Super stoked! Recently picked this up from the fine folks at patchwerks in seattle! Gonna set it up for a duo with my rytm. Any other OT+AR users with fun tips?
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Very glad for you 
My first tip: use the OT alone for a while, so that you take the time to understand it. Read the manual cover to cover, with some post-it to bookmark the most interesting bits. Read “Merlin’s thoughts” as well.
Second tip: please do some research on this forum as there has been a lot of information shared already!
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When you think your ot is broken, check your scenes ! 
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Lol ok, good to know. I hadnt considered just learning the OT by itself, but its a good bit of advice i think, and ive got plenty of time to deep dive this thing, i doubt ill be goin back to work any time soon. Thanks
I would recommend multiple shallow dives vs a deep dive! I think most OT learners would know what I mean. It can be really easy to get lost, so I found that trying to take small bites helped with learning and reinforcing things as you get deeper.
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This is solid advice. One thing at a time. Go in with one goal each time. Like today, I’m going to learn the basics of effecting tracks with thru machines, next day flex machines, next day pickup machines, day after that midi tracks, or go even slower than that. A week on each thing, for example. It’s massively deep but you don’t need to know everything to have a good time with it 
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Rad, will do. Sound advice
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Download Merlin’s OT guide.
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On top of all said advice, don’t remove/put in the CF card a bunch (pins are a bit sensitive). Use the USB port to load samples/backup your projects from/to your computer. No need for a CF reader that way 
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I would start with pure sampling, no samples in the slots. Just a kick on the Rytm, layered as a tom on top, rec trig on 1, playback trig on 3, highpass-filter, some reverse trigs and a reverb. You could just let that play for a while and enjoy the vibe.
Have fun!
Plug your computer into a thru channel, and sample Practice sampling movies you are watching, or podcasts.
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As mentioned, probably better to learn/practice OT basics without other gear first. But it is interesting to have something synced to sample, and have something to control with midi tracks! (You can also control OT audio tracks with midi tracks, doesn’t hurt as long as you only use C5-C7 notes)
Sync them with OT MIDI SYNC page, OT master (better for OT recordings precision), Transport and Clock send, don’t use AUTO setting but a specific midi channel to send program changes.
Set 1 OT midi track with an arp, channel between 1-12 with. Add lfos on the midi track parameters to spice it up. Target notes are 12-60.
Copy/paste the track, change the midi channel, change parameters. Up to 8 voices (a factory cycle single saw in AR works really well).
Up to 3 DVCOs.
Lfos, trigless trigs, trig conditions for additional variations (set the Control Changes messages in CTRL1 and CTRL2)
Set Velocity Mod on AR
Set several AR tracks on the same midi channel and control them all with 1 or several OT midi tracks.
Set OT midi tracks to control AR Perf / Scenes.
Perf midi channel. You can also control Aftertouch.
Enough for a few months I think! 
…
don’t try to be meaningful just yet, give it a few days of experience so you don’t think you have lost anything when sh7t goes south which it invariably will when learning
you have rytm so you know the elektron pitfalls
enjoy the F out of this mad box of tricks, it is life
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Just finished Merlins write-up. It really helped to find the similarities with the AR, makes the transition seem a bit less daunting.
I think ill read through it again, but this time follow along on the OT
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This is good advice.
FWIW, I found the manual to be more useful for all the features of OT than Merlin’s. Merlin’s is good, but it seemed somewhat limited.
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Of course it is somewhat limited, but that’s exactly the point of it being useful (for some) as kind of simplified introduction. In the manual the overall picture is buried under many technical details.
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Congrats! Enjoy the journey and as someone said earlier…if you ever think your OT is broken, you’re probably just missing something…good mantra to practice with the OT
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ill rember that. just finished reading over the manual, lots of good info, but the merlin write-up definitely helps to clarify. a good reference duo fsho. the tutorial section of the manual is pretty cool, I think ill see about working through that tonight.
I really appreciate all the input!
I’m going to suggest an opposite approach to what’s been suggested so far in the thread.
Sample loading, editing, picking machines and slots management is the most annoying part of the octatrack experience. If you try it and get annoyed, a completely different way to start using it is these steps:
- get it working as a mixer with effects for other gear.
- Use scenes for effect transitions
- then start to midi sync or sequence the other gear
- start adding samples, loops to augment your patterns
- try live looping with flex slots and record trigs
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