Hey guys - would love to get some directions from some of you more experienced users.
So I got my first elektron device - M:S half year ago and currently feel pretty confident about its playability in live situations.
I stumbled into an OT MK1 and having it for about 3 months now.
Im still learning it and as you can tell im having a hard time to learn to fit it to my needs.
I would really love to use its slicing for messed breakcore/glitchy drums but i just dont seem to get it.
Parts still confuse me - and i find the architecture of patterns and banks on the M:S much more easier to understand and use (parameter locking different lfos is probably my favourite part of it).
Also importing samples through the elektron transfer software to M:S and not caring about bitrate and sample rate makes it much more easier.
Do you recommend any conversion software for putting samples into the OT?
So, im asking you the usual question - should i just sit down more with the OT and not rush it until i achieve what i want
OR
should I look for something more âinstant gratificationâ device for slicing and breaking the amen?
(still eyeing with erica synths - sample drum)
Or it will all click when i did put the time and work in the OT?
I will have a gig in about one month and would love to use both the OT and the M:S but i just feel like this time might be not enough to put something useful together to play live for 1-1,5 hours.
Would love to play a neat dnb/dubstep/breakcore set so i would appreciate any help.
Think of a part as a âkitâ, which contains all of your sound settingsâsample slot assignments/parameters, FX assignments/parameters, and scenes.
With Model:Samples you get one âkitâ per pattern, which has the benefit of being able to have completely different sound settings per pattern.
On the OT, you get 4 parts per bank. This means that your sound settings apply to all patterns within that bank that are assigned to the same part.
With parts, there is the limitation that you canât have each pattern in a bank have completely different sound settings (unless youâre very thorough with parameter locks), but you do have the flexibility of being able to make a few variation patterns (ie. different trig data in the sequencer), all using the same part, and thus be able to change sound settings and have all of the other patterns follow.
you donât need parts or banks to slice up amen breaks and do crazy stuff to it.
Learn how to slice, which is pretty straightforward, apply lfoâs and scenes to parameters and have fun. Use the crossfader.
Parts will start to make sense when you really need them
Most of the features on the OT are there if you want to use them. Part 1 is enough for a lot of people and as a beginner i wouldnât bother with changing Parts till you get used to the more relevant features.
Take it slow. Practice each new technique you learn a few times in isolation.
Have project just for learning, even a project just for learning one technique. Consciously aim to fill it with sketches and failed experiments.
Get a small library of ready made one-shots, loops, drones/pads representing the kinds of sounds you hope to make tracks with, and make a bunch of demos/sketches using some of those sounds. This is so you can learn to fit the techniques you practiced earlier into some ready-made sounds, and to learn how to make âbeatsâ or âtracksâ using the mixer and FX without having to worry about making new samples too (except for maybe jamming on a new trick you learned).
I was thinking about structuring the songs with samples that contain 64 different bass growls, hits, drums etc⌠and slice them up to have a relatively big kit to perform with static machines. Maybe spice them with random lfoâs and use locks as well.
If I can add one piece of advice: If youâre serious about keeping it, try to do something on it every day. Even if itâs just for 5 minutes, try to learn some simple feature or just jam on something. In my experience, if I stop using it, I end up selling it and then a year later I just end up buying another one. So yeah, every day. It wants to be played.
Great advice! Thank you. Makes sense. I have a notebook of âsmall tasksâ to try with OT. Today I added my first scenes to the drone thing I made the other day. Loving that cross fader. I was never a cool kid DJ and I felt pretty effinâ cool sliding that cross fader.
Learn the OT deeply. Even if you eventually decide to use other Elektron devices in the future you will laugh at how simple they are in comparison to OT (in a sinister, Dr. Evil kind of way). I went M:S -> M:C -> OT -> DN and the DN seemed so easy.
Start with a blank Bank every session to avoid Parts confusion for now. Load and slice your break. Write pattern. Make scene locks and play with them. Play with and p-lock RTRG, RTIM for ratcheting. Learn what all the parameters in SRC and AMP do. You already know the sequencer and p-locks so youâre ahead there.
Do this every day for months. Wax on wax off. Paint the fence. Sand the floor.
Also donât get too down on yourself for having to take it slow.
Iâve tried to look at the OT as more of an instrument that has to be learned like a guitar or piano, rather than looking at it like a production tool where other experience quickly translates.
You wonât be able to crank out a rocking performance in the first few months the same way you canât crank out a guitar solo in as little time learning to play the guitar.
The OT has a lot of capabilities, and in those capabilities you will develop your own stylistic choices and sound. Thatâs where the power is, and it comes from gradual development, practice, and exploration. In the end, itâs worth it, because the result is an individualized expression that is very rewarding.
An alternate way to learn the OT is to start by treating it as a mixer. Plug two pieces of gear into it and set up some THRU machines. Set up parts for different FX, set up scenes to control FX and transitions.
When you have that working, make it MIDI clock master and start sequencing or clocking the other gear from the OT. Then change your thru machines to flex machines and start live sampling / resampling the parts. Now itâs a looper with the ability to mangle the loops.
Doing it this way letâs you ignore what I consider to be the least inspiring part of the OT (sample management and editing)
Re: File converter, Iâve been down that rabbit hole last year, reading through threads here. Many options but I settled on Mediahuman Audio Converter and I like it a lot. Super simple to batch drag and drop, set it to stereo 44.1K 24bit and hit convert. Done in a second or two. Itâs free.
Parts didnât quite make sense to me at first but itâs actually pretty easy to get your head around - If you do the following as a test youâll more than likely get it right away >
create a pattern you like however you want on pattern 1
pattern 1 / part 1 is auto assigned
copy pattern 1 to pattern 2
copy part 1 to part 2 and assign part 2 to pattern 2
tweak and or change whatever you want on pattern 2 and depending on your changes youâll hear whether or not it works by moving between pattern 1 to pattern 2. Copy 2 to 3 and 3 to 4 to go further.
Itâs much easier to copy parts across and make more subtle changes to begin with so that you can move from and to for example parts 1 >2 >3 >4 >3 >2 >1 across patterns.
If you donât copy parts across and your settings in each part are wildly different you will end up with a huge mess because the OT isnât intelligent enough to âsmoothâ things out for you. Copying parts over as a progression will therefore save you the headache of remembering settings on different patterns.
Maybe this seems really obvious but it took me a few failed attempts at using parts to realise copying them over is the key to good, dynamic and interesting transitions so I hope this helps a little. Parts can be very powerful and are well worth using - especially if youâre playing live.
So far, Iâve only used Parts as âthe kit (track+machine configuration) for a new piece of musicâ rather than for âvariations in the same trackâ. So your description is useful to me as a ânew way to use the OTâ. Thanks!
Youâve gotten a lot of advice from people telling you to persist with it, so Iâll make the case against that. Coming from someone who owns both a Digitakt and an Octatrack mk2, Iâd suggest upping your game to a Digitakt. Much more immediate than the OT, and many more times capable than the Model Samples.
Youâve got the sampling ability, plus you can use the DT as a soundcard and record direct to your computer. Effects are awesome and the new update has greatly increased itâs value if you want to run external gear through it and apply itâs effects.
yeah my first reaction too. Sell it, try something different. You might come back to it, you might not. Itâs important to try few things around until it fits.
Iâm learning the OT now and Iâll keep going with it forever, but it fit with my mind and I love what it can offer, but I moved from the tenori-on to the mpc-1000 to the novation circuit, to the electribe to the digitackt, and finally the OT was what I was looking.
Anyway, move around quickly at first, then youâll learn how you want to use a device.
