Hey
I tried searching but didn’t find anything so I am asking here.
I am not finding an efficient way of tracking out my octatrack into my DAW.
They are synced and I am using the arranger in the octatrack but it is a pain trying to mute tracks to record them in the different parts etc.
So I am looking for tips to do that.
Thx
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I know I’ve seen this topic discussed before but I wasn’t able to find anything via search either.
I think the best you can do is 4 separate tracks at a time, hard panning audio tracks and using both the main and cue outputs. I think it’s called Studio Mode in the manual.
So if you are using more than 4 audio tracks at a time, you’ll need to do two passes through your song
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Yeah I am using studio mode, I just can’t really do some of my sounds in mono.
And what’s the best way to solo the tracks in different parts?
Its not much fun but you can record all 8 tracks to recorder buffers and save them then arrange in daw, id leave out any delay or reverb though and save that for the computer. Honestly the best thing to do is just not track it out individually and work with the octatrack. What are you needing from the DAW?
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Mixing with other synths and guitar!
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what jb said …
not only but also:
just use regular mode and then use it like an 8 track 4bar looping hardware traktor, set xlev to min on xfader right for tracks 1-4, xlev min on xfader left for tracks 5-8
preview track sections thru headphones before crossfading to other side for the next section.
Yeah I think I’m going to start doing this. I tried a couple times to track into a DAW in studio mode; it’s just a big hassle and kills inspiration.
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I have no need to use it as a 4 bar looper, the tracks are all made to 3 to 5 mins long. I need to track them out efficiently.
ah yes, fair enough then. If the tracks are all made, forget the 4 bar looping idea, there is no need to record them, just load them to Static machines and try the aforementioned approach with the crossfader.
note: if using xlev scene locks, it will be possible to preview/cue tracks through the headphones, even if they are silent due to the crossfader being on the scene side that sets the Lev parameter to Min (zero). But if using xvol scene locks, it won’t be possible to cue them through the headphones, as the Vol parameter is before the Cue send in the signal pathway, whereas Lev parameter is after the Cue send.
Pro Tip: it is possible to individually ‘nudge’ a track forwards or backwards in time individually by using the double key Function and Left or Right Arrow. Just in case it needs to be slightly adjusted to the groove.
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Yo dude,
You want to record one shot / live record your sounds or work step per step ?
Studio mode is stereo ?
Hm so you want to output stereo from the OT ?
I have only been on these forums a few months and I have already seen this topic a few times haha.
Honestly man, just let go. You have access to such amazing mixing tools in the OT it’s all you need.
I do multitrack record but only with my various synth and boxes. The OT is simply recorded stereo. So I just be mindful of the elements that it plays.
I use an mpc with OT so that gives me 4 assignable outs and a master for drum duties and ive been playing with using only 4 tracks on OT with a neighbour track each. That way I can track everything at once. You can either spend more time multitracking or pay the extra for the convenience and added functionality of more gear. Two octatracks would give you 8 outs and double everything, but on the slightly more affordable end of the scale theres tons of mpcs available. they do add a lot to an OT. But the easiest option is to just let it go as said above, I dont find myself tracking everything at once as much as I thought I’d need to anyway
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I’ve been working on the Octatrack since 2011 and quite frankly it’s been waaaay easier once I realized it just works better and smoother if I stop trying to integrate it with a DAW, but rather go completely DAWless and finish my tracks within the OT.
Eventually I started using my DAW the other way around: rather than trying to bounce everything track by track from the OT into the DAW (which is tedious bordering on impossible if you use the arranger, and x-fading between scenes), I would use my DAW as another instrument and just sample it into the OT and finish my whole songs there.
I know this method might sound like total blasphemy to some, but for me it’s been working perfectly for the last couple of years. but now that I’ve got an mpc live sitting next to the OT, I’m kinda rethinking the whole process 
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it’s a fine line between pleasure and pain, overkill and underdone.
a studio should be fluid in structure and arrangement when it needs to be.
Yeah, I used to used an mpc 1000 with the octatrack as well.
I might go back to that tbh.
I am also seriously thinking of ditching both and getting an mpc live.
I couldnt get rid of one or the other, theyre made for each other. I got the live for a while and I ended up returning it. The live is great and all but I can get near enough all the way and further in a lot of areas using beatmaker 3 on ipad, its more portable and has all the features I was waiting for in future updates on the live, plus all the ios synths, drum machines, fx etc
@twardowski people should be more open minded to the hybrid setup! Ive got mpc1k and OT sequencing vsts in logic with audio going out back to OT/MPC/ipad, opens up a universe of possibilites
Yeah, I kind of agree that they work really well together.
What’s your workflow with the 2? I always had 2 issues with that combo, which were really the same issue more or less.
I couldn’t use the mpc as master cuz it would be out of time, and I couldn’t deal with only 4 parts in the octatrack to change sequences in the mpc.
I wish I could have done the opposite and had the mpc sending pc messages to the octatrack instead.
I used to chop and rearrange drum loops in the octatrack, play in additional drums from the mpc. Add bass in the octatrack most of the time and pads and atmosphere from the mpc.
And play guitar over top.
I am using studio one 3 more lately with ez drummer, so I might look at ditching my push and getting the mpc back out and just using the laptop as a recorder. I would miss the ability to record arm and mix tracks that I get from push tho.
Very well put
I’ve also had to come to terms with not being able to easily multi-track into a DAW from the OT (like most OT owners, I imagine). Once I started thinking of it as not only a sampling/audio mixing workstation but mainly, as an integrated musical instrument, I found that I could get really good mixes in the OT alone and just record a stereo output of that. I am then free to add vocal layers and other auxiliary sounds in my DAW.
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Couldn’t you just have a count in “click” when you record each track to you DAW, then it doesn’t matter if it’s synced.
Just record each track by itself and line them up in you DAW later.
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