Been acquiring some modular synth stuff, and have been researching ways to externally control it. On the cheap side, the SQ-1 and Keystep seem like they’d be ok. I’d rather have something more versatile, though.
The Analog Four and Moog Sub Phatty are both on the top of my research list. I know they’re apples and oranges, but which one would you all recommend? At the moment the A4 MK2 is out of my price range, so it’d have to be the MK1.
I have an A4mk1, and I’ve used it with my modular a couple of times, but I’d rather use it as four versatile monosynths or drum channels. If you only want something that sends CV and gate, the SQ-1 is quite good for the price. Get a cv.ocd, and you can use anything that generates MIDI. Or look at Oxi One or Torso T-1 for more versatility. In rack, Stochastic Inspiration Generator is remarkable, and flies under most people’s radar for some reason.
The A4 will work great. In addition to its four internal tracks, there is a dedicated CV track that you can sequence independently to control your modular. You get 4 different CV sources you can use…so for example, you can send pitch and envelope/gate using A+B, and then use C+D for filters or other controls, all P-lockable with the Elektron sequencer. The CV track has assignable envelopes and two LFO’s as well. You can also of course route audio from you modular back into the L/R inputs on the A4, and use it for adding the A4’s chorus/reverb/delay to each, and monitoring.
The A4 MKI is crazy good value on the 2nd hand market.
This is a three-part tutorial walking you through it:
I’ll always rec a Keystep since they are just great controllers. But I think the A4 is a much more powerful unit than the Moog fue to its sequencing capabilities.
To add to your conundrum, the Akai MPC One also does CV control. I’d consider that alongside an A4 (mk2).
thanks everyone for the tips. Is the sequencer on the A4 MK1 similar to the digitakt? I’ve got one of those that I’m accustomed to.
Yes, the sequencer is virtually identical, all the same options for global/track-level length and scaling, all the same access to trig conditions, etc. One bonus is that with the little internal keyboard it’s easier to program notes into each trig in grid recording mode without a MIDI controller.
The one thing really worth noting is that the A4 (and AR) MKI screens and visual UI is quite a bit different (and not as good to me) as it is for the more modern Elektrons, like the Digis or analog MKIIs. (For example, the ADSR envelopes are just rotary encoder values, they don’t have the same slope visualization you get on a DT).
But that’s pretty mild concern, considering what you get from the A4 MKI, especially if you have a modular skiff you want to sequence and control with it.