I’m considering getting an MPC with JJOS to compliment my OT, as many have said they work well together. However, I’m having trouble understanding how this would happen in practice.
You could trigger OT’s samples from the MPC, but that’s no different than just loading the samples into the MPC to begin with (minus the OT’s effects, which are nice but not world-class at any rate). And in that case, you’d be missing out on all the stuff that makes the OT sequencer unique. Might as well just trade the OT for an MPC at that point.
Another possibility is to somehow get them both running in synchronization, but they have completely different sequencers so I don’t exactly know how that would work either. Is it possible to have the OT playing a pattern that repeats inside of a longer MPC linear sequence?
The last possibility is to control the MPC from the OT’s sequencer. Again, unless it’s an MPC60 or something with an iconic sound quality, I don’t see the point compared to just using the OT’s own samples.
I have a feeling the main benefit to the synergy between these two devices is realized in live performance, which I don’t do. Maybe I should just ditch the OT and go for an MPC?
I think what most people mean when they say the two work well together is that the OT is 8 track monophonic and handles the choppy, slicey, mangled stuff well, whereas the MPC has nearly unlimited polyphony and does chromatic sounds, pad or lead sounds and linear sequencing better.
They can complement each other well, but if for your purposes you need both and both of them in hardware, that you have to decide yourself. Especially if you don’t use it live.
I believe when people say they complement each other they mean “the sequencers complement each other well FOR SEQUENCING OTHER GEAR”. Sequencing each other might not be the coolest thing you can do, although even that Might yield very fascinating results…
How about sequencing the OT scenes and crossfader action with the MPC, hmm? Or modulating the OT parameters gradually over a span of 999 bars with the MPC, while the OT’s internal sequence performs other seq related duties? etc etc
well i have both, but am focused primarily on live use…
the best aspect for me is that the mpc is great for making drum kits. you can layer sounds and sequence them all easily on a single polyphonic channel. doing layered drums on the OT takes resampling, which takes time.
and of course you then have more channels to sequence other sounds on the OT
You can use MPC as the “brain” on your setup. OT will be just as any other midi device controlled by mpc(MPC will give clock). You can then change patterns on OT via mpc sequencer with Program Change. You can change OT pattern with pads and you can record that with the mpc sequencer. If you change them with pads this will give you the possibility to use as many as you like patterns on one sequence on the MPC. For example you have 16 bar sequence(pattern) on the mpc and first 2 bars can play pattern 1 from OT, the next 4 are pattern 2 of the OT and so on.
Use MPC for drum layering and sequencing and use OT for what it does best - mangling loops(from synths or whatever). 8 tracks are more then enough if you don’t use OT as drum sampler.
If you change them with pads this will give you the possibility to use as many as you like patterns on one sequence on the MPC. For example you have 16 bar sequence(pattern) on the mpc and first 2 bars can play pattern 1 from OT, the next 4 are pattern 2 of the OT and so on.
Interesting. Can this be automated within the sequencer, or does it have to be triggered live from the pads?
Yes, you can sequence(automate) OT pattern change with the mpc quite easy. Then press play and the mpc will change patterns on OT while you are tweaking something else.
You will need JJOS2xl for that. I’m not sure if the other versions of the software supports changing programs with pads. You will need to found out.
You configure pad1 to change to pattern 1, pad 2 to change to pattern 2, pad 3 to change to pattern 3 on OT and so on. Save that as “OT Pattern” program so you don’t need to do that for every project.
Then you can record that program change with the pad on the sequencer. You don’t need to. If you want u can change them manually live or sequence that.
You can record that events in real time while mpc seq is running or you can put them on the GRID while sequencer is stopped. you can visually see where the PC(program change) events are on the grid.
It sounds like a lot of steps but its fast. It will take you like 5 sec max if you have the program ready.
press overdub
rotate data knob to select on witch bar you want to change the OT pattern
hit the pad you like
rotate data knob to select new bar and so on…
Does that makes any sense to you?
Edit: When you hit that pad is like putting program change trig on a step.
That makes sense, I just didn’t understand why you needed a special version of JJOS to do it. If the MPC has a step sequencer, I can imagine simply inserting a program change into one of the steps without first assigning it to a pad. It sounds like the pad way is very easy though, so I’ll look at the different versions.
MPC does not have step sequencer. It’s linear. One bar is not divided by 16 steps. It can be 64 or more. You don’t have 16 steps buttons. How do you insert event on that track? This is the only way i can think of. You can send PC when the sequence is starting but i believe OT will change the pattern on the next bar. OT will need that event before it starts the pattern.
Of course they can. Pretty sure you don’t even need JJOS for that. I never had any issues that needed any kind of workarounds like the one described here.
Octatrack does what it does best on it’s 8 channels, the 8 midi channels sequence more drums or other bits on the mpc (why waste an 1/8 of your Octatrack to play a 4/4 kick pattern
MPC records Octatrack cross fader performance and plays it back
Octatrack as drum machine, MPC sequences longer passages. Both can change patterns independently.
Is anyone else doing this?
I am looking for a .wav drum module with at least 4 outs and some fx, to be sequenced by OT MKII.
Seems a waste to not use the MPC sequencer but I do prefer the OT for sequencing, and I can’t find any other $400-$500 options with more than 2 outputs.
Hi, i wonder if it is possible to change mpc sequences from octatrack. I have both for studio, not live, use. At the moment i build a Arrangement with the OT arranger and a parallel song on the mpc one with the Song function… but i guess there must be a better way.
(I have a ERM Multiclock giving clock and a play signal to OT, the octatrack is sequencing Digitone and digitone sequencing minitaur and the OT giving clock and play to MPC.)
