I got my OT 3 days ago. I had read the entire manual twice and watched a good 5 hours worth of tutorials before even obtaining the device. After at least 5 more hours worth of tutorials, I still have no idea what I’m doing and am just about tearing my hair out. I’m almost starting to regret my purchase. I seriously need help.
A few notes about my intentions, before I start explaining my problems:
-I am using a DSI Tempest and a Cyclone TT-303 Bass Bot, running into the OT. I am also planning to purchase a polysynth (most likely a Mopho X4) very soon. I wish to use the OT as a central hub for this hardware, as a mixer, effect unit, and remixing device. I also want to be able to record the various beats and synth lines onto tracks for future recording at my friend’s mastering studio. Currently, I have the Tempest running into inputs A/B and the 303 into input C.
-I’d like to be able to remix recorded loops from these devices, primarily the Tempest, on the fly, and use the SCENES to transition from “normal” versions of the input music to the remixed version. I had made a tiny bit of progress toward this goal after watching Mindrobber’s “Lesson on quick and dirty sampling…” and Cuckoo’s “Octatrack tutorial #1”, but seem to have gotten confused and now am unable to even do what I was doing yesterday. After unboxing, I immediately followed Cuckoo’s directions and was able to record a drum loop into the OT, which I then MANUALLY sliced up and was able to “remix” by setting the LFO to randomly start different slices. Yesterday, I experimented a bit with scenes and effects, and seemed to be getting the hang of recording into the OT, using MANUAL sampling. But again, I’ve gotten seriously confused and incredibly frustrated today.
-I have the OT set as the master midi clock, running through the Tempest to the 303.
My PROBLEMS:
-Once I record a drum loop or 303 line into the OT, I can still hear the original input material coming through, along with the recorded sample. I’d like to be able to record, and have what I’ve recorded be SILENT until I transition over to the other scene, (I’ll need your help setting this scene up) which I want to be the “remixed” version of what I’ve recorded. I remember Cuckoo mentioning that you won’t hear what you’ve recorded unless you turn up the DIR in the mixer controls, (Currently, I have the DIRs turned up) but have gotten so frustrated with other problems that I haven’t gotten far enough along to experiment with this. But if I turn down the DIRs, then how will the audience hear anything to begin with?
-As mentioned, I was having a bit of success yesterday recording drum loops and acid lines into the OT, to individual tracks. However, today I can’t seem to record to an individual track - No matter what I try, it seems that when I initiate recording via a one-shot trigger, it records to ALL TRACKS. I’ve spent a good 2 hours on this problem today, and my failure was my reason for registering on this forum. I seem to have experimented with just about every setup control (in setup controls 1&2) with no luck today. The only difference in my approach is that I have been experimenting with one-shot trigger sampling today, where I was manually sampling yesterday.
-Once we solve the above 2 problems, I’m ultimately going to want to have the OT record on the fly, via a one-shot trigger, in silence, automatically slice up the drum loop, and have it be available to me in scene B, so that when I move the crossfader over, it transitions to the remixed version, which I believe would be arranged by setting an LFO to trigger the slices randomly. When I was randomly triggering slices yesterday, the only way I could seem to switch back and forth between the “remixed” version and the original was to physically turn down the volume knob on the Tempest while the OT played the random slices, OR to mute the recorded drum loop on the OT, which then required me to turn the volume knob on the Tempest back up. There’s got to be a better way, right?
-Probably the simplest problem is that today, the 303 (plugged into input C) was only coming though on my left monitor, until I managed to record a sample of it onto the track, and then it would play in stereo. Obviously in a live performance, I’d want any music coming in as mono to be played through both speakers, prior to sample recording. When I get the polysynth, it’ll be plugged into input D only. I’m sure this is just a setting that I’m missing somewhere.
-Another thing I’d like to be able to do is listen to a CUE through headphones while performing live, before the hardware device (Tempest/303/Mopho) is heard by the audience. For instance, if I were to want to add in some chord progressions from the polysynth on top of the music already being heard, I’d need to experiment with notes and progressions, and then either silently record them into the OT, OR instruct the OT, via midi information, that I’d like it to “play” the polysynth in my intended fashion, possibly via a “thru” track. But for the mean time, I am more concerned with learning the process necessary to remix my drum loops on the fly, so we can leave this discussion for later if what I’ve asked is already a lot to explain.
Please help me. I know 3 people with OT experience, and 2 of them ended up selling their units. I’d ask the 3rd guy, but he’s on a world tour until mid-May. Please make NO assumptions about my level of competence with this machine. I barely understand what triggers, machines, slots, etc are, despite the amount of “homework” and preparation I’ve done. I knew this was going to be complicated, but I thought I’d be a lot further along in 3 days. I wonder if I’ve made changes to machine/mixer/set/project settings that are further complicating my intentions, and I have no desire for any samples that might have been included with the machine. So if resetting EVERYTHING might be advantageous, please let me know.
I’ll be anxiously awaiting the response of anyone who can help!
so worth the investment of your time!
