Isn't the Analog Four the most incredible and deep instrument from Elektron so far?

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
4111

I could have posted this in the thread about regrets after selling gear as well, but here we go. I had an A4 MK2 for about 1 1/2 years and sold it four months ago. I really liked it as a desktop synth due to its form factor. I also really liked performance macros as an idea.

In practice, I came up with a few nice ideas and patches, but always struggled to evolve them. Unlike Digitone, which is also quite deep but still approachable, as soon as I tried to tinker with sound and make variations, it all collapsed and got frustrating. I had several last sessions before listing it to see if I have an “aha”-moment and never had, but never sold it nonetheless. When I finally did, I felt relieved and never regretted it.

I also didn’t really gel with the sound. I found it particularly disappointing that I could almost never execute a filter sweep that sounds nice, which is like the most basic thing that brings you joy in an analog synth usually.

But now listening back to stuff I recorded with it, I suddenly appreciate its particular sound a lot more. It’s rather thin sound makes it possible to make patches that sound fragile and naive. And you can make quite basic sounding patches that still have an interesting subtle character to them with all the modulation options. It also sits brilliantly in the amateurish jam mixes I recorded with it.

I think I wanted a “phat” sounding analog sound and didn’t really see/hear what many of you are raving about here. Maybe my ears are now better after two years of more intense music making, so I can appreciate the A4 sound more.

I replaced it with a Syntakt eventually and was convinced by its analog sound from the get go. But after a few weeks, I find the Syntakt analog melodic stuff great for basses and some leads, but feel quite limited by the amount of parameters in the synth page.

Dang, now I’m seriously considering buying one again and giving it more time. I will definitely keep the Syntakt as it surpasses A4 as a groovebox and songwriting tool by a mile. But I think I can now appreciate A4 as a synth rather than a groovebox.

Edit: listening to more stuff I realize that A4‘s a bit more tame sound makes it an especially great candidate for thickening that sound with effects without muddying the mix. I found that I‘ve used Microcosm and Specular Tempus quite heavily on some of these recordings. A4‘s own delay also really shines.

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4112

I have both and are keeping both :wink: The analog OSCs and filters sound different, too.

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4113

[mod edit]

@Jeanne: yeah they’re different beasts with not that much overlap imo, so they both have their place.

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4114

(Please use the Marketplace to post an ad, it’s not ok to make offers outside the MP)

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4115

So are you able to sync your looper to the A4? And have it start and stop recording at the start and end of a sequence? I have a RC505 but haven’t really checked whether this is possible.

4116

I sync it
But don’t rec at start and end
I set a loop length and it doesn’t matter where I start my loop, as long as it is long enough

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4117

Ahhh interesting. And once you’ve recorded a loop and start playing it alongside the A4, does it stay in sync or will it start to drift?

4118

No drift, a little off time because the recording process has latency, I nudge back my a4
So no midi connection, just set tempo the same on both devices. I play a rhythm on my 505 without volume (=0) This works as a snap, to make your loop perfect length

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4119

three snippets of broken A4 stuff

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4120

it’s getting worse …

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4121

Yesterday I made a track where I mainly used the Analog Four.

Pads, melody, chords, bassline, effects = Analog Four.
Some parts I recorded on the Octatrack because I didn’t have enough voices on the Analog Four. I wish I had an Analog Eight :slight_smile:

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4122

metal sync dronezzz


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4123

Almost sounds like an Aztec death whistle at certain moments

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4124

Are you using the Platform as a master compressor? If so, how do you like it? Did you do any additional mastering to the audio? It sounds really good

4125

In this case I use the Platform as a limiter and drive for the Analog Four.
But in the past I have also used it as a master compressor. I don’t have trained audio engineer ears, but for me it does the job and sounds good.
It is not an Analog Heat. But it also costs only 1/5 …

I usually run my final recordings through Ozone to cut the low frequencies a bit and normalize the main level.

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4126

thousand years later … A4 = 4x DFAM :wink:

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4127

they’re great :heart:

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4128

Beautiful! Any outboard effects or processing?

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4129

Thanks bud!

4130

Very kind of you! No ext processing, just internal effects (verb and a pinch of chorus I think)