Live sampling+negative rate playback

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

So I’m currently working on a track that involves live sampling from the MnM. all sounding lovely and messy BUT, I don’t seem to be able to conjure any backwards shenanigans. I assumed it would be as simple as p-locking negative rate in with the beginning of the sound starting at the ‘start’ parameter point (set to avoid overtaking the record point obviously) and running backwards from there.

But no joy. What am I missing? I have ensured that the rate function is not in timestretch mode (something I know the OT does not approve of in live-record mode) and I’m assuming that the start point itself is not reversed under such circumstances (right?) My brain is melting just thinking about it.

If anyone can help, I would be very grateful…

#2

Do you want to reverse a sample that is being played back from a recorder buffer?

Might be due to the fact that if you’re trying to play back a recorder buffer backwards, you’re trying to play back audio that’s not even sampled?

If it’s just a sample on a Flex/Static Machine, check amp envelope.

#3

No: live recording. This is what I meant by avoiding overtaking the record head. I am proficient at that, but reverse rate playback just doesn’t seem to happen…

edit: I have just noticed that if I drop a trigless trig in a section already playing , it happily reverses no questions asked. Seems I have a workaround, but if anyone can shed light on the mystery, would be helpful

#4

A yeah sorry, you even wrote live sampling in the tread title^^

I thought it should work with amp hold/release set to inf and microtiming the sample or rec trig, but this stuff is confusing when not in front of OT lol^^

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#5

and sitting in front of it doesn’t always help :woozy_face:

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#6

With reverse the recording has to be finished, or the reversed play head mustn’t cross the rec head.

For live recording continuous reverse I use 2 recorders.
Exemple with 1 bar, recording INAB/CD without SRC3 :
Track 1 : Flex, step 1 = Recording 1, step 9 = Recording 2 (sample lock), RATE -63
Recorder 1 : step 9, RLEN = 8
Recorder 2 : step 1, RLEN = 8

The 2 recordings are played reversed just after they are finished.

@defenestration’s really interesting method, using 1 recorder. Simpler to set up, but apparently doubling the delay compared with 2 recorders.

Track 1, Flex, step 1 = Start 1, step 9 = Start 65
Recorder 1, step 1 = +1 microtiming.

For both methods, the more you increase rec trigs, the shorter the delay is (1 step delay minimum with 2 recorders, 2 steps with start, having to increase start a bit).

Edit : With the 2 recorders method, as the recording is finished, you can use all playback functions, such as Loop, Len, high pitch or lower pitch, retrig etc…

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#7

Thanks sezare, food for thought there. In light of what you are suggesting, the fact that trigless trigs seem to work where full trigs don’t is confusing me even more. I think I might have to put this down to an idiosyncrasy of the machine itself.

One thing I have noticed: the general consensus seems to be that microtiming should be employed to get the pb trigs working properly. I have never done this, yet everything works fine (bar the neg. rate thing). Possible difference in hardware between early and later iterations?

As always with the OT, amazed and confounded in equal measure.

#8

With 2 recorders, no need for microtiming.
MKI and MKII share the same OS, and I don’t know how.

Simple reason : with a trigless trig after a trig, the reverse take effect after the sample has been played (and recorder). A regular trig with plocked Start would behave similarly.
Trigless are also interesting to work with concerning live recording pitch / reverse.
Trig with rate = 32 or 16, followed by a trigless with Rate = -64 for example.

Watch @defenestration’s video and your REC SETUP rec / play cursors !

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#9

Sometimes I’ve noticed, if your REC Length is for example 4 steps and a rec trig on step one. Then a play back trig PLOCKd -64 rate on step 5, it wont play unless you micro nudge the playback trig back a little bit.

#10

It should. Work seamlessly for me. :thinking:
OT Master?
No SRC3 source ?
Even with a new project without modified parameters ?

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#11

I’ll try when I get home, it was only really in regards to playing live samples in reverse

#12

It should do, but doesn’t (at least for me). I am fully aware of (and competent with) setting the start parameter to kick in after the record head has passed.

No worries, I am working around the problem with the trigless trigs bunched up against normal trigs