All valid. But I’d say OT is gonna take most new users a couple of days of tutorial vids etc before they can do the deep stuff too. And I think the ‘focus’ that comes from non DAW stuff is mostly psychological. If you limit an ableton session to 8 tracks. 1 of every effect (your favourite reverb, delay etc), one synth (or same external setup you’d use with OT, and begin to use automation and resampling/bouncing like you’re forced to on OT etc it would probably be a different story. Not to mention that your experience with push 1 would prob be pretty different with push 2. It looks way better for sampling/chopping etc. Admittedly I prefer using OT than ableton, just way more spontaneous (maybe push changes this?) and scenes and p-locks always lead to the unexpected, but it’s much more taxing to do bread and butter stuff when structuring etc. I think overall the 2 different approaches prob balance out for pros and cons. Curious to see if I still gravitate toward my OT after I have push 2.
At first I thought you where Oneothrix Pointnever and I was like …mmmmm
eccojamms, hey?
Well, yes you can. you can make polyrythms, you have a filter that reacts to an envelope, you have a good delay and reverb, automation, you can sample sample and resample in realtime, you can timestretch in realtime or pitch treat your sampels as vynil decks, you can do a lot of stuff. you can add swing to specific tracks or nudge specific steps.
What to try to master at first is to control your samples.
Sometimes your samples will continue playing and at first you’ll be so stressed out.
Tips for starters.
- learn to control your samples. (start, end, loop, stretch, etc)
- learn to control parts and effects. (ex. some times a lfo on the filter makes painfull results)
- learn to manage your samples. (where everthing is)
4.idealize a set around your tracks.
and have fun I guess.
So ecco_jams, any return of experience on that 6 years later ?
Get a push. If you have all the tools in ableton to make the music you want, a more interesting way of interacting with the software may be more appropriate than learning a whole new frame work that doesn’t have a fraction of the tools.
Then get an octatrack.
Also if you use loops whose lengths aren’t directly related to each other you can always trigger them directly and then use LFOs, scenes and/or the sequencer to manipulate them (effects, pan, level, pitch/speed, etc) rather than to trigger them. It’s possible to make stuff on the Octatrack without ever even touching the sequencer.
EDIT: forgot to check the post dates.
Not sure If your used to software only or have external controllers, you may want to start smaller, but I don’t know how dedicated/sold you are on learning the OT.
I despised menu based instruments/hardware for a while but elektrons abilities sold me. If you haven’t worked with any hardware as of yet I’d say the OT will be easy to get your money back if it’s not for you as long as you buy it used. I started w/DT and it was a sinch to learn. OT just has way more options and some things like sampling, more steps for set up.
Other than there just being so many things to learn it’s not difficult, but I don’t know what your approach to recording and putting together a track is so you may be working in a way that is in a different approach but since the OT is so modular you have many ways to approach the same thing. Have fun!