It doesnt, as @darenager already pointed out, just set recording length to desired length. Trim if required. Thats how I do it.
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For a complete newcomer to the Octatrack (I have had it less than a week) I find these kind of threads both interesting and confusing at the same time!
I think I will stick with studying the manual and watching @mpiecora YouTube videos which I have found quite helpful.
Whilst more experienced users may find it funny that steps like these need to be outlined please remember that less experienced Octa users might find a list of clearly stated steps really helpful (provided they are actually the correct steps to do task ‘x’)
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Waw i thought i knew how to do but after reading that thread i dunno anymore…
IIRC I would just set RLEN to Max and use Rec Trig on 1 after setting the track length to 1/2. Before any project to do do something like that i take care to increase memory reserve. I don’t understand the sec compared to number of steps but basically at 120bpm 1 page should take 2 sec if i’m not wrong so 4 pages 8 sec, etc. (excuse my maths i’m really bad at it).
Rec trig you’d remove or one shot ? Otherwise recording would start again.
If you use Reserve Length to define recording duration you don’t need scale 1/2.
Shown Steps value corresponds to the number of steps you have during Reserve Length time at current tempo.
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Either one, same same 
Waw did not know that. How does it work then? You just set to Max, calculate somehow the right duration? Then to play it back, no need for 1/2 scale?
I actually never noticed that a steps value was shown in the Reserve Length time menu.
Overall, isn’t my “method” the easiest way? Or maybe just for me
@ArtPunk I’m a beginner to intermediate OT user myself. That’s why my original tutorial is long and detailed. No assumptions about the knowledge level of the reader. Happy music!
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It’s @darenager’s method.
(He said it first )
Personally I find QREC x2 (One2 mode, Dynamic Recorders) method easier, no need to edit, no need to change Memory Settings when you change tempo that stop Static playback…
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Thanks @jodosha - I appreciate it! With my comment regarding the thread being “interesting and confusing at the same time” I was meaning I found your steps interesting and helpful, the confusig part has been reading some of the replies! This is very much down to a deficit in my knowledge and experience base which I am planning to address!
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I’m using one2 and qrec to get long recordings fine BUT when recording with mic it’s bad news because you end up recording the sound of the clicking key instructing octatrack to stop recording.
I wish there was a way to program the end of recording.
Absent that, it would be helpful to find a way to execute a clean cut to produce eg a 32 bar recording after recording eg 36 bars (so the click from the ending can be after the loop to be used). I want a clean 32 bar sample so that slice grid works.
I can think of slow difficult ways to cut 36 to a clean 32. Has anyone got an easy method?
As mentionned several times in the thread, there is RESERVE LENGTH setting, allowing recording lengths longer than 64 steps.
Maths, number of samples as @error.eyes mentioned.
But I prefer to use a formula than multiplicate a smaller value.
And you have to know EXACT tempo…
Editing link…
For 8 bars, you can also divide tempo by 2, use scale x2, RLEN=64 correspond to 8 bars in that case.
If you want to program 32 bars, you can use 8 recorders set to 64 steps, scale 1/8. Recorder tracks are impacted by their linked track scale, so you can set rec trigs accordingly.
8 recorders x 64 steps = 32 bars recording, using one shot rec trigs.
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When I record for example 32 bars from my a4 into my ot, I make an extra (33th) bar with a loud initial sound on trig1.
This can be cut out after recording max lenth (check preference settings for recording length or whatever.
So since I can hear exactly when the 33th bar starts, I can cut that part out, and end up with exactly 32 bars
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OFF-TOPIC: I use this “end marker” method on the Rytm to make sample chains.
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I used it on DT, but now you can define recording length, up to 128 steps. 
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Formula to calculate the exact number of samples per beat :
60 / TEMPO x 44100
Ex with 8 bars (32 beats) at 120 bpm :
60 / 120 x 44100 x 32 = 705 600 samples
Real tempo values using decimal :
The Untold Truth About Octatrack Tempo
We should really don’t have to do maths for something as simple as recording longer sample. That’s a terrible workflow breaker.
They could implement this on the OT instead of samples numbers.
There are bar values. Unfortunately the displayed value change doesn’t correspond to the exact position.
Exemple reaching value 4 bars : The exact value, in samples unit, is just between 4 and 4.01 bar values. Ridiculous.
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Not in front of my OT, but I can confirm that capturing a loop is not hard but mastering the one,one2, one shot rec trig was not that easy.
Especially stopping the recorder automatically.
I would have think that putting a one2 rec trig on step1 would be enough. But maybe I have done it the wrong way.
In the end I’m able to sample loop quite easily but don’t master the process 
So after all this. What is the correct way to a capture a perfect 64 step loop where the recorder stops at the end of the loop automatically?
Set RLEN to 64, record trig or manual trig.
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