right.
I love my A4’s versatility, the dual ENV’s & LFO’s per voice really swing it for me. and something about using synth engines to make drums makes me smile (i like my stuff sounding pretty space-age & un-natural)
I like it so much im thinking about the keys, anyone with any proper experience with both please tell me any differences? i heard the sound is slightly more bassy - how does this come across?
any other differences - even if really minor? write an essay on the subject if you like
I used to have A4 but now have AK. It might be I am imagining things but I do think AK sounds slightly better, there seems to be more low end. However, the difference is very small as A4 already sounds great so I wouldn’t recommend switching just because of that.
Personally, I find I am using AK more than I used A4. Accessing polyphony settings is much quicker with AK, playing with the keyboard obviously feels better than playing with the buttons and the joystick adds really nice possibilities (if only we could record joystick movement it would be really great). Also multimap is nice and the fact that the synth can be turned into a midi controller with push of a button makes it easy to integrate it into DAW environment.
im not swapping, im thinking of adding to my setup, maybe ending up with this:
A4
AK
OT
Modular
MS20 Mini x2 or 3 maybe
computer DAW running Diva, Aalto & silentway
I like to use the AK as the poly synth and the A4 as a 4 track monoponic synth in the studio.
any opinion on the ‘deeper bass’ aspect?
I personally think the “deeper bass” thing is a load of bollocks myself. Had an A4 and now on to the AK.
Soundwise I don’t notice anything, That isn’t to say there isn’t some possible refrinement in any of the frequencies - I just don’t notice it. So if there is such a thing as “deeper bass” in the AK it is marginal and of little note.
I do prefer the AK though. It’s basically replacing my trusted X-Station. Has a better form factor, fitting nice on my desk and switches into midi mode effortlessly. The added buttons make the functionality that little bit easier too.
What I would say is that outside of sale times I don’t think the AK is worth the step up from the A4. That’s just my opinion and not me bashing on the AK at all. I feel incredibly lucky to have got the AK for the price I paid for it (pretty much the current sale price for an A4) as the jump from A4 to AK wasn’t too big a deal.
ok, so not much difference apart from what was stated.
do you end up with vastly different sounds just by the nature of the beast having the joystick & the extra keys?
I also like making music with a keyboard & sequencer rather than a straight sequencer. i find my stuff ends up more musical just by having it there.
and i would definitely make use of the extra CV outs for the modular, and nice it switches to midi mode easy to run Diva.
the latest workflow video should give you a good idea on what to expect from Keys 
nice. will check
If you need physical outs for each track then A4 doesn’t have that, only AK.
You can program the joystick functionality into something else, but it’d be a pain in the ass.
Overbridge is going to make them basically the same, you’ll be able to multitrack on the A4.
If you already have a really nice keyboard- go for A4, no need to spend the money.
I will say, the AK keyboard is super nice and responsive and I often use it as a midi keyboard for soft synths. The ability to program CC on the knobs is something I don’t think A4 does and it feels nice to use the knobs on the Elektrons, I really like their feel.
i only have a JP8000 keyboard.
‘program the knobs’ does that mean i can change the cc within the AK? if so, can you save different setups? i.e. JP8000, Basstation, Q etc?
I just picked up an analog keys (previous A4 owner) and knob cc’s are very easily configured. I was using it to control a shruthi last night (which sits nicely in the open real estate on the panel and sounds great through the a-keys effects). Setting up the 10 knobs for specific parameters was simple (function + external midi). I believe the settings are tied to a kit, which gives you an unlimited number of config’s to easily play with. Overall, I’m really loving the workflow on the keys vs the a4. If you are used to the A4, the integrated keyboard and just a few extra buttons/labels makes it really fast and fun.
I’ll need to confirm my above statement (re: cc’s tied to a kit) tonight but I think that’s true.
cool! that sounds like an added bonus. starting to grok the workflow and moving beyond just making evolving patterns into chains & songs while trying to work out how to fit a new OT as a sort of master controller & loop mangler, and also i think an alesis IO to trigger the units from the modular.
its a bit heady but im getting there
Ok, I was wrong about the knob/cc config’s being tied to kit. They are project wide so to have multiple setups of the knobs you would set up different projects with different settings depending on the synth you are controlling.
better vibe, better sound in my opinion
better lights
better layout
KEYS,
joystick
midi keys
and in all its still a compact package and portable
best modern analog and deserves all the awards
future classic
im just waiting. bought back an octatrack this month after flipping for a rytm. Next month i am on the keys.
Totally love my A4. such an awesome machine. i do find it thin at times (filter A? or just the nature of all the modulation i do & really shiny top-end or high bandwidth, i dunno)- and the demos i hear of the keys does sound bassier. so not sure whats going on there? and yeah i know, people have stated both sides of the argument…
actually i retract the thin statement. i wasnt using it correctly, didnt realise the filter tracking should be set to 32 for chromatic following, not full!