Any software that can sound like A4/AK?

dragon · 2015-03-17T23:19:36.000Z

There is no software that sounds like the A4/AK

enryo · 2015-03-17T23:20:33.000Z

Yeah I agree. I started out on hardware and honestly, great sounding software made workflow so much easier, especially after better sounding audio interfaces started coming out… The original Spectrasonics trio did it for me… and my hardware went to the highest bidder.

I keep buying pieces now and again and love playing with them for a while, then realise I’m not actually using them for anything other than playing around, not using them productively and then they get sold again, as I can’t afford for money to sit in synths I’m not utilising.

I’m all for soft synths, I think they’re great and yes in the mix, it’s much more difficult to spot them. Controllers are the missing link, having that tangibility is a must. It definitely helps with inspiration and controllers have become much much better in the past few years.

I do miss the character of my long-sold old hardware synths, but I still prefer working in the box for productivity and making entire songs, rather than just playing around. Octatrack for me proved that.

Having said that, there’s just something about the A4/AK sound that I really like, in videos and sound pack examples that I’ve seen around.

So, before this turns into another software Vs hardware thread, I’m only interesting in being able to get sounds similar to some of those in the linked videos… some of which in the later videos may not even be A4/AK to start with. Ha. Not really interested in any other aspects, as I know I can do everything else I want to in software.

Basically I’d like chocolate cake, but I want my chocolate cake to be liquified and come in a cup so it’s as easy to drink as coffee, but it has to taste like chocolate cake and not coffee because I really like chocolate cake’s taste and it inspires me… Ha!

There you go… Clear as mud!

enryo · 2015-03-17T23:22:36.000Z

""dragon"":

There is no software that sounds like the A4/AK

Thanks dragon, very short and honest answer. Can I ask what software you have tried to mimic the sounds you can get out of the A4/AK?

enryo · 2015-03-17T23:28:24.000Z

""Baddcr"":

Some interesting points here. My 2p:

Yes, analogue hardware sounds better than software in some respects, like the oscillators, filters etc… but I’ve found not one person who can correctly identify the one bit of software in a mostly hardware mix… not sayin it can’t be done, just that sounds in mixes are not always as discernible as they are in isolation!

For wavetable/digital stuff the difference is so negligible as to be meaningless. Compare Waldorf Nave through a decent sound card with the Blofeld for example - apart from some differences in architecture, the difference between these two is very hard to spot!

p.s. as much as I love the Volca Sample, the transport midi is whack and doesn’t play well for me at all, the pulse sync does work though but this means to sync it to anything you need to devote an audio channel to provide a sync!

Oooops my mistake, this is probably much more conducive to good conversation, much more helpful and funnier* http://bit.ly/1MHWFgv

**I’ve been taking humour lessons and apparently this is funny (I don’t think it is, but it seems everyone else does!!!)

Baddcr… just realised where this has come from…

Geneoart · 2015-03-18T07:11:30.000Z

the one thing that would be hard to duplicate is the use of plocks and the fx track is real special on the a4. the reverb ive ever heard on a synth.

bob1 · 2015-03-18T08:33:07.000Z

BTW the A4/keys is far away from being the best sounding analog out there, it’s the work ethic behind the whole thing that makes it shine. I for one sold a Moog Voyager RME to get the A4 and I guess few people will disagree when I say the Voya with an Eventide Space behind it will smoke the A4 any day but I had to hook up that thing to a DAW and still to this day on the fly sequencing from a DAW leaves me completely cold, even with all the launchpads and BCRs. Noodling around on Hardware is inpiration and that leads to the dark side or writing music or something. Even when the result is dialed in with a 100-200€ plugin I probably came up with the idea standing in front of my 5u modular.

vos · 2015-03-18T10:39:49.000Z

""dragon"":

There is no software that sounds like the A4/AK

SB-SIX · 2015-03-18T22:00:44.000Z

Just for the fun of it, here’s a little arp demo on diva. FX are all diva internal fx: https://soundcloud.com/steeboo/arp/s-WeDU3

invisible_acropolis · 2015-03-18T22:13:25.000Z

Diva is a good one, also the Arturia collection is pretty good - especially the Jupiter 8 and CS80 ones, also the Oberheim

but in general its not going to sound the “same” just similar, because really there is a different sound to analog gear when you push it, the output is nice and saturated and has a hot edge to it that you cannot replicate in software (yet at least), so the end result is usally a “wetter” type sound in general, even with no fx or anything

also the A4/AK is a self-contained unit with the sequencer, and has limitations and possibilities that drive the composition process in a specific way… and thats a real consideration, because especially in electronic music the tools themselves often dictate the structure of the sounds and melodies and so forth

there are plenty kinds of software emulating analog synths - but analog synths cant emulate software, and arent designed to… so its good to keep that in mind - the limitations of the synth are what make it that particular synth

dragon · 2015-03-18T22:33:11.000Z

I think Diva stands well above most other emulations. Gorgeous beautiful sound and almost hard to make it not sound good. Even when you push it you get lots of satisfying timbres.

De_wouzer · 2015-03-18T22:49:26.000Z

i think software can sound as cool as analog
but it needs much more processing
so when I sit in front of my computer, I am busy with the power of the sound
and when I am standing in front of my electron machines, I am busy with making music.

The time to get good sounds is much shorter with my electron equipment, so I can sooner start to make music.

Manulaudic · 2015-03-19T08:54:51.000Z

I own the A4 and i think the Synthmaster plugin is one the of the best out there. It’s super light in CPU and with loads of wav samples you can pretty much build any sound you want. The filters are amazing, so are the FX which is a big part in emulating A4 sounds as most people will use onboard FX…

Now, its a different workflow for sure and the limitation on the A4 makes it sound the way it sounds but you can do Unison stuff on the Synthmaster never heard of, it’s an incredible Synth !

http://www.kv331audio.com

REOvolt · 2015-03-19T09:22:57.000Z

Hive from uHe is not as heavy on cpu as Diva, easy to program and great sound. But as mentioned before we all like to have a more hands-on approach. Maybe look at the Roland system-1 with some nice plug-outs. It doesn’t cost a fortune, you get hands-on control and it can sound great. Maybe have a listen to a short Promars demo I did a couple of days ago. This is all clean recording from VST (turning knobs on the System-1). No processing or FX.

https://soundcloud.com/reovolt/promars-plug-out-demo

vos · 2015-03-19T10:04:32.000Z

""REOvolt"":

Hive from uHe is not as heavy on cpu as Diva, easy to program and great sound. But as mentioned before we all like to have a more hands-on approach. Maybe look at the Roland system-1 with some nice plug-outs. It doesn’t cost a fortune, you get hands-on control and it can sound great. Maybe have a listen to a short Promars demo I did a couple of days ago. This is all clean recording from VST (turning knobs on the System-1). No processing or FX.

https://soundcloud.com/reovolt/promars-plug-out-demo

I don’t use software anymore ( until now ) but I like the UHE plugins - ass well for synth’s as for FX . ( great sound )
The best Soft-Synth for me is the Z+ ( not from EHU ).
There’s a BIG MOOG emulation I liked ( forgot the brand ) .
But I prefer Synths who don’t try to emulate but do there own thing ( and sound good). VANGUARD sound great and it’s for free.
Go for the Z+ if youneed good sound - easy programming - and originality.
For me -nothing beats hardware.

enryo · 2015-03-19T17:25:28.000Z

Thanks everyone, here’s an update:

I’ve just tried the demos of Diva and Ace, they sound pretty good. Better than I expected actually. Nice arps SB-Six.

I also tried Poly-Ana too, which I think sounds just as good if not better, lovely sound, loads of modulation possibilities and super slow (60sec!) Envelope amps to get some really nice slowly opening evolving sounds. Diva’s envelopes are fairly quick even on the slowest setting. Really liked that about Poly-Ana. It’s pretty cluttered to look at though.

Hadn’t even thought of System-1… Don’t really know anything about it. I’ll read up.

Is there anyone near me (Bournemouth or Bristol) with an A4/AK who would let me demo their machine???

enryo · 2015-03-19T17:30:43.000Z

""Baddcr"":

p.s. as much as I love the Volca Sample, the transport midi is whack and doesn’t play well for me at all, the pulse sync does work though but this means to sync it to anything you need to devote an audio channel to provide a sync!

Hey Baddcr, what sort of issues did you have with the Volca syncing up to the A4?
Anyone else have similar issues? Wonder how Dataline got round it in his videos?

Manulaudic · 2015-03-19T19:48:49.000Z

seriously give a go to Synthmaster. it’s so great !
M

debug · 2015-03-19T20:08:23.000Z

There is a ton of crossover in all subtractive analog synths, real or virtual, and you can probably get 90% to most A4 sounds, with most virtual analog synths plugins and probably even non-analog virtual synths (thinking Massive or Serum) using an analog waveform on its osc.

The A4 itself can get 90% to a Juno, or Moog, or whatever.

It’s always that last 10% that makes all the difference though isn’t it?

enryo · 2015-03-19T20:09:47.000Z

""Manulaudic"":

seriously give a go to Synthmaster. it’s so great !
M

Thanks. I might take a look, but their in-your-face advertising on every site recently, along with their choice of name and the fact that Axwell is quoted on their website as saying “Love SynthMaster’s sounds and the fact that they are already treated and not dry” (probably says more about him than the synth!) has really put me off!

Not sure it’s aimed at me. Maybe I’m being stupid, but I feel like Ive been hit with anti-marketing to instantly dislike the product!

Looked up System-1, only 8 patches on the hardware, SOS says the sound isn’t great… think I’ll discount that idea.

enryo · 2015-03-19T20:36:55.000Z

[quote=“” debug""]
There is a ton of crossover in all subtractive analog synths, real or virtual, and you can probably get 90% to most A4 sounds, with most virtual analog synths plugins and probably even non-analog virtual synths (thinking Massive or Serum) using an analog waveform on its osc.

The A4 itself can get 90% to a Juno, or Moog, or whatever.

It’s always that last 10% that makes all the difference though isn’t it?
[/quote]

To be honest I’m not a analogue snob in the least. I don’t think analogue is the B-all. I just keep coming back to those A4 sounds I hear on youtube, even in shitty mp3/youtube quality they sound great.

I’ve used loads of synths over the last 20 years. Started out with an Emu Proteus 2000 (remember those?), then added a Virus B rack. Neither were analogue and both were great synths for what they did - and what I did at the time.

Other synths that have been and gone over the years are a JP8000 which I wasn’t too keen on, a Juno 106 (loved that synth, especially the string and pads, one of the only synths I wish I’d never sold), Korg MS2000 (actually quite liked that too to mess around with and it was nowhere near analogue), Yamaha DX200 which I didn’t like too much, just sat on a shelf until I sold it, MFB Synthlite 2 (another one I loved, and it was dead cheap, shouldn’t have sold it), Alesis Micron (pretty cool, but nothing to write home about) and finally a Virus TI Polar which I wasn’t that fussed about, it was a bit clean and brash for me.

So out of all of those, only the Juno and MFB were analogue - although funnily they were my two favourites.

Also had loads of samplers - MPC I didn’t get on with, too difficult to program, Akai Z4 wasn’t too keen on, Emu 6400 Ultra which I loved the sound of (again shouldn’t have sold it), MV8800 which I loved (again shouldn’t have sold it), and finally an Octatrack.

This sounds a lot, but it has been over 20 years! Can you see any patterns, haha

I’ve never been fussed about getting a Moog or anything like that, but I did always want an Oberheim.

I guess it’s what different people look for in a synth. Nowadays I’m definitely not after in-your-face resonant screaming supersaw sounds. I like deep mellow complex evolving sounds, from strings to shimmering pads and deep basses… but I do like resonant blippy sequences

For house and techno, what I produce and release normally, I’ll probably just stick to the computer (well I guess it depends on what I end with). But I’m getting a little bit bored of making just house and techno and I’m looking for something with character to try my hand at futuristic soundtrack type music - just for fun, to do something different than I normally do.