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I wish I could afford both the octatrack and Live, but I’m forced to choose between the two. Which one do you find the most inspiring? Are you using the latest octatrack?
I've just got the OT MkII. But previously (years ago) had a dual MK1 setup. Although I never got anywhere close to understanding them before i sold them.
I've had the Live since they were 1st released (1st batch pre-order) but i've only got round to using it in the last few weeks.
Currently as it stands, with my limited knowledge of both machines, i'm more into the MPC Live. Just feels more familiar for what i'm trying to do at present. That said, i'm only doing the familiar things as a more direct way to try learn the MPC.
But i also got the OT to help me break out of the standard way in which i work. When i had the OT's previously i always came up with unexpected & unusual things, even with my limited understanding.
When i think about musical ideas my mind tends to think more about the possibilities of the OT. I'm really excited about trying to create some Generative stuff, with the conditional trigs. But at this moment in life in need to be able to get on & make music. The MPC is definitely easier on the brain.
Are you aware of the OT tracks being Monophonic?
Edit: I've spent a few hrs this evening with the OT. I managed to find my way back to a previous level of familiarity. At this moment i pretty much know that for me to use the OT in a standard track building format would be a complete waste of its abilities. It just begs to be experimented with. Literally, 1 sound can be mangled to f**k. There are videos that show whole compositions made with just 1 sound.
And as i type this & play with the OT's crossfader i'm looking over at the MPC and wondering if i really do want to work in a more traditional/standard way.
Ultimately i will keep both. The ground covered by both is staggering & the possibilities really are endless. My goals & desires change all the time, so i'm well covered here.
Let me know if you have any questions. Tell me what kind of music you're looking at making.
If you want, i'd be happy to talk on the phone. I find it hard to express thoughts in writing regarding these 2 machines.
The OT II is a beast of a machine (I have one and most of the Elektron boxes) but if it is your first machine of this type then you will have a very, very steep learning curve.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
You can record fx automation but i don't think you can edit the automation at present.
I don't necessarily think the OT would be better suited for atmospheric, drones, textures based music. Because It really comes down to workflow & how you might approach making your tracks. When i use atmospheres & textures i like to be able to play around with layering them in realtime. The Live is better suited in that scenario because the tracks can be poly & you can try layering loads of different sounds randomly in realtime. With the OT tracks being monophonic each time you press a button you cut off the previous sound triggered on that track. You have other tracks to use, but you'll have to keep switching between tracks.
For me, the Live is better for composition & the OT is better for sound design & exploration.
This video might help.
You mentioned that it would be nice to still be discovering things in 5 years time. The thing i wonder, in regards to the OT is that you might just end up noodling endlessly. Tracks might end up sounding very OT specific. There are so many interesting possibilities but i think you'd need to be disciplined in how you'd use them, otherwise all that glitch madness might end up on everything you do.
It's a really tough call to make. But you'll never really know what you might be missing if you don't try the OT. It's 1 thing to hear OT demos, it's another to actually use one.
The Deluge seems to be a great instrument. But my prediction is that you'll get the Live, eventually.
I’m a single channel amp loving technophobe and it’s been a doddle to get to grips with.
You can set poly chords on the Seq per track or you can use individual tracks for each voice and have more control over note placement. It does get me wondering what it’d be like pairing it with the Rev2 desktop but that’s usually the sort of thinking that gets me in trouble.
Dave.
I recently sold my Mpc Live. It really was an amazing machine in many ways, but in the end I found the sample manipulation capabilities lacking and boring to use. I also really disliked the FX. The recent OS update with Standalone Automation might have made it a little more interesting to work with but i was ok letting it go. I’ve now bought a Digitakt, to work alongside my Octatrack and I couldn’t be happier with that combo. Traditionally I’ve been happy with a linear sequencing environment (DAW then Standalone) but it seems I couldn’t break out of 25 year old habits. The Elektron sequencers have radically altered that workflow and my desire to make new (to me) and interesting music.
Have a look through this Blackbox thread on Elektronauts: https://www.elektronauts.com/t/1010music-blackbox/86718