I started using my OT as my mixer going direct into the house sound system about a year and a half ago. The first time I did it I thought it was really cool. I’m starting to find it limiting. I had my MD going stereo thru inputs A & B and I had my 303 going thru C and I had a Virus and an electribe going thru D. MD coming thru track 1, Virus & Electribe track 2 and 303 track 3. I really like how I could record the fx parameters changing and parameter lock FX onto my 303. I just tried running everything through my mixer again and then using sends to use the fx on the OT and now I can interchange which instruments are being routed to which ever tracks. I’d like to hear anyone else’s experiences with this. Does anyone integrate their OT as an FX processor and use a mixer to play live? Also if anyone knows any better ways to use the OT as master out. I never actually managed to get the Xcrossfader transition to work, so I wont be missing it. I also found it really difficult to transition between "songs’.
I run my real mixer into an input pair on the ot. This allows me to send different synths to external effects units with the aux sends of the mixer and have the total output sound sent into the OT for recording or further effecting. I used to run my synths from the mixer into inputs ab and drum machines into cd to allow for different scenes and sampling on the OT. I’ve recently experimented with running the synths from the mixer to input ab which is cued by holding function and pressing the ab record button. The cued output is sent to the analog rytm so its analogue compressor can squash my whole track and be sent back to OT input cd which is sent to the main out.
Both methods lack a way to isolate individual sounds for sampling, but that would only be remedied with more inputs or fewer sound sources.
Anyway, I think it’s great controlling synths with the OT’s midi sequencer and running their audio back into the unit. It’s especially nice this way so you can use your classy outboard effects and not have long delay or reverb tails cut off when a sample of the same thing loops around and starts over.
I’ll have to try this with my mixer. I’m thinking since I have 2 sends, using the a4 on one and the octa on the other… with possibly some pedals on the signal chain. Between the two, that’s a hell of a lot of fx capabilities.
When I ran my a4 through the octatrack it didnt’ sound as amazing as it does through a mixer or direct to monitors. It lost some of it’s shimmer.
although thinking about it now, may have been due to gain staging