Is anyone here using the OT as the brain for a multi synth set up? Trying to get my head around how to use it as I want to play some shows.
My live kit would ideally be:
OT
A4
MD MKII UW (which I still have not tried sampling into)
Microbrute
MS-20 Mini
Volca Keys (not using internal sequencer)
9U Eurorack
I have more stuff but I’m trying to scale it back while still having a bunch of knobs to go after. Might just end up sampling the Eurorack and take a smaller noise making version with instead. Stuff that plays well with delays and reverbs and send my brain into space!
Should I be using program changes to switch patterns on everything? It would only really change the OT, MD and A4 but might be useful as I only have 2 hands and it’s really difficult at the moment.
I would like to get some ideas of how you might suggest using this all together.
There are plenty of similar threads around at the moment, but as the search function is buggered I’ll chime in.
For me the OT is master for clock and transport. I recently set it up to have pattern changes follow on all machines as it’s much easier to stay organised that way now that the a4 can save projects like the OT and the MnM has snapshots. Also in the midi sequencer you can assign program changes per bank or part however as you have mucrobrute and ms20 which have no patch memory in guessing it’s not an issue.
I have everything chained from the OT (tetra, MnM, a4 and v synth although usually I just sample the v synth as it’s too big to take out live).
I would chain midi from the OT to the ms20 and brute then have the A4 sequencing the 9U and routing the modular audio into the A4, OT input A B could be md and the brute and ms20 into c and D respectively leaving the volca to be sampled by the md?
I’ll look around and see if I can find the biggest thread and chime in there.
I think I’m gonna clear out the OT, A4 and MD and start over. I’ll back them up but I feel like I’ve been making stuff while reading the manual but not really working on tunes.
Why not try this? OT sending midi to the A4 then midi thru to the MD. Use the A4 to sequence the MS 20 and the euro rack. Use the midi thru of the MD to go into the Volca keys and the MD midi out to the minibrute. Set the OT to sequence the Volca and the MD to sequence the minibrute . What do you think?
I have the MIDI stuff working alright. Have an old Emagic Unitor 8 doing it for me. There are more things getting MIDI clock. Kaoss pads, Electrix units, Eventide units are all chained and hooked up. I guess I need to get my head around having one pattern change all the patterns. I’ve just not worked like that before.
My OT is clock master, and changes patterns on the MD.
OT MIDI out to Kenton 5, and everything else is fed MIDI clock and OT sequencing from the Kenton 5.
In my opinion it’s too many synths at the same time. Have you thought about scaling down your setup and sample some of your machines? Apart from an easier MIDI configuration it would also require less hands to play it.
In my opinion it’s too many synths at the same time. Have you thought about scaling down your setup and sample some of your machines? Apart from an easier MIDI configuration it would also require less hands to play it.[/quote]
Hah! This is the scaled down version! I’m sampling a lot of the modular stuff cuz there are too many happy accidents that would be almost impossible to recreate. My problem with sampling is that I like to tweak stuff and have it evolve over longer periods of time. I could probably some of it int he OT by sampling certain synths with the filters open and use the filters on the OT to add variation but the OT will never sound like and MS-20. I could probably get by with sampling the bass lines and and most synthy percussion bits. Ideally I’d like to find a like minded human to play with.
Last night I had everything running into the OT and used one track to sample the entire mix, used a Scene to turn everything else down, changed all the settings on everything and when I pulled the crossfader back it was a completely different track. That’s awesome!!
I wish the OT had a Performance Mode like the A4 does and that Scenes work with MIDI tracks .
I also have the OT as master. It sends midi to a midi-thru box, which spreads it to all synths and fx units. All audio goes into a mixer (soundcraft efx8). Really easy to manage that way.
I use an a4, tempest, timeline, pulse 2, blokeys and mono lancet this way.
It worked pretty well!. The OT acted as clock and the EMX, Eurorack and iPad were routed through it. There was a Mackie 1202 mixer that was used to mix everything else.
I wish the OT had 8 inputs instead of 4. If it did, I could knock the Mackie out of the setup. One can always dream.
can we dream about a new “machine” announcement next month that is basically a hub that allows expansion of ports and data that all elektron gear and other stuff can tap/plug into? I would pay for that
In my opinion it’s too many synths at the same time. Have you thought about scaling down your setup and sample some of your machines? Apart from an easier MIDI configuration it would also require less hands to play it.[/quote]
Hah! This is the scaled down version! I’m sampling a lot of the modular stuff cuz there are too many happy accidents that would be almost impossible to recreate. My problem with sampling is that I like to tweak stuff and have it evolve over longer periods of time. I could probably some of it int he OT by sampling certain synths with the filters open and use the filters on the OT to add variation but the OT will never sound like and MS-20. I could probably get by with sampling the bass lines and and most synthy percussion bits. Ideally I’d like to find a like minded human to play with.
Last night I had everything running into the OT and used one track to sample the entire mix, used a Scene to turn everything else down, changed all the settings on everything and when I pulled the crossfader back it was a completely different track. That’s awesome!!
I wish the OT had a Performance Mode like the A4 does and that Scenes work with MIDI tracks . [/quote]
Hehe I get your point. The OT is also at the center of my setup and it rocks but I just wish it had more than 4 inputs and scenes for MIDI tracks as well. As someone mentioned earlier for MIDI I’m also using a MIDI-thru box to sync everything.
As for using program changes it works well with Elektron stuff but for other machines it depends.
My only concern with using OT as the master is that I cannot find a way to nicely integrate an external keyboard and A4. Is this possible?
The only way I have found is using A4 as the master. The keys go to A4 midi in then and A4’s out to OT’s in. In that case I also need to disable clock sync and sync only transport, as otherwise recorders do not seem to work ok.
Is there a better way?
Nice to all this. My OT is the megabrain behind my setup and I forsee it always holding that role. My live setup is ever changing and I always love that I have a constant to rule the pack. (wolfpack)
Hey, I ran sound for this show! Nice running into you here. I just scored a used Octatrack off the 'Bay to experiment with replacing my laptop in my live rig. At the moment I’m hard-panning the OT’s 8 audio tracks left and right to create two mono submixes, combined with a Novation A-Station and Drum Station also in mono and sequenced by the OT, all into a Behringer MX400 4-channel mixer. Once I get more comfortable with how it works, I’ll probably experiment with running the other channel from the Novations back into the OT for live resampling and other fun stuff.
[quote=“” ggozad""]
My only concern with using OT as the master is that I cannot find a way to nicely integrate an external keyboard and A4. Is this possible?
The only way I have found is using A4 as the master. The keys go to A4 midi in then and A4’s out to OT’s in. In that case I also need to disable clock sync and sync only transport, as otherwise recorders do not seem to work ok.
Is there a better way?
[/quote]
This is concerning since I plan on an A4 at some point and a keyboard will be a must, I might have to get an analog keys instead.
[quote]ggozad wrote
[i]My only concern with using OT as the master is that I cannot find a way to nicely integrate an external keyboard and A4. Is this possible?
The only way I have found is using A4 as the master. The keys go to A4 midi in then and A4’s out to OT’s in. In that case I also need to disable clock sync and sync only transport, as otherwise recorders do not seem to work ok.
Is there a better way?[/i]
This is concerning since I plan on an A4 at some point and a keyboard will be a must, I might have to get an analog keys instead. [/quote]
Try using the auto channel feature.
Keyboard>OT>A4. Keyboard set to midi 1 OT auto channel set to 1. OT midi track 1 set to midi 2 A4 auto channel set to midi 2. Now any track you have selected on the A4 will respond to the keyboard when your on midi track 1 on the OT. I hope that makes sense. Lol.