Plugging Gear Into Octatrack Properly?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

So I picked up an OT the other day and I have finally gotten to a point of my GAS’ing where I feel I can stop for acquiring for a long while and enjoy my equipment but I am running into a few roadblocks on hooking everything together and need some help…I apologize if this topic is in the wrong thread, I couldn’t find just a general help section…

So here is how everything is hooked up right now:

Midi (Tanzbar is currently master clock):
Midi Out from TZ into A4
Midi Out from A4 into Minitaur

Audio In/Out:
Out from Tanzbar into Input A/B of Octatrack
Out L/R from A4 into Input C/D of Octatrack
Main out from Octatrack into Chanel 1 of Behringer Mixer

Im happy that I got everything to sync together so I can start exploring, collecting samples from my existing hardware and creating patterns all to the same clock…But the way things are hooked up now I get no sound from my Minitaur unless my headphones are plugged in. I know I need to get the Audio Out into a channel on my mixer, but I only have 1 channel available (which is being used by the main out on the OT) the other 3 channels don’t work…Something I will need to think about eventually…But is there any way to get sound in the main out from the minitaur given that the only channel from my mixer and all the inputs from the OT are being used?

Also, being that I am still a novice at all this, am I on the right track? Any pointers on different routing/hooking up?

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

#2

Send the Minotaur audio into the a4 line in? Then you can add fx.
Does the drum machine need stereo? Could you mono it to the ot and use the other channel for the minitaur?
Also, a4 will not send midi so probably midi thru to minitaur, not out. What will sequence the minitaur?

Edit - actually, do this.
MIDI
Tz out to ot in. Ot thru to a4. Ot out to minitaur.
Then you can sequence the minitaur win the ot.

You will have to play with the midi filters on the ot and a4 to make sure it doesn’t receive notes from the tz. Or set the tz not to send midi data other than clock.

#3

“Edit - actually, do this.
MIDI
Tz out to ot in. Ot thru to a4. Ot out to minitaur.
Then you can sequence the minitaur win the ot.”

Thanks Roy, ill give that shot and report back

:slight_smile:

#4

Buy a new mixer.
Learn the basics of midi.

#5

Yup. Thanks!

#6

Don’t let anyone put you off of asking questions. The OT is an uphill climb and it’s hard to decide where to start. If you haven’t, scroll this forum for the tips, watch all of the YouTube’s and pick your battles. Lots of folks get frustrated, so take your time and start with modest goals.

4 Likes
#7

Yeah I definitely don’t let it, which is why I came here to ask to begin with. JC has a point, but isn’t really telling me anything I don’t know I need help with already.

#8

Hey Roy so I got all the midi hooked up like you said above…All is synced and sending/recieving so thank you with that.

But I’m still having problems with the Minitaur and OT…I freed up one of the inputs the TZ was using, and I changed the midi settings between OT and Minitaur based on a older topic I found on here from someone having the same issues…

I set the midi channel in the OT to 1 for the Minitaur…Also sending Transp…In the midi menu I selected channels 1…Not sure what I am missing. I clearly am sending midi from OT to Minitair I see it light up when I press the triggers, but I only get sound on Trig Track 6…None of the others…And it doesnt record any trigs…Checked note length and that it’s in the right range for Minitaur…Not sure what I am doing wrong…

I think im getting tunnel visioned from running around in circles.

#9

I’d choose OT as master for sampling. Tempo variations can be bad for recording.

2 Likes
#10

HOW MIDI IS ROUTED
If an audio track and a MIDI track share the same MIDI channel, the MIDI track will block the audio track from sending out data while the audio track will block the MIDI track from receiving data.

#11

I would also use OT as master and then get a midi splitter box to control the other four synths directly if midi thru is not available suitably on the slave synth units.
I would also use the analog four audio input channeling audio from one of the other slave synths.

1 Like
#12

Good to have a midi patch or splitter.
Without it, with Ot master :
OT out > A4 in
A4 thru > TZ in
TZ thru > Minotaur in
Another advantage, you can control A4 with OT, which is great : midi Perf control with Lfos, additionnal notes, arp variations, and MULTI MAP !
With Ot and Multimap, you can even randomize A4 sounds from Soundpool. I don’t think it’s doable in A4 otherwise. You can still tweak them with Perf. Powerful.

2 Likes
#13

This for the win.

#14

Thank you for this :slight_smile:

Got everything on the Midi side working…Just comes back to the OT/Minitaur problem…Only getting sound when I press on T6…Doesn’t make sensr…Checked all the midi settings in OT not sure what I’m doing wrong there

#15

So you set all midi tracks on channel 1 as Minotaur and only T6 works?
What if you copy T6 on another track?

#16

No mutes ?

#17

True RE OT as master. I didn’t want to change your setup too much but agree.

To set the midi channel on the Minotaur press all four buttons on it at once - this puts it into channel select mode. Then send a note from your OT and the Minotaur will switch to that channel.

#18

Yeah I did that…

Gonna make a video to show what’s going on

#19

Do you agree that with an OT coming into your setup, you have to rethink everything ? :grin:

#20

Honestly, I wold put the drum machine near the top of the midi chain and before the a4 because the further down the chain you get, the more loose the timing becomes and you want your hats tight.

I might be the wrong person to ask about changing your setup around. I do this pretty much every day to try out new ideas or make different sounds. I’m not using the OT at the center of my rig so I’m not rethinking everything because of it. Right now it’s after my a4 for audio and used as a very fancy delay/looped via the pattern transition trick. My RYTM bypasses it to go straight to my mixer.