Yamaha SEQTRAK: A Teenage Engineering Killer? Now available!

Yamaha drops the mic with the SEQTRAK, a very exciting-looking groovebox with DNA from its DX and AMW2-powered instruments. It’s also sleek as all get out. Is Yamaha coming for Teenage Engineering’s market share?

Yamaha SEQTRAK

NAMM is still a week away but things are already starting to heat up. One of the first big announcements to bring the fire is the SEQTRAK, a sleek, all-in-one groovebox from Yamaha with a drum machine, synthesizer and sampler sections plus a sequencer. Not the release I was expecting from Yamaha, to be honest, but I have to say I’m very intrigued.

The SEQTRAK is a portable device with a rechargeable battery in two different colour schemes: all-black and a very fetching grey and orange combo. It comes across a bit like a Korg SQ-64 meets a Teenage Engineering OP-1 and feels very modern. It’s great to see Yamaha stepping out of its comfort zone here.

Four Sound Sections

SEQTRAK is meant for quick song creation and so has four different sound-generating sections to play with. There’s the sample-based drum machine, with seven sound slots available: kick, snare, clap, two hats and two general percussion sounds. More can be loaded from the sound library, which has over 2000 sounds for use across the instrument.

Sounds continue in the synthesizer sections, which include DX, a four-operator FM synthesizer inspired by the company’s FM heritage, and two with the AWM2 engine (with 128-voice polyphony!). Lastly, there’s a sampler, which can record (16-bit/44.1kHz) from an external source, via USB, the built-in microphone or internally via re-sampling.

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Sound Design to the Right

SEQTRAK allows you to tweak preset sounds via the onboard sound design section, which is located on the right of the unit. The knobs grant you access to functions like pitch, volume, pan, attack, decay and filter, while the SEQTRAK app (iOS/Android/Mac/PC) lets you go deeper into the synthesis.

SEQTRAK also features an effects section, with delay, reverb and modulation plus distortion, compression and more. There are effects for individual sounds and the entire mix. As with synthesis, the app opens up effects editing. The app even has a visualizer.

Of Course There’s a Sequencer

With a name like SEQTRAK, there has to be a sequencer involved, and indeed it’s a pretty big part of the package. There’s a step sequencer with up to 128 steps. You can capture synthesizer note information monophonically, polyphonically or in chord mode, with the step sequencer turning into a seven-note chromatic keyboard. There are different scales and keys available plus an arpeggiator.

Connectivity includes Bluetooth MIDI to connect to the app, Wi-Fi for wireless sample transfer, MIDI in/out, USB-C, an aux-in and a headphone out. There doesn’t seem to be a dedicated audio out although there is an onboard speaker.

SEQTRAK Thoughts

Yamaha’s SEQTRAK looks like loads of fun. I love that it has four-op FM and an on-board sampler. I also really dig the look of it, especially the grey and orange model. At $599 MSRP, it’s a good price too.

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