Analog Keys instead of Moog Sub37?

[namnibor]

Same story as credo. The Sub 37 is the thing for me, but I´m doing a lot of live playing in bands and not so much programing and p-locks. So it seemed natural to sell A4 and get the sub 37.
I had MD, A4 and just didn´t gel with them or got them into my work flow/the music I make. Pretty sure the Rytm has to go too (it´s just sitting in its box and looking out) but will stick with the OT, cause it can deliver in the many different set-ups I have/use.

Sub 37 is simple and complicated in the same way and keeps to surprise me and push me to get some new sounds. I think you can get the same but different with A4 but it just didn´t speak to me as the sub37.

I agree. I added a Sub 37 July of 2014 and I am an actual keyboard player and found I absolutely hated the work-flow and interface of the A4. Just not intuitive to me one bit. It can sound great, but with the sequencer so deeply integrated into the A4 it makes it difficult at best to use the A4 as a sound module as I would with any of the plethora of hardware rack synths or keyboard synths I have. The Sub 37 simply evokes and inspires massive creativity for me.
I have owned the A4 since it’s release, and am proficient at sound design and composition. In the end, at least for me, the A4/AK seems to be more of a “machine” rather than a “proper instrument” (can hear the fanboys with their torches and pitchforks coming out of the village to stone me for stating that, but I am freely allowed my own opinion, so flame out…I simply do not care)
The Sub 37 is very versatile and much more than a ‘bass synth’ and definitely prefer a near-knob per function interface rather than convoluted, maniacal and noisy button combo pushes to do a simple function.
The A4 is actually a challenge to integrate in an all hardware synth set-up without a proper midi out. Being locked into same time signature, tracks are only one direction…meanwhile, my Spectralis and Polymorph from years ago can do different time signatures, midi note/sequencing of other gear, different time signatures, varied directions and ratcheting…so yeah, I found the A4’s limitations and interface a huge creativity buzz kill for the way I enjoy to work.
Sub 37 simply SOUNDS better to me than the A4 at all levels. I would never base any given synth’s on-board FX as a “selling point”, as most musicians have outboard FX racks and pedals anyway.
The pending massive update to Sub 37 will make an already outstanding synth a superstar amongst synths out there. A modern classic. But then again, I actually play keys rather than an “automatic music generator”.

I also do not agree that a specific instrument must be “better” at making Techno or whatever genre. You can make those sounds on ANY digital synth, and especially on my Virus KB and KC, but does not mean cannot use the Sub 37 for ANY music genre…sure you can…it’s called synthesis and being creative. For that matter, you could “play Techno” on a cheap Casio.
Silly Humans!

[d2ba]

Lets not talk about the A4 —I had one --it was totally un-inspiring and unusable to me in that form factor
The AK is a totally different experience --its a real instrument just like the Sub 37 and DSI Pro 2–

The Sub 37 totally sucks when syncing its sequencer to midi clock
It does not feel right --i would not even waste my time using its sequencer for techno unless you made a beatless tune and did not need to clock it via midi.Try and sync it to midi clock you will make a shit tune for sure
For everything else Sub 37 is great --leads --sound effects.
I like it for that more than my old Voyager EB

[andreasroman]

I strongly suspect Mr Andreasroman was just using the AK presets which are not great and made a poor decision returning the AKs!!!

Perhaps. But not because of presets. I design all my own sounds and managed to put together a few patches on the AK that I quite enjoyed.
It’s just that I didn’t enjoy them as much as whatever I’ve put together on the Sub37, neither the way to do it or what came out of it.
But I’d say it’s a matter of taste. They sound quite different, so it’s a preference and that made the decision to return the AK easy.
If there had been a Moog out there with Elektron’s approach to building sequences that can become tracks, that would be my perfect one shot instrument.

[Dapifer]

Lets not talk about the A4 —I had one --it was totally un-inspiring and unusable to me in that form factor
The AK is a totally different experience --its a real instrument just like the Sub 37 and DSI Pro 2–

The Sub 37 totally sucks when syncing its sequencer to midi clock
It does not feel right --i would not even waste my time using its sequencer for techno unless you made a beatless tune and did not need to clock it via midi.Try and sync it to midi clock you will make a shit tune for sure
For everything else Sub 37 is great --leads --sound effects.
I like it for that more than my old Voyager EB

You might wann check whats sending clock, I’ve got it slaved from OT, thru AR and it’s perfect sync for me.

[dragon]

But then again, I actually play keys rather than an “automatic music generator”.

Obviously you never record music at all… and all the preset slots on your Sub 37 must be empty, cause that would be automatic music generation…

[andreasroman]

[quote=“d2ba”]Lets not talk about the A4 —I had one --it was totally un-inspiring and unusable to me in that form factor
The AK is a totally different experience --its a real instrument just like the Sub 37 and DSI Pro 2–

The Sub 37 totally sucks when syncing its sequencer to midi clock
It does not feel right --i would not even waste my time using its sequencer for techno unless you made a beatless tune and did not need to clock it via midi.Try and sync it to midi clock you will make a shit tune for sure
For everything else Sub 37 is great --leads --sound effects.
I like it for that more than my old Voyager EB

You might wann check whats sending clock, I’ve got it slaved from OT, thru AR and it’s perfect sync for me.[/quote]
Same here. Works great and swings quite nicely.

[mokomo]

Automatic Music Generation would be a great name for a band.

[AdamJay]

I design all my own sounds and managed to put together a few patches on the AK that I quite enjoyed.
It’s just that I didn’t enjoy them as much as whatever I’ve put together on the Sub37, neither the way to do it or what came out of it.
But I’d say it’s a matter of taste. They sound quite different, so it’s a preference and that made the decision to return the AK easy.

Do you feel you spent enough time with the AK to truly understand its potential (or lack of potential) for your music?

I ask, because I owned my A4 for nearly a month and was about to send it back as it just was not working out for me, at least not with the immediacy that Rytm and MonoMachine did. But after really buckling down and diving as hard as I could into each and every feature for an entire week, I forced myself to write 3 songs with it. In the 25th hour it clicked for me, and now I can’t live without the A4. Grateful that I stuck it out and kept it. Am now considering a 2nd A4 or an AK down the road.

I read your posts and the mood for one piece of gear over the other really seems to change on a dime. Not just Sub37 or AK, but the electribe as well. Perhaps it is your writing style, or just the frequency and subject of your posts. But it has me wondering if there would have been a different outcome under different circumstances.

[andreasroman]

[quote=“andreasroman”]I design all my own sounds and managed to put together a few patches on the AK that I quite enjoyed.
It’s just that I didn’t enjoy them as much as whatever I’ve put together on the Sub37, neither the way to do it or what came out of it.
But I’d say it’s a matter of taste. They sound quite different, so it’s a preference and that made the decision to return the AK easy.

Do you feel you spent enough time with the AK to truly understand its potential (or lack of potential) for your music?

I ask, because I owned my A4 for nearly a month and was about to send it back as it just was not working out for me, at least not with the immediacy that Rytm and MonoMachine did. But after really buckling down and diving as hard as I could into each and every feature for an entire week, I forced myself to write 3 songs with it. In the 25th hour it clicked for me, and now I can’t live without the A4. Grateful that I stuck it out and kept it. Am now considering a 2nd A4 or an AK down the road.

I read your posts and the mood for one piece of gear over the other really seems to change on a dime. Not just Sub37 or AK, but the electribe as well. Perhaps it is your writing style, or just the frequency and subject of your posts. But it has me wondering if there would have been a different outcome under different circumstances.[/quote]
No, you’re right, in a way. I think anyone saying that the AK or A4 can’t produce sounds or tracks that are relevant to their kind of music, just hasn’t learned the instrument. Given the versatility of its sound palette, there’s so much potential that it’s always relevant.
But in the end, it’s like this: My workspace is 120cm x 40cm. In that space, I can only fit so much. Every piece really counts. And what my last encounter with the AK finally confirmed to me was that despite its abilities and qualities, the pull of the Moog is stronger, because of the way it sounds and the way it makes me feel when I play it. I just had to have one final fling with the AK before I figured that out.
As for the Electribe, it doesn’t benefit from Korg’s way of positioning it. Look at it for what it can do, not what Korg tells you it can do, and it’s great. That’s the threshold that I and many other users of the Electribe had to cross. It sounds great, is super easy to work with, portable and battery powered, and swings like a jazz band on crack. How can that be a bad thing? It can’t.

[namnibor]

[quote=“namnibor”]But then again, I actually play keys rather than an “automatic music generator”.

Obviously you never record music at all… and all the preset slots on your Sub 37 must be empty, cause that would be automatic music generation…[/quote]
Just exactly how does that make any sense? Was that comment made through texting while riding a rollercoaster blindfolded? If so, I would excuse the overwhelming ignorance in that post.

[vos]

You want it to be the heart of the rig and sound awesome, with patches and multitimbrality to boost.
But only the workstation options can do that, and they don’t sound all that nice.
The Analog Keys is fairly unique in that aspect, although the JD-XA might give it some competition now.

Are you serious ???

[andreasroman]

[quote=“undefined”]You want it to be the heart of the rig and sound awesome, with patches and multitimbrality to boost.
But only the workstation options can do that, and they don’t sound all that nice.
The Analog Keys is fairly unique in that aspect, although the JD-XA might give it some competition now.

Are you serious ??? [/quote]
Almost never. Though more frequently than you’d think.

[vos]