I hopefully will receive my new OT on Tuesday.
I know that reading the manual thoroughly is an absolute must BUT…
If you were to get it out of the box when you got yours , knowing then what you know now, what would be the first thing you would do with it to make you fall in love?
It seems like such a varied beast with a myriad of possibilities, I interested to hear from some veterans as to what “Fuck me, this is mental!” Eureka moment i should try a have?
Apologies for the vagueness of this question. I promise you, I’m reading the manual (and ever so slightly filling my y-fronts!!)
Sequence something… Sample it!! then sequence what you sampled and turn the knobs… Loads of fun.
For how?! you will definitely need to read the manual (probably not just the QuickStart) and return here several times. 
Have a blast. I’m ready to get another now I’m sure there not updating the hardware.
Nice one.
There is a demo project that loads if no CF card is plugged in.
Load the demo!
If you go the other route of assuming you can load your own samples quickly, disappointment will follow.
The demo project will get you started, after that you can learn to create your own project and load samples.
Also read “Merlins Octatrack Guide”:
http://www.elektron-users.com/index2.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=611&Itemid=30
Peace,
Andy.
Perfick!!
Thank you chaps.
Knew I could depend on the “nauts” for sage advice.
instant success and Octatrack are 2 words which rarely happen in the same sentence …
however, next to the demo thing on the card, the tutorial in the (printed) manual
I found the single wave cycle tutorial from Multiman THE BEST THING for “instant gratification”
The first thing I did when I got my first Octatrack was just load some basic drum sounds on there.
I then experimented with loop points/retriggers to make a bass sound out of a snare, and used the crossfader to mess with it. Then filtered the whole track on another crossfader scene. It’s really fun to make these song progression crossfader scenes. In a few minutes you’ll have begun writing a new song
Definitely read the manual every day though, and watch lots of videos. I’ve had my Octatracks a year and a half and I’m constantly thinking of new ways to do things, new tricks, techniques. Amazingly deep, I am in love.
Thanks Gents,
The Duchess thinks there’s something wrong with me. A) i’m reading a manual like it’s a can’t put it down bestseller
B) i’m reading a manual for something i haven’t even got yet!
I’ve read and heard so many tales of folks getting out of the box, trying to run before they can walk and getting thoroughly frustrated and disillusioned because they can’t do what they want within the first hour. I am not going to fall into that trap but it’s really helpful to have people with 1st hand experience willing to give advice. It’s become obvious that it’s as much about what not to try.
thanks again.
G0n35y
8
You say you wont fall into that trap but be prepared to do so anyway. I read a shed load of forum posts, watched umpteen videos and had a few read throughs of the manual. When it came to the day I finally got my OT I was all over the place and left a shivvering wreck in the corner! It was my first time on an Elektron box so if any sort of experience with the other machines it will make a huge difference.
I nearly jacked it in with my OT after a few months. It was actually the iPad that saved it. Midi sequencing is very easy to get to grips with so I focussed on that with my iPad, audiobus and a few apps.
In terms of the sampling side of things, keep to just a few samples to begin with. I’d encourage you not to use drums actually purely because when you start slicing and dicing and adding LFO/FX it can very quickly make your drum patterns sound shite. Well, I found it to be that way at least! I felt that with pads, guitars, vocals, etc strange and very cool things could happen regularly enough to make you very happy.
Biggest tip - take baby steps. It’s a very deep machine and many people do similar things but in different ways (just look at folks pickup work arounds for example). And second biggest tip - stick with it for at least 6 month. You might get pissed off with it but seriously, keep trying and learning. It’ll click.
vehka
9
Completely agree with @J0n35y. I’ve had the OT for a bit over a month now, and even though I had read the manual, watched many videos, and really prepared myself to face the deep learning curve, it’s still been a rocky road.
For example, yesterday I fought with the OT for half an hour, wondering why a MIDI track sent notes when played in chromatic mode, but not from the sequencer. (Answer: the midi track was muted – apparently this does not mute the trig keys when played live in chromatic mode.)
I’m thinking at the moment that six months until musical results is not an exaggeration. Of course depends on how much time you have per day…
I incorporated the OT in my live rig and performed with it only one month after having received it… however it was only used to do very simple stuff.
As long as you only use it to playback samples with effects, it’s actually not too difficult to comprehend, so I’d say play only with flex/static machines to begin with, play back one-shots, learn how to sequence them, play loops, learn how to slice, add effects and sequence them… use the stock samples for it, there are good educational samples!
Then once you’ll be comfortable with all of this, jump into the black magic pool of sampling, resampling, live sampling, live automated slicing and resequencing of a live source you are sampling and resampling the re-sliced stuff in real-time, but with a 3 sequencer trigs delay… well… wait, was I trying to do? looper machine?
Start easy, then add some of your own scenes, that should have you hooked to delve deeper and deeper and deeper
Cheers chaps,
I’ve got an MD and MnM so am pretty comfortable with the “Elekton” way altough I’m understanding more and more that it’s a horse of a very different colour!
It’s so odd,I’m actually properly nervous about it and the bugger isn’t even here yet!
The Elektron “Know How” video are on a constant loop (would be ace to actually hear some examples of what he’s just done) And a guy from Secretmusic is getting a few hits as well.
I’m sure I’ll be tearing my hair out by the weekend but having a 6yr old boy and a more than averagely irrational wife, then it’ll just be frustration of a new and exciting nature.
just spoke to a pal of mine who has got one and is all over it, who told me to download monolith and a load of single cyvle waveforms. I’m thinking that doesn’t sound like baby steps to me… maybe a project for Year 1, should I survive Reception without being chewed up, shat out and left a blubbering, jibbering mess, violently rocking backwards and forwards to the sounds of whatever unlistenable twaddle (or still complete silence) I’ve managed to generate!
So I shouldn’t be purchasing any soundpacks just yet then. Stick to the Factory pack onboard?
Guess I picked the wrong week to give up smoking!
Just ride the wave man - as I already have quite a few analogue and digital keyboards and such, I found myself using the OT to drive the external synths - allowing me to jam minus a computer.
Also, some of the FX are great to noodle away.
Turn on the OT and plough on - I found it to be my favourite of all the Elektron boxes I’ve owned (all of them so far, except the RYTM).
Learning curve: you bet
Frustrations: Plenty
Fun: LOADS!
Cheers Si,
And anyway, if it all goes tits up and i have a breakdown i’ll just blame you i suppose.
Accent
15
If you’re already familiar with the Mono and MD, you should be able to hit the ground running pretty well based on your cumulative knowledge. I think there are a lot of similarities to the Monomachine’s sequencer, just modernized and applied to samples. I came from the same place, and was able to get pretty deep into it within just a few hours of unboxing.
Some time ago, I was gassing about a Cirklon and the consensus was “get an Octatrack” My only regret is not to have listened, sold my Grandmother and taken your advice there and then!
I’m sure there are troubles times ahead but right now, it’s official, I AM IN LOVE!!!
It’ll almost certainly end my marriage, alienate me from friends and family and I haven’t even started live sampling yet. Playing back, sequencing and effects and I"mI"m already totally hooked and blown away!
I’ve got nothing of any importance to say… I just wanted to share my absolute rapture with some peeps that’ll understand just how happy I am!
Gotta get up in 5 hours to go away to work for 5 days. I’m normally fairly sociable in the evenings when I’m away hut not this time chaps! Room service and “octabating” all night long!!!
