Hey all.
Got my heart set on the A4 MK2 after using the Digitone OG, the MK2 and the Digitakt 2 over the last couple of years.
I feel like the A4 will suit my workflow but I have a few questions.
I realised I love to work with synthesis more than samples for creating whole tracks. I especially enjoy synthesizing drums rather than using samples. I’ve considered selling the Digitakt, but I feel like it’s a great companion to the Digitone 2.
Does anyone use the Digitakt 2 to support the A4? I’m sure the A4 is great standalone but I can imagine that the Digitakt could assist with the limitations of the A4.
I also wanted to know how “acid bass” style sounds can be within the A4. I don’t need a specifically 303 sounding machine or anything, just something that has the squelchy portamento sound. I can do it with the Digitone, but I’m imagining the A4 would be better suited for it?
Anyway, I’ve been saving up and have sold some other gear so I’m sure I’ll have a used MK2 within a couple of weeks. Really looking forward to using one
Use this guide—the A4 can do a lot more, but the video will at least get you started.
Keep in mind: The Digitone, Syntakt, and A4 aren’t 303s—but they can sound (almost ) just as good. The process is a bit more complicated and complex, but you’ll get much, much further as a result.
The A4 is an outstanding drum synthesizer due to its mod capabilities and envelope shapes, but is not the best drum performance machine due to the lack of retriggers/ratchets and it doesn’t have a velocity triggering mode for velocity variation (so you’d have to p-lock velocity after recording the triggers in). Sequencing its drum tracks from a digitakt 2 that has trigger modes and can have retriggers locked to a trigger is an excellent way to get around this problem.
With its overdrive and ladder filter and secondary multimode filter for further band shaping and more resonance, yes the A4 can do an excellent job on 303 style acid bass sounds. I’m sure someone will give you some examples.
The DT2 can also be useful for freezing some sounds from the A4 that won’t lose their character by being played as samples, capturing quantized loops, slicing A4 drum sounds into chop drumsets, etc and being able to use it as the master mixer with its compressor and master OD (two things A4 doesn’t have) would make a very nice two box setup.
You can also use resampling and transient samples or other sample layering with the A4 drum sounds to sound design some really insane drums on the digitakt 2, similar to the analog rytm workflow.
I can’t speak for the Digitone. It’snpretty easy to get in the ballpark for this type of sound on the A4. You have note slides for the portamento, and performance macros make it easy to automate several filter controls at once - or you could map individual controls like filter cutoff, decay and env. modulation amount to individual macros for a more 303-like control experience (so you don’t have to jump between pages of the sound engine as you twist the knobs).
You can take the sound much further than a 303 because each voice has two oscs with lots of cross-mod options, and two filters for “eq” or formant-like sounds. I find it’s not quite as bouncy or rubbery as a 303/clone. But it’s close. Setting osc level low (50 and below) gets the balance betweennosc tone and filter emohasis closer to a real 303.
My favorite “trick” is to take the individual out for the “acid” track out to a distortion pedal, and return it to one of the Ext. In channels for adding A4’s delay/reverb.
) just as good. The process is a bit more complicated and complex, but you’ll get much, much further as a result.