Is Elektron giving up the keyboard market?

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

Let’s assume that the Analog Keys is now gone from Elektron’s portfolio forever. You can’t buy it in stores anymore, unless they got stock left, and you can’t order it from their website. So it’s a reasonable assumption.

Has Elektron decided to drop the keyboard market all together, and just focus on whatever goes into a box? I hope not, I still wish for them to bring me the ultimate keyboard workstation, which I have a feeling they’d be able to do, if they put their minds to it.

But it would make sense for them to just drop it, as well. They keyboard market’s crowded with premium as well as low-key options, most of them pretty great, whereas the section where Elektron is clearly stronger, is a position they rule.

What do you guys think? Is this the end of Elektron keyboards, or are they just prepping for a new flaghship keyboard of sorts?

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#2

I’ll wager it’s the end of keys for Elektron’s foreseeable future. There are more than enough controllers out there and as far as workstation-style units you pretty much said it yourself: it’s a crowded (and I’ll add: more preset-oriented) market.

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#3

One of my fondest memories is jamming with my brother on his SFX-6, taking turns on the keyboard and synth section, Kraftwerk style electro.
We both really loved the layout as touted by Elektron for 2 people to play together, great idea!
I wish they would do another synth like that, unique and fun. I scour the 2nd hand market for the SFX-6 but prices are too high.
My bro regrets letting it from his grasp…

Even the A4K in the SFX-6 form would be great!
To answer the question though :wink: I can’t see them releasing a weighty beast with keys for a while at least. People complain about desk space, and lack of funds.
One thing is for sure, if Elektron were to release another keyed synth it will have to be very forward thinking and equally esoteric in function to justify it’s footprint snd likely high price tag.

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#4

Honestly, I don’t think Elektron ever really was in the keyboard market. :slight_smile:

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#5

What? But… You really think they will not be an Analog Keys mk2 ?
No, I can’t believe this…

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#6

It would be a shame if that were the case, if anyone could make the perfect synth it’s Elektron.
In fact, I think the A4 is the closest thing to the perfect synth on the market at the moment with tons of flexible modulation and sound shaping options.
I think the problem with selling it as the Keys is the perception of the UI being a menu-diver, even though switching pages with specific buttons is hardly what I’d call menu diving but many see it that way. I think the desk top A4 can get away with it but not a keyboarded synth.
Same sound engine or advanced version of it in a longer keyboard with more knobs per function would have wider appeal than the Analog Keys and is something I have my fingers crossed for because I don’t want to have to settle for a DSI so I keep holding out as long as I can and hoping…

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#7

In true R Kelly fashion, my mind (bank account) doesn’t want the AK MK2 to exist.
But my body is telling me “yes!”

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#8

At the same time, being a premium developer of synths with a strong line up for credible and high-performance gear, in the market for musicians and people who love music - and not have a keyboard? Just the single one? For credibility, if nothing else, and maintaining an idea of their position?

I don’t know, but I’d imagine the brand value of just having a damn good keyboard in the line-up is strong, but difficult to measure in raw numbers as well, if it’s not selling as it should.

Nevertheless, perhaps many a keyboard players have found their way to an Octatrack or A4 or whatnot, through the Keys. Even if they never bought one.

#9

Do we have any idea, how good the AKs sales have been? Elektron seems to be focused on delivering 1st class “groove boxes”, or “keyless boxes”. If a keyed version doesn’t sell well enough, well… :wink:

#10

It’s just… the only two keyboards they’ve ever made are 100% replicable by plugging a midi controller keyboard into the corresponding desktop units. I don’t fully understand why they do them at all.

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#11

The AK looked cool but just never really worked for me. Was a little too clunky for a controller keyboard and always frustrated as a poly due to voice limitations. It’s one of those pieces that always seemed on the cusp of greatness but just fell short of that makes sense.

A cooler solution would have been a keyboard with a modular feature set. Sort of picture the AK layout with a bit cut out of the top right corner. You would “dock” your A4 or whatever box in to allow playing and would have had extra knobs for more hands on control. Fully appreciate that this is pure pipe dream territory and doesn’t really work with the MK2’s but that would have had something special as the play action of the AK was actually pretty nice for a controller.

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#12

You’re discounting the very long time that the A4 mkII was NOT a thing. The AK had individual voice outs and a different filter design emphasizing low-end, while the A4 did not.

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#13

Ah, yeah, I forgot about the individual voice outs.

#14

AK is awesome machine that had a potential to be the heart of the small studio. Unfortunately this never happened because of the particular design choices - lack of midi sequencer foremost. It can not even be the heart of Elektron ecosystem because there is no Elektron ecosystem. Elektron is designing separate boxes that do not talk to each other the way modern studio equipment does. AK just has no place in this. Because of that it has been left to be the one trick pony. Fortunately, a cute one :stuck_out_tongue:

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#15

An integrated keyboard as opposed to an attached one, is a world of difference to some, myself included.

But perhaps that kind of player tends to look elsewhere for their instruments.

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#16

I recently sold my Analog Four to buy an Analog Keys (just before the current price drop, go figure) and I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s everything I want in a keyboard controller: compact, but with full sized velocity/aftertouch-sensitive keys; joystick, CVx4 and a built-in power supply. It works beautifully as a controller for my MIDI and Analog synths. It’s a shame that the sequencer doesn’t transmit MIDI, but I can live with that. The fact that it offers the Elektron sequencer and four awesome synth voices plus effects is just icing on the cake. I think it’s a terrific design and I do hope we’re going to see a MkII, even if my budget is broken for the foreseeable future!

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#17

2 posts were split to a new topic: Can AK joystick control MM?

Can AK joystick control MM?
#18

The AK never made sense to me. You can’t play it as a keyboard. The 4 voice is really limiting, especially if you play live and wonder what notes will actually be played for a more complex chord.

#19

Ok, but we could also ask ourselves why the heck did they integrate a sequencer in their synths (or a synth in their sequencer…). same thing could be done with separated elements.

The deep integration of different elements in the same box is definitely a strength i love of Elektron boxes. So I would love to see them push the concept of the analog keys further with an MK2. i just imagine something like a 25 keys seabord rise style controller attached to the A4, with the Elektron sequencer beign able to record parameter slides or aftertouch coming from it… or whatever they could put on the table :star_struck::star_struck:…

#20

I’m with you to a degree- but I mean- you can program three voices to play on it and then jam out a synth interlude on the fourth voice. Or lay down a decent bassline and bounce between 3 different voices all while potentially using the joystick to alter the bass parameters.

That being said- the perks of the Keys is trumped by the perks of the Desktop. And what you’re missing in features could be supplemented with a midi keyboard or perfected with a legitimate knob-per-function hardware synth.

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