Will there be any future OT updates? / Could it ever become open source?

OT Pattern copy on the fly is the all time #1 on my wishlist.

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my most wanted feature at this point is just getting up to parity with the “conditional trigs” now available on the new Analog units… they are so so awesome

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Snap. Would be very cool if Elektron could squeeze in conditional trigs.

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I will overbridgized and update my OT by Analog Heaten the old beauty
:elot: :heat:

I feel an itch to address this further since this topic has been sprouting a lot lately.

What does open source really mean?

Any project could be open source, but what makes open source actually work is that the source code is made with being open in mind.

What does this mean in practice?

A closed source most likely does not contain as much helpful information, well-commented sections, tidy structures etc. Things one would expect from an open source project that a community could viably make use of.

Open source only works if the code is made to be understandable by a third party. If the Octatrack source would be released tomorrow, you would need to spend a ridiculous amount of time figuring it out.

Note that I am now solely writing about open vs. closed and what that means in a practical sense. There is also the aspect of intellectual property. There are implementations that the creators want to keep to themselves for various reasons.

Regarding JJOS - it is an anomaly. JJ did not reverse engineer the code - he had access to the source and was working at Akai during the development of the MPC1000. Hence, it was possible for him to make JJOS. This is not something one could do without having a) Source code b) Project knowledge c) Tools

These are [some of the] reasons why Elektron source code will not be made open source.

Will there be major feature additions to the Octatrack at this point (5 years since release)

Highly unlikely.

Has Elektron stopped supporting the product?

No.

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I don’t need updates as this machine reveals more and more possibilities over time anyway :slight_smile:

I’d be very happy with just bug fixes.

The bad ones, as far as I’m concerned:

:frowning: Changing parts during step one causes tracks with a sample on step one to go mute for the length of the pattern

:frowning: Assigning a static sample to Track1 Slot1 on a new project doesn’t work (it assigns to some other slot based on your previous project)

:frowning: Changing memory settings mutes static tracks

:frowning: Midi plays free tracks won’t trigger in direct mode

:frowning: Quantised trigging set to one step behaves as if set to two steps

Think I’m right on these. Happy to be proved wrong :slight_smile: Think they’re all reported, so here’s hoping

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Simon - thanks for speaking up with that point of view. I will add - even though “everyone” wants code to be open source so that “we all” can fix bugs and add much desired features, my question is - how many of these people have actually downloaded an open source project for music equipment and tried to do anything with it?

I have and it’s non-trivial.

2 projects come to mind (both developed from the beginning as open source) - the GenoQs Octopus hardware sequencer and the Roger Linn Linnstrument. I’ve built the GenoQs code and did some minor tweaks when I owned one and I have customized my Linnstrument with functionality that Roger and Geert considered to be bugs or unintended features as well as a couple other UI tweaks.

I have the benefit of being a software developer in the real world for 30 years and have worked on everything from mainframes to embedded systems to web UIs. Even with all that background, doing something non-trivial like adding a new feature is extremely time consuming and intense to work on, and that’s with code designed to be shared from the beginning.

Folks severely underestimate the skill and time required to fix bugs and add features to code that you didn’t personally develop.

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You’ve made a point !
:smile_cat:

no comment.

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so what you are saying is, minor feature additions are likely?? :smile_cat:

somebody had to do it

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open source? non mais tu veux te faire insulter toi -)

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Ah c’est bilingue Elektronauts ? Du moment que c’est pas en suédois ! :-p

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Take gear for what it is now. I’ve owned my Ensoniq EPS classic since 2009. I still sample with it and create new music. The last OS was written in 1997. I learned to work with it in live and love sampling and mangling sounds into it. It makes me feel happy.

That’s the same way I feel about the octatrack. It’s got its pros and cons, but when I hear something on the radio i usually ask i wonder how I can rearrange that loop on the octatrack. A piece of gear has succeeded its mission if you can ask yourself that. Yes there’s features I wish it had but for most part I do sample editing in Melodyne 4 and Soundforge for the Mac. I bounce my sounds into the octatrack and when I jam I lose 1 hour at least reworking samples in it.

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Thanks for the well thought out response Simon. I’ve been working very heavily with the OT lately completing a live album type thing. Everything is centered around the OT (and 3 other elektrons) and I feel this machine is a masterpiece :heart_eyes:. I can control the flow, the feel, the overall performance of my show from that one box. From my perspective the OS is done and doesn’t need any additions. People can flame away at this one, but it’s true. RYTM is and will always be my true first elektron love, but OT is now my “wholly shit this beast can do anything” box.

I think that people who aren’t totally satisfied with their experience on Octatrack, might be seeking something it isn’t and therefore should perhaps seek it in another instrument. If I bought a guitar and I couldn’t play spontaneously like Eddie Van Halen I wouldn’t blame the guitar … hehehe

That’s great to know that Elektron supports and stands by their products.

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Great news! Will we get a bug-fix firmware update anytime soon?

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I don’t think anyone’s arguing that it isn’t an amazing box and from most angles it’s ‘complete’. But things like not having 8 separate outs or a way to live record 8 stems to export still feels like a big ommision/PITA. And other little things like the sequencer not recording ‘note off’ and no slice to transient option etc. It’s mostly stuff that has workarounds but could be super streamlined on a new version. And with a more powerful cpu Elektron could possibly add polyphonic sample tracks, sample layering, longer sequences without having to chain, trig conditions, more fx and a bunch of other stuff we probably haven’t even thought off :wink: Rytm and A4/AK have separate outs or overbridge. So it’s not like this stuff isn’t a valid requirement/wish on hardware… I don’t really see it as knocking the OT, it’s probably the most capable/best workflow/performance box ever made in a lot of ways, it’s more like just getting hyped about/picturing what’s coming next :wink:

I reply to you but it’s not really to you @Callofthevoid

Do we have stock option on this company ? No.
So i guess they will be strategic on Elektron development, i hope they continu to make great work for them because it’s important that’s their baby not ours…

Meanwhile, i think we have all we need to make music… and we waiting some more, better, more powerful, somethink like that, with this and that…

All this precious time to think rather to be creative and making music.
No offense. I’m just doubtfully… We have 2 Drum Machine who cover everything regarding needs and taste, we have a center brain with sampling and midi sequencing and we have 2 synth : 4 track analog Synth and a Digital one who can do a lot (i do not speaking about the AH here) just that Trio is already complete. And waiting to rock music scene-club now :slight_smile:

God fathers had their classics (808-909-303 etc…) and we have ours modern classic… but instead we discuss and looking for something … :zonked:

when most people moan about stuff or feature request I don’t think they’re sat looking at their gear in tears :wink: I’m fine with what I have :slight_smile: Only real thing I need is more time/energy… I only hit forums when I need help/I’m bored/too tired for music/waiting for a mix to export or something :wink: It’s a slightly better alternative to Facebook (most of the time… :wink: I don’t take any of it very seriously when it comes to anything that us users write about this stuff… It’s natural/fun to speculate for a minute here and there but it’s always gonna come down to business/profit/sales decisions in the end…

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Yes that’s why i say it’s not a reply to you, more a opening mind thinking… on what i read here and there…
Don’t you find that a bit strange ? this quest of equipment who seem to be time consuming @Callofthevoid ?

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I’m really happy to not be a fetishist, gear collector or even a Poker Player
My life would have been even more hell if i was like that
i have pity for these pathology or passion ( i don’t know)