Drum Pad for Octatrack

seadnamc · 2014-10-02T07:35:12.000Z

Morning all, Has anyone had any success using drum pads to control the Octatrack especially in slot mode. I like the idea of being able to play beats or even melodies live with drum pads. The ones you use with drum sticks rather than finger drumming. Was looking at this but not sure if it would work with OT.

http://www.alesis.com/controlpad

Was reading the spec sheet but i’m not sure what capabilities the pads would need to work successfully with OT, especially in slot mode so I could play a drum beat into a single track of the OT.

Any advice?

Cheers

Séadna

door · 2014-10-02T13:27:02.000Z

Dear Séadna,

as far as I can see, the alesis controlpad has a good old MIDI OUT port and is therefore suited to trigger sounds in the OT.

BUT -> sadly it is not possible (yet?) to trigger sounds externally when in SLOT mode (nor SLICE mode).

It is possible to externally trigger each of the 8 TRACKS (when they’re in…free running mode) and each base SAMPLE of each track as well as trigger notes values chromatically for the selected TRACK with the AUTOCHANNEL.

Please have a look at Appendix C: Midi Control Reference in the OT manual:

On midi octave 3 the note values 24-35 trigger the TRACKS.
On midi octave 4 the note values 36-47 trigger the base SAMPLES of each TRACK.

From midi octave 7 to 9 the note values 72-96 trigger 3 octaves worth of melodic wonders…

When the alesis controlpad is set to trigger said notes on MIDI channel 11, which is the default MIDI channel for the AUTOCHANNEL, you can trigger (and record) chromatic note values for the selected TRACK in the OT.

It is quite a bit if fun but the OT is kind of data deaf to note length and velocity (as of now).

Have a look at the specs of the alesis controlpad: if the note value and midi channel of each pad is fully customer-programmable you’re good to go.

I think it is quite nice that there are only 8 pads on the alesis controlpad,
so you never would have to worry what to do with the remaining 8 pads when working with a 16 pad layout, as I do .

Have a good one,

door

seadnamc · 2014-10-05T08:26:32.000Z

Hi Door,

Excellent reply thanks. I guess I will have a closer look at the OT and Alesis ControlPad manuals. Can you suggest any other similar drumpads out there? What are you using yourself?