Is the A4 Redundant if you already have other Elektron Gear?

I’m having an insane amount of fun with the Analog Rytm MKII (percussion+bass) + Digitakt (samples + aux percussion). I’ve gone through the OT multiple times and didn’t care for it even though I did not find it terribly difficult (when you find an iteration you like, SAVE! then experiment more…)

I think I will snag a black Analog Four MKII in the future, it can do all the FX I could possibly need and be analog at the same time, searing leads if I want, quick changing experimental analog patches… Besides my Moog semi-modulars I don’t want to get into Eurorack and really, the A4 is close to a modular analog groove synth machine and sounds quite nice.

I do not see myself utilizing 3 Elektron boxes at once very often as others have stated, though it’s not impossible. There’s an elegance in minimalism and using multiple Elektron boxes can really clutter things up quicker than one intends… too much overlap in frequencies, muddy sounds even with proper EQ, etc… This is one of the reasons I’m not releasing any music lately, I’m trying to work on that issue of mine.

I’m starting to see the appeal of utilizing all my gear differently rather than making it all work at once. Sample this, sample that, compose on this, compose on that, compose on all the things!

Nice tracks @NeoZeed, I’m absolutely loving the emergence of live digital / analog music reminiscent of earlier electronic music that is far away from 100% “push play” tracks that have overrun the genre for far too long…

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One feature of the Arranger I really like is playing just a part of a pattern (for example only page 2 or just a few trigs). Before trig preview had become available this feature made composing longer patterns so much easier on the OT. Well, it still does, but the trig preview feature has taken away parts of the “pain”.

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The A4 mk2 is really worth the upgrade from the mk1 IMO. The distortion and low-end improvements are amazing (especially for me since I do heavier styles of electronica.)

I use 3 Elektrons… the Digitakt is my master clock and handles sample playback and sequencing other MIDI devices (though I keep it simple… currently just have a Minilogue XD that I mostly use for pads, a Roland SH01a and the Behringer Pro-1 clone set up.) My Rytm mk2 handles my percussion now instead of the Digitakt, and the A4 is heavily used for piercing leads, weird techno sounds, and arpeggiated industrial basslines.

Most of the time, I find myself only using the Elektrons and not even firing up the other synths.

For me, each bit of gear needs to serve a purpose. And if I want to do some really complex sound design, I’ll hop in Ableton and use Serum/Spire for that. But my approach of “this synth is good for this” and staying away from the preset/sample overload of a DAW in the early stages of coming up with musical ideas really helps reduce the “creative possibility paralysis”.

I think figuring out a good workflow is the hardest part of making electronica… especially when you’re going DAWless (or hardware-first.) It’s great to hit play on my DT and everything just lights up and plays in sync. No fussing around, and it’s so tactile and immediate.

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I bought an Octa for a few weeks and honestly just didn’t vibe with it. The arranger is cool, but it’s not dramatically better than the Analog arrangers IMO (but the interface looks way nicer for sure.)

For most of my tracks, I usually only use 1-3 patterns and build up the rough arrangement in real time by muting/unmuting tracks and using the performance macros. I record both the stems and (rough draft) master mix into Ableton from my analog multitrack mixer, and then refine the arrangement from there. Or capture parts via Overbridge.

I think the A4 is sometimes even better for drum sounds than the AR, but the AR is really a different beast. The AR’s Dual VCO engine can result in some crazy unique sounds, esp. when you layer a sample on top.

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Yeah I hear a lot of polarizing things about the OT, and honestly the main reason I’d get it would be to loop and sample my guitar and incorporate my metal sounds into my music while avoiding my DAW.

I live ITB a lot with my metal music, and sometimes I just get sick of it. Part of me even getting into electronic music was the allure of using hardware sequencers to make music… and Elektron’s way of doing things just clicks so perfectly with the way my brain works that the idea of the OT really speaks to me.

Weather it would actually be worth it or complementary to my workflow I guess I won’t know until I actually try the thing, but I’m guessing that’s why the OT is so polarizing hm? It does so much and is so hard to describe in a nutshell that you have to actually live with it for a bit to know if it’s for you or not.

It’s interesting you say you do some arranging ITB. Do you ever sequence ITB and layer it separately or is it all manipulated stems that have already been recorded?

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I feel the same about the A4 and drum sounds compared to the AR. Sometimes I wished they just made at least one voice of the A4 available on the AR (with a few modifications if necessary) and that you could still layer samples on top.

As for the OP, he answered his own question I guess haha but for others who might wonder…
A4/DN complements each other very nicely. The sound color is just not the same.
DN can create very nice drum sounds too so depending on how you pair them, a lot of fun ahead.

I do like to use the A4 to create 3-4 notes pads (+creating some voice spreading by using the same sound slightly modified on each voices can get very nice lush sounds).
The DN is a bit “harsh” (that can be a good thing). You can tame the sound but it’s just way easier on the A4 to get a warmer sound.

I had a Tetra which paired with the DN was almost like having a A4 but with Prophet 08 sound.
Sound lock via CC was working nice so I could get some nice crazy stuff with it and as the Tetra is not very well-versed in number of knobs, the DN was really nice to have! In multi-timbral mode, I had 4 voices to play around.

Anyway, the A4 is a keeper on my book. DN too haha.
I wished they created a polychain extension so that we could have 8 voices, that would be nice.

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I could see that, I’ve been trying to play to the Rytm’s stregnths and the different machines do provide drums that aren’t heard often.

I’ve been trying to take sounds I personally would never use, and use them!

You’ve got Elektron sequencers already… And you want to sample it. So I’d suggest ignoring the A4 - just get an incredible sounding synth that you LOVE the sound and workflow. Plenty of recommendations available all over the place. But for poly, Peak or Rev2 are certainly great choices. For mono, the choices are even more endless… I’d maybe look at a Studio Electronics SE-02 for your setup.

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I bought a cheap second hand Analog Drive at some point, and just because of the Powersupply it’s worth keeping :)) Half of the time the power supply is living next to my bed (added, just in case this way unclear: because indeed it comes with a standard Elektron powersupply)

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That’s a fantastic idea! I actually have been looking for a midi-controlled drive pedal ever since I sold my Chase Bliss Brothers.

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It’s mono, just so you realize, but it’s nice especially for the prices they go these days