Refresh My Memory: How to switch Samples on a Track using Scenes

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

I’m furious at the moment because I normally don’t forget stuff like this… I’m working on a new live set for an upcoming performance and because I’ve been away from my Octatrack for awhile, I am totally forgetting how to do this… of course search in this forum and in Google not only doesn’t help, but provides nothing but the opposite of what I’m looking for (like “Why not use a different Part instead” because I am using both Parts and Scenes to switch Samples.)

So can some helpful person PLEASE tell me simply, how do I switch a Sample, say on Track 6, to a different Sample in the Slot List using the Scenes button? I know it’s possible because it’s exactly how I did my first live sets. So to be very specific to what I am trying to do:

  1. Part One will have 7 Tracks of Samples playing (Track 8 is for Master Effects.)
  2. Scene A1 will have Track 1 playing with one Trigger and all other tracks volume down.
  3. As I move the Crossfader to Scene B1, it fades in Track Two.
  4. Fading to Scene A2 fades in Tracks 3, 4, 5 and 6…
    5, And Scene B2 fades in Track 7.
  5. NOW, when I move the Crossfader to Scene A3, I want the Sample in Track SIX to switch to a different Sample in the Slot List.

I know how to Switch Samples in a Slot List, but you can’t access that list while holding down the Scene Button to setup the P-Locks. And if, while holding down the Scene Button I double tap the Track button, I can access the Slot List and change to a different sample, but it doesn’t P-Lock it, it keeps that change for all the scenes, wiping out the previous Sample I had for that track on the other scenes!

I KNOW I know how to do this, I’m just having a really bad case of brainfart/mental block… Any help greatly appreciated!

#2

Haha. I’m guessing that this is mother 32s fault.

#3

Yes. Spent all of my time this past Month solely on the Mother-32s…

#4

AFAIK you can’t use the scenes to lock different sample slots.
Are you sure you didn’t have a sample chain in your set before with the scene selecting the slice?

1 Like
#5

AFAIK you can’t use the scenes to lock different sample slots.
Are you sure you didn’t have a sample chain in your set before with the scene selecting the slice?[/quote]
I’m pretty sure you can. And I’ve never used Sample Chains. In one of my Octatrack videos I’m doing it, can’t remember which one (maybe the one below) but it’s how I can get 9 or so samples out of 7 Tracks before switching to a whole group of new samples on a new Part.

Which reminds me, I also have to remember how to assign the Patterns to different Parts so when I switch Patterns it automatically switches to the new Part… I’ve forgotten SO much!

#6

I agree with musicmagus. What you are asking can’t be done.

#7

Yeah agreed here too. Never learned or seen this function and I’ve watched/read A LOT of OT user stuff :wink: think you probably just had ‘default sample locks’ before? As you probably know, these can be used to switch sample in a pattern or bank etc. I’d like to be wrong tho as ‘changing sample via scene’ without needing sample chain would be very useful!

#8

Sample Slots are Project wide. There is no way to swap a Sample out without manually editing the Slot.

EDIT: Just realised that this is not what you are suggesting.

In your step 6 - at what point during the Crossfader’s movement would the Sample change? Or are you imagining it would cross-fade? This may help to work out how you previously had the OT set up.

#9

Here’s how I do something similar:

  1. In Audacity or another audio editor, import 2 loops. Convert each to mono, with one panned hard left and the other panned hard right. Combine these two files into one stereo loop.

  2. In the OT, load the loop into a track and use the AMP Page to pan it hard left. Call up the Spatializer and turn M/S to 1 and turn SG all the way up. Your loop is now playing in the middle of the stereo field.

  3. Use the Scene A/B buttons – one panned hard left, the other hard right – to call up one of the loops. Or p-lock pan to use different loops at different parts of the track. Or use the crossfader mapped to pan to crossfade between loops.

3 Likes
#10

Yeah, left and right. that was my guess.

#11

Thanks all for the replies… but I am really positively sure I’ve done this before, it was one of the first things I learned how to do and is how I was able to switch to 8 or 9 samples with only 7 tracks in one Part (unless I am really losing my mind! Which is possible, it’s been a rough week!)

At one point I was able to hold the Scene button down, then pull up the Slot List and choose a different Sample for the track (you can do this by double clicking the Track Button, but doing it that way doesn’t preserve the previously assigned sample when you are on a different Scene. It just assigns that new sample for the track across the board.) Then when I crossfaded to that Scene, the original sample would just go silent/fade out and the new Sample would play/fade in.

You can do this [switching sample for a track] with P-Locking multiple triggers, but to do this on just one trigger, the problem is bringing up the Slot List. To do this, you need to hold (if I remember correctly) something like Function+ the Up/Down Arrow keys only when NOT in Grid Recording mode (or something convoluted like that), but you can’t do this while holding the Scene button at the same time… I could have sworn there was some other button combination to “get there”.

I’ve never used Sample Chains, so that’s not how I did it, and I am not asking for “alternative ways” to achieve the same, sort of thing… I need this specific method. The first time I got the Octatrack this was the first thing I was trying to figure out, and I eventually did, and worked it into my set back in August… again, unless I am completely losing my mind!

Oh well, never mind I guess, I’m out of time now to pull this off for my next performance anyway… At least I did remember how to switch Parts by simply switching Patterns (assigning each Pattern to it’s own Part.)

#12

Dude I think your memory’s playing tricks on you :wink: A ton of hardcore users out there on this forum, someone would have chymed in if it was possible… I know you’re not looking for alternatives but the same thing is basically achievable by just copying the pattern and setting a sample lock to a different sample in your list. If you want scene changes to coincide you can always just change scene at the same time you change pattern. As far as I’m aware you can’t crossfade samples on the same track due to the lack of polyphony, so it would be a similar result. Sample lock to scenes would still be a cool feature though, so hopefully I’m wrong and you remember how to do it and can let us know :wink:

#13

Good to know that this is not possible - i did it with sample slice position, but i asked me the same thing.

#14

This thread has inspired me to create a big fat sample chain of loops with Octachainer and do what genshi was trying to pull off.

#15

various scenes controling various sample track content ?
that implies also using various parts…
otherwise we’re talking various scenes controling various slices here…

oh, and i could never ever imagine before, someone stating…“never used sample chains”…

whaaaat!?..seriously?

but what do i know, as someone who never ever really actually sampled with this sampler…

#16

you can use patterns to switch samples.

1 Like
#17

use sample chains for that

#18

…what impressive and clever conclusions u got to offer here, mr. peterson…
i read again if u read again… :wink:

#19

Jeezus, who the hell revived a 7 year old thread that didn’t need to be revived!?

#20

Well, with the crossfader, you need slices control.

I found a way to switch scenes (and slices) depending on crossfader position.

@wascal discovered the megabreak of doom…:content:

Megabreak of Doom is huge, but now I rather use my method with synced slots (lfo on start) which can be played from OT in Slots mode.