Elektron Octatrack - Manual (Page 37)

PROJECTS
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PROJECTS
Each set can contain an amount of projects only limited by the size of the Compact Flash
card. A project contains:
• 16 banks.
• 8 arrangements.
• 128 Flex sample slots and their associated Flex samples.
• 128 Static sample slots and their associated Static samples.
• 8 track recorders and their recorder buffers.
• A BPM setting controlling the tempo of the patterns.
• PROJECT menu settings.
Projects can be regarded as a collection of compositions. A project could for example con-
tain your whole live set or a certain amount of songs you are working on. One project at a
time can be loaded. For the Octatrack to work as intended, a project should always be
active, i.e. loaded.
All changes made to an active project are automatically cached on card. This means you
can work on a project, switch off the Octatrack, switch it on and start working exactly from
where you left off. It is possible to save a project by performing a project SAVE command
though. This is only necessary if you want to be able to revert the project to a specific state.
In general, performing a project SAVE command is recommended once you are content
with a project. This way you can keep on experimenting with the project, but, if needed,
always go back to the saved state by performing a RELOAD command. Read more how
about how to save and reload a project in section “PROJECT” on page 30.
When not working within a project, for example after mounting a set containing no projects,
it is still possible to assign machines, effects and make parameter and pattern settings. The
Octatrack will remember the settings of the active bank even after being switched off, but
will discard them if a new set is mounted or another project is loaded. Should you want to
save the changes as a new project, use the SAVE TO NEW command, found in the PRO-
JECT menu. If the Octatrack boots and senses no project is active a prompt will appear
saying “YOU ARE NOT WORKING IN ANY PROJECT. USE THE SAVE AS NEW COM-
MAND TO KEEP ANY CHANGES!”
• Before ejecting the Compact Flash card the active project should always be
synced to the card, by using the SYNC TO CARD operation. Otherwise changes
will be lost. For more information, please see page 30.
PROJECTS AND RAM MEMORY
The total amount of RAM memory available to a project is 85,5 MB. This memory is shared
between the track recorders and the samples loaded to the Flex sample slots. By default
the Flex sample slots can be filled with 64 MB of samples while the reserved track recorder
memory ensures that each track recorder always can sample 2.7 MB of stereo audio. The
boundary between the reserved track recorder memory and the Flex RAM memory is
blurred though. Track recorder memory can be increased at the cost Flex RAM memory.