Some problems slicing samples - Not fully slicing to the seq

Elektron Gear Octatrack
1

Hello!

I´m quite busy and productive studying the Octatrack, with the help of you good folks :slight_smile: The 0T is showing to be an amazing gear, although the learning curve is really steep (although nothing from other planet and the tactile aspects helps a lot).

However, I´m having a hard time trying to understand the slicing feature. What I want to do is simple: cut a 16 seconds sample (which I sampled from Input AB) in 16 slices, putting each chunk of sound (1 sec?) in one of the steps, disabling some of them.

I´ve read the manual and watched this video:

Using the Flex Machine, I sampled and accessed the Audio Editor without problems. I also cut the sample in 16 slices using the [CREATE SLICE GRID] function. I´ve already activated the [SLICE] option at the correct sub-menu.

However, when I play the (sliced) sample, activating the steps in the sequencer, I didn´t arrive to get each step playing one different slice, as happens in the video (and is suggested in the manual - page 99 of the 1.25 OS Manual).

Basically, I got a 16-step sequencer that plays the SAME slice each step (which, indeed, offers interesting sound results, but isn´t what I´m searching). I arrived to change each step tweaking the slice knob, but I´m pretty sure, If I understood correctly the manual and the video, that there´s a way to slice the sample in the step sequencer, opening a quick way to deconstruting it.

I´ve already tried the [CREATE LINEAR LOCKS] without any result, although I didn´t created a P-Lock (as I didn´t studied yet the parameter lock´s and don´t know how to do it).

Can you help me understand what I´m doing wrong?

Thanks a lot!!

2

Fill the sequencer page with 16 trigs (just drag your finger across and light them all up). THEN do “Create Linear Locks” - now each step is numbered from slice 1 to slice 16 and you can deselect any you don’t want to trig.

3

Thats interesting.

So if you do that - is there a quick way to select slices to re-arrange quickly?

or

Is it a matter of triggering slices live?

4

I’m not sure I understand your question. Create Linear Locks just sets a track’s Start Mode to Slice and adds a Parameter Lock for the Start Slice parameter of each trig in the sequence. The Slice numbers are set such that the sample plays in it’s original order.

If you use Create Random Locks, the Slice Numbers are set randomly. This is rarely musically useful though, in my experience.

I hoped the Octatrack would have similar functionality to my old Yamaha A5000 which has a variety of semi-random slice templates where slices are automatically re-pitched, reversed etc - and the results are useful more often thań not - especially on breakbeats. Maybe one day.

5

I’m not sure I understand your question. Create Linear Locks just sets a track’s Start Mode to Slice and adds a Parameter Lock for the Start Slice parameter of each trig in the sequence. The Slice numbers are set such that the sample plays in it’s original order.

If you use Create Random Locks, the Slice Numbers are set randomly. This is rarely musically useful though, in my experience.

I hoped the Octatrack would have similar functionality to my old Yamaha A5000 which has a variety of semi-random slice templates where slices are automatically re-pitched, reversed etc - and the results are useful more often thań not - especially on breakbeats. Maybe one day.
[/quote]
you can simulate this with lfo’s, at least concerning the slice selection…
for instance:
LFO 1 → STRT - random wave - depth 0
LFO 2 → LFO 1 depth - random wave - depth 0-16

of course, it will keep on being random - but then you can set a track recorder to capture the magic moments

6

@rikrak Hello! Thanks for the help!

I filled the sequencer page with the 16 trigs and then did the “Create Linear Locks”. The lights of the trigs flashed, but when I hit play it started in a kind of loop, just playing the first second of the sample (as if it was in a kind of “note repeat” mode).

I restarted the machine, loaded the sample again and first created the slice grids (16), then did the “Create Linear Locks” and arrived to made it play.

However, the sound was strange, truncated, although the sample was corrected timestretched and when I cue it I can hear it without problems.

And when I tried to deselect the slices (ex: X0XX00XX) that I didn´t want to use, it returned to the first weird behavior, just playing the first second of the sample all the 16-steps long (as in a “note repeat”).

I did a video showing the problem:

http://tinypic.com/r/2qbrr05/8

As you can see, the step sequencer is playing.

And what´s even weirder: when i cut off some steps it shows a “release” effect of the sound, the sample advancing a little bit, before it returns to the “note repeat” behavior. I did another video to show you this particular aspect of the problem:

http://tinypic.com/r/23usqs7/8

Some informations:

  1. The Scale Mode is “Per Track”;
  2. Oneshot Trk, Trig Mode and Trig Quant. are all “N/A”;
  3. RTRG is default (1) and STRT is also (1) (but that shouldn´t be a problem, as, if I correctly undestood, the “Create Linear Locks” would do auto P-Lock´s changing the trigs, right?);

What do you think it´s happening? What do you suggest? Thanks a lot!

7

[quote=“” josker""]

you can simulate this with lfo’s, at least concerning the slice selection…
for instance:
LFO 1 → STRT - random wave - depth 0
LFO 2 → LFO 1 depth - random wave - depth 0-16

of course, it will keep on being random - but then you can set a track recorder to capture the magic moments
[/quote]

I don’t mind using a Recorder to grab the good ones - Randomise, Run Sequencer for 1 bar, Save Sample Copy… repeat.

Interesting… maybe a combination of designer LFOs and Random LFOs could be the key. It won’t be as immediate as Yamaha’s Loop Remix functions, but it will be a step in the right direction.

You’ve given me inspiration to play around with the LFOs and Slices some more - so thanks!

8

Yeah something’s not right there.

If you look at the Playback Setup Page, SLIC should be set to ON.

And on the main Playback Page, STRT should be set to 1 to 16 sequentially for each trig (you can check this by holding a trig down and seeing that the STRT parameter is inverted and showing the corresponding slice number).

Either way - here is a Step-by-step

  1. Load a 1bar sample you wish to cut into 16 into a Static or Flex Machine on Track 1.

  2. Place a trig on every step of the sequencer page for Track 1.

  3. Go to Slice Menu and choose Create Slice Grid and then 16 Slices and then say No to “Align Markers to Zero-Crosses?” (ie Press Exit/No at prompt).

  4. Now press enter to ‘enter’ the Slice Menu again and scroll down the list to choose “Create Linear Locks” and say “Yes” to “Alter Trigs?”.

Now you should see each trig is flashing (to show it has a P-Lock on it).

Go to the Playback Page and holding a trig will show a STRT value of 1,2,3,4 up to 16 for each trig. (The SLIC mode will be set to ON automatically too).

9

Yay, happy to chime in. Please do report back with findings and/or audio :slight_smile:

10

Hello!

Thanks a lot for the help. When I’ll be back at home tonite I’ll try your hints! However, I’ve some doubts:

  1. My sample isn’t a one bar sample. It’s a melodic one with 16 seconds (I think its stretched as a 6 bar sample). You suggest to try the one bar sample just to simplify the the things and do the test or there’s some slicing problem with big/multiple bar samples?

  2. Talking about that sample, indeed it isn’t really a sample of 16 seconds of SOUND. Setting the start/end point, maybe its a 8 seconds sample. This can be a problem - as the OT is detecting more bars than the true sound part of it - or isn’t an issue? If it’s a problem, what can I do? Can I create a new sample from just the start/end part of it, making a full audio sample?

  3. Why should I say “No” to the “Align Markers to Zero-Crosses”? (However,I’m always saying “Yes” and this could be the root of the problem…).

Thank you a lot for the help and all the infos!

11

[quote=“” aeoner""]

  1. My sample isn’t a one bar sample. It’s a melodic one with 16 seconds (I think its stretched as a 6 bar sample). You suggest to try the one bar sample just to simplify the the things and do the test or there’s some slicing problem with big/multiple bar samples?
    [/quote]

Yes definitely play around with simple 1bar loops first. In this case, however, I think you may be better off with a different approach. A 6bar sample isn’t going to be so easy to tie to the sequencer which only has 4bar loops max per pattern. (There are ways of doing it with the Arranger or by chaining patterns, but it would be unnecessarily complicated.)

  1. Talking about that sample, indeed it isn’t really a sample of 16 seconds of SOUND. Setting the start/end point, maybe its a 8 seconds sample. This can be a problem - as the OT is detecting more bars than the true sound part of it - or isn’t an issue? If it’s a problem, what can I do? Can I create a new sample from just the start/end part of it, making a full audio sample?

Hmmm. It depends on what it is exactly you are trying to achieve - but, by the sounds of it, I think you need to do a bit of prep work on the sample before you import it. Would it be better to import 8 x 1sec samples into the slot list.

If that’s not possible/preferable then it is possible to import the 16second sample into the slot list multiple times and set different start and end points for each ‘instance’ of the sample. (See p26 of the manual for info on slot list)

Then you can use slot mode to arrange them on one track however you wish. (ie Parameter lock the instance of the sample from the slot list to the related trig). Or you could use Slots trig mode for real-time input. (see p83)

I’m not sure why you need silence at the end of the sample - but the Octatrack can still treat it as part of the sample and doesn’t ‘ignore’ it.

  1. Why should I say “No” to the “Align Markers to Zero-Crosses”? (However,I’m always saying “Yes” and this could be the root of the problem…).

This is so that each slice has exactly the same size. If the slice markers are at zero-crossing points, you will get a bit of unintentional ‘time-stretching’ as the sequencer runs at a constant rate but each slice is a slightly different size. It may not apply if you take the approach above.

Hope that is all of some help and I haven’t muddied the waters further. I have found the best approach is to take one function at a time and experiment with it in the simplest ways possible.

12

@rikrak, many thanks for the help!

I tried this morning your step-by-step guide and it worked perfectly! The audio is still truncated, but after messing with the slices selection and that slice lenght, I found that the problem is with the sample´s extension.

The sample (aprox. 12 seconds) is extrapolating the step-sequencer bars limit, and the Octatrack is truncating it to fit the 16-steps.

I´ll try now to sample a small stuff and follow your guidelines :slight_smile:

13

Ah excellent! You will probably find that you need to adjust your original goals a little to fit the Octatrack way of doing things - but once you get up to speed, it is a very versatile machine.