Octatrack autosave

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#11

Yes normal save command, from the manual:

4.12 HOW INFORMATION IS HANDLED
When working within a project there is no need to save as all changes are automatically cached on card. Changes made to a project will be remembered even after the machine has been switched off. The only time an operation needs to be carried out is before removing the Compact Flash card. The project should then be synced to the card. For more information about this operation, please see page 30.
There exists a SAVE command for projects though. Once you are content with a project, it is wise to save it. If you continue your work with the project, but are not satisfied with the results, you can then bring back the project to the previously saved state by performing a project RELOAD command.

I italicised the part relevant to what we are talking about.

2 Likes
#12

And patterns are part of a bank, you can save current bank without affecting rest of project.

To be clear though, I’m in agreement with you that there can be, as you put it, some “insecurity” around data/saving, though (A) once you fully understand the data structure, and (B) remember all the relevant changes in your project that might need saving, it starts to makes sense, to a degree. I still get caught out from time to time, although rarely anything catastrophic.

1 Like
#13

Thanks a lot.
I will look into bank saving in some weeks or years.
Its more a fragile feeling for me.
IMO the more complex the machine and with trillions of great new trig and plock conditions, the more the machine would profit from a non-autosave mode where non-experts like me could turn on, go wild with all the great stuff without worries about reload etc,(maybe save project as), turn off.
Maybe there is a simple tecnical reason its not there.
On tr8 I absolutely dont need the write protect thing, on tr8s i would be happy to have it.

More a note to myself:
Referring to the old answer of mk7( save as new very often) i‘ll also search or test myself the precise step by step to simulate the save as of a daw.
There I also do often save as „testloopversion2moreresonance“
( save as of whole project because of little change)
On ot probably, maybe, i HOPE its possible after mangling :
Project „hello“ save as new, then reload. Need to figure out if I first have to save the new (AGAIN + rename to „hello2“ ) or reload the old.

Btw havent tested yet if its possible on a4 project manager to do copy project „hello“, reload ( load to saved project state), move to next number, paste, rename „hello2“
to simulate the save as click of a daw or save as other number on tanzbär, korg er1…

#14

…it’s better to forget to reload, than to forget to save…u can only have it one way or the other…

autosave saved my ass too many times to join ur cake here…
i love the fact, that it always starts where i left it…

and if u don’t reload ur project to fresh status before a gig, which is the only situation were it ends up as an epic fail for real…well, some must learn it the hard way… :wink:

6 Likes
#15
  1. Project=>“save to new” to save changes as new project which becomes the active one
  2. Project=>“change” to load the old one (if you really want to go back)

Making successive backups using the “save to new” functionality is almost as fast as just using the save project key combo. Make a habit of it. Before toying around with a project, just make a backup. Whenever you think a state is “stable” or worth saving, make a backup. This cures any insecurities.

It doesn’t matter if you produce 10-20 backups in a single session this way. You can always cleanup later on, but you can’t get back overwritten or not saved stuff.

5 Likes
#16

Thanks a lot.
Will combine your short answer and the detailed tecnical of open mike below when i see ot next time.
Anyway important to save the altered project again (to be able to later reload ) after save to new and glad i saw it in your great forum before throwing ot out of the window spontanously when i wouldnt have seen it here.

#17

Coming back a little bit later…
That you use it often and on stage and like autosave is a big argument.
Yes its one way or the other.

Still I wonder if there is a simple tecnical reason or what is it there is not a tipical elektron checkbox to choose one way or the other.
Mostly I mean a checkbox on Analog 4
in elektronese language below the reload kit on change checkbox that says :

[ ] Reload pattern on change.

Something similar on OT personalize menu…

For me a autosave on or off checkbox,

but I know I‘m minority here and also dont use it enough.

On roland tr-8 (autosaves stuff) they added a button combo in a update to lock ( write protect ) a pattern.
On tr8s ( i don‘t have it, more compareable to complex ot)
there is a simple „push 2 buttons simultaneously thing“ to lock (write protect from autosaving) a kit- pattern combo.
Japanese engineers like to be able to turn on or off autosave, swedish engineers not or is there a tecnical reason? No answer from feature request team in sweden yet…

#18

I don’t get what is the problem with Autosave.

What would do an option? Reload saved project automatically after power cycle or project change?

1 Like
#19

Yes sorry I know it doesnt seem a problem for the majority of the experienced users here.
Dont know what would be possible on ot tecnically.
Me personally I would like an option to turn on ot, play with stuff and turn off and its like before. ( or maybe make a save as pattern 2 or project2)
Or even like on tanzbär it starts blank, i first have to load a project if i want to contiunue something and save to a new number/name or the same if i want to save.
(As said as an option as I see most are happy as it is)

As I see it, now for peace of mind I would have to start with a copy of a pattern on a copy of a project. ( or start with a fresh project of course) on OT.
(On a4 go to empty pattern, load new kit… to start fresh)

On A4 I often make the „copy pattern, reload pattern, save to next pattern, save pattern, name/save kit as kit2 „ operation. ( kit reload on change marked)
On ot there is no reload pattern operation.

My question to elektron is mostly :
Is there a tecnical reason on a4 there it can be marked kit reload on change but not pattern reload on change?

Feature request on both machines: an option pattern reload on change ( in elektron language)
( no pattern autosave in other language)

Or a tr-8s style key combo: write protect pattern with kit ( i can jump back to that pattern and its like when i turned on the machine)

Or for me an option on all machines : nothing gets saved until i hit save or hit a save as. ( like on a daw: do you want to save the changes? when i hit close. Or if I like both versions i hit save as)
On bass station or tanzbär: when I turn off
everything is like before turning on if i didnt save to a number( the same or if i like to keep the old to a new number)

I repeat: just as an option to mark [ ],
i don’t want to take away autosave from all happy users and maybe its just a tecnical necessity for some elektron-speciality.

( or a special edition rytm and a4 just for me)

#20

It’s designed the way it is and doubt it will ever change,
think you just have to accept how Elektron have designed it and need to use it the way they intended it to be used. You can achieve what you want by simply saving the project,
If you want to get back to that spot reload the project…

I’m working on a track on my DT/DN when I’ve had enough I switch it off
It’s great when I switch it back on its still there. It’s hardware not a computer.
I could create save points to go back to also, so it does what it needs to do

3 Likes
#21

Greetings from the alps to australia.
Yes I reload the project constantly. I like the small meditation to watch the loading bar.( no joke)
Well not that constantly, because of general lazyness or other stuff. And because for a quick jam it takes away motivation that i first have to copy pattern etc etc, thinking do I risk jamming without project copy or make version 3 of that (not amazing ) jam.

A bit also the encoders not so inviting to touch as most others ( dreadbox…) , for me, but apart from that a4, dn, ot (rytm also with that compressor i imagine) would be the perfect (quick ) jamming machines for me.

Yes I can achieve what I want ( jumping around patterns, plocks, reloads and trig modes, enjoying elektrons unique selling point) without worries and thinking with a copy of project plus copy of pattern. And then another copy.

I was in the rename menu, thinking I was concentrated but managed to mess it up more somehow. Now I‘m scared to go there again.
I noted now the improvised project names and what the crossfader does on a piece of paper.

On digitone I also already reloaded pattern where i thought its saved to project.
I can tell when i bought a4 and talked about it with the old hippie shop owner he said thats a no go and offered to return it.
The young employee said live with it and its kinda cool.

Since then the fascination for elektron sequencer was in constant clash with that insecurity ( or maybe my general insecurity) and not turning on the machine or not buying another.
The sequencer wins as you see

#22

I kind of see what @pdp means, sometimes you just want to tweak a pattern without it saving anything, sure it is easy enough to get around using reload, and I can see why Elektron decided to do it this way, having an autosave on/off function would probably lead to mistakes.

Main thing to remember @pdp is that there are 2 save states, the autosave (which is cached to card constantly upon changes) and the save project save which is done manually.

When you are happy with a project save it, any tweaks which you do do not overwrite the actual saved project just the autosave cached version, in the instance where you prefer the new changes you made, manually save project again, in the instance where you don’t prefer the changes you made don’t save it.

Also bear in mind that you can save banks, parts and samples, so if you just tweak some sounds you can save the part, if you change some sequences you can save the bank.

The save to new is a very handy feature as @tnussb mentioned because it allows you to compare different versions.

My advice would be to save a project you are happy with, then save to new a version that you can experiment with, then try saving parts and banks. All the while safe in the knowledge that your original project will be just as you left it.

4 Likes
#23

Maybe it’s more the fact there is not really much undo?
because I don’t see much of a difference between doing it either way
using a daw vs Elektron way except you have to save before you switch off tbh…

Plus unless I’m using the Octatrack I use Overbridge and just use total recall
so it does work exactly like saving a ableton project but the last project is active on the Elektron stuff when turn them on

1 Like
#24

I wonder if someone figured how to disable the autosave since (first post, I know, but I feel this is one out of three crucial basic features that would finally allow me to purchase an Octatrack MK2 in original and epic destroyer grey, if that’s still available).

Let me offer a suggestion as to why it is so crucial:

Live set, patterns of tracks known by audience played back & forth, improvised upon. Tweak a pattern for too long because they love it (okay, because I love it). Move on to next core theme, but then decide to return to the previously heavily tweaked one, say after a fogdog intentionally designed to lead into both seamlessly, for reasons of dropping the original core theme on them yet again. Your carefully designed & tweaked pattern is however not only gone, but the seamless transition fro the fogdog is also ruined. No time to reload anything, all this happens within a single track (“song” if you like).

Such a shame, but I cannot risk my work to be silently and unconditionally overwritten by my own live tweaks, to any extent.

#25

This is how the MIDIbox SEQ works, and it’s also a good system. I don’t really ahve a preference On the OT it is easier to accidentally lose work by not saving your project often enough/saving redundant backups and ending up in a situation where you’ve got a problem and don’t have a way to roll back easily; with the MBSeq (no autosave, but autoloads the last saved version of the current project) it’s easier to lose work by not saving enough and having an accidental shutdown (power failure, getting unplugged at a show, etc.) and losing all the work since your last save. Seems more a matter of preference than one approach being safer than the other.

#26

There’s no need to disable it.
Autosave is a soft save.

Make your set. Save the project. This is a hard save.
Go out and play it live, tweak it till youre done.

Next time you turn the machine on, reload the project. This will reload the hard save, eg, the state you want to start tweaking from, not the last auto save.

Done.

#27

There IS a need to disable it, let me try to explain in as simple terms as it gets:

Tweak a theme.
Go on to another.
Return to previous.
Not returning to theme as designed & saved.
No time to load anything, need the first step to match saved, untweaked.
Completely ruins performance.

1 Like
#28

That’s what the reload parts functionality is for right? Just reload when you’ve just gone to the next one :+1:

1 Like
#29

Yeah, reload parts and maybe do your tweaks on a blank scene?

#30

I love the autosave.
Wouldn’t want it any other way.

So nice to have the device at exactly the same settings as it was the last time.

1 Like