The key with AM on A4 is to play with PWM (pitch of course, but PW has its say in the matter). It took me some time to understand this.
And Direct jump is full of happy accidents waiting to happen.
12 Likes
I really encourage you to read the manual if you haven’t done so, it is really well layout and explained in pretty much detail every thing you need. I also would encourage you to study about substractive synthesis to begin with. There is a free guide for sound on sound on the web that may also be helpful on such matter 
this is a really deep machine that I believe require some knowledge and study to start with in order to see some expected results.
2 Likes
Nice, that’s a very useful tip thanks. Will explore.
1 Like
Just a reminder that the full quote is:
" A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one"
31 Likes
Prophet 6 + Vermona Performer + Octatrack makes makes about 5000€ brand new…Analog Four is about 1400€ bran new, and definetlly gives you much more. Here I’m taking about the mki to be more specific, and going for about the prices that are currently going, oh lord, what an incredible machine! So deep. What an amazing broad of settings to tweak and get lost discovering and designing new sounds. What a sound designer paradise!!!
To be honest, doesn’t seem bad at all you comparing to those synths but definetlly not on the same price range, neither allowing and many possibilities as the A4, are they? I just cannot believe either that from your point of view A4 doesn’t do any better on any aspect than the other three you just named, does it?
I don’t see the point here.
If you had the A4 alone, you wouldn’t have a sampler, right?
That’s a huge difference. I would not argue if you said that about OT. But the A4 can’t do what OT does…
Besides - ya - the A4 is great and all, but nothing beats the the immediacy of “one knob per function” as in Vermona’s Performer and the top notch feel, lay out, style and classy format of the Prophet 6 (besides the unmatched sound of it)…
Those are true instruments, which may appeal to a musician in a complete different way.
The A4 is a “one of a kind”, pretty good and decent synth. But it is not comparable to the above mentioned, due to it’s conceptual nature.
But, ya- OT and A4 can match the above. But it is not “much more”
But for the carry-on luggage artist it is the synth to go. No doubt about that.
That said - it’s just my opinion. Sure, one can see that different. Is ok for me…
I always thought the MM is the most incredible and deep instrument from Elektron so far?!
3 Likes
I was answering to trendingtropic 
and regarding his comments about OT as sequencer, not as a sampler. Agreed on the “one knob per function”, but that limits a synth alot, doesnt it? Think about it, how big would have an A4 to be in order to have acces to every function with a single knob? This is the magic of Elektron, besides its sequencer, a perfect blend between analog components and digital controls
2 Likes
Ok. Just that you mentioned 5000€ and still you would’t have what the A4 does was a little irritating - at least to me…
Likewise - doesn’t the limitation appear to the musician alot not to have immediate access?
(Not that limitation was a bad thing. I love it a lot!)
This is in fact something that I miss and dislike on the A4.
Despite of it’s “analogue” components, it’s still DCO’s working - not VCO’S. And that is a hughe miss, in my eyes. While VCO are somehow vivid and unpredictiable in their behaviour (hence the feeling of having a living instrument) a DCO does not produce that sensation. It’s more static and that is the reason you need all those LFO’s and such to get some movement into the sound. Still it is not as vibrant as good old VCO’s.
(Not to mention the feel of a potentiometer vs. encoder…and if it will still do the job in a couple of years…)
Can’t have it all, I guess.
I did.
But - I own and use the A4. Exclusively and despite all of it’s “flaws”. I like to be challenged a bit. And the A4 give’s me that.
I like the A4 but I still think it is a bit limited in Sound. What Korg did with the Minilogue XD would be the way. Take two VCOs per Voice and one Digital Machine. Put that into some beast like the A4 and you really have something. At least the A4 can take external Inputs as second OSC so you can mix in other Stuff, because it can do a lot but it somehow maintains always a little boring character.
2 Likes
A4 limited in sound? I just think that it is the complete opposite, everything but boring! Having the chance of “recording” settings by step and the incredible ammount of routing posibilities that it allows to alter sound, makes it a beast. Just being honest
2 Likes
I think the A4 is amazing in terms of sonic capabilities. You can create sounds across the spectrum. However I also feel it never really goes overboard. It’s hard to get a blatantly bad - ear drum destructing sound.
Maybe that’s why some people think it’s “boring”. For my sonic ambitions it does about everything I’d ever want an analog synth to do!
1 Like
…from old school classic synthpop, timeless ambient colours all the way fluently to bad dirty industrial cringe…all truu breathing analog flavour…all in one box…
so the answer is YESH!
what ot is the sampler world, is the a4 in the synth world…uberversatile in any possible and impossible way…
real modern but timeless music instruments for a whole lifetime…
if u’r only willing to dig deep enough and capable to think out of the box…
but no…the most underrated elektron machine remains the heat…
5 Likes
Indeed. I still have a lot of respect for the A4, but OT especially. Ironically, getting good with OT made finally give up the A4 and AK. I wanted the FX flexibility, extra LFOs, simple file management, compressor.
Had both for a while but ultimately sold my last A4 to fund a bonus OT MK1.
But both my OTs are full of A4 synth hooks, drums, basses… all as sample chains. Some single cycles as well. The A4 lives on in all my music, even in its physical absence.
Of course I won’t get the same results as I did with wild A4 arp key tracking the resonant filter/feedback routing/synth neighbor routing. But I got to a point where it was time to move on. I do find myself sequencing my Nords in very similar ways as how I used the A4 and AK. Ultimately, A4 and AK made me a better synthesist.
9 Likes
A lot of what makes the A4 sounding „weak“ and less immediate could have been corrected by choosing different parameter settings for init sound. They kept it for mk2 afaik.
E.g. some basic waveforms sound better with a different pulse width setting, the filters sounds better with resonance boost off (imo), oscillator volume plays a big role etc. Filters are not fully open initially, the resonance of filter one can make the basic open filter sound sound nicer etc…
There are settings that support wider sweetspots when used as basis
13 Likes
Can you get a track to send MIDI to an external device, the feed the sound back in, and process that sound using the filters/amp/fx/etc?
1 Like
The point is that there is no similar synth to A4 with a one knob per function . The ones listed here don’t come close to the possibilities of A4. I agree though, both sound incredible. They’re not groove boxes however.
4 Likes
yes you can do that. you essentially just switch out one of the oscillators or both if I am correct. Sold mine a while back but considering one again. but prices for new mk2s are too high I think.
1 Like
Good to know. Thanks!
Yes. You could actually do that x2, two independent midi (or CV!) tracks controlling two instruments that each come back mono and utilized in two different input patches.
All this A4 talk has reminded me...
…of a quad filterbank idea I’ve wanted to do for a while now… and since I have a second A4 coming, now’s as good of a time to try it as any. Below are some notes on it, and I may share these presets in the future.
A4 #2 setup idea
Make a preset utilizing one input as a filterbank, use S/H randomness, AM, FM (muted osc) and keytracking tricks, as “Filterbank 1A”. Make a subtle variation of it and call that “Filterbank 1B.”
Make a new one with different tricks that utilizes the other input, and it’s variation, and save them as “Filterbank 2A” and “Filterbank 2B”.
Make a “Filterbank kit” that has 1A and 1B panned opposite each other for Track 1 and 2, and the same with 2A and 2B for Track 3 and 4.
Make a performance setup with the top row tweaking Tracks 1/2 and the bottom row for 3/4.
Have the FX track set up as a midi channel and the CV track for four channels of CV (modular)…
Any variations of the settings save as it’s own kit.
7 Likes
as far as I know you should be able to plug in an Ipad directly and stream sound into the inputs via USB. but I don´t know if can send Midi to the Ipad over the same connection.
1 Like