First, I want to say hi. Hi 
Second, I want to say thank you to everyone, who has shared in posts and threads. Through reading posts, Merlin’s guid, the octatrack manual, and some youtube vids: I have been able to slowly figure out how to run the Octatrack beast. Thank you.
I really want to say thank you to people who have figured out how to use the OT and have stuck around to share their insights and music: very cool and much appreciated.
Here is a little of my story. I would say, I am old. I started playing music back (mostly guitar) when the Tascam Portastudio was new.
I think it was before midi but, even if midi was around, I was a kid and had no money. I did get a Tascam and if I wanted a bass line, I had to record myself playing a bass.
I did have a roland drum machine. I still miss that machine. I became pretty good playing beats. It was a lot of fun, and help me to learn how to count and feel rhythm.
Mostly I did a lot if jamming. Typicaly rock with an emphasis on improvisation: Hendrix, Cream, Grateful Dead, Clapton, ABB, Quicksilver, you know that kind of jam stuff. (It was before phish and the whole jam band explosion in the 90’s. I was a super happy camper, in the 90’s… so much fun).
I did get into Jazz right away also. My very first CD (back when they were new was (Chick Corea’s), Return to Foever’s, Light as a Feather. Spain is such a cool tune.
Of course as things went on, I continued to do more compositional work and recording. I received a BA in Sociology and then went back to college to study music. My ear, theory, and playing chops become pretty serious.
Then thing became really messed up: I developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (from my day job). I was distraught and had no idea what to do with my life.
I turned things around by getting into serious compositional work, and some engineering.
I will keep things a little short and skip my downfall by making a very bad choice and marrying an emotionally abusive person. Of course she did not honestly tell me she was messed up, and the abuse started slowly.
I never really believed that it was true that almost anyone could end up in an abusive relationship. There is no relationship to class, or intelligence. I do think there is a relationship to how a person is raised and what the self esteem is like. When I became involved with my ex, I had just lost my ability to play guitar and a lot of my sense of self was based on that. Everyone should really read what is called the “basic rights in a relationship”. Please take good care of yourself.
A few years ago, I became so sick and tired of the flow in DAWs, I decided to buy a Squarp Pyramid, and an OT. I started using them, but became sidetracked by ending my abusive marriage. (Getting out of an abusive relationship was the hardest thing I have ever done. I totally now understand why people struggle so much with that).
Good news is that after the Carpal Tunnel Surgery, my hand have slowly over the years became better. I am now playing more guitar then I have for twenty years. I do not think, I will ever be as good as I was but things continue to look up.
So after the Covid shut down, I decided to re-set up my midi/recording stuff. So I am starting to learn the OT again. Today was the first day that I felt like I was getting stuff to really happen.
This is what I really wanted to share: the OT flow is so much better the moving a mouse around endlessly. It feel like an instrument instead of a computer.
I am still trying to learn from the sources I mentioned before, but eventually I am going to ask some questions. I think that if I continue to struggle, the questions I need to ask will become clear.
If you read all this, thank you so much. I have a tendency to be prolix.
Again: I thank everyone. Peace
