Currently I use a Digitakt. For background textures I have a small modular rig (Plaits, Clouds, Echophon). I’m missing a melody maker, the singing voice.
I was thinking the A4, but then of course started thinking RYTM because that’s the dream machine I’m desperate to own but don’t know why. But there are so many synths I thought I’d open this up for discussion.
Drums are handled with samples via the DT. (Something I’ve noticed though is I spend more time hunting for samples than working on the music. I’m wondering if I should sell the DT and replace it with the RYTM.)
The voice of the set, the singing as it were, I want to be separate from the DT. By that I mean the DT will be master clock but I want to program the bass and harmony pieces on the second device. I was thinking the A4 because it seems deep, and has the sequencer Im used to. I was also thinking, if this is possible, that I could use it to control the modular with its CV out. Possibly MIDI from Fugue on iPhone into the A4 then out to the modular?
I’m very new to and relaxed about music. I don’t want to overthink it. I have no interest in recording but do like the idea of playing live sets. I’ve tried working on DAWs and iPad etc but they don’t do it for me. Real knobs, real hardware, limitations, focus.
In terms of style, it’s a mix of Thom Yorke / Björk / some simpler drum and bass. Sets start slow and speed up and grow in complexity before becoming simpler, louder, and more kick heavy.
The question then is for the synth voice, which needs to handle the bass line plus the higher pitched melody, with a sequencer and noting what I’ve said - where would you look?
I can offer some thoughts about using an A4MKI and DT since that’s my current set-up. I really enjoy the versatility of the A4 when it comes to sound design, drum creation, bass, leads, textures, chords and so on. I sometimes use the A4 by itself to sketch out music in a similar vein to what you described (big atoms for peace fan here), using the 4 tracks to cover drums, bass, and a lead part. Adding the DT into the mix makes things easier and frees up tracks on the A4 to utilize the polyphony for a bit of an easier time playing things live, etc.
You mentioned feeling like you’re hunting down samples a lot, which was also a feeling I’ve had when using Ableton and Maschine. At this point I try to sample drum sounds from my A4 into the DT so I can dial in the sound I’m definitely looking for without searching through sample packs, etc. etc. Drum settings can be a bit tricky on the A4 but there are some good threads and presets you can purchase that cover a wide range of sounds.
There are some downsides to the A4 that others exhaustively cover on this forum. If you like the way elektron does things though, I think you will enjoy either one of the Analog boxes. Having a broader depth of control and features like song-mode & performance macros are really great. I’ve never owned an AR, but it sounds like the sound design is really great for drums and utilizing samples is very similar to the DT. It seems like you might run into some limits on what the AR can offer in terms of lead and maybe even bass synth parts based on the VCO machine limits.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck!
My first thought is don’t be so picky about samples. I basically use the same 5-8 (?..it isn’t over 10) kick drums in most of my tracks. No one will notice. I’ve heard a lot of professionals say similar things.
I think the A4 could be a good choice. I fought with liking mine for a long time but kept it because I was sequencing my MS-20 Mini with it. I kept want to use it like a traditional poly synth where it really is more like 4 mono synths in one (yes, I know it has a poly mode). To me it feels more like the monomachine in the way with wants to be sequenced and programed. I don’t want to say it is a “glitch machine” exactly but when I used it successfully it was more about the sum of what the voices were doing together than what they could individually if that makes sense?
The CV sequencing would absolutely be a boon to you modular. A second hand MKI might be worth the money for that alone. I don’t do Eurorack though so I don’t know about this 100%.
The A4 is a strange beast. You’ll see that many people have bought and sold one 3 and even 4 times. I think its worth trying though.
Lol, he’s talking about me here. There’s others too who have done this but I’ve definitely bought and sold several. I think the update that unlocked the sequencer for traditional midi sequencing has really opened the A4 up. It’s also the only groovebox style synth that I know of with a very simple transpose feature. You can program a sequence and transpose the entire thing, all parts, using the inbuilt keyboard on the unit. This can really open up your sequences as well and get you out of the dreaded loop mode that is common with most groove boxes in their operation. If you’re looking for bass and lead I’d definitely recommend the A4 over the RYTM. Yes the RTYM has synth capabilities with the update but I feel you’re covered for percussion w your DT.
A4 over Rytm, as it’s a lot more versatile and you have a sampler. A4 should go really well with your modular, too with it’s CV outputs, as well as allowing you to use it’s effects for sampling or resampling to the DT. Rytm wouldn’t add as much, but instead has a lot of overlap with the DT.
That said do you really want another Elektron box? Maybe some other cool synth instead that you could control via midi? Like a Perfourmer? A4 really sounds painfully neutral and needs a lot of time put in if you want to unlock its full potential, unless you absolutely fall in love you might not want it to be your only synth.