Hi guys, anyone using octatrack to finalize songs / mix and arrange them? How is it for that and what’s your workflow like? Thinking of picking up to double as a dj mixer for my other elektron boxes as well as to record phrases into it’s tracks to finalize mixes with EQ and compression. Would it offer anything beyond what can be done with a Digitakt other than two effects per track? Am I better off using a windows tablet with overbridge or do you find you prefer using OT to finalize tracks?
Also is the LFO designer interpolated smoothly between its 16 steps when used on midi travks? Or do you find it still has stepping when sending automation/LFO control to other gear?
I personally like to use the Octatrack to expand material by performing rather than using it as any “finishing” tool. I don’t think there’s anything more productive to finish tracks than a DAW, it should be possible with the OT but I feel it’s much clunkier than recording stuff into a timeline and going from there.
My process is: get the ideas down on the synths, use the OT to sample phrases and mangle them (loop, FX, reverse, pitch down, use scenes for modulating the FX, etc.) which becomes new material but still using the original ideas so it has cohesion, perform while tracking the synths and the OT on a DAW. Chop it all up into an arrangement in the end.
Bear in mind: I’m in no way a releasing artist with stuff out there, purely from the viewpoint of a hobbyist. It’s just what clicked the best for me.
Yep, using the OT with two external analog devices connected in (A/B; C/D) and Midi triggered from the OT. Then I program say 32 patterns (Bank A and B; Part 1 -4). For Live performances I use the manual pattern select and the OT sound design tools (FX, LFO´s, Live step triggering, etc). I record into Ableton Live for final mastering work.
This! I initially bought an OT with the intention to sample DN and DT patterns into it and build a track with the help of arranger. Idea was that I have everything in just one machine and can perform that live as well as arrange and mix within OT.
I never did that, because there were too many limitations and issues. I’ve spent so much time finding workarounds to make things work within Elektron sequencer and OT logic instead of just recording stems into Ableton and arranging and mixing it there.
I did eventually record and arrange in Ableton with the help of Overbridge, which I found way easier. I did export my stems into OT though and setup some scenes to perform with the slider or send them to FX pedals, and recorded the results in Ableton again. This worked okay and was fun, but over time I found out I can do the same by using a MIDI controller and connecting the outputs of my Audio interface to some pedals.
YMMV though, you can do it, but be prepared to spend some time learning how to do things the OT way and be open to do things differently than you initially planned.
Thanks for the insights, my main concern was running into clunky workflow and not using it as an arrangement / mixing box in the end.
Ultimately I think I’ll just buy a 4 channel mixer with headphone que that I can use for performance and use Ableton/move to record stems and control Live.
I wish I had the moral fortitude necessary to use OT arranger mode. I mean that sincerely. Everything else I’ve forced myself to love on octatrack has paid huge dividends.
Imo OT is made to do weird stuff and shines when people use it that way. For most grunt work, it makes things more complicated than they need to be. And if you want to make final arrangements that are a bit more complex, you notice that Elektrons are still 16 step drum sequencers that make you do lots of maths and workarounds if something isn’t fitting exactly into that paradigm. But they’re great for getting 90% there and have fun. All just imho of course.
I tend to use the arranger mode when I work on song type projects…so first I prepare the patterns (mostly midi sequencing other synths and samples) and then in Arranger mode I can create the song, the path and parts that I want to song to go to, repeating them and how many times, going back to a certain part, changing tempo, length of the row, stop, mute tracks, assign scenes for each row of the arranger, etc…so, for my song type projects, it can be really nice and helpful! You can also have those “infinite” rows that keep on repeating until you change it, so you can combine a sort of song type and a jam one in one arrangement. I think it depends on what kind of music you do/play or project to do you prefer…a more rigid one in terms of structure (arranger) or a free one (or combine them using that “repeat to infinite” functionality)
Oh yes, you can route the Digi input to OT through a thru track and than to a neighbor track and do all the possible manipulations to the digi input audio signal.
