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Edit Parts

The Parts Editor is the heart of sound design in Octatrack Manager. It allows to modify the four Parts ("snapshots" or "kits") available in each bank, giving you a powerful interface for tweaking machine parameters, effects, and LFOs.

Parts Editor

Enabling Edit Mode​

By default, Octatrack Manager is in a safe, read-only mode to prevent accidental changes. To start editing:

  1. Open a project.
  2. Go to the Parts tab.
  3. Toggle the Edit mode switch in the project header.

When Edit Mode is active, the knobs and fields become interactive, and your changes will be written to disk.

Note that in the future, more than Parts will be editable in projects.

View/Edit mode toggle

Use the PAGE tabs to switch between the different parameter pages (SRC, AMP, LFO, etc).

Both your parameter page selection and part selection persist when switching between banks, so you can quickly compare the same page across different banks.

The dropdown fields let you switch quickly between all Audio tracks, MIDI tracks, partrs and the 16 banks.

Modifying Part Settings​

The Parts Editor is organized into several pages, mirroring exactly the Octatrack. Although here we can display much more information on screen.

Audio Track Pages (T1–T8)​

  • SRC Page: Configure the core parameters (Pitch, Start, Length, Rate, etc.) of selected machine (Flex, Static, Thru, Neighbor, etc). The machine itself can be changed from the track header - see Changing a track's machine below. A Static or Flex track also shows which Sample Slot it plays - see Changing the Sample a track plays below.

Parts Editor - SRC page

  • AMP Page: Adjust the envelope (Attack, Hold, Release), Volume, and Balance for the track, plus the mixer's own Track and Cue levels - see Track and Cue levels below.

Parts Editor - AMP page

  • FX1 & FX2 Pages: Edit the two effect slots for each track. The effect loaded in a slot can be changed from its heading - see Changing a track's effects below.

Parts Editor - FX page

  • LFO Pages: Configure the three LFOs per track, including speed, depth, and destination.

Parts Editor - LFO page

Changing a track's machine​

In Edit mode, the machine badge in the track header (STATIC, FLEX, THRU, NEIGHBOR, PICKUP) becomes a selector. The machine is per Part, so a track can run Flex in Part 1 and Thru in Part 2.

  • Switching machine resets the track's SRC MAIN and SETUP pages to the new machine's defaults, as each machine reads those slots differently (the second slot is STRT on Flex but DIR on Pickup). Switching back resets them again: use Undo or Reload Part to recover from a mistake.
  • T1 and T5 cannot run a Neighbor machine: Neighbor takes its audio from the previous track, and these are the first of their group of four (Octatrack manual, section A.4).

Changing a track's effects​

In Edit mode, the effect name in an FX heading (MAIN - FILTER on FX1/FX2, FX1 - FILTER on ALL) becomes a selector listing OFF and the 14 effects, in the device's order.

  • Loading an effect resets that block's parameters to the effect's defaults, as on the Octatrack.
  • The parameter help and the LFO target names follow the loaded effect: an LFO on a filter's BASE reads FLTR BASE, and PLTE TIME once a plate reverb is loaded.

Changing the Sample a track plays​

On the SRC and ALL pages, a Static or Flex track shows its slot in the track header (e.g. SLOT F002). Hover it to see the file name. In Edit mode, click it to open a Sample Slot picker that works like the Sample Slots pages:

  • Only loaded slots of the machine's own pool (Flex or Static) are listed, and the list opens on the slot tagged Assigned.
  • Same preview and keys as the Sample Slots pages: arrows to move, Space to play, Shift + Enter for Auto-preview, Shift + L for Loop, Ctrl + F to search.
  • Enter, double-click or Assign assigns the slot; Escape or Cancel closes without changes.
  • Right-click a row for Play, Open in file explorer and Copy path to clipboard.

The assignment is per Part, and the slot of the pool the track is not using is preserved for when the machine changes back.

Un-assigning a sample​

Right-click the Assigned row and choose Un-assign. The Octatrack has no "no sample" setting, so this points the track at the lowest-numbered empty slot of that pool, as a fresh project does. The menu entry names that slot, and is greyed out if all 128 slots are used.

Recorder setup​

The REC tab shows each audio track's two recorder setup pages, per Part, as the device lays them out:

  • SETUP 1, what gets sampled: INAB / INCD (inputs), RLEN (length), TRIG (start/stop), SRC3 (internal source), LOOP.
  • SETUP 2, how: FIN / FOUT (fades), AB / CD (input monitoring levels), QREC / QPL (quantisation, OFF by default).

Track and Cue levels​

The track header on the AMP and ALL pages carries TRK and CUE, the device's mixer levels for that track (separate from the AMP page's VOL). They are stored per track and per Part, for every machine type.

MIDI Track Pages (M1–M8)​

  • NOTE Page: Edit the MIDI channel, notes, velocity, and length for external sequencing.

Parts Editor - MIDI Notes page

  • ARP Page: Adjust the arpeggiator settings (Transpose, Legato, Mode, Speed, Range, Length).

Parts Editor - MIDI Arp page

  • LFO Pages: Adjust the three MIDI LFOs, draw custom LFO shapes.

Parts Editor - MIDI LFO page

  • CTRL Pages: Configure the MIDI CC parameters for external gear control.

Parts Editor - MIDI CTRL1 page

Custom LFO Designer​

Octatrack Manager features an intuitive LFO Designer that allows you to draw custom LFO waveforms - freely with your mouse.

  1. Navigate to a track's LFO page.
  2. Select the DESIGN tab.
  3. Click and drag in the editor to draw your waveform.
  4. The changes are updated in real-time in the project.

LFO Designer edition

LFO Designer

Saving and Committing Changes​

Octatrack Manager follows the same two-step process for saving changes, mirroring exactly how the Octatrack works.

1. Live Editing​

As you move a knob or change a setting, the change is immediately written to project's Part. Your edits are stored in the Parts's working state and will be persisted.

  • An unsaved indicator (asterisk) will appear next to the part name to show that it contains uncommitted changes. Exactly like on the Octatrack.
Unsaved indicator on part tab

2. Reloading a Part​

Live changes made can easily be discarded; allowing you to return to the last saved state of Part:

  • Click the Reload button in the bank header.
  • This will clear the unsaved changes.

To take back only the last few changes rather than everything since the last Save, use Undo instead.

Reload, Save, and Save All buttons

3. Saving to Part​

To commit your edits to the Part:

  • Click Save to commit the current part, or Save All to commit all modified parts in the bank at once.
  • The unsaved indicator will disappear, and your changes are now final.
Parts Editor Save Button

4. Seeing what Save and Reload overwrite​

See diffs, the icon after Save All (or the D key), lists every value of the selected Part that differs between its edited copy and its saved one:

  • Each row gives the page and parameter, then the saved value and the current one.
  • Rows come one track at a time: its own values first, then its scene locks.
  • Reload and Save at the bottom act on that Part. D or Esc closes the window.
  • A Part the device has never saved has no saved copy to compare with.

Right-clicking a Part tab in Edit mode offers: Reload, Save and See diffs for that Part.

In Edit mode, a value of the Part on screen that differs from its saved copy reads in orangei, or an asterisk at the top right of certain fields. Hovering over it shows the saved value. Pameter chances in Scenes are also identified the same way.

Data Safety​

warning

Important: Editing parts directly modifies your project files. While automatic backups provide a safety net, it’s strongly advised to keep your own copies of your projects as well.

  • Check Your Bank: Ensure you have selected the correct bank (A–P) before you start editing.
  • Commit Often: Be sure to understand how the Octactrack works with changes - as the app works exactly the same way.
  • Back Up: Always maintain a separate backup of your CF card or project folder.