Elektron Analog Keys Four-Voice Synthesizer

analog-keys-synthesizer

Elektron is teasing a new analog keyboard at its site – the Analog Keys.

It’s being unveiled today in Berlin, with full specifications and details to come on November 26. From the design, though, it’s clear that the Analog Keys shares some genes with the Elektron Analog Four.

Here’s video from the intro event, via DebugMag:

50 thoughts on “Elektron Analog Keys Four-Voice Synthesizer”

    1. Actually this would be a dream machine if it hade sets of preset buttons, load a bank of sounds you use for this song, make live performance much easier, no menu diving.

      1. it surely seems that there is a certain amount of menu diving
        he says – I had only two hours with it – LOL
        surely there is some crossover with
        the other elektron machines
        he has played for years

  5. What would be really dope is to have a retrofit keybed rack for other elektron stuff, like korg radias had.
    Having a keyboard octatrack like that would be totally sexy.

    1. I personally would love a 61 key version that’s an analog four and an octatrack together. That would be a monster performance hardware device.

  8. I’m excited to see this compared with Analog 4. What separates them from each other besides the keyboard, joystick and sequencer? And how much do those things matter? (Or rather, how much more will it cost?) Of course, we’ll know more in a few days, but still, it’s exciting and fun to wonder and speculate.

    I don’t own the Analog 4 (or any other Elektron-product), but I’ve seriously considered saving for it for a few months now, so for me it’s mostly curiosity rather than being displeased or considering one more important than the other.

  9. The beauty of most of the new wave of analogue synths is the fact that you’re not juggling function buttons or menu diving. So it’s a little disappointing that all that empty space isn’t being used for some dedicated knobs/sliders. Unless they’re cranking this thing out at a low price, that is – which is unlikely.

    1. This is exactly the problem with most elektron stuff. Even the guy demoing it is having to fiddle around to get to the thing he is after and he’s supposed to really know the machine. But in the end menu diving means you’ll always be taken away from the simple activity you’re trying to do.

      I find myself REALLY wanting this thing but I have to stop myself and see how he’s frustratedly switching modes and stabbing at buttons and peering at the tiny screen, because that’s what I’d really end up doing…

      1. I am a huge fan of one knob to one function, and my favourite synths and sequencers are my eurorack modular. That said, even though I was skeptical, I bought an A4, and fell in love with it. It may look complicated, and certainly it may take more time to learn than a modular, but honestly, the workflow on the A4 is amazingly smooth for me. After a couple months with it I was convinced enough to get an Octatrack. I love the combination of A4, Octatrack and modular. I can clock the modular from the A4 and still have 3 other CV/Gate outputs form the A4. My Octatrack is my master clock and I can use it to sample the A4 and modular live. I can get something going on the A4, Octatrack and the modular, and sample it, then seamlessly crossfade to that recording at which point I can change patters on the Octatrack, A4 and re-patch the modular and then later can crossfade from the sample back over to the live sound output. This setup has been incredibly freeing for me and I would definitely advise people that are interested but nervous about the workflow of the Elektron machines to really give them a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

  10. ZykZykl
    The beauty of most of the new wave of analogue synths is the fact that you’re not juggling function buttons or menu diving
    You can’t be including the moogvoyager in this statement.,Moog looks great sounds ok, but the menus are a baffling .

  17. 4 tracks with individual outs this time. I guess any connected Elektron box could be used in some way with the keys too, plus an analog 4 could be connected to it making an 8 voice poly synth I would expect. Great opportunity to increase the screen size though, missed. Still interesting

    1. Regarding “chaining” an A4 and an AK for 8 voice poly (answered by Jon from Elektron on the Elektronauts Forum):

      No, there will be no voice expansion/linking feature like that.

  18. Analogue 4 is one of the best new wave analogue synths, the knobs, buttons build quality, and explosive sound destroys the cheaper retro plastic remade synths. Looking forward to keys but depends on the difference between the a4 , elektron is a rare company looking forward not backwards.

  19. He says it in the video: Now a +Drive option for A4 and Analog Keys to store over 4,000 presets. No more choosing which presets to transfer over from the computer. Maybe it will come pre-installed in the analog keys(???)
    (Now they just need that option for the OP-1…)

  20. exciting!
    i’m excited to see if anyone in this whole herd actually goes up to making 6 or 8 voice polys again. maybe it’s all fake excitement online but it seems like there’s so much interest in analog. Of course tho I, like many others i imagine, is very torn over the options in the vintage category which offer more voices, sometimes better architecture, but never the nice modern functions -but at same time, the modern units are always little 1 3 or 4 voice units. I won’t count prophet 08 because the sound got majorly compromised i felt on that one and lots of new dsi stuf..

    can someone, anyone, release a 6 or 8 voice poly for those of those of us who can actually play keyboard more than one note at a time and want an exciting performance instrument??? it seems like the whole culture, the promo, the videos, the specs, are geared at very BASIC performance situations like programming for single layers of a track at a time and playing with the knobs etc… the real old polys were PERFORMERS that you could sit and play, not just play ‘within’ the huge limitations of each given machine’s architecture.

    2. very good point. I am saying this for a very long time, we really need a 6, 8 voice compact poly synth. I am really hoping Arturia will fill this gap soon, or some other company. I am seeing all these ‘1 button’ tweaking videos, and no real keyboard performance promos, where you actually have a real skilled musician playing the keys.

  21. From the Elektronauts forum: “A coming OS update for the Analog Four will unlock the +Drive. No hardware upgrade necessary. All existing A4 owners will benefit.”

  22. Overrated their stuff sounds thin and is menu driven nothing in their product lines is easily manipulated without being a tweaker menu driven hound. Overrated this company will not last.

    1. You haven’t seen ‘menu driven’ unless you lived through the 80’s and synths like the DX7! This is a knob tweakers paradise by comparison!

      They seem to be doing great releasing quality high end synths. Thank god not every company has to go the cheap plastic + mini keys route.

      1. DX7 who cares! Kids like tweking and real sound designer like well built synth engines and Elektron is not one of them. Toys for childrens.

  23. Look at the left side of the analog keys on the table at the start of the video. Small black unit that looks like one of the korg vulca units. I think that’s the new machine ???

  26. From video, the A4K is a good expansion of A4 but not a new machine I was hoping for. Logically, it should not be priced below the A4 and that would make it an expensive acquisition. This is still the noisiest keyboard (those grey buttons) I have seen and at least they should have made the screen three notches bigger!

  28. i dont know … iam no fan of keyboard synths, i like desktop modules and dedicated keyboards

    also i own the A4, and what i really was hoping for was polyphony, and also 6xpolyphony would be nice in a keyboard version.

    i hope they dont start to release stuff just to release stuff, until now, they had a very tight product portfolio, i hope theyre not changing that.

  29. unfortunately very expensive.
    Analog Keys can be ordered from the 5th December, but first there is only a limited number of copies available (how many exactly, did not want to reveal). As a prize 1794 Euro was called.

  30. A4 user now for about one month and this synth is just da bomb! Probably one of the best synths in ten years! This thing brought me back into making music; so much fun, extremely deep, sweet fx (supervoid reverb for sure), super sequencer for controlling external gear through the dual cv/gate sockets, the soundlocks, parameterlocks, recording of knob movement, etc This thing is just full of sweet spots and is for me the best sounding jammachine/groovebox!
    Was always thinking they should release an A4keys but think the layout is a bit less hands on than the A4 actually, I’ll stick with my desktop unit. Nice addition is the probably assignable joystick, perhaps the only new feature on the keys and of course the +drive, also wondering what that new extreme resonance filter is all about. Hopefully they extend the possibilities of the digital noise generator as its a bit of a shame we only have a kind of s&h and fade control. Could be easy to add more colors of noise!
    Patiently waiting what will be in that new update.

  31. Such a Bad demo for professional like Elektron…Really Amateur!!!
    Such a Tiny screen (could at least put the regular screen like the MM ,AT LEAST)for a 2000 Euros Machine
    512 Sounds for 2000 Euros Machines? Access virus offer 7000 on line and over 3000 on the TI
    4 Poly synth for 2000 Euros? LOL
    Hold key on the left make impossible to hold a chord play on left (as you can see in this ridiculous demo…)

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