Octatrack Crossfader Crash Course: Making the Most Out of a Pattern

0:00 Intro
2:41 Turnarounds
3:56 Mute State Basics
5:42 Mute States w/ FX
6:28 Layering Scenes
9:49 FX Parameter Rundown
12:59 The Fuck-It-Up Section
14:07 Percussive Melody with Comb Filters
16:39 Sync Issues with Amplitude Modulation
17:35 Putting it All Together for Performance
19:35 Structural Development via Sound Design
20:30 Conclusion + Final Thoughts
24:27 How do you use the crossfader?
24:48 Obligatory Social Media Engagement bs
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[@MaxDissent]

The modulation sync issues have to do with the timing of the interpolation between scene A and B as you move the crossfader from one to the other. Moving the crossfader from A to B at different speeds will result in the modulation being at a different place by the time it reaches scene B.

[@AtTheTableGames]

ahhhh you have put so many of my demons to rest with this explanation, thank you. such a bummer, because i’d love to have lfos only active on scenes and such, while retaining the timing. thats hardware for ya though! seriously, though, thanks for the explanation. always learning with this thing. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@MaxDissent]

@@AtTheTableGames Sure thing man. If you set the modulation to start at the trig, it should correct itself and give you some consistency on the trig following the completion of the crossfade. I could be wrong, but pretty sure...

[@vardoger]

@@AtTheTableGames don't know if you figured this out or if it's relevant but I'll comment here in case anyone shows up in the future and wonders about this: Set your AMF to a number that gives your sample a pleasing repeat speed. Set the AMD to 0. Then, scene lock the AMD to a higher number, to taste. This means the lfo of the AM thingy keeps running in sync, in the background but is not audible because the depth of the lfo is 0. The same applies to the regular lfos, if you want to sync them, you can't change the speed of the lfo with the scene slider, that'll make it all whacky and impossible to synch up. In short: Modulate depth, not frequency.

[@EZBOT_]

Never stop making these videos 🍕

[@vardoger]

the comb filter on the kick is FUN!!! Thank you octadad, my second favorite dad!

[@ciavattas]

Hey there, dear messy human! I just wanted to say that I'm really enjoying your octa-stuff videos man. I'm starting just now my octatrack learning path, and I keep coming to your stuff more than other more "professional" tutorials about that messy Elektron box, because your way of exposing things is just spot on between teaching and having fun while doing it. The first days with the Octa felt so annoying, searching through the manual, looking on the web for every bite of information... Now, I just trigger one of your videos and I instantly feel like taking a seat beside my skilled friend, stealing stuff from him and having a good laugh here and there in the process. Tl:dr - love your stuff, thanks a bunch for taking the time to produce it. Cheers from Italy!

[@timt6626]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make these tutorials. They are funny, entertaining and most of all very valuable to new OT users such as myself. Wonderful job mate.

[@kristijanog]

I don't own any elektron device but I find your videos engaging, fun and informative. Man, you keep me focused for more than 20min on a subject that I thought was unwachable for me. Keep on the good work :) Maybe someday I'll take the plunge and buy an octatrack.

[@Auroramaya]

GOLDMINE OF TIPS! Sorry my caps lock was broken for a moment.

[@audiomon]

The fader is one of the features that keeps the OT unique after so many years on the market. It is one of my favorite machines ever!

[@nickwatson2217]

Thanks for the content, its really nice to have someone just talking about how they use the octatrack personally. With scenes: I often hop from one scene to another without fading(ie hold B and select a different scene, sometimes back and forth rhythmically which can be fun and spontaneous with retrig time differences between scenes), also I often have scene A muted as my vanilla scene, makes sense to me to actually have a home-base that has no possibility of being affected by scenes(keeping all the parameters altered per scene in mind is confusing especially when its so easy to bump a knob and have some random parameter altered in a scene.)

[@pipobob]

This vid is another reason why I want this device !! Thanks mate ! Very interesting !

[@teckno_senpai]

instant sub. you're hilarious and also deep in your own way. i see you man! a true teacher

[@nickgomez17]

I subbed just because of how helpful this videos was, Ive watched it through multiple times now. Also because that intro was hilarious. Thanks for this one!

[@GiriGagan]

I love the way you explain things, thank you for your opinions.

[@idreaminsurfgreen5327]

My god I can't wait for more vids from you. So easy to follow and hold attention.

[@AtTheTableGames]

thank you so much! been trying to find the time to record a video on parts and performance but it’s been tough with everything going on. comments like these make me want to make time though. it means a lot.

[@robertsyrett1992]

I got this technique of using tuned sample chains (you know, slices that you can make on the computer) to make melodies, then I can use the crossfader to change the start point or an LFO pointed at the start point to create variations on the melody. Like many OT techniques it sounds a lot more fun than it reads. If you wanna try it out, I can send you some sample chains that I made for a video demo I am probably never going to make.

[@suntzu6122]

Kinda random but the thumbnail you used on this vid is actually perf. It shows exactly what the vid is about (the fader) then you got one of the highest contrast + "loudest" click-me color combo. Keep up the good work man!

[@khairitannur]

My first time coming across your vids but these are amazing. Keep it up

[@AtTheTableGames]

thank you so much! and thanks for the follow on instagram. hoping to have a new video for you guys soon. 🙏🏻

[@H3ath]

You are a treasure. Thanks for these videos.

[@rrrobart9]

👍. Nice vid! Really enjoy your presentation style and the content is clear and useful. I’m in too!

[@AtTheTableGames]

thank you so much for your comment! hope to continue to impress with new videos 🙏🏻

[@MDWeezer]

Your videos are fantastic. Would love your presence in the EZBOT Discord, we have a lot of Elektron love!

[@galkema]

More messy desk!

[@zoran68]

Thank You very much. Keep it up.

[@Nospoon777]

Just liked and subscribed brotha!

[@NeilGuise]

Hello human man! It is I, human man! Great vid! Thank you.

[@matthewpadmore8232]

thanks for the info. you should have as many views as the ricky tinez' and andrew huangs videos. keep going mate.

[@brndnwilliams42069]

You rule. Thanks for the vids

[@AtTheTableGames]

you rule! thanks for your comment, i really appreciate the feedback.

[@damien8577]

Nice one bud, really love the way you explain difficult concepts about this beautiful machine👍🏻 Just curious about whats above the Octatrack? in my setup I've got the Octatrack at the bottom and the Analog 4 on top, it works great👾

[@MidiFister]

also if it had not been mentioned anywhere - Function + the scene A or B button will turn it off or on, which is a nice way to just get back to your unaffected sound, or a nice way to cut instantly into an effect or out of it.

[@khairitannur]

Could you possibly do a video on using parts next? If you use them at all. Having a few issues getting my head around them

[@elissitdesign]

Could you go over the Recorder and Trigs for it. I get mixed results and seems to be glitchy but I could be going about it wrong. There are so many settings and even though I’ve read everything I don’t get consistency. Great content!

[@bobafat1830]

i love you

[@Leon60062]

wow. u are amazing

[@AtTheTableGames]

you are amazing for leaving such a kind comment!

[@dustinhawthorne]

these videos are incredibly helpful! question about the comb filter melody....what would the button sequence be to apply the filter to each trig in the scene and not to the pattern as a whole?

[@AtTheTableGames]

thanks so much! i just have the mix turned up on scene b. that way on scene a, the trigs are still there, but the mix is always at zero so it’s effectively a dry signal. then when we crossfader over to B, it brings in the melody

[@djanny8951]

what i really wanna see is a video where you give yourself a challenge on the Octatrack and then go for it, a video where you take your game a little further and maybe explore uncharted ground, it could be long or short video doesnt matter, a full song or just a pattern also doesnt matter, fail or succeed ? agasin doesnt matter :) thx for reading

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

Can you also set a fader curve? Like on a DJ mixer?

[@macMitja]

Nice, thank you! About the midi trigs, do you know why anytime i connect to an external synth it sounds all the trigs just if I'm moving the crossfader? And if I'm not moving it it sounds randomly? I'm not able to switch off this option, thank you in advance :)

[@AtTheTableGames]

that definitely sounds like a bug. maybe try reloading the firmware and if that doesn’t work, contact elektron-they can be pretty helpful with weird stuff like that

[@herrrausch8906]

Awesome Videos! Question to you and all fellow OT-users: I fully produce in the Octatrack to a certain degree. That means I do all the sound design and the arrangement within the machine and then record all the single Tracks into Ableton. There I do proper mixing, add nicer reverbs and do some arrangement tweaks, that cant be done within the OT. Now, I'd love to use scenes more to add interest or nice build-ups, but if you aim at recording the individual tracks, its not really usable, because you cant tell the arranger when to use which scene. Whats your approach on this? Do you just finish tracks on the OT and dont care about more detailed processing? Or is there a way to marry both things?

[@nugchompah]

Curious if you ever found an answer to this?

[@focalsounds4920]

Great run through man. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Are the scenes global? As in the 8 A's & 8 B's.. Are these per track? Per project? Or per pattern? Hope that made sense :)

[@AtTheTableGames]

hey sorry for taking so long to answer your question. there are, if i understand correctly (not necessarily a given lol) there are 16 scenes per PART. there are four parts than can be assigned to any of the patterns. so there are a total of 64 available scenes which can of course be divided between A and B however you like, on the fly-this is part of the huge fun for me. of course despite technically having 64 scenes available, while you’re jamming within a pattern you can only access 16 at a time. so for instance, pattern one is assigned to part one (with 16 scenes) and pattern two is assigned to part two (with 16 scenes)-while jamming in P1, you have access to its 16 scenes and not the 16 scenes assigned to part two. same goes for jamming in P2: you have access to the 16 scenes assigned to part two, but not part one. you could experiment with changing part assignments on the fly, but this has its own complicated implications, as is typical of the octatrack. keep in mind this is if you’re only using one bank of patterns. if we do the math, there are 16 banks of 16 patterns, with four parts (and thus 64 scenes each). so across the entirety of all banks and parts, there are a staggering 1,024 available scenes. way more than you’ll ever need i’m sure. 😂 if any of that is unclear, i’m hoping to make my next video on parts-what they are, how they can be used, and why they’re so powerful. if you have any other questions feel free to ask and i promise i won’t take a month to answer them 🙏🏻

[@kaosmossound]

Hello! Do you know a tutorial that tells how when we put a wav file in Octatrack, we can play it in its own duration? I can only hear 16 steps right now. What I want is to be able to play all of them if the wav is 3 minutes or 6 minutes. Thank you!

[@luisrivas9661]

Is there any way to reset the p locks to default ! ? Please help ? I changed some p locks and now when I play any preset patterns the slider doesn’t play as intended it’s like the p locks have too much automation from my tweaks I try to reset via function + 2 at startup please help

[@RusticRaver]

the only limitation of that octatrack is my brain!

[@kisho2679]

is the fader on the Akai Force same?

[@HenriDeCarvalho]

5:10 As a french native, it sound perfect in tone and circumstance.

[@JimCreatureCornelissen]

Is that sampled from a Christian Scott tune?

[@ivanschklowsky1164]

Hello have you heard about "vocal fry" ?

[@taithays]

"let's just han solo that"

[@AlexanderCook87]

Horn action

[@stephanechamotif_rblackwoo4528]

You all know K0Rg they manooophaktured one great sampler sequencer.... just in case. (I have both octatrack and esx1) I worked my techno and breakbeats on W30 and Ensoniqs in the 90's. Still have my juno106. And a few dark analogs. (Effects and... old korgs you all know) Never pretentious. Just need one sampler, a few "secret stuff", my Jun0.... and grains and daw to record my boom boom.

[@phonographiq]

Thx brüdder

[@Johnnyhaag79]

HAHAHAHA break down!

[@seanocean]

Perfectly awkward

[@DanielBeaulieu]

Lol, avatar rules... so does this video. Cheers

[@adriansingleton4039]

Anyone else hear "Leaves on the Vine" sung by Iroh in Avatar?

[@adriansingleton4039]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6PQi4WpeK6Iqac

[@adriansingleton4039]

Also 11:05 Avatar shoutout

[@playgroundofsound7683]

What da

[@marcosrotllan]

No song has been composed entirely with an octatrack. A expensive toy for wasting time

[@cyclonravil8624]

Bla bla bla bla bla bla