Just got my octatrack today
Say I have a sample from someone like Frank Dukes, say a minute long sample. Do I need to pre slice this down to a 4 bar loop before I load it into the octatrack or can i bring the whole thing in, and then cut it to 4 bars in the editor? If i do, will i regain the RAM created by truncating the sample?
Thanks
Edit: Or should I load the long sample as a Static Sample, trim the loop into sections there and resample into a flex machine?
Load it into a static machine. Done.
Why do you think you need to load it to a flex machine?
Yep.
And add slices to the Static instead.
Just learning it, it seems in most of the tutorials people are just using flex tracks and they say they never really use static.
One more question. I’ve created a midi sequence, and sampled it back into the octatrack into a flex machine on track 4, then I create a counter melody to it on another midi channel and record it back onto another flex machine. However, it overwrites on both flex machines now. Is there a way to disarm so that I can put in a playback trig but not a record trig?
Sorry if this is hard to understand, or if this is a stupid question. I just got the OT mki today and have been at it the past 7 hours, and I have the flu. My brain may be firing on 25% at best.
Thanks, still trying to grasp this thing. It seems amazing so far. My goal is to mainly use as a midi sequencer that I can sample back into and mangle. I added another question below if you have a moment, I’m progressing to where I’m getting more comfortable. 7 hours in with the machine. I find the manual hard to tackle when looking for specific stuff.
Ok cool.
I mostly use static machines. I only realy use flex machines when resampling.
Anyway. Octatrack is in essence 8 tape recorders. Those recordings are stored in RAM, which is limited and volatile. That means, unless you save the recording to the disk, recordings can be destroyed by either recording over them via user error, or it is destroyed when you turn the machine off.
So to resample your midi sequences from the same source, remember to either switch track recorders, or save your samples to disk.
Example. Track recorder 1 records you main sequence. Track recorder 2 records your counter melody. Both 1 and 2 record from the same source, lets say A, your mono synth.
A flex machine is not a recorder. It is a machine for playing samples in RAM, or samples on the track recorders. RAM is limited.
A track recorder is a recorder, its job is to sample.
A static machines job is to stream samples from the disk. Disk space is huge…
Do not expect to understand octatrack only 7 hours in. It will take time. Enjoy the ride. Dont rush it.
Thanks for the help. I do not expect to learn this one quickly, and I’m not getting annoyed or discouraged.
I had two goals today with it. To make a quick pattern with a loaded sample, and play with some pitch adjustments and mess with fox and add drums.
Then to sequence a few melodies into my prophet x and record them back into the OT with trig recorders.
I accomplished both, just need to get going fresh again tomorrow and figure out where I was making mistakes in overwriting.
I have the whole week off to explore this, so I am taking my time. I have a feeling it will be months before I’m really good.
On the plus side, I am THRILLED with the midi sequencing so far. For creating hiphop/trap melodies it is perfect. Timing is rock solid as well, far better than the akai Force in this regard.
I try to use static where possible, since it doesn’t impact the RAM (it streams from the CF card). I enjoy trimming loops a lot more on the computer than on the OT, so I tend to trim things before loading them.
Good luck with the OT, try not to get frustrated or put off by the complexity. It definitely rewards the work you put into it.
I use pdf search.
Cuckoo’s YouTube series is superior to the manual. The manual is great but when it’s such a complex machine it’s best (like you’re doing) to eat tiny bites at a time, and the manual is more like a firehouse of info.
Good luck. It took me seven months to even start on midi.
Come on - this isn’t rocket science. It’s even one of the manuals which supplies you with usage scenarios.
Of course, some introductional videos are nice to get you going, but reading the manual through once to get an overview and then consult it in detail when working with different features isn’t that bad.
IMHO that first read-through is quite important to get the main concepts/structures of the machine right (machines, parts etc.pp.). From there it’s just details …
Thanks, Captain Obvious.