It started with a simple question: could I get the Octatrack to do a live reverse delay on the inputs. After sketching out some read/write playheads on a piece of notebook paper, I decided “yes, definitely.” But in the process, my idea started to get bigger: how to turn the OT into an infinitely controllable version of the Microcosm. The biggest complaint that I see on the forums about the Microcosm is that not enough control is given to the user. With the OT, all of the control is at your fingertips.
For the reverse delay (Tracks 1-2), there is always a track recording and a track playing. That way, there are no gaps in the sound. As T1 finishes playing and starts recording, T2 starts playing the sample that it was recording during T1’s playback
Set the record length to 4 steps in the “Setup 1” menu. This is effectively your delay time
Set up Tracks 3-4 in a similar way (reversed playback) but at +1 octave and with a 2 step record length in the “Setup 1” menu.
Set up Track 5 similar to T1, but pitch it up 7 semi-tones (a fifth)
Set up Track 6-7 with a 4 step length, but set them to stutter the live input. Set the SRC > LEN to time. Create a short length and an offset to the start time. Then set an LFO to modulate the start time
Set Track 8 as Master and use the Dark Reverb to taste
For T1-7, use a delay with light to moderate feedback in pingpong mode. Use an LFO to modulate the volume and pan. Pan neighboring tracks (T1/T2, T3/T4) to opposite sides of the stereo field
Set step probabilities for the playback trigs to randomize the playback (especially on the pitched tracks)
Set levels to taste
You can get some really magical sounds once you dial in the modulations and step probability. Maybe this isn’t news to some of the OT elite, but I hope it will inspire some of you to experiment. I’ll post some sound samples. Let me know if you would be interested in the project file and I can try to figure out how to dump it here.
Here’s a quick demonstration. The phrase is repeated with 1) reverse delay 2) reverse+octave 3) reverse+octave+stutter 4) reverse+octave+stutter+5th…
Here it is in a musical context, with a similar buildup of the active FX tracks…
Fun stuff! I use the OT all the time as a sequenced ‘custom delay’ unit with tape wobble, pitch shifting, filtering, stretching and all the OT goodness. I like resampling the ‘delay’, having different track lengths and using probability for all kinds of unpredictability
Yeah, I’ve been exploring the idea of “Octatrack as pedalboard” for live guitar playing. I got into this line of thought from seeing the Polyend MESS. Once you consider the OT sequencing, parameter locking, and and micro-looping capability in the context of standalone FX chain, it’s really astounding.
Oof, that sounds awesome. Phaser on the reverse octave track is a good idea. That’s the sort of ethereal modulation I want to get at. From your earlier post, I didn’t even think of using two buffers in order to save a flex track, very clever. And I will definitely be adding a compressor to the effect chain as I refine my template.
(just so we’re clear, when I mentioned “the Octatrack elite” in the first post, I was referring to you)
The ethereal comes with CUE send recorded with feedback.
Pitched buffers are repitched.
Possible to add timestretch and comb filters, pitch slide, filters…
Really interesting results in your recordings!
To be honest though I feel like the results I heard in that thread so far are not too similar to what the MC can do.
The thing is the Microcosm has several algorithms and I’m not sure what of these you’d like to emulate.
It feels like people know and use more the Mosaic which I 'd describe as a shimmery delay but it also depends on the parameters you set on the MC.
If you could describe which preset you wanna emulate it would be easier to compare and to recommend adjustments.
It would be interesting as a test that I record something simple thru one of the algorithms of the MC and try to reproduce it with the OT but alas I have neither a soundcard (it died) nor the time or even the skills I’m afraid…
Yeah, I think that the Mosaic algorithms are the easiest to understand and emulate, because it’s pretty obvious what they’re doing (and that’s the one most people seen to favor). I’m also a fan of the Haze and Tunnel algos, but those would be tougher to capture because it’s less obvious what’s going on
I use Haze A/B/C and Tunnel A on guitar. I like it with low activity, which makes it more skittery and less diffused to my ears. I tend not to use algorithms with a lot of low end or filter sweeping action
No, not quite. That would be amplitude modulation (or like Roland’s “Slicer” effect). What I do is sample a small snippet of incoming audio (2-4 steps) and immediately play that back, but with a number of retriggers. Think of it like a stuttered delay, but where the number of steps you record is effectively your delay time.
So, you’re constantly recording, playing back, then immediately overwriting the recording with whatever you’re playing live through the inputs in 4 step chunks.
Yeah, I think the person doing the demo turned on pitch mod at the start and forgot to turn it off. It’s a real pity because Haze and Tunnel can make beautiful, haunting reverbs, but the wild pitch mod made them sound clownish.
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