I’d like to start a very specific and focused conversation about the various ways folks are using the Octatrack that keeps multiple use schemes all contained in a single project.
OT has considerable specifications for doing so much in a single project. 256 total sample slots between static and flex, disk streaming, 256 patterns and 64 parts(kits). There is so much you can do without ever stopping the sequencer to load another project.
How are you exploiting its capabilities?
Which various Parts schemes are you using in a single project that allows you to mix between them live?
There are basically three ways I use my OT, and all are compatible with performing live:
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Scheme 1: External Gear.
Mixing, effecting, and transition looping for external gear.
MS, Typhon, A4, etc… whatever I’ve used to make tunes outside the OT, I can bring into the OT for mixing, and (most importantly) transitioning patterns made on that gear with other patterns made on that gear through recorder trig looping. I save track 7 for that transition looper, and track 8 for master FX. -
Scheme 2: Stems
Long stem and loop playback.
Usually from older tracks I’ve made in a DAW or with other gear. It’s fun to be able to take tunes you made 18 years ago and rework them live. OT does this with ease. Again, I save track 7 for that transition looper, and track 8 for master FX. -
Scheme 3: OT track creation from scratch.
Something I learned in my last live set (MS+OT) was how much I can do with only 6 sample tracks on the MS. So I’ve been exploring limiting myself to only 6 main sample playback tracks on OT for track creation. This means, again, I can save track 7 for that transition looper, and track 8 for master FX. Here I am using the master FX a little different, with more emphasis on master compressor/limiting (since scheme 1 compresses thru tracks, and scheme 2’s stems are already somewhat compressed) and a very small wet short decay master reverb of high frequencies only for “air”.
With OT, some pre-planning is everything.
- Transitions:
Having that Track 7 flex looper with the same EQ assigned to it for every part in my project means no matter what scheme I am currently in, I can effortlessly transition to another scheme, or transition to another pattern that uses the same scheme. The beat never stops, and I can react to what I am feeling and what the crowd is feeling. I can DJ stems all night, or just for a bit. I can stay focused on other Elektrons for 10 minutes, or 60 minutes. Having all Parts pre-designed with a dedicated transition looper promotes improvisation, flexibility, and means never having to be stuck in one mode for the entire performance.
- Static Samples:
Slot list management is also crucial, as is what kind of samples you use!
I do have several tunes that are made up of 3-4 stems. Enough that I don’t want to overburden my Static list with them all. So I just dedicate the first 4 slots in the static list to those stem tracks (for scheme 2), and I swap out the samples assigned to those slots live when I want to play them live. The flex looper gives me a window of time, with the last tune playing, to get this done. But really it’s just been a bit of practice to get good at it, combined with a folder hierarchy that doesn’t slow me down.
Since Static samples stream from the CF card, your main limitation is not file size but rather the 128 static slots in a project, so let’s make the most of them…
Keeping the static slot list not bogged down by stems means I can exploit the disk streaming capability by making large sample chains for the static slots. These aren’t the kinds of chains you want to modulate the start parameter on. These are longer phrases for track making. Basses, synths, pads, etc. Sample hits that are 1 to 4 seconds each, 32 to 64 in a chain Things to heavily shape with LFO modulation and FX during track making. Chain file size is 20-40MB ea.
Why? Because again, with 64 Parts(kits) and 256 patterns I want to make the most out of a single project. Scheme 1: External Gear only uses a single Part.
Scheme 2: Stems only uses a single Part.
That leaves 62 parts and a whole lot of pattern memory for Scheme 3: OT track creation from scratch.
Static chains is a way of getting a large variety of samples into such a large OT project.
Those 20-40MB chains of longer samples may seem large, but I still keep them trim by organizing the individual hits by size first, before making the chain. Octachainer makes every sample hit segment the same length as the longest sample, so its worth doing. Group your small sample hits together by size and your chains will be more concise.
Using a clear naming convention that you can stick to also helps, like I did for these Oberhausen chains I made, going down to 32 slices for the longer chains:
(Keeping chains concise is important for the times you do want to sample lock another phrase in the chain on a static streamed sample. You’ll work the CF card less hard and get less dropouts/missed attacks.)
The more chains I use for non-loop sounds in my Static list, the more Static slots I have open for those longer loops I just gotta have ready, but are big enough in file size that they would zap my Flex RAM.
- Flex Samples
The Flex list is left to be populated with with short 1 bar loops for mangling that could be used in any of the 3 schemes.
Also shorter chains or single cycle samples, chains of short electro bleeps and blips, very concise drum chains, and chains I want to heavily modulate the start point of.
Be sure to keep an eye on available memory. If you use a lot of chains you’re more likely to run out of memory before you run out of flex slots to populate. Another reason to keep them as trim and concise as possible.
So, again I ask how are you setting up your OT to exploit these capabilities to the max? Which various schemes are you able to blend and transition in and out of because of how you’ve set it up? How many hats can does your OT wear in a single performance?
I’d love to hear about them.
