After one year playing exclusively on Elektron devices, I think I finally get them : - )

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Trough the help of this forum, reading manuals and countless jams on these metal machines, I am confident enough to say that I know how to play them :slight_smile: hopefully!

the setup is like this:
OT is the main mixer for the Rytm and A4 (tracks 5 and 6)
Track 1-4 are reserved for sample loops, produced in a DAW
I work in Ableton most of the time, but recently I bought the wonderful Roli Seaboard, and as you know,
there is still no MPE support in the Live, so I am using Logic for this.

Track 7 is for live recording from inputs A/B and C/D respectively, so that I can record short loops from Rytm and A4, and play them while I change patterns.
I have created scenes especially for these transitions (Scenes 5-8 for Rytm, and Scenes 9-12 for A4)
so, when I record the loop, I jump to scene 5, the recorded loop becomes audible and Rytm is muted,
after that I can change patterns on Rytm, without worrying about abrupt changes, and seamlessly transition between the loop and the new pattern.

Track 8 is a master track, with compressor and Reverb for extra Fx.

Everything is recorded on Zoom H6, and just added little default mastering in Ableton (Ozone 8 vst)

so here is my little contribution to this forum, live playing a track with short explanations on top,
tell me what you think, and if you have some more tips about how to play Elektron trinity, please share them here.

thanks to all! :slight_smile:

73 Likes
Can Elektron gear compete with modern DJ equipment?
#2

Great stuff. Amazing video shot and nice explanations. I had a very similar approach but struggled in getting the levels and sound that tight and right. Very professional sound you got in there.

2 Likes
#3

You got this down. Lovely stuff with seamless transitions. Well done man !

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#4

Thanks @pmoldzio, I am really happy that you like it.

I was also struggling with levels and sounds, but then I bought SonarWorks reference 4, and with overbridge I can stream Rytm and A4 thrugh Ableton and precisely check levels and tweak sound.

So after I am done with sound and like what I’ve got, I switch to my Octatrack setup, and play with arrangement and effects.

3 Likes
#5

thanks @zeropoint
yes, the OT is great for transitions :slight_smile:

#6

Bravo ! Great Grey Trinity demonstration!
I didn’t plug my Dark Trinity together yet!

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#7

Thanks @sezare56, always nice to hear from you!
you should do it immediately because it is the greatest combo ever :slight_smile:

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#8

I wouldn’t call it minimal techno, though. For minimal you only would have need a MD. :slight_smile:

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#9

Hello RandomNoise,

Nice set.

Are you improvising the mutes/transitions/scenes etc. or are you playing this as memorized through muscle memory?

Thanks
Nate

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#10

true dat, but I dont have MD, so I am improvising with A4 and Rytm :stuck_out_tongue:

#11

Thanks, @spinposium!
yes, I am totally improvising, and it is impossible for me to repeat this :smile:
and after editing the video, I realized that I’ve made some moves I wasn’t aware at the moment of playing :))))

1 Like
#12

OK, that answers a lot of questions, but leaves me with the same one I have currently with my own playing…
I am happy with my improvisations, but I have no way to ever repeat the same performance.
It is hard to call the track by a name when it can’t be repeated or re-performed in the same way.

How do you square that circle? It is something I struggle with - not being able to repeat a performance.

Can you also explain more about how you did the transitions and how you have the scenes setup? Which scenes do what (do you have this memorized?) and do you have a scene or two which are blank? Or do you just mute the scenes when you want to return to normal?

1 Like
#13

I totally dig you, because I had the same problem!
but one day I just accepted that every time the song will be different, and that this is the greatest thing, and what makes a live performance interesting!!
as opposed to DJ’s “press play on tape” sets :stuck_out_tongue:

so, basically, I just construct kits that sounds good together, play them as I feel, and it is VERY fun.

about the scenes, yes, I try to have the same scenes on every pattern/part on OT
Scenes 1-3 are for high pass filter everything, and global effects (different combos)
Scene 5-8 are for Rytm transitions (First I press recording for track 7, and then switch to scene 5, where the rytm is muted, and recording is playing the one bar rytm loop, and then I play with scenes 6,7 and 8 where the recoring is being filtered and next pattern from rytm is merging in)
Scenes 9-12 (same thing but for Analog 4)
Scenes 13-15 are empty for the moment, and Scene 16 is always the default.

hope that helps.

11 Likes
#14

That was really really gooood.

#15

This is extremely helpful as a tutorial. I would love to see more advanced tutorials like this.

I think the biggest thing lacking in my performances right now is smooth transitions between patterns.

Pattern changes are too jarring, so fading them in makes a lot of sense.

I have also been using A4 + AR + OT as my main setup and I love it.

I agree that improvisation makes live playing more interesting as you are essentially playing an instrument as opposed to pressing play as you mentioned. I suppose you just need to get comfortable with the parts to a point where you can always move the track forward as needed.

How do you setup your scenes and how are you using parts?

Do you literally copy each scene one by one, or do you setup a single part first and then copy the part over to Part 2, 3 and 4?

I find it very frusturating and annoying to manage scenes across different parts and maintain them properly. It’s nearly impossible to update a scene, and then easily push it to the other Parts unless you remember to immediately copy it.

2 Likes
#16

I find many things frustrating about Elektron machines, but I love them at the same time :slight_smile:
especially copying the kits from one project to another.

so for the moment, I tend to stick to the similar workflow between parts, basically I copy one finished part to another, and then make the changes on the new one.
But there is always fear of f*cking something, so I save the projects every 10 minutes, and literaly have numorus versions of the same project :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like
#17

Fantastic video. Please make more like this!

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#18

Sounds great! And I really like the explanations of your workflow.

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#19

Thanks @banjarian!!! I really appreciate this.

it gives me more energy for the next video :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#20

Thanks @Birdzeye. I’m glad that you liked it. I will try to do even deeper explanations in the next video.

3 Likes