Ive been having thoughts of selling my AK lately - let me tell you why.
I mainly seem to use it lately for bass duties, mainly ive tended to gravitate towards 303 type sounds but i tend to favour very simple very ‘electric’ type sounds, where i just imagine the voltage and the raw electricity involved. Tend towards triangle/square based sounds where opening the filter really gives it that wild raw sound i like.
However it seems for me the simplest of sounds are the hardest to program. Now dont get me wrong, im in the infancy of synth programming but i get the relationship between the componemt parts and have also looked up many resources online for this but i just cant seem to get the sound i wamt out of it. Im well aware its capable of these sounds and im the problem but im very very much considering selling it in favour of a sub 37. I had a sub phatty before and the sounds were just right there.
But…
I love the AK!!! And i love most of all the sequencer and the way it sits with the rest of the trinity.
But i dont really use the polyphony and am only really using it for a narrow purpose.
Did i mention i love the sequencer…
But i could sequence the moog from the OT or Ableton.
Any suggestions/thoughts/ideas/constructive criticism?
Id like to add that i do also use my synths for whatever i need them for at the time so on occasion i do like to use AK for plucks pads and such. I like to have the option 
I’m not going to sway you with knowledge as it’s not my thing. I bought my AK about 2-3 years ago and I never even for a second thought of selling it. I don’t even think editing is that difficult… it has the same sections as many other synths; yeah the display is tiny, but then you have the overbridge. You need a bass sound? No problem… You want a “Juno”… bang… something totally mad? there you go etc. It’s so flexible… you can do ANYTHING. SUB 37 is a great synth, but you’ll never get what you get from AK. I’ve got Moog LP, Prophet 12, Mopho x4 etc, but I always say my AK is the best synth.
The A4 (and AK) cops a bit of stick. It doesn’t have the Roland sound. It doesn’t have the Moog sound. It has…its own sound.
So I turned mine on the other day for the first time in a while, and I decided I loved it all over again. I started making a series of short pieces that explore its sound palette, and the way it all plays in with the sequencer, arp, and internal effects.
Here’s the first of the series. Hope it gives you some inspiration.
I’m happy share patch settings. These will be all naked A4 - no other effects or mastering.
I keep repeating myself on discussions… but sound wise… if you are looking for a warm, fuzzy, round, fat analog sound… get the Vermona Perfourmer MK2… I own an A4, Moog Voyager, OB-6 etc etc… nothing sounds like it - nothing…
it has a huge sweet spot…
Sweet!! Love the bass. Its exactly what i was trying to convey… a lovely ‘real’ voltage sound where the osc is raw. If you would share settins that would be awesome thank you
And The Vermona sounds amazing. Do you use it for bass duties?
lol… how’s this for bass ?? Bass and dark tones on both all Vermona…
and
The first sound of your example is beautiful! I would be delighted to use the patch and study it.
Cool guys, here’s the patch. BTW, don’t you wish Overbridge had a quick patch sharing module!
OSC1
tun = -12
fin = 0
det = +7
try = right
lev = 83
wav = tri
sub = 5th
pw = 0
spd = 0
pwm = 0
NOIS (osc1 double press)
snh = 0
col = 0
fad = +26
lev = 24
OSC2
tun = -12
fin = 0
det = 0
trk = right
lev = 71
wav = tri
sun = 5th
pw = +8
spd = +24
pw = +4
OSC (osc2 double press)
am1 = right
sms = 1>2
sec = +97
bnd = -6
sli = +13
am2 = right
trg = left
fad = 0
spd = 28
vib = 7
FILT
frq = 36
res = 51
over = -30
trk = +18
dep = +22
frq = 31
rez = 35
typ = hp2
trk = +17
dep = -16
AMP
atk = 0
dec = 67
sus = 20
rel = 73
shp = 2
cho = 96
del = 0
rev = 39
pan = 0
vol = 121
ENVF
atk = 3
dec = 47
sus = 16
rel = 45
shp = 2
second row all 0
ENV2
destinations here are all 0, so settings don’t matter
LFO1
spd = +48
mul = x2
fad = 0
sph = 0
mod = HLD
wav = tri
dst = filter 1 envelope depth
dep = +18
dst = filter 2 freq
dep = +24
LFO2 (lfo1 double press)
spd = +63
mul = x256
fad = 0
sph = 0
mod = one
wav = tri
dst = amp volume
dep = 0
dst = pan
dep = 49
Chorus is a big part of the sound, I usually have a low PRE, 1/4 SPD, 1/2 DEP, 1/2 WID, -30 FDB, HPF 50, LPF 100. In this pattern, the PRE is way up at 115. The sound is much tighter when lower, so I’m actually not sure how I ended up on that setting!
The arp also plays a big part in this one. My arp settings are MOD = awn, SPD = 6, RNG = 3. Then in the arp sequencer page - note 1 = 0, note 2 = off, note 3 = +5, note 4 = 0, note 5 = off, note 6 = off - and repeat that.
I put another one up too if you’re interested. A different take on the bass sound in this one.
If you are not using the polyphony much, go all in on Unison.
I can’t say I ever dislike the sounds coming out of my AK when there is a mono patching rocking Unison.
It’s like that joke… Why did the gorilla get lost?
Because Jungle iz Massif!!!
Unison iz Massif!!!
your only limit with the A4/Ak is imagination- ESPECIALLY after they added the Fm capabilities
“Sway Me With Knowledge (Alternatively Irritate Me With Information)” …
could be a great name for a song. Possibly include Nasa audio recordings of astronauts.
This is very good. Thanks for sharing the patch also. It’s very evocative, especially with the visuals. Keep it up
If you want to add nice sounding analog mono look a the Roland SE-02.
Sounds massive and it’s quite cheap if you manage to get some discount on it.
Personally I would never sell a poly machine for a mono one. They can exist beautifully together but one will never replace the other.
Or you can get the behringer moog clone for $299 as they just slashed the price haha.
Haha, I’ll get right onto that then 
I sold my analog 4 about a year after I got it. I also LOVE elektron sequencers, and the overall concept of the device. For me I sold it because the synth just isn’t all that impressive. Next to my future retro XS the A4 oscillators and filters sound laughably toyish when trying to emulate a 303, I mean they don’t even come close. I don’t think the A4 is hard to program, I think it’s hard to program good simple sounds on it because it’s just not a great sounding analog synth when laid bare. It works better for complex things involving p-locks and what not.
Now I also have a sub 37 and while it’s a great synth it’s sequencer FUCKING SUCKS. It’s like inexcusably annoying to use, so many extra steps in programing it that I don’t even use it, I sequence it from other devices. So know that going in.
This and an decent librarian to manage patches on a computer … or did I miss something? …
Probably screen shot of OB editor settings would at least be a little easier than having to write them out