Ahhh, that is so true! Sometimes the simple sounds are the most enjoyable.
This comment is very interesting, most people should read that.
5 Likes
I sort of know where @gravyface is coming from. When I switch my AK on these days I let out a bit of a sad sigh after 10 minutes and just get pissed off with it. I know that’s just me though and I’ve been an incredibly lazy shit trying to learn this machine. For the record, first time round I owned an A4/AK I totally loved it! So I think it’s more me than a problem with the AK.
I was actually a lot more creative with the A4. Im a keyboard player at heart and I don’t think the AK excels as a polysynth - 4 voices rarely will. It can sound great but compared to other poly’s out there? Not so much. With the A4 I kind of stuck to the original ethos of 4 mono synth lines and I got some great stuff out of it.
Anyway, I’m not giving up on it though! Think I will scourge the net for some tutorials and walkthroughs and things. That often sorts me out! I was a MAschine wizz after watching all of NI’s videos!!!
This…!
If you’re expecting a polysynth that you can play like a piano (or Wurly, Rhodes, DX…) then you’d be let down. Of course.
The 4 voice polyphony does not lend itself well to that kind of playing.
1 Like
AK can feel bit like this for me too. Doesn’t always feel like I’m enjoying using it when designing patches.
Compared to my Dom1 it can sometimes feel almost like using a mouse and soft synth. Click button, tweak with the annoying knob response curve, click, tweak etc. Dom1 feels like almost everything I tweak sounds good. AK not so much. I’ve come to think maybe that’s cos it’s kind of like a synth equivalent of OT. OT can initially be confusing cos it does so much and from so many angles. Very flexible box. AK is king of the same thing. Just need to find the parts of it that give you what you want.
I Still don’t find it anywhere near as immediate as my Dom1 (obvs), but when I scroll through my user patches on AK after only using Dom1 for a while, for some reason I always think they’ll pale compared to the Dom1, but I’m always a little like, ‘this thing actually sounds pretty great…’ def has its own thing going on but its super flexible, can’t think of many genres that it wouldn’t be useful for. And then there’s the sequencer… 
4 Likes
I view the AK/A4 as an encyclopedia synth with many, many volumes.
A wealth of the world’s synth information is contained inside, awaiting discovery and reference.
Presets aside, while programming the synth, the chances that you’re going to open up one of the 26 volumes (English alphabet in this analogy) and immediately turn to the Moog page, or the 70s synth prog page are slim to none.
No, you’re going to have to locate those general areas in the appropriate encyclopedic volume, turn through a big chunk of pages (dial in oscillators), maybe have to double back to a page or two (dial in the filters), and then understand the content (dial in the modulation).
Unfortunately, that means the A4/AK isn’t ever going to be AS immediate as a Moog or any other WYSIWYG synth.
But the benefit is you own an ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SYNTH!
And with a little time and practice, you can have the same skills as your local librarian or research professional that can instantly access that which they are searching for, in an environment that is dense with information and potential.
16 Likes
I would certainly like to and plan on doing so, just not in the first couple of hours.
Walk before you run, right?
3 Likes
Not sure the A4 is any more ENCYCLOPEDIC than many other subtractive synths out there!
Presets arent so good in the Keys. I also, like some others, tend to use it as four mono synths and sequence them. I see the polyphony as a bonus. But rarely if ever use it. I have other gear for that. I wouldnt personally buy it as an only poly if i required one.
The most immediate fun i had at first with it was to sequence the most simple of sounds and plock them to death!!! It has a sound to it too that once you start having a muck around i think youll find pleasing. Its a deep synth but doesnt have to be. It is, as most things, dependant on needs and subjectivity.
Itll grow on ya believe me. I felt the same at first. I had very little to no experience with synthesis ( still dont haha! ) and i found it an intrigueing and extraordinary machine.
Just my tuppence worth.
I’m hoping to experience the same thing as I too have next to zero experience with synthesis. I’m just a ham-fisted drummer with melodies and songs that have been trapped in my coconut for too damn long! 
1 Like
If you are going to be relying on presets for a while, look into some of the more recent preset packs released by Elektron (there are audio previews) https://www.elektron.se/soundpacks/
Also: [ Definitive list ] Analog Four/Keys Sound Bank & more
3 Likes
Thank you, was going over that.
My original plan was: grab 4 Sounds I like, slap them in a Kit, and learn this powerhouse sequencer and then worry about sound design later on (I was going to actually watch the old New York School of Synthesis video series; heard good things about it).
2 Likes
Thats how i did it - and just simply tweaking simple things like filter cutoff and resonance to change the basic timbre of the sound. If its too bright or whatnot. Also amp release, amp attack and filter attack can do dramatic things to sounds just by changing values. Plock some of these changes to a nice sequence and it can sound awesome. Im a hamfisted guitarist who done exactly the same as you so welcome to a new world haha!!
best synth ever.
5 Likes
The A4/Keys, while subtractive, isn’t a straightforward old school analog key board. Its a sound designer’s synth. And the sequencer is a major part of that sound design.
5 Likes
It screams at me to design with it. A designers playground, but for those not so much into design, not so immediate.
2 Likes
Give it time, as you’ve set yourself s bit of a challenge starting with the A4… I can’t imagine how I would have coped if I had bought the A4 without some synthesis knowledge as it’s got so many different parameters and options.
Maybe try reading up a bit on the fundamentals or try Syntorial software as that is a great tool.
Enjoy getting Used to A4. I’ve found it a great synth but it takes a while to reap the rewards!
Kind of had a hunch, but it ticked all the boxes for me: I wanted something with a multitrack, built-in sequencer, with keys, so I could have a self-contained unit behind my kit vs. a collection of desktop synths, laptop, etc.
Lugging the drums around for shows is bad enough!
Truth time!
The AK and other underrated synths out there get a bad wrap because the presets don’t have instant gratification. The key is to sit down and dedicate learning synthesis on a specific patch.
I have my physical notepad that I doodle with and write my findings. If you need to draw a weird comic strip while practicing on the AK you’re doing it right!
8 Likes
The AK has a sound on it’s own. It works great for layering sequenced percussive voices. And it can do distressed pads.
But it can’t do classic synth sounds like Roland or Moog.
It’s a lie to say that it can do all and it’s only about the right programming.