Is the octatrack for me? (Sound design tool?)

Matthewsavant · 2015-02-25T23:15:48.000Z

The octatrack is the only Elektron box I don’t own, The MD, MNM, A4 and AR are the center of my entire studio set up and they are indispensable tools for me.

I’ve been researching the octatrack for a while now and I’m about 90% sold on one however almost all of the demos I see are based around working with premade loops which would be the last thing I would use it for so I’m wondering how is it as a sound design tool and what are other things that it would be useful for? (the term sound design is thrown around a lot these days so when I say sound design I mean it in a literal sense, Creating sounds from scratch, recording objects using a wide variety of mics and synthesizing sounds creating various things out of the samples I make) most of the contract work I’ve done thus far has involved creating one shots (drums, bass, melodic material etc) and I’ve been using Ableton and Maschine and a lot of different plug ins to handle my samples after they are created and I have no delusions that the octatrack will eliminate these methods but I see it as potentially another tool in my sound designing arsenal.
I’ve been thumbing through the manual to check out the features and see how it could be applicable to what I do and I do not mind the learning curve plus I love the overall Elektron workflow.
I’m a full time sound designer and I do both contract work for larger sound design companies and am in the process of registering my own sound design company and label. I also write music of various genres and am highly experimental in both my music production and sound design techniques. As I stated I never work with premade loops but I do create loops for work so at very least I could use it as a kind of post processing tool for the loops I create, As an effects box and midi sequencer for external gear but if those are the only uses for it I can’t say that I’d be totally sold on one.
Ways I could imagine me using it would be:
Processing and mangling loops
Running various external gear though it to record and mangle
And what I’m really hoping it does well and what would be the largest selling point is if I can either sample directly or put samples I make into it and then turn them into something entirely new both for one shots and various other sample types (atmosphere, melodic etc)

So what do you guys think?

ehrek · 2015-02-25T23:29:11.000Z

buy it

Yorgos_Arabatzis · 2015-02-26T00:14:02.000Z

And…buy it again!

Caelestis · 2015-02-26T00:15:40.000Z

There will be NO problem making samples sound like something totally different, this much I can promise. You can pretty much record a fart and make it sound like a 303.

Matthewsavant · 2015-02-26T01:23:36.000Z

Everyone I’ve asked has given me literally the same answers like “Do yourself a favor” and “yup” and “buy it!”

So yea I guess that’s my answer I’m sold hahah

RhythmDroid · 2015-02-26T01:34:29.000Z

""Caelestis"":

There will be NO problem making samples sound like something totally different, this much I can promise. You can pretty much record a fart and make it sound like a 303.

This is true.

JuanSOLO · 2015-02-26T01:49:21.000Z

I’ll record one little synth snippet on the OT and end up warping, slicing, resampling, resampling, and resampling that one sample for weeks.

Matthewsavant · 2015-02-26T03:27:52.000Z

[quote=“” JuanSOLO""]
I’ll record one little synth snippet on the OT and end up warping, slicing, resampling, resampling, and resampling that one sample for weeks.

[/quote]

That’s exactly what I want to hear

GovernorSilver · 2015-02-26T15:30:48.000Z

Octatrack thoughts:

Flex machines give you the most flexibility for mangling audio. Have a look at the RTRIG, RTIM, sample start, and slice parameters for starters.
Each Track has 3 LFOs, which can be assigned to track parameters such as RTRIG, RTIM, sample start… You can also assign one LFO to another LFO
Each Track has two FX slots
You can use a Flex Machine Track to do things to the recorder buffer of another track. For example, record a loop in Track 1 (pickup machine), in Track 2 ( flex machine ) slice the audio in Track 1’s recorder buffer and play back slices.
You can sample the output of one Track (with FX and everything) into another Track. You can also sample a mix of internal tracks. Or you can sample just the recorder buffer (no FX).

And I haven’t even gotten into parameter locks and other locks/trigs, scenes…

avantronica · 2015-02-26T15:41:23.000Z

my OT has never heard a pre-made loop, it excels at sound design and manipulation - easily the deepest, on the face of it, it is also the least ‘me’ of mine, but it is the most beguiling and mysterious, the other boxes are pure, but it’s easy to find the limitations, i think the OT is so versatile that it’s almost limitless and is the least predictable, all of the dark trio are incredible for different reasons, the OT is just a bit darker (though analog UI side is better)

as said - recommended

Matthewsavant · 2015-02-26T19:21:01.000Z

Oh man, You guys are telling me exactly what I want to hear!
Part of me was afraid that I was subconsciously thinking of buying it only to complete my Elektron family (This would be my 5th Elektron box and ‘complete’ the collection) and that was another thing that made me hesitate I really don’t want it just for the sake of having it I’m not exactly in a position to “collect” gear, Everything in my Studio serves a purpose and complements each other. So in looking at the Octatrack I really wanted to dig deep hear a lot of opinions read chunks of the manual and really verify that this box would be a viable and indispensable tool both in my Soundesign work and in my music production just as much as all the other Elektron boxes I own and all I’m hearing are things that solidify my want/need for the octatrack!

So thank you! And if anyone else wants to chime in I’d love to hear your opinions on it and how you use it without working with premade loops.

It’s a shame that there aren’t more demos that show some of the other things the octatrack can do. Like a before and after sample manipulation video…Like hey I sampled myself kicking a piece of wood and I turned into a bass drum or I whacked two pieces of scrap metal together onto a thin bored and used both a contact mic and shotgun mic to record it and tossed it in the octatrack and and made a bad ass snare or a crazy 5 min long peice of ambiance!) that’s the type of crazy shit I want to do with it other than running my other gear through it and fucking it up.

Maybe after I get one and get comfortable with it I’ll post some demo videos.

LaughingAnimal · 2015-02-26T20:23:58.000Z

The OT is my favorite sound design tool ever. My music wouldn’t be the same without it. For me it’s all about resampling through external effects, though its internal effects can do a lot. For the most part I don’t even like the sound of my Machinedrum and Monomachine until I process the hell out of them with the OT.

You will love it.

GovernorSilver · 2015-02-26T20:45:39.000Z

""Matthewsavant"":

It’s a shame that there aren’t more demos that show some of the other things the octatrack can do. Like a before and after sample manipulation video…Like hey I sampled myself kicking a piece of wood and I turned into a bass drum or I whacked two pieces of scrap metal together onto a thin bored and used both a contact mic and shotgun mic to record it and tossed it in the octatrack and and made a bad ass snare or a crazy 5 min long peice of ambiance!) that’s the type of crazy shit I want to do with it other than running my other gear through it and fucking it up.

Maybe after I get one and get comfortable with it I’ll post some demo videos.

Have you seen this one? Track entirely made with the Wilhelm scream sample. Of course he had to do extensive prep work - I think he used all 8 tracks. He confirmed that he used the Comb Filter for the bell-line tones.

GovernorSilver · 2015-02-26T20:47:32.000Z

Another Octatrack-only piece, made only with Wilhelm scream sample - this time a drone piece:

Automux · 2015-02-26T20:56:37.000Z

""Caelestis"":

There will be NO problem making samples sound like something totally different, this much I can promise. You can pretty much record a fart and make it sound like a 303.

This should really be its motto.

“Elektron Octatrack. You can pretty much record a fart and make it sound like a 303.”

Matthewsavant · 2015-02-26T22:10:50.000Z

Wow!
Both of those examples are insane! That’s exactly what I was looking for

andreasroman · 2015-02-26T22:15:17.000Z

I always build a song on one instrument to begin with - currently, my Tempest or my Electribe 2. Not on the Octatrack.

When I’ve got enough of a structure going, I sample what’s appropriate from the instrument in question into the Octatrack - drums, soundfx and so on. Nothing with harmonies, though - I keep those sections in the instrument, since I want to keep working on the song after I’ve connected the Octatrack into the workflow.

From here, I keep developing the track, but now I bring in sounds from other sources as well. Anything goes from this point. Other drums, sound fx, harmonies that work as repeats, and I mash it up. I use the fx to bring all sounds together and I always use track 8 as an fx track as well.

I usually build songs with lots of short patterns, between 16 and 32 steps, and I set the sequencer to retrigger on every 4th step when I change pattern - this creates interesting dynamics in changing tracks and messing with scenes at the same time. You can create bridges, interludes and just jam session in the middle of songs and then go back to a more structured section of the song again.

So I use it as a sound design tool, but it’s also my choice of recording gear. Whatever I record, I do it straight from the Octatrack’s output.

Which is rather unfortunate, since I’m a pretty bad sound engineer and never get my mixes even half right.

But for those in the know, final mixes from the Octatrack sounds great

Mr_Hermann_Gruenber · 2015-02-27T16:54:27.000Z

""GovernorSilver"":

Another Octatrack-only piece, made only with Wilhelm scream sample - this time a drone piece:

Stream The Bong of Wilhelm Drone by Amanita_X | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

thatths AWSOME!

Vitalisse · 2016-02-19T16:41:59.000Z

You can pretty much record a fart and make it sound like a 303.

This!!

Snowbird · 2016-02-19T17:03:29.000Z

[quote=“” RhythmDroid""]

[quote=“Caelestis”]You can pretty much record a fart and make it sound like a 303.
[/quote]

This is true.[/quote]
Maybe an idea for a new Sound Pack?

But yes, in my opinion Octatrack will complement the other Elektron boxes nicely. Even if its main use wouldn’t be sample mangling, it’s a really nice centerpiece for effects and midi sequencing.

Edit: oops, didn’t notice the year…