'un-sceneable' workarounds

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

A couple of things I noticed today that can’t be locked/changed to scenes (still learning OT tho so please correct if I’m wrong!). Anyone have straight forward workarounds? Thanks.

Change sample -
Can I switch default sample with a scene or similar? I know I can sample lock trigs, but I was running a midi loopback in to an audio track and wanted to set some scenes with different default sample for that track and then switching scenes during the arpeggio. Didn’t seem possible tho :frowning:

Midi Arpeggio type -
Only had quick look at this but seems like I can use a midi LFO to switch arp type, but I can’t just lock a different type to a scene in the obvious way. Any advise on LFO settings/values to switch between the Arp types by having different LFO settings on different scenes?

#2

  1. i could be wrong but i think scenes apply only to audio-track parameters that can be adjusted with knobs A through F. so it seems sample slots can’t be assigned to scenes.

  2. per page 111 of the manual, midi track parameters can’t be assigned to scenes.

  3. i can’t get lfo to affect arp mode even tho arp mode is a destination. bug perhaps?

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#3
  1. got lfo to modify arp mode. since there are 7 arp mode states (ranging from off to random) and 128 lfo steps, my guess is that it takes a value of +18 (128 divided by 7 equals 18.4-something) to raise the arp mode to the next-highest option (e.g., from Off to True).

i’m just guessing so guys feel free to prove me wrong.

OP, use the lfo designer to experiment, and let us know what you learn. good luck!

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#4

have you tried creating a sample chain with the sounds you want? you can then use scenes or an lfo to select samples that way.

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#5

Thanks man, I didn’t get a chance to try it but sounds like this’ll work. I’ll let you know any useful settings etc that I find

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#6

have you tried creating a sample chain with the sounds you want? you can then use scenes or an lfo to select samples that way.[/quote]
Thanks. Yeah I guess this would work but I was more interested to flick through samples and maybe find something cool by accident. Making a sample chain kinda defeats the spontaneous/random nature of that…
As an aside, when you use scene to switch samples in a chain, I’m guessing theres no crossfade right? Just fader fully left = sample A, fader fully right equals sample B? I’ve never tried it but would be surprised if there was a fade as that’s kinda polyphony on a track. Feel like I have a pretty good grip on OT now but there are a million little things like this to try, gonna take months to learn it inside out!

#7

Hi,

if you want some sample mayhem maybe this is interesting for you.

This is the opposite of spontaneous :slight_smile: but ultimate fun.

For sample chains i use this tool

You can pic some random samples from your library throw them into the tool and get your chains. Quasi spontaneous :slight_smile:

Have fun.

#8

Hey AriHaf, thanks dude, I’ll check these out!

#9

Pie in the sky but would be amazing if we could make sample chains IN the OT… Then stuff like this wouldn’t feel so tethered to laptop (at least in file creation etc…).

#10

If you think about it, it’s very easy to make sample chains on the OT. Use the OT to play back some samples on one audio track (or using a MIDI track if you want samples from another instrument) and use another track to record the output, then slice.

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#11

If you think about it, it’s very easy to make sample chains on the OT. Use the OT to play back some samples on one audio track (or using a MIDI track if you want samples from another instrument) and use another track to record the output, then slice. [/quote]
Might try it to see how long it takes. Have feeling it might bug me to do it in OT often tho. Digging through audio pool for sounds that might work, importing to flex/static slots, making sure the pattern is long/slow enough to accommodate any long samples while still having length to add enough other samples evenly spaced to make it worthwhile etc… Could be an annoying process, especially if you’re in middle of a good flow. I was thinking more of a ‘specify how many samples will be in chain, select samples, auto render, done!’… Hence my ‘pie in the sky’ statement :wink: Making them on laptop isn’t end of the world,way less hassle just shame it’s impossible to envisage what kind of sample chains you might be looking for in later projects to fit an idea when it happens.

#12

any tricks for applying fx while resampling a chain of samples inside the octatrack?

#13

Also reminds me, when I first got OT and messed with sample grids I’m sure I remember being advised that ‘slice to zero crossings’ would give me clean slices regardless of the samples transient spacing. But whenever I try this on a drumloop etc I seem to get pretty random slices. Not locked to transients very well like in Sonar/Ableton etc… Would be great to have a ‘slice to transients’ option with sensitivity… Unless I’ve missed something?

#14

Not sure exactly what you mean, but if you’re talking about internal effects I’d imagine you could just load the full sample chain to a slot, place it in a pattern, adjust tempo to make sure the whole sample chain is able to play before pattern ends, set rec source to ‘main’, set up your effects and resample?

#15

Not sure exactly what you mean, but if you’re talking about internal effects I’d imagine you could just load the full sample chain to a slot, place it in a pattern, adjust tempo to make sure the whole sample chain is able to play before pattern ends, set rec source to ‘main’, set up your effects and resample? [/quote]
Tips for not degrading the sound quality/maybe clean or fatten the samples while resampling. Or maybe create a sequence of sample locks + sequenced effects variations? Any use of reverse during resampling? Compressor ideas for chains of kick or 4 parts beat?

#16

Not sure exactly what you mean, but if you’re talking about internal effects I’d imagine you could just load the full sample chain to a slot, place it in a pattern, adjust tempo to make sure the whole sample chain is able to play before pattern ends, set rec source to ‘main’, set up your effects and resample? [/quote]
Tips for not degrading the sound quality/maybe clean or fatten the samples while resampling. Or maybe create a sequence of sample locks + sequenced effects variations? Any use of reverse during resampling? Compressor ideas for chains of kick or 4 parts beat?[/quote]
As far as I know internal resampling yields no noticeable degradation of quality. Everything else you mention is possible and basically down to personal taste and experimenting. The options are endless :wink:

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