03-17-2021, 02:56 AM
Happy Holiday if you celebrate.
Empirically speaking...the note on/note off triggers(red) on my Octatrack were definitely causing some sort of freeze up on the NDLR. A strict diet of midi cc parameter locks from the Octatrack(function + trig location) has allowed for much much smoother sailing in regards to automating aspects of the NDLR. I believe the NDLR froze once in the last 48 hours...versus once every 5-45 minutes. This works for both slow tempos and fast tempos working with just the CTRL track and Pad track assignments...and what makes me happy is that there is a workflow to programming in chord structures , progressions and even modulations found in my music literature. The added bonus of 4 of the octatrack's tracks being a snug fit for 1 NDLR means that the OT can easily hold a template and control 2 NDLR sequencers as a midi controller.
I am now cautiously optimistic and will begin to engage other midi cc attributes on the other tracks to do a load test to see how things go.
(somewhat bad but bearable news)
1) timing on sending these commands is not always as tight as I would like. and due to note on/off being unavailable due to stability concerns, there isn't quite the same sense of precision one is accustomed to with note on/off using the octatrack...so if I wanted 16 16th note vamps the red triggers do this fine and then its a matter of setting the chord degree. when a trigless trig strategy is employed then I max out at 8 8th note vamps...Micro-timing still works...but having to cc pad active +64 means that I have to follow up with a pad inactive trigless trig @ -63....which does affect how the octatrack could be used to trigger "stabs" and "vamps" onto the pad track...tracks do have independent time/scale assignments...but yeah note on/off definitely have their advantages.
2) I feel like triggering the pad track sometimes needs 2-3 triggers due to timing issues. one trigger should be able to encapsulate a chonk of midi cc's and it all happen lickety split and the NDLR not miss anything...instead I place triggers...I know that a midi cc occasionally gets missed...and so to deal with that I oft place it before or after the trigger that arms the pad's track. (if this is a limitation of the processor I get it...and I can wait for the sequel...if this is a limitation of the firmware I get it and I can wait for a performance update)
3) There is still the issue of hung notes and I have tried to use the Panic button on the NDLR, Spectralis and Octatrack to no avail. It just sounds like a really faint hung note that doesnt respond to the VCA but I know its there because it goes away once I turn the main volume down. It just happens and my only recourse is to go to the affected Spectralis and reload the song data...I will keep an eye out for it with the rest of my rig.
Empirically speaking...the note on/note off triggers(red) on my Octatrack were definitely causing some sort of freeze up on the NDLR. A strict diet of midi cc parameter locks from the Octatrack(function + trig location) has allowed for much much smoother sailing in regards to automating aspects of the NDLR. I believe the NDLR froze once in the last 48 hours...versus once every 5-45 minutes. This works for both slow tempos and fast tempos working with just the CTRL track and Pad track assignments...and what makes me happy is that there is a workflow to programming in chord structures , progressions and even modulations found in my music literature. The added bonus of 4 of the octatrack's tracks being a snug fit for 1 NDLR means that the OT can easily hold a template and control 2 NDLR sequencers as a midi controller.
I am now cautiously optimistic and will begin to engage other midi cc attributes on the other tracks to do a load test to see how things go.
(somewhat bad but bearable news)
1) timing on sending these commands is not always as tight as I would like. and due to note on/off being unavailable due to stability concerns, there isn't quite the same sense of precision one is accustomed to with note on/off using the octatrack...so if I wanted 16 16th note vamps the red triggers do this fine and then its a matter of setting the chord degree. when a trigless trig strategy is employed then I max out at 8 8th note vamps...Micro-timing still works...but having to cc pad active +64 means that I have to follow up with a pad inactive trigless trig @ -63....which does affect how the octatrack could be used to trigger "stabs" and "vamps" onto the pad track...tracks do have independent time/scale assignments...but yeah note on/off definitely have their advantages.
2) I feel like triggering the pad track sometimes needs 2-3 triggers due to timing issues. one trigger should be able to encapsulate a chonk of midi cc's and it all happen lickety split and the NDLR not miss anything...instead I place triggers...I know that a midi cc occasionally gets missed...and so to deal with that I oft place it before or after the trigger that arms the pad's track. (if this is a limitation of the processor I get it...and I can wait for the sequel...if this is a limitation of the firmware I get it and I can wait for a performance update)
3) There is still the issue of hung notes and I have tried to use the Panic button on the NDLR, Spectralis and Octatrack to no avail. It just sounds like a really faint hung note that doesnt respond to the VCA but I know its there because it goes away once I turn the main volume down. It just happens and my only recourse is to go to the affected Spectralis and reload the song data...I will keep an eye out for it with the rest of my rig.