Approaching my 7 months of having the Octatrack

CallOffTheVote · 2016-11-04T08:12:03.236Z

With the latest ableton and push its definitely narrowing the margin between ITB and OT based totally on workflow/inspiration etc. Push is catching up fast/doing its own thing very well. Especially if you set up a good template project. If it had a simple equivalent (I haven’t really looked in to Max4live yet) to OT scenes/fader it would be hard to choose a winner (except for OT Rec buffer tricks/fun etc). Ableton should bring out a 8 or 16 track standalone. Could be pretty great… Battery powered/portable with ability to import/export sessions to Daw (freezing third party vst etc)… Guess it’s not so simple in reality tho. They’d either have to put an existing operating system (Windows/Mac etc) inside a box or re-write the whole thing…

William_WiLD · 2016-11-04T08:15:07.590Z

I guess it’s started first with Maschine Studio but i kind of agree in some way.

I see also Ian Pooley talking about his MPC particulary on 12bit and he said with our modern technology sound is more difficult to mix down. and he’s probably right somehow

I think OT win for Live Purpose, Workflow (like to be focus on making music only)

CallOffTheVote · 2016-11-04T08:26:30.822Z

Yeah OT definitely feels better/more fun etc with performance/workflow for now for me too, but not sure how long that will last. Ableton are pretty heavy with updates over the last year or so and push 3 will probably be a super refined UI etc. Sounds ridiculous but my main problem with push (beside it not being standalone) is the squidgy buttons. Maybe I just need to use it more and I’d stop noticing them. But would much prefer OT style buttons. They just quicker/more responsive/satisfying for some reason??!

William_WiLD · 2016-11-04T08:31:52.772Z

To me there’s the Do everything in Grid buttons i didn’t like i really missed the MPC Layout that’s why if i haven’t choose to go hardware for focus me on music and Live i probably stick to Maschine Studio inside Ableton Live with Reason rewired And UAD Card for Processing. You can do everything you want with that.

And midi keyboard for chords

CallOffTheVote · 2016-11-04T09:06:19.453Z

I know what you mean but you can kind of see push as mpc layout (4x4 grid) but with a ton of extra pads surrounding it its an amazing ui for slicing or finding weird notes/chords etc with timestreched loops/sounds. I guess a midi keyboard could kind of mimic the same functionality but its not as well integrated for visual aids etc.

Though being limited to using push only inside ableton sucks. Maschine wins there. Ideally I’d like to use Push rewired inside Sonar/Reaper (track comping/lanes are non-existent in ableton :/. Doesn’t seem possible/likely tho…

VDB · 2016-11-04T12:11:35.949Z

Hey, I am running push 2 and octatrack and soon analog 4, while I see everyone s point here I have to say I would never get rid of push. The way I work on it is more similar to MPC . Slice and play drum hits, sample and playback chords etc.
I agree about wanting to mix elsewhere tho, if I could afford it I might get studio one 3 and a dedicated controller and just rewire live in there, track it all out and mix in there.
That said I hate the GUI of most other DAWs. Cubase, gross, logic, same!

Lukree · 2016-11-04T12:24:37.944Z

I hate it that you really cannot do some simplest stuff on Push: organize drum rack pads or sample easily directly to drum pad.

VDB · 2016-11-04T12:30:33.641Z

You can move the pads around now, but the sampling and resampling is super annoying I agree, but octatrack isn’t very simple either. MPC is the simplest IMO.

Unifono · 2016-11-04T12:52:38.176Z

With the latest Update resampling on Push became very easy. You can set the inputs and outputs from the hardware now.
I love the octatrack, especially for live uses or jamming, sample mangling. But I never managed to integrate it in my workflow with Ableton. It works best using it on it’s own I think. It kind of dictates you a way of working. But I would never sell it, too versatile especially for live duties.

I bought Push2 some weeks ago, and I have to say I prefer it for writing tunes. The scale mode on the grid is just inspiring for me for making melodies. The Pads feel awesome. Realtime Automation, P-locks work great and the best thing is that sampling is polyphonic. I always missed that in the OT. I mapped Monark and many DIVA controls, so now I really can design analog sounding patches from scratch in push. And Operator is well integrated for fm…

invisible_acropolis · 2016-11-04T13:20:08.892Z

Callofthevoid:

Ableton should bring out a 8 or 16 track standalone.

that would be world-changing… same with NI making a standalone Maschine

William_WiLD · 2016-11-04T13:21:17.398Z

invisible_acropolis:

that would be world-changing… same with NI making a standalone Maschine

This will never happening or they will integrate a real system operator inside… not the same development and price

VDB · 2016-11-04T13:39:07.521Z

Still regarding resampling, imagine holding a drum pad and pressing convert and voila your drum sound is resampled post effects right into its pad where it was! That’s what MPC touch does! That would be the best for me. You are right the audio routing is amazing, especially for me with a hybrid setup but it’s not where it could be.

v00d00ppl · 2016-11-04T13:53:58.060Z

Do you have a link to this article ?

William_WiLD · 2016-11-04T14:37:07.670Z

I see also Ian Pooley talking about his MPC particulary on 12bit and he said with our modern technology

That ? sure :

v00d00ppl · 2016-11-04T23:40:22.383Z

Thanks and that reminds me I need to solder new tact switches on my mpc 3000. Maybe in December if life doesn’t get hectic

Lukree · 2016-11-05T17:52:51.494Z

Imagine selecting a source for a drum pad, arming and recording. Directly to drum pad slot with simpler put there for tweaking.

Would love that.

VDB · 2016-11-05T18:18:11.841Z

Yeah! That would be awesome! I think the issue is that none of the samplers actually sample! Even the samplers in reason can!

thetechnobear · 2016-11-06T14:45:27.883Z

thanks @kirama this is an interesting thread, as Ive been for some time considering getting an Octatrack to supplement my Live/Push2 setup - and trying to work out what the Octatrack might add.

I have to say the 9.7 update has made it more difficult to justify the Octatrack, but still Im keen

Lukree:

Imagine selecting a source for a drum pad, arming and recording. Directly to drum pad slot with simpler put there for tweaking.

Funny you mention this, Ive been doing this with Live recently, the 9.7 update (with IO config possible on the Push2) has meant Ive really started doing more sampling in Live
.
anyway, the way I do this is:
a) create an empty drum rack
b) create an audio track, set its input to according to what your sampling I usually take it from my audio interface, but sometimes another VST track - i usually set monitor to IN, and if its another track use post FX
c) record a clip to sample what you want (I usually put on fixed length to make it easier)
d) select drum rack, select pad
e) hit ‘add device’, push will show drum hits folder, but go back one level, select current project, and you will see recorded clips (you can preview), select the one you just recorded
f) you now have a simpler on the pad, loaded with the clip, which you can now adjust start/end, filters etc.
you can now repeat steps c-f for other pads.
(btw: you dont need to keep the clips, once they are in the drum pad sampler)

its actually really quick once you get used to it, basically sample, add sample to pad, adjust …and all the steps can be done directly on the Push2 without having to go back to the computer.
its a lot of fun, as simpler is really quite powerful, and of course you can add FX to your chain…
(of course later at the computer you can ‘tidy everything up’, giving samples names, saving drum racks for other projects to use etc)

Its amazing how its just a few new features in Live/Push2 have made it so much more useable, with far less returning to the computer to have to set things up… can’t wait to see what Ableton have up their sleeves next.

anyway back to the Octratrack, still wondering what it can add over Live/Push2.
I suspect Id mainly use it for pickup machines and mangling, and perhaps to use when I don’t want the distraction of the computer screen

v00d00ppl · 2016-11-06T14:54:33.364Z

Bro you made my day. Gonna practice this today.

Lukree · 2016-11-06T15:14:47.291Z

Wow, THANK YOU! Gotta try that, doesn’t sound too complicated actually!