Octatrack & FH-2 (Expert Sleepers)

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hey folks,

I was thinking a lot about how to combine my Eurorack-System with the OT and after a first try with the Mutant Brain (Hexinverter), which was quite good for what it does, I have moved on to the FH-2.

Now I can see that there is plenty of threads dealing with the FH-1 and its combination with the OT, but there are quite a few major differences between the two modules and I would like to wrap my head around how to use it in different scenarios and maybe also share some ideas around that combination here.

Here is what I have figured out so far:

1.:
I could manage to control the FH-2’s internal LFO’s with the OT through its 4 first outputs by assigning some MIDI-CC’s inside the OT.

I can choose between synced LFO’s and free-running LFO’s, and this way I have figured out some things that seem to have a lot to do with the internal encoder-resolution of the OT.

Even though the FH-2’s manual says that the LFO’s are already levelled around zero by setting its direct-out maximum to the value of 8192 (and setting the specific outputs to a range of ±5), I still have to assign a MIDI-CC of the OT to the direct-out-value and set it to 64 (which, in OT-language, seems to be the mid-value). If I don’t do so, the LFO’s do some random stuff that is unpredictable…

In this configuration though I can shape the LFO’s by adding values like the amount of sine/saw/triangle etc., but, again, for levelling the values of e.g. the square-LFO or the saw-LFO, I have to assign 2 MIDI-CC’s to the pulsewidth- and phase-parameters and level them to 64 again…

So my question is: Is there any workaround for that? Because this way I always have to loose 3 MIDI-CC-encoders per MIDI-CH just to level all things right. Is it e.g. possible to work with different Parts on the OT and use one just to level things right, and then just switch to another Part?

2.:
I cannot find a way of usefully “sync” the OT LFO’s with the FH-2’s LFO’s.

Of course this would be the dream-combination, and I could somehow manage to combine the FH-2’s sine-LFO with the OT’s saw-LFO by assigning the DEP-value to the specific MIDI-CC and setting it to TRIG-SYNC-mode. This only works when I use the FH-2’s LFO’s in Tempo-based synchronisation, but it works like a charm :slight_smile:

nevertheless I still wonder how to assign e.g. the OT’s square-LFO the the FH-2’s one, or, e.g., shape the FH-2’s LFO with the various OT-LFO-types.

I could get some decent results by dialling in the FH-2’s sine-LFO fully and assigning the OT’s LFO-DEP’s to the FH-2’s LFO-level-parameter (by providing the other settings as mentioned above), but this is somehow resulting in interesting, but also quite uncontrollable LFO’s, which is nice, but still somehow random…

So does anyone have found a way to shape the FH-2’s LFO’s with the OT’s LFO’s?

3.:
I cannot find a way of using the FH-2’s envelopes. Maybe I am to dumb to understand the manual, but there is no CV coming out of the output that I am assigning the envelope-values to.

How does this work? Because I have already tried to assign a gate or trig to the same output, but there is still no CV coming out…

So far I am curious how you guys use these two devices together and share some ideas on that / help each other to combine these fluently :slight_smile:

Octatrack MK2 and Expert Sleepers FH-2 - clock and reset
#2

can´t help since i never setup myself the envelopes.
But the manual is indeed at least at first quite confusing in this regard.

i´d setup a very simple testpatch only to test out different gate and envelope configurations to get the feel for it.
can´t help you more. sorry

i think the essential part to understand is this one, page 17 in the manual:

The assignment of functions to outputs is as follows: the first (lowest numbered) output used by the converter is specified by the ‘Base output’. Then outputs are assigned in sequence in the order above, that is, CV/Gate/VelGate/Velocity/Rel Vel/Trigger/Pressure/MPE Y, for any outputs that are enabled. For polyphonic converters, the outputs for each voice are assigned in this manner in turn. Finally, if enabled, the Aftertouch and Para Gate outputs are assigned.

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#3

I have the same combination of OT and FH-2.
To use the envelopes you need to make sure that you are also actually controlling the ADSR parameters of it. You can either set up these to respond to midi cc so you can control them from the OT, or to set them in the presets.
You could set up 2 outputs to be pitch and an envelope. No need for a gate out if you are running the envelopes (unless you specifically want an additional gate out).

Anyway, my guess is that you are not setting up the actual parameters for the ADSR either in presets in FH-2, or by assigning cc to control them.

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#4

hey guys,
thanks for clarification and explanations!
so far everything you have mentioned above works now, but i still have no clue how to use the OT’s LFO’s to shape the FH-2’s internal LFO’s:

does anyone of you use it this way? and is it even possible to do so? if yes: how do you program the OT’s settings to shape the FH-2’s LFO’s wit the OT’s internal LFO’s?

//edit:
my hope is to spare some of my OT’s CC-parameters per track to use them for other purposes on the FH-2, and something like a tight response between the OT’s LFO-designer and its transformation to CV would be the best thing to happen!!

//edit2:
i have figured out some odd behaviour regarding the OT’s ratcheting: whenever i set up the per-step-ratcheting to any value higher than 1, the FH-2 somehow only extends the total CV-output for that certain step: so even after setting the note-lenght in the OT as low as possible, instead of having multiple gates on this step it sounds like an extended decay…did anyone here also have had that issue?

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#5

Hello, I am connecting OT via USB to ES FH-2 in order to pass the clock. Such a simple task but I am not sure how to configure this as I don’t have experience with FH-2 and it seem to have a lot of options.

I want FH-2 to receive clock from OT and from FH-2 I want to pass that clock to other module (Varigate 4+), as well as start/stop reset. How I can do this? I was checking in FH-2 manual and the configuration tool but I cannot find the answer. Please help, thank you.

#6

Hi Shor,

I would like to ask you how do you map the CC in the FH-2 configurator to control the parameters of the envelopes in the OT? I’ve been trying to set this up without any success.

My set up :

Channel 1 to 4 of OT send out triggers and CV through FH-2 = works perfect
Channel 5 to 8 = would like to send envelopes
There is an envelope being sent, but I cannot control any of its parameters so it’s either on or off according to the trigs that I put on the sequencer of the OT.

So what I did in the configuration tool of the FH-2 is that I selected envelopes for each mono track in the MIDI/CV converter

Then in the envelope parameters I tried to set up like this :

Portamento :
Channel 5 / CC 36 (because at the end of the OT manual it says that CC1 is DEC 36) - am I totally confused ?

Transpose :
Channel 5 / CC 37

Attack :
Channel 5 / CC 38

Decay :
Channel 5 // CC 39

etc.

Portamento :
Channel 6 / CC 36

Transpose :
Channel 6 / CC 37

etc. etc.

knobs don’t do anything. I feel like I am just not getting it and I cannot find a way to make the link between the two manuals to understand what data should I program in the configuration tool to reach the CCs of the midi tracks in the OT.

Probably something really simple, so if anyone has an idea here I would be super grateful cuz I’m going nuts here. :sweat_smile:

I’m wondering if it has something to do with the channel set up. In the manual it says that midi channels should not be the same as audio channels (so I also tried to change to 13,14,15,16 and used 13 instead of 5). And I am really confused about if CC connect should be on or of. Maybe somebody could help me understand this, the manual is really confusing for my current level of understanding.

Thanks !! :pray:

#7

Welcome to the forum!

Seemingly.

As far as I can see, you want the FH-2 to send a MIDI CC message to the OT to control the envelopes of the OT’s audio track(s).

But the data you quoted in the manual (“CC #1”) is for a MIDI CC being sent out by the OT’s MIDI sequencer tracks. Instead, you need to send:

  • CC 22 (for Amp param #1 (attack)), or
  • CC 23 (for Amp param #2 (hold)), or
  • CC 24 (for Amp param #3 (release)).

Those messages need to be sent on the MIDI channels that you have set for the OT’s audio tracks.

You need to use the FH-2 in its CV-to-MIDI convertor “CV/MIDI” mode.

How are you connecting the FH-2 to the OT?

Forgive me (and correct me) if I have misunderstood what you are trying to do.

#8

The OT does not send MIDI over USB. You would need a MIDI-to-USB convertor, or the Expert Sleepers MIDI breakout box.

#9

Hi PeterHanes,

thank you for your reply.

It’s actually the opposite. I want the OT to send MIDI CC messages to the FH-2 to control the envelopes of the FH-2. So these envelopes are triggered by the OT and on top of that I want to control their ASDR parameters through the CC1, CC2, CC3… knobs of the OT.

does it make more sense ? :sweat_smile:

I am using a midi cable between the FH-2 and the OT. I have already configured channel 1 to 4 of the OT to send out triggers, gates & CV through the FH-2 and it works perfectly.

I am a bit confused about that actually. Somehow my brain cannot get around it. To me the audio tracks part and the midi tracks part are two completely separate things so I don’t understand why and how to set up the MIDI channels according to the audio tracks correctly.

#10

OK. Sorry for the misunderstanding. In that case please ignore my previous post.

So you still need to ignore the tables at the back of the OT’s manual because they describe how incoming CC messages affect the OT.

In the FH-2 configurator tool you need to choose a channel number (for example, 9) and a CC message number (as an example, let’s say 70) that the FH-2’s MIDI-to-CV convertor will use to set an envelope parameter, for example Attack.

Then on one of the OT’s MIDI sequencer tracks you set the channel number (9, above) and one of the 10 available CC commands (for example, CC1) to be the required CC message number (70, in the example above).

Then on that MIDI sequencer track you parameter-lock whatever values you want to send (in the range from 0 to 127) for CC1 on the required sequencer steps.

If you’re not addressing the audio tracks, then you don’t need to worry here about the channel numbers that they are set to. Sorry for adding to the confusion. Just set the required channel number for the OT’s MIDI sequencer track as mentioned above.

How are you connecting the OT to the FH-2?

#11

Hi PeterHanes,

thank you for your help, I so appreciate !

I was able to set it up and now envelope curves started appearing on the FH-2 screen :happy:

But, there is still a weird thing, even though there is a response on the FH-2 and the curves move with the turning of the OT knobs, it still doesn’t make any difference in the sound. I put a trig on the OT sequencer and plugged this out from FH-2 into an oscillator on my modular synth and even though I move the knobs and there is a movement of the curves on the FH-2 screen the sound is not affected except receiving the data of the trig but remaining the same trig every time.

I set it up for Attack = Knob CC1, Decay = Knob CC2, Sustain = Knob CC3, Release = Knob CC4. I even tried parameter locks as you suggested, and different curves appear successively on the screen but sound is still the same, it receives a data from the trigs, but all trigs sound the same, and don’t match the envelopes seen on the FH-2 screen, and don’t change when I move the knobs.

maybe it is because of this :

I am still a bit confused about where I should set this up ? Is it under project - midi - channels ? That’s where I set it up - see picture from manual below :

Screenshot 2020-08-02 at 13.58.28
Screenshot 2020-08-02 at 13.58.28796×406 45.7 KB

and what is this auto channel thing ? I don’t understand it.

also in the the manual :
"To avoid unwanted MIDI conflicts when controlling external instruments with the Octatrack MKII MIDI sequencer, the MIDI channels assigned to the audio tracks should preferably not be the same as those assigned to the MIDI tracks

If an audio track and a MIDI track share the same MIDI channel, the MIDI track will block the audio track from sending out data while the audio track will block the MIDI track from receiving data. In the PROJECT menu you can see which MIDI channels are assigned to which audio tracks"

I still would like to understand what this is for. In what case I could address the audio tracks. Sorry if this is something super clear for you, I just recently started getting into modular and straight up bought an OT :sweat_smile: so lots of new info

Or maybe does it have to do anything with CC direct connect ? I don’t understand what this does, I read the passage about it on the manual over and over but just can’t seem to understand it. I feel like there is more layers of the midi than I can get my head around somehow.

Thanks so much though !!!

#12

Yay!

No. For the OT’s MIDI sequencer tracks, the MIDI channel number is set in the Note Setup menu for the individual MIDI sequencer track.

If you haven’t set the MIDI channel for the OT’s MIDI sequencer track to match the MIDI channel that you have assigned for the MIDI-to-CV convertor in the FH-2, then nothing will happen.

Here we get into stuff that is very specific to your modular system, and I don’t have an FH-2 to be able to go through the steps myself.

However, if you can post one very specific example of what you want to do and how you are connecting the FH-2 to your modular, then I or someone else can try to help.

#13

I put these next responses in a different reply in case it needs to be moved, because we are now heading away from your original question about the OT and the FH-2.

The OT has 8 audio tracks (for playing samples with effects) and 8 MIDI sequencer tracks. Not only can each of these tracks send MIDI messages out of the OT to control other gear, but other gear can send MIDI messages to each track on the OT.

The screenshot you showed from the PROJECT > MIDI > CHANNELS menu is where you can set the MIDI channel numbers that the 8 audio tracks listen to.

The typical use for the AUTO CHANNEL feature is where you have a MIDI keyboard connected to the MIDI In port of the OT, and you want to use the keyboard to play the samples on some of the tracks at different times.

With other gear manufacturers’ gear this might mean that you have to change the MIDI channel number on the keyboard every time you want to play a sound on a different track. With the OT (and most other Elektron gear), if you set the MIDI keyboard to send MIDI notes on the AUTO CHANNEL number, then the OT will automatically route the notes to whichever track (audio or MIDI) is currently selected on the OT.

CC DIRECT CONNECT is a feature in the OT’s project settings that allows tight integration with an external MIDI synthesizer. It’s not required for anything that you have asked about so far. I can’t do better than quote the manual:

CC DIRECT CONNECT is useful when for example connecting the MIDI IN and OUT of an external synthesizer to the MIDI OUT and IN of the Octatrack. When CC DIRECT CONNECT is enabled, and the synth is set to local off, turning a knob on the synthesizer will affect that particular synth parameter, given the knob sends a CC message and sends it to the auto channel or the MIDI channel of the active MIDI track. If the CC value of the knob also has been mapped to a CTRL 1/CTRL 2 SETUP menu parameter, it is possible for knob changes made on the external synthesizer to be recorded by the Octatrack when in LIVE RECORDING mode.

That’s a lot for anyone to get their head around, so just take it one step at a time and before long you’ll be flying!