Having bought my Analog Four I’m on the lookout for my next piece of gear. I’m looking to build a DAW free setup for myself and the next piece I buy will need to be able to provide the record and play parts on my DSI Mopho and maybe another future buy like a Nord Lead A1.
Out of the Octatrack and Machinedrum, which device is more capable in this regard? The spec sheets tell me I should be looking at the Octatrack but maybe you guys can help with more insight.
Thanks.
I think the OT is probably what you’re looking for. Since I bought the OT it has become the centre piece for my DAW free studio and powers all the other machines. I also have the MD and it’s great, but more of a solo warrior. 
I’m a new Octotrack owner and using it sequence a Nord Lead 2. It’s really fun, especially with the percussion patches on the NL2. As with anything, there are some limitations, but keeping an open and experimental mindset will take you pretty much wherever you need to go. I seriously considered the MD, but went with the OT as it has the thru tracks for FX and much more flexible sampling.
OT, definitely. Although the MD has sample options, it doesn’t compare to the OT in regards to what you want to do.
I use the OT as the heart of my rig - sometimes it’s the only piece I use - and anything that guy and his momma can do in Ableton, I can do in the OT.
I think of it as my recording hub for my backpack studio . I record stuff into it, some I use, some I don’t. I record my own material, loops from friends, a guitar player I met the other day, vocals from a spoken word poet, drum loops from pros who run circles around me, my daughter singing lullabies, and so on.
I start to edit the material, cut and paste, copy and move, put together things into something bigger, like having cut-out pieces of recorded tape on the table and just put things together and see what happens.
It’s a place for you to store your ideas, then bring them together in ways you couldn’t imagine, like having endless loops of tape in an old vintage studio and just do recording as part of your creative process to find new songs.
Does the Octatrack have any kind of master effects section that you can route an external instrument to via the input jacks? Does doing this use up one of the sequencer tracks (even if you don’t need the sequencer for that input? Ie plugging an analog four into the Octatrack so I don’t have to use a mixer. Are there any other drawbacks to doing that kind of thing?
Thank you as well for the other replies so far. It looks like the Octatrack is going to be the way to go. Am I correct in thinking that the elektron devices in black cases are more recent and perhaps more advanced than the white ones?
The Octatrack has two L/R inputs, and whatever you plug in there, you can route through one of the internal tracks and apply two fx on that. It eats up a track, though.
You can also use Track 8 within the Octa as a masterfx unit, which will then affect both the internal tracks within the Octa as well as whatever external audio you route through the Octatrack.
This is a very powerful feature if it fits your need, and I’m using it frequently, easily sacrificing Track 8 for the master fx thing. Since you can do some pretty awesome live magic laser mega with the Octatrack’s Scene features, you can also warp in real time the external audio with this, creating all kinds of interesting effects not only on what’s inside the Octatrack, but also on what’s outside coming into it.
I should also add that for your need, to record your own material, the Octatrack samples quickly, easily and with no hassle. Once you’re in the zone, you can just pour samples into the Octatrack from your external audio sources faster than (and here he comes again) that guy and his momma can open the sampler in Ableton. I’ve had sessions where I’ve just created loops on the fly on my Tempest or Tanzbar, recorded it directly into the Octatrack, then created new loops, variations of those, and so on, and just recorded recorded recorded. Decide later if you’ll use it. Just picking it up and sampling it is so easy, you don’t need to worry about it.
OT is more flexible & has a much more modern sequencer.
8 tracks of audio & 8 tracks of midi.
You could have 16 midi machines on the MD if you so required but that would be a shame to just use it in that capacity.
With the OT you can route audio via a ‘Thru’ track which gives you 2 multi FX slots.
On top of that you can turn Track 8 into a Master Track & have 2 additional global FX engines on there as well.
Steeper learning curve on the OT tho so be prepared for a bit of head scratching as first 
All good Octatrack info. Thanks.
Moving to the Machinedrum although I’m kinda sold on the Octatrack now. Does this have the audio thru functionality? Also how would you say the midi sequencing functionality is lacking?
You didn’t provide us with any information about what style of music that you’re making, or very much detail about what you want from a new device other than the ability to sequence a couple of synthesizers, or why you don’t want to use a DAW.
The Octatrack sequencer is nice, but it has some of the step-sequencer-derived limitations of the Analog Four.
Will you want to sequence material that has complex chords and strums? Will you want to sequence more than eight tracks of MIDI?
You should consider what your sequencing needs are and, if appropriate, also consider sequencers from other manufacturers.
Yeah as Peter says, it’s all about what you’re trying to acheive?
Do you want a dedicated sampler with a midi seq as well or do you want a digital drum machine with sampling & midi seq abilities?
FYI
MD seq is 3 note with Vel, PB, MW, AT, 6 additional CC,s, Prog Chng & 1 LFO per channel. (Edited)
OT IS 4 note with Vel, 10 freely configurable CC’s, Prog & Bank Chng, 3 LFO & an Arp per track!
OT has different track lengths & micro timing, no brainier in my book!
Also, are you looking to clock your other machines?
If so the OT has a better timing engine, (tho contrary to popular belief the MD isn’t that bad!
MD is 0.125ms bipolar deviation).
The big difference, (& this is where the confusion sets in), is the variation in consecutive events.
MD has like 2.17ms, OT is 0.40ms, a whopping difference!
As mentioned there are other manufacturers too! I do all my none Elektron sequencing with Cirklon, that machine takes some beating!!!
Then there’s always this to consider, for those with patience:
(cause it’s not out yet and won’t be for some time)
I maybe wrong but one advantage of the MD midi vs OT midi is that you can plock program changes on the MD that I can’t do on the OT.
I like this feature cause I used to control my novation x station with the MD sending plocked program changes so each note/chord can use a different timber/patch on the novation x station synth.
Is there a workaround for this on the OT that I haven’t found, maybe there’s a CC that can make my novation x station change patch?
thanks
MD 3 notes, OT 4 notes.
Think the OT Prog chg is per Part if memory serves, so 4 per Bank.
And yes, I stand corrected,
3 notes on the MD
4 on the OT
Would be nice to have plock program change, might be in the next update (if there’s some…)
I might be misunderstanding you, but I am sending Program Change from the OT every pattern irrespective of the Part.
I might be misunderstanding you, but I am sending Program Change from the OT every pattern irrespective of the Part.[/quote]
You can send prog change on a per Pattern basis with the Audio sequencer.
The midi sequencer is per Part.
There’s a thread about it here, looks like it’s confused a few people, lol
http://www.elektronauts.com/t/midi-sequencer-programme-change/2115
Thanks for that breakdown. Very much leaning towards the Octatrack now. I was just worried the Machinedrum was maybe limited to outputting single note hits. It looks like you can be a lot more creative with the Octatrack.
I’m basically looking for a rhythm machine that can do basic sequencing of other outboard gear as well.
My tastes lay in the Jeff Mills & Richie Hawtin end of the minimal techno spectrum with Aphex Twin and 90s Warp Records type stuff. I used to do a lot of music in the 90s mainly using hardware with Atari Cubase. I really lost interest after all the decent stuff seemed to be on software based setups but I’ve regained interest now all this cool new analog gear had started coming out.
[quote="“Cashman”"]
Thanks for that breakdown. Very much leaning towards the Octatrack now. I was just worried the Machinedrum was maybe limited to outputting single note hits. It looks like you can be a lot more creative with the Octatrack.
I’m basically looking for a rhythm machine that can do basic sequencing of other outboard gear as well.
My tastes lay in the Jeff Mills & Richie Hawtin end of the minimal techno spectrum with Aphex Twin and 90s Warp Records type stuff. I used to do a lot of music in the 90s mainly using hardware with Atari Cubase. I really lost interest after all the decent stuff seemed to be on software based setups but I’ve regained interest now all this cool new analog gear had started coming out.[/quote]
Do remember that there are great deals on old hardware machines by Akai, Emu, Korg, Yamaha etc that are worth considering as alternatives to Elektron kit.
Hi!
I haven’t used my machinedrum as sequencer yet.
How does it compare to an octatrack?
Is it good enough to trigger synths for small riffs or basslines?