Hello! Just bought Octatrack , very happy

What should I do after messing with demo stuff?

I want to learn correct ways and process as quickly as possible.

Cheers

Alex

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Watch a tonne of videos after deciding what it is you want to achieve with it.

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Play play play and olé

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Go through Merlins Guide. That’ll help you with many basics.
Play around with scenes. Do some basic stuff with arranger and learn how to record stuff.
Set up thru machines.

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Sample random sh!t off youtube and go wild with it. The audiobook of Timothy Leary’s Psychedelic Experience is a wonderful starting point.

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Enjoy the ride.all the ups and all the downs of the octatrack. Seriously just don’t give up.its an amazing instrument. Check all the YouTube videos and decide what you want out of the octatrack.its about 5 or instruments in one. Even after 4 years I have never used the pick up machines.every person uses it differently.good luck and enjoy

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learn how to sample, slice and perform, then put a drum pattern down, some harmonic samples, then go nuts. Explore parameter locking, scenes, fx etc

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Do the One Year Lab challenge of course!
OT Science Lab - 1 year study - who’s up for it? [LAUNCHED]

I think More Cowbell is the easiest to start with.
I learn a lot from a challenge 4 years ago.
OT Science Lab - 1 year study - 11 - More Cowbell :cb:

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Thanks for all the great replies . Already having loads of fun.

I want to mainly use it as a sampler for melodic stuff and vocal mangling .

Can see myself staying in a lot more !!

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@Snipecatcher vocals mangling / sampling :
OT Science Lab - 1 year study - who’s up for it? [LAUNCHED]

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Set a goal. I took a song idea I had already, and set out to start and finish it on the Octatrack.

That way you’re not just learning things in the abstract. You’re getting your hands dirty and learning on the job.

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This is gonna sound lame, but really, read the manual. I’ve been reading it in my spare time at work, printing out a few pages on a feature I want to try, in the shower, on the toilet. Read, re-read, re-re-read. It actually does help. Youtube videos are tricky, some are really good, others are not as helpful. Take it down in small bites and don’t give up!

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I prefer videos in the shower. :smile:

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Ok so I’ve just finished reading Merlins guide which was very useful and made sense .

Now onto the manual .

Cheers :+1:

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Good on ya!
So many folks don’t want to RTM but with a device like an OT it’s almost rediculous not to. I’ve read it at least a dozen times front to back and countless PDF searches while learning things. Every time I read it I find some little nugget I missed and I’ve had an OT for over 4 years. Even if it doesn’t make much sense the first time without much experience you’ll learn some things… More and more every time.

Funny thing about the OT is that there is no certain right way to use it or any kind of definite workflow to use. God bless Merlin and the guide but you don’t even want to get to hooked into thinking that’s the only way to roll. By thinking the OT works a certain way you actually limit yourself from exploring all the other ways it can work. After time, practice, and hearing some really wild far out sounds, your own particular way to use the OT becomes clearer and evolves from there.

Also I recommend not worrying about learning everything it can do at once, pick an area and work on that until it makes sense, then add another, repeat…
Have fun, and don’t sample anything I wouldn’t sample… :smile:

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Word!
Try to find your workflow and things that you need for it on the octatrack.
Ignore things that might be not so important for you. Look at them later.
I still don’t use sampling at all. That’s to confusing to me.

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Don’t wait to long to learn sampling or it becomes foreboding it seems…
It’s the first section in the manual after quick start and general settings, before tracks, patterns, etc…
I think there’s a reason for that, OT is designed for sampling! :slight_smile:

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Don’t worry, it’s “User-Friendly” hahah

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:rofl:

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:grin:

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