Delay / Multi-effect pedal for M:C

Elektron Gear Model:Cycles
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I’ve been back on the Model:Cycles train again, as I find the simplicity and directness of this machine suits my current music-making needs. However, I want to pair it with a delay / multi-effect pedal that:

-accepts line level input
-has dry analog through
-stereo in / out

I currently have a Zoom MS-70CDR that I want to put through its paces, but curious if anyone else has any suggestions. Ideally I’d get something a bit more hands on than the Zoom.

It’s been hard to find anything that can handle the full frequency range of the M:C, so suggestions of pedals you’ve actually tried personally are welcome!

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Is compact form factor (ie pedal format) a necessity?

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Not necessarily. Just want something that is hands-on and sounds good.

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I think the Polymoon would pair up nicely… also DD-500, or maybe Strymon El Cap or Dig.

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Well, it’s not stereo but I run all my Elektron boxes through the Make Noise Strega at the end of chain. Using the touch plates as a performance feature is unparalleled in my opinion.

There are settings that sound like delays, reverbs, lofi noise, overdrive, and of course wacky modulations you can set up using patch cables that don’t even have names. It also has an oscillator so it’s super helpful to transition between patterns with some ambient drones, if you’re into that sort of thing.

I find the hands on, no preset, what you see is what you get nature of the Strega contrasts nicely with the more cerebral workflow of the Elektron boxes.

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Polymoon is currently my first choice. Looks like a great option. Keep the suggestions coming though, great to hear what people would suggest.

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I have an older Yamaha digital multitrack recorder (AW16G) and the onboard effects array is really impressive. Still to this day I think it sounds good. You have access to 2 FX banks per input and or track (so for every input and every track, 2 separate freely assignable banks).

The price these days is about the same as buying a pedal. As far as hands on, it’s mostly using the Jog wheel and a set of encoders which correspond to parameters so it is hands on in that way, but it’s not with “controls that are visually representative of the current posistion”, you still need to read the green screen to do that but it’s really not bad and most parameters are way deeper than I’ve found in pedal format.

Not saying you need to go the route of a big desktop unit like this, but as far as value goes (aside from the really nice fx unit that it’s become) I’ve had this thing since probably 2005 and I still occasionally record with it. If it had USB connectivity I would use it a lot more for recording. It has a cd burner on board but my PC no longer has a cd rom so it’s become cumbersome in that way.

I wouldn’t even bother bringing it up though if I weren’t so pleased with it as an fx unit (and for a long time as a recorder), however you could use it as a pass through fx unit just like you would a pedal and get a lot better quality of stereo multi effects, compressors, an array of inputs, a good quality output for both headphones and monitors or stereo pair output with independent level.

I can’t really describe every feature because it was intended for complete recording, mix and mastering. The trade off is that it’s large.

There may be other similar, smaller options, as far as zoom multitrackers and whatnot, however in my opinion the quality of the inbuilt yamaha multieffects unit and the way you navigate it are super reasonable for how old it is.

It would be worth looking into the AW16G but it also wouldn’t hurt to take the idea of something which has a full fledged multi efx processor built in but isn’t in pedal format and can usually be acquired pretty inexpensively due to very few people using desktop hard drive type digital multitrackers anymore.

Anyways I know that’s a bit longwinded of a sales pitch, but I wanted to put the idea out there in case you felt up to doing a little research and have a little extra desktop space.

Another bonus is the aw16g faders can be configured as a midi controller, which I plan to try some day :smiley:

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Interesting suggestion! Thanks for the detailed write-up. Probably a bit too big / overkill for what I’m looking for but I love the enthusiasm :slight_smile:

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Wondering if a SP-404 would fit the bill. It doesn’t have analog dry through as far as I know but it has a bevy of effects. Amazingly I’ve never used any of the SP series except the 404 mk2.

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Empress Effects Echosystem.

My question, though : Are you going to pass everything from the M:C in the Delay?

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If u want the best bang for your buck go for an HX Stomp multieffect. A huge amount of good quality effects (including delays), routing options (you can make different chains for left and right chanels, stereo/dual mono send and return), midi, etc…

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Good suggestion! And good question. I have two projects going in the M:C right now; one is M:C for all the melodic content and TR8 for all the drums. The other is just M:C. For the one with the TR8, everything from the M:C is going to go through the delay but I’ll be using it sparingly, kind of as a dub throw. Trying to avoid adding a mixer to this little setup so setting up / tearing down time is minimal. Right now, I’m plugging the MC into the TR8 (which then goes into a Boum), so its a very compact, easy to manuever setup that is still giving me a lot of mileage to play around. The M:C can quickly go from groovy funk to full on ambient drone, so I thought a delay or multi-effect would give me even more mileage.

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Do you know if the HX series accepts line level input? Can’t seem to find that anywhere. I used to have the Line 6 M9/M13 and was pretty impressed with the effect quality. This was years ago though.

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Two suggestions that aren’t quite what you’re asking for but that I’ve enjoyed with the m:c.
-boss se50 or se70. Not a pedal and not hands on as is. It’s a half width rack unit (1/2u) and it has good midi implementation so it can be hands on if you have a spare controller available. Very flexible and contains most boss pedals up to its release time.
-adrenalinn. More pedal like, again its degree of hands on control is lacking unless used with midi. Sounds great though and is fun and wild. Dave smith/ Roger linn joint. Fast matrix editing and sequencer. Biggest drawback is its mono.
Ignore if these are too far off the mark.

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Is this a case of ticking none of the boxes? :wink: :rofl:

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Heheh, go Gatineau go! Or else, Timeline maybe - old but v. nice, and also has a super handy 30s stereo looper that nobody seems to remember about: TimeLine Multi Delay - Strymon
Either way, both great pedals, no doubt. Good luck!

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I run my M:C into Digitone and love it

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if I had a Digitone still, this would be my first choice too :slight_smile:

But I want something a bit simpler, more hands on, more jam friendly…

Loving these suggestions so far, thanks all…

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The phaser / flanger features of the Polymoon, as well as the delays, are intriguing. Do you have one of these, @DonovanDwyer?

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I used to. There’s a few button/switch combos to access some features, which is pretty standard these days, but it sounds killer. It’s really like having three dope pedals chained together.

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