How "musical" is the A4?

[Acidizer]

You can tune percussion but would you really play it chromatically?

[Fin25]

So when you say musical, do you mean melodic?

Because rhythm is as much a part of music as melody or harmony.

[ Timpani ] Richard Strauss , Zarathustra | Murat Cem Orhan | Bilkent Symphony Orchestra

Also this particular piece of badman timpani.

[LCVL]

Would you?

[Acidizer]

A combination of melodic and harmonic, I think.

I would say rhythm or drums is different to “music” even though it is an integral part of a song.

Techno vs trance. Trance is the more musical, to me at least. Melodic vs dubby.

[LCVL]

@Fin25

Also this particular piece of batman timpani.

Gotham style drumming.

[Fin25]

@Acidizer

I would say rhythm or drums is different to “music” even though it is an integral part of a song

Tell that to these guys…

[LCVL]

Is that techno or trance?

[Fin25]

I mean, if you listen hard enough, it’s all in there…

[LCVL]

A combination of melodic and harmonic, I think.

[Acidizer]

Can’t hear a supersaw…

[Fin25]

No, they mostly use hammers.

[LCVL]

superhammers vs supersaws.

[Leonsarmiento]

Mango.

Pretty obvious.

And orange the least, in case you are wondering.

[orbax]

I personally think that the most important thing is to find your individual equipment that you are absolutely satisfied with, really absolutely. and that took me a very long time - unfortunately the a4 wasn’t there.

I think this is the only way you can completely devote yourself to the “musical”.

[obscurerobot]

@Acidizer

supersaw

Hawaiian vibes with a musical saw

[yoyz2k]

There is no synth which is musicality better than another one. But there is bad sounding synth

If you compare layout of the top synth you list : Roland (guess you think Juno/Jupiter old one), Peak/Summit, UDO6.
Just by the physical layout and polyphony of those synth you won’t do the same music as with the A4.

That said, no one will play VH Jump on a A4 or Toto Africa !

[Jeanne]

@Fin25

Tell that to these guys…

love, love, love Gamelan …

[cogsy]

@NeoZeed

the A4’s natural character leans to a bright, reedy signature. It can make beautiful metallic sounds like cymbals / hats and stuff with sharp transients with its super fast envelopes. Not to say it doesn’t have bass, the filter can supply tons of it, combined with those quick envelops it can spit out big massive kicks too. That said, the easier things to achieve on the machine are going to be bright and brassy. It has tons of harmonic complexity and loves to be paired with thick, drifty mono synths like a Moog.

To me, those timbres that the A4 excels at are vital and give my music tons of energy. Is that musical? To me it is. It has very tight and precise tuning with its DCOs so a lot of people take issue with its precision and claim it sounds digital. You being a Roland fan, should have no issue with that considering that the main characteristic of the Junos / JX synths were their tight and solid DCOs.

Agreed on the tone. I can get plucked and metallic sounds out of the A4 pretty easily. I can make brass happen as well. But I am rarely happy with the strings I get out of it. But Floppy Disk Pirate made the most realistic string sound I’ve ever heard from a synth on the A4. So, any number of sounds are in there, you may just have to pull harder to get some of them out.

If what OP is asking is whether there is a magical “sound good” button on the A4, like the Juno chorus, then I think that’s a no.

[license]

This can be a trap, though - a potentially neverending quest for the perfect gear. Satisfied with good enough is a great place to be.

[percussionboy]

@Octagonist

• Matriarch has such a joyful vibe; it’s like salted caramel - you just want more of it. It’s so striking I usually play it by itself as a mediation. I’ll work on bringing it into tracks more next year
• Syntrx is darker, fizzier, grainier; the spring gives it a physicality. I currently use it more for “features” because its matrix mixer lets me integrate external FX, and the trigger and joystick let me play it without keys or a sequencer in my drone project. In that setting, the fact it’s not as bright and shiny as the others helps it fit with the other instruments in the project
• MS-20 is unruly and muscular, scratchy and intense
• Juno 106 is bright, confident, comfortable
• A4 is more neutral . I use it as my main melodic and harmonic composition tool. A lot of demos show it off to be more interesting than I can make it

I like this approach, talking in terms of flavors and emotions—almost like the synths are different actors you cast in a movie to give each role the right vibe. Even though the description of each synth above is subjective, I can feel the particular character of the instrument from the words.

After reading this stuff I’m no longer trying to figure out if the MS-20 is musical enough, but rather thinking it would be a good antihero, whereas the Juno would be a better romantic lead.