#35

Have any M:C users here experienced an issue where the M:C is late at changing patterns when the TRK scale setting is on? It makes it impossible to effectively chain together patterns that contain tracks with varying lengths… or am I missing something?

1 Like
#36

hey there

to anyone using the Model: Cycles: are you still enjoying it?
I like the purpose and the attitude, I like FM and I’m fluent in elektronese, but I’m afraid the M: C could be somewhat limited, that in some time I’d find myself limited in the parameters chosen by the developers.

I could try it in a store but I’m more interested in the long run, wondering if I’d be hitting a “sound” wall in some time; of course the alternative would be the Digitone, but hey, it costs more money.

Thank you in advance!

1 Like
#37

I haven’t had my M:C that long, but I think it’s one of the best synth bargains available. The M:C is my first Elektron product and I’m amazed they included the full blown 6 channel sequencer on a low-priced product. It’s worth it for the sequencer alone, but the fm synthesis engines sound great, and have a wide range of timbres available between the engines and the available parameters. If you want to get into complex fm synthesis design, the M:C is not that machine, but it covers a lot of territory and is fun as hell to play. It’s super easy to run off a cell phone battery, and I think the interface is excellent–so it’s very satisfying to use on its own.

4 Likes
#38

i’ve had it for quite a while - it’s deeply fun, but imo sometimes i feel like the sounds i get from it all start sounding the same and occasionally i do feel kind of limited. that said, it definitely is pretty easy to mess around with the sequencer or do really wonky lfos to send it into new territory. definitely not something to get if you want to dive deep into fm synthesis, but i do enjoy it. it’s even more fun to use it in concert with other effects, i get the most enjoyment out of it that way rather than by itself

2 Likes
#39

Hey not sure if you figured this out but ran into just this issue the other night. I discovered that in the scale setting I had to change “change” to the number of steps in the sequence as well as “length”? I think I’m remember that correctly, don’t have it here next to me. We had a pattern in 10 but when I’d switch to another pattern it was tacking on the additional 6 beats. Hope this helps!

#40

Thanks for your response! Unfortunately, even if I make the “pattern change” the same length as the sequence, there’s still a delay. I’ve tried every combination of length and scale to narrow down possible issues. I’ve gotten a pattern to change as close as one step early or one step late, but never at the exact point that I need it. From my experience and from what I’ve gathered on the elektronauts forum, I’ve concluded that the issue is most likely a bug. The Digitone also had this bug, which elektron addressed in their last update. Unfortunately, the update didn’t fix this issue on my Digitone. My personal remedy is to not use the scale per track function on these devices. If I want to make music that’s polymetric, I just program each of my devices to have a single scale/length setting that differs from one another (digitone=3/2, m:c=3/4, octatrack= 1+).

Anyways, if you ever have the time you should try to figure out this issue with your model:cycles. I’d love to be proven wrong!

1 Like
#41

Hey. I got mine right when they released it, to replace a Digitone, which I ended up totally underusing as a drum machine. Obviously I made a mistake. In selling the Digitone, not in getting the Cycles. I want both as they offer very different things.

The Cycles is, as stated above, one of the best (percussion) synth bargains there is. Sure, it’s a very much simplified take on FM and its aim is clearly in rhythmic things. But if you’re after a drum machine with a vast sonic palette, a great sequencer, at a bargain price, there’s not much competition in my opinion.

It plays very well with others too. I love processing it through an Analog Heat, as its FM sounds get even more lovely through analog filters, saturation, and distortion. I love pairing its drum sounds with some raw bass and lofi pads from the Peak.

I think I need to get a Digitone back tho.

7 Likes
#42

Are you triggering the pattern change during the sequence, like before it ends, or are you trying to trigger it on the one? I was finding it would only work if I “prepped” the change by selecting the new pattern in the middle of the current one.

I’ll be back in the space with the model cycles on Tuesday and will experiment with this a bit.

#43

yeah i got mine as soon as it came out and i’m still loving it. i use it every day. not really as primary percussion anymore, but typically as a “background layer” for my octatrack drums. only because i find the octatrack kicks and hats easier to fit into a mix. but the octa’s compressor is nice at cranking the transient info from the cycles too.

it’s perfect for a specific type of thom yorke/jan jelinek percussion. whatever that style is. micro house maybe? i cannot get the same types of clicky snappy muted fluttery slippery sounds from anything else. and i have tried. i used to love making percussion sounds from white noise and field recording snippets on the octatrack by shaping short bursts of audio with the filter, compressor and envelopes, then other mod type effects and the lofi bitcrushing. i like to ping filters in eurorack. i like to get plaits style particle sounds in vcv rack. but none of those methods produce drum sounds in the same way as the model:cycles. for some reason, it just sounds perfect to me for what it does. i find if you make very complex, constantly changing polyrhythmic patterns with more subtle percussive sounds with short decay and lower the volume so it sits just behind the more predominant kick/snare beat, it creates the perfect layered rhythmic bed for a full track. of course, it’s good for main/singular drum patterns as well; the kick is so deep and gorgeous but also snappy, the internal distortion and other effects are amazing and you can spread everything out pretty well in the stereo field with pan, delay, reverb, lfos; as with all elektron stuff. i just find this method to be my favorite use of the machine now

another thing i love is that it’s the most fun of all 4 of my elektron boxes to perform with. knob per function is fantastic when you’re doing ctrl+all and pattern reload style live deconstruction.going crazy on the delay is extremely fun. polyrhythms are very easy. i think it’s definitely the easiest machine i’ve ever used to create complex patterns super quickly. i really love retrig mode. and the pads+chromatic trigs for finger drumming are perfect. if you figure out how to use the track pads in combination with the chromatic trigs and velocity retrig, you can do some crazy live finger drumming performance stuff that isn’t possible anywhere else as far as i’m aware of.

anyway, yeah i have the same thought you’re describing here with the digitone sometimes. it seems intentionally limited for musicality and ease of use. but neither of them really are. they could have some more sound shaping features, and that would make me extremely happy. but as with the digitone, the secret to getting the most out of them is finding sweet spots, really figuring out how certain parameters shape sounds with just a slight nudge, and working within those limitations. so much can be done within the boundaries, you just have to be patient and meticulous with your sound crafting. i save sounds on this thing like crazy, every time i get to a new point i like by adjusting a parameter, i will save a new sound so i can build on it later. there is no patch preset limit as far as i know. i’m not sure the best way to articulate this, but i think the point is that there is a deceptively wide timbral range inside of these seemingly limited parameter sets of the elektron fm synths. you just have to be patient and learn how to coax out the sounds that the machines were built to create. small changes can yield satisfying results

13 Likes
#44

So many great points here. Makes me happy to see you loving the Cycles.

One of my favorite ease of life things with the Cycles is that it accepts 5 V power and thus is easily powered by a USB power bank for really long sessions as it seems to draw quite little power. Perfect size for mobile jams.

1 Like
#45

I’ve heard a couple of people claim Model:Cycles is secretly an ambient powerhouse too. Has anyone here found that to be the case?

1 Like
#46

Absolutely. To my surprise I’ve been mainly approaching it as a six (+ because of the chord machine) voice drone synth. Lots of lfo tricks to make for very complex morphing sounds

3 Likes
#47

I had the Qu-Bit Chord 2 in eurorack format earlier and I love that the Chord machine in Cycles is pretty close to that, only with an excellent sequencer

1 Like
#48

Whoa. This was a really good summary of the tiny diesel model:cycles. Gives me a lot of food for thought. I like the idea of using it as a subtle underlayer of percussion elements. I was starting to think it might become obsolete in my setup, but it definitely has a place. Especially since it’s very inviting and fun to use.

1 Like
#49

I’d say that’s a qualified yes, depending on the style of ambient. It does some cool weird percussive elements that can easily blend in with rhythmic or semi-rhythmic ambient, and as mentioned–the chord machine is great–way easier than anything I’ve used in modular. To create drones, you have to slightly hack conditional trigs on the sequencer (basically making a one step sequence), since it doesn’t have any option that’s the equivalent of opening up a vca to bypass an envelope. It would be great to see some kind of drone setting for each channel in a firmware update, but it’s still workable. The different machines all sound great when droning and sweeping the parameters.

2 Likes
#50

Did you know that you can set a trig length to inf then remove the trig and it’ll keep the vca open as long as the transport is running?
Sorry if this has been mentioned in this thread already, maybe someone will find it useful. It’s my favorite hack/workflow I’ve discovered so far. I’m no good at drum programming lol

6 Likes
#51

wonderful points here. and I too struggle with the Digitone/M:C balance of “do I really need both of these…?” :thinking:

but yes, it’s incredible through a saturation device (Boum is my favorite). also the kick is to die for; gives me what I miss from Jomox machines, without having to deal with their crap OS. otherwise, the general vibes from it get me what I miss from the Machinedrum, without having to buy one for 7-8 times what this costs. definitely a value and a really fun package.

4 Likes
#52

I also enjoy the Cycles very much going through the Meris Ottobit Jr (for filter, grit, and stutter) and the Oto Bim (for lush synced walls of delay).

1 Like
#53

I would say it’s something you should get if you already dove into FM synthesis or don’t really want to and just wanna make some music. 2 Operator FM is the starting point for almost all my patches on the digitone or on the computer. Also, the M:C is a good case study in the whole being more than the sum of its parts, layering accounts for so much richness. Just copy and paste a tone sequence across 3 tracks, I think you will find an astonishing amount of timbral diversity.

What I would say is that the model:cycles will disappoint people who try to make resonant filter sweep sounds.

4 Likes
#54

And inspired by this thread I walked to the studio and took the Cycles home for a sofa jam. I love how they made the Models accept 4-10 V power instead of 12 V, making them work with USB power banks with the right cable.

2 Likes