(UPDATE: track complete!) Octatrack: from-scratch beatmaking/sound design [video]

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

in a vague nod to the ‘Against the Clock’ format, I demonstrate basic sound design and beatmaking techniques starting from a blank project with the Octatrack, setting up my typical project template for this sample-pack based workflow, loading all the samples to the project, and then designing my first sounds and patterns. After the first 20 minutes of unedited, from-scratch beatmaking, I do a demonstration jam after I spent another session off-camera developing the ideas further, and the track is starting to take a more defined form. I almost never record intermediate stages when working on these types of projects, so this is a nice little work-in-progress time capsule!

UPDATE! - FINISHED TRACK - Blunderbuss

2ND UPDATE! - Blunderbuss post-mortem track breakdown

6 Likes
#2

really like your channel. kepp em coming

1 Like
#3

thanks a lot! this is a bit different than some of my other recent vids, but I thought it would be a good one to make

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#4

finished producing this track, captured a performance I was happy with :sweat_smile:

I actually didn’t end up creating that much more raw material than was shown in the ‘end jam’ of the beatmaking vid. It’s interesting to see how it evolved from that very first sound, basic beat, and vibe. In this recording I took an even more heavily performance-based approach than I have previously when using the Octatrack solo, where important melodic, and harmonic statements are often directly tied to crucial performance gestures - primarily scenes+crossfader, fill functionality, and beat repeats. I used 4 patterns and 2 very similar parts. Recorded directly from the Octatrack main stereo out. Post-production limiting, EQ, and stereo field adjustment of the final stereo mix via DAW - that phaser bass needed some massage, let me tell ya! :joy:

3 Likes
#5

sounds big

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#6

thanks a lot man! I had to screw with the stereo field a good bit more in post-production than I would have liked (prefer to not to touch it at all when working this way) but that’s the price I pay for purposefully introducing phase issues on low-end elements :grin:

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#7

Not especially my favorite kind of music, but total respect for your OT performance skills! :thup:

I like the melody played with scenes principle, but I like to use crossfader so I found a way to change 2 scenes at the same time to stay in tune while moving the crossfader (midi loopback with a midi processor).

Little point I checked : if Dynamic Recorders is set to Yes it overrides Reserve Length setting. No need to change it.
I wasn’t sure myself before, I was changing both to be sure! :wink:

#8

to be honest I’m not even sure what kind of music I like anymore, and I don’t think this is my favorite either! :joy: I just do what seems most interesting at the time and I endeavor to transcend my personal tastes; sometimes I joke that when I make something I really like that’s the stuff no one cares about! It’s also very curious how using a pre-made and curated sample pack like this influences the result - the guy that put the samples together definitely has a ‘pop’ sensibility that really came through in a weird way on this track (but I found this very interesting)

thank you, but I think you misspelled ‘frantically smashing buttons’ :zonked:

just have to take the fun out of everything don’t you? :grin: I actually quite like to live dangerously when I put pitch transposition on the crossfader and play a sample with crossfader movement like a single string of a slide guitar :sunglasses: With the coarseness of the increments it’s actually surprisingly easy to grab the desired pitches and quickly correct intonation mistakes

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