Octatrack Button-fu : Beat Repeat

From the Octatrack manual (and this really great page):

The Echo Freeze Delay in the Octatrack can function as a repeater. This is how you do it. On the Delay Setup page, make sure SYNC is set to 1, LOCK to 1 and PASS to 0. On the Delay Main page, set TIME to 16, FB to 127, VOL to 127 and SEND to any value between 2 and 127. As soon as you set SEND to 1 the repeater effect will be activated. Experiment by setting TIME and FB to various values.

So, how does one apply this to do a basic beat-repeat?

The easiest and most obvious approach is when using the master track mode on track 8.   In this mode, you can use beat repeat on the overall mix for a 90's-y stut-stut-stut-stut-stutter effect.

The setup for track 8 master with delay stutter

• To set track 8 as a master track:
1.  [FUNCTION]+[MIXER] to get to the project menu.
2. Select CONTROL, then AUDIO, press [YES]
3. In the Track 8 section, check the MASTER checkbox by pressing [YES]
•  To set up the delay on track 8:
1. Press [T8] to select track 8.
2. Press [EFFECT 2] twice to bring up the setup menu.
3. Select DELAY on the left.   Set SYNC and LOCK to 1, PASS to 0.
4. Press [EFFECT 2] once to exit the setup page and go back to the main effect page.
5. Set TIME=32, FB=127, VOL=127, BASE=0, WDTH=127, SEND=2
   Setting SEND to 2 is important! 

Load some samples into a few other tracks and set up a pattern to play them.   Press [PLAY].  Now we're ready for some Octatrack Button-fu.

DELAY CTRL button fu

•  Put the trig buttons in to delay-control mode using [FUNCTION]+[down arrow] until DELAY CTRL is displayed.
• The last 8 trig LEDs will be green.
• On the last few beats of a pattern, press and hold the rightmost trig button [P T8].   You'll hear beat-repeat!
• Some of the first 8 trig LEDs will be yellow while you hold down [P T8].
• With [P T8] held down, press some of the trigs with yellow LEDs.   This will change the repeat rate.
• bap bap bap bap, babababa, brdrdrdrdrdrdrddrrr!
• You can decrease the delay time by pressing trigs towards the left (you can't slow it down once you've sped up)
• You can press [P T8] and one of the left 8 buttons simultaneously to freeze and set the delay time.
• With Track 8 selected, and the Effect 2 page showing, hold down the [P T8] and raise the BASE gradually.   This can make a nice transition into another pattern:
• Select the next pattern early (queue it up).
• During the last 4 beats of the previous pattern, press [P T8] and increase BASE.
• On the downbeat of the next pattern, release [P T8].
• Return BASE to 0.  

Moar

• Setting TAPE=1 in the setup page can be interesting.
• Set up delays on other tracks too.   You can press more than one of the rightmost trigs to activate freeze.
• Width and base values can be changed to get dub-y, degrading repeats.

Uploading Samples to the Elektron Analog RYTM

Until the arrival of Overbridge (in the next few months?), samples need to be uploaded to the Analog RYTM the old fasioned way, via MIDI or MIDI-over-USB.   Here are some tips and hints that I found while uploading some of my drum samples to the AR.

Preparing Samples

The AR plays 48Khz / 16bit mono samples natively, but it will convert samples automatically when it receives them.   In order to get the best results, I think it would be better to use more sophisticated sample rate conversion and dithering on the computer rather than use whatever automatic conversion (which I'm sure is fine... but still).

I searched around for a while, and found Sample Manager by Audio File Engineering.  This allows you to easily apply various kinds of processing to a whole set of files.   I used:

• Convert to mono
• Normalization
• Trim beginning below.
• iZotope SRC
• iZotope MBIT+ Dithering
• Convert format

This was really easy.   I just set the target sample rate to 48Khz and the dithering to 16 bit, and the format to be WAV.   I adjusted the 'trim below' threshold so that it didn't chop off anything.

Uploading

Set up the AR for fast sample uploading via USB:

1. [Function]+Track to get to the GLOBAL menu.   Select MIDI CONFIG.  Press [Yes].
2. Select MIDI PORT CONFIG, Press [Yes]
3. Select INPUT FROM.   Use the left and right buttons to select USB.

Create a directory for a set of samples: 

1. [Function]+Track to get to the GLOBAL menu.   Select SAMPLES.  Press [Yes].
2. Navigate to the root directory,  Press the [Right] button to bring up the menu.
3. Press [Down] multiple times to select [CREATE DIR]
4. Use the [Function]+up/down/left/right to enter the name.  Press [Yes] when done.   Press [Left] to hide the right side menu.
5. Select directories and repeat the process to create nested directories.
6. When you've got the directory you want to upload a bunch of samples to created, navigate to it and press the [Left] button.
7. Select UPLOAD HERE, press [Yes].   There will be a confirmation display.

Okay, now we're ready to upload using C6.

1. Connect the computer to the AR with a USB cable.
2. Launch C6 and click [Config]
3. Make sure the Elektron Analog Rytm is selected in the MIDI In and Midi Out selectors so C6 will use USB.
4. In the Sample settings section, make sure that all three checkboxes are checked:
• SDS Handshake
• Use Extended SDS
• Send SPS-1UW Name
  
  
  
  
5. Click [Ok]
6. Select a set of prepared samples and drag them into  the file window in C6.
7. Click [Send].   The AR will automatically begin receiving samples into the 'UPLOAD HERE' directory.
8. Wait.
   
   
9. Wait some more.
10. Eventually all the files will be uploaded to the AR.

What about 'Turbo' Mode?

Don't worry about that if you're using USB.