Hi guys, I’m really interested in getting an Octatrack, but I want to do my due diligence so I don’t have buyer’s remorse afterwards.
I have a 909, and a soon to be MIDI’d up 606. From what I’ve read, 1 midi track can send out 4 notes per trig. The most user friendly thing to do would be set up 1 track per voice, but this would use up all of the tracks way too quickly. I also want to use the Octatrack to sequence a 303, Minibrute and Yamaha Tx81Z, so that’s 3 Midi tracks there.
Could I get some advice or comments from some of the Octatrack users on here about what would be the most efficient way of sequencing drum machines? I really don’t want to use a DAW for sequencing…laptops seem to hate me.
Do you actually need to sequence the other drum machines (as opposed to running their own sequencers in synchronization with the OT’s sequencer)?[/quote]
I’ve thought about what you are saying. I could definitely do that, but keep thinking that 16 patterns per song, per drum machine is too restrictive and repetitive.
Is that way too demanding of me? It’s OK if it is LOL…It just seems like most songs have a lot more than 16 patterns…no?
Depends on the song, for lots of stuff 16 patterns would be enough for one track, especially if you’re tweaking the machine in real time too. Mutes and tweaks can get a lot of mileage out of a single track. Remember you can also dedicate one of the OT’s audio tracks to recording the output of the entire drum machine, and build up tracks that way. Doing this and chopping up and picking the recording, then swapping between the live drum machine and the OT recording of it can again get you more mileage.
I sequence some drum sounds on my MD from the OT. I use 2 midi tracks which will give you 8 simultaneous sounds at once if you need it. I don’t know about you but I rarely use more than 4 simultaneous drum sounds at once. I always have a separate kick track on the OT so I can mute just the kick easily.
What’s great about sequencing drums on the OT is you can use the Arp to get some funky rhythms . The Arp on the OT has more params that can be P-locked than any other Elektron machines.
Do you actually need to sequence the other drum machines (as opposed to running their own sequencers in synchronization with the OT’s sequencer)?[/quote]
I’ve thought about what you are saying. I could definitely do that, but keep thinking that 16 patterns per song, per drum machine is too restrictive and repetitive.
Is that way too demanding of me? It’s OK if it is LOL…It just seems like most songs have a lot more than 16 patterns…no?[/quote]
It’s your choice, according to your preferences.
I always thought that the interesting part of the 303 (at least for acid lines) was its sequencer, and that it’s possible to get a lot of gratification from live manipulation of drum machines, and the OT, to get variations. But you may be thinking of making a long, entirely pre-programmed set.
As you may know, the TX81Z is 8-part multitimbral and so could make use of the OT’s 8 MIDI sequencer tracks all on its own.
I’ve been mentally struggling with the ideas of either using multiple patterns for songs or building songs with minimal patterns and multiple mutes.
For example - One pattern would just be a kick and the second pattern would be the kick and hat.
Or, one pattern holds all the elements and you mute/unmute as you go.
I prefer the multiple pattern approach when using machines such as the Circuit or Volca Sample. However, for whatever reason, I feel like I’m wasting space and time when trying all this with an Elektron.
I think it has something to do with how patterns, kits and mutes are saved on Elektrons versus other sequencers and machines.
I’ve been mentally struggling with the ideas of either using multiple patterns for songs or building songs with minimal patterns and multiple mutes.
For example - One pattern would just be a kick and the second pattern would be the kick and hat.
Or, one pattern holds all the elements and you mute/unmute as you go.
I prefer the multiple pattern approach when using machines such as the Circuit or Volca Sample. However, for whatever reason, I feel like I’m wasting space and time when trying all this with an Elektron.
I think it has something to do with how patterns, kits and mutes are saved on Elektrons versus other sequencers and machines.
Curious…[/quote]
I know what you mean, I had the same feeling with the OT… Maybe it’s because you only get 4 kits per bank? Or because the mental distance and finger distance between different banks is quite large, so a new bank is usually reserved for a new song, making all 16 patterns quite precious?
I remember another issue I had with the muting/unmuting method: track mutes are not stored globally like on the A4 and Rytm, instead you get mutes that can be different from pattern to pattern, did I remember this correctly? This can cause issues if you want to swap pattern but forgot that there’s a really loud track unmuted that you were supposed to save for later on, but forgot to mute in advance… Lots of preplanning needed on the OT.
Slightly off topic here but I think this sort of gritty performance detail is always worth a discussion.
scenes on the OT really help with muting/unmuting multiple tracks simultaneously…
just make sure to lock the “XVOL” parameter to “MIN”, or the VOL paramter to 0 on the AMP page instead of the actual LEVEL setting, otherwise it will chop off tails of sounds and fx (unless you want that)
still trying to figure out the best way myself… most likely will trigger via MIDI and route back into inputs for live mangling - its just harder to manage it that way because you cant assign any MIDI parameters to the scenes
I’ve been playing with this recently… I’ve got my Machinedrum 1-16 setup to trigger with C-2 through D#4 - pretty neat.
Yes the OT can sequence up to 4 notes per step but honestly it’s kind of a Pain in the Ass doing it this way. If you use live record mode with a chromatic button setup (on the OT) you can program in live finger drumming patterns fairly well. Bad thing is recording over what you did tends to wipe out all the other notes. For eg. if you want to change just one of the 4 drum sounds being triggered you’ll either have to re-record the trigs and try to get the pattern right, or you’ll have to modify each of the individual notes for that one step. No where near as nice as using a drum machine with 4 individual trig tracks. Just an opinion of course. And as far as I know you can’t jump to a certain step in a pattern, enter the four “notes” (like a chord") and then jump to another step and do it again… You’ll always have to live record (live edit) in real time as the pattern marker sweeps by.
My dream behind this was to take advantage of the micro timing stuff and poly rhythms that the OT has and the machine drum lacks.
I imagine using 4 or more individual tracks to sequence your drums would be nicer. Then record the loop, make some variations, and cram those all into a long sample. Then sequence and resequence with slices. That should be plenty of flexibility without using too many OT tracks in the long run. I look forward to trying this more!
Setup a 4 note trig. Set the ARP mode to Random. Set a LFO to modulate ARP transpose param. Play with the ARP speed param manually or with a Random LFO.
Map MD CC params to the OT’ CC params. Modulate the OT CC params with a LFO of your choice.
Instant funky mayhem from your MD.
You can experiment with multiple 4 note trigs through out the pattern with different note values
@cadaques
I use the 909 for basic sequence and then also send midi from OT for fills and to get resolutions that the 9 cannot hit.
Also you can spit all kinds of midi at the 9 and sample the spluttering groove for re-chop in the OT.
If this predicament is all that is holding you back then in my eyes there is nothing holding you back.
The OT is the greatest device ever.
I regularly use the OT as master molester of 4 Roland boxes and it is staggering every time.
(Side note, the stereo output from the 9 with its inherent panning sits really well in a mix too and saves an lfo on auto panning if you can spare the inputs).
The OT is my central hub (replaced my comp). I record into a zoom h4 via the master out.
My typical set up is, a drum machine, a bass synth, a poly synth. Channel 1 is always the drum machine on input A. I sequence the pattern on the machine, if I’m usin my 606 then I can switch between pattern play and pattern write on the fly, if any other DM (707,909 or 808) then I chain 4 bars if needed, but I mostly edit in fills on the fly. Channel 2 is my bass synth (101,303 or Minitaur) which is sequenced internally to the machine or by the OT’s midi channel 1. Channel 3 is my poly (virus, mks80, nord lead or ju06) if the synth is multi timbral it still all comes up on the same audio channel and is sequenced by midi ch2 on the OT.
This leaves me with 5 audio channels to use for samples or for neighbour machines if I’m going to town on the OT’s internal fx.
I always record all in one take, record say 8 to 10 mins and then import into ableton for editing (cut out the sections that drag or mistakes)
I find by limiting myself I complete tracks faster and they are more genuine in that they capture the moment/mood accurately, i try to do as little editing as possible after the recording.
This method works fantastically for me and I find I complete on average a track every other day, though more often a track a day (and I have on average 4 or 5 hours a day to tinkle)
While I appreciate this method will not lend itself to more traditional arrangements, my music is very loop based house/techno. Focusing more on hypnotic repetition than builds and drops.
To me each track I make represents what is traditional though of as sections of a track (break, build, drop and bridge)
This is because I only make music for myself, to dj with, and I appreciate the ability to shape my sets and control the mood via the tracks I play rather than have these moments dictated by the original producer.
Yes I only dj with my own tracks.
This works perfectly for me but I know it may not for others as I know it wouldn’t have worked for me for 19 out of the 20 years I’ve been producing.
If I’m honest, after all this time making music, I think people rely on options and build ups/drops too much in house/techno, and I think that by limiting yourself you actually free yourself from the burden of choices.
That being said my perfect track is 8 minutes of seemingly nothingless that still holds your attention. I know this isn’t the ideal for most but it suits me well.
If your loop is good enough it won’t need so much action/ variation. This is all dependant on taste and style, as well as djing style obviously.
