Is the Octatrack "quiet?"

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hey folks.
in short, OT seems rather quiet when I have the mixer set at +0, loud samples and sample level at 127. My amp volume is at 0 which I always thought was unity.

not TL;DR, read on:

At length,
I generally send my OT through a modular mixer and periodically a line mixer. I found that my loud 909s (not mastered and compressed) only come in at -24dBvu directly into the interface without the intermediary mixer boost.

I am mixing most of my music at -22 to -18, so that when they are summed, they hit around -6 dBvu.

Does anyone find the OT to be generally quiet?
thx in advance for your cents.

#2

Check the sample volume in the ATTR tab of the AED menu (if you have a mkii. Not sure how to get there on a mki). It’s set at 0db by default, I usually bump up my samples to +6-12 or so to get it running hot.

1 Like
#3

Fair enough. I am generally trying not to introduce new noise. But your method does suggest it puts out rather quietly.

I wonder what is the best way to boost the volume while raising the noise floor as minimally as possible. Like sample gain in sample attribute tab, track volume (not level) or externally.

#4

I don’t think adding volume to sample attributes should add any noise…?
If you can spare an FX slot, Compressor is a good way to add clean gain.

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#5

Mine is very quiet because i havent got one anymore 🫤

4 Likes
#6

Yeah, the OT has a few gain stages along its signal path. Also make sure you are using balanced cables.

#7

balance cables? that’s news to me. been using it for 10 years without. what is the goal with balance cables @HoldMyBeer ?

#8

The Octatrack has balanced outputs. If I was having signal issues I would make sure I was using balanced cables to help troubleshoot.

#9

I’ll give that a try as a stab at troubleshooting.

1 Like
#10

Only OT mk2 has balanced outputs. And the OP runs it into a modular mixer, where the signal is unbalanced. Switching cables here won’t change a thing. OT mk1 has a peak output of +10dBu, OT mk2 is at +17dBu. Which one do you have? What levels are you comparing the OTs levels to?

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#11

good call. i was certainly going to do A-B test on a balanced input line mixer. I am running MK1.

I am not comparing the levels to other gear, simply looking at them in DAW software and comparing it to the industry standards. Common practice is stereo pair mixed at -6 dBvu when sending it to a mastering engineer.

I wonder if the same project would be louder on a MK2 all other things equal.

#12

These are helpful only to avoid the noise induced on the cable. Pertinent for long cables, but not for 3m cables.

—

There are a lot of discussions about gain staging on OT on this forum, I suggest to take the time to dig into them :wink:

https://www.elektronauts.com/search?context=topic&context_id=180605&q=Gain%20Octatrack%20&skip_context=true

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#13

It is my understanding that in some instances, there can be a 6db drop when using unbalanced cables with a balanced out, but I could be misunderstood.

Both the OG and MkII have balanced outs, it was the inputs that were upgraded to balanced on the MKII.

For the OP, is the issue the same with the modular mixer as it is with the line mixer? I know that Eurorack levels are higher, and sometimes you need extra gain to bring it up to those levels. I used to have an “external in” module that would bring the levels up.

If you need more gain for recording into the DAW, what I do is drop a “Utility” on that channel in Ableton and turn up the gain. It just a clean gain boost. I am sure other DAW’s have a similar thing.

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#14

Correct if the receiving end is also a balanced input.

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#15

No, you’re right in the case of standard balancing. But iirc Elektron equipment is impedance balanced

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#16

However, none of the Elektrons have balanced outputs (where the signal is mirrored). There’s still only signal on the tip, they’re impedance balanced which is different to differential balanced. So there’s no level difference if using unbalanced TS cables.

5 Likes
#17

I think cables are a red herring here, ultimately the OT is a line level machine and the output isn’t quiet.

As mentioned just make sure you’re gain staging within OT properly and all should be good.

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#18

I don’t know, maybe all of the OP’s cables have an inline pad in them?

2 Likes
#19

I am fairly certain I am putting it at equity gain which is the odd element here. Yes, the line and synth level discrepancy is notable and historically used preamps to boost the signal.

I recently noticed this gain level discrepancy when moving from DAW to OT under two different configurations 1) with preamp 2) without preamp.

I will read more about gainstaging on the forum to determine if I have been doing something incredibly silly for the past 8 years.

#20

Put the compressor on the master track and raise the gain.