for me it took about one year to get use to OT… my strategy was built a hole new project all made in OT for me to learn. I started in 2014 and now I have 2 OT a mk1 and mk2 and now I can play live (finally) without computer.
BUT… I still learning other ways of dealing with the machine even now… and for me this is great. it shows that it really is a deep instruments and very flexible in many ways…
I do like more to produce in Ableton or mixing OT with modular synth… but are really different ways to produce…
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My card is full of projects, and even without samples in the folder, it can take a lot of place !
I erase the projects i didn’t rename after a while.
Now for test projects I use several banks, in order to have new parts and neutral settings. If you don’t change Project menu settings, changing bank is like a new project.
To make it faster, with a double clic I choose
Bank 1, Patt 1
Bank 2, Patt 2,
Bank 3, Pattern 3
Etc…
Next level : OctaEdit to make the ultimate template project !
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Step 1: read the manual
Step 2: read the manual again
Step 3: read the manual as you walk yourself through how to accomplish specific tasks as @mr_bernard says. This worked for me.
Corollary to Step 3: accept that you do not have to learn how to do everything on the OT before you can begin to have fun and do something useful with it.
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I’ll add “And have pleasure with practice between each step !”
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I find this massively important. You only need a few basic principles to begin enjoying the OT, and even finding it useful. I played 7+ shows on it before I even opened the arranger or utilized parts.
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The stage you have to prepare for is a few months in. You’ll still have those WTF moments, but they’ll increasingly be due to bugs rather than your error. Telling the two apart can be exhausting and frustrating. That’s when this forum can be really valuable
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I’ve had people up and sequencing on the OT within a half hour. These are people that are not music savy. I think so much of peoples hang ups with the OT is that they are expecting it to be exactly like what they currently use and it is very much its own thing. That being said, I don’t think they could have made a purely standalone unit that does this much without the UI being what it is.
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Toggling between Grid and Live Rec Mode also toggles many of the functions in the menu, it took me awhile to get that. But essentially, it is having the manual bedside while programming your “muscle memory”.
I think for the most part, the common template order for learning OT may been my own experience:
- Learning how to:
Load samples into slots and tracks/
Disk Mode
(prior sampler user with library on hand)
The sequencer, scales and trigs
(How that machinery runs!)
Parameter locks and track effects
(The fun of tweaking them sounds and sonic discoveries)
Gain staging and EQ
(Now, getting the most bang of your sounds/tracks. It’s all about the mix when working with 2 stereo outs)
Project and bank/track personalization settings
(For when it’s time to perform your work to tape#)
Sampling into buffer/ Rec Trigs
(This was easier than it appeared, basically setting up the monitor, record times, and a couple button presses to fire it up…)
Scenes/Parts
(Gotta have some variation, essential to knowing the structure of OT to get more out of 64 bars and add transitions)
MIDI sequencing
(Still haven’t used it, actually with other OB sequencers and thru boxes available to me out of habit. I’ll get there!)
File Management
(Clearing out unused samples from projects because my composition process gets crazy)
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Step 4: Mess around and experience how you can be both very satisfied and frustrated at the same time.
Step 5: Read the manual.
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True story: I’ve owned mine since the end of 2011 and I still refer to the manual. LOL.
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- Feel what’s it’s like to fly!
- Hit wall/Crash and burn!
- Pdf search manual.
-Repeat as necessary…
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True story: I’ve owned mine since day one and never read the manual. LOL.
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I read mine every night before I go to bed…
I read it to my friends kids before they go to bed when I get a chance…
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Nightmares ? 
Mummy ! I can’t record ! Help !
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I like the method of making a list of your session watermarks. I try to do it but I get sucked into the music I frequently miss steps. As a result, certain (essential) things are constantly having to be relearned(still having a bum time dealing with record buffers and how hey relate to flex/static machines.
I also ordered mine from Sweetwater with the same idea but despite what seems like breaking rocks, I don’t think I’m returning mine in 30.
Happy trails!
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Thanks for all the replies. It really shows how there are many ways to approach the OT learning curve and I’ve learned a lot! Still a huge amount to digest, but the OT is like eating an elephant…one bite at a time 
Some things others may have mentioned that I find especially helpful:
-
Keep a laptop nearby with a PDF of the manual. Much quicker than searching the paper copy and super easy to find every reference to something in all contexts.
-
Knowing a bug from user error. This is why I didn’t post questions to the forum my 1st 2 weeks of struggling, I didn’t know if the odd behavior was the machine or my lack of experience. I figured it was me and I just had to dig deeper and experiment more. While I didn’t post to the forum, I sure used the search function a lot!
-
Write your own procedures to accomplish difficult or non-intuitive goals. Break problems/goals down into smaller chunks and document how to get them done in a way that makes sense to you. I’ve read on this forum that the manual isn’t perfect so writing your own step-by-step instructions guarantees you can get things done. Especially useful with this machine because it casts such a wide net of uses and often changes the functions of buttons depending on the context you’re working in. Another reason this works for me is I often move between music projects and groups of gear. If I’m away from the OT for 6 months on some other project, I don’t have to “relearn” when I return
For me the “keeper” moment, was when I learned/documented how to concurrently record and run 8 flex machines of different length samples while mangling the sounds in real time with effects, LFO’s and altering the sample wave…everything else beyond that is gravy 
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Kinda neat to see all the approaches/techniques/solutions presented here. I’m less than 3 weeks into my OTMK2. Never intended to return it, though early on I did fear something was wrong with the machine many times 
I also knew it was just me not having a clue. Haven’t used a hardware only rig in many years, so I was never shocked to know there would be a learning curve. I’m glad I spent a few months on my DT before getting my OT. I happen to love the overall Elektron vibe and there are so many amazing DT jams on YouTube it inspires exploration. The OT has been a different beast. I’ve written tons of jams I quite like on the DT. The OT…still learning and so far all of my jams range from ‘this sucks’ to ‘this has potential if I don’t accidentally destroy it like the last one.’ I just don’t find this machine even sorta intuitive, but I totally get the potential, so I’m soldiering on!
Personally, I printed up the manual and placed a bunch of tabs to make sections easier to find. I keep a highlighter with me at all times and I read sections of the manual every day. I’m out in LA rehearsing for a gig with a rock band (my day job), so no OT for 4-5 days. Just reading the manual on my off time and hoping to return to the OT a tiny bit wiser. This forum is a huge help!
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One thing I neglected to mention earlier that has been useful in helping me to deal with the hectic situations that sometimes arise during a performance - be methodical about your sample placement. What I mean is that you should do something like this as if it is a rule to remain unbroken:
Track 1: Kick drums
Track 2: Snare
Track 3: Hats
Track 4: odd percussive bits
Track 5: synth pads
So on and so forth.
I find this is important and very helpful for performance and improv scenarios.
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I’m far from a master of the OT but as far as getting comfortable with the basics, what worked for me was saying yes to a show offer the day after I ordered it and having three weeks to go from opening the box to being ready to perform something. It definitely helped cut through all of the different possibilities because I had a really specific goal - be able to perform something live on a specific date. So rather than trying to learn everything it could do, I stayed focused on learning a few areas well enough to get through the show, and that kept it a lot more manageable.
EDIT: also seconding the previous post, settling on a basic track layout can be a big help.
Usually for me, tracks 1-4 are for samples or messing with the contents of record buffers, 5-7 are the inputs (two mono and one stereo, usually, and if I’m using a drum machine it will always be on 7) and 8 is a reverb send. AS much as possible, if I’m messing with the contents of a record buffer in one of the tracks on the left, I’ll use the one that corresponds with the track on the right that’s playing that input (so if I have input 1 going through a thru machine on track 5 and I want to live sample it, I’ll use track 1 for the sampling).
EDIT: just to be clear, this wasn’t any kind of big show or anything, I think there were around 30 people not counting other performers. Nice, low key thing that was just enough motivation.
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Never pictured you as a bible reader…
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