How do you toggle the release stage of the AMP envelope from sequenced trigs?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Coming from the Digitakt, it had a TRIG page with parameters that pertained to the TRIG itself. So if I wanted to sustain a sample for 4 trigs then trigger the release stage of the AMP env, I would set the TRIG LEN to 4. How the heck do you do this on the OT?

If I set the AMP env to a release I like and play the keyboard I can hear the release fine, but when I sequence a note it doesn’t ever play a note off to enter release stage.

I saw a LEN setting on the SRC Setup page which is either OFF or TIME but this didn’t seem to work as expected. If I set it to TIME then the LEN knob on the SRC page works (what LEN is translating to I have no idea), but this just cuts the sample off when it reaches whatever LEN is set to, it doesn’t enter the release stage.

Solved Thanks @Schnork. The HOLD time is used for audio tracks, when this elapses, the RELEASE phase is toggled.

#2

I’ve used my OT mainly as an fx box and midi seq recently, so please correct if I’m wrong.

For sequenced trigs, you’ll have to set amp hold accordingly. So if you want the sample to play for one step, you have to set amp to 1, it will play the sample for one step and then enter the release stage.
For midi tracks it’s possible to live record length, not for audio tracks, though.

Len knob has different behaviour with slices on or off. With slices in SRC setup off, Len can be set to Off or Time. When you set it to time, the Len knob controls the playback length of the sample. Strt sets the start point and Len sets the end point.

With slices in SRC setup set to on, len can be set to Slic or Time. Slic lets the Len knob control how many slices are played (starting from the slice number set with Strt knob. Time lets Len knob control the length of the slice.

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#3

Better on Digis ! :wink:
I’ll add attack can be longer than hold…

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#4

Ah okay so the TRIG Length that the Digitakt has is more akin to the HOLD parameter on the AMP env on the OT… I didn’t try that yet.

What I did find odd is that when live recording using the Trig keys, it didn’t parameter lock the HOLD to set the length I was holding for. Should it have?

Also, the manual is completely devoid of a section for SRC Setup. Section 11.4 TRACK PARAMETER PAGES has 11.4.4 SRC SETUP talks about how to load samples and shows a picture of the controls on the page but has no text explaining them (which was where I saw LEN). Not sure if this is just an oversight or on purpose (although after how many years has this device been out and it hasn’t been added yet??) For comparison, the other SETUP pages have manual sections that describe them.
@eangman I seem to recall you being one of the main manual writers, can you confirm if 11.4.4 is not supposed to have explanatory text or if it just got forgotten?

#5

Explained with Flex and Static machines. Think Digitakt’s SRC LEN parameter, usually interesting with short looped samples. I mostly set it to Time, same behavior as DT’s.

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It should :expressionless:
feature-request@elektron.se

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#6

Doh! I missed that (Section A.2). I guess because it’s part of the machine type. Thank you for that!

When you said Feature Request, I guess I’m not the first to be talking about it? :stuck_out_tongue: Probably not a bug then?

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#7

It‘s not a bug, no, but it would certainly be nice if it was there.
I‘m sure you‘ll get used to recording trigs and then later p-lock the amp hold, but yeah, would be cool.

Midi tracks have it…

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#8

No kidding? I had no idea, haven’t used it for MIDI yet but you would think that the technology is possible then. I feel silly sending them a feature request for the OT though, it’s probably the most feature requested device. Well actually I was contemplating sending them one for an option to reverse the waveform scroll knob (knob E). I always turn it the opposite way my brain wants me to turn it.

#9

Yeah, it’s there for midi tracks. You can live record and record note duration or hold a single trig and play a key (IIRC) and it will p-lock the duration for that trig. There’s a menu option to switch it off, but if you want, it’s there.
You could hook up a synth, play and record midi notes and midi cc into the OT and have the audio go through one or several OT tracks.

Thing is, the Octatrack has been considered finished for quite some time - notion was no cpu cycles left to implement further updates, but then a huge update came along.
Feel free to drop them a mail, OT has been updated with so many features throughout the years, it’s hardly the same machine as it was years ago (check the release notes, you’ll be surprised what the OT was like when it came out), so no idea if there ever will be an update, but they’ll probably consider most requested first.

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#10

I understand - yeah that’s why I’m hesitant to even send an email. I guess it doesn’t hurt to ask!

Still having tons of fun with it though!

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#11
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#12

Oh man if Cuckoo has asked this and it still hasn’t happened…lol…

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