I got my Analog Four (mkII) last week and absolutely love it.
I already have/had a Digitakt, so I’m sync’ing them and using the DT to control more external synths.
I got a Modal Cobalt 8 about a month ago, and wasn’t blown away by it… when I got the A4 and tried to blend/use the Cobalt 8, it highlighted everything I didn’t like about it (it felt too clean, sterile, I didn’t like the filters…) so I sent it back.
I have a Novation Peak, I really like this with the A4, they compliment each other really well, and I like controlling the Peak with the DT.
Questions 1
So, I’m curious to know what other people find to be good sound combos with the A4?
Question 2
And then also, what people like with the Digitakt?
I was looking at a Roland JD-XA, thinking those 8 midi channels on the DT would work well with the 8 of the JD-XA…
I don’t think A4’s low-end is nearly as bad as some make it out to be, but I wouldn’t consider bass to be its forte (sweet spots are somewhat narrow). So, I’ve always thought the Moog Minitaur makes an excellent “side-car” companion synth to the A4. I had one and sold it when I was funding a Rytm (which I use with my A4 and OTMK2), but plan on buying it again soon.
I’m not a modular guy, but I know people swear by it as a perfect compliment to the A4MK2 as well.
I’ve been GASsing for all kinds of synths in the past weeks, so you can definitely say “look who’s talking” but it seems @CCMP that you’re implying you’d like to have something more to go with the A4 and the Peak?
If so, then what is it that you find lacking in your current setup? A4, Peak and Digitakt go a long way on their own.
I didn’t mean that I find the set up lacking, I don’t… what I wanted from the Cobalt 8 was mainly 4-6 note pads and a different texture, and it didn’t do it for me. I was thinking about getting the Deep Mind 12 module for that role, then saw a JD-XA for sale nearby and thought that should be able to do Juno pads…
The Peak can cover that too, but I tend to use it for it’s keys/lead sounds.
I hear ya… and will check those links… honestly, I started the post about the Cobalt 8 not working for me and changed tact mid way through to ‘what will work’ and not be negative.
This is what I mostly use the Peak for myself, but a couple of other, smaller and pretty affordable and awesome pad machines in my books are Micromonsta (either version) and Blofeld. If you’re not afraid of some menu diving, those might work if you end up looking for something to add.
Another dozen threads out there already for ”small / affordable poly synths”.
A4 is essentially 4 monos – what are you using these for?
That combined with Peak and DT should in theory cover almost all bases. Seeing as you’ve just added A4, I suspect you have plenty of scope to learn your current machines and setup better before adding more to what’s going on.
Also, what’s your workflow? Are you wanting a totally out of the box rig, a live rig, a studio rig for multitracking, what style of music, what FX are you running etc… Can all make a big difference.
I guess from current info I’d suggest a bass leaning mono, as @OctaveDown did. Or a rompler for piano sounds etc. Or maybe the Korg Wavestate could be good for you on pads and versatility front.
I’m building up a live rig, out the box if possible but I’m tempted to run a laptop with Arturia Pigments in standalone mode and control it from the DT.
Music style is song based/ambient if that makes sense… I refer to Another Green World as an example of the approach.
The stripped back rig right now is;
Arturia KeyStep 37
Analog Four
Digitakt
Novation Peak
Roland MX-1
I love this set up so far, it covers so much ground for a relatively small space.
As I work in my studio with this rig, it’s always easy to throw Pigments in the mix (which I really like), and other softsynths if I want to, but I would like to avoid them.
Other pieces I have that could easily work it’s way into this rig;
Octatrack MkII
NDLR
Korg Volca Bass/Keys
Behringer Model D
Arturia Microfreak
Arturia Drumbrute Impact
Novation Mininova
Korg 01/W
As I’m from a guitar background, I have a lot of fx I can use too, but trying to keep it as ‘clean’ as I can.
…i’d also like to say…stop.
in essence, the a4 made me left not missing anything anymore when it comes to truu analog synthesis sounds…it even helped me to never enter rytm terretory…
so for now…i’d suggest, gas time is over…discover time has to start…work with what u got in front of u, instead of thinking any further, what else might fit…
the a4 is THE elektron. machine, next to ot, where the sonic rabbit hole gets only deeper and deeper the further u dig…it’s endless…stop thinking, start playing…
and promise…everytime u think, u saw it all, think again, look again…it’s U, not the machines…
a novation peak AND an a4 is all synth u need…if not, the problem is not ur synth collection…
any further machine will only suck ur attention from the real goals and drag u further away from knowing ur gear inside out…
so have some qualitytime in fooling around and finding out…give urself the chance to start to really know each other…
Right… you already have so so many options. If nothing else, experiment with those to form your own opinion of what you want! Surely with all those flavours and styles of synth, you can figure out what you do / don’t need? If something doesn’t work for you, get rid and replace if you need to, but I’d think you already have more than enough to create pretty complex arrangements. Speaking of which, Another Green World has tons of uniquely recorded acoustic instruments in it, no? It’s not an army of modern synths…
Also, you still didn’t mention what you use the A4 for?
In terms of setup, it’s a decent enough live rig as you have it, but you’ve got to keep an eye on how much stuff you could really handle live, there’s already a ton of things that will require your attention there.
…me again…honestly…the a4 is all the combo it needs when it comes to synth…
if u don’t feel that way, u have not really started discovering yet…
don’t look around…look in front of u…
ur stuff gets only as good as u know it inside out…
the trip to get there might be exhausting and long sometimes, but it’s defenitly worth it…
For me the 0-Coast is one of the best compagnon to the A4. It is small, has CV all over to be tweaked using the CV outs, it does make insane bass instantly and can also cover very weird territory.
I also find the raw VCO of the 0-Coast goes very well with the A4 Filters.
Other than that any small semi modular would pair well I think, as well as any full on modular systems. It’s a shame not to use the CV out on the A4 when they can do so much to relativly simple synthesizers.
I’ve had the A4 for a week and really love it already. It’s exactly what I was hoping it would be, and I feel more focussed on being productive musically now. I have more to learn with it, but it’s just so musical and intuitive to use, I’ve already started building sets/projects/songs with it that I quickly jump between and tweak parts/settings as I get to know it more.
So this is in response to @esq too, this thread is really about how I had the Cobalt 8 lined up to use for poly/pad/keys duties and realised I didn’t like it at all when I got the A4.
In terms of how I’m using the A4, so far, basses, drm sounds (that I like to sample into the DT), leads, arps, all kinds… but it’s still early days for me with it.
Arturia’s Pigments 2 is fantastic, and fills a space/role that I hear (pads, choirs, evolving scapes) when writing that the Cobalt 8 didn’t/couldn’t… rather than find another hardware synth that’ll do it maybe I’ll just work with what I have and run Pigments from a laptop and interface, the physical footprint is about the same as the Peak and A4 anyway… I was wanting to be 100% out the box though.
