Change my mind on the A4 Mk1

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
#1

I bought it secondhand on eBay back in 2018 in very good condition; it has a slight stain on the front and had some wobbly knobs, but I ended up getting the latter replaced. Later I also got the Elektron splitters for the CV outs. I am a big fan of its tone - dark, moody, lush analog, with an incredibly flexible architecture, and when you turn on the sub oscs and HPF filter tracking it turns into a bass monster. I bought it mainly so I could have four high quality mono synths in a box and stream them separately into Ableton through Overbridge.

All that being said - I know for a fact that I’m using only about a fifth of the actual capabilities of this thing, since I never managed to really wrap my head around the other 80%. The kit-song-pattern-sound pool architecture never clicked with me, and after I looked up one of Cuckoo’s videos on building patterns from scratch a while ago it seemed incredibly tedious just to load up a pool with different patches for a drum track. I never really used the FX track or parameter locks either, and while I have managed to set up the CV outs to control my MS-20 mini and 0-Coast before, I’ve found it really unwieldy (often having to reset everything upon re-opening a WIP). Plus, I discovered just this week that the main stuff I wanted to use the CV outs for (clock syncing the Sample & Hold on the MS-20 and triggering the slope on the 0-Coast) I can achieve without it. And finally, while the synth’s physical interface is not utterly inscrutable, it sucks that a lot of the parameters for the parts of this box I’m not using (namely setting up the kit architecture and switching patterns) can only be achieved thru that dinky little screen.

But the real kicker might be that I managed to make an essentially 1:1 recreation of my favourite custom patch from that thing in Ableton Analog. Sure, they don’t have perfect overlap (I like the osc cross-mod on the A4 for one), but if I can get the sound that close with the software tools whose workflow I’m already used to, what good is this box for? I feel like it’s asking me to almost reinvent the wheel of my current workflow (which took me years to really internalize) just to get the same results.

But hey, it’s a highly regarded piece of gear, so maybe I should give it one more chance. What say y’all?

#2

“I’m not using most of its capabilities” is not really a compelling argument (think of how many Octatrack owners would have to sell if it were!). But “I can do this just as well in software and I like it just as much” is. If you need the money, go ahead. Someone else can benefit from it.

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#3

This wonderful thread might help. Might not, but give it a peek.

Isn’t the Analog Four the most incredible and deep instrument from Elektron so far? - Elektron Gear / Analog Keys/Four - Elektronauts

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#4

I feel like this kind of says a lot. Not every instrument is for everyone, and that’s OK. If you’re perfectly happy with Ableton’s Analog and like using the computer, don’t really want to bother with the intricacies of the Elektron sequencer and don’t want to/ need to experiment with the A4’s deeper features then there’s no real reason to keep it. Alternatively to selling it, stick it in a box for a few weeks and see how you feel. If you haven’t missed it, you can probably safely get rid of it.

For me, the main draws of the A4 are the sound pool, doing weird stuff with the sequencer, and tactile interface. If none of those things matter to you then I think you can safely sell it.

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#5

This !
If you don’t miss it, after two month ina box let it go !
Maybe one day in few years, you will miss it, then ok, maybe it will be the right time :slight_smile:

I use it with soundlock, and the kind of sound I use on it and the kind of plock I use are difficult or tedious to find/do on VST/Abbleton.

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#6

No, it’s rather easy if you’re a bit organized.
What I do is I have one Sound Bank (e.g. P) for bread & butter Sounds I may need as Sound locks in my projects.
When I start a new project, I go tto the Sound Pool, select all Bank P Sounds and load them in the sound pool.
Now if I need a Sound lock, all is needed is hold a trig and turn the level knob. It’s that easy.

This is the biggest omission.
Please try to do a simple 16-step pattern with e.g. a hat sound.
P-lock the velocity and decay, you instantly have a groovy pattern instead of a rigid linear one.

Not using p-locks on an Elektron sequencer is like only using patches and not turining any knob on any synth.

You have a beast in your hands.
Now if you need the money, you may try to sell it around 550/600€.
But otherwise, you have a nice year of discoveries ahead!

3 Likes
#7

Although not every instrument is right for everyone, and it may ultimately be better for you to sell, it probably is worth trying what @LyingDalai suggested above.

I may even suggest you unplug it from everything else, and try it out all on its own. Take a little time to see what it does by itself.

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#8

sit with it on your lap with headphones on the sofa and experiment with raw waveforms and then you won’t want to sell it

#9

Also it warms your lap up nicely

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#10

It’s an absolute beast of a synth.

And if you do want to sell it, best to wait a bit.

Wouldn’t surprise me if the A4 will also get an update just like the Rytm.

If that happens you will either be happy you kept it, or happy that you can sell it for more.

And octatrack owners will also be happy, but that is besides the point.

1 Like
#11

If you dont use it - sell it. I personally think its the most awesome synth out there. But if its sitting on a shelf collecting dust, give it to someone who might play it.

#12

You should not sell your A4 Mk1.

#13

Don’t sell it, or else I’ll Russkie up some guys and we’ll get done for ya.

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#14

Says the guy who was selling an A4 mk1 about three minutes ago

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#15

Cough.

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#16

I was on team “keep it” until you mentioned credit card debt.

I’m a big fan of eliminating consumer debt, particularly with interest rates as high as they are. If you aren’t in love with the A4, get rid of it. Mk2 is still in production, and there are a ton of Mk1s out there, so if you can sell it for a price that makes you happy and helps you pay down debt, then do it.

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#17

When you say sound bank, you mean the alphabetized banks in the sound library right? For instance, all my user presets are automatically saved to bank C.

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#18

You know like YOU FRIGGEN CARE!!? (Think Bobcat Police Academy)

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#19

Snoke1!1

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#20

Yes indeed.
But when you save a user preset (known as “Sound” in Elektron jargon), right before hitting [Yes] you can press button 16 (Bank P) to save your sound in this Bank.
You can use Transfer app to copy/move your Sounds/user presets from a Bank to another.
By choosing one Bank to be the one that receives your favorite user presets (e.g. a few kicks, a few snares, hats, bass, pads, glitches) you will

  1. have a selection of your favorites in one place
  2. make it possible to load the whole thing in your project pool in a few actions (select all / load all to project pool takes 10 seconds tops I’d say)
    and thus
  3. make it possible to assign any Sound to a trig with press trig+turn level knob, which is crazy fast and very useful for complex sequences.

This alone is extremely fun, there are not many synths that can do this and believe me, you have years of fun ahead ^^