For partly selfish reasons, I think we should have a thread not about general tips and tricks, but about those time-saving workarounds that you wish you knew about when you first bought the Octatrack. In other words, what are some features you use now that would have made your learning curve easier if you’d known about it then?
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Most obvious answer would be : Elektron workflow 
OT was my very first Elektron machine, and I really began to get the grip on the OT once I got the Rytm.
AR is easier to use, as it’s focused on making beats. So learning Elektron logic on this was very fast.
Using OT after this was suddenly much easier.
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fn + record then recording mode on (red light on) and setting a trig (which is actually a recording trig), is not the same as placing a (normal) trig .
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I cant even begin to start to explain what I mean it is so convoluted ;(
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I see you’re enjoying your OT so far, TrabanT
there are bits and pieces, that are really stunning … like doing weird droney shit, with just 1 piano sample … really nice… also the occasional texture underneath which makes the A4 a lot thicker, is also very very nice … but what can I tell you … I am really wondering if the OT has been forgotten in terms of updates… but it is not like this hasnt been discussed here on the forum before…
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so back to the thread:
I also wished I had known that the headphone out and the master outs are not both controlled by the headphone volume knob
Just posted this over on Reddit. I think it applies here. A lot of it concerns the pre-purchase decision of buying an OT, but this is all stuff I had to work through as a new user, too. Take what works and leave the rest.
One important thing you should also know with the octatrack is that you can play parts live so that the sound of a hit only plays for as long as you hold the note (provided you have the release time turned all the way down on the amp envelope, etc), but when you record this to the OT, it doesn’t record anything like a “note off” message. Each sample will play in its entirety. If you chop samples a lot and are used to playing those slices with something like maschine or ableton’s drum rack where the sequencer only records the pad sound for the duration of time that you’re holding it down during a take, you’ll have to change your workflow for the OT.
You can go in after the fact and adjust the hits so that they only play for as long as you want them to, but you have to edit each note individually. There are workarounds for this using a midi track on the OT, but they are just that: workarounds. Meaning they’re kind of a pain.
Also, you can record unquantized hits into OT’s sequencer if you want to record a loose feel, but if you choose to quantize them at all, it moves the note closer and closer to the center of the step the note is linked to. You’re working in a step sequencer paradigm and the OT will often remind you of this 
I personally tend to hit pads a bit early rather than late, so this means that instead of the hits getting nudged toward the next note like I want them to, they get nudged to the center of the step preceding the one I was aiming for, rather than something like a DAW that moves the notes to the nearest “correct” sounding position. This can be adjusted after you record, but you need to adjust each hit individually.
Furthermore, know that all eight sampler tracks are monophonic and don’t support anything resembling layering. It’s like sample clip channels in Ableton: you can play any sound, and you can do lots of wacky things to those sounds, but the only rule is that you get one sound at a time. Also, the OT does not support playing different samples at different velocities.
Even furthermore, the OT supports slicing, but playing slices in live via an external midi controller is not yet supported. The Elektronauts forum is currently abuzz with people trying to find workarounds for this, but there’s no promising workaround yet.
And don’t think you can use the OT itself to play slices on one track with one hand while also playing another track’s slices with another or something like that: the OT interface only supports playing one track’s slices at a time.
I would not suggest buying the OT hoping for it to be something like an MPC. You just might want to throw it against a wall if you approach it with that mindset. It excels (like, impressively excels) in one of two ways, IMO: programming patterns by hand and setting up performance macros via crossfader scenes that will add cool and inspiring variation–but only after you’ve spent the time setting everything up. OR it works well as a live audio mangler / loop-pedal-on-crack that lets you record samples to buffers and then replace them on the fly by recording new samples to those buffers (without having to manually delete the previous sample like you would need to in a daw or an MPC/Maschine style paradigm).
Instead of thinking of the OT like a drum machine or mini daw–although it can be used in those ways if you are willing to make some considerable compromises–I like to think of it as eight samplers with very fluid recording buffers that excel at instant playback of recorded samples forward and backwards at various speeds. If you approach it like that and are willing to put in the time and get freaky with your sounds, you will be handsomely rewarded.
I would also highly recommend an external controller and a good amount of time to program it creatively. This massively opened up my OT for me, as it turns multi-button-combo-pushing operations (eg to record and playback a sound the process is: select track, open recording menu, record to buffer, exit recording menu, open track sample slot list, find and select sample then load to track, if necessary switch to trig key mode that allows triggering, trigger sample), into instantaneous ones: press one button to record, press other button to play back. Boom.
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It can be a quick 2 button combo on the OT too. Be in trig sample mode and have quick record preference on. Then press record to sample into a track buffer, then press the track trig to trigger.
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Yeah I agree the lack of ‘note off’ info being recorded during live rec in sequencer really bummed me out. Something I took for granted before buying. The workarounds basically suck and I really wish elektron would tidy this up if it’s possible in an OS update before they leave OT behind…
I also agree that just come at OT with an open mind, no preconceptions regarding comparisons to other hardware or software and a willingness to be a little flexible with your workflow/thinking is the best route. Do that and the rewards are insane. Amazing box. Inspires creativity and random ideas almost every session.
One thing I’d add for the OP is ‘make notes’. During my teething/learning period I created around 30 projects. ‘midi loopback’ ‘live sampling’ ‘parts’ ‘live set’ ‘jam template’ etc etc. Some with multiple song ideas in different banks. Going back through them all recently was a nightmare! Got an LP worth of raw material waiting to be sewn together so it was worth it, but a lot of digging around to remind me what was going on in each project…
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-plocking filters/fx on external audio
-transition trick setup
-live sampling with quick record
-using cues to preview/blend tracks/external audio
-OT midi sequencer LFOs
-filling all 16 scenes
some of these things I worked on a lot in the beginning, the stuff involving using the OT like a mixer with cues to preview/mix in other synths is something I’m doing more often now.
sampling external audio is easy as pie once you figure out your workflow. using the hold setting on the record buttons work well for me. fine adjustments done in the waveform editor inside the OT. can be a bit esoteric using the encorders to move around the start / end markers zoom in / out but you get used to it.
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It can be a quick 2 button combo on the OT too. Be in trig sample mode and have quick record preference on. Then press record to sample into a track buffer, then press the track trig to trigger. [/quote]
Yes, that’s true. But you have to be on that track that you want to record to.
An external controller is a considerable expense, especially one that’s as flexible as the Quneo and that requires a USB midi hub, but I always have eight buttons that record straight to buffers (I use hold as my record mode because I do everything in an unquantized live finger drumming kind of situation) and eight other dedicated buttons that instantly play back those samples, no matter what screen I have up on the OT. When I bought the OT I wanted this kind of functionality and found it lacking. The external controller totally changed my relationship to the instrument.
But yeah, you’re right, it doesn’t have to be seven button presses on the OT. And if someone can avoid paying another few hundred for a controller, I definitely understand/support that.
That the encoders are pushable and it means faster value changing…
I’ve found about this more than 1 year after purchase.
In fact, I read it in a forum regarding the A4, but tried on the OT.
Of course this is in the (F) manual. It’s even easy to find. But as I didn’t know about this, my eyes skipped that part back then, lol.
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Man your previous talk above was really talking to men you’re speaking wise truth 
And now you bring the Quneo in the discussion !
Would you mind sharing your config file, please ? I still haven’t found a proper workflow with QNeo+OT but I feel this little controller could bring the OT further and what you say just comfort me in the idea !
You can also hold Function and turn to snap to major values (handy for reseting back to 0 or up fully to 127 etc.)
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I wish I would have realized earlier that setting track 8 to master and recording from that for the transition trick solves all my volume issues with the recorded loop increasing or decreasing with volume over time. Used to spend ages getting that sorted, and as soon as you change the master volume you have to do it all over again.
I also wish I would have known how fragile CF card mechanisms are, I would have swapped cards a lot less often to back up my OT data (which led to a pin breaking off on my OT).
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The OT was my first real indepth experience with sampling. I had a few random sound makers that I had collected throughout the years that I had wanted to put into a song. So, the notion of sample based music was very welcomed after the initial confusion about ita source.
One thing I wish I knew was to spend a little bit more time on the tracks I worked on instead of immediately accepting the easier beginning. It took selling my OT and buying another one before I really understood the beauty of this device. The Elektron hardware sampler is primed and ready for a shit load of sound exploration using whatever sound you put in there. I’m happy to finally be doing it now. Spending hours exploartively tweaking knobs is heaven
What’s this master track transition trick you speak of?
If I’d approached it less as a composer, more as a producer, it would’ve saved me some frustration and helped me explore the Octatrack for what it is, rather than what I’d wanted it to be.
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Thank you, Tarekith!