Sequence Analog Heat from Octatrack

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hello all,

I’m putting together an about 30-minute piece of throbbing ambient, using only the Octatrack, but I’m considering hooking up an Analog Heat to it.

This 30-minute piece is performed live at a continuous streak, so what I’m considering is to control the Heat from the Octa’s midi sequencer - to run and manipulate it from the Octa’s CC sends through midi tracks, running in parallell with the audio tracks, using the Heat as an additional source for sound variation by use of the Octa’s midi sequencer.

From what I can see and read, this seems fully possible and even quite easy. But I’ve yet to see someone do this. I simply want to sequence the Heat’s parameters through the Octa’s midi sequencer, thereby creating an additional layer of live effects on the track that runs in parallell with the Octa’s audio tracks.

Sounds possible, no? Yes?

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#2

Yes.

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#3

totally

#4

Sweet sweet candy. Thanks.

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#5

The omission of parameter-slides on the OT’s midi tracks makes fluid effects automation something of a challenge, I think you’d be better off playing the Heat in real-time.
Just need to learn to use your feet or record the sample manipulation.

#6

^ a shot in the dark but: it might be possible to overcome this with LFOs.

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#7

Yes!

I’ve actually started a tutorial on exactly this. A lot do do at the moment, though. So no estimate for publication.

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#8

Oh, you tease.

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#9

Yes, I was aware, so I wasn’t planning on using it for smooth transitions, but rather sharp change of character and one shot tweaks in the soundscape, for rythmic effect. I already to this with plocks in the Octatrack, so I figured the Heat would add two things for me:

A substantially more interesting overall sound to the mix - given the type of music I’m making right now, the Heat seems very right for me.

A much deeper option to create changes in character as well as one shot bursts within the tracks and in between, like I’m already doing with the Octa’s own fx - but not with the Heat as well, but controlled through Midi. For this purpose, I look at it as an extension to a workflow that I’m already doing, but I’ll do this through the Midi tracks instead, controlling the Heat.

I’ve also read posts on using the Heat as a final output for mastering, and while there seems to be strong opinions on how this is not a good idea, I’m thinking it’s gonna work great for me. Given that I put stuff in the Octa that’s already mastered to some extent, the Heat would just add character to something that’s fairly well balanced already. Essentially, I’m careful to make sure the samples in the Octa are already treated to be acceptable as something that might go into a master.

I’m gonna finish my set before I get the Heat, though, to make sure it can manage on its own. Then, throw in the Heat and rework the set for flavour, all through and through.

#10

Yeah, the designer LFOs are fairly malleable but it would be better to not have to use up your LFOs on such basic tasks and it makes smooth automation unnecessarily convoluted.
It’s my biggest gripe with the Octatrack as midi sequencing on Elektron’s previous gear had parameter slides and the OT’s sequencer was billed as the most advanced yet but took that step back.

#11

I’d be interested to know how the Heat works out in an ambient context, although you said “throbbing ambient” so I’m not sure that’s the same kind of ambient I’d like to try it out on (the soft, beatless variety).
I’ve struggled to find suitable demos of the Heat, they tend towards the drum-machine-fed-through-it type or full, built up, tracks.
The closest I got to hearing what I’m after was a small section of the Sonic State video that Cenk did but Nick Batt inadvertently distracted him just as he was getting into the flow.

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#12

If I get around to using the Heat as such, I’ll let you know.

#13

I think there’s nothing worse than a drum loop being full on smashed the way people are and do with things like the heat and the Sherman etc and especially now we have the Internet for people to show it happening in all its transient reducing glory, oh lol, full frequency distortion in one uncontrolled effort is awful IMO.

In ambient I’d use the heat on a very small send return basis and I’m betting with care and a Little engineering/experimentation it would sound great across a track if used sparsely, tbh i would buy a nice fx box over heat if all I was doing was ambient.

Throbbing ambient as Andreasroman mentions sounds interesting

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#14

Yes, the amount of overheated examples of the Heat seems to have no end.

I feel I’ve hyped my stuff too much now. It’s not all that interesting, except to me and perhaps a small crowd at a club somewhere.

I’ll post something soon, if no other reason than to get some advise on how the Heat could be applied to this.

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#15

Well, it’s usually all over compressed anyway so might as well just destroy it and get it over with :wink:.
But on a more serious note, I imagine people doing demos of these things over exaggerate cause they think folks want to hear the max grittiness and not subtle enhancing of the mix… They probably crank it for the demo far more than one would do for a finished track…

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#16

Yes I get that, it’s a crying shame though as there is so much more to equipment such as the heat rather than just SMASH it on an insert and kill everything aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh :slight_smile: . I lived with a fb2 for 12 years and that thing could kill a tank with distortion if you asked it to but the clever processing and harmonics it will give you if you play smart really open up music, subtlety wouldn’t exactly come over on YT though would it lol

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#17

Youtube and subtle don’t compare :blush:

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#18

I don’t know if you have A4 too now but you can use CV from it and CC from OT.

#19

I do not, traded it for an Octatrack. But thanks for mentioning :blush:

#20

I’ve been thinking about how Heat might pair with an Octatrack. Connect the cue outs to the Heat and bring the Heat back into one of the inputs. Send sounds out through Heat, p-locking settings on the Heat via midi, and resampling back.

Is anyone doing this? How’s it working for you?

I’m particularly interested in how the Heat behaves when being sequenced via midi. Is the response nice and tight? Do you get nasty clicks when sequencing the filter?

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