Just looking to chat about the OT for my use case

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hopefully this is cool. I just want to share why I might try the Octatrack for a second time, vent a bit and maybe gain some insights from you folks.

I know there are a million threads out there, and I’ve read about half of them along with the actual manual, Merlins guide, and a solid chunk of youtube tutorials.

Background

I’m finishing up a big music project for a client that has been somewhat taxing and I must be a masochist because I’m considering an Octatrack as a nice post project wind down.

I’m specifically considering this with the intent of taking a bit of a break from making “Good music” for gigs/clients and instead just exploring the potential of new ways of creating and expanding song ideas.

I’ve considered a few other alternate workflows from my current Daw based Bitwig setup like Maschine and Renoise, but the OT seems the most removed from my current workflow and thus the most appealing at the moment.

What I’m specifically looking to do

I see the OT as a tool to do a few specific things for me well.

  • It would be the source of my drums. Sliced breaks and techy blip noises with some random locks and the general elektron sequencer conditional goodness.

  • I want a repository to record and mangle some looser explorations from my stereo synths (primarily my Prophet X and Prophet 6), and guitars. I’m thinking slicing and some granular-esque glitching with the fader, then resample back to work destructively. I want to start new ideas with the OT standalone from scraps I’ve recorded with the rest of my hardware.

  • In addition to that use, sometimes I’m looking to quickly and easily record stuff from these sources and leave it largely unchanged. Let’s say I start a groove on the OT standalone. I’m looking to simply record on some layers from my synths and guitars over 4 ish bars and just have it play back as I recorded it. Move to a new pattern, record a new and differing take without too much fuss. (There will be fuss, I know.)

Why not _____ other unit?

Rytm - Cool as a instrument in a setup, but as a sample based hub, I felt I lost a lot of transparency when recording in my external gear. It’s a banging sound, but it imparted just a bit too much of it’s own mojo on my beloved synths. And mono.

Digitakt - If it were stereo and had a cross fader… boiiiiiiii

MPC Live/One - I really did not jive with the touch screen and the fact that it just felt like a lesser version of what I could do with a DAW.

Maschine - I’ve never used this, but the software really pushed those presets forward. In general, there’s just a lot of design decisions I don’t agree with and I can see the unit /software dating itself (or just being completely dropped) much sooner than something like the OT which feels more timeless even if it’s a bit specific in it’s workflow requirements of you.

What I’m more emotionally / intangibly after

I’m looking to box myself into a new way of working, maybe even one with a little friction. I don’t always mind a fight.

I’m looking for a more limited set of tools. A single compressor to get to know, FX suite, the OT delay and Reverb. Just a definitive choice to eliminate a lot of the micro choices that pop up in a production. (I’ll still likely do some final bus mixing in the DAW as needed.)

I’m looking for a main space to work on and arrange music for a while, and something I can bring to the couch to chip away at ideas after a long day of work. BUT something that can still let my other instruments shine when recorded into it.

I want an instrument in itself as much as I want a brain/central hub for song creation.

I’m looking for something to grow on. I wasn’t ready the first time. I might not even be ready this time.

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#2

This is similar to the way I work when I’m in track writing mode. Once you get a workflow down with record triggers, it’s easy to get in the zone. This is all very well thought out. Wish I would have had this kind of foresight when I first started learning my OT. Only piece of advice is be careful what you wish for. Or maybe, put differently, have little expectations and keep an open mind. I don’t use the OT in one way. Right now I’m really getting into using the “Slots” mode to play long experimental recordings I’ve done. Using slots like slices has got me in this whole other world of experimentation.
So, what I’m saying- good plan, but remember there is also another perfect workflow hiding in there.

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#3

Great thoughts. Thanks man.

Yeah, when I first tried it I did the usual thing of expecting it to replace Ableton. I had a blast with the fader, and saw potential there for creating song sections with scenes alone but I flipped it out of frustration and my younger impatience. ( This was first elektron maybe 7 years and like 6 elektron units ago )

I have somewhat of a vision in mind with what I want to do this, but also a much looser plan to “Spend at least 6 months just mucking around” with no expectations. When my project ends, I just want a sort of mind cleanse where I don’t have to think about the result of my music efforts for a long while.

More than many other boxes, it seems like if I can get over the initial hump of using this unit, it could find its way into all sorts of potential future setups in nearly endless ways.

The Slots thing sounds very cool for longer, asynchronous ambient stuff.

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#4

The OT pays off the more you use it.
Box yourself in, and then when you want to reach out for more, find out a solution with the OT.
Overtime it really opens up.
Personally I see limitations and workarounds as an opportunity to develop a style with my sound and workflow.

I’m one of those that does not see the OT as complicated and I love the FX.
Especially stacking neighbor tracks and FX chains and manipulating them with Scenes.
Scenes I spend years dialing in.
I like to think of Parts as 4 different layers of workflow.

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#5

SP-404MKII! Sorry!

No where near the capabilities of the OT but does check some boxes! If nothing else, the two make a nice combo.

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#6

2 x SP404’s with the OT in the middle. Double sorry!

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#7

Awesome!! Off to look up OT prices once again!

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#8

Good point. Yeah, I have actually considered this a bit.

Especially because I’m not dead set on trying to ditch the daw or anything. Rather, that isn’t the main point of this OT consideration, just a nice consequence.

The 404 would be a great sidekick to my daw workflow though. I have the I/O to set it up as an external send and making use of its “Always recording buffer” is appealing.

I’m also pretty into banging stuff out on the pads unquantized and working destructively with the resample method with multiple live effect passes.

My hesitance is just how unsure I am of the SP workflow. I’ve never used one and while I’m not an Elektron pro, the OT feels kind of like a problematic uncle in that at least I know what I’m getting myself into when I visit.

I’m sure its doable but I can’t really picture trying to make fuller tracks on the SP.

The thought has definitely crossed my mind in this whole hypothetical of eventually pairing the OT with an SP for some quick resample / fx treatment and to bounce ideas back and forth in a quick way.

But I’m well far away from needing to add an additional piece if I actually go through with learning the OT :smiley:

2 Likes
#9

Oh, I think you’re ready!!

I don’t find the OT difficult to understand, but it took me a couple months for it to start really flowing. Some of this was because I couldn’t dedicate time to it every day, but also it just took a little time for me to “internalize” what the instrument is capable of doing. And I really think it’s an instrument, which takes some practice.

I come from a guitar background. When I first picked up a mandolin, I could play it a bit and not sound horrible, but it took me a couple months to feel like I could play the mandolin. I think it makes sense that someone experienced with samplers/DAWs/drum machines would start on the OT and be able to do some cool stuff right away, but might take a little while to be able to play the Octatrack.

You seem to have the right expectations!

And I think the use cases sound good – especially the idea to chop breaks, because it’s really great at that. The cool thing about the OT is that you’ll keep finding other use cases you hadn’t considered before.

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#10

May this be the most uninformative and unhelpful reply, but your original post is very well thought out, which is refreshing, therefore, without any further input, I think you should get one because it will more or less accomplish the things you are looking for.

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#11

Nah, it’s just the bold headings and bullet points making me look cohesive, heh.

Thanks though, I honesty teetered on “I’m totally going to sound like a damn crazy person” when constructing it, so I’m glad to hear this.

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#12

I think you’ve made up your mind and you’re just talking yourself into it.

If it doesn’t work out, someone else is always right where you are now so there will be no problem selling it.

be proud of your boldness, but don’t get so carried away that you can’t let it go if it is, again, not for you. right?

I may have made the least productive analysis of the situation but I’m trying to be helpful and not just chat on about what I think. that is all. carry on.

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#13

Yeah, absolutely. You know how it is. Ha.

I’m actually fairly quick to part with stuff if it isn’t working so my challenge here will be sticking with it long enough to pass that phase.

You know, putting in the work.

If I grab one, I’m thinking of being strict about using it as my main hub for at least 6 months, like it or hate it.

Especially since this will also be a planned break from “trying” to combat the creative burnout I’ve run into lately. I might make some video jams along the way just to chart my progress.

I’m trying to approach this as something of a desert island scenario. Just the OT and my fav synth/guitar.

Just make it through the 6 months with no expectations and reassess any bigger picture shit at the end.

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#14

I think you may be a masochist deep down, but that’s ok too. As long as you are enjoying the process, there’s no wrong way to help or hurt yourself.

You just want a way out of the box for sanity, but you don’t want to give up some of the luxuries the box provides. It makes perfect sense and you may be 99% satisfied with the outcome, in fact I hope you are.

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#15

A real masochist would build an OT in Eurorack.

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#16

How many hp

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#17

Cool thread. I found your logic on why you want an OT to be interesting to read. It makes sense for where you are. It increased my own “OT-curious” inclination by a few percentage points.

Just wanted to touch on the SP404mk2. It does some cool things, and you could probably make it work, but the workflow still has a great deal of that Roland Obtuseness which makes their gear such a pain to work with. There’s a reason why it seemingly inevitably ends up as an FX box behind an MPC. (Though for some cool SP404/guitar tunes, check out Nonjuror on youtube.)

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#18

Do you currently do this workflow with some other gear? If so, what do you use?

To use an art analogy, I get this vibe from your question: “what kind of brushes should I buy to paint like Jackson Pollock?” The answer is “it doesn’t matter!” Buying Brush X won’t get you closer to Jackson Pollock just like owning an Octatrack won’t turn you into Richard D James.

I’m not rejecting your question out of hand. I love the OT and I urge everyone to try one. I just get the feeling from your question that you’re also looking to try new genres of music while also trying to get into an OT, which seems like a huge thing to try and do two new things at once.

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#19

These were exactly the things I used my second Octatrack for. Drums, remixing, slicing, and grabbing stereo recordings of loops from other boxes.

I sold it in the end, although I wish I hadn’t. I would buy another, but the lack of Overbridge, or at least USB audio and MIDI, are putting me off.

Currently I am using Drambo on the iPad to do much of this, hooked up to a Digitone and Digitakt.

Drambo is used for grabbing midi from the DN while I improvise (it’s great for this, as the pattern length auto-extends as you play), and also for grabbing in-sync audio clips and doing weird shit to them.

It’s a good option, but if I see a good price on a used Octatrack I will probably grab one again (my third!).

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#20

Good check for sure but I’ll clarify that I’m not really looking to change genre or chase any specific sound.

Some sense of the above workflows have been staples across a couple daws for a very long time (bitwig, Ableton, Renoise) and the polyend tracker.

These are definitely capable in this regard, and in some use cases, moreso than the OT would be.

I’m actually pretty happy with the output I can arrive to independent of device or workspace, even though these end up guiding me a fair bit sometimes.

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