I’m seriously considering upgrading from the the A4 to the AK, who here has done this? What are the biggest advantages?
Ill probably lose a few hundred selling the A4 on ebay and the have to spend a few hundred more upgrading to the AK. Will I get a good return in terms of creativity on my investment?
There have been quite a few threads here on this very subject. Might want to also check the search function. I have an AK and love it!
if you have the space and NO spare midi keyboard, AND if you not planning on leaving the studio with the A4 and the additional cash, I would say go for it…
disclaimer: I actually never put hands on a AK only A4 !
tl dr: get both either new or second hand. then decide for yourself 
edit: if you are obsessive compulsive, or a bass head, you may want those 2 extra Hz in the subregion from the AK / thanks again HQ for putting out a side to side compararition here in this forum…
If you buy used, an AK isn’t a whole lot more than an A4. I’m in the market for one, and realizing that tipped me firmly into the AK camp.
The ease of setting it up as a midi controller with an external synth is pretty great. I run a Microwave 2 through the AK/midi’d up and have the knob cc’s mapped to settings I regularly go to on the MW when playing. Flipping between the internal sequencer/synth and the Microwave through the effects is great fun. If you’ve got modules or rack synths that you enjoy actually playing, it’s a great self contained unit / mixer with effects.
If you’re okay with the size (i.e. not ever going to be able to carry it on to an airplane), it’s totally worth it.
Especially, as others have mentioned, if you buy used. The gap in price seems to be much smaller when buying used, even on eBay.
Many stores will have b-stock/demo models that come with full warranty for several hundred dollars less than the new price.
Or, if you take the time to shop and be patient, you may find one for even less, and the difference after selling your A4 may only be $200 or so.
Being able to easily program sequences over multiple octaves, with velocity from the keybed… and the one handed mutes when not in Performance mode. And STEREO outs for every track.
Yea that’s worth $200-$300.
You could send your bass track out of its own output, into a Moog MF-101 filter, with its cutoff controlled by the CV track.
This is a whole other beast from the A4.
Good luck!
Come on, Adam! I told you I brought it carefully packed in checked luggage from the U.S. to Mexico…with a layover in Dallas! I realize this was risky and not practical, but it IS possible! Haha.
In two minds about this. The AK is a fantastic unit. It looks great, plays nice, once set up is very easy to switch into midi mode and back and the joystick is a lot of fun.
But, I’d only say it is worth it if you can get a bargain on a second hand or new unit. I picked up mine new for £930 after flogging my A4 on the cheap here. Was selling my A4 and X-Station 49 to get an AK (plus chucking in another £100) worth it? Yes I’d say so but if someone held a gun to my head and said “you must replace your AK with an A4 and midi keys of choice” I wouldn’t be too sad about it.
It really comes down to the simple question - is the number of keys on the AK enough?
Come on, Adam! I told you I brought it carefully packed in checked luggage from the U.S. to Mexico…with a layover in Dallas! I realize this was risky and not practical, but it IS possible! Haha.[/quote]
Right.
Checked luggage.
I was referring to carry on (cabin) luggage, which is different.
Yes.
Yes.[/quote]
Well you cant argue with that level of directness 
Ok, I’ll try and be a little more helpful…
The A4 drinks heavily and smells slightly of wee.
It cheated on one of my friends.
The A4 dresses like your mum.
The A4 attracts sharks…
Ok, ok…
Ultimately it mostly depends on whether you want to play it with keys, whether that’s more natural for you.
The AK controls are laid out better plus it has aftertouch and the joystick which I think also add to the greater sense of expression.
It feels more like a musical instrument rather than a groove box. If you play, or want to start playing keys then it feels more organic, less like data entry and more expressive. You can just hit a chord very naturally and riff from there.
Its still not that big and not that heavy, you can sit on the sofa with it, though you will still be cricking your neck to see the display (unless you have reached ‘Elektron Zen’ level whereby you can navigate the controls without looking at the screen… too much).
There’s no ‘better’ device, just preference and if financial hardship meant I had to downsize to the A4 I’d still thank my lucky stars I had it, many people in this world do not have the luxury of owning such a great device so I’d never complain. I hope that rescues my karma.
Cheers.
I originally had A4 but sold it and bought AK. I haven’t regretted the change. Analog Keys is now the only piece of hardware I own as I don’t need a separate midi keyboard to control softsynths etc. I really enjoy using it, only negative thing for me is that the display is a so small…
YES 
definitely think its worth it. the keyboard is really nice, and having keys really opens up the machine in my opinion.
i think i got mine as a customer return for 1300 and sold my A4 for 1000. the extra 300 was worth it for me. it’s a good all around master keyboard with a load of extras.
Re: the comment about a ‘MIDI track’ - I don’t think there’s a MIDI sequencer to speak of, but you can use it as a MIDI controller for live keys which the A4 does not let you do unless you’ve figured out how to connect CV and tune it.
Remember the Nord Lead’s “morphing” feature?
Yeah, basically, with the combination of aftertouch, breath (joy down), mod (joy up), pitch-bend, and velocity, you can change a standard dual-saw lead into an ambient soundscape or a subtle, harmonic pad into screaming noise!
Overbridge is such a help with regards to setting up these sources and destinations, but it can be done fairly easily on the machine.
If performance is your thing, the AK has the most expressional tools.