Does Ableton do the Octatrack thing?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#62

You’ll need a pretty high end interface with a good connection to get the latency specs of the OT, and I’ve never seen one stutter. You can morph over 200 parameters between steps with scenes or sequenced part change per step with arranger. The midi clock is super tight on OT and without the speedy interface/low audio buffer you’ll get out of sync, and with one and the low buffer settings you’ll start eating cpu pretty hard trying to morph that much stuff.
OT mixer dir: 1.29 ms
thru: I believe: 1.45ms
Each neighbor: add 1.45ms
Master: add .75ms
-Do neighbor machines increase latency?

Pattern settings can switch from regular to any combination of plays free/regular and full control with silence tracks if things carry through or not. Also trig modes quick mute/delay control…
Probably more stuff… :smile:

2 Likes
#63

Man, it wasn’t my intention at all but debate it’s very nice in here.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying will only have one. But I have to learn one first.

#64

Don’t worry, we’re all friends here… We just like to play synth nerd geek wars… :joy:
It’s just fun and games… Or rather, It’s all fun and games until someone looses their project… :rofl:

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#65

Or all projects…:stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

1 Like
#66

image

3 Likes
#67

If you had no gear, how much would an ableton-based set up cost to replicate OT’s capabilities?

  • ableton licence

  • good CPU

  • low latency 4 ch I O Midi usb interface

  • midi control surface: knobby with a trig controlling sequencer lane, crossfader for performance, lcd gui etc

  • no bigger than the OT

  • one power cable

  • reliability, portability

  • plus there is no way, once you’ve actually replicated OT’s significant feature set and function in Ableton that you’d stop there, you’ll be buying ‘vital’ vsts, exploring all the other depth Ableton offers and becoming a technical whizz whilst producing little music.

  • not to forget THE MOUSE, every mojo-orientated musician’s nemesis

  • plus add the cost of a Push 2 if you want to be touchy feely like an OT

I think Ableton is great, infinitely flexible with M4L, but it leaves me a little cold as a system for carving out a groove that you feel you’ve achieved something (though it is lukewarm compared to the glass-faced cold world of the ipad).
OT’s integrated tangibility, flexibility and self-containedness provides a far greater sense of workmanship and permanence to the journey for my free time away from a desk I moreso associate with work, orderly thinking and spreadsheets.

Furthermore, I love that my OT, barring mechanical malfunction, hasn’t cost me an extra penny since I bought it and will still be good 10 years from now and beyond. If I add up the cost of machine, software and peripheral upgrades in keeping Ableton supported to the standard it requires …

Whether you are a public performer or a couch noodler, OT is a lot more useful than a laptop, wires, other boxes, mouse.

#68

Octatrack…
It’s Able to do a Ton of stuff… :thup::elot:

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#69

Bravo! :clap:t5:

1 Like
#70

wonder if moodyman uses the OT?

#71

I can only imagine this by having a very complex template or a dedicated M4L device.

Let’s consider that parts define:

  • setup of the machines of all tracks, including the use of sample slots
  • setup of the FX chains in each track
  • settings of the track parameters
  • 16 scenes

By switching a part all of this can be changed in one step. We can use/copy a pattern and apply a different part.

Now let’s add to this the 16 banks, having 4 parts each … :wink:

That’s quite a flexibility, which is in the DNA of the OT and ready to go.

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#72

Moodyman uses mpc

#73

Add dynamic remapping of scene - parameter assignments and it gets really complicated in Ableton/Max4Live, but it‘s so easy on the OT without having to put in any design effort because it‘s all there.

I just got myself a new OT after years of trying to squeeze the same features out of other devices (which was fun of course). Pure joy to just have it all there, sum > parts.

2 Likes
#74

Right. I barely know Ableton so when I started to thought-experiment it I got held up pretty quickly.

Having the ability then to reload Part or change it to 4 others at will. It’s really amazing.

#75

I hope I don’t seem like a crazy lost person but, has anyone here tried the Deluge? Is it comparable with Octatrack?

#76
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#77

As many have said both can do whatever you want, though your personality will dictate which solution gets you there faster. Even with a Push I spent yeears trying to get Ableton to click for me (setting up various workflows, configuring and mapping plugins, mucking around with the thousands of options and trying to get a smooth process) before I gave up. Elektron boxes did everything I ever wanted and more in a very intuitive and tactile way after only a few weeks of practice. Muscle memory and a more defined workflow made all the difference. I mainly use Ableton as a mixer and effects box now, and i’m going to start sequencing soft synths with my Digitakt as well.

Of course I know people who see Ableton as being simple and the Octatrack as being an impenetrable device, though my analogy is that the former is like a warehouse full of tools, while the latter is like a machine that manufactures music. There’s no right or wrong answer.

2 Likes
#78

That’s an important point. Octatracks effects doesn’t sound that good to me.

Do you have Octatrack and Digitakt?

#79

To some they does, to some they dont.
The wondeful thing about being individuals.

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#80

I’m relly thinking about Digitakt right now. I’d get Overbridge, (apparently) better sounds and loose lfos and some part of sampling power. But it seems pretty nice.

#81

IMO the more we are only interested in creating rhythmic stuff, the DT matches the OT. But if we want to perform creative or weird sample mangling, the OT would be the better machine. Just a question of the purpose intended.

1 Like