FINALLY! Upgrading to Analog Keys

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
#1

I’ve finally done it. Sold my A4 and have an AK coming from the south, ETA Thursday. Now, what fun do I have to look forward to? It will be my main keyboard, doing external midi duties and also serve the same purpose as my A4 did (regular sequenced internal sounds). Really excited!

What are some AK-Newb-101’s/mandatory work-flow-things I should do first when I get it??? I guess i finally get to do some velocity/aftertouch/joystick modulation stuff??? And man, I’m stoked to get the individual outs actually. :):):):slight_smile:

3 Likes
#2

Connect a Peak to midi out ! :slight_smile:

More seriously I love switching in real time between external synth, multimap, and current track while everything is playing…One man army !

4 Likes
#3

Joystick is loads of fun and essential if you are a realtime performance record (to DAW, or a recorder) type of workflow person.
I don’t even assign the X axis to pitch bend. Just other, more interesting modulation.

Remember that the joystick only modulates the current track you are in. But you can use that behavior to your advantage, as you can “lock” it into place by switching tracks.
You can also use it in the FX track.

You can also “play” FX parameters in the FX track on the keyboard by assigning FX parameters to velocity and aftertouch.

Multi-map is also a bonus, as it is more accessible on the AK.

If you have any pedals you want to use, route a patch out of the individual track output and mute it from the main, go through the pedal and then back into the external input which is in the FX track.
Here you can p-lock some FX sends.

If you have any issues with the smaller screen on the relatively big instrument, I use this Ikea laptop stand to tilt it up, as it fits underneath perfectly and the tilt isn’t too uncomfortable for playing the keys.

enjoy!

12 Likes
#4

Thanks for the tips! Smart just routing it back in itself for the fx! I can’t fit the ikea stand unfortunately. I have a home made copy of outputs platform as a studio desk, the AK will go on the keyboard shelf in the bottom. How is the OB plugin for AK nowadays? Might use it for editing/library duties.

#5

The beta is solid.
A few bugs because beta.
Good enough for recording and automation. I love it for performance and joystick assignments.
I’d wait for the final release before taking it on stage.
Some library bugs still exist.

2 Likes
#6

Play the keys (and use individual outs to external fx) :okej:

#7

cool! yeah, I won’t risk that. I have the AR on beta as well, and I’m only taking the OT for live use as of now. exactly, automation and librarian stuff is what i find useful. like the sub 37 editor, super easy to use.

Do i need to be wary of the keys missing a “floor” though? I saw someone selling that Underbridge somewhere haha.

#8

Only you can determine that.
I just did a google image search for an AK with a broken key and couldn’t find one.
I’ve never used the under bridge.

#9

cool thanks adam

#10

Congrats! I got mine last month. I had been demoing the A4mkII in the store, and it just didn’t feel right to me, the layout, the tiny keyboard switches… went home frustrated. But I couldn’t get the idea off my mind and when I came across a good deal on a AK, I went for it and couldn’t be happier. I like the looks and feel, the layout is perfect for me, joystick and multimap/ext midi/hold buttons and octave shift are exactly where they should be and having these makes a huge difference IMHO. The only slight deception I came across so far is that external midi when in multimode doesn’t send aftertouch, pitchbend and mod wheel. But when I think of it, there’s nothing that can be done about it: for this to happen without other keyboard zones to be affected the AK should feature a MPE compatible keyboard, so it’s definitely a design choice I can understand.

The small screen is not a big deal if you are familiar with the basics of substractive synthesis, and have memorized the AK’s feature list and internal structure (and the abbreviations as shown on-screen).

That’s a good tip, hadn’t thought about that!

EDIT:

I would not transport it in a gigbag, I’d prefer a flightcase (around 125 € over here) or the original box, and would handle it carefully during set-up/teardown. Otherwise there’s no more risk of breaking something in normal use than with other keyboards.

#12

Gotta try that! Do I need two of those or three?

Nevermind…checked dimensions :innocent: