A4 deep bass tips?

No depth on any envelopes, just key tracking on FLT2

This thread :+1:

Hey my contrib :slight_smile:

Play : Play Beetween F2-B2 (MY PREFERENCE FOR G#)

OSC1 : LEVEL 40 - WAV : FEEDBACK
OSC2 : TRIANGLE
OSX : OSC RETRIG ON
FILTER : CUT 8 - RES 48 - DEP 30 - OVR 30
FILTER2 : CUT 41 - RES 12 
AMP : ATK 2 - DEC 64 - SUS 32 - REL 64 - ENV 3 - REV 20
ENVF : ATK 1 - DEC 60 - SUS 56 - RES - ENV 3
LFO1 : SPD 32 - Y1K - FAD 47 - DST FM2
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love it! thanks

Soooo…MK2…whats now better in the Bass Department? Is it now easier to dial in satisfying bass or does it still need precise settings? Wider sweet spot i guess?

Nevermind, found the answers myself Here: Analog Four MKII out now!

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Before MK2, I use a BeyerDynamics Custom Pro with my A4 MK1 on the road with it’s Fourth position on the EQ system so I can design comfortably a Bass… when coming back to the studio I know exactly because of the EQ specifications what do I have to make to get the Bass I designed with an EQ in DAW or Mixer

4_Heavy Bass


Now with MK2 I can get what I want in Vibrant Bass mode (but I could put it to Linear without any doubt)
Also I would say YES it is now easier … I’m satisfied as hell and I can tell you I’m very exigeant to the LOW END of the spectrum… I designed this morning for the LOWEND101 pack (will be offered here for free on Elektronauts for this end the year) a REESE BASS and i can tell you i am way more than happy with the results i get.

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Do you describe bass enhancement in MK2 as boost before 200hz?
I never complained about bass volume, but I miss coherent filters behavior and I miss transparency when audio go thru filter (sort of impossibility to get dry signal).

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No I just said i using for my personal comfort when designing bass on the road a headphone with 4 different EQ position where the last one is Huge +10dB from 0 to 120hZ … and i was ok for Bass design on the Mark 1… and said with mark 2 I don’t need this crazy EQ to design Bass comfortably…

I would not describe as a EQ Boost it’s sounds more like fine adjustment for more deepness into the sound in the low register and also the Overdrive works better accordingly.

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Tbh, I’ve given up using AK and A4 for trying to get the bass I’m after. It’s too much work, trying to find the sweet-spot.

I can get close, using a saw on OSC2, with a sub and the phase reset (for rolling 16th style bass). …but, I don’t think it’s possible to dial down the sub level (please correct me if I’m wrong), to bring the saw further out in the mix. The envelopes don’t seem to be working for me either, to get the right attack for amp or filter.

I’m finding it better, to drive a Minitaur from the OT sequencer (especially since the recent sequencer updates). The sweet-spot on the Minitaur is so wide, it’s difficult to dial up something which sounds bad.

I’m also considering either a second Minitaur, or a Pulse 2 at some point.

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at elektron they could also consider sharing some details on how to improve the ladder filter or how to bypass it, at least publish part of the circuit. is it a military secret?

Summarising the thread, the filters degrade the sound.

Not if you change oil and filters every year.

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Yes.

Possible with hipass filter, it you set it’s frequency at root note (F2=53 with regular tune settings) with keytrack.
Also possible to increase root note level with resonance.

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That’s a work-around though, using a filter.

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Bumping this old thread because it was so helpful!

I, like many others, oscillate between emotions about my A4. While it does certain things very well it always feels like a lot of work to get good basses, especially across octaves; you might create a tight mid bass that falls apart in the lower ranges or a good deep bass that relies on extreme filtering thereby losing its top end sizzle.

While most A4 users likely know about using the multimode filter with keytracking to boost low frequencies, there were a few other takeawys from this thread that I found very useful.

1.) The filters are the main source of bass woes; as evinced by oscilloscope images of external gear being run through the A4. In order to get the filters to behave in an “expected” manner (similar to other synths) try the following: for filter 1 take off res boost, leave keytracking off, set res to around 64, and leave the cutoff all the way open. I found that a bit of overdrive is also useful with positive values of 12-25. Use the multimode filter for your filtering needs (envelopes, LFOs etc.).

2.) It is possible to get a pretty hefty square using the tips in step 1 and by setting PW to ranges between -2 to -8.

3.) Not from this thread but it is also possible to get a nice saw by following step 1 and setting the oscillator shape to triangle. Next, turn the PW to -64 and voila.

While there are some other tips here and there, working around the above three (with tweaks to taste) has been incredibly helpful and I have achieved some bass sounds that I thought were outside of the A4’s palette. Of course there is no accounting for taste so experimentation is key but I am now back on the positive slope in my A4 relationship.

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Yeah, I always smile when I see this thread pop up.

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Nice trick. Thank you.
I would add, the center of a square wave seems to be achieved with PWM -8
I wish I could get that type of sound :

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Well, I think getting any synth to sound as hefty as a Minitaur is a tough proposition but I have gotten the A4 to sound surprisingly close to my SE-02 (which is modeled after the original Model D). While I haven’t performed any “scientific” tests (matching meters, using an oscilloscope) I have been consistently and pleasantly surprised by how beefy the A4 can sound by setting filter 1 as previously mentioned and using filter 2 for all modulation. Thinking about making a video because I haven’t seen anyone demonstrate these methods and the sound difference is huge! The only downside I’ve found is that the use of overdrive and cranking of filter 1’s res makes the res on filter 2 a bit harder to dial in.

Oh, and my default square patch is set to PW -8 too;) There was a post showing this as the most “square like” deep in the thread somewhere…

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It seems we are looking for the same type of synth. And thanks for your trick, I will have more pleasure to use A4. A video will be great for all of us who are looking for Minimoog type of square with our A4. Something I love with your values : rising resonance in filter 2 doesn’t lower bass. It’s a really good balance.
Se02 seems very close to minimoog in this test


But I didn’t see any real comparison about pure square exactly centered, without resonance. That’s something hard to get in all the synth I use… SE01 is nice for that.