Yamaha SEQTRAK – a whole music studio the size of a keyboard tray

By Ricardo de Jong ·

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The orange and gray Yamaha SEQTRAK groovebox seen from an angle, with rows of gray knobs and step buttons

Every music idea I’ve ever had showed up at the worst possible moment. On the couch. On a train. Never when the laptop was open and the cables were plugged in. By the time I’m set up, the idea has left the building.

The Yamaha SEQTRAK is a groovebox that tries to fix exactly that. It’s a drum machine, two synths, a sampler and a sequencer in one flat box, with its own speaker, microphone and battery, so you can start a beat wherever the idea hits.

And yes, this is Yamaha. The company that also makes grand pianos and your school’s marching band trumpets. It doesn’t look like a Yamaha at all, and that’s a compliment.

The Yamaha SEQTRAK in orange and light gray, angled view of the knobs, step buttons and speaker grille

What is the Yamaha SEQTRAK?

Yamaha launched the SEQTRAK in January 2024 and calls it a “mobile music ideastation”. In normal words: a portable groovebox. It’s 34 cm wide, under 4 cm thick and weighs about half a kilo (1 lb 2 oz), according to Yamaha’s spec sheet. That’s lighter than most laptops and a lot more fun.

Inside are two sound engines. AWM2 is Yamaha’s sample-based engine for pianos, strings, guitars and drums, with 128-note polyphony. The second is a four-operator FM engine, the sound family that made the Yamaha DX7 famous in the eighties. Together you get more than 2,000 preset sounds.

How does it work?

The SEQTRAK has 11 tracks: drums, synths, an FM “DX” track and a sampler. You program patterns on the row of step buttons and twist knobs to change sounds in real time. There’s no screen, which keeps you away from menus.

The fun part is the sampler. Hit record, and the built-in mic grabs a phrase, a spoon on a glass or your cat. Then you chop it up and play it as an instrument. Yamaha gives you seven sample slots.

For deeper editing there’s the free SEQTRAK app for Mac, PC, iOS and Android. It connects over Bluetooth MIDI, and it can even turn your music into synced visuals for a video.

Other bits from the spec sheet:

  • Built-in 1 W speaker and internal microphone
  • Rechargeable battery with 3 to 4 hours of use, charged over USB-C
  • USB-C for audio and MIDI to a computer, a headphone out and an aux input
  • MIDI in and out through the included adapter cable

The good and the not-so-good

What I like:

  • Everything is in the box. No laptop, no power cable.
  • Magnetic Magazine gave it an Editor’s Choice award and called it one of the more unique and powerful portable grooveboxes around.
  • That sampler with the built-in mic is pure joy on paper. Recording your dog’s bark and turning it into a bassline is a valid hobby.

What could be better:

  • Without a screen, the learning curve is steep. Reviewers found it a lot easier once they paired it with the app.
  • Early buyers on forums call the build a bit light and plasticky, with mushy buttons. Maybe don’t toss it loose in a backpack.
  • Battery life of 3 to 4 hours is fine for a session, not for a whole weekend away.

Who is the Yamaha SEQTRAK for?

Bedroom producers, beatmakers who travel and anyone who wants to make electronic music without staring at a laptop. It’s also a strong gift for a teenager who’s been making beats on a phone and is ready for real knobs.

If you want something smaller and weirder, look at the Teenage Engineering EP-1320. If you’d rather mangle sounds than build songs, the Korg NTS-3 kaoss pad is the more chaotic choice.

Where can I buy the Yamaha SEQTRAK?

Amazon sells it through Yamaha’s brand store in orange and in black. The orange one was about 300 bucks at the time of writing (October 2026).

Want more ideas for the musician on your list? Our fun music-making gadgets roundup has plenty. I’ll be over here sampling my coffee machine.