Pickup Machine Reverse Play Bug?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Just about 50% of the time I record a loop on a pickup machine, it starts playing it backwards despite the setting being FWD - is there a way to avoid this? Then when I change it to reverse it plays it the correct way around. How bizarre! I read somewhere that this is a known bug, but despite updating my Octatrack to the new firmware version the bug’s still there. Any indication on whether this will be addressed? Any workarounds? Using flex machine as a looper is one alternative way to do it, but it just isn’t as convenient due to the slight complexity in arming/disarming play and record trigs in conjunction.

Thanks!

#2

Link ? I can’t find it but it reminds me something.

Did you try from a new project ?

A Static track can be plocked to a scene, then set to Pickup and keep that value (reverse for instance).

Reverse would be reversed ? :thinking:

#3

I used to experience it more often than I do now… hasn’t happened lately…

2 Likes
#4

Hi Clancy, yes! Your question from few years back is the only information I can find on the internet actually. It’s really strange and I swear the frequency of its happening is inversely proportional to the amount of days left until the gig, on the gig day just about “always” happening, lol.

#5

So what of you plock scene A and B to Forward ?

@LyingDalai @avantronica
Maybe this should be moved to Pickup machine playing backwards randomly - #7 by Clancy

#6

Ive experienced the same, although that topped with not being able to unlink the tempo has me avoiding pickup machines unless it’s for some thing that can be intentionally unpredictable. Hopefully you can find a solution

#7

No way to reproduce it systematically ?

Recorders + FLEX. Can be overdubed.

#8

No, I can’t seem to reproduce it on cue.

I did actually try the flex route, but it just seems a little bit counter-productive for my purposes. I tend to live loop synth parts that I play with one hand whilst pressing rec1/rec2 on a pickup machine.

In the flex route it’s just a bit fiddly to go to rec mode, then function rec1/2 to go into rec trig page, then arm the rec trig etc. It’s difficult to do all that whilst shredding with one hand, haha. Maybe I just should get used to it.

#9

Tempo unlink would have been great yes. Also what’s very frustrating is if you get too excited and cut the first pickup machine loop shorter than supposed to, then all of a sudden the whole track’s tempo goes up.

#10

You can record without rec trigs.
Press Track + Rec 1, 2 or 3.

There is also a 1 button Quick Rec mode.

QREC to quantize rec.

#11

Oh, that is true. Totally forgot about that, thank you. So then you have the play trig always on? Then if you’d like to stop the loop - you just go in and get rid of the play trig?

#12

Possibly. Or mute track, record silence, change pattern…

No tempo change with rec+flex.

#13

Yes, why not just mute the thing, true. I’ll definitely give it a good shot, especially now that the soonest gig is 2 months away. Thank you for your help - it’s v helpful to connect the dots between what initially seems like unrelated functions of this beast of a device.

1 Like
#14

Recorder + Flex ?
It is the initial way of recording, inherited from Machinedrum.

Pickups machine were an add on, clumsy hack imho…

1 Like
#15

Totally , that’s what ive resorted to . It’s just more clunky than the concept of what pickup machines are supposed to be . I have similar gripes with using the transition trick to copy one pattern to another without stopping the seq. But that’s another talk for a different (already discussed) thread

#16

You can use a pattern with an existing trig.

Btw I have another approach. Instead of using a Thru track and a Flex playing Thru recording, you can use a Rec + Flex as a Thru, recording constantly. Change pattern to finish recording (no rec trig on last pattern).

It saves 1 track, and the crossfader can be used for something else. You can record several tracks this way. Go back to previous pattern to undo…