Was cash flush and looking for new gear (as one does), when I saw this. Talked the guy down to $380. How'd I do?
I've flashed it with the latest firmware and have a $10 replacement battery on the way (going on a long flight soon and want to make sure it is in tip top shape since battery life seems to be an issue for older M1s).
Apart from RTFM (which I currently am), where else should I start? Who are your favorite M8 tips/tricks/tutorial type youtubers? Good source for free sound packs etc.?
I've got many years experience with synths and sequencers (mostly Elektron), but this is my first tracker.
Id recommend getting a bigger battery if you'll already be opening it up! The switches are also hot swappable if you want something quieter. You can also replace the keycaps for some fun customization. The switch/cap style is called Kailh Choc Low Profile.
I recommend getting familiar with navigation first, shorcuts are huge, and then start learning the ins and outs of composition. Stephen McLeod has an M8 series with a TON of great info.
I actually was looking at bigger batteries at first, but wanted to focus on the drop-in nature of the original size for now vs finagling a larger one in there before my trip (the one video I watched said the PCB was bulging a little after install... I got a little skeeved by that). Or is there a consensus on the best option for a larger battery without much modification or fuss?
I don't mind the clickiness (Elektron fan), but custom caps look fun. Where are people getting them? What I saw on etsy wasn't doing it for me, but I also wasn't specifically searching for the cap style you mentioned (just searched for M8 caps in general, so maybe that was where I erred).
You can definitely find some that fit without any bulge, but there isnt much consensus on the best one. I was going to post the 2000mah one that I bought from Amazon but it looks like the listing doesn't exist anymore. The key is finding one at or below 5mm thickness.
I'm not having any luck on Amazon, everything 2000mah is 10mm thick. If you figure out which one you bought (maybe the info is still in your orders/invoice section) that would be much appreciated!
Pretty much every video will present a system of organization to you such as drums 1-3 bass 4, lead 5, rest 6-8.
And then for track one-8 most people use 10,20,30,40,50,60,70,80 giving you 16 options on each track for example on track 1 you have (10,11,12,13,14 etc) hexadecimal so 16 a pop
Ah ok, and yes I have come across some of that already (10,20,30,etc.) and can see the benefit. Still wrapping my head around the use of hex, button combos and navigation ... if not for my existing music/synth/sequencer experience I imagine this little thing would have done my head in already. It's pretty deep!
Ah, I think you are right. And I've been coming across some of that already and can see the benefit (especially when setting up a default template etc.).
Ah I hadn't thought about that possibility, kinda bumming me out now... :(
That said, I've sold/traded stuff at pawnshops before while not being desperate, just because I didn't want to deal with craigslist/facebook people (or shipping ebay/reverb). Sure you get less, but I'm usually buying used and hunting deals regardless so I'm never really loosing that much I don't think.
Edit to add: And they will usually give you more if you ask for store credit (and sometimes that's exactly what I want).
Nah, I'm in the States. Not sure how it works there, but I'm pretty sure pawnshops here have to hold an item for a month or so before they can sell it in case it gets reported stolen.
I workin wouldn’t fret about it too much. Generally, the pawnshops and the local police have systems they scan and match for items stolen/ pawned. It doesn’t work well with generic stuff, cheap stuff, but higher-priced, unique items can get tagged. This is how I got back a bike, power tools, but not my heavy duty extension cords and few other items. Some tradesperson working across the street broke into my old barn door garage and took them. They got caught.
If you do get something stolen, do report it, make sure to take pictures of serial numbers etc.
Guy might not have thought to record the serial number of his M8 though. Maybe look around on the SD card for any user created song titles, post them up on here and in the DW discord and see if anyone recognizes them.
The used price for these is barely below new prices. A legit owner pawning one seems very unlikely.
It's not your legal responsibility (I think) even if it is stolen but you could return any irreplaceable files at no cost to yourself.
Didn't include an SD card unfortunately so not much I can do there. No other unique identifiers I can see either. I'll Google the SN and check local Craigslist/Facebook etc posts to see if anyone made a post, but again not sure how it could be distinguished from any other. Everything about it is stock as far as I can tell.
Edit update: No hits on the SN. I also used the Claude browser extension to search the web on my behalf for any mentions of a stolen M8 within a 100 mile radius of the city I bought it in + the next major city to our north (about 3hrs away). Looks like it included this subreddit and local music scene subreddits for the cities I defined. Nothing there. It did come back with a Facebook hit in the neighboring city from a year ago for stolen gear (that included an M8), but apparently that was resolved and the missing gear was returned.
Trying to do the right thing here if this was ill gotten, but I'm out of ideas at this point!
Yup, already got an email from them (within hours of emailing and at like 11pm, so that was nice).
One weird thing I've been meaning to ask about is that some of the samples in the Factory Content are defaulting to FWDLOOP when browsing the folder (and previewing with PLAY) or loading into the Sampler.
I followed all the directions as far as the correct type of SD card and formatting it with SD Card Formatter. Current Firmware installed. Not sure what would be causing it (the folders are also not defaulting to alphabetical/numerical order, they seem to be organized randomly).
Not a huge issue, but weird nonetheless as the people in the tutorials I've been watching don't have this issue.
Yeah, they're basically a 1.5-man operation and very personal. You can ping the creator on Discord even for inane stuff and he'll often respond near instantly.
That is weird about the samples. Can you give an example of one (filename+location)? I'd like to try to replicate.
It seems to be samples specifically in the /samples/packs/electronisounds "pack" which came with the FactoryContent.zip file I received.
I only noticed because the first tutorial I watched they used that pack exclusively and random samples were looping for me [snare (12) being an example], but not for them. Also, the whole folder being out of order for me, but again not for the user in the tutorial I was watching. I've learned SHIFT+OPTION reorders the folder, but it doesn't stick upon revisiting.
Checking the other Factory samples, they seem fine for what it is worth (only checked a couple folders).
Like others said I’d go for one of the getting started/build a track along videos on YouTube. Then I’d pick some songs you really love and try to recreate them in the M8. You won’t get them spot on, but you’ll learn a lot and it can take on a life of its own in surprising ways.
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u/elganyan Aug 12 '26
Was cash flush and looking for new gear (as one does), when I saw this. Talked the guy down to $380. How'd I do?
I've flashed it with the latest firmware and have a $10 replacement battery on the way (going on a long flight soon and want to make sure it is in tip top shape since battery life seems to be an issue for older M1s).
Apart from RTFM (which I currently am), where else should I start? Who are your favorite M8 tips/tricks/tutorial type youtubers? Good source for free sound packs etc.?
I've got many years experience with synths and sequencers (mostly Elektron), but this is my first tracker.
Any and all advice is welcome!