So I have been using the Octatrack for a while now, and I understand fairly well what all the main functions do, but I am not quite sure the ideal way to set it up for my needs. I would like to use it to record loops. Ideally I would arm a recording, then monitor the input while it is recording a new track, then when it finishes recording a loop, it would automatically switch playback to being the recorded loop. In the past I have set it up with a thru track and a flex track, with the flex track handling the loop. But with this configuration I always have to consciously mute the thru track, and unmute the flex, and it also used two tracks, which really isn’t the end of the world, but seems maybe inefficient?
So what are all of y’all’s ideal way of setting up the Octatrack for live looping (especially of sequenced material that will likely continue playing in the background after the loop should start). I have also never really dove into the pickup machines, so if you have ways of using those that you like I’m interested. I guess it just often feels like I am stumbling over things when I try to live loop with the octatrack, so I am wondering how y’all like to do it.
A pretty easy way to handle this is to use the crossfader. Set up a scene that lowers the volume of one track while raising the volume of the other. You could map the scene to VOL/XVOL or Level/XLV, depending on how you want to mute it. With VOL/XVOL you’ll preserve FX tails after the transition and with Level/XLV FX tails are cut off or lowered.
I prefer to use One shot REC trigs to record, and then, yeah… crossfader to switch between. Pretty easy to set up.
I also like to have a track setup with a presliced buffer that resamples the recorded loop. Random locks. Set a scene to fade between the original recorded loop and the randomized locks, or set LFO to random wav shape with STRT as destination and set fader to depth. Cool rhythmic things happen.
Scenes make it all pretty easy, you just have to set em up.
Yeah, QREC is my preferred method too. And quick recording mode (in the Personalize menu) so I just hit the REC button without a track button. Or a foot switch if I’m playing guitar or eating a sandwich.
Yeah, I guess I am looking to simplify as much as possible and having it be two actions a bar apart of arm the track, then remember to fade over to it, just seems like more steps than is ideal. Also that only really works with sequenced material, I can’t really live play in an instrument to live loop, because the time between the loop ending and my hands coming off the instrument, and hitting the crossfader, means I will miss the first bit of the loop unless I stop playing early to get my hands on the crossfader in time.
I’m pretty sure utilising plays free tracks with the ONE2 mode and quantised track trigging would do the trick here. I would recommend experimenting with that.