One thing that regularly happens to me is, I use a flex track for playing sample slices (when you switch slices on, sample start becomes the slice number selection knob) and then at some point copy/paste that track to another track. I then want to use the now free track for sampling, but I simply forget to switch off slices and turn start back to zero (with the knob view, it’s really hard to see if start is set to something like 4 or 5, the numerical view is much better to read). Now if I sample some short percussive stuff, a start parameter of 5 could already produce silence.
If you know your settings should work, but they don’t - either initialize tracks or pages or try the same thing on another pattern in a different part (initialize part if it’s not fresh). Saves a lot of time, but that’s the tradeoff for OTs crazy versatilty.
I did that and it did not work in the first place. After resetting the src page it played the trig back and it immediately played what was in the recording buffer.
I read about microtiming but did not really understand if I should microtime the rec-trig or play-trig.
I understand microtime and used the concept quiten often in the past (with conditional trigs etc.)
I don´t want the buffer to be wiped. Instead I want the rec arm to be triggered by midi (which is the next barrier to break in my intended workflow).
The goal is to have a bunch of rec-buffers that can be filled up and then be triggered (with plays free function preferably) and a lot of fx and weird sample locking and so on…
That is probably the take home message (note to myself!!!).
Maybe that is why the OT sometimes has the reputation to be heavy to navigate.
It´s not always obvious if there is a misunderstanding or an operating error.
Once again thank you so much for helping me to clear this out.
Microtiming is for example needed when you want to pitch up (speed up) playback of a recorder buffer while it records.
Imagine the record and play heads, they both start at the same time when you have rec trig and sample trig on the same step. If you slow down the playback by pitching down or dialing in a slower rate, the play head is moving slower than the rec head.
If pitched up, the play head moves faster than the rec head and runs out of material to play eventually.
If you microtime (play trig with positive microtiming or rec trig with negative) trigs, you can set up your recording in a way that you always have enough material to play.
In the recorder setup screens are two indicators, one is play head and one is the record head and you can watch them move as OT samples and plays back recordings.
Makes total sense and again thankful for the explanation.
So in case I want to pitch while reocord I will want to place my rec trig before the play trig.
Cheers
All my tracks are setup to record 4bar loops…wonderful.
So anything else I want to do to them is easy.
But for filling them up with guitar I have to operate it hands free.
I have a Nektar pacer pedal that can be programmed quite extensively.
I tried both CC 52 (which I think is wrong) and CC 53 that should Recrd Arm the recorder with any value between 1-127, right?
I triple checked the pedal sending the right values both of which do nothing on the OT.
My whole idea is based around a hands free way to operate the OT.
Somewhere on this forum there are my baffled questions from when I first got octatrack. I should find them and read them, I’ve used it so much now that I genuinely can’t imagine what on earth was confusing me.
I understand but that seems to be the only way I can accomplish what I want to do.
Did that with no success. Yes, always checking midi setups, chances are there is a filter or remap in a midi patchbay.
BTW is the only way to observe this to choose a track and press [Func]+[Bank] and watch the track trig menu?
I don´t fully understand this advice. I use QREC of course as I want my recording to be triggered at the first step of my pattern.
The thing I want to do is: Letting the sequencer run with only silence in the first place and then filling up the buffers.
Then playing the buffers with pre set patterns on other tracks
All tracks record from input AB only.
I want to use 4 tracks collecting recordings so I need to consecutively arm the one shot (not shit, right? ) to record to different tracks.
Recording is working at least.
What is the difference between CC53 (value 1-127) and C#4(61)?
I guess the notes obey the midi channel of the tracks and does not arm one shot trigs on other tracks, right?
So this is also a method to override the recording input set for a recording trig in the recording setup?
Thank you very much as always for you thoughts and help.
Not at the OT atm. Will try this tonite.
Yes I want to record at the beginning of the pattern and only have a single rtrig placed (step 1) there waiting to be armed.
So to make it clear (and sorry for being dumb) are there 2 different ways of arming oneshot trigs?
Which method is better suited for my task?
I can´t see any difference other than with notes I can also choose the recording source on the fly, right?
I will plug a midi cable straight into the OT and not go through my mioXM which otherwise is a great little helper at times.
But can also be a confusing nightmare as well (always user error/oversight of course).
Thank you sezare. Once again you really helped me out.
I eliminated all midi processing in between my OT and my pedal and it worked straight away.
It was a nasty little midi remap in my MioXM that redirected the CC to the wrong channel.
I am using CC53 on the respective track/midi channel and my one-shot-trig got armed and I could record quantized after the pattern fullfilled it´s circle.
So I am (after owning the OT for more than 3 years now) able to use quantized recording via midi CC.
Just for the record: Both of my “problems” were user error. I had obviousley set play rate to 0 and the OT did what I told it → nothing.
The other thing was a simple midi mismatch with channels.
When I first got the OT I thought that as well and chances are that in the future I find a use case for Pickups.
It messes with the tempo as it calculates it from the loop length.
I have to be strictly in sync with other gear (which the OT is the master clock for).
Quantized recording on the rec buffer and quantized playback via a Flextrack seems to be more suited for what I want.
Probably, but next step is to let the buffer be played by other tracks and mess the recording up.
I think this can´t be done with PU-machines.
I really want to use the sequencer to help me quantize my recordings.
I don´t like the looper workflow where you have to hit rec and start playing at the same time.
The only way is to have a defined length for recording.
Otherwise, with RLEN = max, if you record non power of 2 timing (1,2,4,8,16,etc) it is messed up. If you record 3,5,6,7…bars, tempo mess.
I think all of this is doable with Pickup machines, but it takes some time to understand the way they work. And to be clear, I don’t really like Pickup machines … I much prefer Flex machines.
I have a simple recording running right now. T1 is a Pickup machine with length 16. T2 is a Pickup machine with length 20. Both are happy to loop round and round, cycling over each other at the tempo I specified. I have T5 as a Flex track using the Recording5 buffer. I can point that buffer to either T1, T2, or the CUE mix for resampling T1, T2, or both. In this setup you don’t point to the Recording buffer for 1 as the input to the Flex track on T5, but you use the track/cue output as an input to the T5 Recording buffer.
Recording on T1 or T2 is the standard Pickup machine stuff of Record/Overdub/Replace/Play with the REC1 and REC2 buttons (these should be MIDI mappable for hands-free operation). Once you get the hang of how they work, it is similar to a typical loop pedal. And you can definitely leave the overdub on so that you’re not constantly pushing record/play.
) to record to different tracks.