octatrack query here. am a relatively new OT user but fairly confident using the OT for more straightforward sequencing, sample chopping, scenes etc etc. ive recently acquired the model:cycles, which i’m using as a drum machine strapped to the OT (along with my DN and MM), and ideally id like to find a way to feed the cycles into the OT, and manipulate (chop up/rearrange or whatever) on the fly, in more of a jamming context. i see lots of folk mention on here doing this kind of thing, but would like to see/hear some solid examples, or point me toward some videos etc. atm ive just got it going into a thru machine, then a couple of neighbours, and different FX in some scenes, but this isnt really scratching that itch. also checked out some of Max Marco’s excellent videos and dabbled with record trigs into flex machines, which i know is the area i need to be looking, but so far have had mixed results. any suggestions?
I been wanting to level up my OT use for a while. So far I’ve just used it as an effect box and just to chop samples up. Interested in getting into more of the live looping aspects to catch some of the stuff from my ever growing eurorack rig
But I do feel it is a disservice to not use the live looping feature and it’s something I been kind of scared of. But all that aside thanks for sharing these videos
im in a similar position- am pretty happy using it production-wise (i.e like a DAW) but the main draw for me of getting it in the first place (over the DT) was the potential to use it in more of a live and/or jamming context, looping and manipulating incoming material in real time etc, and to do something a bit more meaningful in a live setting than just triggering patterns. its frustrating cos i know its capable of doing so much more than what im currently using it for, tho ive only been using it 5/6 months (which i understand isnt that long in OT terms), so maybe i should cut myself some slack…!
im in a similar position- am pretty happy using it production-wise (i.e like a DAW) but the main draw for me of getting it in the first place (over the DT) was the potential to use it in more of a live and/or jamming context, looping and manipulating incoming material in real time etc, and to do something a bit more meaningful in a live setting than just triggering patterns. its frustrating cos i know its capable of doing so much more than what im currently using it for, tho ive only been using it 5/6 months (which i understand isnt that long in OT terms), so maybe i should cut myself some slack…!
Probably the most simple use case for this type of thing:
Set track 1 as your thru machine, connect M:C to AB in, set up track 5 as your record buffer playback track, set crossfader scene A left for track 1 full volume, track 5 zero volume, scene B right is full volume for track 5, track 1 zero volume.
Then set up track 5 to a one shot track recorder, arm it when you want to capture the M:C, this way you can easily crossfade between the M:C or the buffer recording.
Then take it from there and go nuts with whatever else you want to do, like chopping up, sampling thru fx, etc.
You will soon find it can be very flexible and fun.
So I’ve been doing this with my DN but every time I fade to the recorded sample it sounds much weaker with less dynamics. Is that normal? It’s not a HUGE difference, but it is obvious that you aren’t listening to the original signal.
Nope. At least with proper gain staging and using 24 bit for processing and recorder buffers you shouldn’t hear any difference at all.
And be aware that some defaults (especially from FX like the filter) already modify the sound. It’s a common complain that the OT cannot record a signal AS-IS, while the real reason for the difference between the incoming signal and the recorded one are some non-neutral default settings (like the default FX1/FX2).
I’ll have to give it a look. I’ll remove all the FX on the playback track and see if it makes a difference. Right now I’m recording at 24bit, but I’ll double check that it’s all good. I know I’m recording at 24 but I think maybe my FLEX is set differently. I’ll check at home. I didn’t realize that needed to be changed, too.
Check your volumes/gains across the whole OT as well. Depending on your method of sampling, cue level, track level, amp level, sample level, mixer gain, and even some additional settings in the recording setup menu can affect the final sample gain. They all interact with one another, so look at all of these carefully.
I recommend tweaking the gain on the flex machine with track level and amp volume. Compression may help too. It could also be a track recorder setting.
