Oktopad FOUR - Video & Manual!

[S4racen]

Version 4 is now released...!

OKTOPAD FOUR - VIDEO ONE

This first video details scenes one to three...

http://vimeo.com/isotonikstudios/oktopad-four

We've added the ability to save and load presets for Scene 3 from file...

Buttons now light red when the mapped parameter is at the release value, green when it's at the pressed value and orange when it's somewhere in between...

Unmapped buttons now stay unlit...

Massive improvement in the speed of switching between banks and bi-directional feedback for the pad lighting, move a parameter in live with the mouse and see it update the Launchpad...



Cheers
D

[The Northern Contingent]

Sweet Mary mother of God - that patch looks like the mother of all patches!

Can't wait for this one Darren. I've had many a happy hour drift by with the original Octopad!

[S4racen]

Lol, thats just whats needed to listen and light the launchpad, it'll end up being 20 times the size of that....

Cheers
D

[hoffman2k]

Before you get in too deep, you might want to take a look at the poly~ object.
If you need to copy/paste a bit of code a load of times and each block needs just a different number, this would be a good solution.

Its an object to make multiple voices for synths. You wouldn't want your patch to be the size of 32 synths to just support 32 voices.
A good API example would be observing tracks. You just tell the object how many voices (tracks) there are and it will observe them. Without the need for making a fixed grid like setting up 64 live.observers.

Its basically a subpatcher with multiple instances (targets).

[S4racen]

Thanks i'll have a look at it...!!

Cheers
D

[S4racen]

I've now completed the first scene which gives midi control over a Buffer Shuffler type effect, you can rearrange the 8 slices of the last bar on the fly, reversing and muting slices at will...

I've just got to complete the routing of tracks to the device using the side round buttons (the device sits on a return track) and then i'll be sharing Octop4d 2 (Lite) to the members of my Ableton Community SugarSync folder (it's free to join and includes Isotonik 7 Lite and a collection of rack effects that i've used in my templates so far....

The full version will of course be free to existing subscribers of the Octop4d Folder details of which can be found on my website thestudiosessions.org (or click below) the Original Octop4d is available now and i'll be releasing Octop4d 2 in stages as each scene is completed.....

Cheers
D

[niksG]

Thanks for sharing this...

[docprosper]

I'm definitely interested... been loving Octop4d & just had my first Live set with it a few weeks ago. It worked a charm!
-Hamish

[S4racen]

Just Uploading now, thanks for the encouragement guys....

Instructions will follow as a floating window in the device but it's late now so it'll have to be tomorrow....



Cheers
D

[S4racen]

https://www.sugarsync.com/share/dx0n9p3t42r3h

Ok following Mark Egloff's lead in the APC40 step Sequencer device, i'll be building the manual for this device so that it's contained within the device itself....

I've detailed how to set up your ableton preferences and configuring the device for the first time....

The next tab details how to set up a template using the device in a return track...

I'll finish the final tab explaining how the Shuffler Scene works but in short...

1, Press and hold User 2 and the Vol Button (Round Button at the right hand side)

2, Bank Select Up resets the grid

3, Bank Select Down toggles each slice between Mute and Play

4, Bank Select Left toggles each slice between Reverse and Play

5, Bank Select Right toggles each slice between Play and Reverse

The running metronome changes colour to indicate which mode you're in, each first press of an unlit button will configure that slice to the default action for the colour displayed:

Green = Play
Orange = Reverse
Red = Mute

The shared folder also includes Isotonik 7 Lite and a host of effects racks i've used in previous templates....

Get on board and let me know what you think....

Cheers
D

[S4racen]

hi Peter,

Thanks for the feedback, keeping the documentation up to date has always been a challenge as I've been constantly developing and then developing those developments! With Isotonik things are finished so the manual is at the final state...

However future devices are following the plan that the manual is held within the device itself, thios makes it much easier to update, I'll also not be releasing each point release of the full Octop4d 2 device until the scene has been completed, tested and instructions written...

I've probably been going too fast in the past so my rebuilding of Isotonik 7 and now Octop4d is about improving the user experience rather than adding often unused features!

Cheers
D

[docprosper]

Darren,
I don't mean to jack the thread, as this is an issue with the original Octop4d, but thought I'd note it here in case there is a fix possible for Octop4d 2. I just tried (for the first time) to record to arrangement view while tweaking the device and it appears that only some events are recorded. I only tried the Eff3cts scene, and it seemed that the top rows of the control grid recorded to arrangement but none of the beat repeat rows did.

Should it be possible to record all Octop4d effects to arrangement? I always (silly me) start off assuming that everything should be recordable, but realize that a lot of the effects themselves are buried inside the M4L device itself. What I'm trying to avoid is needing to record sets to disc when I could (more safely) render them down after a gig/session. Thanks!
-Hamish

[S4racen]

I thought they were recorded but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't as much of the work in Isotonik 7 was to record the modulations....

For Octop4d 2 I'll make sure they are recorded and I'll be exposing the midi mappable buttons per scene so loopback midi can be used or you could directly map multiple Launchpads to different scenes (you'd lose the lighting obviously if you direct midi map) this will also mean that the actions can be edited or added after recording rather than just the effected audio....


How do you like the simplified way of sending audio to it using the side buttons, gonna use ythat for each effects scene....

Cheers
D

[S4racen]

Just testing an update to Octop4d Lite (it'll be an adg rack so you can just drop it on a return track and it'll find it's own paths)

Previous the top right button reset all steps, however now i've made the button a toggle, the device resets to standard steps when dropping it into a set.... But when you toggle between on and off the following happens....

ON = the current step pattern is routed to the master out with a utility kill cancelling out the original audio so only the effect is left...

OFF = the utility kill is turned off, the return track is set to zero volume and the cue for the return track is turned on, this allows you to audition the effect in your headphones before making it live, as audio is always being buffered this avoids any traces of previous loops happening if you want to switch in and out of the effect....

I've also fixed the error whereby changing scenes (albeit there's only one in the lite version) would lose the correct lighting of which tracks are sent to the device (the side round buttons).... I've also changed the code relating to using the APC40 as the primary device that the clip launch rectangle relates to....

Remember this versions free, now that Scene One is fully completed i'll start to work on the second scene.....

Cheers
D

[S4racen]

Hi All,

I've just uploaded to the Octop4d shared folder version 2.1.1 which is available to all subscribers of the full device...

It adds the functionality to the Lite version the ability to record the patterns you create with the Launchpad within your live set so that they play back when recorded, it coincides with a floating window that represents the Shuffler scene. This can be opened by clicking on the GUI or pressing and holding the User 2 button for more than a beat (it acts as a toggle and will close if you move away from Scene One, in fact it will shuffle between the various scenes whilst you have it open eventually)

Having the floating window has also meant i've exposed the buttons to be able to be midi mapped to any other grid controller, i've some work to do to add the other buttons such as the send control and the direction control buttons but these will be added as i want to not limit the device wholly to a Launchpad....



Theres a handy upgrade button in the Lite version that'll take you to my website where you can join in the development of the device...

Cheers
D