I feel the OT can’t be replaced by any other Elektron product. Or any other company’s product. (not even an MPC 1000 which can do some of what the OT can)
It works as my real time sampler, sample player, additional FX and my main mixer when I play out live. I don’t see how I’d ever get rid of it. My A4 just compliments it like any synth or drum machine from any company would. My A4 which I love, is a lot more dispensable.
If you were to buy the Rytm it would free up more of your OT tracks from playing drum samples (or percussion loops), and that’s when real OT fun begins.
For my money you made the right decision, if I still had my octatrack Id be selling it right now to fund the purchase of an AR. To my mind the OT is the most niggly and anoying of all the elektron machines I sold mine to help me afford a DSI Tempest (a decision I haven’t regretted for one second) I also far far prefer the playability and ease of use of the A4.
The OT is a particular type of sampler which really didnt work for me and I far preferd my korg esx1 and mpcs. I suspect the AR wil also be far more to my liking as it does the drum & percussion oriented sample playback Im interested in. In fact I suspect my 2 elektron machine live play rack will change from MnM & A4 to AR & A4.
Id also say if you want more balanced opinions on how great/shit the octatrack is then this is the worst forum to ask the question on. Go to gearslutz and you will get many opinions from people who either found the OT to be less than stellar for the kind of music they make or too awkward, niggly and obtuse to bother getting into. This place is very full of “Elektron can do no wrong” types so I personally take opinions here with a grain of salt.
I wouldn’t say that is necessarily true about this place but like any dedicated forum it has more power users then elsewhere so indeed less likely to have disgruntled users… but I’ve always found Elektron gear to be quirky, which is a good/bad thing depending on how you look at it … and OT is definitely the most complex unit they’ve built. That is definitely a double-edged sword. It’s for example the only Elektron unit I really needed to study the manual & watch tutorials, a few things I still don’t even grasp about it! I perfectly understand people getting frustrated with it & selling it… it really isn’t for everyone. That being said, if you do stick with it, and see the light so to speak… it really can be rewarding and allow things not too many samplers can do. The coolest for me is being able to (re)sample while syncing/sequencing external gear from it, then slice/re-arrange and fade scenes… I’d still like to figure out the pickup machines, especially after watching Cenk do his thing a few months ago in that AK/OT jam !
Personally I prefer to create & manipulate original sample material in the computer using reaktor, s-layer, etc and then load them on my mpc 1000 for playback and manipulation. I especially love the ability to layer 4 samples per pad on the mpc with various tunings, mix levels, etc. actually that kinda makes me wish the AR could layer multiple samples per pad.
Velocity sound lock (sample choice and synth voice settings) splits was alluded to, but not confirmed. Might be one of those things not ready upon release.
I have a A4, and I do use the inputs for my MD … here is my question… what would I do with the track if I didnt use it for the inputs?
it doesnt play any sounds, does it?
can sounds (track 1 - 4) be routed there?
thanks for answers
btw, i bought md and a4 around xmas and force myself not to buy the mnm or ot to N O T make the learning curve toooo steep and keep me from getting into depths of the 2 toys i already have
If you’re going to use the OT like a drum machine, you are better with an AR, it’s gonna be better on every level due to pads, substractive synthesis and punch analog vibes.
If you want a mixing/mastering tool, get an OT. The OT is an 8-track workstation. Computer DAWs are nothing but software sequencer/samplers with unlimited tracks.
Idk
The allure of earlier Elektron boxes was that they were so versatile. Tbh, I think it’s a little limiting in thought to say the OT can’t do drums. Also, if chromatic works well and samples can be plocked per step then there’s really nothing keeping someone from using samples to make a synth part on the AR. I would love all 5 boxes. Sure. But I can only afford one, so then what?
The OT is a fully capable drum machine IMO…but it is sample based and 8 tracks.
If I could only have a single elektron box it would be an OT for sure…but it has to do with your goal (“style”). If I was mainly interested in sound synthesis then it wouldn’t be the OT… That’s why I added the A4 heh.
as others pointed out the sampling ability on the AR is NO WHERE near where it is on the OT.
The AR will never be able to tae the place of the OT because the OT is so many different things to different people. If you come up with an amazing groove and you want to same if into the OT, then you want to chop it up, remix it, glide through the chops with an LFO, you can do that… I dont think thats something you will be doing on the AR.
My advice… buy them all… hahahaha… if thats not do able… by the MNM or the A4. learn how to make drums on those, learn the sequencer in and out. Learn ONE BOX AT A TIME. wen you feel like you cant take that box any further, then get your next box and max that one out… Only get the OT… when you have mastered one maybe twoboxes, and youre lookin for something to bring it all together,’
I have a feeling the A4 and the AR and going to play REALLY nice together,
My OT is currently on its way to Sweden for encoder repair. I have covered so much more ground on the A4 over the weekend its been a real eye opener. The temptation is really there (for me anyway) to have all the machines blazing together. This initially is I think a bad move.
Saying that I simply cannot wait to have OT A4 and AR hooked up together (so yes the GAS is taking hold)
my only complaint about the OT is that I want more tracks and more inputs :)[/quote]
May’be two DPS-1s are in order?
I had this long-@$$ed almost exhaustive discussion with my friends about how overly hyped we were about the AR. I felt it most because I recently ditched Tempest after also ditching MachineDrum but originally, I did this because I could no longer live with the SPS-1 UW+ MK II and felt AR was coming when I read the text on the inside of my Analog Four’s packaging. AR will replace MachineDrum and Tempest for me but I’ve kind of moved beyond the notion of dedicated beat machine…(I think). I do intend on getting an AR because I know I can do what I need and more with it but I really got into trouble when I said to them that they can barely understand DPS-1 to the fullest. Truth is the DPS-1 can still do a whole helluva lot that it’s the true Elektron beast.
If they (my friends) ever get beyond making beats…may’be focus on their Octatrack as a sampler would make sense. (I expect them to read this but they know it’s true). DPS-1 with some field recording found sounds instead of rips and sample packs would actually inspire them to make more of themselves with their neglected Superstar…. do more with it than they have in the last three years of nothingness….
One is great if you use as one function within a set-up, but change the function to do more or take-in all and you’l see how two could do that whole set for you in one box versus reaching around the whole studio to make it look like a control room.
All other physical instruments become individuals I have to supervise constantly to become contributory, complimentary, or solo as individuals. The Octatrack becomes the heart of the set-up and most everything else does its thing around it.
I’ve been on the fence about this dual-DPS-1 set-up for a while and really don’t like to be that guy coming off all headstrong with my opinions because I’m human and can be wrong but you have to find the balance.
I, personally, believe it’s okay to understand how the following can be seen as mostly true:
One Octatrack is awesome…two might be amazing in a DJ/Live Performer’s mind and hands…
a. One just can’t be beat for those who’ve managed to learn and now know how to use it. If you stayed committed since your beginning, it doesn’t take long before every idea is inspiration to set-up something that will work best and evolve to greater things within the DPS-1.
b. Two Octatracks in the right hands could really be killer and more manageable than three separate Elektron instruments. Every function you already know, every sound you already have, that can be spread across those 16 tracks oh so creatively and even become a dual-player set-up to mix with if you make duplicate projects to work with. I’m really surprised Mr. Dataline hasn’t shown this yet but hey…it’s Okay.
Analog Four is truly awesome. The “Size vs outputs” debate became an argument, yet none of us has even seen one yet. Analog Keys looks awesome on film and sounds amazing too but the A4 is not the chump of the family. The LCD screens are the same size right? The keys, extra outs, and joystick are what make it the AK which is one awesome keyboard for a keyboard player or someone in need of keys to express themselves directly…but to a non-keyboard strategist the A4’s price, latest OS upgrade with +Drive, brilliant compactness with the integrated keys makes one amazing box that can still do amazing things with midi that the size and wait on AK might make you lose time thinking about the wrong one for you….you can get a deal now and don’t have to wait so long for something still amazing.
You can still add an AR for your forefront analog percussion and an A4 for heavy-weight punching analog synth work-out it can bring to your arrangement… but…
If you have one Octatrack and already know it, you have a beast of a live performance tool that can actually capture and playback all of your work in one location…everything else around it becomes individual or complimentary or contributory…three years on, “sampling” and using samples with this beast will never be pigeon-holed.
Wow, this turned out to be a really engaging thread.
I think if you search your hear you’ll find your own answer. Returning the Octa probably means you weren’t totally happy about it. But watching Dataline’s videos you can see what you can do if you know it inside and out. Every time I watch Dataline’s I’m like “holy crap, he’s good! So that’s what an Octatrack is.”
Perhaps you just didn’t like it? I personally don’t think I’d be a very good Octatrack player much because I’m not a sample guy. I’m looking so much forward to the Rytm simply because I think 1. It sounds awesome. 2. I like to create drum sounds rather than looking through catalogs with samples. (I totally hate that).
Judging by your videos, I think you’d fall in love with the OT.
It’s not just a sampler.
It’s and FX unit, a real - time mangler, a MIDI sequencer, a mixer, a synthesizer, and more. It has a swiss army knife feel, and will feel at ease doing multiple tasks. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, the OT really shines when receiving live audio from a performer. It creates this extremely responsive and trippy feedback loop, taking your performance and mangling it in real time. You really have to try it for a while before discarding it as a simple sampler.
If I had to keep one single piece of kit from my well furnished studio, it would be the OT, no questions asked. The fact that you can load any sounds you want into it, combined with the fact that it processes any input, makes it a revolutionary, indispensable instrument.
Take a look at my channel for OT tutorials, which may open up a few more possibilities for you
