Just got an octatrack

@PersianHugs: I think there is a whole tribe out there:

The OT Shadow Lurkers (I was also one of them as many others here I’ll guess) … :smiley:

Exactly this. If you approach the OT with a fixed workflow in mind it may easily disappoint you, because in many aspects it’s very different from all the other machines out there.

The OT is like a Diva which wants you to adapt to her and not the other way around.

You’ll need to free your mind about any fixed ideas how a sampler, looper or mixer should behave and learn her ways. Then a completely new universe of different workflows (optimized for live play) will open up.

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I definitely wouldn’t start by trying to make a song with it, that in my opinion would just limit you from seeing its potential. It needs to be experimented with by making grooves and trying and testing out all the features before the ability to grock how it can be utilized to make a song that actually exploits its capabilities can be accomplished… You need to take time and learn its ways, and after you do the songs you make with it will be a lot more interesting and dynamic then a song made right when you get it. It can be quite a rewarding journey but shouldn’t be rushed or it won’t do the machine justice and might as well be done on a simpler device.

Totally worth the time and effort, take it slow and easy without any expectations, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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Taking it slow and easy is very difficult. Very few people can actually pull this one off. But it is the correct advice.

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Just spent a good few hours on mine. It’s incredible! There is no other thing like it on the planet!!! I feel so lucky!

I highly recommend the Samples From Mars. I’m not sure if it’s on sale now but you can buy there whole collection for $39 I think… a crazy low price to get started with samples. Also, I’ve made my own samples from my hardware and from going out with a microphone and recording stuff outside. It’s so cool to use my personal samples as they mean something to me.

Load up some flex machines and enter some trigs. Get a groove going. Then have fun playing with the parameters. Next hold down a trig and lock parameters to it. Repeat, repeat, repeat… and ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Hours will pass by like ships in the night, dear friend… ships in the night!

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I love the sentiment!
All the good Octa-vibes recently have only served to heighten my excitement in finally being close to getting an OT :pray:t3:

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Just remember though ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh is just a couple of letters away from arghhh!! :confounded:

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I have like… 39gb of samples over the years. I have used an mpc for a while but it’s just so… weird to me. I used a digitakt and the verbage of elektron just made sense. I’m excited to have gotten an amazing deal on a mk1 and just putting samples through it and all the other wild things it does. I couldn’t be more open minded because I really am so ADD this maybe the perfect machine for me or worst things ever lol

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  1. Use it as a drum machine
    1b. Create scenes to alter your drum beat
    1c. Access the micro-timing menu to add probability to your hits
  2. Use a single track and explore all the ways you can alter the sound
  3. Add a neighbor machine and explore the added possibilities
    3b. Create scenes to shift your single sound from here to there
  4. Combine the above projects and make a track
  5. Make a track using a single sample across multiple tracks
  6. Live sample the radio, make a track
    6b. Sample the radio on the fly to make your track in haphazard flux

I forgot to mention, but for all of the above assignments: p-lock everything.

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I bought my OT about two months ago. I didn’t believe it but it is true: you have to read the manual.

Play-> read manual-> play more-> read manual. Repeat.

Amazing gear!

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I can give some advice that worked for me… Try to do something you can do in others gear or software

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Hardware transliteration

My OT mkii came pre-loaded with a bunch of Samples From Mars stuff. Nice chains of vintage drum machines and stuff. Deffo some of my most-used samples.

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At some point, you’ll think that you’ve made a mistake buying this thing. Then, you’ll have your first “a-ha!” moment. Then the next.

Then things start making sense and you’ll start making some dope-ass things. Enjoy! Have patience.

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The next is wtf I lost my “a-ha!” thing, I can’t reproduce it. Is my OT faulty? :content:

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… and then you learn to make copies of patterns (and parts) you like until you have created a complete mess and have to re-think your chaotic approach to become more systematic. And then … well, it never stops, isn’t it? :smiley:

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You can’t stop using OT, otherwise you fall.

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it never gets old :joy:

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