Rytm > OT or OT > Rytm?

Heavy OT user, about to get a Rytm and thinking about the possible ways of connecting them.

It seems that the OT is usually used as a sort of main hub of the setup and the logical thing to do would be to connect the Rytm to it and maybe process it with effects and all that OT goodness.

But the opposite seems interesting as well: connecting the OT to the Rytm allows me to run the master signal thought the analog compressor, and it seems to be a really good idea.

What you guys think? Anyone tried those possibilities?

i think that the limited option running into the AR are easily outweighed by the fact that you have compression and crushing on the OT and more more more besides that you can do to the AR, i think in this instance the AR into OT is the most flexible option by far, just donā€™t get too bogged down in debates about OT ā€˜damagingā€™ your sound, in a performance context itā€™s not an issue - i often wish for a master filter on the AR, so wiring thru the OT makes this nice and easy

anyway, you got the OT i seem to remember you were doing really interesting conceptual stuff, is there anything on your site to look out for to show what youā€™re conjuring up now you have OT ? Guess i should just dig it out, but curious if youā€™re able to bend the OT away from the 4 paradigm to your liking :slight_smile:

I wish you could have something plugged into the octatrack but not have to use a thru machineā€¦the rytm input is strictly a passthru. Iā€™d really like to see independent master & headphones volumes in the rytm in a fw update like the octa.
Iā€™m trying to work out the best way to connect them without sacrificing any resources, might just get a little Dj mixer

Just to add on what was said before you can use the mixer to pass-through inputs AB and or CD by going into the mixer page (press Mixer) and turning up the DIR values for AB/CD (upper right).

The mixer sends those inputs through Track 8 (assuming you have it set up as the master track), which means you can still use track 8 effects, freeze delay, cross-fader etc to process.

@baddcr no shit? guess i need to go to some classes (lol jk, sorry about that)
just read the above too. i just got schooled

avantronica - I decided to buy the Rytm to be able to run things independently. they will both be tempo syncā€™d, but I donā€™t want do synchronise pattern changes and things like that. maybe master effects should also be independent. I probably wont use OT effects on the Rytm for that reason, but a little compression to the master sound might be a good idea.

for sure, the Rytm > Ot configuration is much more flexible. but for me the problem isnā€™t about ā€œdamagingā€ the sound. i just think that the OT compressor isnā€™t very good and I thought that the analog comp in the Rytm should sound much better, specially in the master. is it?

I actually got the OT to focus on my electronic music project, beat oriented stuff. I have done a lot of experiments but decided to stop trying to finish songs and prepare a full live set. The last three songs (blob, jazz garden and edduzzeira) on my last yearā€™s Weekly Beats are OT only: http://weeklybeats.com/#/matheusleston. Now Iā€™m going some sort of ā€œwriterā€™s blockā€ and Iā€™m hoping the Rytm will help :wink:

bkinsman - at my house I have a allen heath Zed 10, which is amazing. i can route everything I have to the OT to sample. but for live performances I wanā€™t to be as minimal as possible. iā€™m really tired of walking around with a lot of equipment and unplugging the whole studio.

(btw, just commented on your video in another topic. amazing stuff!)

I read a lot of complaints about the AR compressor, mainly about noise with really high gain ! but i enjoy it as a tool for sound tweaking rather than seeking to use it for proper compression (a bit of me hates compression because of the way itā€™s abused on commercial radio, i find it fatiguing and grating) but the AR diet/symmetry with compression to season is amazing - The AR is the perfect tool for a block, itā€™s so easy and organic, very rewarding and iā€™m still getting inside it, as with the OT tbh. Itā€™s too easy with both to get pulled back to 4/4 patterns, although they can go off-piste, itā€™s just the way they were designed primarily, had a listen to your electronic stuff, nice, quite a bit of zing to those recordings, full of presence, guessing the OT went ā€˜throughā€™ something on the way to the stream !

I read a lot of complaints about the AR compressor, mainly about noise with really high gain ! but i enjoy it as a tool for sound tweaking rather than seeking to use it for proper compression (a bit of me hates compression because of the way itā€™s abused on commercial radio, i find it fatiguing and grating) but the AR diet/symmetry with compression to season is amazing - The AR is the perfect tool for a block, itā€™s so easy and organic, very rewarding and iā€™m still getting inside it, as with the OT tbh. Itā€™s too easy with both to get pulled back to 4/4 patterns, although they can go off-piste, itā€™s just the way they were designed primarily, had a listen to your electronic stuff, nice, quite a bit of zing to those recordings, full of presence, guessing the OT went ā€˜throughā€™ something on the way to the stream ![/quote]
I recorded the OT performance in a stereo file and processed it with some mastering plugins: tape simulator (Waves J37), mid side equaliser (Brainworx bx digital v2) and limiter (Fab Filter Pro L). Thatā€™s all!
To be quite honest, I just want to use a bit of compression on the master channel to blend the signals. I know how important and sometimes unavoidable compressors are, but a part of me really hates them, just like you said, specially for live situations. I like the sound to be organic and dynamic, with lots of ā€œspaceā€. I rather have an uncompressed signal and turn up the volume! Iā€™m not into pumping-deathly-heart-attack bass drums. Those tracks you heard had no compression at all, except for the limiter on the master!

Been thinking about this today. Iā€™m using OT, Rytm, Virus Ti (all mk1)
Currently Rytm & Virus run in stereo into OT and I use OT tracks:

  • 1-4 for samples
  • 5 & 6 for Thru/FX on Virus & Rytm
  • 7 for transition trick
  • 8 = master, filter & comp

Itā€™s a great setup but thereā€™s temptation to run the OT master output into the Rytm to free up 2x OT inputs (I would like to add a 303 and a vocal mic). I would lose the master filter and transition track but could still use Rytm compressor on the whole mix.

Is anyone running their OT & Rytm this way, what do you think of it?

I never get enough volume out of the OT when I do this. Maybe the Mk2 has a new gain function, but the Mk1 needs real hot input.

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Yes Iā€™ve tried running the 303 into the Rytm mk1 before now and even my mixer couldnā€™t give the signal enough boost to match the AR sounds. That would be the other issue with running it this way of course.

I know this is a completely stupid idea, but I was getting real interested in the new TE mixer for very similar reasons - its has comp and eq. I need to get these out of the OT master track, so I can actually set EQ and comp setting independently of the OT parts to be able to actually use it as a sampler as well as a mixer.

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Yes Iā€™d thought of external mixer too, maybe a Mackie 802 with Heat & RNLA, alternatively OTO Boum, on master out. However Iā€™m doing No Gear New Year so buying stuff is out for now! Plus I am really liking the no mixer setup, definitely less boxes = more focus for me.

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I also prefer to send everything through the Rytm compressor. I usually connect it like this:

  • Rytm Output to Octatrack A/B
  • Other synths Octatrack C/D
  • Synths from C/D via Cue Out back to Rytm

Currently I use the Octatrack with the Rytm and route the DVCO through an individual output through two effects units and back into the Rytm and from there into the Octatrack A/B (Track 1). I use track 4 for the transition trick. Track 5 for a long sample, Track 6 as neighbor, Track 7 for another sample and Track 8 as master.

The Octatrack offers so many routing options and I like to try out different possibilities.

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Try reducing the Rytm sounds on the track and/or amp page.

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Rytm ))<>(( OT

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I just blew my mind trying out this routing, and playing with various gain stage options.

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