Is the Octatrack actually too hard to understand?

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Elektron's Octatrack is infamously difficult to understand, and I am not well known for my patience. Let's see how this goes.
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15 июн 2023

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Комментарии : 275

@busterbuster1641 11 месяцев назад

The carefully selwcted glasses and the make-my-balls-climb-back-up-inside-me smarm just exemplifies everything that's wrong with the world.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

This is my favourite comment of 2023.

@RaverOperatorGeeza 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod😂

@almightyEsquilax 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod Among your friends, the synths, you're definitely known as the smarmy one.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

The irony is I've literally never been called smarmy in real life ever. Weird what the internet does eh

@RaverOperatorGeeza 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod you get some idiots on the internet sometimes

@purrsoundsystem 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I only drink ice tea

@georat16 11 месяцев назад

Beauty, poetic commentary!

@acidtechno 7 месяцев назад

agreed, it can do so much. like a mini DAW in hardware.

@ricardojmestre 4 месяца назад

Ah, I needed this comment. Thank you.

@allyouracid 9 месяцев назад

My experience: it's only difficult to people who refuse to read the manual. The Octatrack manual is one of the best I have ever gotten when buying gear, honestly. The Octatrack does have a learning curve, but that's because it's just so versatile and has so many functions. And when people realize that it's almost impossible to learn all those functions without reading the documentation which describes those functions in the first place, they will have a good time with the device. I love the Octatrack. Legendary piece of gear.

@allyouracid 7 месяцев назад

@@InTheShadowsOfOnesAndZeros really? Anything specific you found confusing, or just generally "dry"? Tbh I think it's exceptionally amazing in doing its job: well structured, clearly articulated... sure, you have to double check a few times what the abbreviations (the keys, functions etc) mean, but after a few pages, that became less and less. Compared with the steep learning curve without the manual, or worse: the Behringer Crave or TD-3 manuals, it's much better, considering you have a moment of silence and the muse to read and follow it, steep by step. 👍

@StephenMcLeod 5 месяцев назад

Yeah, that's the thing really. Even if you read the manual, the amount of stuff in there can make it difficult to grok. That's both a blessing and a curse!

@AdamsOlympia 4 месяца назад

I didn’t have the attention span to read Elektron’s manual front to back - It’s very dense and dryly written, but excellent for specific reference., Synthdawg’s OT manual was much easier reading for me, and what helped me finally crack this nut. Definitely worth the peanuts he charges for all his manuals

@allyouracid 4 месяца назад

For people struggling with the manual and/or device, why not. Judging from the amount of videos trying to explain stuff which is already explained in the manual, there's obviously a market for that.

@704queencitygoon6 Месяц назад

@allyouracid Finally, someone gets it! Back in the 90’s there wasn’t RU-vid instructional videos in detail on drum machines and samplers etc. Majority of people nowadays are too fkn lazy to read the manual. I went to a 90’s indy version of a Guitar Center and I went into the dj equipment/beat production room and I asked the guy about the E-MU SP1200 and he said you wanna know all of it’s capabilities? I said yeah and he said then read the manual.

@OrangeDrinkMusic 11 месяцев назад

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!

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I guess the problem is that sometimes you have no idea what the word you need is with the Octatrack!!

@KenithCopeland 2 месяца назад

this is exactly right. people try learn the whole thing at once which is a terrible idea

@useca 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

I like your idea for assignment of the parts to patterns in your template

@useca 11 месяцев назад

@@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 RU-vid too).

@acidtechno 7 месяцев назад

I use them like drum kits or variations , amen to parts

@kevinopaqueary4651 3 месяца назад

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.

@almightyEsquilax 11 месяцев назад

Welcome to the shame basket. I'll make some room...

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I'm going to have to trademark the shame basket

@georat16 11 месяцев назад

Yeah, right?!? Move over, dudes (as I elbow my way in...) Y'all are not alone!! 😂

@NoFishCanSwim 11 месяцев назад

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!

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

You can learn from my misadventures!!!

@koalemos1679 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

@@koalemos1679 great price!

@SnoopLazeranake 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

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.

@chetplease 11 месяцев назад

good, honest take. i love the OT. I'm looking forward to seeing more from you about this

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Thanks a lot! More to come as I document my failures

@gridus5380 7 месяцев назад

Its my favourite bit of kit by far, just so well designed, tricky, but once you get it, its brilliant. Like riding a bike.

@StephenMcLeod 6 месяцев назад

I'm terrible at riding a bike as well to be fair

@samueljosephkim- 11 месяцев назад

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.

@funkingitup1805 4 месяца назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod Месяц назад

That is very true. A good way to put it.

@TristanBaldi 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Great tip and another bonkers thing!!

@phillindablank 11 месяцев назад

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?

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Hey thank you. I've been getting a big back piece done... but it's taking a whiiiile due to the size.

@auxlen 27 дней назад

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. 😂

@StephenMcLeod 27 дней назад

Exactly!!

@johngilbert184 11 месяцев назад

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...

@MarvinDeutz 11 месяцев назад

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!

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

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...

@awesomeduder 11 месяцев назад

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!

@dillipphunbar7924 11 месяцев назад

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!

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Hell yeah. The performance section is wild.

@jmun_11 2 месяца назад

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the OT, and also thanks for addressing the question and making a positive difference :)

@StephenMcLeod 2 месяца назад

Thanks for watching!!

@GurtTarctor 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

I'd love to get my hands on a Faderfox UC4!

@viennabonaparte 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

You're rocking the M8 tbf!!

@FuZZbaLLbee 11 месяцев назад

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 😀

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Templates are for champions!

@jamiemackie8456 11 месяцев назад

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

@dreikycaprice 11 месяцев назад

You nailed it calling out the oblique file management "system." It wears one down and wastes time.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Yeahhh things like that don't need to be... fixed. Just go with what makes the most sense for the user.

@RaphaeltDrechsler 11 месяцев назад

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

@polyphonico 11 месяцев назад

Which class was this?

@RaphaeltDrechsler 11 месяцев назад

@@polyphonico This was from a website called dvd-lernkurs. Unfortunately the course exclusively in German.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

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. :)

@RaphaeltDrechsler 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod yeah! Thank you very much, man! I am definitely still curious what you will create with this device. Cheers :D

@funkytransport 8 месяцев назад

enjoyed this alternatve view - thanks

@StephenMcLeod 8 месяцев назад

Glad it was useful!

@andrij.demianczuk 8 месяцев назад

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 :)

@TristanBaldi 11 месяцев назад

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!

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

God bless destruction

@stephenmarsh6746 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

They definitely both have different strengths. The MPC is frustrating in many ways as well, but probably slightly easier. Hope you love it!

@EVILJAMARR 10 месяцев назад

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 ❤

@StephenMcLeod 10 месяцев назад

Don't blame me!!! But I hope you love it :)

@d.g.f.7056 11 месяцев назад

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

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Would love to check them out if I ever come across them! They seem pretty tough to find for decent prices sadly.

@d.g.f.7056 11 месяцев назад

@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

@LabRatWarfare 11 месяцев назад

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!! 🤘🐀

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Always a learning curve... and unfortunately my attention span is so short that I usually fail miserably at tackling any of them haha.

@leftmono1016 11 месяцев назад

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 😀👍

@StephenMcLeod 10 месяцев назад

Hell yeah. Had a few of those moments already!

@medenine4828 11 месяцев назад

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….

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

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...

@Caribe_ 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 10 месяцев назад

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.

@bagheeramusic2452 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

Hell yeah. The Octatrack really is something else entirely. I'm looking forward to digging in.

@brianwyse5810 11 месяцев назад

any reviews of the sp II?

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Not something I've had the chance to use I'm afraid!

@dialnfornick 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the video man 👍👍🍕

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for watching!

@a1o1 11 месяцев назад

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 !!

@StephenMcLeod 10 месяцев назад

The curse of repeat buying! Let me know if you do end up getting another one.

@vikramjitbanerjeetuki 9 месяцев назад

How does it compare to a Yamaha RS7000 sampler groove box?

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

I haven't used one so can't comment!

@andreash3906 3 месяца назад

Have you tried EZBot's templates on the octatrack?

@StephenMcLeod 3 месяца назад

I have not. Should I?!

@aikighost 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 10 месяцев назад

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...

@fulanxi6434 11 месяцев назад

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 !

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

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!

@cold_fashioned 11 месяцев назад

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.

@ibrajimenez2098 10 месяцев назад

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

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

We've all been there. Trawling eBay in the dead of night. Waking up to the 'your item has shipped' email...

@LordHando 9 месяцев назад

Love these videos about music where no music is being played.

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

I'm glad.

@EZBOT_ 11 месяцев назад

Can't wait to pop the lid off the mystery box of this question!

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

You've already ripped it CLEAN AFF

@EZBOT_ 11 месяцев назад

@@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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

@@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.

@EZBOT_ 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod Hopes and prayers for a MKIII

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Naw sack that. I just bought this!

@jpjameson 4 месяца назад

Your background provides context on your perspective as you tell us whether or not the Octatrack is complex. 🤪

@cl1xor 11 месяцев назад

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!

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I haven't played about with the FX too much so this is a good tip!

@MatsueMusic 2 месяца назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod Месяц назад

The performance sampler is one area I need to investigate in particular...

@MGoolas 11 месяцев назад

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 ?

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

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

@dr34mw34v3r 11 месяцев назад

The octa is it’s own beast all together. Took me about a year before I stopped using it as a giant digatakt

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

A giant Digitakt is also a pretty cool use!

@dr34mw34v3r 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod nothing wrong with that indeed, also considering theyll prob be the same price soon the rate digitakts are goin

@Jack458111 6 месяцев назад

Isn’t the software for the project structure like ten years old now?

@StephenMcLeod 6 месяцев назад

Aye, ancient.

@alan93 5 месяцев назад

I've watched 5 videos on this thing and still don't what it is.

@StephenMcLeod 5 месяцев назад

I've got one and I still have no idea what it is

@billionplays808 11 месяцев назад

Thanks dude. You'r funny.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Why thank you

@jamiemackie8456 11 месяцев назад

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 🙂

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

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).

@lundsweden 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Smart! If it wasn't for the 1gb storage limit I would probably pick up another digitakt...

@user-fi4yd2kf6g 7 месяцев назад

Very curious - do you still own it and use it?

@StephenMcLeod 7 месяцев назад

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.

@user-fi4yd2kf6g 7 месяцев назад

@@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...

@StephenMcLeod 7 месяцев назад

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.@@user-fi4yd2kf6g

@justinjones2595 11 месяцев назад

Highly recommend the Synth Dawg manual. Worth every penny

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the tip!

@krazywabbit 11 месяцев назад

Do you think if one has a load of libations on board, would the Octatrack beer more intuitive?

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

That's usually my approach, to be fair.

@AboveTheTrees00 11 месяцев назад

same reason i sold digitakt didn't have patience, but itching to get back into elektron..this time with more patience..🙂

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Good intentions are always the first start!!

@Clee3421 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Indeed

@koalemos1679 11 месяцев назад

Scenes are for tweaking machine parameters. Parts are for assigning different machines, samples, or parameters. There’s a lot of overlap with parts’ abilities.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Cannae wait to dive into parts!

@mattkaz9604 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

To be fair I think you have legit reason to feel cocky if you know MSP!!

@crybo 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

The MPC Live is real nice. Is the Maschine + the standalone one? My pal had one and it looked like an amazing beast.

@crybo 11 месяцев назад

@@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.

@guysmiley7289 11 месяцев назад

I had one and sold it. After, I watched more videos and most people seem to use it as a performance mixer.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

That does seem to be a common use!

@AdamsOlympia 4 месяца назад

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.

@leeconnolly236 11 месяцев назад

Isn't the Octatrack MK3 about to drop though 😉

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

For the past five years!

@ushnicyuvnikof2748 2 месяца назад

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!

@variousdispositions 11 месяцев назад

I to me the Octatrack looks super fun to use in a performance scenario…..that fader…

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Fader is king

@rasphodamus8793 11 месяцев назад

And I still can't even figure out the Syntakt workflow. How do people write music with this thing?!

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Hey I can't help you there!

@WilliamAdelstein 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

I think that's a pretty wise approach to take!

@tinygregmusic 11 месяцев назад

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. ❤

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I'll need to check out your videos for tips!!

@tinygregmusic 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod Cheers mate! I hope you enjoy what you see! 😊

@falk3nn 9 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

That's a smart and helpful way to look at them, thanks!

@joshuamorganmusic 11 месяцев назад

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

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Sometimes the greatest love stories of our generation are a mix of hate!

@jeffryarchambeau5441 11 месяцев назад

I like Midlife Synthesist's term for the friction of forgetting how to use gadgets, but I can't bring it to mind.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

How appropriate!!

@pfft9363 11 месяцев назад

The return user barrier?

@automationtraveler 11 месяцев назад

Perfect timing with this video. I never wanted one but came close recently due to a deal online. Glad I didn’t buy it.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Ha! Did my video put you off?!

@automationtraveler 11 месяцев назад

It just reminded me why I didnt want one.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I aim to serve!!

@Radar23 11 месяцев назад

Yes

@CrypticCircuits 11 месяцев назад

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!

@StephenMcLeod 10 месяцев назад

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.

@_MarcusNewman_ 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Also a good addiction to have!

@VIDDTHEDESIGNER Месяц назад

bro you said it perfect, you go play the thing come back a week later and forget how it works.

@StephenMcLeod Месяц назад

Ha right

@scottmcdiarmid8196 11 месяцев назад

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

@Philodrone 11 месяцев назад

I own this thing for nearly a year, but I’m too lazy to learn more than basics lol.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Sounds familiar!

@mastermachetier5594 2 месяца назад

How are you liking the octatrack 9 months later

@StephenMcLeod Месяц назад

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.

@mastermachetier5594 Месяц назад

@@StephenMcLeod story of my life 😝

@hollownation Месяц назад

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

@StephenMcLeod Месяц назад

I think that's about right, though some of the problem is not knowing what is possible.

@djkanyon 8 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 8 месяцев назад

Laptops just don't gel with me for the music composition side. Not sure why. Perhaps the mouse. I hate the mouse.

@djkanyon 8 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod me too! everytime i see it's tail i'm like hell no... anyway there's always analog synths to come back too.

@user-vf1tf4hb9b 11 месяцев назад

Мужская грудь как символ женских очков

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

This is my second favourite comment of this year

@audiolego 9 месяцев назад

Do the Macprovideo tutorial mate. It's how I learned to use my Analog 4 Elektron very well in one day.

@StephenMcLeod 9 месяцев назад

I'll check it out!

@cooptrol 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I didn't actually realise they were unpopular at first... but I am not too surprised.

@cooptrol 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod t'was the time when the master volume knob was not the master but the cue volume! absurd! haha

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

@@cooptrol oh dear god

@acidgirl.303 3 месяца назад

Valuable information. Now you have friends?

@StephenMcLeod 3 месяца назад

Even less friends than before!

@acidgirl.303 3 месяца назад

@@StephenMcLeod well…Elektron will always be with us ❤️

@Bibblebabbler 11 месяцев назад

Octapain workflow it’s the reason why they killed they guy who created it.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Controversy!

@findjonmoses 11 месяцев назад

The trick is to learn about “Parts”. Then all becomes clearer…sometimes 😅

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Clear as mud ha

@gazfunk 11 месяцев назад

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.

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

Life's too short. Amen.

@gazfunk 11 месяцев назад

@@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.

@TriangleWaveRecords 5 месяцев назад

Just ignore Parts and you’ll be fine 🤣

@StephenMcLeod 5 месяцев назад

That's what I've done so far!!

@universalvibe72 11 месяцев назад

Gas buy💨 level 9 😮

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

I'm sorry :'(

@GeorgeLocke 11 месяцев назад

I see a lot of high level performers using it more or less as a performance mixer and looper...

@StephenMcLeod 11 месяцев назад

That does seem to be a common use case!

@GeorgeLocke 11 месяцев назад

@@StephenMcLeod to be clear, excelling in these tasks is not easy!

@DoseOver88 7 месяцев назад

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