NEW OT user coming in HOT.... well warm, and looking for any advice please :)

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

hey everyone,
hope your day/night… and that it was creative.

i already have the rytm and a4 and love using them to produce deeper dubstep style tracks and am now ready to try playing live at some of my shows (i have been DJing for nearly two decades but am ready to take the plunge to play all of my own material).

this weekend i will be picking up a mint condition OTrack to plug both the rytm and a4 into - and to add some samples and sound effects too… and have the OTrack be the mixer and midi master.

my question is - are there any cool suggestions or advice that you can pass on? i am new to samplers and sequencing so was thinking of just making kits with sounds for all three - then playing them live as one project song (mute, perf pad, effects, etc)… then change to next kit/sounds on all three for next song, etc…

is this the best way to start out? any and all help much appreciated.
thanks in advance.

#2

There’s a wealth of that information right here on this forum if you put in a little effort to dig through it. Also, try searching on youtube for “Octatrack tutorial” or “Octatrack Tips.” There’s a wealth of that already out there, you should first try to seak that out and post here when you have a more specific question.

Not trying to sound like a dick, just being straight with you.

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#3

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=octatrack+tutorial

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#4

http://www.elektron-users.com/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=611&Itemid=30

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#5

http://www.elektron-users.com/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=611&Itemid=30

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#6

ALSO! If you REALLY want to learn the OT and get comfortable with it partake in this challenge! It’ll be a boot camp experience :slight_smile:

Track Challenge: Dataline Fan Club

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#7

Ha!
Great minds Ryan!!
:wink:

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#8

The OT is much different than the AR and A4.
There are no “kits,” but you have “parts.”
Parts can be tricky to understand at first, there’s lots of explanations out there but I like the simple ones.
You can assign 1 of 4 parts to any pattern in a bank.
It’s basically 4 kits per bank so to speak.
In the beginning, it might be wise to not even bother understanding parts until you need to know.

My number one piece of advice would be to use the OT by itself to make a couple of tracks.
Learn how things work, mess things up too.

Once you get comfortable hook up the other boxes.
I pretty much use the OT as a mixer/FX box, very little resampling, and only a couple tracks for samples.
I use 1 thru machine and 3 neighbor tracks just for the RYTM. I like having all those FX stacked to make crazy scenes with.
You can spend years digging into the OT, and figuring out how you like to use it, so in the beginning I suggest not trying to box yourself in to a specific way of setting things up. Try everything along the way and eventually you’ll come to realize what you really like about it.

Setting up the OT to drive the other boxes is currently my favorite way of running it all, but it’s not the only way.

Here’s a couple of simple to understand videos on sampling with the OT.

Good luck!

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#9

True story. Most of the time I’ve been using the OT for its FX and midi capabilities. The OT is like the musical game genie with other gear. Sending plocked arps to the MnM and A4 and providing extra LFOs to the AR tracks

#10

thanks - have been searching both this forum and others. just looking yo gather as much as possible. taking a lesson this weekend too🙂

#11
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#12

also remember - the OT is super fun as a one-shot sequencer, or for loop stretching

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#13

Thank you

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#14

lol re/ thread title :smiley: very cool

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