Last year I bought an Analog Four and I love it. I played my first live set with it a couple of weeks ago. At the moment I use Korg EMX-1 with the A4 but I would like to replace the EMX because it isn’t reliable and I don’t like the limitations it has if I play live.
The reason why I would like to buy the Octatrack is I would sample the A4 and the EMX so I have more options if I play live.
I know there lots of possibilities the Octarack brings so I would like understand how you use it and if you would recommend it to me.
i had a similar experience, it started with a monotribe and before long i traded my way up to an analog 4, after a few months with the a4 i new it was great but i also knew i needed something else to do drums with and samples. I was using a volca beats with the a4 for drums and finally got bored with that and sold all of my to stuff like volcas to buy the Octatrack and i couldn’t be happier with that choice. Its tough at first but with every little thing you figure out about the Octatrack adds up to reveal to you how versatile of a machine the Octatrack is. I prepare stuff in audacity often times, or ill make compositions in maschine that can be perfectly sliced on OT. I use it as a drum machine for a few tracks, weird sfx and stuff on some tracks. Thru machine lets you mix the A4 into it and add some effects, and you can have the cross fader (probably my favorite function) mess with the A4s sound in time with the rest of the stuff. I also use it to sequence and mix my Subphatty that i just got, you can sequence tons of parameters and what note it plays.
TLTR - i think because it is a sampler, you can make it a drum machine, you can use it as a mixer, and it sequences midi its the best piece of gear I’ve owned and i think one of the most unique and universally useful pieces of gear you can get.
IMHO, the versatility of the Octatrack partly lies in the very fact that you have eigth tracks aviable. Which you can fill up in any way you want, just for the sake of de-construction if you want.
I e:
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[li]Find a very good sounding drumsample that you just love the sound of, load it into one track. Several options are then possible. Slice it up and work with it directly in the grid sequencer and move on to get creative on the other tracks with other sounds (bass, synths and whatever). OK, this would give you an good start to see where you can go creatively (songcrafting) as in improvising/sketching. You then realize that this is something you should take further. But maybe the drumsample beat isn´t that perfect due to several reasons. Save and close project.[/li]
[li]Create another project. Take that sample again trim/slice it and save different hits from it as their own samples. Re-use them on several separate tracks, where you then can set them differently in any (poly)rhythmic patterns you want (when they´re sounding together) with specific mix and effects for each track (which could be troublesome for each slice in some cases in the abovementioned example) tied to the crossfader. Perform with the crossfader if you want/need that and record the main out (internally) to one track with a one shot flex recorder for as long as you need. Save the recording as a sample. [/li]
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Now you’ve got an beat you made yourself with the sound of that original sample BUT with the specific volumes of each drumpiece from the separate tracks AND whatever mix/effects transitions you wanted burnt in (via the crossfader) if you wanted that. Since you´ve done it cleverly, you´ve separated and constructed these abovementioned examples in two different projects. And in doing that you have all the possibilities to re-create an whole other beat (with again everything separated) again for a totally different section/song (if you want/need that). And by recording and then saving them as separate samples, you can re-use them and really contruct that song you started to lock in to in the first example (slice exploration).
If you are even more clever with the second example, you can also use the arranger to your advance with just one pattern. By setting up an arrangement and different rowsections being different parts of the beat (shorter lenghts and different start/end positions in the grid sequencer), you will record several beats into the same recording. Which you then can slice up, and save as their own samples.
As you notice, this was just all about de-constructing by using the aviable tracks in the Octatrack in different ways back and forth in different projects. But you have tremendous possibilities since it´s all about recording/sampling, nothing is pre-defined. It´s up to you to use your imagination in how you are able to get what you want in what (deep) level you want. The limitations are there in any projects, but you´re still able to come up with workaround methods…
From my perspective I’m content that I have mastered the A4 workflow for my own ends, I think that I’ll never be able to say that for the OT, that’s only a little in part to do with the respective interfaces, but mostly to do with the multiple ways the OT can be used if you dig deeper, in that regard the OT will always be exciting, the A4 is the finer instrument though
I was using my OT as a mixer and drum sample player for the last 2 months while I was exploring the A4.
Now that I’m more comfortable, the A4 and OP-1 and OT together become a really powerful sound design/synthesis work station with a very unique sounding flavor. Resampling for days.
My favorite aspect of the OT is how organically it can grow with you. There’s lots of features you can disregard while you learn the basics and then when you’re more comfortable it’s like finding a treasure chest of possibilities
I’d like to hear from someone very used to an MPC what are the biggest improvement workflows you can get.
Recording, slicing, etc, this all can be done on an MPC. I’m curious if the process is just faster (doesn’t seem like it, and you need to set slices at specific lengths?) or just more conducive for glitchy stuff (not really my cup of tea).
I find the limitation with the MPC I have right now is that I can’t mangle the samples/slices once I’ve set them. Is this OT’s biggest strenght? I assume it also records in real-time just like the MD. This is a feature I love on the MD.
I agree with this, and what nirun was saying below. It’s a very deep machine, and there are many features you might not use for years.
For example, I just checked out Anders Bergdahl’s work and got really inspired about the possibilities of the pickup machines. They allow you to turn the OT into a little sound factory
I made my first electronic EP with nothing but classical cassette tapes and the OT. I definitely came up with things I never would have on another sampler. Because of that experience, I feel a weird emotional connection to my OT that I don’t have with any other gear.
Anyway, if you’re willing to really buy into it and dig deep, I think it’s worthwhile to get one.
Thanks for all the replies.
Yes I heard about that you have to get really deep into it. I like that actually,
When I got my A4 it was similar I needed a few months to get into it.
Hey! I started with an EMX, and when I got […]
Then I wrote a wall of text but deleted it because it would distract you from the point of my reply: GET THE OCTATRACK NOW.
Sample your EMX with the OT, use the OT sequencer to control the EMX, turn all the knobs and make everybody dance!
I’d like to hear from someone very used to an MPC
Don’t have a lot of experience with the MPC but I spent a few afternoons jamming beats on my friend’s MPC1000. For sampling, recording and slicing, the MPC is really an awesome machine and the Octatrack will hardly get close. The power of the OT is in the sound design capabilities, and being able to turn a sample of farting into a dubtech minor chord in a few seconds (well, almost), plus the fantastic sequencer and all those knobs for fast sound manipulation.
I did not go too deep into the JJOS advanced features, but as far as I was pleasantly surprised by the MPC sequencer and perfect for arrangement, but found the box not that awesome for sound design. Sure you can apply filters and effects on your samples but it was nowhere as immediate as on the Octatrack…
I think you really understands the Octatrack sample playback the moment you consider your sample as a complex synth wavetable oscillator.
I’ve had the 2000 and 2500 before.
The lack of pads is the most obvious. You can get a pad controller or Rytm.
Note repeat is different. You have to dial it in on OT.
You get Chromatic on OT for MPC 16 steps.
I think the MPC has a better midi sequencer but the OT is better at sampling.
I think the MPC had a good reverb. The OT has a better filter and more effects in general. You can map samples on the 16 step grid on OT like the pads.
The OT is newer, it’s going to be able to do more. You never really have to stop the sequencer to do anything. I remember having to stop the sequencer on the MPC to access some features. You can watch the OT sample buffer filling up as you record. For live sampling the OT wins. For slices, if you set your buffer slices in the current BPM, you can always slice any new recording with predefined sample slices on the fly. I don’t remember messing with sample rate on the MPC. You can do this on an OT to negative rates so it plays in reverse. You can route your sample playback to re-sample any track on the fly. I don’t remember the MPC doing this.
The MPC has more midi i/o, more audio out, but less audio in.
I got tired of the MPC, I had the 2000 for a long time. I also got tired of a MD. The OT seems to do much more imo.
Once you get used to the machine, the OT has a better work flow. You never have to stop it. The access to the sample memory is light years ahead.
