*The optical crossfader*
Ruggedness and durability is paramount in a live setting and the smooth action 45mm crossfader meets these criteria with ease. Due to it being optical it is very resilient to both dust and humidity and with a life time rated to more than 5 million operations it is definitely going to stand the test of time. The crossfader in conjunction with the Scene functionality makes live improvisation with the Octatrack easy and rewarding.
*Scenes*
A Scene is a set of parameter values. All parameters that can be parameter locked can also be assigned to a Scene. At all times 16 Scenes are instantly available and ready to be assigned to the two Scene slots of the crossfader. The Scene assigned to slot A comes into full effect when the crossfader is at its leftmost position and the Scene assigned to slot B comes into full effect when the crossfader is at its rightmost position. For all other crossfader positions interpolation between the Scene parameters will occur. Scenes can be both muted and assigned in real time.
Scenes controlled by the crossfader make it possible to add sudden bursts of effects to a sound, make smooth transitions between tracks, pitch one loop up while another loop is being pitched down or to completely and utterly change the sound of a whole pattern. The choice is yours.
Two demo examples showcasing Scenes:
Scene magic
http://soundcloud.com/elektron/scene-modulations-1
DJ Scene
http://soundcloud.com/elektron/slider-dj-style-1
Next week we'll be back with Octatrack feature #4,