Does the Octatrack sound good as a throughput mixer?
Will it retain the frequency range / sound quality of an expensive analog synth when its used as a mixer in a live-rig?
Or retain the bass rumble of a TR-808 etc ?
Any advice or experience would be appreciated.
I havenāt personally noticed any degradation either.
If you really want to make sure, you could send a signal through it and back out into a spectrum analyser to see what happens.
the observations on this thread made interesting reading and thoroughly quenched my anxiety about OT as a performance tool, i wouldnāt record with it in preference to a dedicated recorder, but i see no obstacles in a live context and certainly not in an experimental context
the link is dead, but the thread is still worth skimming
there are other threads on this too
the OT inputs are definitely usable, transparent, and maintain the audio quality of incoming signals provided you gain stage everything correctly.
i never boost the master volume control (function + level knob) and never go past 75% on the amp level.
Sending the OT signal through a nice channel strip does wonders. Some compression and EQ really helps balance things out especially when the A4 or any complex external source is being processed by the OT.
If you happen to record those low frequencies you will hear a difference.
I would also stress, as mentioned above, that having the your levels right is most important.
if it goes thru the ad/da
then
simply no
anything that is passed thru any ad/da process loses something
the amount depends on the source and the equipment (assuming levels are correct)
some older gear adds character, which can be desirable
some high end stuff is ātransparentā
but the ot is neither ātransparentā or adds ācharacterā
(putting on the flak jacket)
bland
(not that it cant sound good, but it aint no apogee/mpc60 hybrid)
I found it ok for most uses. Nothing bad you would notice live.
BUT when I used to run drum machines through my OT, I felt I was losing some sound quality (punch? crispiness? not sure what to call it). I had it going into the AB inputs at a reasonable volumeā¦not sure if thereās some additional gain staging thing Iām missing.
I have not yet found a satisfying group of settings to get the OTās input and output gains in line with the rest of my gear.
Started a threadā¦nobody was interested.
I have resorted to cranking up input AND output gain, which has to bring up the noise floor (doesnāt it?). TBH, I havenāt really put a critical ear on fidelity in a while, just been recording everything without fully checking results. Guess I will find out when I do.
No matter what I do, I canāt seem to get flex machine recordings at āoptimalā levels without overdriving the inputs. I am currently sending to inputs from a mixer subgroup, through a compressor (more levelling than compressing).
Iād love to hear othersā approach.
Clunky and Baddcrās positions not withstanding (you guys donāt agree on too much, lol)
Iām gonna give nirunās comments +1 
Iāve tried lots of stuff, best results for me are:
Sound source device (including Elektrons)->
(FX box, filter, reverb, whatever)
mixing board with sweepable mids ->
compressor if makes sense
Record to OT A/B or whatever config from mixing board
I have noticed sound degradation (perhaps imagined) at times, however, once the sounds are recorded in to the OT, I use 3 or 4 FX slots to shape the sound well beyond what was recorded.
Either way, what goes in (AD) is the best that can possibly come out (D/A), so having a good channel strip is a big plus as nirun said.
In my workflow, Iām not exactly concerned with a āperfectā recording (like measuring it through an oscilloscope or whatever. I find I achieve (again my perception) way better sounds and dynamics by editing the recording in OT.
ok, now you owe me $0.02
Sorry, my earlier message didnāt really address OP,
If you are asking if the OT can perform as mixer with good sound, answer is emphatic YES. A lot of people doing this and doing it really well.
If you mean compared to a dedicated mixing board: No, it does not sound in any way nearly at all as good as a dedicated mixer. I think that is what you are really asking but could be wrong.
How I got to where I am now is that:
Now in full disclosure, what I loose is the edge in the āwhat is liveā factor (totally separate debate), since I ultimate use a single box to play. I cared at first (what about my cool black EIT-1 and all the stickers on the back of my A4 
he he, but then I didnāt care.
Also this all fits my workflow. Some peopleās workflows really hang on mutes (like MD has 16 mutable) and performance macros (A4) etc. This wonāt be available in my workflow described.
YMMV as everyone else, and someone may well come in and say Iām wrong and Iāll agree with that up front if they say something else works better for them. Just this is best in my case.
Regarding 808 rumble, you are gonna want to keep that totally separated going in and out of your signal chain, with a sweepable mid eq. Otherwise, no youāre not really gonna get it clearly out of the OT translated the way it comes from the source (it will be a pretty muddy rumble).
lots of great input here (pun intended) haha
transformers/resistors/capacitors/op-amps
a quick google on any of these things and the role they play in all modern professional studio gear will shed some light on what happens when you try to boost or pad a really loud or quiet signal.
These things arenāt cheap, and itās not fair to compare the OT and the size it is to high end gear with much more headroom, cleaner gain, and more ācharacterā based distortion of wild input signals.
Thereās some truth to just being able to manage your synths and samples with filters and effects creatively to achieve good results, and really there are so many free plug-ins and GREAT all in one interfaces with awesome DSP based dynamics to solve all your problems.
summing/conversion can always be discussed for pages, but i challenge anyone to drive a loud or quiet signal and try attenuating it with the OT vs a good pre-amp/interface and you will be able to tell that there is a difference. thereās a sweet spot/range but thatās based on your taste/ears/source material
if you cannot hear it, good for you and carry on making music 
and as @ehrek said, you do lose a bit of that live sound appeal but thatās what CDJs are made for right 
What you cant seem to grasp is its just my educated and experienced opinion, formulated after some serious testing
with another very experienced electronic musician with serious OT chops and a penchant
for audiophile sound using multiple sources and methods.
Feel free to ignore my posts, I dont read yours unless you quote me, youāve got nothing i need to know, thanks.
Lots of excellent advice and experience Peoples - much appreciated!
This info explains a lot to me about the sonic capabilities of the OT and what success and issues people are having with it regarding quality of sound. GREAT STUFF 
I will elaborate a bit, Ive had the OT a bit and just got the Rytm
My live-rig should just be the OT and the Rytm (and/or a nice synth)
I want a minimal setup and dont want to lose the quality of the Rytm Bass (and/or synth audio frequencies) in a live-rig if I am using the OT as the mixer.
To me the subtlety of this ālossā of bass rumble on a big system is the difference between missing out on a bit of the punch or feeling the air being pushed by the subs.
I guess the question boils down to:
OT + Rytm alone -VERSUS- OT + Rytm + Rane DJ mixer
Having to use the DJ mixer to keep the Rytmās full sonics may lead to using the OT only and selling the Rytm but otherwise Im thinking it might just be a small compromise in audiophile perfectionism to gain a simple and effective setup that is fun and expressive.
Iād say use a mixer. I used those two boxes together. Rytm into OT didnāt sound great to me, and OT into Rytm was weird too (bad Rytm input + master compression). Iām sure thereās a tiny 2 channel mixer that wonāt complicate your setup much.
will you just be running sound in and out of the octatrack without using any effects on it? the direct thru function without using tracks? isnāt that ab/cd only?
iād guess youād want to double up on the inputs unless you want it hard panned (and then it would pick up noise if an input was unused) or?
tbh, iāve not really had a need to mess with direct audio, but iād be kinda concerned about the spacial positioning and phase weirdness potential? if youāre playing live (mono?) im not sure iād want the hassle vs just using direct out into a single mixer channelā¦ but if you have time to test it beforehand.
dunnoā¦ the octatrackās stereoness makes it easy to change the sound, but iāve not experimented with running things into it that i didnāt want the sound changed. 
oth, i feel like all drum machines benefit from additional production, so you could very well use the octatrack to make it sound betterā¦
all i can say is that i like having some kind of actual mixing thing too, if it has sends or midi you can have a lot of fun with the octatrack.
If people canāt tell the difference in blind listening tests, then as far as Iām concerned, there IS no differenceā¦
I find noticeable signal degradation when running THRU.
I donāt feel the need to prove it - my ears are enough proof.
Instead of challenging everyone to post examples up, if youāre going to flap around the thread so intensely, why donāt YOU post up examples of zero or near zero degradation across a range of source dynamics.
It cuts both ways.
Because in science (as with philosophy, the arts, and humanities) you are never asked to prove a negative.
Because in science (as with philosophy, the arts, and humanities) you are never asked to prove a negative.[/quote]
Actually, in āscienceā you are asked to prove any statement which is yet to be proofed. This is true whether it is popular thought or not - there are no legitimate assumptions.
So, your input sounds like bollocks, to be frank.
What bollocks.
It is arrogant to use cultural institutionalism to bolster petty disputes.
I donāt know if you get this but take a big breath. THE UNIVERSE DOESNāT REVOLVE AROUND YOU.
Iām sorry but itās true.
And the point of reducing you like this is to remind you of one thing. No one has to prove anything to you.
However, as you like to flap around asking people to prove that they hear degradation in the audio path (and the truth is most of us are too busy doing things with our lives or in the studio to sate your incessant windy diatribe), why donāt YOU do a proof?
Because - hereās that center of the universe thing again - YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO DEMANDS IT. No one else really seems to care so much about your concernsā¦ see, we donāt need to as we use our ears. We set up a controlled experiment, we fuck around with gain staging, we A/B and get creative because (and please remember this) WE WANT IT TO BE A BRILLIANT CONVERTER and AD/DA so that we can leave audio routing through it all the time. But it isnāt. And the amount of consensus given to this throughout pretty much all forums including this very one gives a certain credence to the statement.
This isnāt an institutionalized western science academy - the conventions that apply to your undergrad courses donāt usually apply in the real world.
So, I suggest to you - seeing as how you have all of this time spare - go do it your fooking self.
J.