Octatrack for slower music

Acidizer · 2023-07-16T17:16:43.570Z

This is a little vague since I have no hands on time with OT but just seeing if anyone here uses their OT for slow music, ambient or soundscapes since it seems geared toward faster music and only
4 bars.

Would love to hear any anecdotes on how you use it in this way or any technical tips you like to deploy to give some insight or inspiration.

GurtTractor · 2023-07-16T17:24:43.061Z

I like what Substan did here -

You can get a lot done with just static track loops, and subtle level and parameter tweaks. I’ve done a few similarish things before but with flex tracks just grabbing snippets of field recordings or something. Can be pretty satisfying.

I would say that the OT definitely isn’t just geared towards faster stuff, it can work very well indeed for slow compositions. Remember that you can change a track’s sequence speed down to 1/4 the standard, and unusual polyrhythmic stuff is fairly easy too.

shigginpit · 2023-07-16T17:31:58.147Z

GurtTractor:

I would say that the OT definitely isn’t just geared towards faster stuff

I would be forced to agree with this statement, Octatrack may be geared towards performance but not towards performances at any particular bpm.

"This piece is made differently from my regular ambient approach, in this one I took the concept of tape loops ambient music and applied it to the Octatrack.

I’m using 8 long sample loops (from 1 to 4 minutes long) of pads, choirs, flutes and all smooth instruments with slow attack and decay, also lots of reverb and delay. The result is a megadrone which keeps slowly changing, creating non-repeating sequences and phrases.

Actually it is not totally non-repeating. These are the samples lengths in seconds: 196, 160, 92, 256, 136, 76, 120, 104, if my calculations are correct, the Least Common Multiple is 370,855,680.00 seconds, or 576 years. That’s the amount of time this piece would have to play until it repeats the whole thing again." - artist

yokermoon · 2023-07-16T17:39:31.340Z

I love the OT for ambient-ish things…tough one to answer beyond that…the samples or audio you use will have major influence over the results of course…but yeah, lower tempos, resampling, trig probability, ‘plays free’ feature, scenes, the LFOs set to ‘hold’ and random and using the cue outs for fx sends are a bunch of big general features that help me for slow music.

GurtTractor · 2023-07-16T17:47:05.553Z

The LFOs can go very slow so are really easy to use for very subtle changes over time. Same with the envelopes.

Microtribe · 2023-07-16T21:18:42.482Z

Acidizer:

it seems geared toward faster music and only
4 bars.

Not at all.

Octatrack can do what ever you want.

tomes · 2023-07-17T06:17:59.724Z

i love OT for ambient / less rhythm oriented / unqunatised music. recently i have even been using the sequencer… or not pressing play at least, but using plays free tracks or just triggering samples… it’s amazingly versatile and super fun!

w-lf · 2023-07-17T08:52:42.408Z

I’d say the OT does ambient very well:

Can play long stereo samples
3 LFO’s per track
Decent list of effects to modulate

You could use this trick to transition between tracks (which relies on play free iso the livelooping the output, although that would work as well): Elektron Octatrack - New method to transition between songs! (Like in Ableton Live) - YouTube

reeloy · 2023-07-17T09:23:03.242Z

…silly question…

sure it can do slow…all sorts of slow…and four bars is no limit, since that can be anything, always depending on how U wanna define the metrics, how u wanna/going to count and multiply/devide…double/even/halftime/poly…no matter what genre, music is always based on some simple math in first place…

Francis · 2023-07-17T11:21:20.413Z

It goes to 40bpm, I can still dance to it but I’m like Kate bush on elephant tranquilizers.

Supercolor_T-120 · 2023-07-17T14:37:43.779Z

Multiple, parallel thru machines feeding a pickup machine with the AMP set to a negative value so it decays like a LONG delay, into a delay with its time set to an asynchronous value, feeding a neighbor machine. Then modulate all of it with LFOs and use the crossfader to control the LFOs.

No need to even run the sequencer.

PAPANOONGAKU · 2023-07-17T17:17:02.410Z

I do. I use it on a song that is 60bpm (or is that 120? Or 240?). It’s a piano piece. You literally can do any kind of music on the OT. Just like you can shred on a guitar or play dirges.

Microtribe · 2023-07-17T21:34:57.895Z

Francis:

It goes to 40bpm

Mine goes to 30, its like the Spinal Tap of dirge

20230718_0733094608×2240 1.11 MB

brisket · 2023-07-17T21:37:06.813Z

I think they should let us take it to 0.1 bpm. Of course it’ll sound cooked, but what fun

Francis · 2023-07-17T21:38:51.291Z

I pass out at 40, the g force gets me

Microtribe · 2023-07-17T21:44:29.470Z

With the clock divider we can get 30/8 = 3.75 bpm

Francis · 2023-07-17T21:45:50.217Z

And there go my innards.

shred · 2023-07-18T02:56:37.240Z

stop it y’all, i don’t wanna buy another OT

bodymechanics · 2023-07-18T03:22:03.009Z

Plus trig conditions.
Which turn 1 bar into something evolving endlessly

Microtribe · 2023-07-18T04:55:55.152Z

Plus infinite master sequencer length… and beyond