Elektron Octatrack DPS-1 User Manual
FCC compliance statement
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in
a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user
is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
European Union regulation compliance statement
This product has been tested to comply with the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 2004/108/EC.
This symbol indicates that your product must be disposed of properly according to local laws and regulations.
The included switched-mode power supply is CEC Level IV compliant.
The device contains a non rechargable lithium perchlorate battery cell that may need to be recycled separately depending on local environmental laws. If the battery needs replacing, please contact Elektron or a local professional
technician for servicing.
Important Safety Information for the Octatrack DPS-1
Carefully read these instructions and save them for future reference.
Warning
To reduce the risk of fire, electrical shock or product damage:
• Do not expose the apparatus to rain, moisture, dripping or splashing and also avoid
placing objects filled with liquid, such as vases, on the apparatus.
• Only use accessories recommended by the manufacturer.
• Do not unmount the enclosure. There are no user repairable parts inside. Leave
service and repairs to trained service personnel only.
Do not expose the apparatus to direct sunlight, nor use it in ambient temperatures exceeding 50°C as this can lead to malfunction.
The apparatus can, thru the head phones output or via an amplifier generate high sound
levels! High sound levels may damage your hearing, protect your hearing by lowering the
sound level.
Additional instructions for the power adapter Elektron PSU-2
Warning
• The adapter is not safety grounded and may only be used indoors.
• To ensure good ventilation for the adapter, do not place it in tight spaces. To pre-
vent risk of electric shock and fire because of overheating, ensure that curtains and
other objects do not prevent the adapter ventilation.
Connect the adapter to an easily accessible electrical outlet close to the apparatus.
The adapter is in standby mode when the power cord is connected, the primary circuit is
always active as long as the cord is connected to the power outlet. Pull out the power cord
to completely disconnect the adapter.
Only use CE approved power cords.
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................1-1
CONVENTIONS IN THIS MANUAL..................................................................................................... 1-1
THE BACKGROUND OF THE OCTATRACK ..............................................................1-2
SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS OF THE OCTATRACK....................................................................... 1-2
LOOPER DEVICE .......................................................................................................................... 1-2
RADICAL SOUND PROCESSOR .................................................................................................. 1-2
BACKING TRACK MACHINE......................................................................................................... 1-3
LIVE SETUP HUB .......................................................................................................................... 1-3
REMIX TOOL.................................................................................................................................. 1-3
EFFECTS UNIT EXTRAORDINAIRE ............................................................................................. 1-3
PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTORS........................................................................1-4
FRONT PANEL .................................................................................................................................... 1-4
REAR CONNECTORS ........................................................................................................................ 1-6
RACK MOUNT KIT (ACCESSORY) .................................................................................................... 1-6
RACK MOUNT KIT ASSEMBLY..................................................................................................... 1-6
THE COMPACT FLASH CARD READER ........................................................................................... 1-7
COMPACT FLASH CARD SPECIFICATIONS................................................................................ 1-7
CONNECTING THE UNIT ................................................................................................................... 1-7
CARE INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................... 1-7
OVERVIEW OF THE OCTATRACK STRUCTURE ......................................................1-9
OCTATRACK HIERARCHY ................................................................................................................. 1-9
SETS .............................................................................................................................................. 1-9
AUDIO POOL ............................................................................................................................... 1-10
PROJECTS................................................................................................................................... 1-10
FLEX AND STATIC SAMPLE SLOT LISTS.................................................................................. 1-10
BANKS.......................................................................................................................................... 1-10
PATTERNS................................................................................................................................... 1-10
PARTS .......................................................................................................................................... 1-10
SCENES ....................................................................................................................................... 1-10
ARRANGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... 1-10
TRACKS ....................................................................................................................................... 1-10
MACHINES................................................................................................................................... 1-11
HOW INFORMATION IS HANDLED.................................................................................................. 1-11
THE USER INTERFACE.............................................................................................1-12
LAYER EDIT AND WINDOWS .......................................................................................................... 1-12
PARAMETER EDITING ..................................................................................................................... 1-13
QUICK PARAMETER EDITING.................................................................................................... 1-13
PARAMETER VALUE SKIP.......................................................................................................... 1-13
QUICK SCROLLING.......................................................................................................................... 1-13
COPY, CLEAR AND PASTE .............................................................................................................. 1-13
HI-SCORE NAMING .......................................................................................................................... 1-14
QUICK START ............................................................................................................1-15
DEMO MODE .................................................................................................................................... 1-15
PLAYING THE DEMO PATTERNS............................................................................................... 1-15
ADJUSTING PARAMETERS........................................................................................................ 1-15
RECORDING A PATTERN USING GRID RECORDING.............................................................. 1-15
RECORDING A PATTERN USING LIVE RECORDING............................................................... 1-16
PARAMETER LOCKS .................................................................................................................. 1-16
MOUNTING A SET AND LOADING A PROJECT ............................................................................. 1-16
MOUNTING A SET....................................................................................................................... 1-16
LOADING A PROJECT ................................................................................................................ 1-17
1 of 6
LOADING SAMPLES ......................................................................................................................... 1-17
ASSIGNING A MACHINE TO A TRACK ...................................................................................... 1-18
ASSIGNING A SAMPLE TO A MACHINE .................................................................................... 1-18
SETS...........................................................................................................................1-20
SET MOUNTING SCENARIOS ......................................................................................................... 1-20
NO MOUNTED SET ..................................................................................................................... 1-20
SWITCHING COMPACT FLASH CARDS .................................................................................... 1-20
SETS CONTAINING NO PROJECTS........................................................................................... 1-20
CHANGING BETWEEN SETS ..................................................................................................... 1-21
CREATING AND MOUNTING A SET ................................................................................................ 1-21
AUDIO POOL..................................................................................................................................... 1-22
ADDING CONTENT TO THE AUDIO POOL ................................................................................ 1-22
AUDIO FILE COMPATIBILITY ...................................................................................................... 1-22
PROJECTS.................................................................................................................1-23
PROJECTS AND RAM MEMORY ..................................................................................................... 1-23
LOADING AND CREATING A PROJECT.......................................................................................... 1-23
LOADING SAMPLES TO THE SAMPLE SLOTS .............................................................................. 1-24
LOADING TO THE SAMPLE SLOTS IN THE QUICK ASSIGN MENU........................................ 1-24
LOADING TO THE SAMPLE SLOTS IN THE PLAYBACK SETUP MENU .................................. 1-25
FILE BROWSER........................................................................................................................... 1-26
THE PROJECT MENU ...................................................................................................................... 1-26
FILE .............................................................................................................................................. 1-27
SYSTEM ....................................................................................................................................... 1-28
AUDIO........................................................................................................................................... 1-28
MIDI .............................................................................................................................................. 1-28
MIXER MENU .................................................................................................................................... 1-30
TEMPO MENU................................................................................................................................... 1-31
TAP TEMPO ................................................................................................................................. 1-32
TEMPO NUDGE ........................................................................................................................... 1-32
TRACK RECORDERS ....................................................................................................................... 1-32
RECORDER SETUP MENU......................................................................................................... 1-33
TRACK RECORDER SAMPLING METHODS................................................................................... 1-35
MANUAL SAMPLING ................................................................................................................... 1-35
SAMPLING USING RECORDER TRIGS ..................................................................................... 1-35
PLAYBACK OF CAPTURED RECORDER SAMPLES .................................................................1-36
BANKS, PARTS AND SCENES.................................................................................1-38
BANKS............................................................................................................................................... 1-38
PARTS ............................................................................................................................................... 1-38
PART QUICK SELECT ................................................................................................................. 1-39
PARTS EDIT ................................................................................................................................. 1-39
PART RELOAD............................................................................................................................. 1-39
SCENES ............................................................................................................................................ 1-39
ASSIGNING AND ADJUSTING SCENES .................................................................................... 1-40
SCENE VOLUME LOCKING ........................................................................................................ 1-40
THE CROSSFADER IN CONJUNCTION WITH SCENES ........................................................... 1-41
SCENE MUTE .............................................................................................................................. 1-41
TRACKS .....................................................................................................................1-42
ASSIGNING MACHINES TO TRACKS.............................................................................................. 1-42
ASSIGNING MACHINES IN THE QUICK ASSIGN MENU........................................................... 1-42
ASSIGNING MACHINES IN THE PLAYBACK SETUP MENU..................................................... 1-43
ASSIGNING FLEX AND STATIC SAMPLES TO MACHINES ...........................................................1-43
ASSIGNING SAMPLES IN THE QUICK ASSIGN MENU............................................................. 1-43
2 of 6
ASSIGNING SAMPLES IN THE PLAYBACK SETUP MENU....................................................... 1-44
TRACK PARAMETER PAGES .......................................................................................................... 1-44
TRACK MAIN LEVEL ................................................................................................................... 1-44
TRACK CUE LEVEL..................................................................................................................... 1-44
PLAYBACK MAIN ......................................................................................................................... 1-45
PLAYBACK SETUP ...................................................................................................................... 1-45
AMP MAIN .................................................................................................................................... 1-45
AMP SETUP ................................................................................................................................. 1-46
LFO MAIN..................................................................................................................................... 1-47
LFO SETUP.................................................................................................................................. 1-47
LFO DESIGNER ........................................................................................................................... 1-48
EFFECT 1 AND EFFECT 2 .......................................................................................................... 1-49
DIRECT TRACK MUTING ................................................................................................................. 1-50
MAIN AND CUE OUTPUTS ROUTING ............................................................................................. 1-51
MAIN OUTPUT ROUTING ........................................................................................................... 1-51
CUE OUTPUT ROUTING............................................................................................................. 1-51
PARAMETERS AFFECTING MAIN AND CUE LEVELS .............................................................. 1-51
ROUTING EXAMPLES................................................................................................................. 1-51
PATTERNS..................................................................................................................1-55
TRIG LED INDICATIONS .................................................................................................................. 1-55
BASIC PATTERN OPERATIONS....................................................................................................... 1-55
SELECTING A PATTERN............................................................................................................. 1-55
PATTERN CHAINING................................................................................................................... 1-56
TRIG TYPES ..................................................................................................................................... 1-56
NOTE TRIGS................................................................................................................................ 1-56
SWING TRIGS.............................................................................................................................. 1-56
SLIDE TRIGS ............................................................................................................................... 1-56
RECORDER TRIGS ..................................................................................................................... 1-56
RECORDING MODES....................................................................................................................... 1-56
GRID RECORDING MODE .......................................................................................................... 1-56
LIVE RECORDING MODE ........................................................................................................... 1-57
PARAMETER LOCKS........................................................................................................................ 1-57
NOTE TRIG PARAMETER LOCKS.............................................................................................. 1-57
TRIGLESS TRIGS ........................................................................................................................ 1-57
SAMPLE LOCKS ............................................................................................................................... 1-58
MACHINE AND TRACK TRIGGING.................................................................................................. 1-58
MACHINE TRIGGING .................................................................................................................. 1-58
TRACK TRIGGING....................................................................................................................... 1-58
SEQUENCER COPY, PASTE AND CLEAR OPERATIONS.............................................................. 1-58
PATTERN COPY .......................................................................................................................... 1-59
PATTERN CLEAR......................................................................................................................... 1-59
TRACK COPY .............................................................................................................................. 1-59
TRACK CLEAR............................................................................................................................. 1-59
TRACK PAGE COPY.................................................................................................................... 1-60
TRACK PAGE CLEAR.................................................................................................................. 1-60
NOTE TRIG COPY ....................................................................................................................... 1-60
NOTE TRIG CLEAR ..................................................................................................................... 1-60
SCENE COPY .............................................................................................................................. 1-60
SCENE CLEAR ............................................................................................................................ 1-61
TRACK TRIG EDIT MENU ................................................................................................................ 1-61
TRIGS........................................................................................................................................... 1-61
SLIDE ........................................................................................................................................... 1-61
SWING.......................................................................................................................................... 1-62
3 of 6
RECORDER TRIGS ..................................................................................................................... 1-62
PATTERN SETTINGS MENU ............................................................................................................ 1-63
PATTERN...................................................................................................................................... 1-63
TRACK 1....................................................................................................................................... 1-64
MICRO TIMING ................................................................................................................................. 1-64
SCALE SETUP .................................................................................................................................. 1-65
NORMAL....................................................................................................................................... 1-65
PER TRACK ................................................................................................................................. 1-66
THE AUDIO EDITOR..................................................................................................1-67
ACCESSING THE AUDIO EDITOR................................................................................................... 1-67
ACCESS FROM THE QUICK ASSIGN MENU ............................................................................. 1-67
ACCESS USING SHORTCUTS ................................................................................................... 1-67
AUDIO EDITOR FUNCTIONALITY.................................................................................................... 1-67
TRIM ............................................................................................................................................. 1-67
SLICE............................................................................................................................................ 1-69
ATTRIBUTES................................................................................................................................ 1-70
OPERATIONS............................................................................................................................... 1-71
THE ARRANGER .......................................................................................................1-73
THE ARRANGER MENU ................................................................................................................... 1-73
EDIT.............................................................................................................................................. 1-74
RENAME....................................................................................................................................... 1-75
CHANGE....................................................................................................................................... 1-75
CHAIN........................................................................................................................................... 1-75
CLEAR .......................................................................................................................................... 1-76
STORE.......................................................................................................................................... 1-76
RESTORE..................................................................................................................................... 1-76
EARLY STARTUP MENU........................................................................................... 1-77
TEST MODE ...................................................................................................................................... 1-77
EMPTY RESET.................................................................................................................................. 1-77
MIDI UPGRADE................................................................................................................................. 1-77
SEND UPGRADE .............................................................................................................................. 1-78
TECHNICAL INFORMATION .....................................................................................1-79
SPECIFICATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 1-79
CREDITS ....................................................................................................................1-80
PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT...................................................................................... 1-80
ADDITIONAL DESIGN....................................................................................................................... 1-80
FACTORY DEFAULT SOUND DESIGN ............................................................................................ 1-80
USER’S MANUAL .............................................................................................................................. 1-80
CONTACT INFORMATION......................................................................................... 1-80
ELEKTRON WEBSITE ...................................................................................................................... 1-80
DELIVERY ADDRESS ....................................................................................................................... 1-80
TELEPHONE ..................................................................................................................................... 1-80
APPENDIX A: MACHINE REFERENCE
THRU MACHINE .................................................................................................................................A-1
THRU MAIN ....................................................................................................................................A-1
THRU SETUP .................................................................................................................................A-1
FLEX MACHINE ..................................................................................................................................A-2
FLEX MAIN .....................................................................................................................................A-2
FLEX SETUP ..................................................................................................................................A-2
STATIC MACHINE ...............................................................................................................................A-3
4 of 6
STATIC MAIN..................................................................................................................................A-3
STATIC SETUP...............................................................................................................................A-3
NEIGHBOR MACHINE ........................................................................................................................A-4
NEIGHBOR MAIN........................................................................................................................... A-4
NEIGHBOR SETUP........................................................................................................................A-4
APPENDIX B: EFFECTS REFERENCE
NONE ..................................................................................................................................................B-1
NONE MAIN ...................................................................................................................................B-1
NONE SETUP ................................................................................................................................B-1
12/24DB MULTI MODE FILTER ..........................................................................................................B-2
MULTI MODE FILTER MAIN ..........................................................................................................B-2
MULTI MODE FILTER SETUP ......................................................................................................B-2
2-BAND PARAMETRIC EQ .................................................................................................................B-3
PARAMETRIC EQ MAIN ................................................................................................................B-3
PARAMETRIC EQ SETUP .............................................................................................................B-3
DJ STYLE KILL EQ .............................................................................................................................B-4
DJ EQ MAIN ...................................................................................................................................B-4
DJ EQ SETUP ................................................................................................................................B-4
2-10 STAGE PHASER.........................................................................................................................B-5
PHASER MAIN ...............................................................................................................................B-5
PHASER SETUP ............................................................................................................................B-5
FLANGER ............................................................................................................................................B-6
FLANGER MAIN............................................................................................................................. B-6
FLANGER SETUP..........................................................................................................................B-6
2-10 TAP CHORUS ............................................................................................................................. B-7
CHORUS MAIN ..............................................................................................................................B-7
CHORUS SETUP ...........................................................................................................................B-7
DYNAMIX COMPRESSOR.................................................................................................................. B-8
COMPRESSOR MAIN.................................................................................................................... B-8
COMPRESSOR SETUP................................................................................................................. B-8
LO-FI COLLECTION............................................................................................................................B-9
LO-FI MAIN.....................................................................................................................................B-9
LO-FI SETUP.................................................................................................................................. B-9
ECHO FREEZE DELAY..................................................................................................................... B-10
DELAY MAIN ................................................................................................................................B-10
DELAY SETUP .............................................................................................................................B-10
GATEBOX PLATE REVERB.............................................................................................................. B-11
REVERB MAIN ............................................................................................................................. B-11
REVERB SETUP .......................................................................................................................... B-11
APPENDIX C: MIDI CONTROL REFERENCE
NOTE MAPPINGS..........................................................................................................................C-1
CTRL-CHANGE MAPPINGS..........................................................................................................C-2
INDEX
5 of 6
6 of 6
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for choosing the Octatrack DPS-1. The Octatrack is a dynamic performance
sampler ideal for real-time sampling, remixing and audio content manipulaton. It features
the improved Elektron step sequencer which makes it easy to bend and process samples
in new and unique ways. To make the most of the machine, we would recommend you to
carefully read this manual.
CONVENTIONS IN THIS MANUAL
In this manual we have used certain conventions. They are listed below:
Buttons are written in upper case with bold style, enclosed in brackets. For instance, the
button “function” on the main panel is written [FUNCTION].
Menu names are written in upper case. The PLAYBACK SETUP menu is an example of
that.
Parameter names and certain menus where settings can be made are written in bold,
upper case, style. HEADPHONES MIX for example.
Upper case style is used for parameter setting alternatives for example ONE, and for certain menu settings, like EXTERNAL.
Messages visible on the screen will be written in upper case with quotation marks. Like
this, “CHOOSE BANK”.
Knobs are written in upper case with bold, italic style. For instance, the knob “level” is written LEVEL.
LED indicators like the record light are written <RECORD>.
The following symbols are used throughout the manual:
This symbol indicates information that you need to pay attention to.
This symbol indicates a tip that might make it easier interacting with the Octatrack.
This symbol is not used, but it shows a nice ear.
1
THE BACKGROUND OF THE OCTATRACK
THE BACKGROUND OF THE OCTATRACK
The first relatively affordable samplers were released in the 1980’s and made a huge
impact on the music scene of that time. Suddenly producers could incorporate sonic elements, taken from completely new sources, in their compositions. This resulted in the birth
and evolution of several genres, for example hip hop. The concept of the sampler has
since then branched off in several directions. Software based samplers are today capable
of handling enormously large, multi-sampled, sample librares. Hardware samplers aren’t
really suited for those tasks. Instead, they come to their best when conceived as dedicated
devices focusing on new and radical approaches to sampling.
When we developed the Machinedrum UW, one of the goals was to allow for a creative use
of samples. Once the machine was released it became apparent that especially the RAM
machines, which made it possible to record sounds in real-time and instantly play them
back, were utilized in ways we originally couldn’t even imagine. Users around the world
used them to incorporate live sampled shortwave radio sounds in their compositions, make
instant remixes of 12” records and in general produce totally new sounds. It was obvious
that the RAM machine concept harbored a tremendous potential. This was the starting
point of the Octatrack. We wanted to create a machine that would regard recorded material
not as inflexible sounds, but rather as something highly malleable. This is one of the reasons why the Octatrack exists.
The other one is because of the stage. The computer laptop has quickly established itself
as a common instrument in live setups. It is a powerful and highly customizable tool, however, the multi functionality is at the same time a disadvantage. When it comes to audio
related tasks a laptop is still a jack of all trades but master of none. The Octatrack on the
other hand is designed to be a streamlined, reliable and straight forward machine allowing
live performers to really add something extra to their sets. It can act as a backing track
machine, a second turntable, a source of experimental soundscapes or simply as an instrument encouraging improvisation and fun.
These two reasons converge and form the ultimate raison d’être of the Octatrack: its capability to re-establish sampling as an art form. We hope it will be a trusty companion during
your musical endeavours.
SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS OF THE OCTATRACK
The flexibility of the Octatrack makes it a very powerful device suited to a wide range of
tasks. Here a few of them are presented.
LOOPER DEVICE
The Octatrack is ideal for DJ’s and live performers. You will be able to quickly sample a
turntable or other sound sources present on the stage and instantly play back and affect
the recorded loop. Add pre-recorded loops and sounds to take your performance to a completely new level. The real-time timestretch will make sure everything stays in sync.
RADICAL SOUND PROCESSOR
The combined power of the sampling engine, the sequencer and the FX blocks makes the
Octatrack a very powerful audio mangler. This functionality is great when working in the
studio and wanting to obtain unique sounds and textures.
2
THE BACKGROUND OF THE OCTATRACK
BACKING TRACK MACHINE
Each of the eight stereo tracks can stream gigabyte-
large samples. Despite the large size
of the samples they can still be subject to timestretch. Change the tempo of the Octatrack
and the backing track samples can be timestretched accordingly. On top of this you can
treat the samples with the Octatrack effects and sequencer tricks.
LIVE SETUP HUB
The two input pairs of the Octatrack can make it function as a mixer. Connect for example a
Machinedrum and a Monomachine to the inputs and enjoy a complete live setup with
extreme possibilities.
REMIX TOOL
It is easy to change the pitch of different sections
of a vocal sample without changing the
overall tempo of the sample. Chopping up and rearranging samples and loops is extremely
easy thanks to features like the LFO designer and slice points. The Octatrack lets you
break down audio content and restructure it in new and interesting ways.
EFFECTS UNIT EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chained FX blocks paired with automated real time sampling can warble and twist incoming audio in ways previously unachievable by a single machine. Up to four external and
four internal sound sources can be affected at the same time.
OCTATRACK DPS-1 USER’S MANUAL for operating system version 0.998b. This manual is copyright © 2011
Elektron Music Machines MAV AB. All reproduction without written authorization is strictly prohibited. The information in this manual may change without notice. Elektron’s product names, logotypes, titles, words or phrases may
be registered and protected by Swedish and international law. All other brand or product names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.
3
PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTORS
1
10
12
14
11
13
15
9
26
2
16 17 20 21 22 23 24 25 2318 19
3 4 45 6 87
PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTORS
FRONT PANEL
The Octatrack front panel:
1. HEADPHONES VOLUME CONTROL
2. [AUDIO RECORD] buttons are used for real-time sampling through the external inputs.
sets the volume for the stereo headphones jack.
There is one [AUDIO RECORD] button per audio input pair.
3. The <AUDIO RECORD> LEDs indicate the strength of the signal sent to the external
inputs. When in the RECORD SETUP menu these LEDs also indicate the source selection for recorder trigs.
4. [TRACK] buttons. Press a button to activate the corresponding track. Pressing a
[TRACK] button + an [AUDIO RECORD] button will record audio to the recorder of the
selected track. [FUNCTION] + [TRACK] will mute the selected track. [CUE] + [TRACK]
will cue the selected track. The <TRACK> LED’s indicate which track is active as well
as the mute and cue status of the tracks.
5. The LCD graphical interface.
6. <CARD STATUS> LED, indicating the activity of the Compact Flash card.
7. The LEVEL encoder sets the overall volume level of the active track.
8. [TEMPO] key. Brings up the tempo menu. The current tempo is always indicated by the
speed the <TEMPO> LED is flashing. Tapping in the BPM manually is done by holding
[FUNCTION] and then repeatedly tapping [TEMPO].
9. DATA ENTRY knobs. Used for tweaking parameters.
10.[MIXER] opens up a menu where settings for the in- and outputs can be made. Tracks
can also be muted and solo:ed here. Pressing [FUNCTION] + [MIXER] opens the
PROJECT menu.
4
PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTORS
11.Pressing the [
MIDI] button activates the MIDI sequencer mode of the Octatrack. [FUNC-
TION] + [MIDI] opens up the PARTS menu. A lit <MIDI> LED indicates the MIDI
sequencer is active. When in the RECORD SETUP menu this LED indicates the signal
of the internal sample source and the internal source selection for recorder trigs.
12.[FUNCTION] key. Press and hold it for accessing the secondary function of another key.
13. Pressing [CUE] + a [TRACK] key will cue the track. The audio of the track will then be
routed to the cue outputs. [FUNCTION] + [CUE] will reload the parameter settings of
the selected part.
14.Pressing [PATTERN] + a [TRIG] key selects the active pattern within a bank. The
ARRANGER menu is called by pressing [FUNCTION] + [PATTERN].
15.[BANK]
+ a [TRIG] key selects the active bank within a project. Pressing [FUNCTION]
+ [BANK] opens various context based menus.
16.[ENTER/YES] key. Used for entering sub-menus and for confirming choices.
17.[EXIT/NO] key. Used for exiting the active menu and for deselecting options.
18.The [ARROW] keys. Used for menu navigation. They are called [UP], [DOWN], [LEFT]
and [RIGHT]. Pressing [RIGHT]/[LEFT] will nudge the BPM up or down.
19.The [TRACK PARAMETER] keys switches between the TRACK PARAMETER menus
of the active track. Pressing [FUNCTION] + a [TRACK PARAMETER] key will open the
SETUP menu of the selected TRACK PARAMETER menu. In MIDI SEQUENCER
mode the TRACK PARAMETER menus reflect the MIDI functionality of the tracks.
20.[REC] key. Toggles GRID RECORDING mode on/off. Starts LIVE RECORDING mode if
held while pressing [PLAY]. In GRID RECORDING mode, the <RECORD> LED gives a
steady light, while in LIVE RECORDING mode it flashes. Pressing [FUNCTION] +
[REC] performs a copy command.
21.[PLAY] key. Starts playback of a pattern or arrangement. Pressing [PLAY] a second
time pauses playback. [FUNCTION] + [PLAY] performs a clear command.
22.[STOP] key. Stops the playback of a pattern or arrangement. [FUNCTION] + [STOP]
performs a paste command.
• Copy, clear and paste functions are available in many menus. The implementation
is described in the relevant sections of this manual.
23.[SCENE A]/[SCENE B] + [TRIG] assigns one of 16 scenes to the A and B scene
slots.[SCENE A]/[SCENE B] + a DATA ENTRY knob will assign the chosen parameter
value to the scene. [FUNCTION] + [SCENE A]/[SCENE B] mutes the scene.
24. The crossfader interpolates between the parameter values of scene A and scene B.
25.[TRIG] keys 1 to 16. Used for trigging either the machine of a track or a complete track.
Also used for placing trigs in GRID RECORDING mode. When pressed in combination
with the [PATTERN] and [BANK] buttons they select patterns and banks. Above each
[TRIG] key is a <TRIG> LED indicating the position of placed trigs.
26.[PATTERN PAGE] selects the active pattern page of up to four pattern pages. Above the
[PATTERN PAGE] key the four <PATTERN PAGE> LEDs are found. They are used for
indicating the trig page currently being played or edited. If for example 64 steps, or four
pattern pages, are used in a pattern, all four LEDs will be lit. For scale lengths up to 16
steps, the <1:4> LED will stay lit and pressing [PATTERN PAGE] will have no effect.
[FUNCTION] + [PATTERN PAGE] calls the SCALE SETUP menu where track lengths
and pattern tempo multiplier settings are made.
5
PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTORS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
REAR CONNECTORS
The Octatrack rear connectors:
1. Power on/off switch.
2. 6V DC power in.
• Caution! Use only the bundled PSU-2 with your Octatrack. It can be used all over
the globe without the need of voltage converters using an appropriate power
cord. Using the wrong type of adapter may damage your unit. Damage caused by
the use of incorrect power supply is not covered by warranty. Please see
“TECHNICAL INFORMATION” on page 79 for details about the Octatrack power
supply.
3. Hi Speed USB 2.0 connection.
4. Compact Flash card reader.
5. MIDI Thru.
6. MIDI Out.
7. MIDI In.
8. Input C/D.
9. Input A/B.
10. Cue out L/R.
11. Main out L/R.
12. Headphones output.
RACK MOUNT KIT (ACCESSORY)
The Octatrack can be rack mounted in a standard 19” rack, using the Elektron rack mount
kit which can be ordered separately. When rack mounted, the Octatrack occupies four
standard height units plus additional space, usually about 1 HE, needed to accommodate
for cables plugged into the unit.
RACK MOUNT KIT ASSEMBLY
Make sure that you have a Philips screwdriver which
is in good condition and of the right
size. Use the included M3x6mm size screws to secure the rack mount consoles on each
6
PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTORS
side of the Octatrack. Make sure that all screws are fastened for secure operation of the
unit.
THE COMPACT FLASH CARD READER
The <CARD STATUS> LED lights up when a Compact Flash card is inserted. A blinking
green LED light means the card is being read, a red LED light means the card is being written to.
Eject the Compact Flash card by pressing the button located to the right of the reader. After
being pressed the button will protrude a few millimeters. Press it again to eject the Compact Flash card.
COMPACT FLASH CARD SPECIFICATIONS
Cards supporting UDMA and at least 133x (~20MB/s) fo
must be FAT16 or FAT32 formatted, preferably FAT32.
Cards adhering to this specification should work just fine, but we leave you no guarantee.
We strongly recommend you to use a Compact Flash card tested and recommended by
Elektron, such as the one bundled with the Octatrack.
r both reads and writes. Cards
• Never remove the card while data is being read or written to it. Doing so might cor-
rupt files and data.
CONNECTING THE UNIT
Before you start connecting the Octatrack to other units, make sure that everything is
switched off.
1. Plug the supplied DC adapter to a wall socket and co
connector of the Octatrack unit.
2. Connect the main out L/R from the Octatrack to your mixer or amplifier.
3. If MIDI control is desired, connect MIDI OUT from the Octatrack to the device that you
wish to send data to. Connect the MIDI IN to the device that you wish to receive data
from. The MIDI THRU port “echoes” the data arriving at the MIDI IN port, so it can be
used for chaining MIDI units together.
4. Switch on all units.
nnect the small plug to the 6 V DC
• The USB connection may inject computer noise in the outputs of the Octatrack.
Should this occur, use balanced cables or use a battery operated computer. Do
not remove the safety grounding of your computer. It is there to protect from electric shocks.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
To ensure many years of trouble free operation, please follow the advice below:
• Never use any aggressive cleaners on the casing or the LCD overlay. Remove
dust, dirt and fingerprints with a soft dry cloth. More persistent dirt can be
removed with a slightly damp cloth using only water.
7
PANEL LAYOUT AND CONNECTORS
• Never use sharp objects near the display to avoid scratches or damage. Also
avoid applying any pressure to the display itself.
• When transporting the Octatrack, preferably use the box and padding the unit
originally shipped with, or comparable packaging.
• Make sure you place the unit on a stable surface before use. If you mount the unit
in a rack, be sure to tighten all four screws in the rack mount holes.
• The memory used for storing patterns and parts is powered by a battery inside the
unit. It will hold data at least 6 years before needing replacement. If the battery
needs replacement, the “BATTERY LOW” message will appear in the display. Contact Elektron support or your nearest repair center.
• Turn off the machine when it is not in use. Use the power switch.
8
OVERVIEW OF THE OCTATRACK STRUCTURE
OVERVIEW OF THE OCTATRACK STRUCTURE
The Octatrack handles information by using layers that are dependant on each other. To
make the most of the possibilities at hand it is important to understand the relation of the
components that form the structure of the Octatrack.
OCTATRACK HIERARCHY
The Octatrack is organized in a hierarchical way, starting with the set as the top level structure. The image above outlines the structure of the Octatrack.
SETS
A set is the top level structure of the Octatrack. It can contain a near unlimited amount of
projects plus one audio pool. The amount of samples in the audio pool is limited only by the
size of the Compact Flash card. The samples in the audio pool are available to all projects
of the set. Sets are saved on the Compact Flash card. Since a set can contain many
projects, some users might find that one set is all they need. Read more about sets on
page 20.
9
OVERVIEW OF THE OCTATRACK STRUCTURE
AUDIO POOL
Each set contains one audio pool which is stored on
the Compact Flash card. The audio
pool contains the samples that can be loaded to the Flex and Static sample slot lists of the
projects of a set. Read more about how to fill the audio pool with samples on page 22.
PROJECTS
A project can be regarded as a collection of compositions. A project contains 16 banks, 8
arrangements, 8 track recorders and their recorder buffers, 128 sample slots dedicated to
Flex machines, 128 slots dedicated to Static machines and the BPM setting for all the patterns of the project. The samples used to fill the Flex and Static sample slots are fetched
from the audio pool of the set. Please see section “PROJECTS” on page 23 for more information.
FLEX AND STATIC SAMPLE SLOT LISTS
For samples to be available to Flex and Static machi
nes they first need to be loaded from
the audio pool to the Flex or Static sample slot lists. When samples are present in these
lists they can be assigned to, and thus processed by, Flex and Static machines assigned to
the internal tracks. Read how to load audio pool samples to the sample slot lists in the section “LOADING SAMPLES TO THE SAMPLE SLOTS” on page 24. Read how to assign
samples to a machine in the section “ASSIGNING FLEX AND STATIC SAMPLES TO
MACHINES” on page 43.
BANKS
Each project hosts 16 banks and each bank can host 16 patterns and 4 parts. This makes
a bank suited for hosting a complete composition as the available patterns and parts allow
a large number of song variations. Switching between banks is seamless. More information
about banks is found on page 38.
PATTERNS
For each bank 16 patterns are available, meaning 256 patterns are always at hand. A pattern consists of sequencer data like note trigs, parameter locks, track lengths and time signatures for the eight internal tracks. See section “PATTERNS” on page 55 for more
information.
PARTS
4 parts are available to each bank. A part contains
machine assignments and their associated samples, track parameter settings, FX assignments as well as 16 scenes. A part is
always linked to a pattern or patterns of a bank. Changing parts will let the new assignments be controlled by the active pattern data. Read more about parts on page 38.
SCENES
Scenes are assigned to the scene A and scene B slots. They decide the parameters the
crossfader will affect. The section “SCENES” on page 39 gives more in-depth information
about this functionality.
ARRANGEMENTS
The eight arrangements each project contains are used to structure the playback of patterns. It is a great tool when using several patterns to form a longer sequence. More information is found in the section “THE ARRANGER” on page 73.
10
TRACKS
An Octatrack pattern handles eight internal tracks.
Each internal track hosts a machine.
Any machine type can be assigned to any of the eight internal tracks. More information
about tracks are found in the section “TRACKS” on page 42.
OVERVIEW OF THE OCTATRACK STRUCTURE
MACHINES
Machines are assigned to the eight internal tracks.
Each machine fills a different purpose.
Read more about the various machine types in “Appendix A: MACHINE REFERENCE“.
How machines are assigned to tracks is covered in “ASSIGNING MACHINES TO
TRACKS” on page 42.
Flex machines process samples. The samples available to Flex machines are located in
the Flex sample slot list, which can host 128 Flex samples residing in the RAM memory of
the Octatrack. To fill the Flex sample slot list with content, samples from the audio pool of
the set need to be loaded to the list. Flex machines offer extreme sample control since Flex
samples are loaded to the RAM memory.
Static machines process samples. The samples available to Static machines are located in
the Static sample slot list, which can host 128 Static samples streamed from the Compact
Flash card. To fill the Static sample slot list with content, samples from the audio pool of the
set need to be loaded to the list. The size of Static samples can be in the order of gigabytes.
Thru machines are used to listen to the inputs of the Octatrack. They can be used to affect
incoming audio with filtering and effects.
Neighbor machines listen to the output of the preceding track. They can be used to build
elaborate effects chains.
HOW INFORMATION IS HANDLED
When working with the Octatrack there is no need to save as all changes made to a project
automatically are saved. There exists however the possibility to set a backup point in a
project. When setting a backup point the current state of the project will be saved. Reverting the project to the backup point will bring back that particular state. Read more how to
set project back up points in section “FILE” on page 27.
• Never turn off the Octatrack while the <CARD STATUS> LED blinks. It indicates
data is being written to the Compact Flash card and disrupting this process may
corrupt data.
11
THE USER INTERFACE
THE USER INTERFACE
The center of Octatrack editing is the LCD display. The main interface screen is shown
below:
1. Icons showing the current machine assignments and st
atus of the tracks. First the
machine assignments are shown. “F” = Flex machine, “S” = Static machine, “T” = Thru
machine, “N” = Neighbor machine. Beneath the machine assignment symbol the status
of the track is shown. A play symbol means the sample of the track is playing, a stop
symbol means the track is not playing, a play symbol preceded by a plus sign means the
track recorder of the track is recording.
2. The current tempo displayed with one decimal.
3. Four boxes showing the playback position. Each bar represents a pattern page.
4. The playback/recording status shown by the standard “record”, “play”, “pause” and
“stop” symbols; , , and .
5. The active part.
6. Position of the active pattern.
7. Machine type and associated sample name.
8. Assigned scenes and the current position of the cros
9. Level bar showing the overall volume level of the machine on the active track.
10.Up to six parameters. They show what the DATA ENTRY knobs control and also indi-
sfader.
cate the current parameter values. When two parameters depend on each other in some
way, they will have a small “clip” between them as shown below:
12
LAYER EDIT AND WINDOWS
When a function which puts a window on top of the main interface screen is opened, the
function of certain buttons and/or knobs will change. The buttons that are not used or
blocked can still be used to control the layer underneath. For example, when you have
called the TEMPO menu it will make use of the LEVEL knob, but you can still use the
DATA ENTRY knobs to control the parameters of the track in focus. When a window has
functions mapped to such interface controls, help is provided at the bottom of the window
in the form of icons representing these controls. The icons are:
THE USER INTERFACE
The [ARROW] buttons The [FUNCTION] key
The [TRIG] keys The LEVEL knob
• All windows can be closed using the [EXIT/NO] key.
PARAMETER EDITING
The DATA ENTRY knobs are used to change the track parameters. The location of the
knobs correspond to the layout of the parameters on the screeen. Turn DATA ENTRY knob
A to adjust the upper left parameter, turn DATA ENTRY knob B to adjust the the middle
parameter of the upper row and so on. If one of the slots in the parameter grid is blank, the
corresponding DATA ENTRY knob fills no function in that particular menu.
QUICK PARAMETER EDITING
If the DATA ENTRY knob is pressed down while being turned parameters will be adjusted
in increments of 7. This makes it much quicker to sweep through a whole parameter range.
PARAMETER VALUE SKIP
Keeping [FUNCTION] pressed while turning a parameter make the parameter values jump
to relevant positions. For parameters ranging from 0 to 127 either 0 or 127 will be selected.
For parameters ranging from -64 to +64 the values will be set to -64, 0 or +64. Other alternatives exist as well, the value of the Echo Freeze Delay TIME parameter will for example
be doubled for each increment. This is useful when using the effect as a repeater.
QUICK SCROLLING
In menus containing lists, like the file browser or the sample slot lists, quick scrolling is
available. Press [FUNCTION] + the [UP] or [DOWN] arrow keys to move the cursor six
steps instead of one.
COPY, CLEAR AND PASTE
Copy, clear and paste commands are available in a lot of menus. A copy operation is performed by pressing [FUNCTION] + [PLAY]. A paste operation is performed by pressing
[FUNCTION] + [STOP]. A clear operation is performed by pressing [FUNCTION] +
[PLAY]. Paste and clear operations can be undone by repeating the button press combina-
tion. See the different sections in the manual for more information about where these commands are available.
13
THE USER INTERFACE
HI-SCORE NAMING
In the various naming menus that exist the hi-score way of entering letters, symbols and
digits can be used. It is often a considerably faster naming method. When a naming menu
is open, press the [FUNCTION] key to access the hi-score symbol list.
While keeping [FUNCTION] pressed use the [ARROW] keys to navigate to the letter you
want to insert. Once there, release [FUNCTION] to insert the letter.
Press [FUNCTION] + [EXIT/NO] to quickly erase characters.
• Copy, paste and clear commands are available in the naming menus.
14
QUICK START
QUICK START
This quick start will guide you through some of the basic operations to allow you to start
using the Octatrack right away. First connect it as described in section “CONNECTING
THE UNIT”, on page 7.
DEMO MODE
While in this mode the Octatrack will be able to play back a set of 16 demo patterns without
needing to have a Compact Flash card inserted. Demo mode is a great way to get
acquainted with the basics of the Octatrack.
1. Make sure no Compact Flash card is inserted. Switch on the Octatrack while keeping the
[ENTER/YES] button pressed. The LCD screen will state that demo mode is being entered.
PLAYING THE DEMO PATTERNS
Once demo mode has been entered it is possible to play back 16 demo patterns, ranging
from A01 to A16. Pattern A01 will be loaded by default.
1. Press [PLAY] to listen to pattern A01.
2. Select pattern A02, which is the second demo pattern, by pressing [PATTERN] + [TRIG]
key 2. Pattern A03 is selected by pressing [PATTERN] + [TRIG] key 3 and so on.
3. Mute tracks by pressing [FUNCTION] + the [TRACK] key of the track you want to mute.
Unmute by repeating the procedure.
ADJUSTING PARAMETERS
All tracks contain five TRACK PARAMETER menus. There parameters affecting the sample of the track are found. The buttons used to open the menus are located directly below
the LCD screen.
1. Make sure the pattern still is playing.
2. Press the [
3. To change the pitch of the sample, press the [PLAYBACK] key. The PLAYBACK menu
TRACK] key of the track whose sample you wish to affect.
will open. The parameter labelled PTCH changes the pitch of the sample. Turn DATA
ENTRY knob A to change the parameter value.
4. Try out the rest of the TRACK PARAMETER menu parameters to experiment with the
sound shaping possibilities.
5. To revert the parameter settings to their original state, press [FUNCTION] + [CUE].
RECORDING A PATTERN USING GRID RECORDING
Use GRID RECORDING mode to input note trigs to the sequencer. Note trigs trig the
machines and samples of the tracks. In depth information about this mode is found in section “GRID RECORDING MODE” on page 56.
1. Press the [REC] key to enter GRID RECORDING mode. The <RECORD> LED will lit
up, indicating the mode is now active.
2. Select the active track to which you want to input note trigs by pressing the relevant
[TRACK] button.
3. Press the [TRIG] keys to insert note trigs. Pressing the same [TRIG] key once more
removes the note. If the pattern contains more than 16 steps, use the [PATTERN PAGE]
key to switch between the pattern pages.
4. To edit other tracks, change the active track by pre
ssing the [TRACK] buttons.
15
QUICK START
RECORDING A PATTERN USING LIVE RECORDING
The LIVE RECORDING mode allows you to record note tr
igs and parameter changes while
the sequencer is running. In depth information about this mode is found in section “LIVE
RECORDING MODE” on page 57.
1. To enter this mode, hold [REC] and then press [PLAY]. The <RECORD> LED starts to
blink, indicating LIVE RECORDING mode is activated, and the sequencer starts to play.
2. You can now record note trigs manually by pressing the last 8 [TRIG] keys. Pressing
[TRIG] key 9 will add a note trig to track 1, [TRIG] key 10 adds a note trig to track 2 and
so on. You will be able to hear all recorded note trigs the next time the pattern starts all
over.
PARAMETER LOCKS
A parameter lock allows individual parameter setting
s for all note trigs. It is one of the most
important Octatrack features. More information about parameter locks is found on page 57.
1. When in GRID RECORDING mode, hold a [TRIG] key and then tweak a parameter. The
LCD screen graphics of the adjusted parameter will become inverted to indicate that the
note trig now is locked to the value you have set. The <TRIG> LED above the note trig
will flash rapidly to indicate that a parameter is locked for that step.
2. To remove a lock press the [TRIG] key of the locked note twice. This removes the lock
and restores the note to a trigged only state. You can also hold the [TRIG] key while
clicking the DATA ENTRY knob corresponding to locked parameter. You will see that the
graphic inversion disappears from the screen. The parameter lock is now removed.
MOUNTING A SET AND LOADING A PROJECT
A set needs to be mounted for the Octatrack to be able to save projects and load samples
to the Flex and Static sample slots. The Compact Flash card that came shipped with your
Octatrack contains a set called “PRESETS”. This set contains a project also named “PRESETS”. The project contains the same patterns and samples as the demo mode project.
If you are using an empty Compact Flash card a set needs to be created and mounted
before you can start processing samples. More information about sets is found in section
“SETS” on page 20.
MOUNTING A SET
. Turn on the Octatrack. Make sure you have a Compact Flash card inserted. Depending
1
on if you previously have booted the Octatrack in demo mode, an information window
stating “NO SET IS MOUNTED!” may appear.
2. Press [FUNCTION] + [MIXER] to open the PROJECTS menu. Select FILE and press
[ENTER/YES] or the [RIGHT] arrow key. Scroll down the list and select CHANGE,
located in the SET section.
16
3. Press [
ENTER/YES] to open the menu where sets are mounted. Depending on the state
of the currently active project a dialogue window will appear, either asking “CURRENT
PROJECT WILL BE SYNCED TO CARD AND UNLOADED. CONTINUE?” or “CUR-
QUICK START
RENT PROJECT WILL BE UNLOADED. CONTINUE?” will appear. Press [ENTER/
YES] to unload the current project and proceed with the mounting of the set.
4. If you are using the Compact Flash card that came with the unit, select “PRESETS” and
press [ENTER/YES]. If you are using an empty Compact Flash card a set needs to be
created. Select <CREATE NEW SET> and press [ENTER/YES]. Name the set by using
the [ARROW] keys and when done press [ENTER/YES]. Select the set in the list and
press [ENTER/YES]. A set has now been mounted.
LOADING A PROJECT
After a set has been mounted a project should preferably be loaded. The Compact Flash
card that came shipped with the unit contains one project, named “PRESETS”. This project
contains 16 demo patterns. If an empty Compact Flash is used the newly created set will
not contain any projects and a project should therefore be created. Read more about
projects in section “PROJECTS” on page 23.
1. Press [FUNCTION] + [MIXER] to open the PROJECTS menu. Select FILE and press
[ENTER/YES] or the [RIGHT] arrow key. Select CHANGE, located in the PROJECT
section.
2. Press [
3. If the bundled Compact Flash card is inserted, and the set called “PRESETS” has been
ENTER/YES] to open the menu where projects are changed.
mounted, select the project “PRESETS” and press [ENTER/YES]. The project will be
loaded. If a new Compact Flash is used select <CREATE NEW PROJECT> and press
[ENTER/YES]. Name the project and press [ENTER/YES]. The newly created project
will be loaded.
LOADING SAMPLES
When a set has been mounted the samples in its audio pool can be processed by the Flex
and Static machines. To do so a Flex or Static machine needs to be assigned to a track and
samples from the audio pool need to be loaded the Flex or Static sample slot lists. The
samples in these lists are available to the Flex and Static machines of the project. Note that
17
QUICK START
if the audio pool of the mounted set doesn’t contain any samples it needs to be filled with
content. Read more how to do that in section “AUDIO POOL” on page 22.
Two main methods of assigning machines and samples exist. This quick start guide covers
the one where the PLAYBACK SETUP menu is used. The other method, using the QUICK
ASSIGN menu, is covered in sections “ASSIGNING MACHINES IN THE QUICK ASSIGN
MENU” on page 42 and “ASSIGNING SAMPLES IN THE QUICK ASSIGN MENU” on
page 43.
ASSIGNING A MACHINE TO A TRACK
1. Select the first track by pressing [TRACK] key 1.
2. Enter the PLAYBACK SETUP menu by pressing [FUNCTION] and [PLAYBACK]. From
here the machine list needs to be accessed. If a sample slot list was opened move to the
machine list by pressing the [LEFT] arrow key.
3. Select the machine you want to assign from the list of machines. Press [ENTER/YES] to
assign it to the track. Note that samples only can be processed by Flex and Static
machines. Press the [RIGHT] arrow button to enter the sample slot list for the assigned
machine.
ASSIGNING A SAMPLE TO A MACHINE
1. Make sure a set with an audio pool containing samples is mounted. The audio pool of
the “PRESETS” set found on the bundled Compact Flash card is full of samples. If you
have followed the instructions above how to assign a machine to a track, and chose to
assign a Flex or Static machine, jump to step 4.
2. Select a track containing a Flex or Static machine b
3. Enter the PLAYBACK SETUP menu by pressing [FUNCTION] and [PLAYBACK]. The
y pressing the relevant [TRACK] key.
sample slot list will be opened. If the machine list is opened, press the [RIGHT] arrow
key to enter the sample slot list. The sample currently assigned to the machine is indicated by inverted graphics.
18
QUICK START
4. If samples already are present in the sample slot li
st, select a sample and press
[ENTER/YES] to assign it to the machine.
5. To load a new sample from the audio pool to a sample
slot, select a sample slot and
press [ENTER/YES]. If the sample slot was empty the file browser reflecting the content
of the audio pool will be opened. If the sample slot already contained a sample press
[ENTER/YES] once more to access the audio pool.
6. The audio pool is a representation of the AUDIO folder of the active set. This folder can
be seen when connecting the Octatrack to a computer using the USB port. Navigate in
the audio pool by using the [UP] and [DOWN] arrow keys. Subfolders in the audio pool
are marked with a “(D)” Open subfolders by pressing the [RIGHT] arrow key or [ENTER/
YES]. Press the [LEFT] arrow keys to move back one step in the folder hierarchy. Localize the sample that should be loaded to the sample slot.
7. Press [
ENTER/YES] to load the sample to the sample slot list. If the new sample
replaces a previously loaded sample it will at the same time automatically be assigned to
the machine of the track.
19
SETS
SETS
A set is the top layer of the Octatrack hierarchy. Sets are completely self contained. If the
same set is being used by two Octatracks both units will load the same sample content and
will settings wise be exactly the same, given both units have the same project loaded and
the same OS version installed. Sets contain:
• An amount of projects only limited by the size of the Compact Flash card.
• An audio pool, where the samples accessible by the projects of the set are stored.
Sets are stored as folders in the root directory of the Compact Flash card. This can be seen
when connecting the Octatrack to a computer with a USB cable and browsing the content
of the Compact Flash card with the computer. Read more on how to connect the Octatrack
to a computer in the section “SYSTEM” on page 28.
• Back up your sets to a computer. Should you lose your Compact Flash card it is
easy to transfer the sets from the computer to a new card.
• When booting the Octatrack the previously mounted set will mount automatically,
given Compact Flash cards have not been changed.
SET MOUNTING SCENARIOS
In order for the Octatrack to be able to use samples and save projects a set needs to be
mounted. When starting the Octatrack, or inserting a Compact Flash card while the Octatrack is switched on, various information windows, dependent on already existing data and
current Octatrack settings, may appear.
NO MOUNTED SET
The Octatrack normally mounts the previously mounted
be possible, for instance when inserting a freshly formatted Compact Flash card or switching cards to a card containing new sets. If no set is mounted the Octatrack will display the
text “NO SET IS MOUNTED!”. If this text appears, mount a set as described in the section
“CREATING AND MOUNTING A SET” on page 21. If the Compact Flash card doesn’t contain any sets, a set needs to be created. See the same heading for instructions how to create a new set.
SWITCHING COMPACT FLASH CARDS
If Compact Flash cards are changed a window stating “WRONG COMPACT FLASH CARD
INSERTED. CONTINUE?” will appear. This is simply a prompt indicating a new Compact
Flash card has been inserted. Press [ENTER/YES] to accept that the previously mounted
set will be discarded. The “NO SET IS MOUNTED!” prompt will appear in this scenario as
well since no set will be automatically mounted. If the inserted card contains sets, mount
one of them. If the card doesn’t contain any sets, create and mount one.
SETS CONTAINING NO PROJECTS
If the Octatrack boots with a set containing no projects a window stating “YOU ARE
WORKING ON AN UNSAVED PROJECT. DON’T FORGET TO SAVE!” will appear. Press
[ENTER/YES] to make the prompt disappear. To avoid discarding changes to the currently
unsaved project when changing sets the project needs to be saved. Changes in the cur-
set but sometimes that might not
20
Loading...