I have had the OT for about 2 years now and I think I understand maybe 30% of what it does. This is owing in large part to also owning a DT and DN and since they are far more easy to comprehend, I had been mostly using the OT as a live looper/effects processor.
Recently though I have been looking to simplify, so I have been coming to grips with using the OT like a standalone groovebox.
For me the expression comes largely comes from setting up scenes and muting and unmuting tracks. So I have been experimenting a lot with stuff I can do with scenes. Slices have come in handy for this, as they can lead to variation in drum tracks without sounding like a slewed effect. The same can be done with one shot synth samples as well.
I also like to make loops with the start points mapped to the slider. This way the slider will change the relative phase of the loops and create wildly different grooves or cadences, which I can refine by playing the mute buttons and resample. It’s easy to go overboard and get really abstract with this technique, but I have definitely gotten some “happy accidents” with it as well.
Preparing slices for the OT is also a way to extend a single project. 128 slots isn’t a lot if you are trying to make an hour long set with them, so a lot of my recent experimentation has been how to intelligently use each static and flex track.
@loopdude @DanJamesAUS Just curious how you guys went about making your sample chains?