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RE: Octotrack... Still a mystery...



MArk and any one that might be interested...Some quick answers.. 
" the Pickup machine thing, seems like a pretty basic looper, with over dub, cant really see how it can do feedback or editing on the fly, or anything but its very hard to tell. " 
Feedback is easy it's on the playback menu and is called "gain" if it's 0 feedback is at even, positive numbers INCREASE volume of the loop with each overdub, and negative numbers decrease volume of the loop.. it can be set to affect feedback just during overdub or at play back.. there are also a multply function (press "MIDI" to multiply active pickup machine and there is reverse... of course you can also affect pitch of playback.. and if you chose to playback a loop done in pickup mode on a flex channel you can affect rate and quite a few other paremeters.. the of course you can sample loops with recorders or record loops to loops.. so it is not a EDP or LP1 but it can do stuff those machines can't.. even with loops (if you count live recorded samples or re-sampled loops as lve looping)
"  Its seems to be mostly a drum-machine type thing, "
> i see it more as a sampling synth.. but it is also a great rhytm machine.. 
" Im looking for a pretty fluid and jammable drum-machine and sequencer, so I think Octo will do that for me, has some interesting muting and morphing of parameters...  "
> yes that's rather easy, especially with live recording to patterns.. 
"  On Octotrack its seems (from the YouTube vidz) that its all endless going in and out of menus, scrolling to parameter, or.. assigning things to things... JESUS:. Its looks just so obtuse! "
> Well the "problem" is that you can do so MUCH with the OCTA, i use perhaps 20% of the functions and it keeps me feeling creative.. For  me it was quite easy to find a way of doing something fun and then i started to add stuff as I went along. LEarn it in small steps or you WILL be frustrated... Sequencer, track on off, playing with scenes, live recoding mode keeps me busy.. then e learned how to edit, slice alter loop points on the fly.. but as said i have not used a LOT of features, i seldom use more that 2 scenes, have NEVER used arranger or parts.. yet.. 

I pretty much work within a few projects so i seldom worry about sets.. i have a few projects with settings to start from, mich change some samples and effects, alter time signature of tracks and then I'm ready. Quite often i just turn it on, using the project that happens to be there have fun until famaily disturbs and if i have done some cool stuff, save and come back later.. I HATE setting up that's why i don't use a computer.. 
"like setting up rythmic triggers BEFORE the sample is recorded, "
> you don't have to do that you can sample just buy pressing record.. but having a record on a triggers ensures that it starts exactly in time with everything else on the sequencer.. 

"My music is amde by walking into my stdio and starting to play the guitar... I find and tweak patches as I go along, I loop bits, process bits and loop some more... then The kid comes in and asks me to play PlayStation with him, and I turn it all off... Or... I turn up at the cafe with my gear, my drummer turns up and we play... I dont have time for "programming" But want beats and drum-machine... so hows the experience of using Octotrack, what does it feel like?"
> FOR ME it feels great, it is my instrument now, as said i fire it up "tweak patches" wich om the octa means adjustung effects, changing some samplles, most sequencing alteration is done while playing.. I like the interface but there is a learing curve and if you have VERY specific ideas on how you want to work the octa might not fit... but if you are willing to be inspired to do things that you maybe haven't imagined yet the octa can be great fun and inspirational.

Don't know if I'm helping..