So essentially plocking all the parameters on the trig’s I don’t want the scene to affect. That makes a lot of sense and I hadn’t thought of it that way yet.
1 Like
-Render A/B scenes or crossfader position to part,track or page
press&hold SCENE A/B and tap MIDI/PART button to copy A/B scene params to part,or TRACK to track, or tap PAGE button to do same to current PAGE
press&hold SCENE A+B and same as above but copy current CROSSFADER position to PART or TRACK or PAGE
-Copy current pattern to next slot
press&hold FUNCTION ,then press&hold COPY ,now tap CLEAR
current pattern with part is copied to next pattern memory ,and maybe as option ,
current pattern is switched as well to new location
-Track Selection sends MIDI CC
this could be amazing way to make patterns in no time.
bests
probably mentioned before; but I’ve requested that quantize live recording works the same as on the digi’s by double pressing the record and play button instead of going to the personalise menu.
2 Likes
Hey Elektronauts.
I appreciate that the OT’s Machines and Sequencer can both be played performatively, and the OT’s MIDI spec allocated unique mix of messaging for remote MIDI control across tracks.
For most PLAY operations, we have ranges of 8 notes for the 8 tracks on ONE channel, the global-set Auto Channel.
- 8 Notes for Audio Track SampleTrigger to (re)trigger the RAM/ROM sound directly.
- 8 Notes for Audio Track SequencerPlay to start/stop individual track motifs via Trigs.
- 8 Notes for MIDI Track SequencerPlay to start/stop motifs on external gear.
However, the RECording operations are limited to a few message (Notes #60-65) for only ONE Active Track at a time, specifying various Inputs or PickUp operations.
When I’ve explored using a remote MIDI controller to trigger RECording on one/more tracks at once (which I call “poly-sampling”)
I have to
- set up multiple-tracks on different MIDI Channels (other than the Auto Channel)
- set my MIDI controller to send the “ComboRec” message (Note #60) on those corresponding channels,
- choose to configure the other PLAY messages either on the channel-per-track scheme to match the ComboRec message, OR use the existing sets of 8 on the AutoChannel.
Can we PLEASE get a set of 8 MIDI notes on the Auto Channel to map to the ComboRec messages across the 8 tracks.
This could make it a lot easier to set up the OT for traditional and experimental
- sampling w/ Flex
- looping w/ PickUp
I nominate we extend the Standard Note Mapping to dip into the Octavebelow the current MIDI Note spec:
- Note #12 (C0) for ComboRec of AudioTrack 1
- Note #13 (C#0) for ComboRec AudioTrack 2
…
*Note #19 (G0) for ComboRec Audio Track 8
Taking a SECOND look at the Standard Note Mapping spec, I see that it only uses 64 notes, but 64 free notes would not allow Direct-Per-Track operations… nor should it for most (like Mute) because the OT already has good UI for superficial direct-track operations…
- the Trig buttons becoming MUTE toggles on the Mixer view,
- the OT can have use QuickMute Note Mapping instead of the standard.
What DOES seem notable is how many operations are subject to the Active Track selection,
- Recorder/Pickup action messages, note Number 60-65,
- PickUp configuration of Sync (Notes 70,71)
- 3 octaves of Sample Pitch playback (Notes 72-96)
… for which we only currently only have 2 messages… - Note 68; Active track Up/Increment
- Note 69; Active Track Down/Decrement
…to make us select Active Track by scanning, where I feel distracted/slowed by having to stop/look/count to get the Active Track where we want it.
Would anyone else like to add (another) 8 Notes to jump the Active Track to various tracks directly ?
Taking a THIRD look at the OT Manual’s Note Mappings, I see that both the QuickMute and the Delay Control Note Mapping dip into the Notes 12-19 that I propose above. If this 8-Track Direct Selection we generalized into the Playback/Recorder operations of the Standard Note Mapping, it could allow the OT to
- approach multi-track looping in ways that are only faster, but more familiar to UX on other multi-track loopers by combining direct “Track Selection” by seperate buttons against contextual “Track Operations” like Multiply upon single buttons.
- allow more agile selection/play of different sounds to be triggered chromatically from a single-channel of Midi Notes. Here, I’d like to borrow the track-multi-selection of the Delay Control Mode/Map: imagine that if you press/release single Notes 12-19, you switch Active Track to Single Tracks to play chromatically… but if you Press/hold multiple notes 12-19, subsequent MIDI Notes 72-96 are sent to those (monophonic) tracks as a Mulit-timbral layering !
- imagine what you could do with aggregators pointing separate Note-streams to Track Selection AND to Chromatic Play.
What do YOU Elektronauts think ?
I’ve owned my OctaTrack Mk1 for years now.
One of the two still-absent MIDI features that I still desire is Part Selection by MIDI.
This is perhaps because I’ve come to use the OT a bit differently than I read most people here do, but I think this feature request/addition could be HUGE.
More recently, I use the OT almost exclusively for it’s RAM buffers, as a “RAMpler” to grab sounds, and use the Track’s effects/sequencer to re-trigger sounds into melodies/rhythms quickly. This is something the OT still does best, slipping between “looper” and “sequencer” where it feels like more like a direct 'instrument" ‘instrument’ than some indirect ‘trick’ of some ‘process’
I use a LaunchPad Pro w/ a Custom MIDI map to open up remote control via
-
Notes to trigger one/more track’s QuickRecord to catch a sound (“poly-sampling”)
-
Notes to trigger one/more track machines to Play that sound in various ways (“poly-articulation”).
-
Notes to trigger one/more track’s Sequencer for quantized rhythm and/or melody.
-
ProgramChanges to switch Patterns (keeping variety of motifs/claves/melodies/etc ready to drive whatever sound I catch in RAM).
-
ControlChanges to switch scenes (across a few macros to use the fader tweak single/grouped once caught)
…so I play my OT mostly via the LaunchPad controller, and only reach for the OT to grab the Fader or dive into menus.
In this and many cases, the OT proves WAY more flexible and expressive through remote MIDI control… and the spec for MIDI messages is vast and organized, but has one curious omission.
Since the beginning of the OT, we cannot use remote MIDI to change PARTs.
For my RAMpler application, I’d like to swap out “kits” of Assignments and/or Settings (reverse, timeStretch, etc) of the RAM Machines separate from changing Sequences without:
- need to look at the screen and use a button combination w/ the Part Quick Select
- using Program Change message to switch to specific PATTERNs just to recall specific PARTs.
Who else want’s DIRECT and REMOTE selection of PARTs via MIDI?
I can only speculate the potential in fluidly switching PARTs for others applications:
- those using OT as a drumKit could switch the “kit” (and FX, and Scenes) mid-pattern !
- those using phrases could set up schemes for flipping samples w/ Slicing/LFOs/etc completely separate from the Sequencer.
- those who do use OT’s PickUp machines for more traditional “looping” could switch the RAM buffers out between PickUp and Flex for some real
- Parts could switch between configurations for external sampling and internal re-sampling with not ties to the Sequencer(s).
If there is a plurality and/or diversity of interest, I think we could/should make feature request !
There is plenty of MIDI Messaging in the OT’s spec to fit this…but it’s curious to consider which MIDI Message type would be appropriate.
- I don’t think Program Changes would be appropriate, given those already require Bank and Patch combinations to hit all 256 Bank/Pattern combinations.
- MIDI Note Numbers could be used, acting like Radio Buttons… perhaps 44,45,46,47 could be used, if they don’t want to go lower/higher than the existing OT Note Map.
- any of many free Control Changes could work, but we’d have to figure out if we want Parts 1/2/3/4 selected by CC Values 0/1/2/3 or 0-31/32-63/64-95/96-127
What do YOU Elektronauts think ?
3 Likes
Yes, a midi message is missing for that too…
A CC with values (0-63) corresponding to parts seems the best for me.
I think notes are already confusing ! 
There are appropriate to change patterns, hence parts. Only workaround with caveats.
I found a way to change patterns keeping their step position with Arranger and Song Pointer Position messages, but it requires a midi processor, and it is complicated to set up.
That way you can change parts on the fly. In example below if changed scenes, but it should work with parts…
Midi geekery…
Very interesting pursuit/proof.
I wonder why the OT’s design has kept PARTs so “upstream” of the other aspects of sound creation/control. Is there some priority in the “stability” of PART over Trigs, Scenes, or the (Re)Sampling itself ?
Make me wonder: what would happen if we tried to switch PARTs while (Re)Sampling ? …where Parts changed Machine Types or RAM slots ?
I’ll ( try to remember to ) try this next time I get back to the OT.
I’d agree with you, that CCs would be best choice to swtich parts, as they’re more of a “parameter” (set) to recall than an Note-Event, and Program Changes already map logically to Banks/Patterns.
Probably bugs…you can try…
I’d use Arranger and different patterns. BTW is can be fun (use 2 steps chuncks of a duplicated pattern with part change each 2 steps, randomize pages).
I reported bugs with Rec Setup settings not applied after a part change…
Part changes are applied once a trig is played, per track.
1 Like
I’d love this too.
I’d love 16 parts per bank too….
2 Likes
Heck yeah. If the PARTs are just small-data for configuration, why not have more. 16 Parts would be fun to select/recall by 16 Trig buttons…
3 Likes
The more I think of it the more I’m convinced that would be totally awesome.
1 Like
sending CC #62 returns current active track number
Interesting !
How do YOU use this ?
Hi
I have build parameter randomizer for scenes in pure data
You hold SCENE A or B and press desired button on controler and PD do it”s magic in no time,but to do that pure data first need to know where it is with current track ,so it needs to send 7x track up(note on#68)to set it to track #1
If i can get current track number i do not need to send 7xtrack up message every time
It will save messages and probably give some other uses
https://youtube.com/shorts/tUG_3i2-tI0?feature=share
Bests
K
1 Like
Sending CC # 63/64 when Scene A/B is pressed
127 pressed
0 released
Thanks to this i can know that Scene A/B is pressed ,and avoid accidental writing parameters to part instead of scene
Bests
K
1 Like
add a bunch octaves up/down for sample transposition. i know resampling, rate etc. but srsly for a creative sampler 1 octave feels really crippling to me. it’s 2023, aliasing is cool again.
6 Likes
Always was !
1 Like
8 bar long patterns