ has 32 steps, the grid has 8 lanes by 32 steps which makes it much more tactile to use.

Can you do sample locking/ switching on a per step basis?

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

yes

@zdravkodimitrov

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats that's amazing!

Honestly, nothing could beat the Synthstrom Deluge. The level of connectivity and no screen are huge pluses +++ imo ✨

I love my Play, i'm hoping they add multitrack usb audio soon it will make a killer on the go combo with just an ipad, btw, it's just the audio side that requires using multiple tracks to make a chord, the 8 midi tracks are all polyphonic, a step can play a single note or a chord

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Yes! Watching back I realise I missed to explain the chords feature. Its not truly polyphonic however as its a static chord. So for articulation you still need multiple tracks. Its more similar to syntakts chord machine. But the chords are good. Thanks for bringing it up! ♥️👌

@c-kleinmusic8735

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats Woh, if this is true I was certainly put on the wrong track by the manual. It states: “A single step can hold and play a note or a chord. Notes and chords on successive steps can overlap, so the one limitation here is the polyphony of the instrument on the other end of the MIDI cable. The on board chords from the pre-programmed list may hold up to seven notes.” I supposed that this mend that I could either use the pre-programmed on board chords or record my own. If I cannot, that would be a real (and unnecessary) bummer.

@c-kleinmusic8735

Жыл бұрын

I stand corrected. You were right. The manual also states: "The Polyend Play’s MIDI tracks are polyphonic and allow the per-step output of pre-programmed MIDI chords, but when recording MIDI chords as many tracks as there are notes in it will be occupied." I really hope that this is something Polyend can change this with a future firmware update.

I still can’t tell where this fits in if you already have a Tracker, I want to like it,but every video I see I feel like the Tracker can handle what the Play does? It must be one of those you have to Play it to see for yourself situations

Weird that it doesn't allow for saving songs or exporting stems, as the tracker does that. I wonder why they did not build it into the play? Is the play more geared towards live performance?

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Yeah. I think thats it

@theelectronicrat

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats I love that aspect on the tracker, the ability to (as Polyend says) create an album. I really enjoy the tracker. It's a wonderful *devinstrument*. BTW, using the tracker outside is not great either: the screen is unreadable, unfortunately. Thanks for your review of the play!

@allwelikeworms

Жыл бұрын

@Self-Aware Waste Disposal Android Wikipedia defines it like this "a stem is a discrete or grouped collection of audio sources mixed together, usually by one person, to be dealt with downstream as one unit. A single stem may be delivered in mono, stereo, or in multiple tracks for surround sound.[" That said I'm not familiar with DAWs enough to really grok the difference between "Stems" and "Tracks" - though when someone says stem I just translate as "importable audio format that can act as a track in a DAW." Please someone add a better explanation than my bad one.

@allwelikeworms

Жыл бұрын

@Self-Aware Waste Disposal Android Yeah that's a better explanation! I wasn't even quite sure what the difference was, but that makes sense.

@allwelikeworms

Жыл бұрын

@Self-Aware Waste Disposal Android And thanks in return for your further details :)

Still no performance mode for MIDI as of 1.4? You've mentioned they were working on it.

@BoBeats

7 ай бұрын

there’s been a few improvements to midi tracks but no midi fx from what i know

After watching this it's obvious the deluge sequencer is still way ahead. And this thing lacks a synth engine and has limited sample mangling. Still ...looks neat. (:

Is this a good replacement for my circuit tracks?

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Hmmm. It doesnt have a synth engine so only if you want more sample playback tracks

Does the play detect the c c locations on the synth automatically

@BoBeats

5 ай бұрын

No

Can you load your own samples to it?

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Yepp. On the sd card

I bought the Polyend Play and then returned it. I am not using grooveboxes for live shows as I prefer to focus on the creation of complete tracks on a single do-it-all machine that I can take wherever I go, and I totally prefer the DELUGE for that (self-amplified, self-powered, can export tracks easily) . That said I am sure that for a musician who does live shows it can be an excellent weapon.

I was about to buy one in a week or so to go along with my Polyend Tracker, now I'm gonna sit tight just in case I win in this giveaway. Oh, and I just got my email notification that my Dirtywave M8 has shipped. 😁

Bo this or Deluge?

So....wait a minute, can you not add samples to the play? Can you add anything?

@all1nz

Жыл бұрын

You absolutely can add your own samples

@jordanWAH

Жыл бұрын

@@all1nz i thought so, thanks man

That is a lot of money for the limitations it has. It's interesting to me but nothing more than a passing interest. This is for someone but not me.

finally? a fruity loops hardware ;)

Looks great but definitely not for me, thanks for the review!

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for checking it out! Dont think its for you yeah

This thing pisses me off so much! What business do they have creating such an immensely powerful sequencer and then hobbling it with 8 mono sample tracks??? 😂🤬😭 with a single stereo out???? 😩😩😩😩😩 BOO

Ironic, an european youtuber promoting a gringo only give away lol sorry I had to say it Bo, but you know I love you and your content despite a little hate comment once in a while lol

Nice review, but it's not totally accurate- The midi tracks are polyphonic, and each step on a track can hold up to 30 notes... You don't need to use up multiple tracks to play chords in from an external keyboard...

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

So this is partly my fault for missing the chord feature (see stickied comment) but also a confusion: Polyphony isnt the same as static chords. Polyphony is individual note articulation. And static chords while cool arn’t the same thing. So yes, you can add chords per step but its not truly poly unless you dedicate multiple tracks to it.

@lopatinj

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats Are you sure of this? Notes and chords on successive steps can overlap, so it's not exactly what I would call static chords. Polyend describes it as polyphonic, and in my experience using the Play (since early June), I'm able to do polyphonic chords and lines via the MIDI tracks. For me, the bigger concern is the complete lack of perform mode, as well as the missing Fill options on the MIDI side...

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Maybe we can call it pseudo-poly? I find that it leaves me wanting to use multiple tracks for articulation of individual notes within one chord. Notes can overlap but you cant easily change the sequence once recorded without re-recording, and as far as I know you cant edit individual notes start/end within the chord. Or have I totally missed something? (Absolutely possible! The midi side isnt the side I explored the most) But it was my miss to not have a section about the chord stuff anyways. Typical ”in the script but lost in edit”. Also I should note that I agree: the poly thing isnt a big concern either to me. I agree that the fill and perf stuff is the main stuff that needs to be added.

@lopatinj

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats Pseudo-poly it is! For what it's worth, I'm mostly using my Play for drum duties, and have it connected via USB to my MPC Live II. It's so much fun and can be really inspiring. The fill and randomization features plus my NDLR driving pads and melodies = quick semi-generative fun! It's a great workflow.

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Totally. I think this could be a future classic. I think it depends on how Polyend supports the product (hence why I put alot of effort into detailing areas of improvement in my vid). If they do support it, I could even see a MK2 version in the future that would keep the linage going. We'll see but its a super fresh take on sequencing.

Why would anyone want to use it in direct sunlight? I don't get why that's even a consideration.

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

Because its a performance oriented device that is also portable. So on stage perhaps? Maybe on the go? Lots of people use their gear outside

@markonmac

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats Got it. I have fair skin, so I stay out of the sun. Thanks for replying.

This is a deluge companion. A baby son if you say. Just live loop it with the Delly. Add layers of back drums. Other than that this is wack lol. Very Very weak for the price. Should be $600-650 MSRP. And it's mono sounds 😓 mmmm okay. Just get this and bring out the programming with deluge. Multi track to Deluge

I like to play instruments; I don't like trackers.

@harveytherobot

Жыл бұрын

Well, you're in luck because this isn't a tracker.

@brainbox9219

3 ай бұрын

The tracker has a performance mode that offers a decent amount of manipulation to the audio tracks imo

This is a great review, but it really is a sad box in its current state. You can do a lot better with $800. Methinks it’s the start of a Polyend push to be a lifestyle brand like TE.

No stem export and no proper IO? Basically a toy then.

@harveytherobot

Жыл бұрын

It's geared for performance. And the name is literally "Play" and people can't stop saying how fun it is so I guess being described as a toy isn't such a bad thing.

@McEnroe911

Жыл бұрын

@@harveytherobot nothing wrong with toys. This should have had the stem export of the tracker though. Strange thing to omit IMO.

@harveytherobot

Жыл бұрын

@@McEnroe911 Hopefully it will come in a firmware update but who knows.

Too expensive!

😤🥲😥😥😥😥 Only in the U.S.

@BoBeats

Жыл бұрын

♥️ ill try and make the next one world wide (or non US 😅😅😅)

@LukeLendrum

Жыл бұрын

@@BoBeats Please. Those of us in Australia/NZ need some love.