The ‘80s were a time of excess set to synth-heavy music, and one piece of equipment defined this sound: the Yamaha DX7. To this day, modern synths are still looking to the DX7 for inspiration, and Yamaha remains one of the authorities in the space. Now, the label is looking to modern tech from the likes of Teenage Engineering for the Yamaha SEQTRAK, a portable music station that acts as a studio on the go.
Yamaha is billing this little gadget as a “mobile music idea station” with three main components: a drum machine, synth, and sampler. You get seven tracks for the drum machine and an FM synth inspired by the legendary DX lineup, with two tracks for AWM2 sample-based synthesis, and one for sampling captured audio. Using the built-in mic, you can record anything you want and add it to the mix without connecting to a DAW, with audio playback provided by the built-in speaker. The right side of the device is used to add effects to your mix, and with 2,000 presets, there’s no shortage of creative opportunities.
The SEQTRAK also comes with a companion app, which expands the settings and gives you a video visualizer. As for the connectivity, it has Bluetooth MIDI, a MIDI In/Out, AUX, Wi-Fi, and USB-C for the rechargeable battery. Many have been comparing this to Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z (and OP-1), given the rectangular shape and overall minimalist design, and it’s pretty clear that Yamaha took some inspiration from the Swedish label, at least from a design perspective.
The Yamaha SEQTRAK is available in black or the orange colorway featured here for $599 from Yamaha or $399 from retailers like Sweetwater (a bit confusing, but hey, it’s $200 off). You can check out some of the features in the hands-on video below.
