The new black version is the same as the grey MkII, just with a new paint job.
3 Likes
The grey MKII was sold having more headroom, maybe better quality, nobody proved it in an obvious way AFAIK.
1 Like
I think its only the inputs though? or the outputs also?
Iāve just got a new OTMKII (have had the DT and DN for a couple of years) and at this point agree that the sound of the OT is inferior to the DT using the exact same samples in each machine. The FX are pretty poor too tbh.
Butā¦Iām still coming to grips with the various settings and undoubtedly this can be improved (somewhat) by following the advice on here.
I think itās important to remember though that the DT and DN are much more recent devices and itās only natural that their SQ, FX and workflows would be improved.
All that said, even without knowing much about how to use the machine, I was able to get a killer sound using the Xfader that I never could have on my DT/DNSā¦so although the mighty OT isnāt perfect, itās got something to it the others donāt (beyond just beefier specs).
I canāt wait until I can use it as well as I do the DT/DN.
2 Likes
But the consensus is that it isnāt inferior, did you turn off time stretch yet?
Quick take summary: DT has a slight added boost to highs not present in original material, and is mono.
OT needs time stretch turned off to compare, OT sounds neutral, does not colour sound, OT is stereo.
Some people prefer the high boost that DT gives, some prefer the more accurate OT sound.
22 Likes
I think that the only time that quality of playback sound bothers me is when pitching down loops. I bought the house and techno sample packs from elektron, if you adjust tempo from original 126 to 120bmp, most of the kick/bass loops sound like muddy garbage. If you pitch them up to 130bpm sounds just as good as original tempo. If you doing synthesis, maybe you want artifacts in your sound design? But not so much when playing back loopsā¦ IMO
And the reverb and/or efx in this unit are great if you use them sparsely, some people love to drench everything in full efx, you need REALLY good dedicated efx unit if your sound is about showcasing huge ambient reverb. IMOā¦
I ditched mixer for livePA setup and use octatrack as mixer, can barely tell difference in audio when sending thru dry signal from my TR8S or 707. The only time sound quality bothers me is when I play slower than loop original tempo in Octa.
4 Likes
I donāt know if it was said earlier but the OT tracks have a filter set by default and even turned off it is seriously affecting the sound. This ans TRS the first things to remove IMO to judge the quality of a sample on the OT.
3 Likes
Iāve owned both at the same time as well and this is my takeaway. I actually didnāt like the boost in frequencyā¦nor the send only effects. But, what @darenager said, should end this discussion.
2 Likes
No doubt what you say is true. As Iāve said Iām still going through settings to get the cleanest, most neutral sound starting out before I mess it up. On first blush though, it does sound poorer. I guess itās just a sing of a complex machine. I think itād be good if the init patch was set up in the most neutral way from the start though (er = unless it was and Iāve mucked about with it so much I canāt remember, lol).
Thanks for those tips though, Iāll be trying them out this weekend!
Bill
āPoorerā is subjective. āDifferentā would be the objective. If you compare the exact same sample played on DT then OT, of course they will sound different. As discussed at length in this thread and others like it, DT literally changes the sound.
You can make a default project template with empty FX slots and save it if you wish.
3 Likes
Perhaps āpreferā is the best term.
1 Like
With the OT you could easily replicate this to taste with the two EQs, particularly DJ.
Create your template, then: no FX in the FX slots, timestretch off at track level, recording at 24 bits. You can even bypass the inputs for an absolute neutral sound and drop your samples directly on the CF card.
2 Likes
You might want to take some time to learn the OT before coming to conclusions.
You can also search- āOctatrack tipsāā¦or really āOctatrackā and any question you have about it. There is loads of info on this forum. If you donāt like the effects, you can use studio mode as an effect return mode for whatever effects you want. I love the effects. To be honest, it sounds like you just got your OT, opened the box, tried it out for a day and came to the conclusion that it sounds poorā¦and the effects are poorer than the DT and DN. Then you come to a forum where there are people who have explored the OT for years and let us know. Thanks.
As @Microtribe said
To be fair to @Prof_lofi the DT is a bit more āinstant gratificationā out of the box, and the OT due to its nature needs a bit of study to get to grips with, I think that having TS on by default gives a bad first impression of the OT, for example a single shot kick drum will sound crap with TS on.
I like the OT FX, but again sometimes the default settings are not giving the best impression, something that most Elektron gear suffers from to varying extents. The DT and DN being the exceptions here, but also they are much simpler devices.
5 Likes
One thing I have learned about the OT from asking and answering questions on this forum. Itās always user error.
11 Likes
Thanks - Iāve never used the internet before so thatās really helpful 
J/K - donāt take that too seriously lol. Yes, Iām still figuring out this machine and going through various settings to get the sound quality that I like. The suggestions on this thread and elsewhere have been useful (Iāve been haunting those threads you mentioned for a while now).
But, that said, you donāt find a lot of people on the DT/DN threads (or elsewhere) complaining about the sound quality, so I think that there is something to this. I sort of find the defensiveness about the sound quality a bit funny to be honest - a bit like the lady doth protest too much methinks, no?
Although being a newbie to the OT (not music, Iāve been doing that professionally for about 20 years) has itās disadvantages, coming fresh to it the sound quality is pretty obvious. There are several well known youtube tutorial gurus who agree. Itās no biggie, the machine makes up for in many other ways.
Even the same sample in Ableton and DT sound markedly better then the exact same one played from my OT. I almost did the phase invert test today to see what the deal was but whoās got time for that!
It seems that there are some settings to be adjusted to address this - almost for sure the TSTR, I just find it odd that these arenāt set from the start in a more neutral setting. I also canāt help but wonder if itās more obvious in certain type of material.
To say itās all subjective vs objective though sort of misses the point - of course itās subjective, itās music. Objectively an avocado sandwich tastes different from a dog poop hoagie but I know, subjectively, which one tastes better.
Anyway, donāt get me wrong - Iām in, I bought the machine after all. And Iām enjoying working my way through all the tutorials, threads and manual (and Merlinās guide).
Peace, love etc.
9 Likes
Did you read this entire thread? There are audio examples of both machines. There is nothing wrong with the sound of either the DT or the OT.
4 Likes
I remember really hearing the difference when loaded more musical stems into the OT MKI (even after changing all the default settings for optimum sound clarity). It sounded very coloured. Although I did like the sound on drums and techno style noises etc so I think it really depends on how you use it and what kind of music you make.
Again though, I never considered on how the internal gainstaging could have been affecting the soundā¦so would highly recommend trying that out. I ended up switching to the MPC live and tbh sounds great although still have to watch the levels to avoid distortion on the channels.
1 Like