Using two separate mono external fx units on OT's cue outputs?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

I’ve read through some old forums but I don’t exactly understand how exactly to do this.

So far I have my two fx units plugged in, I will just talk about the setup of the first. It goes Cue out L into my fx unit and my fx unit back into input c.

Currently, when the cue level is up on a track, the effected signal only comes through the left side. How do I change this signal to a mono one coming through on both sides? I’ve read somewhere you can pan the track to emulate mono, but what does this actually mean? What am I panning? The track being effected? The Cue output (and if so how do I do this)? Or something else?

Also being new and a bit confused, if there are any other methods of using external fx with the OT that I am missing, please let me know! Thanks!

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Octa MK2 cue out analog outboard processing
#2

Just of the top of my head, the Octatrack is 8 stereo tracks. If you cue a track it is stereo. If you adjust the balance of a track to +63 and cue it it will output to only the right cue output and also only the right main output (unless its muted).

#3

If you’re just using the DIRect inputs for the returns from your effects units, you will have this problem. To get what you want, use a Thru machine on an audio track and do one of the following:

  • set the INCD parameter to ‘C’ if you only want one effects unit’s signal on the track
  • set the INCD parameter to ‘C+D’ if you want the two input signals from C and D to be in the centre
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#4

So there is no way to have two mono effects using only the cue outputs, only one stereo effect?

Im still a bit confused when using thru machines as there isn’t much explanation on them in the manual. To do what I desire having two mono fx signals, would I need to set up two separate thru machine tracks? And if I set a thru machine the way you describe, how do I apply the audio from it to individual tracks? Would it be using the cue outs still, or would I forget that method when using a thru machine?

#5

So are you saying to do this you need to hard pan the actual track you are applying the effect to?

#6

Yep, if you want two separate fx, but you can combine two inputs to mono on one Thru track, so only one needed

Cue is one method to get the audio out the OT, Thru machine is one method to bring the audio back, along with Direct monitoring of the inputs A>D

Thru is the only way you can take one of the four inputs and pan it centre
If you forgo a Thru track in favour of Direct, it will appear at the Left or right depending on the return jacks you fed it to … .you could use a small mixer prior to the return and thus do away with need for Thru track, but keep in mind a Thru also allows you to apply specific fx[quote=“Finiiiie, post:4, topic:36948”]
And if I set a thru machine the way you describe, how do I apply the audio from it to individual tracks?
[/quote]

I don’t follow, but a Thru will serve up a stereo Track using whichever source arrangement you chose

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#7

What PeterHanes said.
Use a thru.

#8

If you set the thru track to, e.g. inp ab would it not then play a through left and b through right rather than two mono through both sides?

I’m asking something really simple and probably quite stupid in how, once set up on an audio channel, do I feed the effect going to a thru machine to, one of my other audio tracks? So for example when using the cue outs in studio mode to feed in effects, the send level is set using the normal level, and the return level of the effects is set using the cue output level. How do I do something similar using a thru machine? How do I actually send other audio tracks to it?

#9

That’s maybe so, but if you set it as A+B then it’ll be fine, thus the suggestion

I still don’t follow your other point … maybe Thru tracks work differently in your thoughts, but a Thru track is a means to playback audio from 1-4 of the Ins, you could have 4 mono returns panned centrally on one Thru Track if you set A+B & C+D[quote=“Finiiiie, post:8, topic:36948”]
How do I actually send other audio tracks to it?
[/quote]

Well, anything you’ve sent out via external effects will appear at the chosen Inputs as returns, i’m not sure where the question lies … if you are using the cue bus then it’s cued tracks, if you are in studio mode then it’s whichever tracks you have sufficient levels sent to the Cue Outs

Setting levels for studio mode requires pressing the Cue button, then adjusting the level as normal

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#10

You can do what you’re asking easily and you don’t need to use Thru machines. Just do the following:

  1. Take two mono outs from the Cues.
  2. Connect to your FX boxes using mono cables.
  3. Bring the return back out of the FX boxes using a mono Y-cable to split the one mono signal into 2 mono signals - per FX box.
  4. Plug each mono pair into a stereo input AB and CD.

Now you can just use DIR and the FX return will be mono but sit central in the mix.

Unless I’m missing something, this seems like a much simper way to get what you want.

#11

To simplify:
You can cue an OT audio track sending it out the cue outputs, you can use pan to only send to one or the other.
That track now goes out the cue output to the fx.
The level being sent to the fx is controlled by the cue volume.
Now you have an OT track being sent to an fx box.
To hear the fx box playing the track, you need to connect it to something.
That something can be a mixer, an audio interface, or back into the OT to be played out OT’s main outputs.
If you wish to add more fx to the already fx boxed track, you use a thru machine.
Another use for a thru machine is to make it so if you only have one cable coming out of the fx box to the OT, it comes out both speakers.
To do this you select a single input from the thru track settings.
The thru track now plays your track that has been sent to the fx box, it’s volume is now controlled by the thru tracks track level and vol settings on thru main and amp page, and you can apply more fx to it if you want.
Another option for hearing the track from the fx box, is using the dir(direct) setting from the OT’s mixer.
This way you don’t need an extra track(thru) to hear the fx box. To hear the fx box from both speakers using this method, you would have to use a splitter cable as suggested by henryo.
The volume of the fx boxed track is controlled by the dir parameter in the mixer using this method.
You can’t add more fx to you fx boxed track using dir method, unless you use track 8 as master and apply effects to everything coming out the main outputs…

Hopefully this clears things up and if not please let us know which part doesn’t make sense…
Happy :elot:ing

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#12

Thanks so much for taking the time to strip everything down for me !

It all makes sense now apart from one thing. I have the thru track setup receiving audio from input c (which is 1 fx box hooked up with one cable in mono). I am also in studio mode. I send one of my other audio tracks to the cue output by raising the cue level. Even though I have a thru machine setup, no new / effected audio is coming through. To check the problem isn’t coming from the fx box, is turn the input dir for cd up on the OT’s mixer page and I can now hear the return signal playing through the left ear.

What am I doing wrong here? How can I actually hear the return audio using a thru machine?

#13

No problem, glad your getting closer. My guess is that your not trigging the thru machine. Thru machines need to be trigged to play them. Usually you’d just enter grid recording mode for the thru track and place a trig on the first step. You won’t hear anything until you press play. When you press stop you should still hear the thru but if you double stop it will be stoped. You can also manually trigger the thru by holding down its track button and pressing play, and stop by holding its track button and stop…
Hope that’s it, have fun!

#14

Ah I remember seeing this in numerous forums too ! Learners mistake !

That indeed was the problem, thanks for the help :smile:

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