OT Special Tricks

[audiotonomy]

Fair play, you guys have gone in to the OT in so much depth. I hope I can get my head around it enough to be as creative soon…

I’m a big fan of the delay using re-trig and tweaking the release so that a sound with both delay AND reverb is possible.

[sicijk]

One fun use of Recording Buffers is to live sample then, on a second Pattern and Part, have a copy of the same audio on two tracks then beat juggling them in real time with crossfader. Plus adding stuff for transitioning.

[MK7]

Thanks for the additional posts! 8 tracks for beat juggling? Sounds like a lot of variations at your fingertips, nice! 3 lfo’s just for the delay? Good idea, Mike! I’m sure that can push some interesting tones out of this otherwise a bit boring delay, especially because of that pitching tape effect. Some people, including me, might not have been aware of that arpeggio/lfo trick to create chords, which seems to be common practice in trackers!

One fun use of Recording Buffers is to live sample then, on a second Pattern and Part, have a copy of the same audio on two tracks then beat juggling them in real time with crossfader. Plus adding stuff for transitioning.

This one has long been on my todo list, but I always forgot to set it up on my OT (used it without that crossfader part extensively on the MD). Gigi, could you please describe more details how you configure these ‘RAMicizer’ patterns, to use good ald MD terminology? What ‘other stuff’ do you apply for transitions? Neighbor machine FX chains?

I’m glad about the wide variety of interesting tricks that you posted here

---

Secretmusic, you recorded so many tutorials. What is your favorite thing you discovered? Dubathonic, you spent a lot of time with the OT, also recording full tracks, what is your best trick? Trond? (do you still use an OT btw?) Highsage, techno enthusiasist and octatrackism pioneer, where are you! I watch your sets over and over again, and also those exhaust videos sometimes. Are you still present in this forum? Come on, we need some octatrackism again! Kotare? Cenk? Cuckoo? Anybody else?

---

All of you who are frustrated by missing features. What is THE feature/trick that let’s you still keep the OT?

[sicijk]

Actually it is something that I am trying in these very days…so it is just a 2 Parts created from scratch and being implemented three days ago…not yet arrived to the sculpting moment with FXs…
Actually I am preparing a live setup with OT and A4 plus Sherman FB2 and KaossPad…and I am optimizing this day-by-day…

So far (making it simple with not all the Recorders details across all the 8 tracks):

I have a pattern where Recorder 1 and 2 are continuosly sampling CUE and INP A/B (sources chosen for this example purpose only)

Then on another Pattern I have:

T1: R1 (CUE sampled) -------------- T5: R1 (CUE sampled)
T2: R2 (A/B sampled) -------------- T6: R2 (A/B sampled)

Then crossader A goes for T1 and T2 /// crossfader B goes for T5 and T6.

Just putting T5 and T6 with the playback trig two steps further than the T1 and T2 ones will give immediate fun for a very simple juggling…then comes one-shots and other sweeties of course…

This juggling can be expanded putting T5 and T6 in Plays Free and Direct for more real human control…

Going back and forth the two patterns gives you (at least for me) long fun moments!

---

Coming to your answer: What is the best feature for you?
…well… it has so many…CROSSFADER and SCENES is maybe the 1st ! I will never change it for anything else!

[MK7]

I just set up my OT with a collection of ideas found and/or written in this thread. Usually, one project contains one good trick, another a second, a third none at all.

Resampling, beat juggling, a bunch of delay lfo’s, of course also beloved strt lfo’s, retrigs, midi loopback…

Holy sh**!

[sicijk]

Hey Moritz! =)

Does your continuos sampling for buildups involve the Recorder creating a slight feedback?

[Allerian]

Using the editor as an instrument. Load a sample and set the track to Loop. Open the editor and adjust the End point to be near the start point. Now begin sweeping the start point in the editor. This one is deep.

This same technique can also be used to instantly create, isolate, and save single cycle wavs. (Bonus thought: Same technique, OP-1. )

[Allerian]

In this thread, Monolith deserves a mention. Simple technique turns the OT into a powerful modular synth.

[MK7]

Hey Moritz! =)

Does your continuos sampling for buildups involve the Recorder creating a slight feedback?

Hey Gigi!

No, I don’t get that feedback screaming sound that can easily occur on the MD. I think they programmed the OT in such a way that it doesn’t occur, or do you get feedback?

@Allerian: interesting, thx for the additions. I tried Monolith before, not so much my cup of tea, or maybe I don’t understand it enough, but you’re right, that’s definitely a special trick setup. Audio loopback and midi loopback at once, really powerful and innovative!

[coralhex]

In this thread, Monolith deserves a mention. Simple technique turns the OT into a powerful modular synth.

+1

Monolith is HEAVY.

[MK7]

[quote=“Allerian”]In this thread, Monolith deserves a mention. Simple technique turns the OT into a powerful modular synth.

+1

Monolith is HEAVY.

[/quote]
Are there any good demos available beyond those 3 youtube videos showing how Monolith can sound (when used by an expert)?

[sicijk]

@MK7
I get pattern-controllable feedback opening the playback during the sampling on every quarter of a bar.

So…I go back to the root of my answering: I think I haven’t got how you do setup this trick for buildups…I am really interested =)

Can you…please !

[fachperson]

I started collecting old posts. Here are three I found between OT forum pages 59-67:

Fader Tricks

Your favorite x-fader scene tricks?

C'mon, share em up. How do you use the crossfader for fun performance tricks?

Crossfade Transition

Crossfade Transition

I have the crossfade transition working nicely but however when I switch to SCENE B, the recorded loop, the volume is much noticeably lower. Has come across this issue using this technique? Tks

Part Transition

Biologik's part transition tip

So this only works with looped audio tracks set to plays free. In the comments section to this video he says that if your pattern is made up of individual trigs you can always sample them into audio on the fly. I'm trying to work out how to achieve this, if by "on the fly" he means you can actually do it during the set as it's going out live. So far my failed approach has been this: I have a pattern made up of individual trigs from which I wish to transition to another pattern with lo…

more to come.

[fachperson]

I get pattern-controllable feedback opening the playback during the sampling on every quarter of a bar.

Can you please explain what you mean here? I don’t understand it

[sicijk]

Think this simple setup:

T1 plays some sound
T5 is muted and has loaded the Recorder 5 (sampling T8 as master or CUE, you choose)
T5 has a playback trig on 1-5-9-13
T5 Recorder has a trig on 1

Unmuting T5 opens the playback of what is getting sampled, this brings feedback.

But it’s something i am testing out these last days when spare time (not at all) allows it…

I think it can get to some results.

But i was only trying to understand MK7’s setup for buildups…

[rikrak]

This sounds similar to my simple trick for emulating classic Tape Echo.

I’m sure lots of you have come across this in your experiments, but I haven’t seen it written down.

Basic Method:

Start a new, blank Project.

1. Set Pattern Length to 64 (Normal Mode - all tracks).
2. Load a short (less than 1 beat) sample into Track 1 (Static or Flex).
3. Put a Trig on Step 1 of Page 1 of Track 1.
4. In Track 1 Rec Setup, set SRC3 to MAIN, RLEN to 16 and put a Rec Trig on Step 1. (EDIT: Step 1 of EVERY PAGE, so Steps 1, 17, 33, 49)
5. Set Track 2 to Flex and select RECORDING 1 from the slot list.
6. Put a Trig on Step 5 of Every Page of Track 2. (ie Steps 5, 21, 37, 53)

Now hit play and you should get a rough, looping Tape Echo effect.

Here’s the cool bit though - because Track 2 is feeding back into Recording 1, any changes you make to Track 2’s Flex machine are cumulative. Used subtly, you can get some awesome effects. For example, if you set Track 2’s Pitch to +0.2, the echoes will continue to rise in pitch as they go on.

With certain circumstances, it’s possible to get overloading feedback. You can reign this in by decreasing Track 2’s VOL setting until you have the tail under control. (This is a good way to control the length of the echo)

Advanced Method:

In addition to the Basic Method above, try these additional settings to get closer to a true Tape Echo.

7. Add a DARK REV to Track 2 and set TIME to 64, HP to 64, LP to 110 and MIX to 10.
8. Put a NEIGHBOR machine on Track 3.
9. Set Track 3’s FILTER: BASE to 64, WDTH to 48.
10. Set Track 3’s LFO 1: PMTR to FLTR BASE, MULT to 8X, TRIG to SYNC TRIG, SPD to 64 and DEP to 8.

The exact settings will depend on the source sample on Track 1 but the idea is that the Dark Reverb on Track 2 adds noise saturation and the Filter on Track 3’s Neighbor machine adds flutter. Try experimenting with the mix level of the reverb and the depth and speed of the filter.

You might also try a THRU machine on Track 1 instead. With a constant incoming signal, you can Toggle Mute/Unmute Track 1 and 2 to add dubby stabs of the source onto the “Tape Loop”.

Great thread so far - keep the tips coming everyone!

[rikrak]

A simple trick that I only came across today:

You can use Live Recording while an Arrangement is playing.

For example, you can make 4 empty patterns of 64 steps and make them loop in an arrangement - and then with the arrangement running (but not in the Edit Arrangement mode), you can use Slot Mode or Chromatic mode to lay down a 16bar recording. The trigs are placed on whichever Pattern is currently active. You can also record parameter changes, as you’d expect.

I’m sure there is potential here for more inventive uses of this - with more complex arrangements - but it was a total revelation to me. I don’t feel restricted by the 4bar limit when recording synth parts now.

[djadonis206]

To the poster above ^ - rilrak, I think. That’s a great tip! Thanks!!!

[izzymonkey]

Perhaps too simple for this thread, but as I use my OT for mostly live sampled synth bass parts and/or textures, I rely heavily on the effects and one shot recorder trigs (so useful for hands-free sampling whilst I play a synth.)

I typically setup a Part to have:

T1 - flex machine with a pad/texture of some kind - loop == auto
T2 - flex machine with another pad, or one shot sample - loop == off
T3 - Recorder buffer 3, source T5
T4 - Recorder buffer 4, source T6
T5 - Thru machine, input A/B (synth #1), Spatializer + Dark Reverb
T6 - Thru machine, input C/D (synth #2) or input A/B, Lo-Fi collection + Delay
T7 - flex machine with severely chopped up sampled beat (usually from vinyl)
T8 - Master (with Compressor, Delay)

This way, I can - on the fly - mix two different elements coming from the same source, with different effects and capture samples as I wish, or I can use multiple sources. I’ll often have a deep synth bass part on T5 (T3), switch to a different patch on the same synth for a harmonic/textural element, and capture that through T6 (T4). Or, I may run an acoustic or electric bass through my rig into T6.

Tracks 3 and 4 allow me to keep previously captured parts running, at which point I’ll often mess with them through Lo-Fi and Delay effects. I may sample stuff dry, or already effected.

Spatializer really helps me get my more bass-end tones to “fit around” some other low end elements coming from my trio mates.

Lo-Fi is gold for me because of the awesome AMD + AMF controls. I love mapping the frequency to Scenes and using the crossfader to “play” the pulse/beat (I keep it well below audio range to get a nice, rippling flutter.)

Everything I do is very live-oriented, so I have little preprepared stuff. I intentionally keep a limited palette of pre-sampled tidbits.

Oh, and other feature common to elektron gear that I absolutely cannot do without: the sequencer step shift available with the < and > buttons.

[Abhoth]

For example, you can make 4 empty patterns of 64 steps and make them loop in an arrangement - and then with the arrangement running (but not in the Edit Arrangement mode), you can use Slot Mode or Chromatic mode to lay down a 16bar recording. The trigs are placed on whichever Pattern is currently active. You can also record parameter changes, as you’d expect.

I do this a lot, only I usually don’t make an arrangement for it, I just chain the patterns I want to record to by pressing and holding the pattern button and then the patterns in the order I want them chained.

On a track where I want to do a lot of detailed editing I also tend to chain patterns like this, but then to have, say, 4 separate 16 step patterns instead of one 64. That means I can listen to just the section I’m working on and then chain them when I want to listen to the whole sequence.