Octatrack MK II and Arturia Keystep?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi there,

have owned me a Octrack MK II - great Machine!
Bit off struggeling with the UI but there are so many helpful Videos + also read the Manual… but - I didn´t get the Arturia Keystep to play the Sounds I load in the differnt Tracks (T1-T7 - T8 is Master).
Probably i mad one mistake in the Config… after searching around the Web, checking the Manual just not getting it… :frowning:

Can anybody help?

Goal:
Playing the Sounds/Samples with the Keystep.
(not only fire them in one tone just play them like on the Keyboard, the Keystep…)
On Keystep i can easyly change the MIDI Channnel.
But: What Config in Octatrack?

Project > MIDI > Control
AUDIO CCC IN: YES
AUDIO CC OUT: INT + EXT
AUDIO NOTE IN: YES
AUDIO NOTE OUT: INT + EXT

Project > MIDI >Sync
TRANSP
Send: NO
Receive: YES
CLOCK
Send: YES
Receive: NO
PROG CH
Send: YES / Ch AUTO
Receive: YES / Ch Auto

Project > MIDI > Channels
AUTO CH: 9
TRIG CH
1: CH1
2: CH2
3: CH3
4: CH4
5: CH5
6: CH6
7: CH7
8: CH8

Project > MIDI > Turbo Status
nothing changed

When I go to the MIDI Button and click the TRACKS (1-8) - there is on “MIDI CH”: –
(and there are the notes, vel, len, etc shown)

Best THX in advance!

clon

PS: yeah, you guesed it- no english nativ… hope the post is fully understandable :wink:

Using keystep with octatrack mk2
#2

Your probably just not using the right octave on the keys…
MIDI note 72 (C5) -> 96 (C7) will play the track sound chromatically.
Use specific track channel to play that track or use autochannel to play the currently selected track.
Don’t worry about the MIDI section for playing audio tracks, that’s for controlling external MIDI gear.

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#3

To make things easier for starting set your keystep to ch9 which is the auto channel your Octatrack is set to, this means that whichever track is selected on the Octatrack the keystep will control it, as @Open_Mike said if you are looking to play your audio tracks chromatically you need to make sure the keystep is set to the range C5-C7.

For your midi tracks (for sequencing external midi gear) on the Octatrack you set the channels for each one in the SRC menu, read the chapter 15 on midi sequencer (15.4.2 gives details)

4 Likes
#4

Been there, done that. Better say note #72 to 96. Happens that although Midi 1.0 standard is C4= middle C = note #60 this is not consistent from one manufacturer to another. Your C5 may be the C4 of some other keyboard.

4 Likes
#5

wuhu, so quick answers?
thx!
check it out tomorrow and report back.
great, hope you have an pleasant evening!

2 Likes
#6

and works!
thx!

2 Likes
#7

Hey there! I have my Keystep trigging midi in the OT however its recording the notes into the OT an octave lower than I’m hearing when I record. I have tried adjusting the oct range in both the KS and the OT but nothing works. My settings match the ones above. any thoughts?

#8

Check Arp page transpose.

#9

+0 mode off

#10

I can adjust with the OT arp, but it feel like an unnecessary work around

#11

Could you elaborate your setup?
Recording midi notes to play OB6 with OT?
Arp? Lfos ? Arranger ?
Same behavior with a new bank?

#12

Good point, not at my rig right now, but I haven’t tested it on a new bank or project.

Basically the Keystep is going into the midi in of the OT. My midi out goes to a thru port, which sends notes to a Minimoog ( a 1974 Moog with after market midi added).

Channels in the OT navigate which synth gets played. Keystep plays them fine as does chromatic mode on the OT. The issue doesn’t seem to happen when I record with the OT chromatic mode ( I should double check this later)

It’s worked fine in the past, and I probably should check another project or bank before panicking and asking on here, but as of now, if I live record something I’m playing on the keystep, say the note “d3” I hear “d3” while I’m tracking, but on playback the OT drops it down an octave.

The OT arp can adjust the octave after the fact, and if I keep it set there, it stays, but currently it’s set to 10, to match the note I hear from the keystep.

Make sense?

#13

Thanks for precisions. So the transposition is 10 semitones, not 1 octave ?

You mean arp page Transpose? It is active even if arp is off. That’s the most common explanation if you have a difference between what you play and what’s recorded.

If arp is on, notes can be transposed in arp setup page. There is Arp Octave Range too.
Midi tracks can also be transposed with the Arranger…

2 Likes
#14

Hi everyone,
I’m new on the Elektronauts community, due to my investment in a good-as-new Octatrack MK1.
Clon303, I would like to ask you if you finally got the Keystep-Octatrack link up to work correctly?
I have a very similar goal, being able to play pitched samples (mall .wav files) using an external keyboard.
Is it possible, in doing so, to play overlapping notes, or even simple chords?

Thanks in advance,
Vincent

#15

No, OT is not polyphonic.

You can use a midi processor to do a fake poly, using several OT tracks.
Check Retrokits RK002 Polymux, or MIDIPAL/MIDIBRO/MIDIBUD

1 Like
#16

Wow, that was a quick reply, thanks!
What exactly is a ‘fake poly’ ? Does this mean I would have to program a note per track? Or would sacrifying 2 track do the job?
I’m sure there’s a topic on this, but I haven’t found it yet. Same on YT.
I would need the RK002, a simple midi-cable to a midi keyboard wouldn’t cover it?

(I’m awfully sorry, I’m really just getting started, I feel I have a LOT of things to learn here)

#17

RK002 is already in a midi cable.
The Polymux script/setting consist in dispatching notes played simultaneously to different midi channels. Up to 8 for OT or Digitakt/Analog Rytm…

You just have to make your settings on 1 OT track, then copy/paste it to other tracks you want to play poly.

Note 1 > midi channel 1 (Track 1)
Note 2 > midi channel 2 (Track 2)
Etc…

1 Like
#18

Thanks once more, I’m going to look into this!

1 Like
#19

Exemple with 6 tracks. A bit different because I used 6 midi tracks controlling 6 audio tracks with a midi cable (OT midi loopback). Random arp. Single cycle saw.

It would sound similar with a Polymux script.

#20

That’s cool! Yet I need some research to wrap my head around the setup; the ‘using midi tracks to control audio tracks’ idea is something I understand, it’s just that I don’t see HOW this would allow me to play several notes at the same time, and how it would be possible to play more than 6 notes (?).
Here is where my mind staggers, and I need to read some articles or something.
I come from a more classical background, so far I only used MIDI to control pedalboards and so on…this is a whole different level.
I would have simply used the keys of the Octatrack (playing keys only occurs in a few of our performed songs), if it weren’t for the ‘note cut-off’ due to te lack of polyphonie.
Using a small external keyboard would solve that problem, and leave me with a complete stand-alone workstation to go with the ‘vocals/bass/ guitars’ setup we’re actually using.

A few words in french; Merci, j’ai vu que tétais du côté de Vannes, moi je suis à Amiens :wink: