Yeah, fair enough. I was thinking more about those who might be on the fence about it but had the surplus cash to buy it. It’s a risk free purchase, as you can always sell it on and get you money back.
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for me the best part about it is that it’s the centerpiece to a hardware-based studio with many synths and drum machines (20 or so, I guess). you can select any instrument from a list and start sequencing it immediately; or decide you don’t like that and just send the sequence to another instrument. but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to have a bunch of hardware to use it. if you’ve seen the Benjamin Damage videos, you’ll see he’s got a relatively modest setup; a few synths, a few drum machines/samplers, some effects and a mixer. but he gets a lot of mileage out of the Cirklon, and it’s the heart of his setup.
and like mentioned above, when learning it, it may actually be best not to have too much stuff going. I read someone said he hooked it up to the Volca Sample for a weekend and worked his way through the manual; said it made the Volca really come alive!
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Genuine questions. What makes this better than every other sequencer out there and already available to buy right now, hardware or software? Is the sheer rarity of it part of the allure here?
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Independent track length. Tight midi timing between all your modules. XOXO layout for triggers. Pretty display.
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(not a Cirklon owner, ,just read the manual twice)
Feature set is the most complete there is for a hardware sequencer. Also, from a hardware perspective it’s the most powerful there is (number of ports, etc)
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“Better” is, of course, subjective, unless there is a very well-defined problem to solve.
The obvious advantages are in hardware:
- number of ports (preventing the need for chaining even if you don’t have a lot of gear)
- high-quality construction
- optional expansions with CVIO (8 gates and 16 CV) and drum mux (up to 3 x 16 trigger and accent)
There are some distinct software features:
- tracks can be either step sequences (xox) or linear sequences (MPC)
- multiple playback modes (forward, back, pendulum, random, Brownian)
- multitudes of configuration and customisation options
- inter-track interaction for constructing intricate musical pieces
- developer highly receptive for suggested improvements
But many or all of these would be unnecessary for some applications, and it’s expensive.
A DAW will do a ton of things that the Cirklon cannot.
For some people, maybe, but who cares about that?
It was appealing to me when I bought mine in 2013, and the waiting list at that time was only a month or two.
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SquarpPyramid does all this. Doesn’t have the 5 pair of midi port though, but it is less than half the price.
But what is this “inter track interaction” you mentioned?
What I’d like to know as a Pyramid owner on the Cirklon waiting list, from those who’ve used both the Pyramid and Cirklon, is what makes the Cirklon easier to use?
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The Menus look easy to navigate. AS they are used quite a lot its good that they are.
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Thank you, very well put!
As someone who had both, it is really not the same.
"Forum types always make that mistake (no offense meat to you). Playing “features” games. When using them to make music, preference rankings often change 
Cheers!
D
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The irony is that I use the Pyramid in a very simple way, which is mostly live recording. Both do this. And then I nudge a note here and there. The only thing I sometimes “program” is very repetitive Bass rhythms.
I’m interested in knowing which one may have a simpler flow in putting the live recorded sequences together.
Btw, I tried FL Studio, which looked great, but I couldn’t get it to interface nicely with my synths.
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That’s not a very accurate summary.
- Cirklon is way more robust than Pyramid
- Cirklon has the option for up to 72 analogue connections whereas the Pyramid has 7 built-in
- Cirklon has multiple playback modes whereas Pyramid only goes forwards
- Cirklon has inter-track interactions
Conversely, the Pyramid has multiple features that the Cirklon doesn’t have, like:
- the MIDI processing capabilities (similar to old Yamaha sequencers)
- Euclidian rhythms
- the built-in XY pad
- Turbo MIDI on one port.
and Cirklon has a bunch of other features that Pyramid doesn’t have, like a Program Change message timing option that’s optimized for Elektron gear.
Of course, there are other hardware sequencers that have features that neither Pyramid nor Cirklon provide.
While you’re waiting for your Cirklon to be readied, you should check out the Cirklon’s aux events (in the manual and the new splitradix video, for example), which allow you to do things like:
- send automation (CCs and NRPNS)
- control or randomize sequences’ contents, direction, and timing
- send, receive, or swap events and values between tracks
- change note and aux values based on counts of events
The Cirklon may or may not be easier to use. It’s another subjective area. It’s for sure easier for some applications, and for sure not for others.
Both are overkill in terms of complexity for your stated application. If this is the only way you use the Pyramid, the Cirklon is unlikely make any difference to your music.
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True.
In essence, all I need is a multi track recorder, and one synth with a decent arpeggiator and hold function. Anything more is icing on the cake, the sweetest part for me being time saved by not having to re record and sync everything on tape.
man those CVIO options are one of the biggest for me. I sold $800 worth of Kenton CV/midi boxes when I got the Cirklon. and they’re faster than midi plus cv/gate conversion. I use every single cv/gate available to get to a bunch of vintage synths.
drum sequencing with CK patterns is also amazing. it’s in the style of the TR 707 where it’s dots on a matrix and you can see a full bar’s worth of all instruments in the sequence, all at once.
you could definitely do a lot of what it does with a DAW but you’d need cv converters and obviously it’s a different experience. I don’t know of any better/more complete hardware sequencer.
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I owned a Cirklon years ago and if I recall correctly, it’s strengths in comparison with Elektron were :
- independent track length with page length
- instrument based workflow
- proper polyphonic sequencing
- song mode with a live aspect à la Ableton
- interconnected tracks providing super nice generative tools
- global “force to scale”
Damn, why did I sell it ?
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Thats a comparison i asked for. Thanks so much .
Cirklon waiting list thread 
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Needs confirmation from actual Cirklon users, though !
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Jump back on the wait list… everyone knows waiting for a cirklon is half the fun.
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