Red Means Recording Learns the Octatrack with EZBOT

In this video Jeremy Blake (Red Means Recording) visits Patchwerks to learn the Elektron Octatrack MKII with resident expert Matthew Piecora (EZBOT).
Since its first appearance, over a decade ago, the Octatrack has been mangling its way into the hearts and minds of live performers and audiences across the globe. Its dynamic sampling powers have turned it into an industry standard across a wide variety of genres, changing the way gear setups look and giving artists the power to perform live in the truest sense of the word. More than ever, this is a machine to set your imagination free.
Learn more about the Elektron Octatrack here: bit.ly/octatrack_mk2_blk
Red Means Recording makes all sorts of wonderful music related content, you can check it out here: / @redmeansrecording
Dive a bit deeper into your Octatrack with EZBOT here: / @ezbot_
patchwerks.com/​​​
Demonstration by: Jeremy Blake (Red Means Recording) and Matthew Piecora (EZBOT)
Video by: Matthew Piecora
www.ezbot.live

[@adfresh2266]

I officially will never complain about learning the Deluge ever again

[@Ponchy]

Haha luckily I went the opposite direction.

[@HiLoMusic]

lmaoo

[@williamwallace6508]

@@Ponchy and how did you find it? vs the deluge? Using together?

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

I just rewatched this because I'm getting mine tomorrow. I was educated. Thank you, Brother EZ.

[@user82938]

One thing I would encourage beginners to do: always save Part 1, even if you don't intend to set up any of the other Parts. By saving Part 1, you give yourself the ability to reload all of your machine states, in case you ended up tweaking to a weird place.

[@PatchwerksSeattle]

An excellent suggestion!

[@GearAddict90210]

I would even go so far to say record every sounds you like into audio - next time you load the project it might not be there in the same state any more. I find it is very common that I unintentionally make parameter changes without noticing. Don't expect a "total-recall" kind of experience, it's more that you have to go with the flow and catpure it while it is there. That's my experience with the OT. I think that is the overal idea anyways - once rendered you can assign the loop(s) to a static machine to save RAM and possibly lay out larger chunks with the arranger view.

[@nepntzerZer]

@@GearAddict90210 im pretty sure you can save a project and itll save your tweaks. however werid stuff can happen with this thing so recording your cool new sound is a good idea.

[@somtamtim]

They really needed to remove the idea of parts and just let each pattern be self contained, like on the analog models. Would have made life easier for everyone. hah

[@user82938]

@@somtamtim I wouldn't want to get rid of the Parts. If you need easier, buy a Digitakt. The Octatrack is for going nuts.

[@josemarquez950]

This is excellent. Your 24 minutes to record took me about 24 hours alone. I would 100% pay for this training!

[@tmn3707]

12:29 "When MIDI works it just feel real good" !!

[@messer21]

OT has been my favorite instrument for over 10 years.

[@messer21]

I need to make another trip to Patchwork’s, haven’t been since pre shutdowns. Was present for the Korg presentation. Good people run that company

[@user82938]

I love watching people learn the Octatrack. It's such an insane way of doing things, but eventually you remember everything and then it's so cool.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

agree and masters of EDM have one. When I was jamming in socal with veteran electronic musicians, most had one as part of their live mobile rig.

[@zoltn]

Red Bot Recording for EZ Means to the Octatrack 😻

[@xivivix7195]

I just opened up my new Octatrack and I'm following along with this tutorial. At 12:24 I hit play on my Octatrack and it started the loop on my Syntakt. It's my first time using MIDI in my entire life. I totally felt Jeremy's joy.

[@dreamdealer]

this should be a whole series!!! amazing stuff.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

indeed the Octatrack is a very deep and complex machine.

[@grandmasterjo1]

The more you watch Ezbot tutorials the less you know , and the more you learn. 😜🤣😜 Thank you for the external remixer tutorial. 👍👍

[@cockur]

You can place multiple trigs on a THRU machine track. This doesn't effect any incoming audio - however it can be used to re-trigger any effects or LFOs from LFO FX1 or FX2. Super useful for adding beat synced modulations to you incoming audio. Some FX kind of get a pulse when a trig is placed on their THRU track - the Comb Filter for example

[@fractalimmersion]

Favourite moment: Jeremy “so we click slots? Ooo we’ve got waffles!” 😂

[@unic0de-yvr]

@10:00 - This weird behaviour of the Thru machine is less weird if you go over to the Amp section of the thru machine parameters, and see what's going on in there. You have ADSR envelopes which you can trigger to gate or shape the volume of the incoming audio. The default settings are a "once triggered, stay open forever" envelope, but you can set it however you like!

[@brndnwilliams42069]

This was the best octa video. Part two please!

[@tendingtropic7778]

'it has its own timbre' haha good one!

[@Atograph]

I appreciate this! I have a DT, but don't own an OT, so it gives a quick intro in a perspective that I can relate to.

[@CleberNisek]

Great video. Even before I was halfway through I *gave up* on buying an OT. Thanks ❤️

[@interferencefringes5019]

It's fun to listen to you both. Do something together more often!

[@kolvis6626]

to whoever edited this, I appreciate 1:48 thank you

[@ZigbertD]

I knew that eventually I'd find the Elektron box that created pure waves of bliss in me, and the Octatrack is that box. I should have know from the get go that it would be the one. It's complicated, but at every turn something amazing emerges...

[@nepntzerZer]

ive had one for years and im still finding stuff on it. its an insane machine. best tip is to find a way to use it, master that way then go onto something else. if you want a live looper learn how to do that first and master it. if you want something to play back your daw stems live then master ways to do that. if you want a crazy fx machine then just do that first. people get into trouble when they see all the things it can do and feel overwhelmed. they also get into trouble with the werid way it does things because its a bit of a enigma, but once you learn how it does things the once bizarre button combinations will be second nature.

[@MSNGR415]

I really like the two person dynamic of this tutorial

[@TheoVoidTV]

great video!!!! I love how you guys just kinda randomly touch on all the most essential, fun and powerful features! Def saving this vid for future refernce.

[@AbyssalPantheon]

Hey Jeremy! I just bought an octatrack mk2 yesterday, and I am super stoked to see you made this video. I just found EZBot yesterday and subbed due to his octatrack videos, it's awesome to see this collaboration

[@Ponchy]

Such a great vid for people who are just getting into the Octatrack. I’ve had mine coming up on two years and it never ceases to amaze me.

[@chefjonsf]

Just got mine and I am excited, but cant get past the mono in, headroom, low gain recordings. If you can help with low signal samples and get them clear, please point in the right direction.

[@Johnwalkersix]

@@chefjonsf have you made any progress on this?

[@chefjonsf]

@@Johnwalkersix yah, stereo cables are a must. Plus gain staging.

[@chefjonsf]

@@Johnwalkersix Yes, the deep learning on this tool/machine is real. I find that the gain staging and uses of stereo cables are a huge help with the signal. I think in the 3 months that I"ve been tinkering with this machine, I've had some successes and failures, but definitely worth approaching with a programmers mindset.

[@Johnwalkersix]

@@chefjonsf how are you gain staging ? Have you tried Elektron Analogue Heat

[@asynchronicity]

Jeremy is going to take his Octatrack home and watch his own video several times just to begin to understand what just happened.

[@kookiespace]

9:50 you're "arming" a track. You can even see the little play symbol on the side of the track. If you hit "disarm all" and you don't have a trigger on the track the thru machine will stop working. You have to think of it as an indepedent run state to the sequencer: you "arm" your tracks, sampels, whatever, and they stay armed even if you pause the sequencer. By no means an octatrack expert but maybe this explanation helps others who are trying to learn it :P

[@20x25]

Thanks 🙏 ! One of the best and clearest OT tutorial I ever seen!

[@dgebossa]

Very nice to see both of you in the same video. Good video.

[@HelicopterRidesForCommunists]

My guys! Thank you! Its because of you two that I am on my Octatrack journey right now and I am loving it.

[@AvianBreak]

This is a perfect intro to the OT. Thank you so much!

[@lindsaywebb1904]

This is like a trip down memory lane. Sitting down with the manual ..I dunno, 10 years ago? - and trying to figure all that shit out

[@TRUEiMPROrecords]

This type of back and forth teaching video works amazingly well.. Do more!

[@timk8021]

Wish I had this walk through before I sold my first OT eight years ago. I know all this information now but, still enjoyed watching this. Good job guys

[@jothehorse]

thanks so much you two for the smooth start into the octaverse

[@asynchronicity]

This makes me feel super confident that I can get this and just hit the ground running. Kidding! It’s still insane!

[@jamessusbilla]

thank *YOU* both to infinity. i've watched this a few times now and will probably continue to do so... =)

[@aceboo7541]

Late comment but …. just congratulation.extremely good video, very valuable content. I own an octatrack for some time so I didn’t learn that much, but honestly it is one of the best vids and most enjoyable I saw on this engine. Recommended for anyone, novice or owner. Go on with this quality

[@Number01]

Is this going to be a series on the Octatrack? Perhaps a part 2? This was great! Thank you!

[@cooliew]

@12:52 "now, let's do some sampling" crazy amount of setup time! I can only imagine its cause everything within the octatrack is highly tweakable

[@maxmatteo2436]

really great to watch!!

[@paul_rowley]

Thanks folks this is so clear and helpful.

[@dbregel]

Great job guys!

[@talnadav7551]

great vid hope for more collaboration like this. it's very educative

[@LTLBIGMAN2]

Multiple tracks pointing at the same recording buffer is my favorite way to use the OT.

[@stffn]

thanks a lot! this is, what i was looking for... very much appreciated!!!

[@MattiasHolmgren]

Excellent Octatrack mk2 walkthrough guys! 🎉

[@MapaiiMusic]

Great Tutorial and Duo, Please more if you can. Congrats. Sharing is a way to knowledge

[@zpurpz]

This helped me a lot. Thanks !

[@lesstalkmoredisco9445]

Really enjoyed this one. I’ve had my OT for a year but still learn from this kind of quick runthrough of setup / features. Hope you’ll be making more OT videos Jeremy!

[@melkeveienofficial]

I love this!

[@h2g2guy]

Jeremy and Patchwerks back at it again with another excellent crossover/collab. Matthew and the entire staff of Patchwerks have always been invaluable to me when I stopped in with questions about gear; I don't think Jeremy could have found a better place to get an introduction to the Octatrack. (Sidenote -- y'all both have absolutely iconic masks. 🐺🎛️)

[@constantine8053]

I’m less baffled by my OT now!🎟🎭🎪

[@MatthewAllen_FMA]

buddy cop movie please.

[@pltndbnn]

awesome format, thnx

[@pat6741]

Yes

[@xisotopex]

what are some links to some tracks that really showcase the octatrack?

[@bastian5304]

More please!

[@kisho2679]

nice performance machine, but isn't it time for a new version "mk3" to overcome its downsides?

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Outstanding! I love my OT and still learning new things 2 years later on mine. Such a powerful device. I love to sample and remix movie clips and anime as well as sample phone call messages. I do wish that Elektron has made it Overbridge capable. Recording to a DAW like Ableton is a pain. Otherwise great system.

[@kolvis6626]

I read somewhere that the hardware was early enough that it's not overbridge capable, in a technical aspect. this didn't change with mkii cuz it uses the same hardware for the most part.

[@jerem680]

You guyz are amazing ! So talented and Jeremy so fun. Did you ever think to do a one man show ? Maybe with the cat and visual fx? 😂

[@rascal_rae]

awe FRENDZ 🥺

[@asynchronicity]

The Octatrack is intimidating but slightly less intimidating than those Boston Dynamics robot dogs.

[@latejuly432]

Sweet Boiz

[@clopz9701]

It only took 5 watches and a couple months of tinkering with my octatrack, but i can finally understanding what the hell is going on in this video

[@maarzt]

good vibes this one :)

[@els1f]

OMG thank you for talking me down from my manic gas again🤣🤣🤣 Edit: Spoke to soon..... The underworld slicing brought that gas right back

[@callernumber9]

If anyone knows, at 12:30 , why would the one shot trig re record if it was not armed?

[@atommachine]

Fun Fact ..Space X use the Octatrack for training purposes.

[@chefjonsf]

This is a great tutorial. I’m also three beers in watching this. I feel like I’m navigating to some unknown territory. Btw- is there more gain recording in stereo over mono? Asking because when plugging my op-1 mono, the gain is super low. And there’s some significant fuzz/ headroom. I cannot figure it out.

[@gabrieldelamora3701]

Loved this video! Honestly, ezbot has to be my go to for octatrack advice/expertise (right beside tharious(probably spelled it wrong) )... Anyway, just wondering, how you delete a sample that you just recorded? On the fly... Thank you ezbot!!!

[@sebasdv]

Octatrack is Fng Wild!

[@256k_]

i wish this video existed when i had my OT

[@mattkaz9604]

Great video. I've never heard Red speak before and he's so cheery and nice.

[@ruffocracia]

the many ways how to say "ok"

[@optmst8120]

Hi ez bot , I’m hoping you can help me with an issue I’m having regarding octatrack sync with Pamelas new workout. I’m trying to clock pams using midi to cv lead atm but I have just bought mmidi in hopes it will solve the issue. Pams clocks but doesn’t run with the clock from octatrack midi-cv lead, with them running from me using the start button to time it when the octatrack is programmed to sequence my prophet on channel 8 the trigs end up jumbling the clock, really hoping it’s an easy fix im assuming the channel 8 midi is sending cv info through to pams but i just need clock

[@GearAddict90210]

At 15:30 Jeremy asks whether the RECLEN setting adjusts to the pattern length and the answer suggests that lengths larger tha 64 can be set, but I don't find that to be true on my OT MK1. Am I missing something? I remember fiddling with that, thinking that you could maybe set a "stop recording" trigger at say step 128, but that also doesnt exist. So I just settled with 64 as a maximum. You can record longer but the sample-size won't end up being a precise multiple of steps. Oh wait, I can use the ONE2 mode in combination with the quantization for that? OK One next best thing to cover would be the arranger view - It's like a song mode but I also just help remembering what places you want to go and triggering different sections.

[@nepntzerZer]

yeah the cycle lengths are a mystery to me. i just found a length that worked for me when i loaded in stems.

[@TheBadal35]

Yes very pertinent, I still don't understand why this max length right after the 64 steps, after more than a year i'm always very sad about that 😢

[@barryconvex416]

I must applaud you for not saying "Diggytone" and "Diggytakt".

[@jthek2000]

Nice masks. The music is going to be so good.

[@MemoryVague]

what is taking the footage at 19:20?

[@EZBOT_]

Sony A7RMKIII

[@lorez4573]

Put a kick drum and we 're good on that, that witch you can DO! this moment is kind insane !! at 35.00

[@rich_qwik]

14:09 lol

[@constantine8053]

And now… wishing the session didn’t end so soon…

[@DonCbas]

I love the octatrack sound so much, but the workflow seems complicated.

[@iancain6647]

F*ck. I'm in for a ride.

[@toffchunks]

wow no comment lolol thks for all ;-)

[@continuummusic220]

makes me regret selling mine :(

[@messer21]

I have sold and repurchased 5 times. Finally decided this is the one I should always hold onto

[@gjanalog5675]

Lost me again for the umpteenth time. Just can’t get a handle on the octatrack😞

[@Tapepusher]

I could watch 10 hours of this, jus sayin

[@cougarman8]

20 min just to start sampling 😬 masochistic machine!

[@goodboid]

I've been using my Octatrack like my Digitakt. I'm an ass.

[@qtyqty4]

ok..ok..ok

[@splitradix]

*20 minutes of menu diving* "Now we're ready to sample!"

[@curtc6563]

Ot is sometimes unbearable, other times unthinkable

[@dirthawk]

a public comment

[@beyondthegong]

Congrats on finally going public.

[@ursusaltered]

Nice masks

[@big-smoke-rc]

This is definitely too dense a workflow for me. I'd rather use a DAW at this point 😂

[@GanjaBabyy]

Insanity. Deluge makes this seem like a joke. This is too much to enjoy lol

[@user-dz4bp7vl1p]

“I know it sounds like a mess right now” hey buddy this thing always sounds like a mess. It’s good for a scientist experimenting with toy like sounds. A fooling around tool that has no place in the real pop, rock, jazz music scene. Electronic music ok then you have a winner.