Elektron Octatrack

[LouisLingg]

Any Octatrack users here? I recently got one and have been trying to wrap my head around it. I'm hoping to use it in lieu of tape techniques, and for a more immediate approach to cut-up/ spliced loops and collages. So far its proving to be a lot of work, but quite rewarding. I used a reel to reel and several 4tracks prior to this, so it is certainly a much more complex system will lots of new learning curves.

I'm mostly posting to see what others have used this machine for in the context of fringe sound

[HONOR_IS_KING!]

Any Octatrack users here? I recently got one and have been trying to wrap my head around it. I'm hoping to use it in lieu of tape techniques, and for a more immediate approach to cut-up/ spliced loops and collages. So far its proving to be a lot of work, but quite rewarding. I used a reel to reel and several 4tracks prior to this, so it is certainly a much more complex system will lots of new learning curves.

I'm mostly posting to see what others have used this machine for in the context of fringe sound

The only person I can think of that legit uses one in this manner is Egan of Xiphoid Dementia. Im sure he can put you on plenty of game in regards to that beast.

Elektron makes such incredible gear but yeah the learning curve is steep.

[LouisLingg]

I saw Xiphoid Dementia last year and was blown away but how much he could do with just the Octatrack and some granular synth box. I know Negation used one when I saw them, but there was also a huge modular set up and it was hard to tell what was doing what

[HONOR_IS_KING!]

I saw Xiphoid Dementia last year and was blown away but how much he could do with just the Octatrack and some granular synth box. I know Negation used one when I saw them, but there was also a huge modular set up and it was hard to tell what was doing what

I think back in the day Egan used to just rip sets with just the Octatrack. Thats dope that Negation rocks one too, I really need to get my hands on some of his work.

[LouisLingg]

Negation stuff is hard to get a hold of, but the tape he put out on Ascetic House is well worth tracking down.

[Atrophist]

I used to have one, got the famous 'Octatrack blues" (just got frustrated and overwhelmed with it) and sold it. I regret it a bit now. Don't really know how close I was to actually making a breakthrough. But there is no question whatsoever that you can do a killer noise/drone/industrial/whatever set with only the Octa once you figure out what you are doing. It's also going to give a new lease on life to anything else you have with a midi in connection.

[LouisLingg]

It's definitely a little overwhelming at times. I've found the hardest part as just been to focus on one or two uses, rather then concerning myself with trying to make use of everything it can do. After two weeks with it though, I feel convinced I can get rid of most of my other gear though. This thing has become a dream come true, at least for what I need.

If you end up with another one, I highly recommend the macbookPro video tutorials. They are the only thing that has made sense of this machine for me

[host body]

Amazing piece of equipment and can be used in so many different ways that I'd say most people would benefit in having it in their setup.

It's of course one of the best / most powerful and versatile samplers if you want to make sequencer based music, or "beat shit" but that's not how I use it at all, despite it probably being the intended way. I use it as a 4-channel performance mixer, with the added benefit of being abled to sample any sound for up to 8 minutes and playing it back. I don't really do a lot of sample chopping or editing, although it has a very powerful engine for that.

The way I use it:

2 channels for Digitakt in stereo (those that don't know, the little brother of Octatrack. Sampler geared towards drums altho it's almost as capable as a general use sampler as Octatrack)
1 channel for MS20
1 channel for any 3rd device i want to use, drone synth or contact mic for example.
3 channels for samples
1 channel as master channel

the 3 sample channels can either play pre-recorded, longer samples, be used as a tape loop style of looped 16 or 24-bars from any of the input channels (or multiple channels), which records itself over every cycle unless i freeze it.

I have most of the shorter samples I use on the Digitakt due it's more intuitive UI with Octatrack mostly handling longer, droning backround samples or live sampling. I have the digitakt sequencer running MS20 in midi, and the octatrack giving master clock to the digitakt. This way everything is nice and synced and I don't need to use the octatrack sequencer for intricate patterns, just make sure every channels is running and program patterns with the digitakt.

It's very hard to get into, but once you unlock even a part of its potential like i have you can't really make any other piece of gear do the same things.

With a Zoom h4N, i can record everything I do directly into it and make as intricate music as I want to without a DAW. Perfect setup at least for me, and not terribly expensive either. Just a newer model macbook is almost as expensive as my gear.

[LouisLingg]

This is more or less how I'm trying to use it, but I think I need to learn more about Pickup Machines and how to use the loop functions more efficiently.

So far I have it set up with a 4track running stereo on two channels

Feedback mixer dry in one input, feedback mixer wet in the other

and well, that's about it actually. I've been sampling a ton of stuff from this setup, and basically treating the OT as a juiced up tape loop box. I haven't quite figured how to loop stuff in a more traditional way, but rather it has just been working as a playback device with an insane amount of manipulation controls.

Do you have to preamp the contact mics that you run into it? I use contact mics in the mixer that runs into it, but have not tried sending them in on there own

[host body]

Do you have to preamp the contact mics that you run into it? I use contact mics in the mixer that runs into it, but have not tried sending them in on there own

I have a bass preamp pedal, sansamp bass driver that has a nice EQ, but I guess you could plug a contact mic directly into the octatrack and just add gain from it's mixer as needed. haven't tried it though, since the bass driver gives a nice crunchy distortion as well as having a good EQ, a switch to boost the signal 5 decibels etc.

[Into_The_Void]

Octatrack is easily one of the best instrument ever invented to do electronic music. I use it mainly as studio sample mangler and live as either back track player or sampler & mixer for the rest of my setup. With pickup machines it works basically as live recorder and looper, which can be over-recorded, effected, mangled and so on. There are plenty of very useful video (also from Elektron itself) which explain almost everything you have to know TO START experimenting: then, it´s up to your will to discover (and patience to remember all the key combinations), but you can really find lot of interesting solutions. Not to ignore the powerful crossfader and the scenes, which allow you a very wide amount of solution for direct sample manipulation and variations in the tracks. Amazing instrument which requires a lot of time to be properly learned, but will for sure give a lot of satisfactions!!!

[host body]

Octatrack is easily one of the best instrument ever invented to do electronic music. I use it mainly as studio sample mangler and live as either back track player or sampler & mixer for the rest of my setup. With pickup machines it works basically as live recorder and looper, which can be over-recorded, effected, mangled and so on. There are plenty of very useful video (also from Elektron itself) which explain almost everything you have to know TO START experimenting: then, it´s up to your will to discover (and patience to remember all the key combinations), but you can really find lot of interesting solutions. Not to ignore the powerful crossfader and the scenes, which allow you a very wide amount of solution for direct sample manipulation and variations in the tracks. Amazing instrument which requires a lot of time to be properly learned, but will for sure give a lot of satisfactions!!!

Couldn't agree more, I just wish it had 8 channels and a dedicated output for each, hah. I've actually been thinking of upgrading my digitakt to a second octatrack at some point. I don't know if I really need it, but it would be nice to be abled to have 8 thru channels.

[Into_The_Void]

Octatrack is easily one of the best instrument ever invented to do electronic music. I use it mainly as studio sample mangler and live as either back track player or sampler & mixer for the rest of my setup. With pickup machines it works basically as live recorder and looper, which can be over-recorded, effected, mangled and so on. There are plenty of very useful video (also from Elektron itself) which explain almost everything you have to know TO START experimenting: then, it´s up to your will to discover (and patience to remember all the key combinations), but you can really find lot of interesting solutions. Not to ignore the powerful crossfader and the scenes, which allow you a very wide amount of solution for direct sample manipulation and variations in the tracks. Amazing instrument which requires a lot of time to be properly learned, but will for sure give a lot of satisfactions!!!

Couldn't agree more, I just wish it had 8 channels and a dedicated output for each, hah. I've actually been thinking of upgrading my digitakt to a second octatrack at some point. I don't know if I really need it, but it would be nice to be abled to have 8 thru channels.

Indeed, would be great to have 8 outputs, still with 4 you can obtain extremely good and precise results. 8 thru machines with 8 inputs would be a dream ahahah, extremely powerful.