Hi, is there any software out there that has a similar sound to the A4 or AK?
Thinking along the lines of the seq and lead in this:
I’m not talking about what the sequencer can do, workflow etc, just purely on sound. I’ve heard some really nice futuristic creamy leads coming from these machines (can’t find the youtube vids now, apart from that Dataline one), is there software that can sound the same?
I’m very tempted to buy an A4, but I just tried and sold an Octatrack after finding the workflow wasn’t for me, much prefer working with samples on a computer and, as romantic as the idea of fiddling with hardware is, I don’t want to make the same mistake, or pay over the odds for hardware I don’t necessarily need.
Check out NI’s Monark. It has to be the best sounding synth plug-in to come along if it is an analog sound you are after.
As far as the A4 goes. The A4 workflow is much different than the OT. So don’t let your OT experience color your impression about a possible A4 experience.
Also, as it is a digitally controlled analog synth, you do get great things like patch recall and external control. I guess what I am saying is, maybe try out the A4 first, since you already like the way it sounds. You may find it is just the ticket and the workflow clicks. Also, watch Dataline’s workflow videos on AK and A4.
Man, to my ears the A4/Keys sounds nothing like a Minimoog, which is what Monark specifically emulates. While it’s a great piece of software, OP, it doesn’t have the same character as the A4/Keys.
Yes, but he’s asking the other way around. And I can absolutely get Monark to sound like an A4, with careful programming. The pieces are there. That’s the beauty of software. You can often make it work because you’re only limited by CPU. Need to add sub-oscs, just add another Monark instance, etc.
Thanks they both sound really nice. Diva says it’s a CPU hog. I wonder how much? Sounds beautiful though from some of the more soundtrack / ambient’ demos.
I really like these too… no idea if the A4/AK had any part in making them, but they sound ace and I guess this is the kind of sound I’m going for with a synth like:
Very cool.
Really can’t enough of that lead in the Dataline video ^^… in that video the A4 sound awesome
monark has a more moogish sound, on top of that Diva emulates a few Roland synths with ease and the A4 is often compared to the older Roland sound character.
Diva can be easily switched to a draft mode that is less of a CPU hog, I would only use the ultra high quality settings for recordings with track freezes etc.
You can’t go wrong with Diva, versatile and great sound.
Developers keep on improving and adding new features on a regular basis.
I’ve been looking at the GForce Oddity 2, maybe worth checking out as well.
Very tempted to get an A4/AK together with a Volca Sample for drums/samples.
However, my problem is that although I love playing with hardware, I’m not productive with it. I enjoy it, I play, I noodle, but I don’t get anything down.
Software on the other hand is less inspiring and less enjoyable, but I actually get work finished in software… er when I’m inspired enough to start something!
Maybe Overbridge will provide the best of both worlds… but it isn’t out and it could be a long time, if it makes it.
Maybe some new software and a new controller like the Beatstep Pro would give me a sound I love, a more creative workflow and still leave me the digital workspace to get projects finished?
i think the filters cannot be copied with software, and the filters are pretty important for the sound characteristics. Monarks filters are the best filters NI made, but they are not even half as good as A4/AK filters.
Next to this, Monark is made as a ‘moog’ copy. Monark is one of the best things NI created, but I listened to the Monark and to the minimoog just after each other in the same room… the minimoog sounded so much better!
Very tempted to get an A4/AK together with a Volca Sample for drums/samples.
However, my problem is that although I love playing with hardware, I’m not productive with it. I enjoy it, I play, I noodle, but I don’t get anything down.
Software on the other hand is less inspiring and less enjoyable, but I actually get work finished in software… er when I’m inspired enough to start something!
Maybe Overbridge will provide the best of both worlds… but it isn’t out and it could be a long time, if it makes it.
Maybe some new software and a new controller like the Beatstep Pro would give me a sound I love, a more creative workflow and still leave me the digital workspace to get projects finished?[/quote]
I am right there with you, friend, on all points!
Much more productive with software, but not as inspired. I usually rationalize that the end justifies the means.
Even still, as I originally started out writing with hardware, my approach with software has been to design a midi controller set up that gives me realtime control, and I just record realtime right into Ableton Live’s arranger, rocking an MPD-32 and a Nocturn. And then fix the mistakes, clean it all up afterward. Fine tune the mix. Slap it on the ass and move to the next song.
With Overbridge, I figure I’ll just be recording A4/AR right into Live, instead of live midi fader/knob automation controlling clips and plug-ins.
But having the ability to recall the performance, multi-tracked, and fine tune the mix afterward… it’s the best of both worlds and I am excited for its arrival! And best of all, everything I write with A4/AR, i can perform/mangle in a live performance setting, rather than a laptop live set.
Man, to my ears the A4/Keys sounds nothing like a Minimoog, which is what Monark specifically emulates. While it’s a great piece of software, OP, it doesn’t have the same character as the A4/Keys. [/quote]
Monark is very good… for software. But it still does not sound truly analog.
And it does not have the feature set of the A4. No hard or soft sync, monophonic, only 1 filter, not the same waveforms, no HP filter, very little modulation possibilities compared to the A4…
Yeah I agree. I started out on hardware and honestly, great sounding software made workflow so much easier, especially after better sounding audio interfaces started coming out… The original Spectrasonics trio did it for me… and my hardware went to the highest bidder.
I keep buying pieces now and again and love playing with them for a while, then realise I’m not actually using them for anything other than playing around, not using them productively and then they get sold again, as I can’t afford for money to sit in synths I’m not utilising.
I’m all for soft synths, I think they’re great and yes in the mix, it’s much more difficult to spot them. Controllers are the missing link, having that tangibility is a must. It definitely helps with inspiration and controllers have become much much better in the past few years.
I do miss the character of my long-sold old hardware synths, but I still prefer working in the box for productivity and making entire songs, rather than just playing around. Octatrack for me proved that.
Having said that, there’s just something about the A4/AK sound that I really like, in videos and sound pack examples that I’ve seen around.
So, before this turns into another software Vs hardware thread, I’m only interesting in being able to get sounds similar to some of those in the linked videos… some of which in the later videos may not even be A4/AK to start with. Ha. Not really interested in any other aspects, as I know I can do everything else I want to in software.
Basically I’d like chocolate cake, but I want my chocolate cake to be liquified and come in a cup so it’s as easy to drink as coffee, but it has to taste like chocolate cake and not coffee because I really like chocolate cake’s taste and it inspires me… Ha!
BTW the A4/keys is far away from being the best sounding analog out there, it’s the work ethic behind the whole thing that makes it shine. I for one sold a Moog Voyager RME to get the A4 and I guess few people will disagree when I say the Voya with an Eventide Space behind it will smoke the A4 any day but I had to hook up that thing to a DAW and still to this day on the fly sequencing from a DAW leaves me completely cold, even with all the launchpads and BCRs. Noodling around on Hardware is inpiration and that leads to the dark side or writing music or something. Even when the result is dialed in with a 100-200€ plugin I probably came up with the idea standing in front of my 5u modular.
