Hi
I have a Virus TI and have been looking at the A1. It sounds pretty hot. Do u think it is a waste if I already have a Virus, would it just overlap too much.
ā¦same consideration here, the A1R has a very unique character 
Iāve never used a Virus before, but Iāve had the A1R for a week and I absolutely love it.
Many reviewers keep saying āitās impossible to make it sound badā, and thatās really true. Iām more of a preset-tweaker in general, but I start every patch from INIT on the A1. Itās really rewarding for me.
However, the simplicity of the workflow (while quickly yielding great results) is apparently a downside for some people; the tradeoff for this efficiency is less parameters to control, fewer modulation options, etc. YMMV, but donāt go in expecting a ridiculously deep and programmable synth. That said, you can do a lot (FAST) with the available options because of the tight and streamlined design, and itās more fun than any synth Iāve used.
The effects are ridiculously good. Itās a 4-part multitimbral synth, and each part routes into its own separate effects unit, then through a separate delay, and finally to a separate reverb. Really powerful.
One small thing that I appreciate as an Elektron user is the fact that the A1 arp does live quantization to midi clock (something the A4/Keys is missing, in my opinion). Press any key while itās receiving midi clock, and it will initiate the arp on the next desired step in perfect time. This is awesome for live performances. Can someone tell me what other hardware synths do this?
I also love that you can very quickly assign almost every parameter (and as many as you like) to the mod wheel or foot pedal (or velocity, if you like). Hold the MORPH button, then turn the knob you want to control (the range is determined by how much you turn the knob). Done. Itās sort of like creating a performance āsceneā on an Elektron box, but itās much quicker.
As mentioned, I canāt personally compare it to a Virus, but from what Iāve read the A1 seems to lend itself more to quick and fun sound design and live performance, versus the Virusā deep sound creation possibilities.
2 Likes
Thanks Mantis
As a matter of interest what type of sounds are getting out of it, mainly leads or is it pretty versatile.
I like the idea of being able to program sounds from INIT, it is something I have been meaning to earn on the Virus but never seem to get around to it.
I agree with everything Mantis66 says about the A1. Itās the easiest synth Iāve ever come across for getting great sounds from INIT. I thought I might find it limiting after a while but the different oscillator configurations and very usable waveforms keep it surprising me.
Itās nowhere near as deep as a Virus Ti, but that is undoubtedly the A1ās strength as it keeps you creative and inspired. I never go preset browsing on it when I can make my own so quickly and satisfyingly (which is the complete opposite of my experience of the Virus). Personally, for the kind of music I make, the A1 sounds a whole lot better than the Virus too.
Besides them both having great effects I would say thereās very little overlap between the A1 and the Virus, in terms of both sound and usability.
I canāt speak for Mantis66 but Iāve used the A1 for all kinds of different sounds. I think it excels at polyphonic stuff (pads, organs, synth pianos etc.) but Iāve also made some great leads and basses with it too. Pure analog bass sounds are probably itās only real weakness. It can certainly make something usable but I would almost always use an analog mono for those duties anyway.
IĀ“m also on the egde trading the A4 for the A1r after I tried it at the store .ItĀ“s so much fun and sounds really good. I have a really hard time getting the sounds from the A4 i like. Often itĀ“s a hit or miss and I have to start from scratch. One day I have a good time with it and the next day my results are all not satisfing and IĀ“m really frustated. It often sounds thin. Tried a lot of stuff like OSC Levels not above 100 and the multimode filter, but itĀ“s often so much work for so little reward. I also donĀ“t like 99 % of the presets. DonĀ“t have that problems with my Roland System-1 or even my Modular-System with digital Oscilators Braids and Hertz Donut MKII. I really want to keep the A4, because I love the overall package with the amazing sequencer, effects and Overbridge, but when itĀ“s only fun for me 1/10 times, than it donĀ“t makes sense for me to keep it. DontĀ“have enough room/funds for both. Arrghhā¦ so tuff decision. The A1 seems perfect for bread and butter sounds. Especially pads with the ensemble effect sounds very good. I had the feeling it sounded a lot more analog than the A4.
[quote=āā buzz""]
Hi
I have a Virus TI and have been looking at the A1. It sounds pretty hot. Do u think it is a waste if I already have a Virus, would it just overlap too much.
[/quote]
What do you like or dislike about the virus?
If you dislike the depth of programming and prefer a more simplified approach, A1 is great.
I wanted to like A1. It sounds great, but I found the single LFO far too limiting, especially for a modern digital synth. I found the Nord Wave most to my liking of all the Nords.
If you are more into raw sound and less into modulations, it is hard to beat the A1. Itās certainly not as capable at a variety of sounds as other synths, but you can say the same for Moogs. The sound it does best, the wet lush analog thickness, it does incredibly well. It will get you there in no time.
3 Likes
What do you like or dislike about the virus?
If you dislike the depth of programming and prefer a more simplified approach, A1 is great.
I wanted to like A1. It sounds great, but I found the single LFO far too limiting, especially for a modern digital synth. I found the Nord Wave most to my liking of all the Nords.
If you are more into raw sound and less into modulations, it is hard to beat the A1. Itās certainly not as capable at a variety of sounds as other synths, but you can say the same for Moogs. The sound it does best, the wet lush analog thickness, it does incredibly well. It will get you there in no time.
[/quote]
Nothing I dislike about the Virus, love it really, the modulation power is great. Was just thinking of complementing it with the Nord.
[quote=āā buzz""]
[quote=āAdamJayā][quote=" buzz"]Hi
I have a Virus TI and have been looking at the A1. It sounds pretty hot. Do u think it is a waste if I already have a Virus, would it just overlap too much.
[/quote]
What do you like or dislike about the virus?
If you dislike the depth of programming and prefer a more simplified approach, A1 is great.
I wanted to like A1. It sounds great, but I found the single LFO far too limiting, especially for a modern digital synth. I found the Nord Wave most to my liking of all the Nords.
If you are more into raw sound and less into modulations, it is hard to beat the A1. Itās certainly not as capable at a variety of sounds as other synths, but you can say the same for Moogs. The sound it does best, the wet lush analog thickness, it does incredibly well. It will get you there in no time.
[/quote]
Nothing I dislike about the Virus, love it really, the modulation power is great. Was just thinking of complementing it with the Nord[/quote]
I think you would like it. There is little overlap. It sounds like a classic analog poly.
Often, we have to listen to our instincts when we are interested in a particular instrument. If you are already drawn to it, then i think the only way to know is to spend some quality time with the instrument.
It may even be refreshing to be able to get to quality poly analog sounds so fast with the A1. It was designed for instantaneous accessibility.
I love my Nord A1r.
Not so much because it sounds analog though. 
3 Likes
As a matter of interest, what do you sequence your A1r with, a DAW or the Octatrack?
As a matter of interest, what do you sequence your A1r with, a DAW or the Octatrack?[/quote]
I use a lot of different things to sequence with. To name a few favorites: Pure Data, Numerology, Nord Modular G2, Little GP Tracker, Octatrack. The A1r I havenāt worked with that much, so just brick and mortar DAW MIDI so far- but I have some cool plans for it.
2 Likes
Pure Data and Numerology look very interesting. I need more time
1 Like
the A1 arp does live quantization to midi clock (something the A4/Keys is missing, in my opinion). Press any key while itās receiving midi clock, and it will initiate the arp on the next desired step in perfect time. This is awesome for live performances.
Yes this is a great feature. It seems the LFO syncs too, so if you, for example, use a square wave, the cycles will line up with the beats.
I made a couple of videos with the A1 synced to the Moog Sub 37ās sequencer, and they both make use use the arp and LFO sync.
2 Likes
AK or A1?
A1 seems more versatile. But, AK has sub oscā¦ much more power.
Depends on the direction you like your versatility to take.
The single LFO and single filter on A1 are what kills it for me.
AK/A4 can do just about every sound under the sun besides FM.
Big basses, thick leads, huge kicks, realistic snares, great claps. I really donāt see how AK is less versatile. Okay, it canāt do a huge multi voice cream pad, but how often are you going to need a pad with more than 16 OSCs anyway?
The A1 is a dream for a live player looking for quick access to vintage sounds. The AK is a programmerās dream. Although, the A1ās morph feature is great for getting some clever variations into your compositions quickly.
As far as SUB OSCs on V/As go. Youāve got so much polyphony, you can always just add a note an octave or two down.
1 Like
Had my Nord A1 KB version for 6 months now and could not be happier.
Sure it lacks a few modulation options ECT. But if you just get down to it and start programing it is by far the easiest and best sounding Synth I have ever used.
Also depends on your preferences do you like Jarre and Kraftwerk or Vangelis or ENO like myself? If so the A1 does passable emulations of most of those famous presets. Perhaps you always wanted a string Synth like the eminent?
Performance mode really helps make more complex patches possible.
But for just plain old bread and butter synth stuff the A1 is a breeze.
As stated already in this post the FXs are incredible and hold there own along side Strymon or Eventide minus the lack of editing. If you can look past its limitations on paper the A1 is just a fun synth that sounds great. In the end for me that gets the job done and no knob is left un turned.
I have plenty of synths and samplers already and just wanted a great sound synth that was fun to use. At first I was horribly turned off by the slimed down interface but on a leap of faith trusted that what I herd in the presets demonstrated the possibilities of the synth. Adding subtle changes to the presets often enough gets me where I want to go. Ok I am starting to sound like a fan boy but I just wanted to chime in!
1 Like
Iāve only spent like 15 minutes with the A1 myself, but I definitely think Nordās new platform is showing great promise. Lush, lively and rich overtones, making it much more interesting than their old stuff. For any keyboard player this should be taken a closer look at. But A4 vs A1 is a difficult comparisonā¦ Theyāre so fundamentally different I wouldnāt even try to compare them.
If youāre not making use of the Elektron sequencer, and if you donāt like the A4 sound, too complicated to build sounds etc (it is a time consuming process)ā¦ and if youāre a keyboard player rather than a sequence dude, then A1 is definitely worth a try.
I instantly liked the A1 for its lush qualitiesā¦ Nice upper range in most of the sounds that Iāve tried or heard. However I still havenāt heard any impressive bass or lower range sounds. Iām not sure if this is a quality of the synth, or just because most A1 users are not bass playersā¦
However I find its sound very digital. Perhaps the Nord reverb adds to that digital feel? Not quite sureā¦ This is of course neither a bad, or a good thingā¦ Itās just worth noticing.
1 Like
A1 & Omnisphere 2 redundant?
I own Omnisphere 2 and I think is the best VA ever.
cool! how many knobs has it got?