Chords and scales

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi

I am thinking of escaping the computer and investing in an Octatrack. I have a big library of chord midi files. Can Octatrack read midi files? If not, i guess i would have to sample in the chords into Octatrack?

The arpeggiator looks cool. Is it possible to program this for certain musical scales? Does Octatrack have templates for music scales (so certain notes are disabled when not in a scale)?

Final question. Are there swing templates which replicate the mpc swing?

Cheers

Gareth

#2

It doesn’t read MIDI files, so yeah you’ll have to sample many chords :slight_smile: (and it’s better this way, you’ll understand why when you’ll turn a guitar stab in an evolving atmospheric drone in just a half a dozen knob movements).

Arp can stick to scales, it knows all the major/minor scales but it can’t do the exotic scales like mixophrygian or diminished lydian spanish gypsie tone.

No swing templates, but it has swing and that very cool micro-timing function that I’d love to have on the Machinedrum.

#3

I would love a future OS update to include selectable scales for the chromatic mode and also to constrain the pitch mod wheel to …nothing to serious just the modes major and minor and if possible pentatonic…or the ability to create and save your own like on the tenori-on.

I guess the iPad has been really spoiling me as it is almost standard on ios apps now.

#4

Also, keep in mind that you cannot swing the arps.

It is the silliest design decision as far as I’m concerned.

#5

Thanks for the reply guys, very informative! Damn shame you cant swing the arps though…

Another question. Am i right in thinking I could feed an external synth (say the Matrix 1000 via an audio thru) through the Octatrack and make use of its effects? But then (once i hit a certain sweet spot) use a overdub record feature and record it in (for further manipulation)?..

#6

indeed, you can do just that, a thru track will let you apply the OT’s envelopes, filters and effects to an incoming signal, which you can then sample :slight_smile:

#7

Nice. It sounds a great companion for the Matrix which has no interface for effects editing.

#8

Hey guys,

any news sticking to a specific scale using the chromatic mode (like in ableton push / LP95) ?

thanks and all the best
rr

#9

you can stick to scales using the arpeggiator connected to external gear.

also, Rusty’s forthcoming OctaEdit software will eventually be able to convert OT’s midi sequences into midi files. or so he intimated.