A pattern contains triggers for internal audio and external MIDI events, plus information about the lengths of tracks and stored parameter values. It's enough to mention for now that there are 256 patterns in total, divided into 16 banks (A‑P). The Octatrack is an audio and MIDI pattern sequencer with eight tracks of each type. If I seem to be breezing through at a rapid pace, it's because this sturdy black box has a lot more inside than the dead skin it's acquired while I've been leaning over it - and the sooner we start twisting a few loops and samples, the better. It sits in a groove that is an open window to the motherboard, and some kind of dust-protection sleeve would have been a comfort - to this flaky old hippy, at least. The encoders are a bit close together, meaning that it's fingertips‑only operation most of the time, and the other point worth making concerns the lovely‑feeling optical slider. Generally, there's little to disapprove of. If Elektron would reverse this behaviour, or offer a user preference at least, I'd be grateful. A combination of the Function key and the track level encoder is the none‑too‑instant way of adjusting main volume. Oddly, the volume knob controls the headphone level, not that of the main outputs. It's possibly a surprise that there's no digital I/O, but with a USB 2 port, 6V external power connection and three MIDI sockets, there is little else to raise an eyebrow - except, possibly, the Compact Flash slot, complete with a 4GB card to start your adventure. The rear is pretty scrutable, though, with two pairs of audio inputs, two pairs of outputs (Main and Cue) and a headphone output. With its rather blocky graphics and capitalised text, this is no computer display, and sometimes, when you're having a 'WTF?' moment, it feels rather inscrutable. There's also a DJ‑style optical crossfader for those times when encoders and buttons won't cut it.ĭoing its best to present often large volumes of information is a small, backlit screen (resolution 128 x 64 pixels). Its black, red, grey and white colour scheme is both serious and businesslike, the brushed‑aluminium panel strewn with buttons, tri‑colour LEDs and rotary encoders. It's time to climb aboard our robot housemaids, crack open a jetpack and take a ride on the Octatrack! Black Boxĭealing quickly with the externals, the Octatrack is an unassuming black steel box of approximately 34 x 18 x 6cm and weighing a fraction under 2.5kg. When early units started shipping, it was on the understanding that the OS was still beta, the true unveiling tantalisingly in the future. But at last the future has arrived. Then Elektron announced the Octatrack, promising much along those lines. A box with knobs and absolutely no capacity to receive email. If only, the thought goes, you could fluidly manipulate loops, samples and even complete song structures, resampling at will, all via a dedicated hardware box. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard the same wish expressed by others who are seriously into live electronica but obstinately refuse to take a laptop on stage. In my world it's Ableton Live in a Box - or something similar. What, in 2011, is the world really waiting for? Not a flying car or a robot housemaid nor even a portable jetpack, I suspect. Swedish synthesists Elektron have turned their attention to sampling - and, with characteristic individuality, have created something quite unique. The Octatrack's front panel, which measures 34 x 18cm, provides hands‑on control of each and every function - no software editors here!
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