Overview
The Polyend Tracker and Tracker Mini are standalone trackers: pattern sequencers built around samples, each sample becoming an instrument with its own play mode. One of those modes is Wavetable. Polyend describes it as a basic implementation of wavetable synthesis, emulating classic wavetable synths by using a sample as the source.
The Wavetable play mode has two main parameters. Window is the number of samples per frame, with a maximum set by the loaded file, and you can step it down in divisions of two from there (typically from 2048). Position picks where in the table the instrument plays, and it can be set by hand or modulated by an envelope or LFO. Holding Preview while you turn Position lets you scan for a sweet spot. Wavetable Position is also a destination for the instrument’s envelopes and LFOs, and the p step effect sets the position per step in a pattern, so a sequence can jump between frames in time with the music.
Wavetables on the Polyend Tracker
Any sample can be played in Wavetable mode, but Polyend recommends files made as wavetables, and its manual names 2048 samples per frame and 256 frames as the most common standard. The factory card includes a pack of 2048-sample wavetables inside /Samples. A plain recording sounds stepped as Position moves, which is what the WT Smoother tool in the Sample Editor is for: it renders a selection into a wavetable at a Window Num (256 by default) and Window Len (2048 by default) you choose.
Memory is the limit to plan around. On the Tracker, samples brought into a project are converted to 44.1 kHz, 16-bit mono, and a project holds about 133 seconds of mono audio at standard import quality. A full 256 × 2048 table is 524,288 samples, close to 12 seconds, so roughly eleven fill a project. The Tracker Mini’s manual gives up to 12 minutes of mono per project. Import Low Quality trades sound quality for space on either.
WaveStack’s Polyend Tracker target writes a mono 16-bit WAV at 44.1 kHz with 2048-sample frames and up to 256 frames, the format the manual recommends, so the Tracker has nothing to convert. Frame sizes other than 2048 are resampled, and longer tables are thinned to 256 by picking frames evenly. Linked to the card, Export writes into /Samples, where the Tracker’s sample browser can reach it.
After loading a WaveStack table, check that Window reads 2048. If you’re short on project memory, cut the table to 64 frames in WaveStack before exporting: it uses a quarter of the space, and Position still sweeps the full range of the table.
Specifications
| File type | WAV, imported as a sample |
|---|---|
| Samples per frame | Set by the Window parameter; 2048 typical |
| Frames | 256 is the standard Polyend cites |
| Frame size detection | None; set Window by hand |
| Import format | Converted to 44.1 kHz, 16-bit mono |
| Card folder | /Samples |
| Project memory | About 133 s mono (Tracker), up to 12 min mono (Tracker Mini) |
| Card format | FAT32 with MBR partitioning |
From WaveStack to the Polyend Tracker
- Take the microSD card out of the Tracker and connect it to your computer with the supplied USB adapter.
- In WaveStack, open Export (⌘E), choose Polyend Tracker, link the card under Save to, and save. The file goes into
/Samples. - Put the card back and open the Sample Loader. Highlight the file in the SD Card window and a slot in the Instruments window.
- Press Import, then Import Normal to bring it into the project.
- In the instrument’s Play Mode list, choose Wavetable and set Window to 2048.
- Turn Position to move through the table, or route an envelope or LFO to it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use wavetables on the Polyend Tracker?
Load the WAV as a sample in the Sample Loader, then open the instrument and set its Play Mode to Wavetable. Set Window to the table’s frame size, usually 2048, and use Position to choose where in the table to play. Position can be modulated with an envelope or LFO for movement. The same steps work on the Tracker Mini. Tables built as wavetables, with matching frame sizes, sound smoother than ordinary samples.
What Window setting should I use on the Tracker?
The number of samples in one frame of your table. Polyend gives 2048 as the common standard, used by Serum and Hive, and WaveStack’s Tracker target always exports at 2048. Window starts at a maximum set by the file, so check it reads 2048 after loading. A Window that doesn’t match the table puts parts of two frames in each step, and moving Position sounds rough instead of smooth.
How many wavetables fit in a Polyend Tracker project?
On the Tracker, a project holds about 133 seconds of mono audio at standard import quality, and samples are stored as 44.1 kHz, 16-bit mono. A 256-frame table at 2048 samples lasts about 11.9 seconds, so around eleven fit if you use nothing else. A 64-frame table is about 3 seconds. The Tracker Mini allows up to 12 minutes of mono per project, which leaves far more room.
Why do wavetables sound stepped on the Polyend Tracker?
Usually because the source wasn’t made as a wavetable, or the Window doesn’t match the frame size. An ordinary sample has no clean frames, so each Position step jumps to an unrelated slice. Polyend’s WT Smoother in the Sample Editor converts a sample into a smoother table. A table built in WaveStack, where neighboring frames are already close and the size is exactly 2048, avoids the problem from the start.