demo of one of best sound pack of a4，enjoy！
any one still wonna talk about a4 sound weak？
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sounds great. Which soundpack is it?
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Conforce
Dark Synthesis for Analog Four Keys
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Ha. Funny I have it on my A4 but didn’t use it a lot. The sounds sounded a bit harsh and very loud in the browser preview. I obviously have to spend some time with them. Above demo sounds great. And I follow him on youtube and like almost everything he does there
simple experiment on the A4 MKI (I would be surprised if it wouldn’t work on the MKII as well):
- load an init patch
- fully open all filters and turn resonance down
- pitch 3 octaves down (I believe that’s the 0 octave)
- play C, then C#
Can you hear the difference in pitch? It’s barely audible. Very muddy.
Any other of my eight hardware synths delivers more definition here. This is not fixable with either resonance boost, filter feedback or adding harmonics through overdrive.
I think that explains what people mean by “muddy” sounding and why the oscillators lack heft for so many. Those Dark Synthesis patches sound great but I don’t see how they’re good examples for particularly “strong” (or big or wide or powerful) sounds apart from being drenched in FX.
The A4 sounds OK in the mid and high range, and it truly shines at FX/experimental noises and percussive sounds. For anything else I have better sounding options in my arsenal.
Did this point have to be made? Yes, I think so 
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i just made a recording sweeping through the overdrive both types on the mk2
triangle A2 note with a bit of LP filter to shape it a bit more like a sine.
the mk1 overdrive is the first sound then the improved mk2…
i didnt have it loud but the mk2 version started to shake my windows…
i think the new overdrive fattens the low frequencies a lot compared to mk1 overdrive
and does make a big difference making bass sounds…
sure it could have more bass and not as huge as an OB6 etc…
but i love the tone and how well it fits into any track
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I have demoed the MK1 some years ago and found the sound a bit thin, clinical and uninspiring. But it was side-by-side with an OB-6 so was a bit unfair situation as I demoed it after the OB-6
that‘s true and a pity. As if the tracking breaks down in the low octaves
Hi, I tried your test but couldn’t quite replicate what you’re referring to as “pitch.” In other words, I could still hear a difference between the notes pretty clearly. However, I do recognize that the A4 mki’s inherent sound is unexpected (to put it politely) for users who are used to “beefier” synths and with expectations of that “analog sound.”
What I found out some time ago is that filter 1 is the surprising culprit behind much of the A4’s sound character and that there’s a way to minimize its impact (as demonstrated by another user running external synths into the A4).
Try this:
- Init patch, 3 octaves down (per original test)
- Filter 1 res boost off, res to 64 (sounds crazy but trust), overdrive to 20-25, no keytacking, cutoff all the way open
- Filter 2 set to LPF 2pole, no res, no key tracking, cutoff all the way open
- Play some notes across the lower register
Please report back but for me, the A4’s bass comes shining through when calibrating (for lack of a better term) filter 1 to have as little influence on the signal as possible (weird, I know because it’s supposed to be the ladder but oh well).
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Oh, and if you want a hefty and destructive square, try taking the pulse width down to about -8 (also following the filter tips above) and tweak to taste…
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Firstly, are you sure you really tuned down 3 octaves? Forgive me but you either have inhuman hearing or you went down only 2 octaves. To me there‘s just no way to say there‘s a clear or obvious difference between those two notes. I just did that hearing age test posted here on the forum and it says 38 (which is almost accurate btw)
Next, I‘ve followed your instructions step by step and compared your settings and mine on two different tracks playing the same sequence and jumping back and forth between the two.
The difference is nil. Zero. Nothing.
One octave up I think I can hear a slight difference but surely not enough to talk about a different sound character.
Anyways, it was worth a shot so thanks for that.
I’ll double check just in case
Edit: yup, 3 octaves down playing C and C# on the A4’s “keyboard.” Still hear the notes pretty clearly and no superhuman hearing for sure. I should probably add that I used headphones to monitor for this test (Sennheiser HD600) and didn’t check through my monitors. Is it possible that your filter needs actual calibration? (there’s a way in the global menu I believe)
I’m not questioning your hearing either and I understand that everyone likes different sh**…
Edit #2: Just for the heck of it I recorded a short file (pardon the noise, the MX-1 is a noisy one). First round is me triggering the A4 from Oct 0 to -3 on an init patch. Second round is the same deal except I’ve set the filters as outlined in my previous post. I’ll agree that the difference is subtle but in headphones I can still discern a difference and hear the two notes pretty clearly. If on my file you’ve determined that it sounds just like you A4 I’ll let it go but if my A4 sounds different then maybe you need to calibrate or get yours serviced (not saying this is why but just in case)…
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I recently was working on a rock/metal project with my friend that plays drums and guitars. I was doing bass and keys. I had actually used the AK to sketch out the songs, then sent the demos to my friend, and things went from there. In the end we decided that we would not use clock (there’s a lot of time and tempo changes in our songs), so we had to practice together to get the bass and drums tight. Then we overdubbed the synths and guitars.
I had a few sessions of just designing new sounds for this project. I was wondering how my Analog Keys would fare, seeing how I wouldn’t be using the sequencer which is usually so crucial to it’s sound. I also was using a few other instruments, so I would be able to compare it in the context of my other synths.
People often say that the A4/AK sound is “modern,” mostly because of the serious modulation options, so on a couple occasions I deliberately tried to make simple, “classic” sounding analog tones.
In the end, most of my favorite sounds came from the AK. It can do classic and dusty, it can do sleek and modern, it’s really down to your sound design skills. It doesn’t really hold your hand and point you in any particular direction, so you have to have an idea of what you want before you go in.
Years on, and I still don’t think I’m ever selling the AK.
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I’m a new AK owner.
So far, all I’m missing is a certain rawness. I think it’s the lack of cross-mod.
Overall I’m very happy with the sound though, and I haven’t had nearly long enough to learn all the tricks of the synth. I’m finding it easy to make string-type sounds that hover really nicely; not at all like thick vintage stringer-type sounds, more like actual strings. There’s a delicacy to the sound that can feel quite acoustic in the higher registers.
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lol
Try the test before making a joke of it mate, ok?
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Did you listen to the audio file? Again just wondering if it sounds as you expected (which is cool) or if your unit sounds different than mine.
The A4 is clearly a synth that rewards the time put into it big time. Of course it all depends on what you want to do. I´ve had some doubts about it at first but that´s all changed now.
Briskets comment about the lack of VCO cross-mod got me thinking how nice it would be if the LFO´s would have PWM and soon after realised the you can set the LFO 1 to audio rate and pitch tracking and then modulate its phase with LFO 2.
That sort of stuff combined with the AM settings with “tuneable” and modulatable sync amount sets it apart from all the other analog synths I reckon. I´m in love with it.
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