Octatrack: sampling live drums with metronome

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi everyone,

I’m new in the octatrack world, am reading the manual and watching a lot of youtube video’s but can’t seem to find this scenario;

what I want to do is:

record ‘live’ drumming on my elektronic drum kit (nord drum 2), or live guitar playing to the octatrack. I want it to be in time, so I’d like to hear the octatrack metronome while recording, and have a count in of one bar before. Then I’d like to be able to play that sample (more or less as a loop) on a track, so that I can use it in my project/composition (and use other tracks for other layers).

Could someone recommend/explain the best way to do this?

thanks!

#2
  • track/pattern length = 64
  • headphone output in mixer page between 0 and 64 to hear metronome on headphones
  • flex track assigned to it’s own record buffer (i.e TRK1 -> RECORDING1)
  • LVL = 127
  • rlen = 64 in REC1 SETUP
  • one shot recording trig on trig 17
  • sample trig on trig 17, trig condition /1st
  • arm track
  • press play

You should get one bar count in, 4 bars of recording, then an instant loop. Don’t think there is a cleaner way to get a count in, though.

6 Likes
#3

Metronome menu, PREROLL = 1 BAR

Arranger with 2 patterns, if you want a particular count in, or can’t metronomes. I like OT tunable metronome, and its impulse.
Don’t you @Unifono? :wink:

8 Likes
#4

for sure :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like
#5

Thanks!

So I set it up as @Merv and @sezare56 suggested, thanks!
It works, after setting the one shot recording trig on step 1, and pressing rec+play (live recording) with the metronome setting on 1 bar preroll, I get a count in of 1 bar (16 steps) and can then record a sample of 64 steps (4 bars, PLEN set to 64 and scale of the pattern to 64/64).

However:
It immediately starts looping the first bar.
When I stop after recording and press play, it does not play the entire sample, but only the first bar (16 steps). In the AED the trimming is correct, and if I turn loop off in the rec settings and AED, this doesnt solve it, it keeps playing only the first bar (as loop).

What am I missing here, how to solve this last step? Thanks!

#6

Think I found it, I had a playback trig on every bar.

I find that it does not work very well for live drumming. Even If i’m well in time using the metronome, and record a drum (audio) sequence of 64 steps, and then place a playback trig on the first step of the first bar, the sample plays well, but there is always a clear ‘hop’ that can be heard at the end of the 64 steps when the sample retriggers/restarts.

Am I just to conclude that the octa is not made for this, or are there tricks I can apply to improve this (timestretching? Audio edits? Or record using pickupmachines instead of flex?)

Thanks in advance!

#7

If you change from 16 to 64 steps, OT will always copy over the 1 bar sequence you already had going. Probably what happened here.

There’s a trick to try. Won’t fix everything but often for my kind of loops it’s enough. In the recorder menu of the track that you use to record the loop, there’s a setting for fade in and fade out or something. Not with my OT so don’t know the exact name. I think it’s in the second Rec-options page. Set the start and end to fade for a small amount - I think it starts with something of a value like 0.063, or 0.125 or something. That will cut off the transient/click of the loop start/end. Let us know if it’s works!

#8

There’s a setting in the menu if you want auto copy off.
Personalize -> Dis. Page Autocopy

6 Likes
#9

Thanks @lesstalkmoredisco, will try! (love that name by the way!)

All those settings are a bit confusing to me, several places where ‘loop’ can be turned on or off (what do you recommend, off or on?) and timestretching both in the record settings and playback settings (what to choose?).

Thanks again! and thanks @Schnork for the autocopy disable tip!

1 Like
#10

I’ll look it up later today!

1 Like
#11

I also use the Qrec setting (rec2 menu) to give me time before recording.

2 Likes
#12

REC SETUP 2, FIN and FOUT. Suits better Pickup machines imho, allowing crossfade with overdub ability.

Problem with FIN : the minimum value is the only usuable one, longer values add silence, which is crap.

Problem with FOUT : the fade is added after the end of the recording, it extend its length. Can be used with Pickups, minilum value. Useless in that loop record played by Flex context.

So I think AMP ATK is better for the beginning of the loop, eventually a trigless trig on the last step, with HOLD = 1 step (minus 1 value), and a RELease value below 64…
To be tested…

3 Likes
#13

So I tested, the fade out on the last step of the loop can be set with a trigless HOLD = min, short RELease, and adjusted with microtiming.

If its still a bit clicky, add a hihat. :content:
If it’s still very clicky, add a big distorted kick! :pl:

2 Likes
#14

Thanks @sezare56, will try that.

Would you say that in general, for recording and playback of a live drummed audio loop with an electronic drum kit, pickup machines are better than flex?

#15

I prefer Flex. Pickups are easier to set for overdub, but they have some limitations I don’t like.