Glad I could be of assistance! Thanks again for watching :)

Hey! No worries bein a noob. I'm honestly intimidated by the idea of teaching the basics because I've never been a teacher; I prefer to give lessons that are specific to my experience and let people extrapolate from there. If you're feeling lost, I'd recommend checking out Merlin's Guide to the Octatrack for some basic ideas about how the Octatrack is organized, as well as some basic concepts (merlin's guide on understanding the octatrack) Cuckoo (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hNiYg7J439SbfH0.html) also has a pretty extensive video series on the basics of the MK1, and the MK2 is pretty similar with the exception of a few hotkey shortcuts.

Kenny Zhao- thanks for the tips! Read Merlin’s guide a couple times, Cuckoo, of course! It’s slowly sinking in :)

Yeah, it adds something, eh?

Hey dude! Thanks for watching. Octatrack can do all that and more - so whether you're looking for that extra 80% of features would be my question. For about half the price you can probably get a Digitakt and a mixer. The Digitakt is a very capable sampler and beat machine/sequencer, and you would have a lot more control over levels with a mixer. If you're looking to solve that particular problem I'd recommend checking out that configuration because it might be easier to get up and running

@@KennyZhao Thanks alot! I guess I'll do that, the Digitakt with a mixer. Maybe in the next generation of Elektron devices I'll get one of the big boys :) Keep up the good work!

Di Sc awesome, thanks again for watching! If you do end up wanting to upgrade, I think you’ll find the transition far easier as I’ve heard the workflow is similar. Elektron products also have a decent resale value on Reverb which is nice. Thanks again for watching!

Traditionally speaking, it's not great for studio. It plays by its own rules, its audio manipulation often leaves artifacts, and it has a characteristically digital sound. But if you don't mind those things (which I don't), it can be a great tool for creating inspiring ideas and sounds! I've found a great deal of starting points for more developed ideas within Ableton. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend it primarily as a supplement to a studio setup. It's so complex that it often works best as the star of the show.

Patterns don’t hold samples - parts do. So if you want to hold a new sample you will want to copy your current part to the next one, and adjust. Or you can change the sample with a p-lock, but I’d recommend using parts to keep things clear.

@@KennyZhao awesome, thank you so much! Do banks hold sample assignments? Could I set it up so that a bank corresponds to a track in a live set? Also through parts or can I just use banks to switch to a new song (new samples) without bothering about parts? Also my pickup machine stops playing / working if I click on the track it’s assigned to. Also I can’t stop overdubbing for some reason. It’s whole functionality seems very different than the one from your pickup machine video... How can I get it run like the one you have? Also is it possible to move recorded audio from a pickup machine to a flex or static machine in order to keep it for later, use it?

@@dewalta Yes, banks hold four parts and 16 patterns each, so you can definitely use that to keep your tracks separate! I actually go over that exact thing in this video, on performing using stems: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/etCaoNWVtdPQqqM.html If you're still confused about how banks/parts/patterns are organized, I'd suggest reading through Merlin's Guide to the Octatrack, which has a pretty good overview of how the Octatrack is structured: www.elektronauts.com/t/a-polished-version-of-merlins-ot-guide-here/42860

@@dewalta As for Pickup machines, I think you should try setting your pickup machine to "one2" on the record setup page 1. You may also want to check out my video on pickup machines, which goes over some of the settings details. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y8mBqJypmdTIiWw.html Pickup machines record to the record buffer of the track they're assigned to, meaning the moment you flip a pickup machine over to a flex machine (and provided it is assigned to its record buffer), it will be ready to playback and slice your most recently recorded loop on that track!

Andrew Munsterman I think if you’re patient, and already have some knowledge of Elektron workflow, it’s probably not too bad. Still a very deep machine though - I’ve never worked with a Digitakt so I can’t speak from experience

its quite a bit harder and more complicated than a Digitakt!

I've had a Digitakt for about 6 months now and I'm super comfortable with it. Also have an Analog Four mk2 that I don't find too difficult to use. I just got an Octatrack a few days ago though and I'm definitely having a much harder time wrapping my head around it. It's very non-intuitive.

Yeah this definitely helps sometimes, but at least so far I've enjoyed having delay and other effects directly on the source. Recently I've been using more outboard FX though so I may switch in the future!

Certainly, and thanks for watching! If you're using a headphone-to-stereo 1/4", you may still hear mono if you're using one instrument at a time, because the OP1's individual patches remain in mono. I believe the only things that are in stereo are the FX applied to the master channel, or if you pan within the 4track.

This is why I use a reverb pedal with my OP1 almost every time - I find it widens the signal and brings a lot of the sounds to life.

@@KennyZhao ok thanks for help, is it the same reason I hear the OP-1 on only one of my speaker when I plug it into my OT ?

How do you have the OP1 plugged in?

@@KennyZhao never mind it works fine now ! thanks

AdrianVino the reverb engine of the octatrack is now old and limited vs the reverb of the recent gear like the digitakt / digitone. the original octatrack was released like ten years ago and the mkii has the same fx engine. the empress is a dedicated reverb pedal and like the big sky or blue sky, is way more deep, clean and powerful than any of the reverb that comes with the elektron boxes and other synths / machines.

Thank you. I have owned the Oto Bam, Big Sky, and a few more. Never owned an Empress. I would love to just use Octa live and a vocal processor wit mic. Just wished the reverb was better maybe.

Yeah, there's pretty much no contest. I'd compare it to the onboard reverb on a synthesizer - serviceable, and there are some cool things you can do with it sequencing-wise (LFO the dry/wet, etc.), but quality-wise the Empress blows it out of the water. Plus, it's MIDI enabled so if you have the additional MIDI box you control it in all kinds of ways with the Octatrack, including selecting presets and mapping automation to the patterns.

Kenny Zhao feel the same about the delay in the Octa.

Definitely not! Here's a link to my live-stream today, where I tried to break out of that: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i9GJfMeQvLzRcqs.html This is a pretty ambient improvised set I put together, using basically just the pickup machines kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rtCHYMqiqNPYd4U.html And if you're looking for something still somewhat beat-driven, Ivar Tryti does a ton of hip hop beats: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q9WBktRe0Mq1nGw.html

Sazazie pretty small - like 1-2cm. I found them in a store so I just eyeballed it kinda

Kenny Zhao thank you so much!

Perhaps sell your octatrack

I guess I should make this clearer - my tutorials are not meant to explain the basics of how to use the Octatrack. Most of my videos are more in-depth explorations of what you can do once you have the fundamentals down. I believe Cuckoo does a pretty thorough explanation on how it works from the ground up (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hNiYg7J439SbfH0.html). He's working from the MK1, but the design is still fundamentally the same There's also Merlin's Guide, which goes over a larger picture of how the files are organized, and some beginning suggestions on how to build a set (www.elektronauts.com/t/a-polished-version-of-merlins-ot-guide-here/42860) Beyond that, honestly I'd recommend still reading the manual. It's a deep machine, and there's likely tons of stuff I don't know, even having read the manual cover to cover myself. Best of luck!