I’ve read a bit about the Megabreak technique but I can’t see the main difference between this and the @darenager solution in this situation.
Can you unlight me ?
ps : I don’t own an OT (yet)
Well the megabreak scans though flex slots and slices so upto 64x64 different possible audio on any step (if you use 64 flex slots each sliced into 64 pieces) The downside being you would use half of your flex slots, ok for short samples though.
The static slice method I mentioned earlier only needs to use 1 static slot, although you could use more if you wanted to.
Flex slots are loaded into memory, static stream from card.
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Hi @darenager Yep, slot consuming, and yes main advantage of Megabreak : 64 loop versions can be changed at each step.
I wonder if with your method it would be possible to change start points on the fly as it is possible with wavetables (slice mode off). 
Don’t have OT to test…
I don’t think it would be the same due to card access time, still never know till try it, not able to either at present but one for the future to try.
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Thanks @sezare56 and @darenager for your answers.
I’m a bit afraid by the slot consumption of the megabreak method. If I want to play a 1h live show I’ll be probably running out of flex slots.
I’m looking for a good method to replicate the natural interaction you could have while playing with the parameters of a synth but using already recorded material on the octatrack.
So let’s say I have a 4 bars loop and 4 variations of this loop :
- The normal loop
- Another one a bit angrier, with filter opened wider and more delay feedback
- A calm one with shorter envelope
- And a super deconstructed one
I then make a file with those 4 loops so I get a big 16 bars loop that I slice 4 times.
Is it possible to have a scene that allow me to “browse” this loop in time ? Like this I can go from the normal loop to the angry one and then back to the calm one, everything in time and only using one pattern ?
Sorry if this has already been discuss, feel free to point me an already open post about this.
Parts are your friend here. Same pattern, different sample. Change part on the fly, and it is pretty much what you’re looking for.
And yes, you can assign the crossfader/scenes to start from a different slice. So you change the scene or move the crossfader to acces the different loops
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Possible with :
Patterns with different plocks
Patterns with different parts
Patterns in Arranger with different scenes
Easiest is Arranger, with a one shot rec trig on first pattern / row.
Oh parts, I did not know it was such important. So if I understand well, there is lot of ways to do what I want, that’s a great news !
About scene, if I change to a new slice (so I play another variation of the loop), will it plays the sample from the current position or will it plays from the slice point (so the beginning of the loop).
@sezare56 don’t want to use pattern or plock because I’d like to switch from a loop to another a bit like I’d play with a knob on a synth you see ? I’m looking for a hands on solution involving knob or fader movement to actually play the variation like I’d turn knobs on a synth, not a pre programmed change like patterns. I don’t know if it’s really clear.
Ok I guess I misunderstood “in time”. Understood quantized to the beginning of the loop.
Get an Octatrack first, you’ll make your choices after! 
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Yeah, nothing beat the real experience. But knowing I have access to this community and all the knowledge makes me want to know in advance how I could proceed to be better prepared when I’ll actually get the machine.
I already own an A4 and a RY and I mainly write music and play live with those two so I know them pretty well but even if I’m familiar with Elektron’s concept, the OT seems really different.
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Kind-of similar - I’m currently wanting to get some new material onto my MPC-Live.
I’ve recently been using Helix Native, for distortion on my DAWs, so want to sample with that in-place.
I think what I’m going to have to do, is grab loops with those effects in-place.
…but I’ll then use delays and reverbs on the MPC Live, so that I can mute/unmute, whilst leaving the delay running.
So, in your bassline scenario, I reckon record loops, especially if you’re using say - portamento. You might also want to apply EQ on the OT too, so possibly keep the source sound un-EQ’d?
I’m open to other suggestions too though!
Any way for you to show me a hands on example of this, my friend?
Oh, wait…NO OT TO TEST?!
Yes I’m on a lost Island, salty air, don’t want my OT to rust! Acoustic guitar, melodica. Couldn’t resist to bring a tiny electric guitar, mic, looper though.
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Enjoy, my friend 
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The boat made it this time, thank the flex overlords… 
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Sure they were here tonight, I armed one shots, rhum based.
Traditional sailor songs from here…
Couldn’t SAVE ALL SAMPLES strangely.
Yeah, but mine is broken, unusable. 
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I was not sure, but I did it last year, with flex
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I now have an Octatrack and I tried several methods to rebuild my synth parts with it.
- When I have a simple bassline using 2 to 3 notes from the same range, I simply sample a trig and sequence it on the OT. If there are modulations, I sample different variations of this trig and I then slice up the sample and change the slice with a scene. This way I can reproduce the original modulations and I have hands on control to do what I want.
- When I have a complicated pattern, with notes across different octaves, slides, lots of modulations or whatever that could be hard to reconstruct in the OT, I sample different variations of the entire loop and use the MX chains technique. This is super impressive, I still have the original sound and I can go way further with the OT FXs or sample parameter like retrigs and reverse. Scenes are super powerful and allow me to really “play” the sample like I can do it with knoby synths !
- Finally, when I just have a part that doesn’t evolve much or maybe just a little filter to open, I sample a loop and play it on a Static Machine. I also use effect or OT magic here and there to spice it up a bit.
I just have my OT and I don’t know it so much but it’s already part of my Liveset and I plan to use it intensively in the future.
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Good start with OT, apparently!
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