You’re discounting the very long time that the A4 mkII was NOT a thing. The AK had individual voice outs and a different filter design emphasizing low-end, while the A4 did not.
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Ah, yeah, I forgot about the individual voice outs.
AK is awesome machine that had a potential to be the heart of the small studio. Unfortunately this never happened because of the particular design choices - lack of midi sequencer foremost. It can not even be the heart of Elektron ecosystem because there is no Elektron ecosystem. Elektron is designing separate boxes that do not talk to each other the way modern studio equipment does. AK just has no place in this. Because of that it has been left to be the one trick pony. Fortunately, a cute one 
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An integrated keyboard as opposed to an attached one, is a world of difference to some, myself included.
But perhaps that kind of player tends to look elsewhere for their instruments.
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I recently sold my Analog Four to buy an Analog Keys (just before the current price drop, go figure) and I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s everything I want in a keyboard controller: compact, but with full sized velocity/aftertouch-sensitive keys; joystick, CVx4 and a built-in power supply. It works beautifully as a controller for my MIDI and Analog synths. It’s a shame that the sequencer doesn’t transmit MIDI, but I can live with that. The fact that it offers the Elektron sequencer and four awesome synth voices plus effects is just icing on the cake. I think it’s a terrific design and I do hope we’re going to see a MkII, even if my budget is broken for the foreseeable future!
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The AK never made sense to me. You can’t play it as a keyboard. The 4 voice is really limiting, especially if you play live and wonder what notes will actually be played for a more complex chord.
Ok, but we could also ask ourselves why the heck did they integrate a sequencer in their synths (or a synth in their sequencer…). same thing could be done with separated elements.
The deep integration of different elements in the same box is definitely a strength i love of Elektron boxes. So I would love to see them push the concept of the analog keys further with an MK2. i just imagine something like a 25 keys seabord rise style controller attached to the A4, with the Elektron sequencer beign able to record parameter slides or aftertouch coming from it… or whatever they could put on the table 
…
I’m with you to a degree- but I mean- you can program three voices to play on it and then jam out a synth interlude on the fourth voice. Or lay down a decent bassline and bounce between 3 different voices all while potentially using the joystick to alter the bass parameters.
That being said- the perks of the Keys is trumped by the perks of the Desktop. And what you’re missing in features could be supplemented with a midi keyboard or perfected with a legitimate knob-per-function hardware synth.
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I think we forget that Elektron is a niche within a niche, you can fit 3 classic style Elektron boxes in the space of an AK. That and I don’t think many people who just want an analogue poly to sit at and play are likely to want to put up with the workflow.
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Picked up an A4mk2 which I love but I think I’m going to keep my keys as well. There’s something about it’s form that I find really tactile… It’s just a pleasure to work with.
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I just ordered one before they disappear completely.
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When they did last call on the monomachine and md I jumped on the md and hesitated on the mm. Now I am creeping around for a MM. go figure right?
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We really don’t know at this point, yeah I could see them dropping the production of keyboard synths, or I could see them removing the sequencer and adding more knobs. Cenk seems to be emphasizing more immediate hands on control these days and I think they’ll start moving towards getting complex possibilities from fewer variables with their gear. I hope this is the current direction and I’m not knocking their stuff nor am i am I hiding my bias very well lol. More playing less theorizing and thinking. Id love a digital analog hybrid from them and their synths have a great sound thats enticing to keyboard players. So yeah I could see them continuing to kill it with amazing boxes and also build synths with more of an emphasis on knobs. Just guessing though
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I’m curious how it’s a world of difference. Because you don’t like how a midi controller looks plugged into a synth? Or, is there something about playability I’m missing?
@Kingtiers I think that the AK does have slightly better integration not achieved with a midi controller, I like how the lights above the keys light up and show what keys are set on a step, and I like how it shows all the way up the keyboard when the arp plays. It might not be so beneficial for real pianists but if helps me quickly see what’s going on, can help jamming a lot
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Hmm… analog keys did feel quite nice the chance I had to play one but I personally think they shouldn’t make any traditional keyboard synths at this point. If the next synth they make drops the sequencer and has a buchla thunder midi controller type thing going on I would instantly be selling random things I own in order to get it. I think trigger buttons pads and possibly touch pads make more sense… Part of my love of elektron is a bit of nontraditional mixed in there. I guess if they make a new keys unit I wouldn’t be surprised but I wouldn’t be excite that it had keys. Digitakts chromatic mode lays out mostly like a keyboard with an off set to it, for what ever reason I find writing music like that is much more inspiring than on the midi keys I have right next to it… I guess in all likely hood I am a fringe case for this type of thing though 
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Don’t know. It’s just a feeling, when I sit down and play. It’s like my hands constantly move between two states when it’s a keyboard plugged in vs an integrated one, where they sort of stay in the zone all the time.
These things are usually in one’s head and it’s just a perceived reality. I’m sure I could get around to an attached keyboard, if I wanted to.
Which I don’t, though😊
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I’ll tell you one thing, though - working with the A4MKII makes me long for a keyboard version more than I don’t now. To have this, in a keyboard, oh dear.
also, assigning modulation macros to the joystick is immense fun. The joy people are getting from multidimensional external controllers like Expressive Touche - AK users have had that for years.
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