So I’ve been using the OT as a MIDI sequencer, which works okay so far. I have an issue though: I can not get notes to overlap. It is fine if the notes start at the same time (you use the chord feature), but not if they don’t (like playing a broken chord). Let’s illustrate:
Note 1: ---------------------
Note 2: ---------
Result:
Note 1: ------
Note 2: ---------
Do I have to use two or more MIDI tracks for this, or can it somehow be done with only on track?
If you want to do that, you’ll have to use multiple tracks. The OT MIDI sequencer is essentially paraphonic.
I recently ran into this same blocking issue and figured out a work around. Assign one of the knobs to use Sustain CC.
It seems to work pretty well as far as I can tell. Sure you can’t do intricate note overlaps but if you’ve seen any piano player they use the sustain pedal quite extensively to get that effect.
Sustain controller (CC 64)
When you want your notes to either not hang anymore make a trigless lock to reset the CC value to 0. 
Has any of the recent versions fixed this behavior, I wonder?
No
This is why I bought a Pyramid, which is ‘what you play is what you get’
is there a possibility to create ties using notes? e.g. if you want to have notes slide, if thats a thing your synth supports
Not sure what ties is but maybe Legato in arp page is what you’re looking for.
LEG controls the legato of the arpeggiator. This setting will affect the note trigs of the track even if the MODE setting is set to OFF.
Yes, Arp Legato locked to on at the second note (the note you’re sliding to) and extending the note length of the first note (the note you’re sliding from) creates note ties/slides.
cool thx! yep legato is exactly what i’m looking for, but the feature is called a tie in many other seqs
uh love it
Hi, is this overlapping midi notes problem with the new os version 1.4 now solved or not ?
Welcome to the forum!
No. There is no change in this aspect of the OT in OS 1.40.
Many thanks for this info
I’m astonished!
Thanks for the straightforward answer up there. I’m about to press the button on an OT just in time for the nice black box, and I knew this was an old issue looking at some antiquated posts around the net. . I would’ve assumed this niggle would have been addressed by 1.4 or earlier.
I currently use a DT as the centre of my DAWless setup and although I know OT+DT is a great pairing it has to be one or the other for me atm, and robust MIDI sequencing is basic stuff, if not fundamental. (Assuming I don’t want to be implementing per note workarounds)
Anyone reckon this is ever going to get looked at? … or is it a MK3 job?
Given the age of this post, by the time it might get fixed (if ever) I’m sure I could have saved up enough to keep both DT+OT anyway, but I’d rather have the OT and a AR by then.
Confirmed Elektron junkie. 
The analog four only got the improved overlapping note behaviour in the last update,
So if Elektron continue to update the Octatrack there might be a chance.
The way notes work on the OT isn’t a design mistake, it’s pretty standard behavior for step sequencers. For overlapping notes you really want a linear sequencer like an MPC.
the digitone and analog four both do overlapping notes with elektron style sequencing
And Digitakt AFAIK (experimented it with DN only).
