He uses them like a DJ, as 2 separate decks. They are not midi synced. Each one is loaded with parts that have his song stems and he mixes the songs live between the two OTs. It doesn’t look like he uses patterns, maybe oneshots if anything.
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I’ve exactly this same question!
I think the combo OT & RT could be cool and more reliable than 2 OTs because using two different machines could gives you more different options…
Maybe the downside for me is the RT price, the only 1GB drive size and the lack of the scale per track like in OT to name few
I’ve too a MPC Live but unfortunately the MPC Live does not really honor is name. Is a great tool but not to friendly for live. Always off when you MIDI connect it as a slave machine.
As i use the OT mainly as a drum machine, maybe my final question is : What is the better drum machine, OT or AR?
Here are some technical pros and cons
The RYTM pros
- Has actual sound generators as well as the sample layer which you can layer up.
- You can pitch samples up and down 2 octaves (cons you can’t slow them down or timestretch them)
- Has dedicated effects sends (delay and reverb) which might be a pro or a con depending on the situation (though the OT can simulate this with the master or neighbour tracks, though everything is always 100% send on master/neighbours, and neighbours can’t be a bus/share inputs)
- Has savable/reuable sounds and kits (octatrack everything is saved in the bank/part)
- Has individual audio outs (but lacking the main/cue options)
- RYTM distortion really ‘heats’ things up and it sounds huge in a mix
- RYTM 12 scenes and 12 perf pads give patterns lots of variation, though the OT scenes are also unique and amazing in this way, as a negative, it’s hard to access the scenes and perf modes and mutes at the same time without an external midi controller
- Playable pads (despite being initially quite stiff) Retrig as a option, makes it a bit more immediate
- Has the multiple trig copy paste option
- 12 tracks instead of 8, but only 8 playable at once (though having cut groups can be a bonus on a drum machine HH -> OH for example.)
- LFO speed up to 2000x, compared with the 256x max on OT.
- Pads mean chromatic note entry is way quicker on RYTM.
- Sound plocking (though the OT can do sample plocking per step, the track settings are applied)
Cons
- No sample slices
- Only 1 LFO
- Sample manipulation options fairly limited
- Doesn’t have per track multipliers
- Doesn’t have midi tracks
- No on board sound editing for tweaking those sounds that aren’t quite right
- None of the range of effects that the OT has
- Lacking a Master filter, though you can always send the RYTM to the OT for this.
- Amp and filter envelopes are kind of annoying to use in my opinion, compared to OT
- No custom LFO shapes
- Far less space for loading samples up, can only work with relatively smaller samples. (OT can stream multi gig samples if needed)
- No per track delay possible, no freeze delay option.
- It’s obviously a matter of opinion, but I feel like the dark reverb on the OT beats the reverb on the RYTM.
@unbesbai - OT and RYTM are hugely different approaches as a drum machine. RYTM sounds huge and meaty, and analog sound generation + samples is unbeatable, sound wise, but the OT is good at working with loops, sliced samples, large samples, audio mangling, resampling, plus the crossfader with the scenes is the best live effect tool that Elektron make, in my opinion.
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Wow, so many great responses! Thank you for breathing life into the experimentation bubbling on my, and many others, horizons.
Reading these posts confirmaed things I love and have realised. In no particular order, they are;
The midi:
I have a Roland A880 so I can use both OT’s for midi in to any machine. Double lfo’s and double the arps. Killer on my synths and I have some great effects that I can mess around with using trigless trigs. Like different feedback rates for the Space Echo emulation on my DD500 / VF-1.
The sound:
What I am getting out of just one OT is great but two will breath life into the stereo scape percussion wise. I plan to use the second OT as an instant DAW and get stuck into the live sampling mode that the OT can do very well. Judging by the response it can sample mangle better than no other - the very reason why I was initially interested in a second and why half of my gear got cut. Having the out out of my home rig run into an another OT blows my mind. Space wise it isn’t as ergonomic but I’ll find a way. Guess the live sampling has been unchatered territory until now; I will get stuck into it.
Genre;
I don’t really feel that this matters as much as some have made out. That said, I know what I like and the OT’s cross fader will be able to provide more wobble to already detuned sound sources, in particular synth lines. I love that.
Workflow;
This is a big one. The live sampling functionality will give me the improv aspect that I love. The idea and ‘sense of freedom’ is ENOURMOUS for me. Once I get my sounds nice and tight I’ll be able to sample them and thus do as I will.
This is all my studio ideas. Live is completely different. The HEAT is a master blaster of audio and I feel thrilled to have it in my set up. I can’t believe how good it is making everything sound.
I believe I am working towards my goal of adhering to a completely DAWless set up and getting great sounds and sampler fodder from my humble studio set up.
Playing Live/My Future;
If I am able to make time in my 6 day working week to do more than just jam and feel happy then I will look at more options. For now, the afore mentioned is enough to be going on with.
Once my imagination comes to life I’ll need to think about the next step. Like I said, I don’t want to be bringing out my set up to play. I want it as minimal as poss for transportation purposes; I’m only one man.
Once the samples or samples stems are into one OT I can have even more fun. Take the two OT’s out of the set up for live practice and EVEN MORE fun.
Go live with two OT’s and my MX1… maybe even the heat too. I think that’s where my head is at… thank you for helping me situate it!
Additionally, I have a small set up at work that has been maturing slowly. I have a sax, a very good Yamaha piano is there, actual drums, a mixer, my SE-50 and TR8.
My Matrix 1000 and Sony DPS-D7 are still left unused and sitting in a corner of my apartment since my recent gear cull. So I’m thinking of taking them along, plugging it all in, and making use of the OT for live looping in a completely different set up, pushing the boundaries of my knowledge even more.
I’ve got a lot to learn.
EDIT: really not meant to be showing off my gear
Although this is nice, and I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I can’t feel the energy like I do when I watch Bodzin. I don’t know if it’s because I know he’s just playing stems with a boutique sandwiched and Bodzin rocks a Sub 37 with a custom drum midi controller. It seems too transparent - NOT THAT I COULD DO IT!!! Lol
Edit: I’m watching this back again and I’m enjoying it for what it is instead of geeking out on the gear and what/how much he’s doing with it.
Sounds like you really want another OT! I will say that most of the things I read about people using a second OT you can do with just one, might be worth digging in…
But hey, if you really want 2 OTs who cares what we say, just go for what your feeling!
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it’s tru taht whatever you can do with 2 OTs you can probably do with one, but with added complexity, i think sometimes it’s nicer to use let’s say multiple devices at 30% instead of just 1 device at 90% especially when playing live…
If you got an extra grand to blow and don’t mind carrying more stuff…
Not being snarky or rude, just sayin… 
hahahahaha for sure man i agree 100%…i imagine since he conversation was about getting a second piece of gear so the money is there…
for me i was barely able to afford a used OT mk1 so i’m not going to be spending a dime more anytime soon (except for backing the nanoloop standalone on kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/734721310/nanoloop)
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on the other hand, if i did have the money, id probably get a drum machine instead and maybe a tabletop synth and use the OT exclusively for live sampling… but that’s me personally. but i do totally understand the appeal of 2xOTs
Definitely where my head is at in regards to the crowning feature that two OT’s posses over a OT+RYTM with my current, albeit, limited knowledge of one OT.
That would be sick right!?!? Sample that live jam straight into the OT number 2, mash it up and bring in the next sounds. Rinse and repeat and mangle to hellbuggery in between.
Nah, I haven’t got a grand to blow. I’d sooner hop on a plane home to see my family. It was hard work to get one OT. I had a Machinedrum and exchanged for my second OT as a trade which I am happy with. In all fairness, I am also thinking of cashing it in. But before I do, I want to mess around and experiment. If someone wanted to trade one of my OT’s for a RYTM I’d do it straight away because I am curious.
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I’m sure you are right! I hope I get to that plane of knowledge. Like I said, I acquired the second OT through an unexpected trade.
I’ve been using two OT’s for a month and a half. It didn’t really sit right with me. Although I tried to be organised, it was a little messy. When I first used my OT for sampling my mind was blown. I’ve taken the second OT out and feel more focused again.
The good things were having two crossfaders. When a jam was at a certain point the double cross fader action was off the chain!!! Sample layering. More stereo outs meant more fun with panning and playing with the stereo field by assigning an lfo to the ‘balance’ function.
I think I was making the mistake of using the second OT the same way as the first when I should be using it in a different way.
I made a beat before bed last night. There’s a lot to be done structurely and also with OT tricks. It’s just a simple 16 bar loop from my home set up with one OT… everything going through the AH. When I got it into the box I used no further processing and bounced it down.
Edit: Listening back to some productions with two OT’s and I’m loving the stereo juice and options with more outputs. Guess I have to rear in the complexity.
Somehow I missed that you already had the second OT!
What ever I say on here is just sharing a perspective or trying to help if I can, I don’t judge anyone for anything unless it’s somehow harming someone else. A second OT can do no harm!
I’m in a busy cafe so I can’t really here the track from my iPad, I’ll check it out later…
Two DTakts though…
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Hello mate!
No probs man. My kinda guy… Down to earth and funny
Digging your views and ideas!
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The advantages of two octatracks come in when you are wanting to play longer stems and sections of music, and need more than 8 channels of audio.
Also cross feeding the second set of outputs in each machine for complex resampling and transitions simply can’t be done on a rytm.
I also find the smooth morphing between scenes with x-fader better in a live situation, with more creative accidents, than the snap scenes on the Rytm.
That said, I owned two OT’s for a while… it ended up being overkill as one OT couldn’t replace a Machinedrum 
… really depends on the use case for needs imo.
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