Octatrack user error pt. 7801?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

So here’s what I’m trying to set up:

Keystep on midi channel 1 into Octatrack (auto channel 1) into Kenton midi thru into Midivolts (midi to cv converter, midi channel 1) into Subharmonicon. As per this Youtube vid I’m trying to make the Subharmonicon do two-note chords.

When I control the Subharmonicon directly with the Keystep (via the Midivolts) everything works like it should. However, when the setup is the one described above and I press a key on the Keystep (or on the OT in chromatic mode), it gives me an infinitely sustaining note. Kinda like opens the gate but doesn’t close it. Doesn’t matter which note length I set.

This will most likely be yet another user error, maybe something to do with the midi settings but I just can’t solve it myself right now…

As mentioned, I can work around this problem by controlling the SubH (via Midivolts) directly with the Keystep but I would prefer to use the Keystep with the Monomachine and OT as well.

Ideas, anyone? :slight_smile:

P.S. Had the same problem when I had the Keystep and OT auto channel on midi channel 16 and Midivolts on channel 1.

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#2

It could be something to do with how OT doesn’t send Note Off but a Velocity of 0 instead?

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#3

So if it’s that, would there be a solution for it with the setup I currently have?

I reckon it’s the same issue as in this topic, although not the exact same gear.

#4

It was my best guess for the behaviour seen when OT is introduced. It might be something else. But it makes sense to me. I’m not sure if your MV can be configured to interpret V=0 as Note Off? Are there related forum threads for MV? Apparently, OT is using midi standards correctly, but not all other gear interprets this midi information as it should.

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#5

I’ll ask around. Not a whole lot of chatter on the Midivolts here but it seems the developer is actively answering questions on their Youtube video comment section. Thanks a lot for (potentially) pointing me at the right direction, @craig!

Like I said, I can work around this problem by having the KS directly control the SubH. Another option is to split the KS midi signal via the Kenton midi thru and daisy chain midi from OT into MnM and MD. I almost never use my fx (Bim, Bam, Quadraverb and Midiverb II) for midi CC’s anyway, although learning to utilize that has been on my to-do list.

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#6

Wow, asked the dev a question in the comments like half an hour ago and already got an answer. Can’t check rn if it works cos I’m not at home but here’s his answer in case anyone has the same issue in the future.

”Space Brain Circuits:

Hey there! Really happy to hear you are enjoying! This should be doable but will take a bit of additional patching. When a key is pressed, the Midivolts basically retains that voltage even after the key is released. This only changes when a new key is pressed. In order to turn off a note, you need to rely on the gate out signals for note on and off. For instance, run V0 gate out into an envelope or VCA in order to turn off the note. As you press a note, the VCA will open and close. The Midivolts also handles velocity 0 off messages so you should be good here. You can check by watching the gate LEDs turn on and off as a key is pressed and released. Hopefully this makes sense! Definitely let me know if you need more help! Thanks again!”

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#7

@korpinen might be worth explaining to developer that OT note handling is causing the undesired behaviour, as the keystep is working as expected.

Could be worth using a midi app such as midiox or similar and sending the dev a note from OT and the keystep and sending a screenshot. It would be trivial for him to update the code so that it works with OT as well.

Also send a message to support@elektron.se hopefully the OT will get updated.

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#8

Yep, did just that! Will be able to try out the dev’s instructions in a bit. Will report back once I’ve done that.

#9

Unfortunately couldn’t get it to work via OT. Will try again another day, although the dev’s instructions were pretty simple and I did follow them. For now I’m quite happy using the Keystep and playing the loops live into the OT flex machines but it’d be pretty cool to be able to sequence two-note SubH chords from the OT.

#10

I guess you could accept that each note will drone until another one is played, sample the whole thing, slice it up, trigger each chord slice on the sequencer, and use OT’s amp envelope and other tricks to create dynamics.

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#11

That would be another nice workaround.

I didn’t spend a whole lot of time troubleshooting the thing but it somehow felt inconsistent how the sustained notes were starting. I did try a lot of different modes on the Midivolts though. At one point it seemed that single notes were fine between the OT and MV but if there was another simultaneous note, the droning started. At the end all I could get were sustained notes.

Another thing was when I patched from V0 gate into SubH VCA as suggested by the MV dev, it bypassed the envelopes. Pretty sure the only option is to go from the MV gate out into SubH trigger in.

Oh well, until I get this sorted it is still very nice to play those sweet SubH chords directly from the Keystep and record loops into the OT that way.

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#12

Yeah, SubH has its quirks for sure. Can you send triggers from something else to the trigger in separately or a short blip from an OT audio track perhaps? There’s a Cuckoo video about doing something similar with 0-Coast that could be adapted. It might actually be quite cool to separate control of the envelopes from the notes being played.

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