I love my AK but if it’s a more classic “warmth” you’re after you might be better looking elsewhere. It can be steered to softer analog sounds but it does tend to veer towards harder, even digital sounding sounds - osc sync, AM, buzzy oscs, overdrive etc can all tip the sound away from warmer climes if you’re not careful. Just my take.
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You’re gonna get a ton of advice here about using what you’ve got until you know everything about every piece down to how many threads the bolts have that hold the front panel on.
I say get whatever you want and can afford. Why limit yourself to one “sound”? Can’t your “sound” evolve?
I’ve never really understood this monk-like behaviour of not buying any new gear until you’ve worn the paint off all your current gear. 
You can get an A4 MKi for prob $700 easily and it’s worth twice that in real value IMO.
Very powerful device.
So short answer. Yes, get it. Totally worth it.
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Thanks Garf,
could you please mention some other analog devices that have this classic warmth. I am actually thinking in A4 because I like the Elektron workflow.
…more than three elektron devices at once in a live situation can easily grow out of hand…
but if u say ambient, this means to me, ur not in a rush and things got way more time to evolve…
that might take out the stress u run into, once u perform for a realtime dancing mob…
basically, the a4 mk1 is, for it’s actual 2hand pricetags between 600-700 bux, an absolute no brainer for what u get…and it’s a mindblowing machine with it’s performance makros, especially for all ambient evolvements…
and it’s built in reverb, i still call one of my best in all my hardware…
it’s like in the digis…but meh, not really…might be due to the fact that the truu analog engine that feeds it. is such a beauty…but whatsoever…it’s THE perfect ambience reverb…
and for ur setup…i think it still could work out fine, without becoming simply too much…
since u could run the a4 through dn’s inputs…and get all audio hosted by the ot…
leaves only the guitar on an xtra mixer channel…
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Thanks. yes, I like to think I am a minimalist too (not sure :)) . My first issue was that, because I use DN so much in my music (is like my main instrument), that quickly starts clipping because I go after the 8 voices. Then I started thinking that maybe could be a good idea to add this analog sound.
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Guitar directly in A4 MKI (with osc 2 AM). Keeper !
Analog 4 as fx processor - #13 by sezare56
Everytime I use it, something unexpected I really like comes out. Lots of possibilities and unique sound.
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…that’s a great idea…
depending on what u do with ur guitar, it could be sensational…using a4 to host the guitar…
that means no external mixing at all…and if ur really a minmalist, it won’t grow out of oversight, since this way u can easily keep all sonic missions strict by keeping it pretty straight forward within every single machine…
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Yes, totally true about ambient and no rush live… there is more time, no doubt. Thanks for sharing your experience with A4. Seems like a great machine.
About routing, now I am sendinging DN and guitar to OT and the MD going direct to the mixer.
I was thinking in using A4 for processing MD.
Any advice about routing would be welcome too!
thanks a lot
Buy a patchbay and experiment everything !
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Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to put you off. Like I said it can do ‘warmth’ with some work (or some nice presets I guess, I don’t use them though) and is a crazy bargain for what you get. As for other suggestions, that’s better answered by someone else. Dreadbox abyss would be a deluxe poly droner though - maybe their new one Nymphes is worth looking into…?
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…for routing…i’d say…make the ot ur master hub…
let it host the md…and the dn…
let the dn host the a4…
and the a4 the guitar…
a patchbay is always great for most flexible experimentations…but that’s studio terretory…
for live stage, i’d say, doing it as recommended, u get this kind of set up once presetted and established for real and stick with that, and rehearse, u end up with a truu realtime workflow setup ur always in sonic comfort zone, still always ready to surprise to urself…and let things evolve for real…
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Wow!!! Is this a guitar?!
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It was. 
Osc 1 is set to external in, maxed overdrive otherwise the signal is too weak. Osc 2 modulates Osc 1 with amplitude modulation, but it is audible, depending on guitar playing, or internal notes (random arp). Unexpected results !
More explanations in link below the audio file…
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Thanks sezare!
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The A4 is great and a second hand MK1 is a steal for what you get.
2 inputs (that you can route through the filters/fx) + sequencer + FX (and an FX track you can sequence!) + OB alone could be worth the asking price.
But I don’t really consider the A4 as being “warm”.
It can do a lot of things though and “warm” is also possible
but other analog synths could give you the warmth you’re after by just turning them on.
as @garf said Dreadbox Abyss or the new Nymphes or if a monosynth is OK, Typhoon could be great (Typhoon comes with some lovely FX that would work wonders for ambient).
Moog Subharmonicon is great too and could add a new color to your actual sound.
but then, the A4 has a lot to offer and sounds great!
A4/DN/MD/OT sounds like a of fun!
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Just watched a Rick Beato video with Sting who said exactly this. Drum lead and bass plus vocals of course 
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and the thing is, I am in no way trying to talk anyone out of buying a great piece of gear! Its just that I have always felt that when another fully featured gear thing is added into your process, there is the learning curve (however small it may be), integrating it, then you have to figure out how its going to fit in, and I think that it ends up totally changing the direction that you were going. Now that sometimes isn’t a terrible thing, but if you are at the point where you are in the groove and just need to make some adjustments, adding an A4 could flip things on its head!
One thing I didn’t think of that would give some analog love and still keep things mostly the way you have them would be some kind of analog signal processor. The Analog Heat comes to mind immediately, and I’m fairly certain that the MK.1 models are cheap second hand. I actually have a rack mount modular “effects” thing that I often use along with guitar pedals that I route lots of things through with varied results (usually pretty good).
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If you are just after a bit of love(warmth) then the Heat would be a great addition to your set up. Not an instrument but do you need another?
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Like others have said, the A4 is not the warmest sounding synth. BUT compared to the digitone, it certainly adds a whole lot of new sounds. If you like how it sounds in demos go for it.
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Do you think the Heat could bring this warm to the DN digital sound?