Looping live instruments

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#21

I have since traded my OT for a Rytm, but I often used it this way. I never ended up using a midi foot controller as I had initially planned, but I can certainly see the benefit of that approach, particularly for pickup machines. The OT is a truly wonderful machine, but it will require patience and dedication to use it fluidly. I think it really comes down to the complexity you’re trying to achieve. If you just want to build up some static loops and play over them, jam, etc. there are better machines for this, with more immediacy and simpler interfaces. If you want tons of control over those loops, huge potential for transitions and warping, a deep workflow with crazy options for sound design, the OT would probably be a great choice.

Basically, if your looping plans are more simple and straightforward, I’d suggest a looper that is simple and straightforward. If you want to take it further with lots of room to grow, the OT is it. If you scroll down a bit on my Instagram page, you’ll find a few videos I made, mostly looping live with pickup machines. This was one of my favorite approaches with the OT, but it’s just a small segment of what the machine is capable of. The relevant posts were all put up in January of this year. I hope this helps in some way.

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#22

In the back of my mind I’ve known for quite some time I’m going to want a foot controller to play out live…
I want to get a full on fully customizable unit that not only maps to the pickups but also has an expression pedal and presets so I can toggle through setups and control all sorts of OT features while playing…

I’ll have a preset just for extended guitar playing that has the toggles and expression mapped to the fx. I’ll have a preset set up for mixing with the pedal assigned to the crossfader and the toggle buttons assigned to amp vol for mutes with fx tails… And more setups for various uses… Pattern control, etc…

I’ll try to keep several of the most used functions similar across presets so the preset is always geared toward one thing but doesn’t leave me out of control of things I need to use a lot…
I think if did this I’d be super stoked!

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#23

Hi there. FWIW, I spent a long time setting up my behringer FCB1010 to work with the OT to use it as a looper for my guitar, and compared that with a hybrid setup (Ableton looper controlled by the behringer) and I concluded the Ableton setup was a lot more useful and simpler to use, whilst the OT was best for the usual sample trickery. I had them midi clocked to each other, and it worked smoothly

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#24

Thanks for the input…
I can see that being an amazing setup but I don’t use ableton and have been looping and mangling with the OT for a few years now, got the workflow down just want to have access to the functions with my feet… :wink:

2 Likes
#25

Live looping is what got me here with the 'nauts, Elektron, and the OT.
I went through several iterations of my looping setup before coming to the conclusion that OT is the way to go.

I wanted control of multiple loops, transport control, ability to control other devices, and effects at the tip of a drumstick. OT does this for me… where everyone else is using a foot controller, my feet are busy behind the drum kit, so I use a Roland SPDSX or a Yamaha DTXM12 as my midi controller.

I initially started with Ableton/interface/laptop, which works great but I didn’t want a laptop on stage.
Next was EHX 45000; great though simple looper, let’s you reverse tracks on the fly, also good midi implementation, but no effects.
The Roland mc505 looks cool, but I passed on it after reading the manual, midi implementation isn’t enough for me.
Ditto - no, I’d have to mod the foot switch to work with a drum trigger or something, but no midi implementation at all.
T. C. Electronic VocalLive seems interesting, but built to work around that touch screen, so the midi implementation wasn’t up to par for my use.
After trying many loopers, it was either go with Ableton or Mobius or Mainstage all which work, but I decided on OT. I’m glad I did.

Thus far it works as I want it to, sometimes I get two PUM’s fighting for control over who is master, but this is happens about 1/5 times. Even then, it’s usually not a big deal for me to work around that.

I think what you’re wanting to do is perfect for the OT. It’s deep, but take it one function at a time, master that, and then master another function. In no time you’ll have what you need for your show mastered.

The possibilities for taking what you can create with a few instruments organically on the fly to hardly recognizable soundscape is this even music anymore how does that sound like an angry electric duck dub galactic mushroom trip is something no other looper I’ve tried can do.

6 Likes
#26

Maybe you missed the major V2 update, and the supplementary manual. Added midi assignments and targets.

Screenshot_2017-11-18-23-24-29
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I still don’t feel confortable with Pickups.
I like to use several Flex for realtime recording /mangling but I have to change parts with pattern to stop recording. If I use one shots I have no monitoring. I wan’t to record several tracks but I need Cue, which I’d like to keep for external Fx…

Yeah, coming out :
I still don’t have a real workflow. :nej:

#27

The OT works how I saw this work in my mind.
pad1 - Next track
pad2 - Previous Track
pad3 - A/B
pad4 - C/D
pad5 - Start Sync playback (toggle) Stop

And I’m controlling OT & PUM’s with one drumstick.

I’m looking forward to trying the FM pre-sliced buffer trick when I get home from tour and have all my gear, seems like that may fit a couple of things I want to try better than PUM’s alone.

@sezare56 I did miss that update, but OT is it for me. Best gear purchase I’ve made in some time.

#28

FM = Flex Machines I suppose ?

For me too!

#29

Yes, FM = Flex Machine.

OT is a great control center that keeps getting deeper. I’m happy with how it allows me to integrate, control, record, sequence, effect, and route my audio in so many ways.

I went after a looper and got *much more.

#30

@drNate Have you seen this?

3 Likes
#31

I like using odd meters on the OT, but I tend to stick to the standard multiples the OT PMs provide (x1, x2, x4, x8). I’ve just begun to play with the Len parameter in the PM setup (in an active, live way), so I’m not sure I have too much to say about it yet.

On a side note, I’ve found looping over two chained patterns to be a lot of fun, but settings wise, I’ve had to play with the “start silent” parameter a bit to get it how I want. Weirdly, I waited years for Ableton to come up with its looper device so I could start a song with the loop instead of with the sequencer, but now, I’m mostly starting the OT’s sequencer before looping, playing the OT for a bit, and then recording my first loops. Though I sometimes start with a loop (but then the song often doesn’t involve the sequencer). I don’t use a foot controller, I loop PMs manually, which is weird since I play strings that keep my hands busy. But I’ve started to work within this limit in an enjoyable way, so I’m sticking to it for now.

Also, working this way, it’s been helpful for me as a string player, to have the sequencer playing, hit AB loop record a few steps before the beginning of the pattern, record my loop, and have the playback quantized to start my recorded PM loop automatically, so my hands are free to concentrate on strings or something else besides having to manually close the loop.

The OT offers so many ways of doing this sort of thing, it’s really vast.

4 Likes
#32

What up, Stonecold… :boom:
It’s my duty to remind you that you can load the pickup recorder buffer to one or multiple other flex tracks where you can bend slice and warp, and use both pu’s and flex’s together, updating the flexes by capturing with the pickup…

I love that your an OTing drummer, that’s awesome. Another option I’ve been thinking about for midi control is using lemur or similar on an IPad, and clipping it to my mic stand, just throwing that out there…

I converted to the OT from mainstage myself, loving it. I’ve heard some far out stuff coming out of this box and I don’t think I’m really even pushing it too much…
8 recorders with per step recording/playback, track length/scale, pitch and rate locks, etc., compounded with all the other features really makes this thing capable of some looping/designer delay insanity. I really think you could program it to where you just play a note into it and an entire soundtrack comes out, if you wanted… :wink: I’ve only gone 2% in that direction and it’s been quite sonically rewarding.
It’s really an expanding looper plus plus, if you jive with it… :smiley_cat:

1 Like
#33

I’ve got the use of a McMillen 12 step and an old Yamaha midi foot board - the mfc06 I think. It’s very limited, it can send program change from 0 to 4, or control messages 116 to 120 with a value of 127. So not sure if this is useful or not.

#34

If the 12 Step is similar to Soft Step it let you configure an interesting control, toggle between overdub/play with 1 switch, instead of 2, which can be confusing and make you stop or replace by error.

#36

Great thread, I plan to setup OT for guitar projects something like:
Pigtronix infinity looper slaved to OT - 2 thru tracks with flex machines ready to record bits of each.
Superego+ into thru machine with LFOs
Main guitar into thru with another flex pointed at it.
Gtr signal goes to boost, then fulltone ABY split to looper and main gtr w/ superego send to OT.
From there I expect it can get pretty wild in OT; if 5-8 are flex machines with snippets from 1-5 then I can use parts to change machines in 1-5 with drums and whatnot, right? And from there, we’ll…

2 Likes
#37

But I’m curious to hear about gtr level into OT, most opinions prefer going to desk and taking line level to OT.

#38

Line is better of course. I tried with a passive guitar straight in Ot. Max gain and compressor, you have sound. :smile:

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#39

PUM buffer loaded to many tracks pre-sliced is precisely what I’m looking forward to trying later today, actually.

This will make some of the things I’ve tried much easier; for one, ReTiming a PUM recording is a good way to practice jumping to a new tempo immediately after stopping record… sometimes even better n the subsequent overdub.

I’ve a feeling that loading the PUM buffer to a track presliced gets around this elegantly while offering up more options.

There was a challenge years ago from the Yahoo Logic group or another… it’s goal was to create long evolving textures through the use of Aux feedback, limiters, gates… I learned a lot about that program doing that. Started looking at the Aux channels like water flow spilling into each chamber and then slowly ( or quickly ) filling it to its spillway that fills the next chamber and so on…
I’ve had about one of those moments per month in the 6 months I’ve owned OT.

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#40

Electric guitar level (traditional passive pickups, no preamp) s too weak, even when you use the Gain param on the track amp page. You might hear something audible but you probably won’t like it.

A mixer (what you call a “desk”) is one way to boost the signal. But really anything you can use as a preamp before entry into the OT will work. My mixer for example has mic preamps, and it also has a gain level control on the aux send.

3 Likes
#41

I have a small army of boost and drive pedals. May experiment with going from pedalboard to OT direct then trying as aux sends from desk. Chances are I’ll go straight in, art is long and whatnot. This way worked fine with sp16 for clean sounds, fuzz not so much.