Hi man- This is a good comment. Since Im really consdering to get my hands on one, since I would like to be able to make / tinker with music a lot more than I do now So.. Thank you
I fail to see how anyone can criticise a easily useable FM drum machine and synth with an Elektron sequencer with its chance and per step conditions! I have one of these and honestly admit to it being hugely fun to use and capable of a huge range of sounds. Most demos you see on RU-vid are of course nasty euro ‘techno’ but it is much richer than this with its 6 channels of polyrhythmic FM. I love the clicky glitchy panning percussive detail it can generate. That said I mostly bought it to make massive klonk bass sounds to work with drums - superb for this alone and great tweakability. I make that 4 bits of my gear you have featured to date - Monologue, BassStation rack, Alesis 3630 and now this. Big fan - keep it up!
@@AudioPilz Sure they do. While they are sending each other X-rays of circuits and babbling about firmware and operators everyone else is engaged in creating sounds and music
The chord generator doesn't "mimick wavetables"; it's a real wavetable engine, not FM-based. Anyway, like many have pointed out here, the Cycles is really underappreciated. If you use the distortion (or more like saturation) to warm up the sounds, add reverb for sound design, take advantage of the LFO and sequencer, and explore what the different engines really can do (use the Snare machine to make a lead, for example), I don't think people would complain that it sounds "the same". Frequent use of Track+Level takes care of clipping issues.
Great video as always. An alternate viewpoint: This could be the ideal "beginner's" instrument for someone young who wants to try making beats. Either this or the Volca Sample, they both have benefits and drawbacks. You get a wide range of options and modulation in each, and the focus of a single device to work on. The Elektron is doubly intriguing because it's all synth-based. You get to learn some synthesis along with composition. The price of both isn't totally prohibitive (esp. for the Volca). Ironically, the device I learned on: The Boss DR-202.
@@AudioPilz Potentially. I hadn't thought much about the Model Samples when making the post tbh. If it were between the Model Samples and the Volca, probably would recommend the Volca just on price (and the Volca can get very close to p-locking). It's likely synth-nerd bias on my part but the idea of a synth-based (drums and otherwise) groovebox in a learning environment is intriguing to me. In an odd way, it's more limiting than a sample-based palate and would give the user ideas to graduate into something deeper (Octatrack, for instance).
Really interesting how FM synth makers have trouble finding the Goldilocks region of accessibility. You either have to make it too complex or too simple.
There are two or three synths out there that really nailed it but they are disguised as home keyboards. One of my favorites is the PSS-480 which was sold as a toy. It has 99 of the most common FM shapes saved as presets which can then be adjusted using a dozen of the most common parameters. The DSS-2000 is another one that treats the presets as wavetables that can then be easily edited and stored with a simple button interface and LED display.
I suspect that this is why wavetables became so appealing. You could access a table set up to behave effectively like vectors - "like" modulate-able FM ratios - without the end-user having to target those pesky FM mod indexes.
I got to say - I finally after about six months got good(?) subjective of cycles. It’s actually really fun - paired up with akai mini plus. I have a tonne of synths but I can’t believe how much you can do with this little guy. The machine, preset, parameter locks have changed the game. I really really really like it. Never tried samples but cycles can easily be a live synth on its own. ‘Too lazy to figure out how to name it’ 😂😂😂😂
Another great episode. I know you have big balls but I'd like to know how big. I have two synths that I'm about to sell that I hate. The first one is the MOOG SUB PHATTY, with it's two octave keyboard, hidden functions, lack luster 16 patch memory etc. The second is a DEEPMIND12D with it's subpar display week plastic knobs and fan etc.
Honestly I'm surprised that you didn't cover this thing's evil twin, the model: samples. I have to wonder how well these functions would translate to a sampler considering the rhythm and structure would be so restricted. Then again it can't be any more limited than my Pocket Operator T.K.O. and I still have a blast with that.
One trick on the Samples is that you can alter the start point of the sample to get a wave table kind of effect, if you have a sample with a tone that modulates over time. It takes a lot of time to set things up, though.
@@Roboprogs That sounds really cool! Actually I have a couple of synths that use wavetable engines and am finding them extremely useful for the kind of music I produce. This definitely puts the samples back on my radar as a potential buy someday, thanks for letting me know!
@@t0xcn253 I don't think I can post external links on RU-vid, but check out section 9 of the M:S manual online. Section 9.2 explains setting the sample start and length, and 9.4 discusses looping to hold a tone while the attack-decay envelope controls the volume.
7:45 is an absolute beauty. Lately I've been thinking, if anyone wants to buy cheap synthesizers/samplers/drum machines, you'll just need to wait one/two years until the pandemic becomes just a memory and people that bought tons of gear to use in their houses during lockdown (the ones that won't put the work into actually learning each instrument deeply, the ones that jam with gear for a whole band -with slightly modified presets, of course-) start selling. Of course, there are people doing amazing things, and can't wait to see new proposals at festivals and concerts. But also, there's a lot of people out there with more gear in a room, than their capacity to fully exploit it, and when the 'new normal' starts to kick in (traffic, 9-to-5, kids in school, etc), the gear will be abandoned slowly until it becomes an asset that can be sold. If I am not mistaken we'll be able to buy amazing second hand gear for about half the prices that we see now, meanwhile, I'll just hang in there, browse through manuals, use what I have and whatever may come cheap, and dive into the sound. Cheers!
Oh the handle. I am a mad lad and modded internal pouch batteries into my Models synths...Giant pain in the ass but I made it work and it's fun to have fully portable versions of these frivolous little instruments.
@@AudioPilz Just barely, they have to be super thin cells but I was able to find ones that fit and gave it a few hours of play time. I mod batteries into a bunch of Electktron instruments (OT, DT, DN) but honestly the economics of battery modding the Models instruments doesn't really make sense since materials and labor would cost, like, 30% as much as the instrument itself. I did it more as a sort of fun challenge to myself than anything else.
this & Samples are pretty neat, i thought about buying one or the other for about 4 days then got a Minibrute 2s & PO-KO instead (love 'em). your jams made it sound classy!
Fun fact: the model samples and model cycles are identical PCBs internally, I was able to flash my samples into a cycles, albeit using flash programming hardware. Haven't had the time to dig through the checksum / model ID verification in their sysex fw flashing routine to be able to crossflash them right over USB, but I suppose I'm not very motivated to do this either as Elektron seems like a very nice small company and I don't want to potentially take sales from them by publishing such a tool
Could you help me do the same? I'm thinking about buying the samples but id like to experiment it first. Maybe its wiser to wait for a digitakt. Anyway any information would be lovely
Pilzzz, your editing on this one is hilarious. And I notice that you use the TB-3 on a lot of these demos. I'm guessing it gives a reliable Bass line when you need one. My hand is now hovering over the "buy" button .And what is going on with that super short peak at the Jomox rack mount? WTF your teasing us!! Also, as I have mentioned before, I think you could really do some justice on the Korg Op Six. I have just got through the manual. So it will make a million shitty sounds, but when you get the right sound , it's out of the universe. A very soul sucking machine. I hate it and love it. It will make sounds that nothing else makes, but sooooo time consuming to find the sweet spots. It's all about the sweet spots with FM.
It was my first Elektron gear and the perfect gateway drug : got a DT a few months afterwards. Such a powerful coupling. That said, I would've loved to have a real envelope, two LFO's (which is doable if controlled by the Digitakt) and an arp to replace the chord machine (which I mostly use in unison mode, sounds better that way imo). But that's minor compared to the ease of use, a workflow that help me sketch my tracks in such an agreable way (and already sounding quite good). Love the M:C.
I've been on the verge of getting Model Cycles but somehow I've managed to dodge it. Whenever I see anybody using it, It always looks fun and sounds great on its own. Not sure if the sounds would mix well with analog synths. At least I find it hard to mix Digitone sounds with my analog gear. Thanks for sharing!
The bass at 7:00 had me yelling "f*ck! F********ck!" Out loud with headphones on at work and my boss looked at me weird at work. Damn I want one of these to fill the FM gap in my live rig.
Is your finger okay? Were you wounded in our service, evaluating this unit? Would a kickstarter help get you back on your “feet”? Great review, as always!
Yea, this and the samples are probably the least enticing looking boxes I’ve ever seen. Having said that, you made it sound dope and something to consider whenever I have $300 burning a hole in my wallet (never). Great video as always, love when my favorite directors films make a cameo!!
Dear Flow As you know I'm a really big fan Of your awesome show. As you asked for gear that we - the people - want to be slaughtered or at least to be "checked" by you: i wanna speak 4 myself. Habe you ever considered having the behringer crave on your show? Not asking for a friend!
I couldnt even wait to start the video before commenting that the Cycles is my ABSOLUTE... FAVORITE... ...uh... THING. So this should get interesting. 😳😳😳😬😬😬
@@AudioPilz lmao I love the Cycles so much. I get that it doesnt offer a ton of parameter tweaking, but that's what I have a damn Digitone for. 🤣 What's sick about the Cycles is it doesnt matter where the knob is, it'll still be a useful sound. It's for sure not for everybody though! The only reason I love it so much is because I'm very much into the whole NIN/industrial thing... so I was looking for something nasty and digital and glitchy and harsh in a drum machine! I notice most people on YT use it for that soft tone stuff though... Idk. All I know is I'm 1000% unapologetic. Lmfao. I fkn LOVE the Model:Cycles. Btw... you must have seen that performance from Ess at the release event, right? What did you think? At first I didnt really know what to think, but the second time I watched it I was absolutely blown away. I mean... super abrasive and nasty... but that's why I loved it.
I think Korg hit the mark with the Opsix. And even the Yamaha Reface DX was very good - I would buy a full size version of it, it will be a modern day DX21.
Großartig pointiert!!! Vorallem die Memes. :) Mag den Cycles als Jam-Maschine total. Echt nen geiles Teil. Im Zusammenspiel mit ner DAW fehlen mir die Einzelspuren. Aber alleine die Kick ist einfach nen Traum.
Could you video once in Klangfarbe to show how big portion of ther floor models you have already covered? I think your audience will understand completely that your objective reviews will not keep back music creators from buying "bad" gear.
Is the samples next? Also has only stereo output and u have to use exclusive software to manage samples. Why??? They couldnt just use a standard folder system?
I'm sure there is a reason why they added the screen. They just needed that one extra head scratching feature to tip the scales into bad gear territory.
Honestly my biggest roadblock to getting it was that they didn't have (and are now charging extra for) the ability to be powered by batteries. It felt like an intentional cash grab or a MASSIVE oversight. They're the absolute perfect form factor and they'd punch far above their price point in the mobile synth/groovebox market.
I don't think so. I'm not familiar with any other battery powered elektron products and rechargeable batteries need battery management, pose a fire hazard and may even contain hazardous substances which need to be dealt with in a certain way to get it certified and a heck more things to consider. They look bad not delivering on it but it is unfair to blame them if this was their first attempt.
If Dexed ever gets hit by an asteroid, I'll definitely get one of these to cover the impact crater. Still confused by what the Gen XYZ-ers refer to as "making a beat". Do they mean a four bar loop, polished until it no longer smells, or something less mindfrazzlingly complex?
I think they are referring to the stuff you can buy for $35 at one of the dedicated platforms, is more or less a construction kit, gets used in mainstream records and can make you thousands every month if you catch the right trend
@@AudioPilz Aha!. The "Limo to Hollywood" concept. I suppose that's a good thing if you have a teenytiny attention span, or don't want to spend more than ten minutes making noises between essential Instagram validation sessions. The only time I've downloaded a construction kit was for an Acid Pro 3 competition back in the Dark Ages. The samples and stems were not dopamine-friendly, so I didn't bother. I guess all those Discord/Twitch remix contests are mining the same free labour resource for the occasional tasty morsel of talent that can be arsed to creatively gate a boomy reverb tail..
To be fair with this FM slate you can really just "make beats" like it's nothing, especially weird tekno stuff. That's the very nice side of this device, quick and simple yet deep and creative at the same time.
@@jonpatchmodular Having made those "beats", what do you do with them? I can create all manner of stems and samples very rapidly in a DAW. Dexed gives me access to a gazillion DX patches to goof around with, as does Operator in Ableton if I want bizarre by default.
If we're doing some of the Model, uh, models... Digitakt, preferably keyboard edition. So would love to see you do that! ... ... dot dot dot. Oh, right, you did it, and linked to it, and it was a favourite of mine... *laughs nervously*
@@AudioPilz Yes indeed. I believe they called it the Digitakt Keys, and built it in a similar manner to the Monomachine Keys, with the keyboard on the side, instead of the front like the Analog Four Keys.
They are solid. I also have another 2 midi splitters sitting on my shelf that were unreliable or not-quite-right, but the quadra thru is great -I think they are very popular for a good reason.
For what it is, I like my Cycles. I have a DTn, too. It uses FM but I think the idea is to just make music and not do sound design. There are other tools for that. On the stickers, I hate stickers on gear. I don’t put them on anything.
Top content as usual. I've mentioned this before, but I will now present it in the form of a challenge - could you just once, for one little jam, lean into the high hats a bit? I promise they won't bite you, and you might even like it!
