#41

Cycles has two sort of modes…one is almost an MLR like sequence mangler that works best for 4/4 loops less than 150bpm (caveat, i don’t have a grid so i have never actually USED mlr, this is just based on what i know about it). The other is a granular synth with really nice motion sequencing capabilities to sequence changes in parameters. I’d compare it, more than anything, to something like the Tasty Chips Gr-1 or other pure granular synths.

That being said, the granular mode sounds amazing, and is polyphonic (not sure the voice limit). I purchased it during a BLM fundraiser and haven’t gotten the chance to really dig into it yet, but I threw a few of my own tracks into the granular mode as samples and it’s really beautiful.

I was hoping for something more akin to Clouds or Arbhar for Cycles, but it looks like I’ll be using Cycles to record samples for my Deluge + other samplers, which is fine by me!

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#42

This sounds like something I could really use. I got a Polyend Tracker recently and it’s really brilliant with samples. I feel like Cycles could create loops that could be brought in/edited/sequenced and further arranged in the Tracker.

As a heads up, I could be wrong but from what I’ve seen, this doesn’t match up so much with mlr. Mlr allows you to bring in audio, often times loops, and arrange it on a linear line. The buttons on the grid, when pressed, immediately jump to that part of the audio sample. There are controls for playback speed, volume and other simple things (like slew settings). These inputs can be recorded for playback if you have a pattern you like. But the program won’t really mangle your samples or pitch them without direct input from you. If left to it’s devices, it’ll just loop the sample.

Don’t know if this matches Cycles though. I wish someone had a video of just using it outright.

#43

Thanks for the clarification. I’ve never had the opportunity to use MLR, so I’m a bit off here. One day, someone will make a modification for the Deluge to allow it to work as a Grid :slight_smile:

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#44

Mlr is fantastic! It’s really really cool. I’ve not ever been able to reign it in as some folks have, but it’s cool.

On a side note: are there any videos or streams people know of that show people using Cycles for a period of time? I just want to see someone do some normal workflow/experimentation…

#45

In case this is of any use: https://youtu.be/lfmrvPKrHs4

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#46

Nice video, thanks. Will it process live input?

#47

From what I understand it is only recorded loops.

#48

I finally picked up the auras and cycles bundle. This is one of the most amazing and inspirational libraries I’ve ever purchased. I was a little worried about the cpu hit but it runs just fine on my new 13" i7 macbook pro, about 6-10% per instance. I haven’t even gotten past the presets and I’m prepared to have my mind blown when start importing my own samples, which was the main motivation to get cycles.

One thing that I wish I could do (maybe I can?) is to pitch individual slices, which would open up some creative possibilities in arp or one shot mode.

Bottom line is that all of the praise is not hyperbole. Go and get cycles!!!

Oh and as amazing as cycles is, I am now even more excited about the new library on the horizon. It will be an instant buy for me based on the teasers posted. Hopefully there will be a discount for auras and cycles owners :hugs:

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#49

Cycles is so good I’ve actually started to feel bad about how easy it is to make incredible music. It literally feels like cheating. It’s incredible. It pairs incredibly well with some of my monome sequencing scripts.

I made a sketch the other day just testing some gear with cycles, combining my grid and arc for sequencing along with my Polyend Tracker for rhythm. A friend of mine told me the recording sounded like a cross between Animal Collective and Squarepusher. That still feels good.

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#50

One thing I noticed regarding the cpu is that if I run it in kontakt standalone (I have the full kontakt 6), that it will run at about 20-25% but if I load it up in logic, it’s less than half of that. This is based on the cpu meter in kontakt. Just thought that was interesting.

And yeah, it’s close to cheating! But hey, it’s 2020 and we all deserve a break haha.

The way that I see it is that I’ve been through a time consuming and expensive journey to find a way to express myself musically where I’ve been chasing tools and methods while at the same time trying to figure out what I want the end product to sound like. I’m not saying Cycles is that but it’s definitely giving me a lot of enjoyment while getting me closer to a musical end goal.

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#51

I wonder if Kontakt isn’t running on a “per core” basis, so you’d be at 25% of a single core whereas your DAW is evaluating on the entire CPU. I know Reaktor is single core, can’t remember for sure if Kontakt is as well but knowing NI I wouldn’t be surprised.

#52

That’s a good point! I’m just basing it off of what kontakt tells me running in logic vs standalone. Still it’s prob good workflow practice to commit and at least freeze when I have something I like.

#53

I kind of have a feeling that kontakt in logic isn’t showing me the true cpu use. I’ve been jumping around demoing DAWs with MPE and so I’m not too familiar with Logic. When I open up the cpu meter in logic, it is a lot higher than what kontakt shows me. Who knows, maybe it’s doing something under the hood to make it more efficient? Or maybe it’s just hiding the true cpu usage? When I try it in bitwig, kontakt shows about a 5-10% higher cpu hit than standalone kontakt so that’s prob a truer indication. I can get up to 40%+ with some granular patches. I haven’t really used multiple instances of cycles so I haven’t hit any limits but my hunch is that I’m probably seeing the same types of hits that everyone is seeing, as my laptop is just a quad core i7.

That being said, no one cares about my cpu haha. I’m just trying to decide on a DAW to settle on with MPE support and I thought that it was a no brainer if Logic was twice as efficient.

Bottom line is that Cycles is amazing!!!

#54

One question I have, if I’m using kontakt on its own with Cycles, is there a way to adjust the length of incoming midi notes? A sequencer I’ve been using doesn’t have an easily adjustable note length parameter.

#55
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#56

Nice little write up just landed in my inbox. Congrats @veil_s

Edit: some Lyra/Cycles doodles from today.

5 Likes
#57

Be sure to check out Bitwig if you’re looking for a MPE friendly DAW. I can’t imagine a better environment for that work.

#58

Thanks! It was fun to do :slight_smile:

#59

Anybody suffering from issues of user samples being loaded aren’t actually loading in to the program? I can seem to only get a sample to work on C3.

#60

Are you 100% sure you are up to date? This sounds like how Cycles behaved before the latest version. When you’re about to drop the sample over the interface, it should look like the attached photo(which is upside down for some reason?!?). If it doesn’t, you’re probably running an older copy (I was too until a couple weeks ago). At any rate, after you load the sample, try clicking “poly” which should map the sample across the keyboard. image