Looping live instruments

I’m also looking into using the Octatrack with live looping but currently using an Infinity Looper, which might be a really good option for you to look at, even with the Octatrack and Infinity, it’s a nice match. The Infinity has a split loop feature as well which is somewhat unique which allows you to live loop two different inputs at the same time, so you and your guitar friend can both plug in and record. What I would then do is route the outputs of the Infinity into the Octatrack and then you can more easily manipulate the incoming audio, sometimes it might be enough just to add effects but if you wanted you could sample the loops into the octactrack and then manipulate them. Option to clear the Infinity and start new loops to blend with what’s not on your Octatrack or you could build on the Infinity parts, there’s a ton of options. The Infinity is midi control and can be synced to the Octatrack as well.

Do you use a Octatrack mk1 or mk2 for live looping? I’m looking into getting one and would love to do similar live looping to what I’m already doing with dedicated loopers but then take it to another level with more channels, and adding effects post loop etc… Do you have any videos of your live looping in action? Or links to music you’ve created entirely with live looping on the Octatrack?

Thanks in advance!

Maybe you can give me some advice since you have a very similar setup to what I’m working towards. I’m currently using a Pigtronix Infinity and a Ditto looper in my setup, and considering an OT to expand my looping capabilities. What I am thinking is to route the audio from my Infinity into the OT, have the Infinity be the slave to the OT for midi sync purposes too. I’d record and overdub the inital loop ideas on the Infinity, once I’m happy, I’d re-record/dub it over to the OT.

Is it fairly easy/quick to set the record length on the OT? Also, does that workflow make sense?

I figure that way I could continue to overdub on the current Infinity loop or even delete it and start fresh, using up the OT tracks each time I get a substantial chunk of music I want to have the ability to mix and add effects to independently from the other tracks.

I also plan to process Ditto looper through the OT so I’m considering using the monitor out of the Infinity. That way I’d still have two more inputs. The Ditto looper isn’t syncable, but for my use it would be ok that it’s not, as I use the Ditto for the most atmospheric layer so sync isn’t a concern. In fact I purposely make it not sync so that as the Infinity loops the times then the Ditto lines up are not very often.

With Octatrack you can loop 4 different inputs and 4 internal sources on 8 tracks independently. :wink:

1 Like

Nope, there’s musicians, there’s closet musicians, then there’s deep wilderness musicians, I’m one of those! Most musicians I know are dying to get shows, get their music out there, have people interested in them, etc. For me those haven’t really been a concern I’m really just concerned with the music itself, and have been slowly working on a project for quite some time and aren’t really interested in getting it out there until it’s up to my overly high personal standards. One of these days I’ll smack myself in the face a few times, call it good enough, and start getting things out there… :rofl:

Who knows, maybe I can’t do anything I say and I’m making it all up, but people usually thank me for providing answers that work, so, I tend to believe myself… :joy:

I use an OT mk1 and what really blows me away is the real time slicing, warping, and all of the things you can do with your loop on a flex machine. For me it blows away any simple looper feature it might be lacking. The split record that you mention can easily be done with OT, you can record each of the four inputs at once to just one loop, two, three, or each on their own separate loop. OT loops can easily be re recorded over by pressing one button without clearing or having to do anything first.

People don’t like that it doesn’t have an undo, but that only comes into play if you are overdubbing and you mess up your overdub. If your not overdubbing you just re record on the next pass. Messing up live is not something I plan on doing and if for some reason I do overdub onto a pickup and mess up, that’s live baby! I would just redo it and move on, and the audience will see I am a human being that can make mistakes… Again I don’t plan on it going there, you don’t worry about messing up when playing in a band or you’d never be able to do it…

I’ve been staying up way too late lately and not sleeping enough… :joy: I don’t know how OT specific I can get right now. I will say though that I have no desire for another looper, and if I had one I’d be wishing that the loops were in the OT instead of it so I can do all the magic OT stuff with it…

4 Likes

I have the Infinity as well, no OT yet though, still investigating if it’ll fit my needs. I’m thinking to route the Infinity’s monitor out to the OT for capturing into the OT, that way I can mix my guitar and the main Infinity looper left and right parallel to the OT but still easily capture the loops in sync. I’m also thinking even though I use a ton of stereo effects before my Infinity, that the mono sum out will be a good way to conserve recording time on the OT. I also have a Ditto looper which I record freeform atmosphere layers, so I’m looking to create some tempo synced effects to manipulate that loop as well, so the OT seems like a pretty nice match. Then, the nice thing is I’d still be left with an extra pair of inputs. I started looking seriously at the OT on some recommendations, and if it works out I will actually have 2 more loopers feeding the OT. Four independent audio streams. I’m also looking getting a SuperEgo+ How’s the live looping with the OT coming along for you so far?

I don’t have RC505 anymore.
Dedicated loopers are more direct. It can be interesting to work with them with OT, especially synced.
Several settings to do, but you can save your templates.
With a foot controller, if you get use to OT pickups, maybe you wouldn’t need an other looper…

The OT also becomes this awesome performance mixer of your loops being able to use scenes to crossfade them in and out in many ways, in combination with bringing in fx, rate and pitch changes, and all sorts of stuff.
The stuff you can do with scenes for mixing, warping, and fx, really takes things to another level once some loops are going…

1 Like

I could have phased it better, meant in regards to unique that not a lot of pedal based loopers allow that sort of flexibility and you can set it up as a preset. My suggestion is that they can use both the Infinity and the OT in sync and from my own experience I’ve found it’s easier to loop guitar with a pedal. It may seem like an extra expense too but if you consider a decent midi foot controller will run you around $300 which is pretty close to the Infinity.

Anyways, good point you made. OT is very powerful. I haven’t see how it works with sound on sound looping yet, and also, if you’re live looping but already have a beat established then that solves some of the foot pedal issues since you can hit record ahead of time once you’re synced to something.

Not direct undo workaround :
save your loop
make a mistake
reload your saved loop
:smile:

2 Likes

I plan on flying without a net, that’s my shtick, and I’m shtickin to it… :smiley_cat:
no undo for Mikey…

Live Baby! Live! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

1 Like

I find it safer, for sure.
I’d like to try again tempo synced with first loop, to start a song…at home. :slight_smile:

Fly monkey fly! :monkey:

1 Like

Thank you for your continued support…
For all anyone knows I don’t even play music, but I promise I do!

If you all keep believing in me, than one day I will fly! :rocket::monkey::sparkles::notes:

2 Likes

Undo might be an issue in some situations but I have to laugh about anyone who thinks it’s a deal breaker. I play 2 hour+ sets that are improvised and since I added the Infinity to my rig I think it was well over a year before I finally bothered to buy the undo switch. I use it now more as a creative tool, being able to undo some layers and bring them back can be a nice way to play with the mix. It sounds like you’re enjoying you OT a lot. I still think looping to my Infinity then dubbing to the OT will be a great workflow, but it’s mainly out of what I’m used to using and even though I’ve had it for a while there’s so much more I can do with it just in terms of the sound on sound possibilities. It’s really inspiring to see so many others using the OT for live looping instruments.

This is something that really gets me interested, and also mixing the live inputs with effects as well. If I do take the plunge and get the OT I plan to use up to 3 of the inputs for live audio processing, I am trying to figure out if I can sequence the mixing of those 3 inputs so just for example, lets say each loop was a drone, and each drone was a different chord, I would like to be able to sequence a pattern for the mixer to play those individual drones but in sync with the master clock or any other loops I might add. Essentially creating a chord sequence, I’d think this would be really simple with the OT, am I correct?

Really nice!

1 Like

The OT does so much more at the same time too. It’s sending midi clock to my rytm and also set up to always sample a loop from it, and have a warped remix. So I usually have 3 pickups being feed from a mixer to loop synth bass, guitar, vocals, and theremin, and then also two alternate drum versions being created on the OT. It becomes my mixer and fx for everything, and then occasionally I send midi arps or sequences to the rytm or my synth for things too fast or complex to play. I can then loop those on some tracks to get my instruments back for playing…

Once everything thing is in the OT I promise you can go to the very edge and hang out there, totally jump off if you want even, and then get pulled safely back to earth with a part reload… It’s way too much fun, really… Haha…

I’m sure there’s some good looper+OT workflows, but I confess in my mind it’s a borderline crime to have your loop NOT be in the OT. I would at least recommend learning the OT’s absolute potential for looping inside and out before offloading looper duties…

2 Likes

Sure, I’m not sure I’m following exactly what you want to do, but doesn’t seem to tricky for an OT with it being able to plock track volumes and use lfos or slide trigs for volume automation…

Or maybe your thinking something else, “mixer” is throwing me off…
Either way all manner of sequences can be created out of OT samples, a chord progression doesn’t sound hard at all…

The OT is a highly advanced sample sequencer that treats your loops in the same way as samples…
There’s no looper like it…

2 Likes