I’ve recently been exploring an SP 404 MK2 and Analog Keys by creating two looping samples on the 404, panning them to be mono on each output and then running them into tracks on the AK so they can be used as oscillators. They are then always running but only heard when gated by the sequencer and shaped by the filters, etc.
Can the Octatrack do the same thing with:
A) external sources fed into the inputs?
B) with freely looping samples stored on the Octatrack that are only heard when you open the envelopes with the sequencer?
A) yes.
B) Not quite. All trigs, trig samples and envelopes. So you will retrigger a sample. This might mean the sample will retrigger from the start everytime, depending on how you have the amp envelope settings.
However, you have options.
Single cycle waveforms.
One really long sample of a free running oscillator, use a random LFO to trigger a different part of that sample every time it is triggered.
In both the above cases, use envelopes to taste.
As always, for more detail check the manual. Its all in there.
Edit:
Actually you could do B, by using one track as a freerunning oscillator, then patch that to outputs, back to inputs and then use a thru machine for gates and envelopes.
You could also do it with using one track as free running oscillator, then another track sampling that track and playing back the sample at the same time (not as clean as going the thru machine version, in my opinion)
You can always use an lfo as envelope (OT has 3 lfos per track). So you have you amp envelope open (max hold/release), turn amp volume down and the use a one shot lfo to open the envelope. This technique would only use one track.
You are limited to lfo shapes, so if you’re planning to modulate attack and release a lot, you’d probably have to use two tracks like descibed above by Microtribe.
Since OT has the lfo designer, you can draw your own shapes, which might even be more flexible compared to the AHD envelopes OT has.
Yeah now I think about it, the LFO designer could be a superpower for making rhythmical shifting patterns from looping samples. Won’t be for a while, but an Octatrack is definitely in my future.
Pleasure to hear Octatrack still can be futuristic in some way.
Yup. For example you can use specific pitch value like octave, fifth or negative fourth to keep timing, randomize these values, trigger them only with trigs (hold mode), freeze them with speed 0…
LFO designer really is OTs magic superpower.
I often use it to make p-locks, that can be controlled with lfo depth (i.e. you can dial in “more p-lock strength” or “less p-lock strength”). Without the LFO designer to achieve a similar effect, we’d have to change every single p-lock by hand.
Lfo has to use sync start mode (or if there’s only one trig, trig mode also works) and you have to set lfo speed in a way so that each step in the designer corresponds to one step in OTs sequencer, for example in a 4/4 16 steps sequence you set the lfo speed to 8x16 (although sometimes really cool stuff happens if the lfo wave is not synced to the grid).
The you can a “draw p-lock value” in the designer and fade them all in with lfo depth.
For B there is another way : FUNC + TRIGS 9-16 to “trigless” trigger tracks.
(Previously plock Vol to -64 to make sample silent). Unfortunately HOLD INF doesn’t seem to work when you hold the trig.
I personally wouldn’t sacrifice a track for that, unless I needed a neighbor for additional fx. But it works well, even with external midi. IIRC we already discussed about it.
“Question A: YES! Of course it can do that.
Question B: NOPE! That’s Impossible.
Edit: My bad. B is a YES too. And let me show you how to do this in 10 different ways!”
Always a workaround with OT !
Better think twice or more before saying something is not possible.
But oftenly it brings some caveat, complexity…
Better to know several workarounds.
