Hi,
has anyone tried setting up tracks 1-4 to mimic an EHX 2880 or 4500 looper?
I’m trying to set it up as a 4 track looper for my Buchla Easel - something like a 4-track tape machine or say an EHX 2880/4500. I’ve had some luck with 4 pickup machines, but somehow it’s a bit buggy so wondering if anyone else has tried it
Thanks!
Welcome @SFATC.
I prefer to use recorders and FLEX. Starting recording with Tracks + REC 1/2/3 and QREC.
EHX loopers are pretty basic.
I have an RC 505 MKII.
What do you record ?
Thanks @sezare56
How does overdubbing work with Flex? haven’t tried that yet.
I mostly want to use tracks 1-4 to record a buchla easel or other mono synths into the octatrack and then use 5-7 as static machines to run some drums or ambience/field recordings. I mostly make ambient music.
Thanks for tagging the other thread - going through it now.
one of the issues I’m facing is that if I set up T1 as the master Pickup machine and record into it, it changes the master tempo, so my samples on T5-T7 go out of whack. The stuff I record into the pickup machines will likely just be textures/sound design elements so they don’t need to be tempo synced. To avoid this perhaps I can use a flex machine instead like you suggested, but I can’t figure out how to overdub on a flex machine
Hi @SFATC ,
Have you tried turning off timestretch on your samples track 5-8 and go from there?
Double tap the playback button (under screen) to find the switch.
Yes, what works, but only if you are not using any time stretched samples. I guess I could bounce the time stretched sample to a new flex recording and then assign that to T5/6/7
or say if the OT is also sending clock out to a modular/synth - then that tempo shifts as well. What I’d like to do is to record a loop and be able to overdub - across 4 tracks and also playback some samples at the given BPM, while the OT also clocks other synths.
You have to use a defined length (RLEN) if you don’t want tempo changes.
You can overdub with recorders, if you set them to record the track and external audio (SRC3=T1-T8 / CUE, and INAB/CD).
Or record several tracks separately, send them to CUE, record CUE constantly, switch to a pattern that will play the mixed recording.
oh I didn’t know one could do that with Pickup machines - Thanks!
Interesting. I haven’t tried this either. Thanks!
sezare is definitely expert here!
what I’ll add as an interesting FYI that I don’t often see covered is that you can enjoy the traditional looping aspects that Pickup Machines offer and use an 2nd Part that switches those Pickups to Flex Machines playing their respective recording buffer for a seamless switching…not 100% on application for yourself but allows for some juggling between the two approaches potentially to exploit advantages of each. Build up a loop then switch to more malleable format perhaps.
oooo that sounds like fun too!
I tried this method. Flex track on T1 with a record trig on step 1 - Set to record inAB and T1, some gain staging is required, but it works in principle. Now the only issue is that since it’s constantly recording itself, eventually it just causes a feedback loop and the gain keeps increasing - unlike in a pickup machine where you don’t have to turn off recording after each pass, with this method I guess one has to remove the record trig after recording an overdub and then re-enabling it when you want to record more layers or something like that.
Pickup machines work just fine and I’ve figured out how to use it like the 2880 more or less - But as soon as I try and sync it to an external clock I get the ‘P1 dub aborted’ error. Seems nearly impossible to achieve live looping with PUMs and external clock.
If you reduce the amp vol a little bit you should be able to keep it in control, and in my experiments with internal feedback I noticed that I needed to apply a little low cut filtering otherwise the sub bass built up and distorted like crazy. IIRC a BASE setting of 5-10 on the filter was sufficient.
Normal if you leave the rec trig.
You can use a one shot trig instead, or Track + REC 1/2/3 with QREC quantize, or midi note 60 (combo rec).
I don’t have an OT (currently) but may repurchase at some point and need to remember this workflow!!
I liked using pickup machines for setting up loops but ran into similar issues to the OP. The ability to change parts and have the same recording buffer (that recorded the pick up loop) now assigned to a flex track never occurred to me, but if that can seamlessly switch over and have the ‘loop’ that was recorded initially in a pickup continue to play as a flex track instead (and then be able to be manipulated etc) just by changing parts (obv once set up) sounds amazing.
I find pickups more flexible for recording in the first instance, esp when improvising, but then find them less flexible once playing back. Not sure this will fix the OPs tempo issue, but a great workflow tip none the less if I’m understanding it correctly?!
I know this can be done using different tracks in the same part as well, but I ran out of tracks quickly that way which this workflow would alleviate. Hmmm….