It's like a dictionary: super intimidating if you try to read it all the way through, but very manageable and helpful if you only look up the words you need!
For me it was just really important to do something with it every single day. In order not to get frustrated, you really need to know how to quickly solve surprising problems, no audio, etc. It's good to know the parts pretty early on if you want to start playing live with it. In Digitakt each pattern has its own 'samples' and in Octatrack each bank has four parts, each of which can have its own samples and scenes. A good method that seems to work for me is to assign a part to each of the four patterns -> PTN 1-4 (part 1), PTN 5-8 (part 2) etc. (This way you can have for example four songs per bank that each have four patterns). The Midi sequencer is also good. And if you connect a keyboard to the Octatrack, it also routes aftertouch, mod wheel etc to the out port, which the Digitakt doesn't do.
@@justinjones2595 Oh, I can’t take credit for that.. A friend of mine showed me the way he uses parts when I got started with the Octatrack (and he probably picked it up from TH-cam too).
I’ve had this thing for about 8 years and I still have many layers to unfold and discover BUT it’s easy enough to get the basics down and make some cool shit right away.
I think you described what's behind this question very well. I think you have to give yourself permission to say, "I use it this way" and maybe not EVERY way possible.. and be at peace with it. It can do a million things, but don't feel like you need to do all of them. It's also possible that as you evolve as an artist, you may lean into different parts than you did in previous seasons. That's what's interesting about this gear... it can fade in and out of your life and continue to change its relationship with you. I'm just getting started with it and using it mainly for live FX processing of my other gear but I could see myself getting in to the MIDI side of it more. It's also obviously very compelling just as a self contained piece of gear.
The key to the Octatrack, which you touched on in your video, is actually knowing what you want it to do within your setup. It can do so much that it can be overwhelming at first but if you can find that special spot in your workflow, it’s an incredibly powerful device. For me, it worked best as a “sampling mixer” running stuff into it, grabbing stuff into the live buffers and warping it alongside the original tracks. I’d say it’d be great fun to run your two M8s into it, have them all synced via midi, and use the OT to glitch stuff alongside.
100%. It's really powerful, and that can be it's downfall. In that... Figuring out what to use it for is half the battle. I'm going to need to play about with the live looping stuff.
I got a used MKI for $700 with the card and some samples too. That’s still not cheap but it changed making electronic music for me forever. I don’t want to make music without it.
I made a song on a Polyend Tracker within a couple hours without ever looking at a tutorial or manual. Actually after months of use, I still have never needed a manual. That really blew me away how intuitive it was. It really is a virtue. As amazing as the capability of the Octatrack is, it certainly lacks that virtue.
I bought an Octatrack Masterclass ~20h video tutorial for another 100 bucks so I don't have to sell it again. It was worth every damn penny! looking forward what you will do with it :D
20 hour video tutorial!! You have far more patience and a longer attention span than I ha. I can barely last 20 minutes. Glad that worked out for you though. :)
So for parts… the best way to describe it is if you want to change a parameter that you see on screen (machine types, samples, LFOs, effects etc) you can assign it to one of four parts for each pattern. Stuff like trigs, locks, scenes etc. are NOT affected. This makes parts really fun for sample flipping or if for example you want to change out a one shot sample (like a kick or something). Another way I’ll use it is to break up patterns in a bank for more variety. E.g I’ll have patterns 1-4 set to part 1, patterns 5-8 set to part 2 etc. as a way to radically change the components in my tracks :)
Pro tip: when you go in the "change" menu of the project menu and highlight a project you can hit FUNC + BANK and it'll allow you to rename or delete the project. You can not rename a project that is currently loaded tho so you'll have to load a different project first to do so.
Some people love their octatrack. Not a crazy difficult machine to learn as some say but I felt it made me work a very specific way. I love machines that are fairly immediate and get ideas down quickly, octatrack just didn't feel like that to me. Some people are crazy good with theirs and I love watching their workflow and live sets. I just couldn't find my own workflow with the octatrack. Looking forward to see how you go on with yours.
There's always a learning curve with anything I get!! lol And you sound like me... I forgot how to load samples on the first Volca Sample numerous times!! 😂 Looking forward to the first Octatrack track from you!! 🤘🐀
Thanks for the video! Definitely also in the camp of people who let the OT sit on a shelf... would be interesting if you could take us with you on the journey of cracking the OT! It could just be your raw exploration, unedited, and would be super helpful even if you would conclude that it's not a piece of gear for you!
I keep cycling through phases with the OT - though tbf I've been travelling and it's ended up back on my list of intimidating gear that I really need to spend more time with...
I have to say for me the problem with the OT is its comb filter. Whenever I have a comb filter at my disposal I play so much with it that I kind of destroy everything with it!
Live recording into the buffers is where it's at. You can record into multiple track buffers at once even while the OT is playing and have the sounds and textures change. It's an improvisational musique concrète dream. I strongly recommend adding a MIDI controller or two, the Faderfox UC4 is superb as a little levels mixer for the OT.
You pushed me to finally buy one. I’ve been on the fence for years and I have some Elektron gear already. So I’m going to go ahead and break out the card and order ❤
agree 100% on needing to find a spot for it in your own practice. I feel like too many people get one of these 'hub' products (this, MPCs/Force, trackers, some of the more deluxe sequencers, I assume Push 3 will fall into this too) with the expectation that it'll streamline or unlock something automatically, for some it might but it's almost like a guitarist buying a drumkit and expecting that'll make the act of composition easy in the same way - what actually happens is they now have to learn how to play drums!
Yes thank god for that man, I now rely on them a bit much in a live scenario but it just makes it so fun and it's also a pretty good way to demonstrate what it does
Some of the best sample manglers I can recommend from my own personal experience would be the Emu E6400 ultra (or the E ultra line in general) and the Kurzweil K2vxxr line. They are both amazing and mind blowing even today
@allmyfriendsaresynths they're getting harder to find in general...I really can't blame you...if you find one for a decent price It's worth at least looking at...but I'd recommend at least skimming the manual to see what all they do
I was very scared of getting one for the longest, because of all the fear mongering around this device, and finally had the courage to pick one up, and don’t regret it a bit? It’s a very methodical box and you’ll have an easier time if you print the octatrack guide from synthdawg, but definitely worth it and it’s not at all what anyone said about it.
I've got the Octatrack Guide somewhere actually! I need to get a bit more time to dig into it properly now that I've got a stretch at home, but I resonate with the reservations about picking one up.
As is the case for many, I was at a crossroads when choosing a sampler/sequencer/hub for my gear. MPC vs Octatrack. Some really inspiring music has been made with both units and both have their genuine fans and irritating acolytes. Downloaded the manuals for both and pored over available reviews and tutorials. Due to it's similarity (ish) to a DAW workflow (which I was familiar with) and *apparently* fewer convolutions, the MPC won out.
Good to hear you're giving it a go....have lusted after one since they came out, but I need to really learn and appreciate what I have. Maybe do your "sampling" quickly with the other devices and get different flavours, then load them in for more mangling and arranging. The performance aspect would be worth getting familiar with!
I love the way you discuss different gear and share your thoughts about music production etc... I would like to get myself an Octatrack one day! Also did you get any new tattoos recently?
My first Elektron device was the Model:Samples and I really liked it! Just a few month later I bought the Digitakt as a second drummachine and this was just mindblowing with all the capabilities! A year later I sell the Model:Samples and I've bought the Octratrack and holy sh*t! This device is crazy! It's difficult because you have so many options to have your own workflow with this sampler and to choose one is difficult. But if you've discovered your workflow and how you are going to route your signals in the box with external gear this will be so much fun!
@@StephenMcLeod Haha, I totally agree with you, though. The proprietary lingo that the OT (uses makes it hard to step away from it without having to relearn the machines repeatedly.
@@EZBOT_ oh thank God. Aye. It seems to innovate in areas that really don't need to be. Reinventing the wheel and making it weird and lumpy. If they had stuck to regular UI/UX it would seem less impervious to newcomers I think. Ah well.
Before my live set a few months ago I stupidly decided to bin the set up I had been using and incorporate the octatrack instead, with 2/3 weeks to go. That was a crazy intense couple of weeks but I pulled it off. It is complicated, but once I realized a few things it all clicked. Like the fact that the 8 recorders are independent of the 8 tracks. And that in order to play a new sample in a track you need to load a new part (unless you do a sample lock), and there are only 4 parts per bank, meaning instead of 16 patterns, you have effectively have 4 with variations (I know that sounded convoluted but that’s how it is!). I essentially use it these days like a DJ fx with 64 variations on the master bus. It feels like it’s under utilizing it but everything in my studio can do the rest like time stretching much easier and better. It is the only machine that can do live sample chopping and manipulation with LFOs etc. however, which is crazy. I haven’t done much with except for the master fx since so we’ll see if I remember anything….
Oh God. Chucking out a full set right before a gig to replace it with the Octatrack is madness. That's the kind of thing I have nightmares about. I'm impressed you pulled it off! Perhaps that's the kind of pressure that's needed...
My new Octatrack arrived couple of days ago so I really hope you are right in your assessment. Mine was a PX with a Polybrute so at least it will be easier to Ebay the Octatrack if I fail to crack it. I am viewing it as a challenge to defer cognitive decline (old git) but the possibilities for midi sequencing other synths was irresistible. I'll be watching out for your subsequent videos on this one...
The thing I've found hardest about the octatrack is sampling, frankly its over complicated and I'Il always without fail have to look up how to do it again every time I try to do it.... so nowadays I mostly just load things on via my computer when I use it. But frankly my MPC live & Koala on the iPad are my day to day samplers.
I am usually a sample loader rather than a sampler, but trying to break out of that a bit as it flips the way I view the samples. I have a Force and those newer Akais really are great...
Using it as a performance sampler is my purpose for it currently, a la EZBOT. I want to fully get a handle of the looper and sampler and then I'll get into creating sequences of drum chops and loops.
I guess I have Octratrack brain, because it's the one device that has kept its spot in my setup since I've had it. I wonder if I approached it with more... respect? due to its reputation and allowed myself time to be confused by some of its workflow. Whichever way it happened, I usually think of the OT first when an idea comes to mind. When I can carve out more time for synth noodling, my current curiosity is pairing the OT with the Pulsar-23. I feel like those two will make a really fun partnership.
i think they make the project delete difficult because it can be easy to delete it by mistake...If you do not want to someone to do something, make it difficult....btw it is safe to put that feature far away from the project manager menu. Anyway great video, I had also get one last month and my feels was identical as yours !
That's a fair concern, though they could have added an 'are you sure' screen which would feel more intuitive! I'm enjoying exploring it though. Cheers for watching!
I used to have an Octatrack - it's very deep but when it clicks it clicks - I was really hoping to see Elektron build a big brother to the Digitakt (We'll never see a new Octatrack as the original team on that are long gone) - and Ableon's standalone push seems like an unstable self-bricking machine - so need to at least wait for V2 of that - therefore likely going to go back and buy an Octatrack again !!
You have to invest time. My problem was not having as much free time as I thought so it was a hour here, two hours three days later and it felt like I was getting nowhere. A few years later I still make mistakes and forget things but for me its the definition of 10% planning/doing what I want it to, 20% pull your hair out, and 70% wonderful happy accidents/results. 😂
Like anything that’s very powerful the OT can be intimidating at first. Less so if you’ve used other Elektron gear. However, within a few hours of experimenting I guarantee you’ll have a ‘f**k me this is amazing’ moment 😀👍
No. No it's not. It's an attitude that's been perpetuated for far too long(you could help by changing your video title). For the first year of use I had an idea of the OT being daunting preplanted in my head every time I turned it on, but every time I dove in and FOCUSED on the one thing I wanted to do I learned how to do it pretty quickly. Octatrack has density, and if you try and learn the entire thing because a youtube overview/megatutorial told you you needed to know all of it, then you'll get overwhelmed.
Don’t underestimate the fx section, use through tracks and you can use as many as you want. I can recommend using a midi controller for the different parameters!
I love your videos! Maybe you could do an octatrack and m8 video fornlive performance? Haha i must admit i have done many alcohol induced purchases lol
I have a question, how much more complicated \ difficult is the octatrack against the analog four ? I picked a A4 MKI for a very good price and I find myself clicking rather well with the workflow so far. Is the Octatrack workflow much farther away than A4's ?
I haven't used an A4 much but my understanding is that there should be similarities, though the octatrack will inevitably be more complex as it includes all of the sampling oddness
parts are essentially just kits. it's not spelled out in the clearest fashion, as there's 4 of them at your disposal per bank, rather than say 16 or whatever. but yea, parts are basically just kits. you can use them in creative ways but it's best to just think of them as kits. takes a certain element of confusion off the table.
The Digitakt seems to be far better designed, not a surprise I guess, as the Digitakt came out in 2017, whereas the Octatrack was released around 2010. I've found a way to play stereo files on my Digitakt too, what I do is split the file in two using Audacity, then, on the Digitakt I play back the two files on two tracks at the same time, works a treat (one track panned hard right, one hard left). I generally don't need stereo tracks on my Digitakt, but occasionally I do, so this is a handy trick.
If I hadn't bought mine in January of the Year The Earth Stood Still, I can't imagine I'd have had enough continuous time to get to grips with it. As things progressed, my brain felt like it was being rewired, and muscle memory that still remains even with far less frequent use, bedded in. I don't speak other languages but I imagined it would be a bit like this. The production side of things is where being organised comes into play - you could use all 8 tracks to have a live vocoder going on with reverb washes and delays as you use the crossfader, you can use the Cue outs as an FX loop, you can throw in an entire track, or maybe split it into 4 parts across the OT's own PARTS system and remix and screw it up to your hearts content. And you can have each of these 'facilities' within one project, across different banks. I only say this because someone mentioned workflow or 'their workflow' and the reason why it baffles people is because there ISN'T really a workflow, you just have to get your head around some concepts and yes, some odd nomenclature and if you're very lucky, at some point you'll be on a train home wondering 'I wonder if I can do THIS using the Octatrack' and 8 times out of 10 when you get back - you realise you can 🙂
Great insights. I definitely need to sit down and have more time with it to fully understand the thing. The Octatrack rewards those that sink time into it. I think that's what throws a lot of folks off (including me, tbf).
sto imparando a suonare da autodidatta vedevo le potenzialità della macchina nei video così l'ho comprata circa un anno fà devo dire che sono un po impazzito a farla funzionare ma adesso sono arrivato al punto che è straordinaria e una volta che impari diventa veramente facile da usare, secondo me chi l'ha inventata nemmeno sa tutte le funzioni che ha è veramente infinita ci puoi fare tanto, sembra quasi di avere ableton dentro come software (che pur avendolo sul pc non mi diverto come questa macchina) Penso che per l'anno prossimo inizierò un corso di musica per approfondire il mio sapere con la musica fino in fondo e per spremere sempre più questo gioiellino
Had one, sold it for the MPC Live, a lot happier! Then sold the MPC Live for the Maschine +, even happier! I do love the Electron sequencer on my Analog 4 though, great machine!
@@StephenMcLeod yeah Standalone. Love it. Use it the most out of all my gear, although my Hydrasynth Explorer has been on constantly the past few weeks.
My mate has one, I don't like it (but i do respect it), one thing they got rite was the build quality. It's well known in break beat oriented genre circles for obvious reasons. For Jungle you can't beat an Akai S950 or S1000 sequenced from a tracker. As cool as the Octa is, it's just too Swedish for me, it's workflow and language are just the Scandinavian acid trip from hell, I just can't. For break beat sampling and manipulation old Akai rack samplers are the defacto standard, the menus and workflow mostly make sense and it's what everyone knows amd what gets imitated (the E6400 runs a clone of Akai OS). If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Scenes are for tweaking machine parameters. Parts are for assigning different machines, samples, or parameters. There’s a lot of overlap with parts’ abilities.
Same feelings. I don't use it as much as I could or should. I think it's something you need to really dedicate time to understanding and using regularly. Like many things I guess.
I watch "Jon Makes Beats" videos of him making hip-hop on one and it always blows me away how fast he is on it. I tried getting into the elektron workflow with a model cycles but was ticked off by how they name things differently when a name to something is already standard. Like "step" is "trigger" like come on!
I guess the lesson is that if you use the same gear over and over then you get much faster! It's a lesson I know all too well but routinely ignore in the endless pursuit of diversity and experimentation.
I got one feeling cocky because I learned max/msp, but it really is tricky. I can use it, but I'm 100% sure I'm still in the shallow end compared to people who are experts, and I've had it for years. Pretty mind-bending unit.
It’s definitely not easy…at first. Octatrack is the second piece of gear I bought and didn’t use for a year or more. iConnect Midi 4+ was the first, but like OT, I came back to it after I had gained more experience in other music tech and it came more naturally the second time around. I’m glad I never flip my gear, as those two boxes have become some of the most flexible and capable hardware in my studio.
I love my Octatrack to bits. Almost every video on my channel showcases what I can do with it and I'm still only scratching the surface. It's transformed my performances. ❤
I’ve owned one since about a year after it came out. A few months ago I discovered the drive section of the filter. Plugged it into ableton to track a song and it went all buggy because I didn’t filter the midi out from the computer. TL;dr YES, the OT is too hard to understand. But (and this is a big but lolz) it’s my most loved (and hated) pieces of gear. It’s a bitch goddess for sure
I had it for a month and I was able to make a couple of templates and play around with it. The work flow is sometimes cool sometimes annoying but the possibilities are interesting however, I found that it caused me to feel an anxiety that I don’t feel when I just use my laptop with a controller. This was the red flag. If the gear actually demotivates me then it’s going.
@@StephenMcLeod So after a couple of months of using it - can you say that you feel comfortable using it? I was thinking of getting one, I currently own Digitakt and can only do basic things on it. I am just thinking how long would it take me to learn...
It's more complex to understand than the Digitakt, but the basics are the same or similar. I wouldn't say I am comfortable using it, but if you dedicate the time to understanding it it's doable.@@PiotrstrashcanŚmietnikPiotra
You need to have clear intentions of what you want to do before you get started and focus on that one thing. So many come at it with the intention of using all the features at the same time which while maybe possible it will make your brain melt
It wasnt always popular, the years after the first release no one liked it, it was a commercial failure, and it was eclipsed by the analogs later. It was not understood by the contemporary producers. Then Elektron started a very agressive marketing campaign to revamp it's reputation, without even upgrading it, not until much later. This really worked, and they were able to propagate a legendary reputation of a complex instrument that failed in some basic things, compared to it's price range league. Now what I see is people falling into the hype and struggling to like the workflow. For me 4 kits per bank and audio mutes are dealbreakers. The analogs and digis have a very different nature.
its menu system is whacky, it's all over the place but very powerful. fantastic sampler but take a lot of learning and can be frustrating. I liked it but it was too hard to remember the sampling options
There’s something inherently wrong with a product when the user is believed to think it’s a ‘right to passage’ to force oneself to navigate through the product's shortcomings-all to appreciate its features. More features do not equate to better user experience-in this case, especially; the first time users. Ask yourself this question before buying this-How would you describe your learning style and workflow? Are you the type to skip the manual? In between? Are you on the other end of the spectrum and love manuals or
@@StephenMcLeod I had the Mk 1 apparently the 2 sounds a bit better. I haven't tried it to compare. Its an interesting device. I wish they would bring out a Mk 3 with a better workflow.
@@StephenMcLeod Whew! okay not so bad not so bad. I'm glad you are getting use out of it. I really like the A/B fader. I wish other devices had this. this thing seems great for live play.
After owning the Rtym, Digitakt, Heat and Analog Four, with zero real satisfaction, I have decided the Elektron workflow is the problem for my way of working. Such unintuitive machines!
The carefully selwcted glasses and the make-my-balls-climb-back-up-inside-me smarm just exemplifies everything that's wrong with the world.
This is my favourite comment of 2023.
@@StephenMcLeod😂
@@StephenMcLeod Among your friends, the synths, you're definitely known as the smarmy one.
The irony is I've literally never been called smarmy in real life ever. Weird what the internet does eh
@@StephenMcLeod you get some idiots on the internet sometimes
The octatrack is like riding a bike,once you find out what dog you want, allways drink the tea warm. And that is the beauty of it.
I only drink ice tea
Beauty, poetic commentary!
agreed, it can do so much. like a mini DAW in hardware.
Ah, I needed this comment. Thank you.
It's like a dictionary: super intimidating if you try to read it all the way through, but very manageable and helpful if you only look up the words you need!
I guess the problem is that sometimes you have no idea what the word you need is with the Octatrack!!
this is exactly right. people try learn the whole thing at once which is a terrible idea
For me it was just really important to do something with it every single day. In order not to get frustrated, you really need to know how to quickly solve surprising problems, no audio, etc.
It's good to know the parts pretty early on if you want to start playing live with it. In Digitakt each pattern has its own 'samples' and in Octatrack each bank has four parts, each of which can have its own samples and scenes. A good method that seems to work for me is to assign a part to each of the four patterns -> PTN 1-4 (part 1), PTN 5-8 (part 2) etc. (This way you can have for example four songs per bank that each have four patterns).
The Midi sequencer is also good. And if you connect a keyboard to the Octatrack, it also routes aftertouch, mod wheel etc to the out port, which the Digitakt doesn't do.
I like your idea for assignment of the parts to patterns in your template
@@justinjones2595 Oh, I can’t take credit for that.. A friend of mine showed me the way he uses parts when I got started with the Octatrack (and he probably picked it up from TH-cam too).
I use them like drum kits or variations , amen to parts
I’ve had this thing for about 8 years and I still have many layers to unfold and discover BUT it’s easy enough to get the basics down and make some cool shit right away.
I think you described what's behind this question very well. I think you have to give yourself permission to say, "I use it this way" and maybe not EVERY way possible.. and be at peace with it. It can do a million things, but don't feel like you need to do all of them. It's also possible that as you evolve as an artist, you may lean into different parts than you did in previous seasons. That's what's interesting about this gear... it can fade in and out of your life and continue to change its relationship with you. I'm just getting started with it and using it mainly for live FX processing of my other gear but I could see myself getting in to the MIDI side of it more. It's also obviously very compelling just as a self contained piece of gear.
The key to the Octatrack, which you touched on in your video, is actually knowing what you want it to do within your setup. It can do so much that it can be overwhelming at first but if you can find that special spot in your workflow, it’s an incredibly powerful device. For me, it worked best as a “sampling mixer” running stuff into it, grabbing stuff into the live buffers and warping it alongside the original tracks. I’d say it’d be great fun to run your two M8s into it, have them all synced via midi, and use the OT to glitch stuff alongside.
100%. It's really powerful, and that can be it's downfall. In that... Figuring out what to use it for is half the battle. I'm going to need to play about with the live looping stuff.
I’m really looking forward to your journey with the Octotrack, it’s something I’ve always wanted but can’t afford. Bring it on!
You can learn from my misadventures!!!
I got a used MKI for $700 with the card and some samples too. That’s still not cheap but it changed making electronic music for me forever. I don’t want to make music without it.
@@koalemos1679 great price!
I made a song on a Polyend Tracker within a couple hours without ever looking at a tutorial or manual. Actually after months of use, I still have never needed a manual. That really blew me away how intuitive it was. It really is a virtue. As amazing as the capability of the Octatrack is, it certainly lacks that virtue.
That is very true. A good way to put it.
I bought an Octatrack Masterclass ~20h video tutorial for another 100 bucks so I don't have to sell it again.
It was worth every damn penny!
looking forward what you will do with it :D
Which class was this?
@@polyphonico This was from a website called dvd-lernkurs. Unfortunately the course exclusively in German.
20 hour video tutorial!! You have far more patience and a longer attention span than I ha. I can barely last 20 minutes. Glad that worked out for you though. :)
@@StephenMcLeod yeah! Thank you very much, man!
I am definitely still curious what you will create with this device.
Cheers :D
So for parts… the best way to describe it is if you want to change a parameter that you see on screen (machine types, samples, LFOs, effects etc) you can assign it to one of four parts for each pattern. Stuff like trigs, locks, scenes etc. are NOT affected. This makes parts really fun for sample flipping or if for example you want to change out a one shot sample (like a kick or something). Another way I’ll use it is to break up patterns in a bank for more variety. E.g I’ll have patterns 1-4 set to part 1, patterns 5-8 set to part 2 etc. as a way to radically change the components in my tracks :)
Welcome to the shame basket. I'll make some room...
I'm going to have to trademark the shame basket
Yeah, right?!? Move over, dudes (as I elbow my way in...)
Y'all are not alone!! 😂
Its my favourite bit of kit by far, just so well designed, tricky, but once you get it, its brilliant. Like riding a bike.
I'm terrible at riding a bike as well to be fair
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the OT, and also thanks for addressing the question and making a positive difference :)
Thanks for watching!!
Pro tip: when you go in the "change" menu of the project menu and highlight a project you can hit FUNC + BANK and it'll allow you to rename or delete the project.
You can not rename a project that is currently loaded tho so you'll have to load a different project first to do so.
Great tip and another bonkers thing!!
I've watched 5 videos on this thing and still don't what it is.
I've got one and I still have no idea what it is
You nailed it calling out the oblique file management "system." It wears one down and wastes time.
Yeahhh things like that don't need to be... fixed. Just go with what makes the most sense for the user.
Some people love their octatrack. Not a crazy difficult machine to learn as some say but I felt it made me work a very specific way. I love machines that are fairly immediate and get ideas down quickly, octatrack just didn't feel like that to me. Some people are crazy good with theirs and I love watching their workflow and live sets. I just couldn't find my own workflow with the octatrack. Looking forward to see how you go on with yours.
You're rocking the M8 tbf!!
There's always a learning curve with anything I get!! lol And you sound like me... I forgot how to load samples on the first Volca Sample numerous times!! 😂 Looking forward to the first Octatrack track from you!! 🤘🐀
Always a learning curve... and unfortunately my attention span is so short that I usually fail miserably at tackling any of them haha.
Thanks for the video! Definitely also in the camp of people who let the OT sit on a shelf... would be interesting if you could take us with you on the journey of cracking the OT! It could just be your raw exploration, unedited, and would be super helpful even if you would conclude that it's not a piece of gear for you!
I keep cycling through phases with the OT - though tbf I've been travelling and it's ended up back on my list of intimidating gear that I really need to spend more time with...
good, honest take. i love the OT. I'm looking forward to seeing more from you about this
Thanks a lot! More to come as I document my failures
I have to say for me the problem with the OT is its comb filter. Whenever I have a comb filter at my disposal I play so much with it that I kind of destroy everything with it!
God bless destruction
Live recording into the buffers is where it's at. You can record into multiple track buffers at once even while the OT is playing and have the sounds and textures change. It's an improvisational musique concrète dream. I strongly recommend adding a MIDI controller or two, the Faderfox UC4 is superb as a little levels mixer for the OT.
I'd love to get my hands on a Faderfox UC4!
You pushed me to finally buy one. I’ve been on the fence for years and I have some Elektron gear already. So I’m going to go ahead and break out the card and order ❤
Don't blame me!!! But I hope you love it :)
agree 100% on needing to find a spot for it in your own practice. I feel like too many people get one of these 'hub' products (this, MPCs/Force, trackers, some of the more deluxe sequencers, I assume Push 3 will fall into this too) with the expectation that it'll streamline or unlock something automatically, for some it might but it's almost like a guitarist buying a drumkit and expecting that'll make the act of composition easy in the same way - what actually happens is they now have to learn how to play drums!
Doing the live loop recording takes a while to set up, and you will forget how to do it.
Now I just use a template or just use the EZBOT template 😀
Templates are for champions!
Yes thank god for that man, I now rely on them a bit much in a live scenario but it just makes it so fun and it's also a pretty good way to demonstrate what it does
Some of the best sample manglers I can recommend from my own personal experience would be the Emu E6400 ultra (or the E ultra line in general) and the Kurzweil K2vxxr line. They are both amazing and mind blowing even today
Would love to check them out if I ever come across them! They seem pretty tough to find for decent prices sadly.
@allmyfriendsaresynths they're getting harder to find in general...I really can't blame you...if you find one for a decent price It's worth at least looking at...but I'd recommend at least skimming the manual to see what all they do
I was very scared of getting one for the longest, because of all the fear mongering around this device, and finally had the courage to pick one up, and don’t regret it a bit? It’s a very methodical box and you’ll have an easier time if you print the octatrack guide from synthdawg, but definitely worth it and it’s not at all what anyone said about it.
I've got the Octatrack Guide somewhere actually! I need to get a bit more time to dig into it properly now that I've got a stretch at home, but I resonate with the reservations about picking one up.
As is the case for many, I was at a crossroads when choosing a sampler/sequencer/hub for my gear. MPC vs Octatrack. Some really inspiring music has been made with both units and both have their genuine fans and irritating acolytes. Downloaded the manuals for both and pored over available reviews and tutorials. Due to it's similarity (ish) to a DAW workflow (which I was familiar with) and *apparently* fewer convolutions, the MPC won out.
They definitely both have different strengths. The MPC is frustrating in many ways as well, but probably slightly easier. Hope you love it!
Good to hear you're giving it a go....have lusted after one since they came out, but I need to really learn and appreciate what I have. Maybe do your "sampling" quickly with the other devices and get different flavours, then load them in for more mangling and arranging. The performance aspect would be worth getting familiar with!
Hell yeah. The performance section is wild.
I love the way you discuss different gear and share your thoughts about music production etc... I would like to get myself an Octatrack one day! Also did you get any new tattoos recently?
Hey thank you. I've been getting a big back piece done... but it's taking a whiiiile due to the size.
My first Elektron device was the Model:Samples and I really liked it!
Just a few month later I bought the Digitakt as a second drummachine and this was just mindblowing with all the capabilities!
A year later I sell the Model:Samples and I've bought the Octratrack and holy sh*t!
This device is crazy!
It's difficult because you have so many options to have your own workflow with this sampler and to choose one is difficult.
But if you've discovered your workflow and how you are going to route your signals in the box with external gear this will be so much fun!
Hell yeah. The Octatrack really is something else entirely. I'm looking forward to digging in.
Can't wait to pop the lid off the mystery box of this question!
You've already ripped it CLEAN AFF
@@StephenMcLeod Haha, I totally agree with you, though. The proprietary lingo that the OT (uses makes it hard to step away from it without having to relearn the machines repeatedly.
@@EZBOT_ oh thank God. Aye. It seems to innovate in areas that really don't need to be. Reinventing the wheel and making it weird and lumpy. If they had stuck to regular UI/UX it would seem less impervious to newcomers I think. Ah well.
@@StephenMcLeod Hopes and prayers for a MKIII
Naw sack that. I just bought this!
Your background provides context on your perspective as you tell us whether or not the Octatrack is complex. 🤪
How does it compare to a Yamaha RS7000 sampler groove box?
I haven't used one so can't comment!
Before my live set a few months ago I stupidly decided to bin the set up I had been using and incorporate the octatrack instead, with 2/3 weeks to go. That was a crazy intense couple of weeks but I pulled it off. It is complicated, but once I realized a few things it all clicked. Like the fact that the 8 recorders are independent of the 8 tracks. And that in order to play a new sample in a track you need to load a new part (unless you do a sample lock), and there are only 4 parts per bank, meaning instead of 16 patterns, you have effectively have 4 with variations (I know that sounded convoluted but that’s how it is!). I essentially use it these days like a DJ fx with 64 variations on the master bus. It feels like it’s under utilizing it but everything in my studio can do the rest like time stretching much easier and better. It is the only machine that can do live sample chopping and manipulation with LFOs etc. however, which is crazy. I haven’t done much with except for the master fx since so we’ll see if I remember anything….
Oh God. Chucking out a full set right before a gig to replace it with the Octatrack is madness. That's the kind of thing I have nightmares about. I'm impressed you pulled it off! Perhaps that's the kind of pressure that's needed...
My new Octatrack arrived couple of days ago so I really hope you are right in your assessment. Mine was a PX with a Polybrute so at least it will be easier to Ebay the Octatrack if I fail to crack it. I am viewing it as a challenge to defer cognitive decline (old git) but the possibilities for midi sequencing other synths was irresistible. I'll be watching out for your subsequent videos on this one...
The thing I've found hardest about the octatrack is sampling, frankly its over complicated and I'Il always without fail have to look up how to do it again every time I try to do it.... so nowadays I mostly just load things on via my computer when I use it. But frankly my MPC live & Koala on the iPad are my day to day samplers.
I am usually a sample loader rather than a sampler, but trying to break out of that a bit as it flips the way I view the samples. I have a Force and those newer Akais really are great...
Using it as a performance sampler is my purpose for it currently, a la EZBOT. I want to fully get a handle of the looper and sampler and then I'll get into creating sequences of drum chops and loops.
The performance sampler is one area I need to investigate in particular...
Re projects - does the OT Mkii not have a "save to new" option ? I've got an OT MKI and it has that option...
I believe it does, yes.
I guess I have Octratrack brain, because it's the one device that has kept its spot in my setup since I've had it. I wonder if I approached it with more... respect? due to its reputation and allowed myself time to be confused by some of its workflow. Whichever way it happened, I usually think of the OT first when an idea comes to mind. When I can carve out more time for synth noodling, my current curiosity is pairing the OT with the Pulsar-23. I feel like those two will make a really fun partnership.
Love these videos about music where no music is being played.
I'm glad.
I want to drill holes in mine … this n that switches to play it goofy , esp function mirror and fill / up parallel 🦾
You are braver than me! That'd be awesome though.
@@StephenMcLeod when mkiii :)) 🎛️👍
i think they make the project delete difficult because it can be easy to delete it by mistake...If you do not want to someone to do something, make it difficult....btw it is safe to put that feature far away from the project manager menu. Anyway great video, I had also get one last month and my feels was identical as yours !
That's a fair concern, though they could have added an 'are you sure' screen which would feel more intuitive! I'm enjoying exploring it though. Cheers for watching!
I used to have an Octatrack - it's very deep but when it clicks it clicks - I was really hoping to see Elektron build a big brother to the Digitakt (We'll never see a new Octatrack as the original team on that are long gone) - and Ableon's standalone push seems like an unstable self-bricking machine - so need to at least wait for V2 of that - therefore likely going to go back and buy an Octatrack again !!
The curse of repeat buying! Let me know if you do end up getting another one.
The octa is it’s own beast all together. Took me about a year before I stopped using it as a giant digatakt
A giant Digitakt is also a pretty cool use!
@@StephenMcLeod nothing wrong with that indeed, also considering theyll prob be the same price soon the rate digitakts are goin
You have to invest time. My problem was not having as much free time as I thought so it was a hour here, two hours three days later and it felt like I was getting nowhere. A few years later I still make mistakes and forget things but for me its the definition of 10% planning/doing what I want it to, 20% pull your hair out, and 70% wonderful happy accidents/results. 😂
Exactly!!
Like anything that’s very powerful the OT can be intimidating at first. Less so if you’ve used other Elektron gear.
However, within a few hours of experimenting I guarantee you’ll have a ‘f**k me this is amazing’ moment 😀👍
Hell yeah. Had a few of those moments already!
And I still can't even figure out the Syntakt workflow. How do people write music with this thing?!
Hey I can't help you there!
No. No it's not. It's an attitude that's been perpetuated for far too long(you could help by changing your video title). For the first year of use I had an idea of the OT being daunting preplanted in my head every time I turned it on, but every time I dove in and FOCUSED on the one thing I wanted to do I learned how to do it pretty quickly. Octatrack has density, and if you try and learn the entire thing because a youtube overview/megatutorial told you you needed to know all of it, then you'll get overwhelmed.
Indeed
Don’t underestimate the fx section, use through tracks and you can use as many as you want. I can recommend using a midi controller for the different parameters!
I haven't played about with the FX too much so this is a good tip!
Do you think if one has a load of libations on board, would the Octatrack beer more intuitive?
That's usually my approach, to be fair.
I love your videos! Maybe you could do an octatrack and m8 video fornlive performance?
Haha i must admit i have done many alcohol induced purchases lol
We've all been there. Trawling eBay in the dead of night. Waking up to the 'your item has shipped' email...
enjoyed this alternatve view - thanks
Glad it was useful!
Isn’t the software for the project structure like ten years old now?
Aye, ancient.
I have a question, how much more complicated \ difficult is the octatrack against the analog four ? I picked a A4 MKI for a very good price and I find myself clicking rather well with the workflow so far. Is the Octatrack workflow much farther away than A4's ?
I haven't used an A4 much but my understanding is that there should be similarities, though the octatrack will inevitably be more complex as it includes all of the sampling oddness
parts are essentially just kits. it's not spelled out in the clearest fashion, as there's 4 of them at your disposal per bank, rather than say 16 or whatever.
but yea, parts are basically just kits. you can use them in creative ways but it's best to just think of them as kits. takes a certain element of confusion off the table.
That's a smart and helpful way to look at them, thanks!
Perfect timing with this video. I never wanted one but came close recently due to a deal online. Glad I didn’t buy it.
Ha! Did my video put you off?!
It just reminded me why I didnt want one.
I aim to serve!!
any reviews of the sp II?
Not something I've had the chance to use I'm afraid!
Have you tried EZBot's templates on the octatrack?
I have not. Should I?!
No. They're mostly just for middling fx and v basic transitions. @@StephenMcLeod
The Digitakt seems to be far better designed, not a surprise I guess, as the Digitakt came out in 2017, whereas the Octatrack was released around 2010.
I've found a way to play stereo files on my Digitakt too, what I do is split the file in two using Audacity, then, on the Digitakt I play back the two files on two tracks at the same time, works a treat (one track panned hard right, one hard left). I generally don't need stereo tracks on my Digitakt, but occasionally I do, so this is a handy trick.
Smart! If it wasn't for the 1gb storage limit I would probably pick up another digitakt...
If I hadn't bought mine in January of the Year The Earth Stood Still, I can't imagine I'd have had enough continuous time to get to grips with it. As things progressed, my brain felt like it was being rewired, and muscle memory that still remains even with far less frequent use, bedded in. I don't speak other languages but I imagined it would be a bit like this. The production side of things is where being organised comes into play - you could use all 8 tracks to have a live vocoder going on with reverb washes and delays as you use the crossfader, you can use the Cue outs as an FX loop, you can throw in an entire track, or maybe split it into 4 parts across the OT's own PARTS system and remix and screw it up to your hearts content. And you can have each of these 'facilities' within one project, across different banks. I only say this because someone mentioned workflow or 'their workflow' and the reason why it baffles people is because there ISN'T really a workflow, you just have to get your head around some concepts and yes, some odd nomenclature and if you're very lucky, at some point you'll be on a train home wondering 'I wonder if I can do THIS using the Octatrack' and 8 times out of 10 when you get back - you realise you can 🙂
Great insights. I definitely need to sit down and have more time with it to fully understand the thing. The Octatrack rewards those that sink time into it. I think that's what throws a lot of folks off (including me, tbf).
sto imparando a suonare da autodidatta vedevo le potenzialità della macchina nei video così l'ho comprata circa un anno fà devo dire che sono un po impazzito a farla funzionare ma adesso sono arrivato al punto che è straordinaria e una volta che impari diventa veramente facile da usare, secondo me chi l'ha inventata nemmeno sa tutte le funzioni che ha è veramente infinita ci puoi fare tanto, sembra quasi di avere ableton dentro come software (che pur avendolo sul pc non mi diverto come questa macchina) Penso che per l'anno prossimo inizierò un corso di musica per approfondire il mio sapere con la musica fino in fondo e per spremere sempre più questo gioiellino
Had one, sold it for the MPC Live, a lot happier! Then sold the MPC Live for the Maschine +, even happier! I do love the Electron sequencer on my Analog 4 though, great machine!
The MPC Live is real nice. Is the Maschine + the standalone one? My pal had one and it looked like an amazing beast.
@@StephenMcLeod yeah Standalone. Love it. Use it the most out of all my gear, although my Hydrasynth Explorer has been on constantly the past few weeks.
Thanks for the video man 👍👍🍕
Thanks for watching!
My mate has one, I don't like it (but i do respect it), one thing they got rite was the build quality. It's well known in break beat oriented genre circles for obvious reasons. For Jungle you can't beat an Akai S950 or S1000 sequenced from a tracker. As cool as the Octa is, it's just too Swedish for me, it's workflow and language are just the Scandinavian acid trip from hell, I just can't. For break beat sampling and manipulation old Akai rack samplers are the defacto standard, the menus and workflow mostly make sense and it's what everyone knows amd what gets imitated (the E6400 runs a clone of Akai OS). If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Scenes are for tweaking machine parameters. Parts are for assigning different machines, samples, or parameters. There’s a lot of overlap with parts’ abilities.
Cannae wait to dive into parts!
I like Midlife Synthesist's term for the friction of forgetting how to use gadgets, but I can't bring it to mind.
How appropriate!!
The return user barrier?
How are you liking the octatrack 9 months later
Same feelings. I don't use it as much as I could or should. I think it's something you need to really dedicate time to understanding and using regularly. Like many things I guess.
@@StephenMcLeod story of my life 😝
I watch "Jon Makes Beats" videos of him making hip-hop on one and it always blows me away how fast he is on it. I tried getting into the elektron workflow with a model cycles but was ticked off by how they name things differently when a name to something is already standard. Like "step" is "trigger" like come on!
I guess the lesson is that if you use the same gear over and over then you get much faster! It's a lesson I know all too well but routinely ignore in the endless pursuit of diversity and experimentation.
Highly recommend the Synth Dawg manual. Worth every penny
Thanks for the tip!
I had one and sold it. After, I watched more videos and most people seem to use it as a performance mixer.
That does seem to be a common use!
I got one feeling cocky because I learned max/msp, but it really is tricky. I can use it, but I'm 100% sure I'm still in the shallow end compared to people who are experts, and I've had it for years. Pretty mind-bending unit.
To be fair I think you have legit reason to feel cocky if you know MSP!!
It’s definitely not easy…at first. Octatrack is the second piece of gear I bought and didn’t use for a year or more. iConnect Midi 4+ was the first, but like OT, I came back to it after I had gained more experience in other music tech and it came more naturally the second time around.
I’m glad I never flip my gear, as those two boxes have become some of the most flexible and capable hardware in my studio.
I love my Octatrack to bits. Almost every video on my channel showcases what I can do with it and I'm still only scratching the surface. It's transformed my performances. ❤
I'll need to check out your videos for tips!!
@@StephenMcLeod Cheers mate! I hope you enjoy what you see! 😊
bro you said it perfect, you go play the thing come back a week later and forget how it works.
Ha right
I’ve owned one since about a year after it came out. A few months ago I discovered the drive section of the filter. Plugged it into ableton to track a song and it went all buggy because I didn’t filter the midi out from the computer. TL;dr YES, the OT is too hard to understand. But (and this is a big but lolz) it’s my most loved (and hated) pieces of gear. It’s a bitch goddess for sure
Sometimes the greatest love stories of our generation are a mix of hate!
I had it for a month and I was able to make a couple of templates and play around with it.
The work flow is sometimes cool sometimes annoying but the possibilities are interesting however, I found that it caused me to feel an anxiety that I don’t feel when I just use my laptop with a controller. This was the red flag.
If the gear actually demotivates me then it’s going.
I think that's a pretty wise approach to take!
I’d love to have an alcohol induced moment of madness that allows my to purchase one of those. Usually I just buy 90’s records off eBay.
Also a good addiction to have!
Grooveboxes.... same old song... everytime i use them, after an hour of menu diving i just wish to go back to my laptops and some free VSTs.
Laptops just don't gel with me for the music composition side. Not sure why. Perhaps the mouse. I hate the mouse.
@@StephenMcLeod me too! everytime i see it's tail i'm like hell no... anyway there's always analog synths to come back too.
I to me the Octatrack looks super fun to use in a performance scenario…..that fader…
Fader is king
Very curious - do you still own it and use it?
I do indeed. It's sitting next to me right now. It's not my favourite piece of gear, but I do still use and like it.
@@StephenMcLeod So after a couple of months of using it - can you say that you feel comfortable using it? I was thinking of getting one, I currently own Digitakt and can only do basic things on it. I am just thinking how long would it take me to learn...
It's more complex to understand than the Digitakt, but the basics are the same or similar. I wouldn't say I am comfortable using it, but if you dedicate the time to understanding it it's doable.@@PiotrstrashcanŚmietnikPiotra
You need to have clear intentions of what you want to do before you get started and focus on that one thing. So many come at it with the intention of using all the features at the same time which while maybe possible it will make your brain melt
I think that's about right, though some of the problem is not knowing what is possible.
It wasnt always popular, the years after the first release no one liked it, it was a commercial failure, and it was eclipsed by the analogs later. It was not understood by the contemporary producers. Then Elektron started a very agressive marketing campaign to revamp it's reputation, without even upgrading it, not until much later. This really worked, and they were able to propagate a legendary reputation of a complex instrument that failed in some basic things, compared to it's price range league. Now what I see is people falling into the hype and struggling to like the workflow. For me 4 kits per bank and audio mutes are dealbreakers. The analogs and digis have a very different nature.
I didn't actually realise they were unpopular at first... but I am not too surprised.
@@StephenMcLeod t'was the time when the master volume knob was not the master but the cue volume! absurd! haha
@@cooptrol oh dear god
Isn't the Octatrack MK3 about to drop though 😉
For the past five years!
I own this thing for nearly a year, but I’m too lazy to learn more than basics lol.
Sounds familiar!
Do the Macprovideo tutorial mate. It's how I learned to use my Analog 4 Elektron very well in one day.
I'll check it out!
its menu system is whacky, it's all over the place but very powerful. fantastic sampler but take a lot of learning and can be frustrating. I liked it but it was too hard to remember the sampling options
The trick is to learn about “Parts”. Then all becomes clearer…sometimes 😅
Clear as mud ha
There’s something inherently wrong with a product when the user is believed to think it’s a ‘right to passage’ to force oneself to navigate through the product's shortcomings-all to appreciate its features. More features do not equate to better user experience-in this case, especially; the first time users. Ask yourself this question before buying this-How would you describe your learning style and workflow? Are you the type to skip the manual? In between? Are you on the other end of the spectrum and love manuals or
Oh I agree
I ended up selling mine. I couldn’t be bothered with it in the end. Life’s too short lol I also thought it sounded a bit crap.
Life's too short. Amen.
@@StephenMcLeod I had the Mk 1 apparently the 2 sounds a bit better. I haven't tried it to compare. Its an interesting device. I wish they would bring out a Mk 3 with a better workflow.
I see a lot of high level performers using it more or less as a performance mixer and looper...
That does seem to be a common use case!
@@StephenMcLeod to be clear, excelling in these tasks is not easy!
Octapain workflow it’s the reason why they killed they guy who created it.
Controversy!
Мужская грудь как символ женских очков
This is my second favourite comment of this year
Yes
It was alcohol fuelled, over a boozy lunch.
This is your fault
Accidentally bought a $1600 device. oof.
Is that how much they are now? I got mine for like six hundred quid, though it was second hand.
@@StephenMcLeod Whew! okay not so bad not so bad. I'm glad you are getting use out of it. I really like the A/B fader. I wish other devices had this. this thing seems great for live play.
@@ChaswellQuint I might be mad but I'm no that mad!! The A/B fader is epic.
Just ignore Parts and you’ll be fine 🤣
That's what I've done so far!!
Gas buy💨 level 9
😮
I'm sorry :'(
After owning the Rtym, Digitakt, Heat and Analog Four, with zero real satisfaction, I have decided the Elektron workflow is the problem for my way of working. Such unintuitive machines!
It's definitely not for everybody!