For discussion about setting up your studio and advice on the gear and equipment within it.
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By tapedeck Mon Aug 22, 2011 12:52 am
otobot wrote:Ok, sounds cool on the 950!

Here's a demo of extreme timestretchinh in the Octa I just found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhGyYnx_7y8
skip to 1:30.

muchas gracias!!!
great track (though I prefer the waylon jennings version), and great demo of that feature.

i'm curious how does it deal with timestretching something and the sequencer? like, does the sequencer slow down too? or can you like time stretch a snare and then use that as a sample?
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By otobot Mon Aug 22, 2011 12:53 am
mr_debauch wrote:
otobot wrote:skip to 1:30.


-1

watch the whole thing... it was pretty awesome. great post.


Sure, best to watch the whole thing, just pointed out where the timestretching action starts :lol:
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By otobot Mon Aug 22, 2011 1:04 am
tapedeck wrote:
otobot wrote:Ok, sounds cool on the 950!

Here's a demo of extreme timestretchinh in the Octa I just found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhGyYnx_7y8
skip to 1:30.

muchas gracias!!!
great track (though I prefer the waylon jennings version), and great demo of that feature.

i'm curious how does it deal with timestretching something and the sequencer? like, does the sequencer slow down too? or can you like time stretch a snare and then use that as a sample?


:D

To be honest, there's still so much for me to explore on the Octa, I'm not 100 % sure.. but as he puts the LFO rate on the timestretch of the one shot trig and switches the crossfader towards the scene in which the LFO modulates the stretching, it should be independent from the song tempo. In the vid the tempo stays at 132 BPM. So a drum beat underneath that timestretched track should play along happily at it's original tempo.


Edit: some corrections after I watched it again:

He sets the playback rate to time stretching. 2 of the LFOs are set to modulate filter width and pitch. The delay in the other effect slot is set on the part's tempo. Still the stretched trig is independent from the set tempo 132 BPM.

The Octa is a really deep beast, I'm always learning new tricks with it...
Last edited by otobot on Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By konc3pt Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:17 am
Finally valuable feedback about the unit..., big props for the brief review... This paragraph puts that stupid unboxing video to shame hands down

otobot wrote:Unboxing drama aside, the Octatrack is off the hook!
Like I said in the other thread in the MPC 5000 sub section, it's like a sample molesters wet dream come true. Don't go by the mediocre videos on YT.

The last two days I had some time to mess around with the unit and slowly get into it's deep functionality.
It's perfect for remixing and completely rearranging your tracks but also great for starting off new beats fresh in the box with drums, vinyl samples, synth sounds, whatever.. (there's a way for 'buildin' your synth via single cycle samples.. haven't tested yet).

8 tracks doesn't sound like much, but you can put like all the drums on one track and create your complete drum beat on this one track. Also the parameter locks are fvckin amazing for variations. Each stepp can have it's own setting for Play (including retrig), Amp (volume, pan, attack, decay, etc.), LFOs (can modulate almost all targets), Effect1 , Effect2... Each step can be micro timed, so putting in swing and getting a humanized feel is easy.

Unsing the crosfader to blend between "scenes" (totally different settings for the corresponding tracks) is the sh1t!!
Assigning all the fine tuning is really hands on and eeeeasy. It's mad fun working with this unit.

Triggless triggs are like parameter locks, but don't need the sample to be triggered. You can define any place in the running sample and change all of it's sound settings like with the help of parameter locks.

It's perfectly capable of producing any sample heavy genre, Hip Hop included. I'm gonna try some Boom Bap next haha...
Not as easy as with an MPC to get your ish swingin, think like in a DAW where you manually move notes to place them where you want them. But way beyond the MPC in sampling, sample mangling, creating variations and performing live.
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By Coz Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:06 am
otobot wrote:Ok, sounds cool on the 950!

Here's a demo of extreme timestretchinh in the Octa I just found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhGyYnx_7y8
skip to 1:30.




Finally, a vid that shows some real potential with this box. When he's got the track fully stretched you could easily start a fresh track with those sounds. Nice. 8)
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By high hat Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:38 am
it's crossed my mind that elektron has been coasting since daniel hansson's tragic passing. a dedicated sampler was the one thing they hadn't done with their platform -- a conservative move, i felt. initial reviews and youtube vids didn't lead me to think much of the octatrack. someone told me a couple months ago it was still kind of blank, and that elektron was figuring out what people wanted from feedback, hence the OS updates.

i have no doubt it's built like a tank, that it's responsive, and that the OS is tight and bug-free. that's how elektron rolls. the real question is if it's worth the price they're asking. i've yet to see a coherent video demonstration that explains what this box can do that's new/amazing/etc. i already own an MPC and a computer. for me to buy it, it'd have to do something neither of those can, or do the same things a lot better/quicker.

the per-step flexibility otobot mentioned sounds nice, as does the "synth-builder."
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By otobot Tue Aug 23, 2011 6:12 pm
high hat wrote:it's crossed my mind that elektron has been coasting since daniel hansson's tragic passing. a dedicated sampler was the one thing they hadn't done with their platform -- a conservative move, i felt. initial reviews and youtube vids didn't lead me to think much of the octatrack. someone told me a couple months ago it was still kind of blank, and that elektron was figuring out what people wanted from feedback, hence the OS updates.

i have no doubt it's built like a tank, that it's responsive, and that the OS is tight and bug-free. that's how elektron rolls. the real question is if it's worth the price they're asking. i've yet to see a coherent video demonstration that explains what this box can do that's new/amazing/etc. i already own an MPC and a computer. for me to buy it, it'd have to do something neither of those can, or do the same things a lot better/quicker.

the per-step flexibility otobot mentioned sounds nice, as does the "synth-builder."


The per step flexibility, 16 simultaneous effects, advanced sequencer plus the really flexible sampling, timestretching, modulation and morphing of all those combined with the hands-on interface make it a really special instrument. It's an experience that doesn't translate well on most of the vids.
Imho the Octa is at least worth the asking price. It seems to me they priced it low or way lower than the other Elektron units because they expected the public to be sceptic about it... "Oh, another MPC clone / groove sampler"... but it's way more than that.

One clarification though: there's not a dedicated "synth-builder" in the Octatrack, but single-cycle waves can be used to create amazing synth/sound scapes by utilizing the internal very flexible sound engine.
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By otobot Tue Aug 23, 2011 8:26 pm
Haha nope, not really.. it's an Octatrack.
It's the sampler's evil cousin from hell, a potent sequencer for internal and external sources, a modulation monster, an "I didn't even know this ish was possible"-box, besides doubling as a mighty mighty effects unit..
:lol:
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By TYPO Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:32 am
I really like what I have both read and videos I have seen on the octatrack.I feel this is a promising unit with a great future to any live performer. The mangling of samples in real time is any live set goal.Thanks for sharing the info otobot. PEACE TYPO
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By mr_debauch Wed Aug 24, 2011 3:51 am
yeah, for once in a long time... I didn't find myself looking at what new never before seen features it offered... it just looks fun and filled with potential for live use.

sure, a lot of stuff available already has those types of features or maybe even they can do more. But this looks like something interesting for some improv sh!t.
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By medearis Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:27 pm
I know this thread is kind of "old" but I have to say that the updates the OT have received lately are making the machine that much better. Elektron apparently has some big plans for us OT owners before the end of the year is up... or at least this is what I hear over at Elektron-Users.

For those that are too short-sighted to see that this thing isn't "just" any one thing, I'm very sorry. I really do not think there is a studio out there that COULDN'T benefit from having one around... even if it is used as "just" an effects box or "just" what ever else.

Anyway - the MIDI sequencer in this thing is amazing. The arpeggiators are the deepest I've ever used, and before now the Monomachine took the prize there, plus being able to parameter lock CCs is dope.

Any of you posters with an MPC & OctaTrack have any videos of the two being used together? Thinking about buying myself an MPC 1000 to have a dynamic duo on my desktop. :)
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By smokemachine Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:40 pm
i just got the Octatrack for my MPC 3000 and it's really great so far, but i haven't had a lot of time with it yet.

Image

haven't been able to lock the transport controls of the 3K to the Octatrack. need to do some RTFM tonight. that's probably pretty easy to sort out.

the Octatrack on it's own is really great. i love it. using the sequencer is tempting, but nothing beats the 3k workflow for me. i do however want to use the Octatrack for my live shows and have it sequencing my juno / virus. hopefully i can get the transport working nicely so i can record the MPC midi magic to the Octatrack.

the one area of my 3K that always baffles me is program banks. where do you find that parameter? i only get 127 patches to choose from, but not banks.

anyway, if you are looking to kill the laptop in your live rig, the Octatrack is amazing for that.

will report back soon when i get my head around this thing a bit more.