Thank you for saying that.
I’ve liked the DN for getting low end subs/melodic baseline type stuff I’ve been listening to a lot of jungle/IDM and I think that’s reflecting on what sounds I want to get out of it
I think that is accurate, but the DN gets you to a good sound within a restricted sonic range and then you have to work harder to go beyond (though you may not need to; DN bass is quite impressive). The A4 is more of a wide-open field. Init is really basic, you can’t get anywhere good fast, but you can go further (but maybe not specifically in bass). Also, in terms of presets, the DN ones are better (and DK especially so) whereas the A4 factory presets are really underwhelming. I find more inspiration in some sound packs: Druma, Biopads, and the Taro offerings. Others are more mixed.
The A4 mk1 bass I find to be deep enuff
More than adequate pre eq
The SH101 was not a great bass synth compared to say the Pro 1 or Ob1
Wow, thanks everyone for the replies! I think some of the tips here have helped more than just me.
Here’s a good example of a baseline sound I love (101 square wave into an overdriven preamp at 31:00)
Why are people so obssessed about bass. Its not the best and its not the worst.
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Just my few cents on this …
IMO the square waves of many synths, particular if PWM is possible, should be able to generate similar sounds.
But … if I understand the basics of the SH-101 correctly, the synth has only “one VCO”, which provides two signals, square/pulse and saw, simultaneously. Both can be combined with a sub-oscillator in the “mixer section”.
Why pointing out “one VCO” and “mixer”? Because it makes a huge difference to all other synths, providing two or more VCOs and which allow the use of one waveform per each VCO only.
If we, as an example, combine the square/pulse signal and the saw of the SH-101 in the mixer, we have two signals, which are generated by the same VCO and this means that both waves/signals are in phase, all the time, even if the VCO shows fluctuations, which are typical for analogue circuits. This strong phase correlation generates particular timbres, which can’t be generated by mixing signals of two VCOs, which are typically not in phase.
If we want to re-create a typical SH-101 sound, which consists of both signals, we can’t do this IMO with an A4. The SH-101 will always sound crisp and defined, whereas the A4 will be more smooth and balanced, if two VCOs are used.
This said … if particular SH-101 sounds are needed, using a SH-101 or, as an example, an Arturia Brute oscillator may be a good idea.
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I love this kind of knowledge being shared. Question: The Osc reset function of A4, wouldn’t that work for this problem?
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AFAIK “reset” or “retrigger” functions reset a VCO to a defined phase each time, if a key is pressed. This makes the sound more crisp and is useful particularly for clear defined sounds and very good for bass.
If you mean the SMD mode of the VCOs, it would not work. It’s explained as “resetting” oscillators, but this is the traditional sync mode.
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Yeh, I used one on stage a few times, for Bass. With some help from up front it definitely punches.
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I used to use my SH09 onstage for bass, effects, and leads (patching between songs… those were the days!) and it never let me down. With a bit of EQ, it sounded better than my bassist’s awful Steinberger knock-off. 
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Well that all depends on the music you make.
Wrote a note from my experience with the AK, as I had doubts in the beginning, here’s my 2 cents :
Unfamiliarity & A4/AK
Been reading up on tips and tricks on the forum for the A4/AK.
One subject that invariably pops up is the comparison between A4/AK and classic synths, how Elektron’s offer special features but moreso how the classics or big brands feel more familiar, and often end up being preferred, or needed as a complement, when one is trying to get other brands’ type of sounds from A4/AK.
I have an AK for about six months now and I slowly but surely scratched beneath the surface, getting used to the Elektron workflow, last but not least its sound.
In the beginning I was very impressed by the sequencing and ending up with musical bits that were time after time miles away from what I might have had in my ears to start with, which quickly became the fun factor for me, also pushing or steering you in places you never thought of.
On the other hand, every time I delved into patch creations, being guided, consciously or not, by the familiarity of synth classics & the music they are featured in on my mind, that was an underwhelming experience where I ended up thinking mmm, bass is lacking compared to synth x, creaminess is lacking compared to synth y etc…
Which lead me to doubt if I would keep it.
Since then, building on the continued, almost daily practice and experience with the AK, while definitely different from the classics, I got familiar with its sound.
Much like when you practice an instrument or any discipline, especially when starting out, comes a point where it is tedious before you book any progress. The Elektron workflow in its peculiarity adds to that.
But if you get through it, the reward is an easier and more efficient practice of the instrument leading to better creative output, having integrated automatisms and muscle memory, and both discarding ways that don’t work or favouring ones that work for you.
I think the A4/AK is definitely not an instantly gratifying instrument, unlike many of its one knob per function siblings from other brands.
On the other hand, it is unique, in many ways.
The moment I started to decouple my expectations from my auditive memory of classic synths, and take it for what it is, is when I was truly able to appreciate it.
It is not steered towards classic sounds, although you can get close, be it internally or with external processors.
It is my point of view, in our short recorded music history that using the current technology is an important factor if you want to make music from the ongoing era that reflects the zeitgeist.
Elektron machines are conducive to that.
I am getting to a point with the AK where, if I want I can get the sound out of it I hear.
Benefit being, as it is almost made for happy accidents and unexpected developments, the sound you hear gets wired for different explorations and can bend in many places thanks to the modulations.
Despite having extensive experience with digital synths (my first one was a Kurzweil K2600 XS) and virtual instruments, the AK is my first analog synth, although I’ve had a few classics on loan from colleagues over time, somehow I am sure it will stay in the studio as long as it powers on and emits sound, alongside my grand piano and alto saxophone.
It is comforting to dabble with classic or classic-inspired synths, but it also ends up with same-y musical results.
In the end, the AK/A4 unfamiliarity is its strength as it is up to the user to get sounds out of there that veer off the beaten paths, which is much easier to do than with classic synths.
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Hey everyone;
feel like this thread is a kind of therapygroup so i will write my 2 cents even if i nobody wrote for two years.
i really like the sequencer and the cv options on the ak. its fun and intuitive to make sequences and even change them later is easy. of course u could crave for more bars or whatever but i dont need it. i dislike my keysteppro cause there is no legato option on it which sucks ass. so i am using a midi converter to play 4 to five voices in my eurorack modular.
scince i got my eurorack i didnt use the synth of the ak a lot. but i made some epiano and organ sounds on it that i like. i disliked all the basspatches and tried to make some snares which were also shit. problem for me if i want to play epiano or other stuff i would still prefer omnisphere or keyscape because of the polyphony. 4 voices is not enuff. probably i am gonna keep the synth just to sequence other gear but the sound is quite boring for me. i tried nearly every trick i found in this forum and learned a lot about this synth (maybe waste of time) but i cant get no satisfaction. lush pads or noisy stuff can be ok from time to time but i get resuts i like a lot more with a ms 20 mini or nearly any other gear i have xD. even like the machinedrum a lot more as a synth.
oscSync ist probably one of the best features of the analog keys.
it also makes ur sound more precise as u dont get a different wave position everytime u hit a key. ot using reset can make the sound more analog and random sounding which is also interseting.
That’s why I always ask for sound examples, never in a million years I’d had guessed OP wants the Donk sound …
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I think the A4 even could do the donk bass but this comment made me crack up 
I’ve been thinking about this lately on message boards when discussing and reading reviews and opinions on synths. One person might be talking to someone who plays synths like blade runner while the other is thinking Skinny Puppy. Especially places like Reddit where it’s more anonymous.
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I sold all elektron and non elektron synths
One box is very good for me. Lo profile, easy to start, just play and tweak. The a4 opened up for me, demistified or whatever.
Me, playing my a4, after falling in love again. Not a big fan of strymon and zen delay (sold it)
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