I have a bunch of synths, a mixer, a kenton midi merger and a kenton midi thru box, and I want to use the octatrack as brain in a DAWless setup to be able to jam whenever I want.
However, once I got a jam that I like, I’d also be able to turn on my computer with Logic, and hit record in logic and then have everything clocksynced and record in time with logic. Also, when needed, I’d like to be able to send midi from logic to my 2 polysynths, when the patterns are too complicated for the octatrack.
Ideally, i’d not have to change/swap cables, but could just do both whenever i like.
You could connect the inputs of your audio interface and outputs of your synths with a patchbay and when you wan to jam, patch the mixer into the patchbay. That’s how I have my stuff setup.
So basically without any patch cables, my gear is connected to my audio interface and I can patch in any effects or even the mixer.
I’ll just have to patch every synth into the mixers inputs and the mixer’s main out back into my audio interface via the patchbay.
If the mixer has direct outs and/or group outs, you could also set everything up the other way round - so that your gear is connected to the mixer and you patch in your audio interface…
i was thinking more that I can leave the octatrack as the ‘brain’ (which it is in my dawless setup), and when I want to use Logic: I just send midi out from logic to the octatrack (via the merger) and set the octatrack to receive clock+start/stop -> and let the octatrack do what it normally does.
I do similar with Ableton + Cirklon - for me the easiest way was to always clock from, and monitor in, Ableton (I can then add plugins to live monitored audio due to super low latency due to the fw in my interface - but seperate story)
This way it’s always ready to record, or jam and no getting out of the flow to record. Just a case of arming tracks and recoding.
Also means that what I hear whilst writing, is what;s recorded as it’s the exact same thing.
Something to consider here is that if you are sending clock AND MIDI data from Logic to play your polys - this will inevitably disturb clock accuracy (if you are sending it all down one cable).
So I would suggest running a single cable from Logic to OT to clock and then a sepeate MIDI config for the playing of the notes:
Take the MIDI output of the OT, and the MIDI output of Logic and put them both into a MIDI switching box - and connect the output of the switching box to the Polys; that way with the flick of a switch the polys can be played by OT or Logic - and the clock isn’t disturbed as not being sent down the same cable from Logic that also carries clock to OT.
However to get audio landing tight on the grid can be quite an involved process, and took me sometime to get right. A very good interface with excellent firmware (can’t speak highly enough of Metric Halo in this case) + a jitter free clock really do make it all considerably easier.
I use my Focusrite Clarett 8Pre to connect my gear to Ableton Live. I press play in Live and everything goes at once, all synced and ready to be recorded for chopping and looping The wonders of external soundcards with MIDI know no bounds.
USAMO works really well when it works at all, but I recently got a new interface and found out the hard way that it’s very picky about what interface you use it with, so if you go that route make sure to check the list of interfaces that don’t work with it.
also, no matter how stable your clock source is, the Octatrack still won’t necessarily work well with it. I’ve tried using external clock from a USAMO, MPC2000xl and MIDIbox, MidiPAL SEQ v4 - all of which are as accurate or more accurate than the OT itself, and all of them caused problems. mostly with pickup machines. for me, the best solution for DAW sync has been to control the OT transport from a dedicated MIDI track in the DAW, but let it use its own clock. it will stay perfectly in time with the DAW for hours that way, without any of the problems that it has with external clock.
Yeah I hear a lot of complaints about OB but I have a Rytm too and everything works flawlessly. Jam on the hardware and build an idea, and then open Ableton when I’m ready to mixdown. I have a template built for Ableton by default, so the transition from OTB to ITB is literally double clicking Ableton from my desktop and everything is coming through in sync and on it’s own channel ready to arrange, mix etc… No rewiring.
For your MIDI, the MioXL completely changed the way I do business. Incredible tool. Change routings for whatever you want preset-style with the push of a button.
For audio, yeah, like has been mentioned: patchbay half-normalled for your live setup, do a quick patch for your DAW setup.
come to think of it, my mixer (model 1) actually has a separate dsub out which I could connect to my soundcard. this would make multitrack recording way easier! thanks!
regarding clock sync, probably the easiest is to just use start/stop from Logic, and let OT have/keep the clock master (then I should probably manually change the tempo in Logic to match it with the OT? will try it out!)
The 2 biggest things that have improved my hybrid setup are:
Erm Multiclock - solid reliable clock over audio from Ableton to all my hardware sequencers. This thing is absolutely essential to keep my machines locked to Ableton.
UA Apollo ecosystem - monitor directly from interface with fx. This way things don’t get too muddy before I’m ready to track into Ableton.