Buying an Octatrack Vs Sp404 or similar type

So i’ve got an A4 and an AR…which are fantastic and they complement each other wonderfully.

I really wanted to add some sample manipulation to my stuff…

so I’m left with thinking…

should i get a used sp404 Vs Octatrack Vs op-1 Vs MPC

I wanna be able to save the samples directly from the source, i.e. internet, vinyl, whatever. I don’t want to have to go through my comp.

I want to be able to slice, manipulate and experiment with it as well.

Just worried that the octatrack is overkill. Its hard to decide if it is when it’s difficult to figure out exactly what the octatrack can do. I’ve listened to almost every octatrack video on the net. But I’m still not 100% sure.

any thoughts?

also…octatracks are always out of stock.

The price difference between those things is huge. I say go for a sp404 and upgrade when you’re 100% sure you’d use everything that the mpc and/or octatrack has to offer.

Don’t get the 404 if you want to do anything else beside playing samples and having a basic sequencer. Attempting to slice without a screen is… tedious to say the least.

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You’ll want to edit your samps before putting them onto the sp404, that’s for sure. I bought a sp404 to be sequenced by my mnm and my main issue were:

  1. no cc control
  2. only receives one channel

So I eventually got a sp606 which offers both of those things. I also had an octatrack, and while it’s fantastic, it was a bit deep for my purposes and expensive.

It really depends on what you’re looking for in a sampler. It also sounds like you’re relatively new to hardware, so I’d really focus on what you have and incorporate something simple as not to distract you from making music. Though, you’ll most likely want something with a full fledged sequencer if you really want to be able to paint your samples with ease.

I am not completely sure, but when I played around with the SP404 of a friend, it looked to me like you can’t play back a pattern and sample new sounds at the same time. This was a complete dealbreaker!

To my knowledge, the whole sp line is like that.

At the moment I think the Octatrack is probably the best thing that ever existed on planet earth…It’s a bit of a beast though AND although it can sample directly from vinyl or internet etc, you always get better results doing this on a computer and transferring the files to the Oct (unless I’m just shit).
It has a hell of a steep learning curve too, but it’s totally worth it :slight_smile:

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Second the OT. You will just waste time with sp404.

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That’s the great thing about the octatrack is that you can barely scrape the surface and still find that it meets your needs.

Though, you mentioned that you have both an AR and A4, so i would assume you haven’t totally gotten your head wrapped around using those guys yet. So just to keep focused, I’d get something simple to avoid losing yourself down the “how do i do this” hole with new gear. i think, for your purposes, it’s a bit overkill to splurge on the OT.

Albeit, if you’re committed in learning it and have the cash, then go for the octatrack.

The SP404 has already been addressed so no comment on that. I have no experience with any MPC so can’t comment on that either.

OP-1 has at least two different concepts of “slicing/chopping”, neither of which I have tried myself. One is the “chop” function in tape mode, for stuttering. The other is in the Drum Sampler - you sample up to 12 seconds of audio, and it is automatically sliced and mapped into a drum kit.

Octatrack will let you sample on the fly from whatever inputs you specify, then slice the audio, with extensive control over which slices to play in what order, sample start point, effects, 3 LFOs per track to modulate a wide range of parameters (pitch, envelope, effects parameters, etc.). It does require more of a commitment in terms of finances and learning time than the other options.

Your choice between the two Swedish products depends on your individual wants/needs. The OP-1 is more portable, with a wider variety of synthesis and sequencing options, but has some limitations that will drive you crazy if you’re not aware of them and find them unacceptable. The Octatrack is not as comfortably brought on board public transportation or out to the park or whatever, but gives you tons of options for manipulating audio.

portable elektron is doable. i’ve been using one of these…

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618847-REG/tekkeon_mp3450i_mypower_all_plus_mp3450i.html

i scored a slightly used one for $50 on ebay about a year ago and i’ve used it to power my mnm, nord drum 1, and tetra when i’m out and about.

portable elektron is doable. i’ve been using one of these…

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/618847-REG/tekkeon_mp3450i_mypower_all_plus_mp3450i.html

i scored a slightly used one for $50 on ebay about a year ago and i’ve used it to power my mnm, nord drum 1, and tetra when i’m out and about.[/quote]

Note that I didn’t say it wasn’t doable. I remember the thread on the old elektron-users forum about making one’s Octatrack portable.

Sometimes on my daily train ride, I see somebody reading a virtual book or playing games or whatever on a full size laptop. That person looks a lot less comfortable than the person reading the virtual book on a Kindle, or the other person playing some Tetris like game on an iPhone.

To be clear, I have both an OP-1 and an Octatrack. But which of the two would I rather toss in my backpack and take with me on the train to a park? I have a clear preference here.

Former owner of an MPC 60,3000, and 5000. The MPC is easy to sample, edit quickly and chop up. Tons of videos and instructions on the net for it. Benefits of the MPCs - multiple MIDI ins and outs, not an x0x step sequencer very stable OS. Tons of users and tons of examples out there.

Downside is that it’s not a sample mangler. The tools available on the MPC pale in comparison to the OT. If you simply want to sample, edit, and chop and slice without a computer, the MPC is probably the faster tool.

The MPC is also easy to learn. Again, very straightforward set of operations. If you own other Elektron gear, the OT will be less of a mystery, but it demands a lot of intense use over a long period of time to get comfortable with it.

thanks for all your input.

I’ve had the A4 for 1.5 years and AR as soon as launch and I’m getting along pretty well with them.

The octatrack threw me off because I was reading about all the complaints in “software section” saying that it is still in beta OS , etc…im thinking complaints regarding that are for people who are digging really really deep into their OT.

I definitely want to be able to manipulate the samples beyond just pitch shifting, and some other basic stuff.

Looks like it’ll be the octatrack…now the real challenge…finding one for sale.

thank again, you guys are great.

Are you based in the uk? I might be selling one of my Octatracks. Bought in March 2013 but has had only moderate use. *Although it did go back to Elektron to have the Headphone issue corrected.

How much?

£700 excluding shipping & insurance. UK only. Do not want to ship abroad.

Hello!

I have an SP-404SX, an MPC 500 (and borrowed a 1000) and a OP-1, and I´ve just got a Octatrack (which is laying still unplugged on my desk). Because of this, I cannot help you analysing the OT, but can talk a little bit about the other hardwares.

The MPC is the quintessential sampler, although I don´t think it aged well: the learning curve is not exactly easy, you need to access a lot of sub-menus to do simple tasks (it´s worse with the MPC 500) and the effects aren´t very inspiring. However, the workflow is really good if you´re doing hip hop or beat oriented stuff, the sample layering options are amazing and the sound have a nice low end - and you get all that MIDI functionality, which is great. However, I the MPC never worked really well for me.

The SP-404SX is a very straightforward sampler: you plug, sample and apply the (good) effects really fast, which is great. No sub-menus, just pressing buttons, turning knobs or using easy shortcuts. However, the sample editing options are sparse and imprecise, which is annoying and may require a computer if you are looking for perfect cuts. I don´t also like the sequencer.

The OP-1 changed my music production life. I bought it july/2013 and I fall more in love with that machine every time I use it. Great sounds, nice 4-track, very musical. The radio option for sampling is amazing and the autoslicing is great. Also, the visual edition of the samples work well. However, I must confess that I don´t like the OP-1 sampler very much. Restrict sampling time, not so easy to activate…It could be easier to actually sample.

If you have any doubt, just ask!

Hey…

my main concern with sampling on the op-1 is that the audio quality isn’t the same as the octatrack.

is this true?

The Octatrack sampling is 24 bit/44.1 kHz and the OP-1 samples at 16 bit/44.kHz. So yes, you will have a quality loss with the OP-1, although I shouldn´t call the sampling quality of the OP “lo-fi” and can´t say if that loss of sampling depth will be ultimately expressive in your sound.

Indeed, 16 bit was the sampling standard for most of the 90s and start of the 2000s. But if 24-bit sampling rate is essential to you, avoid the OP-1.