About the get the Octatrack, but I have a few questions first

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi guy

I’m close to buying the Octatrack. however, I have a couple of questions.
I’ve been an MPC user for years, and have had a little break from making music.
I’ve watched hours of video’s and “tried to read” the manual :wink: I have a basic understanding of how the thing works, but some things are just not clear!

Here goes:

  • The audiotrack sequencer does not register note off data. I’ve been thinking about possible workarounds:
    Solition 1/ play setting to one shot with Envelope settings to INF hold, and use a “silent slice” to stop the previous sample. This should work I suppose. But how does the release work? Is the machine 100% monophonic? Or does the release (tail) keeps going on top of the next triggererd sample/slice? If this is true, then Here is the next question: can I p-lock attack, hold and release for each trigger?
    Solution 2: same envelope settings as previous solution, but instead of using an empty slice, I would insert p-locks for volume. So sample needs to stop at step 6: I insert a p-lock for volume with volume set to 0.
    Solution 3: use the MIDI sequencer to trigger audiotrack, since it registers not off. But then I need to create a midi loop. And als these are are just too many steps, and things get complicated quickly.

The manual is written in Elektron language. which, at this point, I’m not familiar with :). I would like to have a list of all parameters that can be p-locked. Is there such a list?

Next: saving and loading.
Basicaly, I’d like to save and load a project with all its settings and samples to a folder on the cf card. I preferably with just a single action. Is this possible?
I can I scroll through and load samples from another project on the card into the RAM = the current project. Without modifying the sample on the cf card. So that my previous project onnthe card stays intact, without changes. I basicaly want to create different songs (each project is a song), and every song should stay in it’s own folder. Next to the project folders, i would like to have a folder containing samples to work with.
I will use flex engines only.

Next one:
I would like to:

  • connect two jacks from cue out to AB or CD input. (Octa out to Octa in)
  • set audiotrack 6 to cue out
  • play the pattern (everything is going to headphones out, including audiotrack 6)
  • play the sample on audiotrack 6 chromaticaly with Octa’ keys (the buttons from the step sequencer). While hearing my playing through the headphones together with the beat, and at the same time recording my playing on track 6 to an audiobuffer on track 7.
  • question regarding this method: can I play the audio on track 6, with octa’s keys, with note off command? Assuming I have set the ADSR settings to 100% sustain, which is hold.

These are my main concerns. I have highlighted the important stuff ^^

Thanks a lot, guys!

#2

Can’t write a book right now, but :

100% Monophonic, the tail is cut.

Parameters you can plock :
All the parameters in the audio and midi pages (not in the sub page you access with Function or 2 clic).
Around 5x6x2=60 parameters.

  • XLevel, XVol, XDir
    You can’t plock Cue.

On the CF card there are work files, auto-saved, and a saved files you can reload.

#3

Hello, and thank you for choosing :elot: helpline, for all of your OTing needs since 2011…

The OT tracks are stereo but monophonic in that a new sample will cut the tail of a previous as would a blank slice, you can plock attack,hold,release and also there is a length parameter on flex playback. A trigless lock is probably the best way to end it which is a lock that doesn’t trigger the sample or envelopes, placed on amp volume and optionally fx volumes if needed. By the way there are also trigless trigs which trigger envelopes and lfos but not the sample…

The projects work within a set that contains an audio pool. The samples in the audio pool are available to all projects in a set. You can also collect samples into project folder to be more self contained if needed. Samples loaded to flex and then edited do not affect the saved sample. You can save sample settings like trim,loop,timestretch, and more to files on the card so they load that way from then on, these are still independent of the settings you make once loaded to ram. You can easily load the samples from the audio pool to any project in the set. You can save the project in one function and everything will be there, but there’s other things you can save and reload as well. There is also an auto saved project state, and a saved restore point.

Your chromatic mode cue out loopback is a little confusing to what you actually want to achieve. The headphones have an adjustment mix from all main to all cue or anywhere in between. You can have tracks sent to main and cue. Do you want to chromatic play track six which is being sent to outboard fx and then brought in to track 7 to record? Did you need to monitor track 7? Whatever it is I think it’s doable… Not sure about note offs but I’m pretty sure you can dial in what you want with amp settings…

Thanks again for choosing :elot: helpline, our other operators will be of further assistance…
:monkey_face:

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#4

Thanks tonyhe both of you!

The last Q was indeed confusing! Sorry 'bout that.
And mostly redundant as well as I can just monitor the incoming signal through the headphones :slight_smile:
So only the last part remains unsorted: can I play the sample on audiotrack 6 chromaticaly with note off (with octa’s keys) and record the track performance to a new audiobuffer while the entire pattern is playing?
I will then put the new sample to an empty flex engine and blend it with the current pattern. This is mainly for getting basslines to sound more natural, human like.

The tail being cut off is a bit of a problem. Setting up a “tail drum track”, however should give intersting drum results. This new tail track could also serve as a ghost note track. Interesting.

#5

You can record the chromatic playing of track 6 to any of the 8 recorders if you wish, recorded independently from main or cue, and you can if you wish already have a flex pattern assigned to that recorder buffer on any or several tracks which automatically update when sampling… All while sequencer going…
If you want you can also live record the chromatic sample playing as trigs in the sequencer instead of audio…
Someone else will have to chime in on note off, I don’t use chromatic much, but it seems you can have the notes last various lengths by amp settings…

#6

I think you should be able to get around this with a trigless lock or trigless trig with locks on the amp env settings to enter a defined release, instead of locking volume, at least until the track hits another sample trig. I haven’t actually tried. There’s a lot of ways to go about things on the OT, I still have more to explore for sure…

#7

you have pretty specific questions/requests

I would suggest go ahead and get one from Ebay, and play around with it a while to see if it works for you - if not, you can always resell the unit on Ebay … usually for little to no lost moneys… sometimes you can even make a profit

i do this all the time with gear - works great

#8

I bought a new one yesterday
In comparison to all the stuff I’ve used during the last 15 years, the Octatrack feels extremely well built. Cool stuff. I’ll see what it can do tonight
Thanks for the replies.
I will probably come back with questions later this week :wink:
Cheers

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#9

It’s going well :slight_smile: Love it! Fantastic for drums and spaced out textures.
Lot’s of key combos to remember, though. But no menu diving :wink:
I didnt try to resample a performance.

I’ve kind of an issue with the pitch setting, though. If I load another sample into a sample slot from one of the engines, I’m unable to change the pitch. It will revert back to where it was.
The pitch parameter isnt linked to one of the scenes, and the pattern is blank. The pitch parameter is free from everything (apart from the LFO), but I can’t alter it. I mean I can turn the knob, pitch will change, but immediately will snap back to its previous state. It’s like the pitch is locked to something, but I cant figure out to what… Any tips, perhaps? :slight_smile:

#10

Are you using chromatic mode? It’s a bit of a hack that changes the pitch setting depending on the key you’re playing. Any changes will be reset on the next note.

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#11

Ah yes, that’s it. Thanks a lot!

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