Hello everyone, i’m struggling with parts on my OT and want to see if there is another solution for playing live.
I play liveset with my OT for sampling loops, my Rytm does the drums and my A4 the synth parts…
I am using an Akai Midimix with my OT, and the idea is to use Track 1 for transition trick with the Rytm, Track 2-4 for song 1 and Track 5-7 for song 2, Track 8 is the master track for doing filtering with scene…
This setup works well for me, everything works perfect, but then the Parts come and this seems really a pain in the ass for me.
Let’s say i’m playing first “song” with Tracks 2-4 in Pattern 1,Part 1, after i’m mixing in “song” 2 with Tracks 5-7, still working in Pattern 1,Part 1.
Now my idea is to copy Pattern 1 to Pattern 2, and copy Part 1 to Part 2.
In Pattern 2 the same tracks (Track 5-7) play as i was playing in Pattern 1 before switching Pattern, and then i want to load other samples on Track 2-4 to mix in again and so on…
Most of the time it works for a couple patterns, but after some time it’s so confusing that sampleslots are assigned to the wrong parts and patterns can’t be used anymore…
Like to know if there are other less confusing options.
I play “less is more” techno,i do not need much variaton, i use scenes and trig conditions for variation so 1 pattern is 1 song.
I was thinking not using parts anymore, but then i only have 16 patterns, 1 for each bank…
When i use the parts i could use 64 patterns.
Somebody has the same problem?
I don’t think you should use parts anymore either. It sounds like it’s complicating things.
Instead of making every pattern a song, why not make every bank a song? Only 16 songs per project, but you won’t have the headache of remembering which part is what and what goes where. Plus, 16 seems like a lot to me…
If 16 isn’t enough, you could again still treat each pattern like its own song, and have pattern A01 be part 1, pattern A02 be part 2, Pattern A03 be part 3, and pattern A04 be part 4. Then, go to bank B and have B01 be part 1, etc. Now you have 64 songs to play with in a project. Remember: Four parts per bank
I agree parts are a headache. In that “how do you setup your OT” thread most people commented that they don’t even bother with parts. I just recently used parts in a composition I’m finishing up, and I have them working exactly like this. Pattern A02 is tied to part 2. If I want any variation in the pattern (as in actual trig variation, not just scenes) I make sure that pattern A06 is tied to part 2. Make sense?
WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY
i have never had an issue with parts and in fact they are a blessing sometimes for me , you shouldn’t be struggling samples and patterns getting screwed up if using parts, they are almost a protection device/safety blanket imo
are you not planning and creating parts in advance? what about dummy sheets/notes to keep your eye on?
but as above if they are creating issues simply use banks and ditch parts, life is too short, you can still fade from bank to bank with a tiny bit of thinking and keeping one track blank in the opening / following bank
Some understand parts, some dont. Regardless, you are always working in a part. Whether you like it or not.
Patterns only save trig data.
Parts store sample assignments, amp page settings, lfo, fx, scenes.
If you are happy just using one part with 16 patterns in it, nothing wrong with that at all.
If you want to change machines on tracks (for instance change flex machine on track 5 to thru machine) or effects in the two fx slots on a pattern or you want to have totally different parameters for playback, amp, lfos or fx or if you are using midi tracks and want to load another patch on a synth that is sequenced from an OT midi track with a midi program change message then you’d want to use a different part.
A different part also allows for different samples loaded into the audio tracks. You can also use sample locks to change samples on any step, so if you just want a different snare or something like that, don’t have to use a new part for that.
Similar to this, the way that’s always seemed most logical to me is dividing your 16 patterns into four: part 1 is patterns 1, 2, 3, 4, part 2 is 5, 6, 7, 8, etc. This way a bank is a ‘song’, and each ‘section’ (part) can have 4 trig variations (patterns).
Consistency is good for your brain here, but mainly I think it really helps to know exactly why and when to use a new part - it gives you a whole new set of sound parameters to mess up without affecting your previous work. Don’t forget that scenes belong to parts as well!
I kind of ignored Parts until someone hipped me to the idea of using Part 1 as a “reset”.
So after I load up a Project I can mess with LFOs, p-locks, Scenes, etc. and can always reset back to the original settings by switching back to Part 1.
Kinda sounds like OP is switching samples in the slots after changing parts instead of loading samples to empty slots and using those…
This is exactly on point.
I chose to not use parts, but the beauty of the OT is that you can use it any way you want.
Broadly how I do it. Each bank is a song with, roughly, patterns 1-4 being the intro, 13-16 outro and everything between being verse/chorus/bridge type variations. Doesn’t quite always work out that way but you get my drift.
I think I understand parts (took forever mind you) but I don’t need to use them just now.
For me the easiest way to understand parts was just to replace the simple word parts with the simple word kits.
Put simply, Patterns store your sequencing information,
parts store your sound information (machines, samples, effetcs)
I use one bank per song, and only use parts if I have to exchange a sound or an effect from one pattern to another
parts are great for resampling/remixing.
An eye opener for me was a tutorial by @Dataline
It‘s included in this bandcamp download.
Totally worth it if you want to understand how you can use parts
I think parts are really important and you should try to use them. Without parts you are affecting the entire track across all your patterns every time you move a parameter in your amp, lfo, etc. With parts you are able to mangle something you made in part 1 and in part 2 start fresh. Or you can create 4 variations of the same patterns. Like switching from your Tama kit to your Ludwig or 808 to 909 (I think that is a good analogy?) Also you can set up parts up for re-sampling (switching from static to flex) so that you can mangle what your doing in part 2 on part 3 or whatever. If you want less is more, parts allows you to do more with less, if that makes sense.
I dont use parts myself because they cannot be stacked like scenes. 1 part per bank. slocks, plocks and “plays free” gets me wherever I need to be without resorting to part changes, but then again I am still not using that much of OT’s full potential.
you can use “plays free” mode to switch patterns on a per track basis instead of changing all the tracks at once. This allows much more flexibility/fluidity in transitions between patterns.
As some here, 1 song per bank (1 part), most of the time. Scenes, sample locks.
I find parts pretty fundamental. I start every new bank by copy+pasting a default part that includes my preferred routings, master FX settings etc…
I use this type of setup, with a twist, almost exactly like Merlin’s guide. Instead I use each bank as a mix containing 4 songs. Part 1 is song 1 using patterns 1-4, Part 2 is song 2 using patterns 5-8, etc. In reality I could just use patterns and banks and not use parts, as many people do without issue. I was a DJ back in the 90’s. 
I still have my technics 1200s setup and run all my synths and stuff through my DJ Tech mixer.
I like this process because I can use scenes for varied effects and of course … the crossfader! I mean, c’mon!? This is the crossfader to end all crossfaders. Some ungodly number of modulation possibilities. I belief Yamaha would go on to call it the “Superknob”. Don’t be a superknob 
. Jk. No offense. Yamaha is a fine company.
Anyway, then I mix the songs adding effects, changing between scenes, and making it groove by performing it “live”. It’s like production and performance for an audience of 1. The most fun you can have with your clothes on!
Finally–a solution I’ve been looking for. Really tired of setting up my machines every time I start a new bank. T1 is almost always flex pointed at its rec buffer, T3 and T4 are almost always for resampling. T6 is almost always a kick… Maybe I can make a part template, stick it on bank p and copy and paste it around.
yep, it worked for me. I like to start with every track assigned its own record buffer, no FX on those tracks, and my own default FX on the master. Copy the Part, then paste it into Pattern 1 of every bank, and it should be the default for the whole project.
This process does make it convenient. That’s how I work too. OT is already deep/complex enough. It helps to start from a familiar place. But I’ve heard some people say they like to start each project from scratch. It’s all good. I like to save as I go so every time I find something new, like messing with the delay or filter settings, I can pick up where I left off and save the part/project. Crazy how awesome this machine is. OT3? Yes please!
I’m just getting the hang of parts, but with the way I’m working they make sense. For a while I didn’t see how I could use them but I’ve been doing some stuff where I’ll take a sample and, screw around with the playback rate and start position and get so far that jumping between the scenes is too much of a hassle to remember which scene does what. So I can save resample internally, save all that stuff to a new part, and still be able to go back to the old part if I’ve gone too far and need to get back to a more secure place. Still have a lot to learn but they’re becoming a good tool for me.