Why can't the A4 do warm pads & chords? [SOLVED]

I tried this for the first time and it actually makes a huge difference and puts more life into the poly sounds

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Yes, like i said that helps a bit but it shouldn’t be necessary to effectively EQ boost to get low mids (or bass for that matter.) And like any EQ boost the result is rarely “clean”.

From the feedback I’ve got most people found this pad warm sounding but you have a fair point in stating out the missing frequency in the low mids with the exception of the mid boost trick. Maybe you’re better of with a Rev2 if you want it to be more present in the low mids straight from the oscillators (although I heard people complaining about some weakness in the low end,… there’s always something I guess :slight_smile:). You could also try VSTs such as Diva, Monark or Serum.

Please post some results when you found a synth engine offering what you want. Am keen to hear now what you’re wanting to achieve :slight_smile:

Thanks for that, I know there are many serious Elektron fans here and they’ll usually defend their synths, but I’m glad someone can hear what I’m hearing.

Problem is that “warmth” comes directly from this frequency range. Also “muddy” frequencies too, which might be one reason the A4 is so good for cutting leads and high frequency sounds.

I will definitely keep trying with various synths. Thing is I’ve tied myself in knots on the A4 with complex modulations, but the Omni patch I posted shows that isn’t necessary for a solid pad. Just good quality waveforms and filters. Even a triangle waveform with minimal harmonics should be enough.

try this for warm pads:

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Wow, this is a really nice soft synth… Am missing some routing possibilities, but hey… it’s free. One of the best sounding free soft synths I found out there.

Just set up a soundcloud account for patch examples:

Poly pad, 4 track / 2 osc per track (pulse/saw) / lfo mods on each. Poly sound is played via track 1 which must be done for the ‘kit patch’ to work.

Small in built FX blend. Recorded directly.

Conclusion: you will never match that Poly Omnisphere 2 style patch that uses Unison mode discussed earlier by simply using the Oscillators in the Elektron unit. Having said that, the A4 does have its own alive and biting character that has many, many good uses…which is good.

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Have you tried lowering the oscillators levels? It takes away a lot of the rather harsh upper frequencies and evens out a lot the signal you feed into the filters. You can then compensate with the level control in the amp page, and also the overdrive can boost lower mid frequencies if used mildly.
Also, you can go for a “thinner” pad (just one osc waveform per voice, or two if you enable the sub osc) if you dedicate osc 1 to feedback loop, that can bring out frequencies that you cannot get out of the other available waveforms

Now, having tried it and knowing how it sounds, if you like the pad sounds that come out of something like a Prophet 6/8/Rev2 don’t try to get that sound out of an A4/AK, not gonna happen.
There’s no defending a synth here, it’s just exploring based on what is available and getting to know what you can do with each instrument

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Just tried to get something warm and dark out of my AK … now it got spooky too … what do you think ?

It’s pure AK, no external FX.

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loved it
care to share how that patch was built?

Great, classic A4 sound. It’s so distinctive I think years from now people will get really nostalgic for it :sunglasses:

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There are two pad packs dedicated to pads…
Biopads vol 1 and vol 2. Vol 1 is free, and Vol 2 just came out… certainly there must be something there? :slight_smile:

That is nice, I’d also like to know how you made it. Still lacking some warmth and body and the timbre is too “spooky” for most applications but overall I am impressed. Solid texture.

Unfortunately I didn’t find much in those packs, some decent abstract textures but nothing useable as a lush chordal pad.

dude, you are trying to achieve sounds the A4 is simply not made for :smiley:

This is what it is made for:

@all: Sorry for self promo again :wink:

These thick and bass heavy Pads you are after make use of Unison - a lot, actually (at least in Software). Also, most Synths delivering what you are calling a “warm” Pad have 3 Oscillators, not just two. And dont forget the Effects. Some Synths have built-in EQs which are basically essential in creating their thick sound.

When it comes to Hardware i would say: Get a Novation Peak! This synth is most likely what you are looking for. The A4 is simply the wrong Synth for you. Period!

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The A4 uses DCOs, not VCOs.

All of my VCO polys have the “warmth”

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I could get some more body by setting more resonance to the HP and search for a different position. I liked the result as is, though. The spooky-ness was just fun … I often play a little with parameters … just to listen to their impact … here it’s the resonance of the LP, which goes in and out of self-resonance.

Maybe the simplest way to share would be to upload the patch as SysEx. Do you know, how to upload patches?

Sure … generally speaking I used two Osc with triangle waves, detuning, a bit of PM on the waveforms, LP and HP filter, keytracking, some chorus, delay, and reverb.

If I find an easy way to upload the patch, I will do :smiley:

Just use C6 and load the sysex up up :wink:
If the effects play a big role, then it would be better to save the sound in a kit, and share the kit

Maybe a stupid question … but how to load some file up to Elektronauts … can I do this after selecting “files” in the menu?