The Octatrack DPS-1 is a 8 track dynamic performance sampler, introduced to us at the MusikMesse this year. The Octatrack is ideal for radical audio processing and performance oriented sampling. Every track features real-time pitch scaling & time stretch and the next generation Elektron step sequencer has been designed with maximum usability and efficiency in mind.
The Octatrack is soon upon us. Elektron has started to unveil more and more details with weekly updates. Just to prepare us for its final release … Below you will find this weeks (week two) and last weeks (week one) details of the new Octatrack features.
Week One
Flex machines offer the most extensive sound manipulation possibilities. A sample used within a Flex machine is loaded to the RAM memory of the Octatrack. From there it can be twisted, stretched, warbled and reassembled in multiple ways. Flex machines are unbeatable sound processors.
Static machines are the perfect tool for handling extremely large samples. Samples assigned to Static machines are streamed from the Compact Flash card, thus their size can be in the order of gigabytes. Of course you can time stretch and pitch scale them as needed.
Thru machines do not sample or play back sounds. Instead they let the Octatrack affect incoming audio with the dual FX blocks. Two powerful FX chains each consisting of up to four linked tracks, totalling eight effects per chain, can be formed.
Other machines – The Octatrack will feature special machines for recording audio from the four external inputs. These machines can be used as strange effect devices, intricate loopers or as simple audio recorders. They will allow for quick assembling of audio structures.
Week Two
Individual track lengths and time signatures
Every track can be up to 64 steps of length and all the tracks of a pattern can have both unique length and time signature settings. A master length parameter sets the number of measures the pattern will play before all tracks are restarted from the beginning. If the master length is set to infinity, the tracks will play and loop within themselves infinitely. This amount of pattern customization makes it easy to create intricate and continuously evolving poly rhythms.
Micro Timing
The Micro Timing menu brings detailed and very precise note trig editing to the Octatrack. Every note trig can be nudged back and forth on a 1/384th step resolution note grid. The resolution doubles when the time signature of the track is set to 2x. Lightning fast flams through special repeat parameters, off-kilter stutters and organic grooves are all made possible by the Micro Timing feature.
Dedicated MIDI Sequencer
Apart from the eight internal tracks the Octatrack offers, by the simple press of a button, eight dedicated MIDI tracks. Every MIDI track features an arpeggiator, three assignable LFOs and two pages of CC parameters. Micro Timing and individual track length and time signature settings further enhance the MIDI experience. The eight MIDI tracks can play in conjunction with the eight internal tracks, making the Octatrack well-suited for controlling other instruments during a live performance.
Parameter Locks
The parameter lock feature contributed a great deal to the functionality of the Machinedrum and Monomachine sequencers and is found in the Octatrack as well. A parameter lock allows individual parameter settings for all note trigs. Trigless trigs is a parameter lock variant that doesn’t trig samples, instead they alter only parameter settings for chosen sequencer steps. Through the use of trigless trigs the melodic structure of for example a vocal loop can be completely changed. If the loop is subject to timestretch the pitch can be altered without affecting the timing.
Individual Track Lengths by Elektron