Fixed probably, read it on GS forum. It is DSP based, Motorola 56303 chip, 24 bit arithmetic.
This thread is way to long and convoluted to try search those settings, I would like to try these changes as well. If you don’t mind, when you say FX setting do you mean no FX at all or is there more?
It’s not a sound difference I’m after, just curious to play around later. Thanks!
If your cat’s making tracks you might want to check with the vet, could be worms.
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Well that’s probably the issue then, for those that hear an issue anyway.
To get an idea, try moving a mix from the default 64 bit mix engine in REAPER to the fixed integer options and hear mix sound smaller and more “congested”.
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But is a computer using Prism converters a fair comparison?
Are there samplers that use 32 float?
Hi Kegeratorz,
To change to 24bit go into Project>Control>Memeory and change Flex Format to 24 bit and Recorder Format to 24bit.
Then in all of your track settings (Flex/Static/Master (if you have that enabled), go into FX slot 1 and select [none] and then copy that page to FX slot 2, and then copy that over to FX slot 1 and 2 of all the remaining tracks.
Then go into each track and turned off Time Stretch (double click SRC and TSTR is the time stretch setting) [Apologies if you know this but maybe someone else who’s very new will find this useful].
I think it really makes a difference and at least now when I add a filter/timestretch etc, I know I’m doing so at the expense of the sound quality - which is kind of obvious but it makes it more deliberate.
I save it as HQ Mode as a template btw.
Having done this - when I use the effects, I have to say, I think that is where the drop of quality is for me. They do sound quite long in the tooth to be honest.
One thing I’d love a more experienced user to describe is a clear approach to the gain staging aspects, both when sampling into the machine as well as resampling within the machine.
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Yeah, I don’t know but my gut feeling and ears say 24 bit fixed with no dithering. The tiny difference I can hear when audio runs through it is VERY, VERY similar to the difference between dithered and undithered audio. It’s really small. There was a long period of time in the 90s and even into the 2000s where apparently a lot of old-school engineers refused to dither because it was “adding noise” and they were from an era when avoiding noise was a big part of their craft. There were still plenty of good recording made. Hell, Pro Tools was still using fixed point until something like 2014.
The takeaway is that you can clip your audio inside the OT with poor gainstaging, and even a simple volume adjustment is probably introducing a bit of truncation distortion and that will have a very small but real effect on the sound. I’ve always head truncation as mostly a slight loss of soundstage depth, and I’ve also heard that from the Octatrack but again it’s really subtle. I wouldn’t use the Octatrack on the master buss of a mix but beyond that it’s insignificant for me.
This thread is a guilty pleasure, I’m not going to deny it.
EDIT: this thread might have never happened if the OT ran at 48kHz, too. I have a feeling a lot of what people who don’t like the Octatrack sound are hearing is a little bit of phase shift on the high end from the antialias flter.
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Yeah I’m not comparing the two; I’m saying my ears are fussy hence I use high end converters… and to my fussy ears the OT doesn’t sound great. YMMV etc.
Point about REAPER was to compare mix engine differences, not converters. Hope that’s clearer 
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Out of curiosity is there a standalone sampler which isn’t grating to your ears?
I keep asking people cause I’m genuinely curious about what in samplerhood outshines the OT in this regard.
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What is Tic Tac Test ? Seems interesting.
MKI or MKII? They may behave differently…
I love the Digitakt.
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I have MK1 like in the test.
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I love it too, it’s the spice of life!
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Thank you all!
0303 day!
Make acid music! 
And watch out for your ears…
(wash it sometimes)
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Hey - congrats, man!
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Best sounding I had are Emulator III and Emu IIIXP. They are laboratory grade devices.
I/O on separate board with own linear power regulators, fully through-hole technology, high-end converters and opamps. Even just 44k 16bit the sound is big. EIII is the Depeche Mode Violator sound to get in context.
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I think you can safely count on arguments from both sides so I’m just stating the obvious:
the OT’s sound quality won’t make or break your song - in terms of worrying about it in the public (big or small) reception of your work, you really shouldn’t.
My opinion, of course (I’ve got 2 OTs so I’m POSSIBLY biased).
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I love the Octatrack for what it is and what it does, but it doesn’t sound good in the way an Emu E4 (any era) or an MPC3000 sounds good. Each of those sounds different but they all sound impressive purely by virtue of turning them on, sampling/importing some sounds and playing them.
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But not the only one. There are others who have posted on this thread besides yourself who are not satisfied with the sound.
It’s fine to have that opinion, as long as the conversation remains civil - eg. no name calling like what happened yesterday.