How do you use it?

Rusty · 2014-07-30T21:37:57.000Z

""oldgearguy"":

The Octatrack is a sampler/sample playback box. It also has built in effects and a capable MIDI sequencer. I was messing around the other morning and wondered if the way I use the OT is typical.

So that’s my question. Assuming your OT isn’t thrown across the room in frustration, listed in a FS post somewhere, or locked away in a closet for being difficult, how do you mainly use the OT and it’s various pieces?

You saved me the hassle of typing (again). Deserves a proper response, maybe later.

Mcpepe · 2014-07-30T22:31:28.000Z

I use it live to play in a trio setting too. Drums, bass player and me playing keyboards and the OT.
I use the Cue output to send a Click to the drummer.
I have a mix of 4 bar loops and one-shots, and I dont use sampling (yet). I like to use the effects, mainly delay, reverb and the filter, with the fader. Have used the one cycle waves in a couple of themes. I dont use the sample editor, because I find the computer more easy to do it.

But I have a feeling that I should learn to use it better. There are a lot of things you can do with the OT, and everytime I spend some quality time with it I learn new things that I use in our music.
Mainly, I would like to use the sampling features, but I need to learn it first!

Allerian · 2014-07-31T01:56:16.000Z

OT is the center of my studio setup with no computer in sight. Everything I work with is routed through the OT. Sampling with the OT came naturally to me and I do it constantly. OT is my primary sequencer but I also use the MD, AK, and MnM sequencers as needed. Infrequent Midi unless I need to sync three devices.

Live setup is OT-only. Nothing is as totally bad-ass as setting up one black box and blowing people’s minds. #hectorlives

twardowski · 2014-07-31T11:18:09.000Z

centerpiece here as well. I do full tracks on the OT.

I run a midi daisy chain:
from the OT to the A4 and from it branches out, using A4’s two midi outs:
there’s a doepfer dark time (/ iconnect midi2 in the future) on one out and the other continues the daisy chain: Electribe SX, Vermona DRM1, Yamaha TX81Z (every piece has midi filtering so they can be easily controlled by the OT in addition to the A4 and 'Tribe having their own sequencers) and then to the computer.
On the computer I have Reason and a separate midi interface to handle keys (the OT’s step seq doesn’t do well with keyboard parts).
Audio runs from all the gear (apart from the OT) is fed to a mini mixer, from that to an old cheap compressor and then to the A4 and then to ABin of the Octa. I keep CDin of the OT reserved for the turntable. then the OT’s output is routed to the audio interface and the cue outs are connected to sidechain in on the compressor.
kinda crazy but, work for me.

Dataline · 2014-07-31T11:34:57.000Z

Mega centrepiece for me ! Everything goes through the OT for sampling, FXing, mixing and midi sequencing. I would not know what to do without it.

Tintao · 2014-07-31T11:57:54.000Z

Centerpiece here too !
Since i’ve got the octatrack, i put my mixer in a box.
I use it in combination with a A4.
Sampling, modeling samples, using the crossfader, playing with slicing, exploring…
I used to use Ableton live on computer, the OT has completely replaced it.

punchcard · 2014-07-31T12:15:56.000Z

My OT is the main sequencer in my setup, with A4, Slim Phatty, Waldorf Rocket connected to it.

So far I mix in the OT as well, but that’s getting a bit too limited.

G0n35y · 2014-07-31T12:20:18.000Z

Not using it as much as I should just now but thats a music and, especially, hardware thing at the moment. Change in jobs and associated committments along with a few other things has made it very difficult to put time aside for music. Almost settled down though so I can focus!

Earlier in the year I had the OT as my centrepiece. It sequenced the iPad and apps as well as some soft synths and had audio from PC/A4 routing into it for FX, sampling mucking about.

I’m way more productive in the software world so was looking at ways to incorporate everthing into a simple to use set up and nearly nailed it. Needs some tweaking but now Live is my centrepiece driving iPad, OT, X-Station Synth, A4 and with my Rolan Octacapture Im able to shift audio in and out the OT using sends and what not. Having no problems with midi jittering or audio being noticeably out of sync (latency super low with the Octacapture).

Only tested a handful of times but it seems like it will be excellent fun. Got Maschine doing drum patterns that I can chuck into Live or OT for manipulation. Or, I can go straight for samples with the OT. Then there is Push doing its thing - again, a breeze to chuck audio into the OT. Just need to get my head round it all as pretty overwhelming after having done ef all for a few months now!!!

Regis · 2014-08-01T02:42:54.000Z

I use OT as a centerpiece also.

AB In is used for a Machinedrum
C In for a Mic pre/DI unit.
D In for a Monotribe.

I also route a downmix of my two keyboards, from my soundcard outputs to the MD inputs. That way I can process the MD and synths on one thru track.

I like the idea of having a mic/DI input at hand on the OT to capture stuff on the fly. ( hmmm. I should get a piezo )

Started out using long samples, stems I made on the computer, but that’s just missing out on p-locking fun IMO
As someone said once on this forum, on the OT, less is more.
Shorter samples, stuff you grab on the fly, sample chains, waveforms, blips hits and foley are stuff that are on my SD card now.

Been using

4 to 5 flex machines
One or two thru tracks,
Crossfader sampling track
Master track (compressor and freez delay)

I like the LoFI, dark reverb, filter,

I use the MIDI sequencer but its bad at receiving midi chords from a midi keyboard so I rarely hookup keyboards to the midi In on the OT

I also have a project dedicated to sampling with 8 tracks receiving from AB in with maxed out length. I use it to get samples from stuff I watch on the computer.

munkt0n · 2014-08-01T13:25:00.000Z

I’ve only had my Octratrack for 2 days, so far I’m using it like this

http://i.imgur.com/xQCxqjD.png

bryantalbot · 2014-08-02T00:15:51.000Z

Master and Centerpiece.

OT clock + transport to Machinedrum (MIDI ch1)
( Machinedrum triggers Jomox MBase11, MIDI ch2 )
OT MIDI seq to DSI MoPho (MIDI ch3)
OT MIDI seq to Virus (MIDI ch4, 5, 6, etc)
OT clock to H8000
OT occasionally samples H8000

Bad Ayuzz.

Barfunkel · 2014-08-02T05:21:53.000Z

Drum machine
Random sample player
MIDI sequencer
Live gig mixer for the A4 and the Ambika

The drum machine function will be replaced by proper drum machines (Aira and probably the new Acidlab Drumatix) in the near future though, so I suppose I have to invent new ways to use the OT (which I criminally underuse at the moment).

ACCRETION.of · 2015-03-02T14:01:21.000Z

In place of my DAW I use the OT Arranger to compile songs live, scene changes and all, freeing me up for live CC parameter tweaking.

IN A - DSI Mopho
IN B - Access Virus A
IN C - Nord Drum2
IN D - mixer (guitar/bass, vocals, suzuki omnichord)

Akai MPK25 to OT MIDI IN
OT MIDI OUT to Quad Thru Box to Nord Drum 2, Mopho, Virus
(the MPK25 has three sets, one each for the Mopho, Virus and Nord Drum 2. I play the synths live using either the MPK25 keyboard or pads, recording the MIDI notes live into the OT sequencer for playback)

MIDI 1-6 sequence 6 tracks of Nord Drum2
MIDI 7 sequence Mopho
MIDI 8 sequence Virus

1 THRU - Nord Drum2
2 THRU - Mopho
3 THRU - Virus
4 THRU - Mixer
5 FLEX - Drum sample chain
6 FLEX - Drum sample chain
7 FLEX - Random samples/record from mixer
8 MASTER - effects

rsz_120150216_121726.jpg2370×1224 574 KB

I ordered my OT at the start of February, praying it would do 1/10 of what I expected. It delivered fully. The only thing I can’t do is change programs on the Nord Drum2, but that’s why I have hands.

https://soundcloud.com/accretion-of-planetesimals/the-hills

natrixgli · 2015-03-02T14:27:54.000Z

I use the OT in one of two ways: Either by itself on my lap or coffee table with headphones or plugged into my stereo, OR as a component of my larger setup. In the former case, I’m using the OT with a handful of samples to generate ideas, or to jam on things I’ve captured earlier from my full setup. In the latter case, I have it setup like this:

Inputs:
[ul]
[li]A/B Input: Analog Rytm Main Outs[/li]
[li]C/D Input: Tempest & Analog Keys (the Tempest is totally dry, so I run it thru the AK inputs so I can separately apply reverb, etc. to it.)[/li]
[/ul]
Tracks: (Starting point setup)
[ul]
[li]Track 1: Thru A/B[/li]
[li]Track 2: Thru C/D[/li]
[li]Track 3: Flex, Buffer 3, Input A/B[/li]
[li]Track 4: Flex, Buffer 4, Input C/D[/li]
[li]Track 5: Static (maybe some drum sample chain?)[/li]
[li]Track 6: Static (maybe a poly synth riff I sampled off the Tempest?)[/li]
[li]Track 7: Static (maybe something else, who knows?)[/li]
[li]Track 8: Master (usually Filter & Freeze Delay)[/li]
[/ul]
Outputs:
[ul]
[li]Master Out: Strymon Deco > Sound Card Inputs 1/2 (this is monitored directly, mostly use this for full mix recording)[/li]
[li]Cue Out: Sound Card Input 3/4 (mostly use this for separate track recording)[/li]
[/ul]
Scenes:
This is a total mixed bag, but generally I fill up 8-16 pretty quick, which I use on Scene B mostly. Scene B is usually my ‘insanity’ scene for fills and breaks, scene A is my ‘back to earth’ scene… Some of my favorite things to lock to scenes are sample rate, #retrigs, slice #, LFO depth, XVOL, etc.

Banks / Patterns / Parts:
Generally speaking a bank contains a song, usually with enough variation in patterns and parts to jam on it for a good 10-15 minutes without getting bored. I don’t typically switch parts manually, I tie them to patterns and switch that way.

LazyLion · 2019-09-19T00:30:48.000Z

Just curious.

To elaborate, do you use it more for Sampling? Mixing? Remixing? Chopping and screwing? As a DJ deck? Live looping?

Sometimes I feel like I’m really just using the OT as a minimal FX box, processing the incoming audio of my other gear (Organelle, DT, DN, Nord) and making transitions / variations. I feel like I could (and ultimately, should) be doing more with it. My DN is the top of the chain but I guess the “brain” of my setup, as some say, is definitely my Octatrack.

So, how do you use your Octatrack, and where is it in your chain? What kind of purpose does it serve in your setup?

craig · 2019-09-19T00:47:41.947Z

Interested in following this post. For starters, however, could you explain a little more about using the OT for transitions / variations, please?

Open_Mike · 2019-09-19T00:50:02.763Z

Do people really use the Octatrack, or does the Octatrack use them?

LazyLion · 2019-09-19T00:58:47.844Z

Really it all comes down to the fader. The fader is your friend for sure with the OT, the fader alone can accomplish a LOT. I can record into a track recording slot and use that recording in various ways. I’ll slice it up, set those slices in the sequencer, add trigger conditions, etc. Currently I’ve got my DT/DN/Organelle/ArtTube Mic amp running into my OT. Running things mono has given me less sonically but more creatively by adding more pieces to the puzzle. I should’ve mentioned this earlier but typically my usage of the fader / transitions is pertains more to the patterns or sequences I’m creating on the other machines. The OT, in typical OT fashion, brings it all together. In all honesty sometimes I just like using my OT as a mixer while I practice keys or mess with something else, or whatever I put into it. Good stuff.

gimber · 2019-09-19T00:58:50.896Z

I tend to use it as a standalone groovebox, and love it for that, but also end up with the same feeling of not using it to its fullest.

GirTheRobot · 2019-09-19T01:02:28.066Z

I’ve posted this around a few times. Very informative video and it made me think about lots of aspects in this manner… Not just affecting incoming signals and variating them, but doing the same thing with samples, resamples, etc.

Also to OP’s point, I think every single person feels like they aren’t using the Octatrack to its fullest extent. It’s deep, man… I’ve had it for over half a year and have basically just used it to mangle sounds and find new sonic territories I’d never find otherwise. I actually bought it for this exact reason, but still. Never used it live, never really taken the sounds I’ve made and used them on other songs/productions, etc.