I just spent a couple hours noodling with my AK. It’s been a bit. I’ve been moving around a lot since the pandemic restrictions have been loosening… But, anyways, I just went down a crazy rabbit hole with my AK, using the envleopes and LFO’s (crazy how the LFO’s are audio rate). But, yeah I went from the init patch and started tweeking the filter(only the second at first), and just going crazy with LFO’s, switching the destination…I love the keyboard because it has a hold button, so I hit middle C/Hold and started just maxing out pmod/filter freq LFO’s at audio speed with quick little resonance bubbles that turned into a rhythm with a noise waveform on one of the LFO’s. At some point my brain had been transformed into space (Ithink it was when I started dialing in the delay and reverb).
Then I opened up the filters and moved them until the sound became this incoherent mess… Went back in, turned down the audio speed LFO’s, slowly starts to return to a reasonable key…Started to sound like and organ.
I don’t know. It definitively isn’t like a Moog, but it is super fun when you go deep…Or as @jemmons said modulate, modulate, modulate. My master plan is to use it as a sequencer/filter/delay bank for VST’s on my computer using the audio in. Sorry to repeat but, I love the sound of drums on this thing. I have loads of presets, and the percussion on the A4 is just amazing sounding (FM drums sounds).
Im getting older and am noticing more and more. The world is certainly starting to feel entitlement to instant gratification…Hahahaha! I bought a Virus TI snow in 2008 and im still learning how to get the best out of it…and…still love learning new things with it as it takes me to school instead of me feeling like im the master and its just doing my instant bidding as i let out and evil laugh and think of world domination…the A4 is the same for me…its one of those synths i refer to as insomnia inducing … it doesn’t always end in something usable, but it often leads somewhere unexpected that leaves your head unable to stop considering new found ideas as you try to sleep…your brain can’t relax if you discovered something new that night, and now you lay in bed with your imagination running riot in sleepsville…
Most synths (other than my sub37) that are voiced for “instant gratification” or are all sweet spot are great for a few days or a few tracks, but get samey and loose charm pretty quick imo…its the synths that challenge me, that keep me interested long term.
And yes like most things long term rewarding, it can be hard work…i think “sonic foundry” got that in the early 2000s when they made their logo a person wielding a hammer over an anvil…labouring with their tools to forge something new out of base materials…true masterpieces come from skilled workmanship and learning your tools in any discipline.
The init patch on a virus is horrible as well FYI…in fact the init patch on a sub 37 is pretty meh. Its the subtle intricacies of the interaction of elements in the architecture once you start experimenting, where you find gold. And that takes time. The more parameters, the more infinite the possibilities, the more time it takes to explore the exponentially variable possibilities…
Not saying that programing synths has to be “the heroes journey” where you embark into the unknown, face the fear, slay the dragon and come back a changed…better version of you…
but if it was easy, everybody would press play on a preset and move on to something that challenges their minds more…
Be patient, take time, be still and breath…and enjoy learning. The A4 has a lot to teach and can sound amazing. But like all synths, not at everything…it has strengths…find them, employ them, don’t try to use a hammer as a saw and you won’t end up disappointed or frustrated…
As a basic synth voice I’ve never found the A4 all that engaging. It is all about the modulation and the sequencer interacting with it but, personally, that doesn’t make up for the lack of traditional analog character in the oscillators and filters.
From my point of view, it doesn’t stand up sonically next to another modulation-heavy synth I have, the Pro 2. Of course, they’re in quite different price brackets and you get 4 independent voices with the A4, but on sound alone I find the A4 lacking.
Of course, this is all highly subjective and I know my tastes lean towards the kind of rich and deep analog sounds that the likes of Moog and Dreadbox specialise in.
Where the A4 does shine is as an ideas sketchpad, particularly when hooked up to the modular. That’s exactly where mine has been for the past few years, although the Toraiz Squid has recently stolen it’s CV sequencing role.
Uh-oh… You said the oscillators and filters lack character… Danger!! They’re not going to be able to resist that 
I know. Red rag to a bull and all that.
Of course they have character… just not one that grabs me or what I traditionally associate with sounding analog.
Same with FM synths - many folks love them but I just don’t have that emotional connection when I hear them. Even the Digitone, which is a brilliant piece of design, didn’t thrill and inspire me the way some other synths do.
I think growing up with Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream records in the house, and hearing The Human League on the radio irrevocably shaped my taste in electronic sound. 
I totally get what you are saying. I myself don’t really like “analogue” synths. I prefer VA. The A4 is definitely not a Moog, or a Pro-1. It is it’s own thing.
Looks like you’re the one struggling to resist, innit
It’s cute to repeatedly paint the discussion here as entirely unreasonable because you don’t agree with “the other side,” but it’s getting a little old also.
I think you will find that plenty of people who advocate the A4 on here (me included) have clearly acknowledged that the DCOs of the A4 lack the same heft and body as eg a Moog oscillator. I think few people will find that controversial.
The main argument here has been that the A4 offers plenty of tools to make something great and unique WITH those very DCOs, especially when modulation is used to introduce movement (which the oscillators lack), while others seem to insist that, because the DCOs are stable and thin, the A4’s sound sucks, period.
Not really that big a gap in opinions actually, it’s more a matter of how much time one is willing to invest in the A4 to make it sound good (because it definitely can sound good and unique) — and again, no one says one HAS to invest it, if others prefer other tools and get desirable results that way quicker that’s totally fine of course.
This makes it more surprising to me that you don’t like the A4… personally I think it excels at the no-fuss tones that sit well in mixes… there’s nothing I dislike more than ‘over-hyped’ sounds that sound impressive solo but never work well in tracks.
I agree it’s not a Moog, but that’s what Moog’s are for. 
To be fair to @Fuseball he’s been at pains to state it’s his own perspective on the A4, and he’s been lighthearted in doing so. His points are valid, this thread is asking ‘like or dislike?’ don’t forget.
Not sure about others, but I find it really interesting when people have completely opposing views to me about particular pieces of gear… Arturia Micro Freak and Modal Cobalt 8 are two that I’ve had and really not liked, and others do… it’s all an education and subjective. 
Agreed, I was replying to esq.
It’s interesting to hear people’s preference and learn new perspectives in that way, no issues there.
No. They said personally they didn’t think the oscillators and filters have that traditional analog character.
In other words, that subjectively the oscillators and filters don’t meet a specific ideal they personally hold for these things.
What is there to argue about there? Should I tell them what they like is somehow wrong or misguided? No! It’s what they like! More power to them!
That’s what I’m saying. There are always some people who like a thing and some who don’t. Accepting that is what makes us a great community.
Stop trying to “yuk” someone else’s “yum”.
This thread makes it obvious why techno sucks so bad and why the AK/A4 is so awesome.
Hated A4 Keys (still have it). Love the Black A4 … can’t really explain why …
A new forum member posted about their new A4 and how they’re disappointed with it. They received some pretty rude and dismissive responses, which really isn’t great from the Elektronauts community, is it? I empathised and offered some constructive advice to hopefully help them enjoy it more.
As a result of that empathy, a number of you have since been heavily on the defensive. And that’s why I lightheartedly poked fun – because it’s a bit much. I’m not painting the discussion here as unreasonable and it’s un-necessary for you to say that. But perhaps I’m suggesting that it can sometimes come across as a bit shrill, superior or patronising 
And that maybe the defensiveness could be dialled back just a little!
TBH with the amount of modulation and 4 voices, a Moog style rich and fat sound wouldn’t work at all. It would get muddy REALLY fast and then people would complain that the A4 sounds like shit because it’s so hard to dial in good sounds using all voices (8 oscillators) at the same time. I think the painfully neutral sound is a conscious design decision, made because the A4 offers so many options for modulation and FX for each voice separately. AFAIK the only synth similar to the A4 is the PerFourMer, which I think has a more classic analogue sound, but also a lot less options for modulating each separate voice.
You really can’t have it all. This coming from someone who sold their A4 after 6 months,
I agree.
I guess the Tetra could be an option too (if you can find one that is)
When I want a brassy sound, I use my prophet rev2. When I want a fat sound, I use my Moogs or Boog D.
When I want some cool weird drum beats or SFX, I use my A4. I did create songs starting with some A4 pads or bass sounds so it’s quite versatile but if one doesn’t gel with the sound, it can’t be helped. some synths will come more naturally than others. some will require time to get accustomed to and some will just never work (even if you try hard).
I’d love an A8 in the DN format so I guess I like what Elektron created here!
There are just some synths that have a pretty unique sound and features that really divides people. MS20 comes to mind, completely opposite of the A4 but still.
No, the main argument was for a while, that the A4‘s INIT sound is thin, therefore the A4‘s sound suck…
I don’t agree. A4 came out first, at a time when there were hardly good analog synths, especially with 4 voices available on the market. Behringer was far away from producing synths, Moog was quite expensive and DSI synths had their quirks and that sound that not everyone liked. Korg only made toys and Roland far away from their Boutique line of remakes, Elektron was really innovating here and opened the market for other manufacturers to go analog too. And all those did not have the Elektron sequencer. That the synth survived on the market for so long now, speaks for its quality.