Have a digitakt on the way. Have had an Octatrack, a4, rytm, and analog keys …so i know and appreciate elektron. As a srandalone groove box (i like pairing stuff down and getting creative) the a4 seems like a better option. I have a love/hate relationship with the op-1. I get good results but it takes too long and the end result is lo-fi. Most of the actual sounds i can create easier and better sounding with my ipad pro. Of course with care i can get way more sounds into one performance of the op-1 and of course have samples/vox etc and tape trickery/fx.
The a4 on the other hand sounds fantastic and i can get tracks perfect etc. Has song mode. Quantize. And i can give up two tracks and have a quasi-analog heat plus 2 tracks.
Personally, I find the A4 to be the least desirable of all the Elektron boxes…I’d never trade my OP-1 for one. OP-1 does things other hardware can’t do, and the portability and battery life is a huge plus. I find the A4 to be dull sounding, and would buy a few other analog poly’s before I went the A4 route.
What @AdamJay says is really the only reasonable answer IMHO. If you manage to consistently get something meaningful out of the OP-1 by all means keep it.
I have an OP and A4 and know exactly where you are coming from. I get great results with both but the A4 sounds more sophisticated and higher quality to me, especially with a little reverb applied. The A4’s Supervoid reverb is my absolute favorite.
If you’re after a more technical synthesis approach with higher quality sounds than I’d say A4. If you want more flexibility and versatility I’d stick with the OP-1.
I used the OP-1 exclusively (sampled other stuff into it but, whatever) for 4+ years. Loved it to death and made tons of great music with it, but in the end I needed better sequencer, better sound, more connectivity etc… traded away to join the cult of Elektron. No regrets!!
yeah, portability is my go to op-1 selling point, but as portable as it is, it is not as portable as my phone. with korg gadget i can tweak away and get something “perfect” that i can export to ableton or whatever to finish. without clicks, etc. plus all the other synths that i record free form into aum (moog, odyssei, ruismakers, etc.). not even considering a regular poly because i have poly sounds covered that i am happy with and i want to be able to grab one box and complete a song in it, which i have done with both the op-1 and the a4.
alas, trying to be grownup here. this is my second op-1. soundwise i feel anything the op-1 can do my ipad can do better, for me it’s about the playability of the instrument, the op-1 IS fun to play. but connectivity is key
You’ll never get that beatiful, broken feeling from
the A4, that you master so well on the OP-1. Clearly, you know how to use it and get lovely things from it. You will miss those, I’m sure. Don’t trade. Instead, go deeper into your OP-1. We want to hear more of that which you just gave us.
thanks for the reply guys, this is never ending. i was sure i could care less about the digitakt and then saw a few videos and was convinced that i need it to uncap my true potential. then started looking at the heat (because they look so damn cute together) and was sure i needed that. but i figure the a4 takes care of some of those needs and does so much else. it’s probably been my favorite elektron , even more than the keys because i could sit on the couch with it and angle it perfectly. my plans are to use up only two tracks to use it to process the digitakt and to use it standalone.
so yeah, i made up my mind. (kinda had before as i posted in this forum and not in the op-1 operator forum).
i can’t recommend the iPhone/ipads enough. the only real downfall is tactile, and trying to switch screens while playing…but that’s not an issue with a good controller. so as sample fodder, (anything from vintage synths to far out granular manipulation to drums sounds really great in iOS) or to control via midi by digitakt it will be awesome…no doubt.
Definitely try to go both, though. Work a bit of overtime, save you money- eat only Rasin Bran for a month. Both are fantastic for composition- I’ve got an A4 couldn’t give it up fits nicely for my studio. But the OP-1…shoo I want another one- would be a dream to jam on out and about and then load and arrange those sounds in Ableton.
You’re gonna miss that battery power- less assembly for couch jamming
Edit: also the instant sampling/resampling right in the device- the OP-1 does it all in a sleek, smooth package
You will never have a synth as portable and useful as the OP-1. However, I am currently way more attached to my Digitakt. But how would you travel without your OP-1 once you’ve had one?