Octatrack, E-RM Multiclock, Ableton

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi

I’ve seen this discussed a lot but wondered if anyone is currently using this setup and if it’s improved things.

I currently use the OT as the slave to Ableton + a couple of DSI synths. They run through a Kenton Thru box and to be honest works fine. A bit of adjustment with the Clock Delay Sync in Ableton, takes a couple of bars then settles in. My soundcard is an RME UCX btw.

Does anything improve when using the Multiclock, apart from the obvious realtime offsetting and swing?

Deciding if it’s worth spending the $$

Thanks

#2

Hi,

the Multiclock has really improved my workflow. I am working with Ableton, hardware drummachines (MIDI and Din SYNC), Octatrack, external controllers like the Beat Step Pro and expanders like the Nord Rack 2. Everything is easily 100% synchronised, either using the DAW as the master, or the Multiclock. I don’t use the Kenton box anymore.

For the midi devices, I found it useful to plug everything to a midi patchbay (like the Roland A880) to quickly change what controls what, and to where the multilock sends the clock.
For the Din SYNC devices, I plug them directly to the Multiclock.

To make your DAW the master, you will use the audio click created by the Multiclock VST, to the Multiclock, ie. you need at least 3 outputs: 2 for stereo to your monitors, 1 for the Multiclock audio click.

Cheers,

Max

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#3

Hello,
Just wondering…in case you don’t use a computer, how si it possible to use the oktatrack as a midi sequencer for an external hardware via din midi, and at the same time have the multiclock act as master distributing sync to both devices also via din…you have to use a midi merger?

#4

An cheaper solution might be USAMO.
I have And use it with
Ableton live
Access virus ti2
A4

It works very well ( clock is accurate)

#5

I use a USAMO too, does a fine job

#6

The Multiclock sends clock the the OT, which sends midi notes and clock to the expander.
The USAMO is a totally different device.

#7

So you suggest to use the octatrack as a merger, but if you do so are you able to offset the clock that passes through the octatrack? Could be necessary to ajust an offset device by device, in order to achieve perfect sync…

Don’t know if there is such an option in the octatrack…

#8

Hi Philippe, I am not sure I have correctly understood your setup.

You want to send midi notes and the clock to an expander, right ?

For example to a Nord Rack 2: send the midi notes to play it, send the midi clock to sync the LFO, for example.

If you want the clock sent to the LFO exactly synced as the notes played, you can use the OT only which will send the notes and the midi clock using the same midi cable.

If you want to drift the LFO clock from the midi notes played (which seems unusual enough to be a good idea!), then indeed the Multiclock will help you do that:

  • Multiclock port 1, to the OT.
  • Multiclock port 2, to a Midi Merger
  • OT Midi out to a Midi Merger (configured not to send the clock)
  • Midi merger to the Expander.

Then on the Multiclock you can shift the timing of port 1 & port 2, even add some groove to the notes while the LFO stays tight !

I use the MIDI Solutions Merger which works well, and the Roland A880 has a merger functionality but not very polyvalent.

If you detail me the devices and objectives you want to achieve, I’d be able to better answer you.

Have a nice day !

Max

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#9

The OT doesn’t have the option that you describe, and has only one midi in. Though you can move notes one by one very precisely. Perhaps the MPC1000 has this functionality.

I think I understand your question now: you want to control multiple MIDI devices from the OT, offset device by device, and not use a computer.

Indeed in this case can’t think of a better solution of mergers, or be able to offset midi tracks.

What you could do is the following:

Voilà!

Cheers

Max

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#10

hello, and thank you! That is EXACTLY what i was thinking.

Yes i want to use expander with my octatrack, and slave idependently the octatrack and the expender to the multiclock (without a computer). Sorry for my shot explanations, hard for me to be precise in english, and about a Subject i don’t master. …

Actually i had the exact same thougts as you did.
thinking further i now believe the iconnectmidi4+ can do all that job very well!

  • standalone operation,
  • midi merger.
  • midi splitter.
  • it has usb host, ios support, wich are cool additions, all for a decent price i think.

hope the clock/midiCC merge functionality in the iconnectmidi4+ is well handled, ensuring priorisation to the clock…

1 Like
#11

And to respond to you @gozk,

Yes multiclock / usamo ect are HUGE improvement to midi interfacing for external synths with Ableton.
Test your ableton further and you will find out that the ext midi clock functionality is NOT automatically delay compensated.
This means that if you define an offset for the clock in your ableton parameters, it is not automatically adjusted when latency is added by components in your session (compressor introducing look ahead ect…). you will find that your hardware has to be resynced offsetting the midi clock EACH time you modify something that introduces lantency in your ableton session, wich is a complete bummer.

Multiclock/usamo stuff are cool solutions for that, it also sends midi notes from ableton with the clock wich is convenient.

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#12

As far as I have understood this study (http://www.e-rm.de/data/ERM_Jitter_Report_02_14_EN.pdf), the problem with midi clocks DAW is that it is never exactly the real bpm and when it is drifting, it is then compensating. Ex at 120pbm when at a moment it is 119.99, then it goes to 120.01 for a another moment.

I have heard than Logic Pro is much better than Ableton Live for this, but never tested myself. I know that everytime I tried to sync more than 2 devices from a DAW Midi, the result was not acceptable.

What I do with the Multiclock is that I put it as the master, and when I am ready to record into my DAW, I put the computer as the master, which syncs the Multiclock using the VST and the Audio in. Works really well.

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#13

Picked this video from YouTube. Didn’t watched the entire thing but I think this is the issue I am talking about
Cheers.

#14

The iconnectmidi4+ seems pretty neat ! It looks like a very good companion to the Multiclock!

But the solution we talked about doesn’t actually solve the problem of shifting the notes because the midi notes are still sent from the OT, which has only one clock for all midi tracks, and no midi track offset functionality (trig offset though).

Solutions I see:
Continue to program on the OT:

  1. OT trigs offset.
  2. Midi delay devices (Midipal?) - and iconnectmidi4i is not doing that, is it ?
    Don’t program on the OT:
  3. As many sequencers (with midi in) as expanders. Ex: Arturia BeatStep Pro.
  4. A sequencer with can offset each midi track (MPC1000? with jjos perhaps?).

Personally I use option 1 and when I do 3 I then record the audio.

Cheers

#15

Wait!
Multiclock as master sending one clock directly to the Octatrack, and sending other separate clocks to Iconnectivity midi4+.
Octatrack sending midi notes and CCs through its out port to an input of the iconnectmidi4+, but using different channels.
Iconnectivity distributing filtered midi to chosen physical ports, merging it with the correct clock. This way it could be possible to achieve perfect sync by tweaking the multiclock offsets.
Isn’t it marvelous? In pure theory it is :wink:

Just bought it couldn’t resist!
I’ll let you know if it works fine. Thanks again for your help.

#17

correct me if i go wrong but if I sync everything with my multiclock the way i described above, midi will be tight. The only problem I could encounter is audio latency, related to harware latency.

If for exemple if i sequence my digital expander that has its own latency (ipad or nord lead A1 not to mention it) with an external midi track of the octatrack and choose to route the expander’s audio out to a mixer, and at the same time route one internal track of the octatrack to another channel of that mixer, i might have a bad sync due to the different hardware latencies.
and this is not offsetable by nudging the octatrack external midi tracks as you mentionned earlier…you are absolutely right :worried:

#18

You won’t regret the Multiclock, and I am about to buy an Iconnectivity midi4+ after our discussion.
But yeah it sucks that there is no midi track offset on the OT.

#19

Hehe me already got the multiclock set up with aleton and i absolutely love it!!
i just now try to set it up nicely with the octatrack as main sequencer, standalone (in case no computer is involved).

PS : check gear4music or baxshop for the iconnectmidi4+ prices are low, at least in europe :wink:

1 Like
#20

Anyone add an MPC into the equation too? I already have an e-rm, octa, live, push, and mpc2000xl. I want everything to drive off of the mpc2000xl groove.

#21

Juno has the best prices in Europe…