I Heart the OT!

GovernorSilver · 2014-08-25T19:41:59.000Z

I love mine too.

Sure, I was disappointed when I realized it’s not the looper that I was hoping it would be (a next-generation Oberheim Echoplex Digital Pro combined with Ableton Live-like clip playback/management/etc. capabilities). But I got over it, especially after I realized I didn’t want to go down the pure looping route after all - that build-a-song approach to looping is very common these days and I have nothing new to say with that approach.

With other devices I have a tendency to fall back on burned-in habits - I tend to create derivative music - bad to mediocre impressions of house techno and post-rock. The OT has a way of, ahem, encouraging me to explore new territory.

Swissmaster_Cheez · 2014-08-26T08:14:22.000Z

Well, the only thing where I see the Octatrack lacking is when you want to do and record some complicated midi-stuff. Lots of chords with Pitchbends, etc…

The sequencer is just made for a different thing…

But you can always record stuff directly, so it’s all good…

clunky · 2014-08-26T15:27:34.000Z

""coralhex"":

clunky wrote

Like the track at the bottom of your posts, where you slide between slices, effects, etc etc, not a specific music style, that’s what I’m hearing anyway. (haven’t listen to much of your other stuff)
So re-iterating

I’m sorry but I can’t see anywhere in this thread anybody asking you to give your opinion on Allerian’s work. Navigating this site would be an incredibly tedious experience if we constantly had to wade through barrages of unsolicited opinion about ours and other people’s stylistic choices and preferences. Most people come here to trade ideas about the tools of the trade of making some permutation of electronic music. More specifically, this is “a positive thread for experienced users who get it done (p. 1)”. If you feel frustrated about your work, or some aspect of how the OT relates to it, try creating a thread of your own and let people chime in and help you.

As for what you’re describing being a “specific music style” or not, here is some rudimentary reading:
Glitch (music) - Wikipedia
Oval (musical project) - Wikipedia
Autechre - Wikipedia
A Thousand Plateaus - Wikipedia
Raster-Noton - Wikipedia
Warp Records - Wikipedia

so you with your fake elektron sig in your avatar and claim to be anti authoritarianism is telling me i shouldnt post here, funny stuff
you got OT tracks that show your pwr user stance? i like to hear some

tomes · 2014-08-26T16:29:09.000Z

(ignoring the pointless rumble)

glad to see some positivity posted about this machine as well.

it truly is amazing.

it gets super boring reading everyone moan about it.

coralhex · 2014-08-26T17:55:02.000Z

I used to go nuts about the OT not feeling like an ‘instrument’. Felt like I couldn’t just sit down with it, dial up a sound and GO. I mean, I could, but there was always the risk of breaking something, not having saved, something being shuffled around or written over. Then I gradually realized that this very bottom-up process made me more structured, and also frequently had me craft more individual sounds, all while knowing that at the end of a session, there would be something there, something jugglable, something invertable, something usable - instead of just a stream of vapourous soundwaves (however brilliant) that you may or may not have recorded.

Someone recently said (i believe @virtual_flannel) that the OT is the closest you come to a modular sampler. That’s pretty much it. You can make it a synth, a meta-looper, an FM/PM groovebox, an 8-track from hell, a 4 track from beyond hell - or anything in between. It is the unholy shapeshifter queen of outer space.

I my OT.

sicijk · 2014-08-26T17:58:54.000Z

Octatrack is simply, for me, the funniest piece of gear…I would like to have two…so I could write: I HEART OTs

Big Love for OT.!.

virtual_flannel · 2014-08-26T19:23:42.000Z

""Dogma"":

Whats the transition trick? Does anyone just use it to “play” samples? Unmolested? I cant imagine that. Ive got a DAW for that. The Ot is one of he best synths Ive played. Its just remarkable

That is the famous transition trick. You can get really creative with it, but also an essential tool for live performance with electronic instruments. I do enjoy using the Octatrack like a simple drum machine too though. Just loading each track with a drum sample and going to town with p-locks and scene manipulation. I like making a really simple idea and tracking it out to ableton as well. More fun than using drum racks or software. Ableton is a great compositional tool though so I’m using it more.

sicijk · 2014-08-26T19:30:26.000Z

""virtual_flannel"":

[quote=“Dogma”]Whats the transition trick? Does anyone just use it to “play” samples? Unmolested? I cant imagine that. Ive got a DAW for that. The Ot is one of he best synths Ive played. Its just remarkable

That is the famous transition trick. You can get really creative with it, but also an essential tool for live performance with electronic instruments. I do enjoy using the Octatrack like a simple drum machine too though. Just loading each track with a drum sample and going to town with p-locks and scene manipulation. I like making a really simple idea and tracking it out to ableton as well. More fun than using drum racks or software. Ableton is a great compositional tool though so I’m using it more.[/quote]
This one has better use of the sources

virtual_flannel · 2014-08-26T19:32:32.000Z

""coralhex"":

Someone recently said (i believe @virtual_flannel) that the OT is the closest you come to a modular sampler.

I my OT.

GovernorSilver · 2014-08-27T17:48:41.000Z

""clunky"":

While I was initially fascinated with that, I wanted to be able to reproduce the stuff I really liked.

I agree that unless the music you are trying to reproduce is house techno or some variation thereof (music stays in one key, not much harmonic movement, etc.) the Octatrack is not ideally suited to reproducing songs. I am fine with that of course.

I also agree with the observation that you can’t sequence the likes of Debussy’s “La Mer”, Stravinsky’s “Firebird”, or other music with a lot of harmonic movement, tempo changes, etc. I’d rely more on my combo of Korg M3 and Emu Command Station to do that.

I find the Octatrack best suited to exploring new territory instead of the familiar - that’s why I love it.

Allerian · 2014-08-28T00:47:09.000Z

""GovernorSilver"":

I also agree with the observation that you can’t sequence the likes of Debussy’s “La Mer”, Stravinsky’s “Firebird”, or other music with a lot of harmonic movement, tempo changes, etc.

Recently made a track entirely from Firebird.

Monopete · 2014-08-28T20:45:43.000Z

I really really want to heart it too. I bought the dark trinity few weeks ago with the romantic intention to ban the computer from the stage, but it´s really not clicking with the OT. I started to learn first AR than A4 and finally the OT. I had the fear that I will not understand the structure of the OT. That is not the problem. But I don´t get a flow with it. Sometimes I get nice results with all the scenes, efx and, x-fader, but it always needs a lot of preparation and is often not reproduceable. Sometimes something goes wrong and I´m starting seeking for the error, because you don´t see it immediately. Or I don´t find fast enough the right samples or loops. After a few days I had put the OT aside and started to jam with Ableton/push + AR & A4 and wow. I´m flying through the 3 Interfaces and everything flows and is fun again. So i realized the only use of the OT for me would be to import the Ableton parts into the OT in the future for live use. I also called the prior owner of the OT and discussed how he used it for his 3 year with it.And he used it also for stems of his DAW and also told me how complicated it was to export and import them (equals parts and a lot of problems with the volume).

So after all this I have to realize that the OT it is not for me and the computer will not leave the stage. I really want to heart the machine, because it´s so unique and an amazing instrument. But unfortunately not for me.

Accent · 2014-08-28T21:05:52.000Z

^ I would set aside the OT and focus on really learning one or both of the other boxes first. I’ve found there to be a very cumulative learning curve with Elektron’s gear, and trying to learn all three at once sounds daunting and like a sure source of frustration. I bet if you pull it out in a month or two, you’ll navigate it much better.

Dogma · 2014-08-28T21:26:32.000Z

Exactly. I got my OT and my A4 at the same time. Honestly doesnt matter which one you learn first although I learned the OT first and Im so glad I did. If you need to wrap your head around how they work you would have to be a pretty special individual to be able to learn both at once.

Monopete · 2014-08-28T21:40:46.000Z

No that´s not the problem. I understand and operate all three machines. I had extensive experience before with elektron machines. I owned a mduw/mnm before. So it was not hard for me to learn them. Ok, I scratched a few times my head with the OT, because it´s different in the structure than the other Elektron products. For me the OT breaks my creative flow a lot of the time. After I put it aside and jammed with AR, A4 and integrated Ableton/push (for samples and loops) with them, the the creativity process flowed again. It´s sad, because I wanted to get lost into the sound world of only hardware machines.
Leaving the computer alone that I operate the whole day at work.

Bwax · 2014-08-29T13:23:34.000Z

""Monopete"":

No that´s not the problem. I understand and operate all three machines. I had extensive experience before with elektron machines. I owned a mduw/mnm before. So it was not hard for me to learn them. Ok, I scratched a few times my head with the OT, because it´s different in the structure than the other Elektron products. For me the OT breaks my creative flow a lot of the time. After I put it aside and jammed with AR, A4 and integrated Ableton/push (for samples and loops) with them, the the creativity process flowed again. It´s sad, because I wanted to get lost into the sound world of only hardware machines.
Leaving the computer alone that I operate the whole day at work.

Hearing experiences like this are what always holds me back from buying an Octatrack. I too work on a computer all day and dream of being able to make complex music on more tactile and immediate hardware.

But I read lots of stories like this and it scares me off. Like it or not, Ableton is just so damn easy to work with, especially sampling. At least Push makes it a little more hardware-like. I just wish Push had a damn crossfader on it. Then maybe I could begin to work out some sort of Octatrack-lite max4live/rack/fx device.

Seems like I would be more into the idea of an Octatrack mkII, with a more friendly OS. If Octatrack and Cirklon had a baby, I think that would be my machine.

GovernorSilver · 2014-08-30T20:56:05.000Z

""Allerian"":

[quote=“GovernorSilver”]I also agree with the observation that you can’t sequence the likes of Debussy’s “La Mer”, Stravinsky’s “Firebird”, or other music with a lot of harmonic movement, tempo changes, etc.

Recently made a track entirely from Firebird. [/quote]
I’d like to hear it!

GovernorSilver · 2014-08-30T21:12:03.000Z

""Monopete"":

Sometimes I get nice results with all the scenes, efx and, x-fader, but it always needs a lot of preparation and is often not reproduceable.

To reproduce a specific combination of FX and other track settings, try using Parts. Save the Part, and then Restore the Part when you want to reload that exact combo of settings.

""Monopete"":

Sometimes something goes wrong and I´m starting seeking for the error, because you don´t see it immediately. Or I don´t find fast enough the right samples or loops. After a few days I had put the OT aside and started to jam with Ableton/push + AR & A4 and wow.

Post the specific errors you are finding - here or on a more appropriate thread. Maybe someone can help.

As for not finding the samples fast, it sounds like just a matter of getting used to the file structure.

""Monopete"":

I´m flying through the 3 Interfaces and everything flows and is fun again. So i realized the only use of the OT for me would be to import the Ableton parts into the OT in the future for live use. I also called the prior owner of the OT and discussed how he used it for his 3 year with it.And he used it also for stems of his DAW and also told me how complicated it was to export and import them (equals parts and a lot of problems with the volume).

I realize the OT was once marketed as “Ableton in a box”, but I find it’s a different beast than Ableton Live - workflow is different as you’ve found.

64fingaz · 2014-08-31T23:32:20.000Z

I love the Octabeast…Im a turntablist and i sample from alot old vinyl. I like using it with my two technicz…grabbing recordz off the shelvez and feeding it. Amazing thing about the sampler iz that you have eight trackz to record right on the spot, so its dead easy capture loopz and mangle them. I use to work with mpc 1000 alot ( still have it ). Since i have been using the Octa i started to come up with alot of interesting and creative beatz. There iz like million ways to manuplate samplez on this thing it makez my head spin sometimez. I cant possibly imagine somebody not happy with this unit. Even with with all bugz of the OS ,itz small compared to what you can really do( itz not a completely perfect unit). For example… I can loop a sample on track one (maybe say a drum break). Have the loop on track one chopped in eightz. Find another loop for track two ,chopped that in eightz and the same for track three and so on. Track four i place eight trigz( one trig no trig one trig no trig) Then i sample-lock each trig …drum hit on each trig…coming up with interesting drum break hit comboz one track. The sample-lockz ,trigless lockz and P-lockz are straight geniouz. On top of all that …re-sample feature iz ridiculous Theres so much ground to cover with this beast. I feel really sorry for those who cant get it on with octabeast…itz a shame. I feel this iz the most inspiring ,creative and advance sampler out there period. Thank you! Elektron!

Hollis · 2014-09-01T01:46:57.000Z

As a recent owner of an Analog Rytm, I’m wondering if either an A4 or an Octatrack would make a better companion for it. I love sample based music, but I would also love to build my own melodies.

Decisions, decisions…