3 Likes
Wow this blew up into quite the discussion!
Just a note on my setup:
- 3 synths run through a Mackie mixer and a multi-effects pedal via the aux send
- Mackie runs into the OT Input A + B - compression applied to thru track
- OT cue out runs to Boss Space Echo pedal, back into OT Input C + D
- All audio runs through OT master track with compression applied
- OT master out goes through a USB Audio interface
- USB Audio interface runs into Macbook Pro
- recording is done into Adobe Audition (I use Adobe CC at work so I have a free copy)
For monitoring I have the cheap Logitech speakers and a nice set of studio headphones (plugged into USB interface)
My next purchase should probably be a pair of monitor speakers, as I currently don’t know how things are going to sound until I make a recording and test on a bunch of different types of speakers.
2 Likes
Thanks for this. Yes these are the types of things I’d love info on. I am indeed mixing within the OT.
1 Like
Well i guess to start with … important to note that if you would like to capture your recording direct to the Compact Flash card, there is no need to lose a track in order to make the recording.
Just use a Recording Track that is not being used.
And use the Recording Screen to set the input ABCD to none, and the internal input to Main. May as well set loop to Off. And ensure the FIN setting on Rec2 screen is set to zero.
So if any of the Flex Menu Recording Slots are free (i’m guessing at least one is), then choose the audio track of that same number, open the Recording Screen, set the recording length to Max and set a one-off recording Trig on Trig 1 by holding the Function key when pressing the Recording Trig. After recording starts it will flash in a different way to indicate it is now unarmed and will not trig recording again.
So when the playing/recording starts, the OT will start recording the entire mix as it plays on the Octatrack.
When the track has finished playing, press stop and the recording stops also.
If it doesn’t just open the Recording Screen for the appropriately numbered recording slot and wind the Recording Time to the left, and that will stop the recording.
To preview the song recording, double click a Track button, navigate to the Flex menu, to the Flex Recording Slot, and Doublepress Function with Yes. The recording will play. If all is as it should be, then go Audio Editor -> File -> Save Sample Copy… and name it appropriately.
Hey presto, track recording captured via Octatrack.
Also to mention:
It would be best to work in 24 bit mode.
When switching to this mode, it is the best idea to then restart the OT after the mode switch to 24bit.
Yes this takes up more memory, but anyway it sounds better and if the object of the exercise is a five minute song recording, then it should be possible within the workflow.
3 Likes
but really that information is about capturing the mix to Compact Flash Card - which, although i think is a sensible idea due to the avoidance of two processes of signal conversations… is not really talking about mixing.
So here is a set of parameters for the OT Compressor on the Master Effect track to help the track “Gel” together…
Att: 24
Rel: 86
Thrs: 50
Ratio: 45
Gain: 8
Mix: 112
also to mention re/ the above settings: the Octatrack’s own Master Volume was set to 26 above neutral zero.
Okay a different OT Compressor effect scenario:
these settings helped one of my synth bass lines sound better on an individual audio track…
[ Individual Track Vol: -14 ]
Atk: 27
Rel: 96
Threshold: 43
Ratio: 34
Makeup Gain: 6
Mix: 77
[ RMS: 76 ]
RMS parameter is accessed by double clicking the FX button to open the secondary effect menu for the OT Compressor.
//
and a third scenario for the OT Compressor, this time for a snare drum, as shared by konputa:
3 Likes
I recently recorded a track internally to the track recorder on the OT for the first time, I didn’t use T8 as a master track, and I didn’t really use it for any final mix shaping, but it is certainly possible to get ok results I think. I suppose I could have then reloaded the recording into the OT for further final tweaking, but I didn’t on this occasion, I just normalised it in audacity and uploaded it.
One thing to bear in mind is you will need roughly 50mb of free ram to record a 5 minute track at 16bit, you can’t record directly to card, only ram, so you will only have about 30mb for samples. It wasn’t a problem for me on that occasion since it was the metronome science lab Octatrack Metronome Only Warp Experiment Science Lab
The spatializer is not really that useful on a mix, it is more like a chorus/symphonic effect, I find it most useful on pads etc, but the eqs and compressor can give quite a bit of range for sculpting. I don’t how know the eq settings correlate to hz readings, but it should be fairly easy to determine using white noise and a spectrum analyser.
3 Likes
very cool … yes there are ways and means around the memory thing, or to be more specific, the approach to the choice of whether or not to use Flex machines when they are easily replaced by Static machines for the project will then influence how much available realtime access memory there is available for the song recording.
Also pressing Function Rec3 and selecting Memory Config and deselecting “Reserve Memory” for Recorders 1-8 frees up some memory. Then it is required to select “Use Dynamic Recorders” so it is possible to record.
loading samples to Static rather than Flex machines when possible… i haven’t heard of Static machines sounding any different in quality to Flex machines, so really it is about the functionality required at the time.
cheers for info about the Spatializer, and cool idea re/ white noise and a frequency analyzer!
hmmm i guess if working at 24bit then a 4 minute song recording is possibly going to be more practical than a five minute song, depends on what requirements there are for any other samples needing to be used on Flex machines.
but really the 24bit mode is highly worthwhile. the quality of the sound is perceptible to say the least.
Yes I used 24bit on that track, 24bit has greater dynamic range but really I could have used 16bit since there isn’t a huge dynamic range in most of my stuff 
It is a shame we can’t record direct to CF though.
3 Likes
Before I started making music in a DAW, I used a Boss BR-1200CD
It felt more pure than what I’m using now, but it was also a complete nightmare and all but the last of it was bunk. And the music I made that WAS good was very sloppy.
Not to mention- any complete track I made would take about roughly 9 hours to record(albeit, this is coupled with the composition process). But it took a REALLY long time.
But if you want to do it- just get a studio in a box and do it that way.
The zooms do something like that- but I can’t remember what it was called
The Zoom H6 would probably make a useful portable studio. It’s also a field recorder.
There’s no real editing of the audio files in that though. So how it gets recorded is how it will be
I record into a DAW but usually just capture stereo jams, I’m not really a track maker I’m a live improv jammer… Have no problem with DAW’s use Logic X all the time and love it…
But, not every musical creation needs the pinnacle of crisp new digital hi fi sound quality… Many people like lofi and today’s tech has gotten so clear sounding that it can be preferable to sound a little more lofi using alternative methods. It also ends up sounding more unique and can have a certain charm because everyone and their grandmother nowadays uses ultra crisp and clear DAWs…
It’s all about what the artist wants to sound like, some artists purposely buy plugins and whatnot to make their DAW music sound more lofi. I like the ultra crisp and clear new tech, my audio interface is the most expensive thing I own and I always run 96K. But sometimes I prefer not to sound that crisp. If the music is good enough the listeners won’t care, most of them have no idea… It’s the guts of the music and the particular tone and sound your after that counts, it’s not always super hi fi that artists are after…
1 Like
Why don’t you just roughen it up in your daw with a plugin 
the question is about mixing without a DAW.
that said, “Saturation Knob” is a kind of cool free plugin as regards software.
And yet, in fact the original question has absolutely nothing to do with mixing within a DAW. So responses regarding using a DAW to mix instead of the Octatrack are in fact perpendicularly opposed to the initial motivation for the question.
so to talk about adding texture via the Octatrack’s formidable capabilities…
the Filter effect on the OT has a hidden Dist parameter, accessed by double clicking the FX button to open the secondary effect menu screen … it’s a totally different flavour to the LoFi effect Dist parameter.
the FIlter effect’s hidden Dist parameter is like a warm harmonic saturation effect at lower levels, very cool, very subtle.
2 Likes
That’s what I said people do and pay more money for after they’ve bought the hifi interface/computer/DAW software… It’s kinda ridiculous… 
cool stuff can be done though so whatever people want to do…
I reckon we have convinced him that a daw is the only way to go 
Spatializer seems to be another phase-panning type thing that’s good for individual tracks, but not master buss… the flanger totally wet to my ears seems to do better
2 Likes
to mix a track i would use the “DJ EQ” effect and a gentle glue Compressor set of parameters on the Octatrack Master Effects track 8, and then after capturing the track to realtime memory and saving it to card, reload the track … Or maybe restart the OT in between sessions just to be sure everything is cool after recording such a giant audio file…
Anyway for the mastering of the song recording, load the audio file to a Static Machine … switch Timestretching to Off, and then maybe apply the Filter effect with no parameters effecting anything except a slight amount of the hidden Dist parameter … for the second mastering effect i would maybe try and emulate the way mastering hardware might do it - with the dual band regular EQ effect, boosting a low bass band and also boosting a high 10k band ever so slightly.
then recapture to realtime memory and save to card.
in fact come to think of it a number of effects could be applied if the mastering session is just using one audio file on one track … neighbour fx, or the single track’s fx and the Master Track 8 fx.
2 Likes
I forget his name but there’s actually a famous mixing engineer that doesn’t use any eq, his entire theory is about capturing the perfect sounds at the source… I wish I could remember maybe somebody knows?
He’s put out some famous albums and tracks…
1 Like
Katz wrote in his book on Audio Mastering that it’s important to know when a given song recording only requires a simple volume boost to come up to regular sound pressure levels and leave it at that for a mastering session. Not that it happens often, but to be aware that is the case of the scenario sometimes.
I’m pretty sure that was Steve Albini.