Stop looped samples without stopping sequencer

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi there,

Getting all my stuff prepped for my bands new live set.

I’m running my machinedrum into my octatrack, and using a roland spds-x to trigger sounds mainly from my machinedrum, but for bigger samples and hits from my octatrack too.

What i want to do is to be able to stop a looped sample from playing but not stop the sequencer, ideally so its a kind of toggle. For example pressing the trig key would start the sample playing and looping, and pressing again woudl stop it. Anybody know any good ways to do this?

Its a shame elektron didn’t include this as an option for looped samples, as it would be way more useful than the pingpong option in my opinion, especially in a live setup.

thanks

#2

There are a few ways of doing this, depending on exactly what you want to do.

You could just mute then un-mute the track.
You could use ONE2 trig mode in TRACKS Trig Mode to trigger and stop individual tracks or machines.

Probably some others that I can’t think of right now…

#3

You can hold a track button and press stop and it only stops the machine on that track.

#4

Brilliant thanks for that guys, really useful. I thought there must be some kind of individual stop function for seperate tracks.

Peter - think the ONE2 trig mode might be the one. Will try when i get to the studio and report back.

Thanks!

#5

That’s true for non-sequenced tracks (i.e. PlaysFree mode)
OR (for the one slaved to sequencer)
to do not use trigs at all…you can trigger playback (one-shot or disappearing normal trig) and then you can stop as musicmagus wrote.

#6

Thanks for the replies.

musicmagus your technique worked great. its just a little fiddly having to do that mid song with drum sticks in hand!

PeterHanes your ideas were great too. But the only problem is i cant get the different trig modes to work in the pattern setup menu.

In the manual (page 91) it says that when plays free mode is selected you can choose three different trig modes - ONE ONE2 HOLD

ONE2 would be ideal for what i want to do. Being disconnected from the sequencer is actually better anyway and it means i can have loops set up on tracks that i can trig and then stop.

BUT i cant get it to work, no matter which mode i have it on it just plays it as if it is set to ONE… So i hit the trig key and it play the sample in its duration.

Anyone have any clues?

thanks!

#7

Hmmmm …

I am away from my Octatrack.

I had some dim awareness (possibly confusion) that this had been discussed before in relation to a fix in OS v1.25. Which OS version are you running?

http://www.elektronauts.com/t/trig-quant-vs-quantized-trig/1244/20255

[Paging forum members zeropoint and biologik!]

#8

Im running OS 1.25B PeterHanes

Those links are quite interesting, stumbled across them before i posted this up but not sure they quite help me.

All i want to be able to do is, be able to stop and start a loop independently of the sequencer. In my case i’m sending midi note data from my SPDS drumpad to the octatrack, and when i hit a pad, i want it to start a sample on a track, which loops indefinately, and then when i hit it again it stops it.

ONE2 mode sounds perfect, but it just doesnt seem to work. HOLD doesnt work either…

However it does sort of work if i use the 1-8 trig keys… But im not bothered about it quantizing or anything as im playing totally live in a band context.

Hmm!

#9

I have a workaround. Load all your loops to lets say the static (or flex) sampler slots 1-15 leave 16 empty. Set up all your samples in the editor at the ATTR page to quantise trig. (you have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to find it). I set it to 8/16. Now go to your track and press the function key with the arrow down key and select the slots option. All your trigs will turn green except the the 16th trig. Thats your off trig. press play on the OT now you can launch sample loops quantised in step with the sequencer and the loops can be turned off by pressing the 16th trig. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

#10

Geneoart - I like your cunning! Nice solution, but unfortunately as im triggering from an external midi device (SPDS) you cant do this in SLOTS or SLICES mode. Such a bummer.

It would be really really great to have another type of track (SAMPLER?) which you could set up as a more traditional sampler. A bit like the EXS24 in Logic or the Ableton sampler is great. So you could load clips or one shots into and then play from an external source.

Would be great from a live perspective and really open up the machine. I absolutely love my OT and its all over my new album. But performance wise, especially when trying to connect it up with external gear, 8 tracks starts to feel very measly. I get that theres loads of good ways around things if you are playing a solo set in an ableton style,you could use slice mode for example to have a drum kit on or whatever or chsnge patterns to have different parts but this all falls flat when you want to play in more of a band context and bring a bit more life to playing the OT. Its just not that easy switching patterns and banks with one hand whislt drumming at the same time!

You can only dream elektron might do this in the future (they wont, im sure!)

#11

When you say that ONE2 Trig Mode “does sort of work” when you hit the [TRIG] 1…8 keys, in what way does it not fully work? Is it simply that you can’t use a MIDI note from your drum pad, or something else?