We decided that a blackbox 1010 might be the thing for me, but I’m more and more drawn to the idea of an Octatrack. My reasoning is that, in my current setup, I’m using my Analog Rytm MkII to trigger my Nord Drum 3P, and not really much else. Admittedly I sometimes use the samples or analog engine on the Analog Rytm to ‘double up’ and add weight to certain sounds coming from the Nord Drum, but I’m mainly using it because it was already on my desk and it was convenient at the time.
I therefore ask the following question: Based on my current use of the Analog Rytm (almost entirely as a midi controller for the Nord Drum, very little use of the analog drum engine), is there anything I’d miss on the Analog Rytm that I wouldn’t get on the Octatrack. I’m assuming not, but you never know.
I feel like, instead of getting an additional sampler and adding another piece of gear to the mix, I could simply get an Octatrack and this would both replace the Analog Rytm and negate the need to buy a separate sampler on top of that? I also think it would be handy in that I could run my A4 into it as well and it could become the brain of the operation.
Agreed, the Rytm is much easier to dive into as the OT takes a little bit of set up, but make a couple templates and grab an external midi controller if you use the pads (I am in the small minority who really loved the pads)
Otherwise the OT is a sampling and performance miracle.
Midi control is extensive af if a little clunky, but perfect for controlling external gear
Yea, I think I can definitely live without them. I don’t use them for finger drumming, although they probably are a bit nicer to work with in chromatic mode or muting. I don’t think that would be a justification for keeping it over the Octatrack though
Blackbox is dead simple, excellent audio, and is surprisingly capable with the limited feature set (although it started off with pretty much nothing, so much has changed).
I don’t use my OT for sampling anymore. Just the BB.
I will load specific samples that I captured from the BB into the OT for mangling though.
Pads-wise, I use an Akai MPD 218 I picked up for cheap, used. Now that you can trigger slices via MIDI on the Octatrack, it’s a killer combo. You can hold down a trig, and tap a pad to lock a slice.
I’ve got both AR and OT. I sometimes wonder why I keep the OT. I never wonder why I keep the AR, other than to wallow in how glorious it is. I know other people feel the same about the OT and I hope to reach that place eventually. They both need time to get used to, and in pre-preparation to get the most out of. Sample management on both is a little fiddly, but I think the live performance aspects of both make up for that.
I’ve not used a BB. People talk about it being great as repository of past sketches, all on hand to bring into a new production. The extra channels over the OT seem really handy too. On the flip side, the live FX/scenes/x-fader of the OT, and the real-time sampling/looping/transition stuff is both fun/creative and practically useful in a range of situations.
If you want “an instrument”, the AR and OT are both excellent. If you want a “studio tool”, the BB might be better (but as I lack experience with it, I’m happy to be told I’m wrong here).
I use a Digitakt to drive my Nord Drum 3P, and for its 8 tracks of sampling. All I can say is that I enjoy it very much, for its immediacy and results I get quite fast each time I use it. May be another option for you.
Of course it isn’t as deep/complex as an Octatrack (from what I understand, never had one).
Haha yes thanks Selfup, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear…
I suppose my thinking was that the Octatrack would replace (for my needs at least, seeing as I rarely use the Analog drum engine) the Analog Rytm, and then prevent me from needing to buy another sampler on top of that, as the Octatrack would easily take care of my needs in triggering keys/strings samples. If I was using the AR for all of its drum sounds then that would obviously be a totally different story,
I know that the OT will take a lot of learning but I’ve got plenty of time to drill into it and tend to be quite obsessive when I get something new.
To me, using AR as a midi controller is a waste of money. It’s the most expensive Elektron out there and its midi is next to useless compared to the other machines. But if you’re not really going to use the sampling power of the OT, that is also a waste of money. Digitakt is a cheaper solution. And if you purely want mono channels of midi with an Elektron sequencer, then the Model:Samples or Cycles do the job admirably for very little outlay.
Thanks Craig. I tried the Model:Samples before arriving at the idea of the BlackBox. I just can’t live without Stereo on certain samples so the Model:Samples didn’t work, and I’m assuming the Digitakt would fail for the same reason. I also like the idea of having the A4 and it’s associated FX going into the Octatrack, which I’m assuming isn’t an option with the Digitakt? Either way, mono is a no-go unfortunately.
I agree with you though regarding the AR. I feel like I’m using it out of convenience and only to about 15% of its potential.
Ah, I missed that bit about stereo. OT is the only stereo Elektron sampler. To save money, the MKI does everything the MKII does (I’m using MKI) but the extra buttons of the MKII do help new users get acquainted with it quicker. So, yes, swap away!
Just to clarify, in my set up I could use the Octatrack to trigger the Nord through the midi channels, and simeltaneously trigger samples inside the Octatrack itself using the audio channels? I haven’t radically misjudged what this is capable of have I?
if you don’t use the sound engine of the AR, you should move on to something else. DT or OT are both great choices for midi sequencing and sampling. which one depends upon what your sampling needs are.
A pity, cause otherwise the DT is really a killer for your use, the latest additions (compressor with sidechain, stereo input, second LFO, extended chromatic range) make it a pretty solid box. You can still LFO the panning and use the onboard FX to fake the stereo, if needed. Or use two separate samples fully panned, OP-1 style.
Apart from this specific point, it’s really the most appealing Elektron box IMO. Way more immediate than OT (you loose a lot of possibilities but what you gain is invaluable), same workflow as Rytm, I would give it a try… Can’t you test it in a store?
I did, and I love the flexibility.
I can work with way more sample based content including loops, have more internal fx options, more routing options for using external FX.
If these things matter to you, then go for the swap.
I don’t miss the Rytm. In fact when I had a chance to rebuy it, I got a 2nd OT instead.
And I don’t miss overbridge. I just get a good mix coming out of the OTs (eq and compressor are my most commonly used internal fx) and use an Analog Heat to get the grit.
Finally as a live performance tool it’s less limiting. More patterns, more sample slots, CF disk streaming. and the ability to live loop anything internally or externally for transitions.
I had the same thoughts about the Digitakt because the first videos I watched when I bought the Nord were of people who’d paired the Nord with the Digitakt, and they seemed to work really well together. However, I’d only be leaving myself 2 spare tracks on the DT if 6 of them are taken up with triggering the Nord. With the Octatrack it appears I’ll be able to trigger the Nord with the midi and then have a further 8 tracks available for Sample audio. Seems like a win-win.
A pity, cause otherwise the DT is really a killer for your use, the latest additions (compressor with sidechain, stereo input, second LFO, extended chromatic range) make it a pretty solid box. You can still LFO the panning and use the onboard FX to fake the stereo, if needed. Or use two separate samples fully panned, OP-1 style.