The Octatrack does not have a Saturation FX. How could you simulate what an Analog Heat does, using the Octa ?
You cant.
You can use filter dist on the OT filter for an overdrive type sound. You can use the LOFI effect for digital distortion sounds. You can use the compressor to clip your signals. If you get creative with EQ plus the above, you can get some interesting sounds. None of that sounds like the Analog heat.
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Thanks, i’ll try that. I’m asking because although i have a Heat, i’m thinking in letting it go because i’m trying to shrink my setup and i don’t like the Heat’s noise floor. But still, i want something to color things a bit on master bus.
Anyone ? 
From my own ‘noob’ perspective.
I would do 4. + Full track level.
That should give you unity gain (when the Thru machine is triggered). Not f*ng around with the mixer.
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This thread has a ton of good info about gain staging in the OT.
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With main and cue level set to 0 on the mixer page, I set all thru machines to +63, amp volume 0.
Also remember to always have master track set to 127, lower will attenuate the levels.
When sampling from inputs, +63 on thru machines also makes sure I can fade between input and sample playback (transition trick) without any level changes.
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Sorry for the ignorance, but why is my Octa flashing red steps 9 to 14 everytime a pattern ends ? lol
Do you have trigs on step 1 of tracks 1-6?
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Yep, looks like you’re in tracks mode. In tracks mode you’ll see trig buttons flash when the sequencer fires a trig on a track.
I never use the trigs when in tracks mode. What is the use you make of these? Does it just fire tracks disconnected from the sequencer?
1-8 start/stop plays frees tracks, 9-16 trig the machines loaded into tracks 1-8. Handy if you want to manually play samples (you can even quantize that to steps) or just audition samples.
If you’re on the midi tracks then it’s different, then 9-16 start/stop plays free midi tracks (1-8 again start/stop audio plays free tracks 1-8).
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Not sure to understandin which co text to use it apart from ambient. Then it seems that Mute mode with Plays Free Track option set would give the same result, no?
If there’s a track set on slice, the 9-16 trig button will fire only the first slice, not the whole pattern.
That’s why i’m using the Slot mode for, unless i missed something.
9-16 trig the machine (not the sample directly, so machine settings are taken into account), so I’d guess it depends which slice # is set on the playback/src page? Would at least make sense…
Not really, tracks mode always loads as default so I thinks it’s handy that you immediately can play samples with the trig buttons.
For properly auditioning a bunch of samples, I’d choose slot mode, too.
Midi plays free tracks?
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For me Plays Free tracks = ambient.
I u derstand the general concept but struggle to see the musicality or the context to make use of it. Maybe for a voice sample or a background sound.
I see. I’m not 100% happy with the way plays free tracks work, but I keep coming back to plays free.
Usually for background textures.
It’s neat that you can start and stop tracks, quantized to steps. With quantize set to 16 steps, it’s similar to bringing in and out clips a la Ableton Live.
If a plays free track is stopped, fx tails will ring out, no audio cut off.
You can trigger stop for the bassline track or hats and percussion tracks and continue with knob twisting, scenes etc. - the tracks will stop perfectly at the end of the bar. You can do really cool transitions with plays free tracks, take out elements, transition, bring in new elements.
But, for example, when you change to another pattern, the plays free tracks stop. For me, it would make more sense if the track on the new pattern would start or the track from the previous pattern would continue, so that basically plays free tracks would continue to play through pattern changes.
With a looping sample on a plays free tracks, the sample will continue to play through pattern changes, but then you can’t stop it - you can stop the track (=trigs, p-locks, modulation), but not the sample so it has to be muted.
For midi plays free tracks it’s possible to use inf note length and the arp to basically make them loop, but same problem: no quantized stopping possible then.
You can ofc start new tracks as you use looping samples/inf arps and combine that with muting. The arp has its own mini sequencer, so lots of potential to do midi sequences with it - but it’s really not ideal imho.
Especially when other OT tracks are used for “normal pattern sequencing”. The way both sides work starts to collide.
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I know the this question is silly but maybe somebody has a hint for me.
I’ve been into the ‘dawless’ road for quite some years now and i don’t regret it : so much fun making music with real knobs and buttons instead of the mouse.
BUT there is just a single plugin i really miss from the DAW days, and that’s the FabFilter Pro L.
As much as i try to use the Octa’s compressor to achieve similar results, i just can’t. I usually use the PRO L not compressing to much, about 2-3 db of gain reduction (and makeup) but boy, it gives the song such a great pump and increase the LUFS in a very pleasant way : it’s almost like instant mastering.
I know you could say i can get the ‘best of both worlds’, but the problem is i’m using the Octa in live gigs, so when in studio of course i use the Pro L, but when live, i can’t use this unless i carry a laptop with audio interface along and of course, it’s not the point.
Does anyone have good results using the Octa’s compressor as a limiter ? I try a lot of parameters but the result is never even close the Pro L , usually there is always some degree of distortion, artifacts and so on.
Any ideas ?
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Have you tried
?
Best thing about the OT compressor, is you can modulate its parameters via 3 LFOs , the cross fader, Plocks, and slide trigs.
I have use the OT solo for live shows, using the compressor on master track. Works really well, getting a pumping mix is quite easy.
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Thanks, nice ideas on this topic !
I’m trying to emulate a DJ mixer using a scene. The idea is to mix a THRU machine with a FLEX one.
To do this, i’m creating the scene below :
A - THRU machine vol 63 / FLEX machine vol 0
B - THRU machine vol 0 / FLEX machine vol 63
It’s working but the mixing between the two machines isn’t natural. In a DJ mixer, when you put the crossfader on center, actually both channels are playing on full volume but in my scene, when the Octatrack’s crossfader is on middle, both tracks are playing on half volume and the sound ends up beng quieter until i move the crossfader all the way to A or B.
Is there any workaround to achieve both tracks on full volume when the crossfader is on middle ?