In all fairness, the Elka EK-44 is nothing to get excited about. It is a synthesiser with very mediocre sound and a cumbersome user interface. There IS a data slider and the parameters are silk-screened onto the synth, there's even an on-line help feature, but none of these help you to enjoy programming the synth - if nothing else, the sounds you're getting out of it are rarely stimulating.
Its design is flawed in several more areas, however: the above-average keyboard, for instance, does not send velocity values over 100, revealing the close relation with the DX-series by Yamaha (the EK-44 and the EM-44 expander were manufactured under licence from Yamaha).
Furthermore, the build quality is sub-standard, except for the keyboard, which features old-school Italian mechanics with smooth, light travel and positive spring-back action. The pitch/mod lever, similar to the one found on the Roland JX-series, is of poor quality and every once in a while, the spring may become dislocated.
The ROM and RAM cards have a nasty habit of re-setting the synth if inserted when the synth is turned on, though the manual does advise one against doing so.
There is very little info on the web about the EK-44 and absolutely no soundbites. The band I'm in did use it in a few tunes and you can e-mail me at sartre@siol.net to hear the synth in action.
Released: mid-1980's | 
