How would you

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

…approach and use the OT, if you:

  • had the AR and AK to accompany it
  • had 100ish prerecorded loops-based songs (5-8 OT tracks, 1-32 bars)
  • wanted to prepare them for live performances - starting from scratch
  • set sample mangling via scenes and smooth transitions between songs as your focus
  • decided against song mode, and for freestyle

more specifically:

  • how would you organise your samples?
  • and use projects/banks/parts, also flex vs
    static?
  • what else would you recommend to somebody pursuing that approach?

I’m still severely struggling with this.
Thanks so much!

#2

Bedore answering :

Pattern changes linked with AR/A4 ?

Against Arranger to select looped patterns ?
Tempo changes ?

100 songs, track 5 to track 8 or between 5 and 8 tracks ?

#3

Thanks for your feedback! Much appreciated.

Pattern changes aren’t linked.
Currently I dial in everything manually. Suboptimal?

I’m not fully acquainted with arranger mode yet, but I get that it’s needed to store bpms.
Not sure if having written down the bpms for each song in the performance (then adujst manually) would suffice?

I use between five and eight tracks of the OT per song.

Cheers.

1 Like
#4

initially, perhaps choose your favourite 100 loops and make five tracks from them …

as regards BPM, maybe just use a single bassdrum and chord sample realtime sequenced manually to crossfade to when wanting to change the BPM, then when you reach the desired BPM for the new tune, crossfade to the new part section. to vary things, use a different bassdrum and chord sample manually sequenced realtime as relates to each ‘song’ you want to adjust the BPM to get to.

maybe try using 4 bar versions of things so it is all a bit easier to start with.
personally my plan is to use the OT like an 8 track Traktor, realtime loading pre-made song section loops (themselves made with the Octatrack in the studio).

this way the verse chorus bridge intro outro prequel sequel build and drops are all previewable as audio files via the headphones in the browser.

it isn’t the most malleable or flexible way of working although hopefully there is room for spontaneity and creative mixing.

any approach to performance with the OT will have a series of tradeoffs and benefits.

2 Likes
#5

Cheers!
There aren’t any percussion/drums on my OT, just prerecorded melodic samples (basslines, pads, etc.) Thus basically none of the samples are interchangeable between songs (different key and/or tempo).

#6

- had the AR and AK to accompany it
I’d sync them with program changes

- had 100ish prerecorded loops-based songs (5-8 OT tracks, 1-32 bars)
I’d use AB TRCs for tracks longer than 4 bars, and set Pattern Scale to the same length (Scale per Track mode)

- set sample mangling via scenes and smooth transitions between songs as your focus

That’s very personal. Check the Transition Trick if you don’t know it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1D_UurOook

- decided against song mode, and for freestyle

I’d use Arranger for sure. At least for tempo, reminders. It can recall scenes, mutes. You can easily jump between songs, or looped parts of a song, or Arranger / Pattern mode, so it is not static.

- how would you organise your samples?

Logically, in the track / songs order.

- use projects/banks/parts

If you can avoid project changes its better for sure.
A lot of people use Pattern 1-4 > Part 1, Pattern 5-9 > Part 2, etc…
One song per Part, or per Bank.

- flex vs static?

Flex for short samples / sliced loops (limit is RAM memory), Static for long samples (their main limit is Slice / Start mangling with crossfader or lfos).

- what else would you recommend to somebody pursuing that approach?

Just do it. :slightly_smiling_face:

6 Likes
#7

Just my wee bit of opinion/advice, I think you’re trying to plan ahead too much.
Put a few songs together in one project, like 3 songs on 3 different banks.
Experiment play around with with it, see whats “fun” to freestyle, modulate, and what you’d rather have programmed.
Definitely look into using midi and program changes to have the AR and AK follow the OT’s pattern changes.
Dont swear off Arrangement mode because you think it’s not freestyling.
You can pop in and out of Arrangement mode easily with some practice and understanding.
It is a very useful tool for getting the most out of an Elektron style performance.

Personally I only use track 7 for sampling.
Eventually I’ll get some outboard master comp and free up track 8 for sampling.
I use 1-4 as Neighbor>Thrus for the AR, and 5-6 for the A4.
LOTS of stacked FX for Scenes and the Cross :metal:

6 Likes
#8

Thanks so much for your replies!
Plenty of food for thought. Love it!

#9

A post was split to a new topic: Set a trig for sending to cue output?