How to move playhead/ playback position?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

hey all 8~)

i searched before posting, but didn’t find the answer to my Q…

let’s say you are working on a piece with a long (64 steps) phrase and a slow tempo (60bpm)…
is it possible to start the ‘playhead/play position’ from a step other than the 1st? can you jog the playhead, so that when you hit play, it starts playing from any of the 64 steps other than the first? ie start from the 32nd step…

i found myself in this position… and there were moments when i wanted to edit/listen to trigs partway through the pattern… it’d be nice to move the playhead/position in such a case… so that you can cycle from partway through, listen and focus on a part, without having to play from the very beginning and wait for it to play through to the page you’re listening to.

just curious if it’s possible… i’m not talking about shuffling the patterns (function left/right). not looking to move the pattern, looking to move the play position. maybe using the ‘page’ button… now that i think about it… mmmmmm… maybe it’s in the manual somewhere… (i have looked, maybe i missed it… sometimes Elektron terminology is quite different to how others might call it… for example, i’d probs refer to ‘trigless trigs’ as ‘automation’… but that’s half the fun… working out what it all meeeeans…)

shout out if you can offer some advice:)

cheeeeers:~)

#2

Sure, with start position / slices.
Check also Audio Editor > Trim, 1 sample precision.

2 Likes
#3

I read that as “can you change where the pattern starts playing from?”

3 Likes
#4

You read better than me!
So it is possible to play a different pattern position / portion and loop it with Arranger.

3 Likes
#5

But you read in multiple languages :slight_smile:

Yes. @samsmiles: Use the [ Offset ] value to change the start position; and [ Length ] to adjust how long it plays for.

4 Likes
#6

thanks for the help guys, but you’ve misunderstood what i was asking.

i didn’t mean the playhead/position for an individual track/pattern, i mean for the whole sequence (for all tracks).

so that when you hit play, it plays from a different point, not the first step, but maybe the 13th or 32nd step… (for example)

perhaps you can do this with the arranger… i haven’t explored it very thoroughly.

using the terminology of a DAW, it’d be the difference between a play position that launches from the same point every time, vs one that stops/starts from wherever it was last at.

#7

No, in your context it is impossible. Unfortunately, it does not work out as in the DAW.

#8

Yeah the arranger will do this!

1 Like
#9

ok, thanks for the answer:)

yep, i wasn’t sure if it was possible.

ok,but it also seems it might be possible inside the arranger… coolio:) i’ve yet to actually dive into the arranger… the OT can do so much, it really takes time to understand it all and become fluid with its ways… thanks guys n gals n pals:)

1 Like
#10

The thing is that with OT you will always find a way to do what you need in different ways.
For instance, you can use a track to tesample your whole sequence and play it at different steps. To play different steps you can either lock the start point of this sample or use scene to be able to switch in real time…

Get a dig at the manual, trying to really master the different techniques described earlier, and you will see more clearly a workflow that suits your needs.

A thing though: IMO OT can reveal to be a bit awkward when you try to bend it to ie a DAW workflow.
It’s better IMO to take the time to master different techniques and build your workflow from these. More rewarding.

3 Likes
#11

The arranger is one of the unique features of the OT. It’s the only device they sell which can play parts of patterns in an automated way.

1 Like
#12

As mentioned you can do it in the arranger but be aware that depending on the content of the pattern you might get some tracks not playing, if for example step 1 plays a long sample and you have an offset that starts after step 1 then that sample won’t sound. There are other scenarios where it might not work as expected too, like if using trigless trigs etc.

5 Likes
#13

If you want to start your long pattern half way through with your arranger, set your long loops with a slice half way through (set to oneshot maybe).

#14

You could use a start point lock and you wouldn’t even have to go slicing…

1 Like