Session 27

This session builds on Session #26 — complete it first for the best experience

Session 27: Live Resampling — Recording Internal Audio

20 min|intermediate|recording

Session 27: Live Resampling — Recording Internal Audio

Objective: Record the Octatrack's own output back into itself. Set a Track Recorder source to MAIN or to a specific track, capture a performance, then slice and mangle the result. This is live resampling -- the OT eating its own tail.

If you only have 5 minutes

Load any playing pattern. On an empty track, press [FUNC] + [REC1] and set SRC = MAIN, RLEN = 16. Place a one-shot recorder trig on step 1. Press [PLAY]. The OT captures its own output into a Flex slot. Press [TRACK] + [SRC] to assign that slot, and you are playing back a recording of yourself.

Warm-Up (2 min)

In Session 25, you used Track Recorders to capture external audio from Input A/B. In Session 26, Pickup machines looped external instruments. Now you turn the recorder inward. Instead of SRC = INAB, you set SRC = MAIN (the main output bus) or SRC = a specific track number. Everything the OT produces becomes raw material for further manipulation. Press [PLAY] on a saved pattern and listen -- in a moment, you will capture and re-perform this exact output.

Setup

Load a project with a good-sounding pattern (use work from any previous session). You want at least 3-4 tracks actively producing sound -- drums, bass, melody, texture. The richer the source, the more interesting the resample.

Designate Track 4 as the resampling track (it will hold the captured audio). Make sure Track 4 is currently empty (no machine assigned, or set to Flex with no sample loaded).

DATA ENTRYTRACK PARAMSVOLUMEHP VOLLEVELOCTATRACKPTN A01 PART 1BPM 120.0Octatrack MKIIABCDEFPLAYSTOPRECTEMPOFUNCPROJPARTAEDMIXARRMIDISRCAMPLFOFX1FX2SCENE ASCENE BCROSSFADERREC1REC2REC3PTNBANKPAGEUPDOWNLEFTRIGHTYESNOT1T2T3T4T5T6T7T8CUETRIG 1TRIG 2TRIG 3TRIG 4TRIG 5TRIG 6TRIG 7TRIG 8TRIG 9TRIG 10TRIG 11TRIG 12TRIG 13TRIG 14TRIG 15TRIG 16

Exercises

Exercise 1: Capture the Main Output (5 min)

Record everything the OT is producing into a single Flex sample.

  1. Press [FUNC] + [REC1] to open the Recorder Setup for Recorder 1
  2. Set SRC = MAIN (this captures the stereo main output bus -- everything you hear)
  3. Set RLEN = 16 (record 16 steps = 1 bar at default scale). For a longer capture, try 64 (4 bars)
  4. Set TRIG = ONE (one-shot: records once, then stops)
  5. Press [NO] to close
  6. On Track 4, enter Grid Recording: [RECORD] + [TRIG 1] to place a recorder trig on step 1
  7. Exit Grid Recording: [RECORD]
  8. Press [PLAY] -- the pattern plays. On step 1, the recorder captures the main output for 16 steps (or 64). The recording lands in Track 4's Flex sample slot
  9. After the recording completes (the REC1 LED stops flashing), press [TRACK 4] + [SRC] to verify the sample is loaded. You should see the waveform of your captured output

Exercise 2: Play Back the Resample (4 min)

Now you have a recording of your own performance. Use it as a sample.

  1. On Track 4, place triggers in Grid Recording: a simple 4-on-the-floor, or a scattered pattern -- experiment
  2. Press [PLAY] and listen. Track 4 is now playing back a captured slice of your pattern's output. The other tracks continue playing live. You hear the original and the captured version layered
  3. Mute the original tracks ([FUNC] + [TRACK 1], [FUNC] + [TRACK 2], etc.) to hear only the resample. The captured audio now stands alone
  4. Pitch it: hold a trig on Track 4, go to the SRC page, adjust PTCH. Pitched-down resamples create instant bass drones. Pitched-up creates glitchy textures
  5. Reverse it: on Track 4's Playback page, set DIR = REV. The resample plays backwards -- instant reverse cymbal, reversed melody, backwards drums

Exercise 3: Slice the Resample (4 min)

Slicing a resample gives you surgical control over which moments to replay.

  1. Press [TRACK 4] then open the Audio Editor: [FUNC] + [CUE] (or your firmware's AED shortcut)
  2. In the slice menu, create 8 or 16 even slices across the captured waveform
  3. Exit the Audio Editor
  4. On Track 4's SRC page, set SLICE = ON
  5. Now each trig's STRT parameter selects a different slice. Place 16 trigs and p-lock STRT on each: step 1 = slice 1, step 5 = slice 8, step 9 = slice 3 -- rearrange the order of your own performance
  6. The result: a chopped, rearranged version of what the OT was playing 30 seconds ago
DATA ENTRYTRACK PARAMSVOLUMEHP VOLLEVELOCTATRACKPTN A01 PART 1BPM 120.0Octatrack MKIIABCDEFPLAYSTOPRECTEMPOFUNCPROJPARTAEDMIXARRMIDISRCAMPLFOFX1FX2SCENE ASCENE BCROSSFADERREC1REC2REC3PTNBANKPAGEUPDOWNLEFTRIGHTYESNOT1T2T3T4T5T6T7T8CUETRIG 1TRIG 2TRIG 3TRIG 4TRIG 5TRIG 6TRIG 7TRIG 8TRIG 9TRIG 10TRIG 11TRIG 12TRIG 13TRIG 14TRIG 15TRIG 16

Exercise 4: Resample a Single Track (3 min)

Instead of capturing MAIN (everything), capture one specific track for focused mangling.

  1. Press [FUNC] + [REC2] to open Recorder 2's setup
  2. Set SRC = T1 (Track 1 -- your drum track, for example)
  3. Set RLEN = 64 (4 bars to capture variation from conditional trigs)
  4. Set TRIG = ONE
  5. Place a recorder trig and capture Track 1's output alone
  6. Assign the captured sample to Track 5 (a spare Flex track)
  7. Now you have an isolated drum recording. Add heavy effects on Track 5: lo-fi, delay, compressor. The original drums on Track 1 stay clean; Track 5 has the mangled version. Blend with the Level knob or use scenes to crossfade between clean and destroyed drums

Exercise 5: Feedback Resampling (2 min)

The experimental frontier: resample the resample.

  1. Set Recorder 1's SRC back to MAIN
  2. Place a recorder trig on Track 4 (which is already playing back a resample from Exercise 2)
  3. Press [PLAY] -- the OT records its output (which includes Track 4's playback of the previous resample) into a new recording
  4. Each generation degrades and transforms the audio. After 2-3 passes, the original material is unrecognizable -- it has become something entirely new
  5. Caution: feedback resampling can build volume rapidly. Keep the Level knob on Track 4 below unity to prevent clipping. This is a creative tool, not a default workflow

Output Checklist

  • I captured the main output into a Flex sample using a Track Recorder with SRC = MAIN
  • I played back the resample on a separate track and heard it layered with the live pattern
  • I sliced the resample and rearranged the slice order via p-locked STRT values
  • I resampled a single track (SRC = T1) for isolated processing
  • I attempted at least one feedback resample pass (resampling the resample)

Key Takeaways

  • SRC = MAIN captures everything: The main output bus includes all unmuted tracks, effects, and scene processing. One recorder trig = one snapshot of your entire mix
  • SRC = Track N isolates one voice: Capture a single track for focused slicing and mangling without affecting the others
  • Slicing resamples is composition: Rearranging slices of your own output creates new sequences from existing material. This is the OT's version of tape cut-up
  • Feedback resampling degrades intentionally: Each generation adds artifacts, shifts pitch, smears time. Use it sparingly for textural evolution
  • Resamples are Flex samples: Everything you know about Flex machines (p-locks, slices, effects, LFOs) applies to resampled audio. It is just another sample -- but one you made 10 seconds ago

Next Session Preview

Next: the improvisation session. You now have live looping (Pickup machines), external capture (Track Recorders), and internal resampling. Session 28 combines all three into a 15-minute improvised performance from silence to completed piece.