Pickup Machines - Instant Sequencer Start

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hey folks,
So, I’ve been having a lot of fun with pickup machines - starting with the OT sequencer stopped, it’s fun recording and overdubbing loops from external sources - especially layers of Digitone played with a MIDI keyboard.

Holding the Track button and hitting the tempo button sets the OT tempo just fine, once I have recorded that first round of the pickup loop…

BUT.

What I would love to happen is for the OT sequencer to kick in and play the current pattern without me having to wait for one full round of the recorded pickup loop to complete. Ableton’s looper can do this - i.e. once I stop recording and enter either playback or overdub, the sequencer can kick in immediately. Can the OT do this? Looks like the answer is no and I have to press play during the first “repeat” of the loop - a bummer as I would much prefer to kick her in instantly.

Any help would be appreciated.
p

#2

I’m not using PUs, but If you don’t need Pickup Machines, this can be done with Flex Machines playing the Recorder Buffer.
Place a trig on step 1 to play the sample.
You can sample manually or use Recording Trigs for automated sampling.
Re-arm the Recorder Trig if you want to initiate sampling again, the Flex Machine will play the new sample then from step 1.

3 Likes
#3

Why not have the sequencer running before you start the PUM? Then it will do as you want - no?

1 Like
#4

The idea is to allow me dictate the tempo based on what i play on the keys. So the tempo should be slightly different each night. There will be other situations where i record guitar played by another person on stage (no click) and id like to set the tempo based on what they play.

With the sequencer running already i am tied to that tempo, and with it stopped i have to play my initial recorded pickup loop once for the sequencer to start. Would much prefer to have my pattern kick on the second i hit rec2 :grin::grin::grin:

Hope i am making sense!

#5

Yeah… pick up machines. I have seen some people play live as you describe with octatrack, they use a looper pedal as the master clock…
I never find much joy with pick up machines myself.

#6

Possible if you send a Combo Rec + Sequencer Play message at the same time.
Do you have midi buttons on your keys?
Ideally a button sending 2 notes at the sale time.

Easy with an additional midi processor, triggering 2 notes from 1 note.

Also possible with midi loopback and a plays free midi track with COMBO REC and START.

1 Like
#7

Can I tell my BopPad to send a Rec+Play message to the OT???

#8

If it can send 2 specific notes at the same time, yes. Otherwise it’s possible with an additional midi processor.

#9

It can, do you remember which notes are they please?

#10

Ah, nice one!

Combo Rec = Midi Note 60
Pickup Play = Midi Note 64

4 Likes
#11

I’d rather use note 34 : Sequencer Start

3 Likes
#12

Thanks!

#13

So I confirm it works. The sequencer starts just after recording. Tempo defined by the loop.

I used midi loopback, a one shot play free midi track to send Combo Rec (C4) and start recording, and another one shot play free midi track to stop recording (C4) and start sequence (A1#).

Midi T1, Step 1 = C4
Midi T2, Step 1 = C4, Step 2 = A1#, -23/384 microtiming

4 Likes
Help with Elektrons, MIDI controllers, Overhub and iConnectMIDI4+
#14

This suddenly made me realize how powerfull midi loopback can be! You can program all sorts of commands in every order you wish under a midi trig button!

2 Likes
#15

Yeah! It can be a remote control! I used it with plays free midi tracks to control one shots sample trigs here :
https://youtu.be/gbdxRHKVwrw

6 Likes
#16

Thanks so much everyone for this deadly innovative solution! My loopback will go from MIDI out of the OT to MIDI in on a Behringer FCB1010 foot controller, and from there to an iConnect MIDI2+ [used to merge MIDI with that of a Native Instruments S61 keyboard] finally to the OT MIDI input.

I’ll get to test tomorrow hopefully, and I’m yet again blown away by this group of users and their knowledge.

Thanks again!
P

1 Like
#17

remOTe cOnTrol !

3 Likes