For my purposes the Vermona is a non-starter for live sets. The TM’s UI isn’t nearly as bad as some make it out to be and what with p-locks its sequencer is v powerful.
If we call the M:C a drum machine, AFAIK it’s the first FM drum mach. (outside of eurorack) to be produced since since the Korg ER-1. Any I’ve missed?
Machinedrum 
Indeed! Can you compare the MD’s FM engines to the M:C?
So diferents engines imho. But Machinedrum has FM engine. Anyway, MD is more than FM drum machine. By the way, I’ve understood korg ER-1 and korg EA-1 had VA engine inherited from korg Z1.
I understand the MD has an FM engine, that’s why I asked for a comparison with the M:C’s engines in the post above!
Virtual Analogue was a widely used marketing slogan back in the OO’s. E.g. The Nord Modulars were marketed as such, yet go way beyond what VA suggests i.e. subtractive synthesis (their FM capabilities are huge). The waves in the Korg ER-1 synth engine maybe modeled on analog waves, but, then you have a modulator, modulator speed, which is definitely some kind of FM. The ER-1 synth engines are very flexible.
I’m intrigued as to whether the M:C has some of the MD’s FM DNA, or what other drms the M:C engines (not including CHORD) can be compared to in terms of their structure.
Ess gives an overview of the machines an how he designed them. He mentions the MD at some points in the link that Adam posts above.
Am I the only one who really thinks FM kicks are a letdown, particularly for booming, full-bodied, subby techno kicks? The transients and mid body are lovely… But once you get into the sub bass it’s utterly lacking in comparison to what you can get out of the Rytm or in a studio sound design session. I almost pretty much have to crank the low EQ on my mixer from 12o’clock to 3o’clock to have it match my rytm kicks and other kick samples in a live setting - this is a problem because it also makes my bass tom and bassline patches too subby. I think the lack of a compressor hurts it.
Ok, so I received mine today. I was not convinced by the kick in all the demos I heard, but I bought it anyway because it seemed very versatile in other areas. I was so wrong. The kick is a monster.
I like the kick and perc engines, but really do not enjoy the snare to the point where the thing is now collecting dust. The feedback noise just does not sound the way I want it to.
Honestly, I wish it had been more drum focused. Digitone makes sick claps, but model:cycles does not.
Quite a divergence of opinions. I’m on the fence.
it really is. as I’ve said before: worth buying for the kick alone.
I’m not having trouble getting huge kicks but I’m more after kicks that sit within the mix, versus dominating it. it sounds like that’s what @Versipellis is after, so that could be the issue there. contrasting to that, I had more problems with RYTM where I had to dial the kicks way back to get them to sit right. to me, the M:C snare is similar (can dial it into the mix well). but I get that it can sound a little too metallic. still… I think that’s fine for me. variety and all that.
buy from somewhere you can return it to if you don’t like it?
IMO, Model:Cycles excels at precisely doing something else than classic drum sounds.
Btw, I wonder if with a fast retrig and maybe by multiplying the scale for the clap track, one would reach some decent clap sound. A workaround I know, but might be an interesting lead.
Tried it. It sounds like a bad echo.
I don’t get the lack of a clap machine. Digitone makes fun weird claps. Just port the stock clap patches and make the parameters modulate timbre / cutoff
Totally agree. Classic Drum Sounds are overrated. Why not build a new era.
Precisely why Model Cycles is so dope.
You can really craft unique drums!
Then use one or two tracks for one or two fm stabs…it really shines next to any other gear.
Tbh model cycles is worth it for the kick alone
Nope, just want something with enough subbass to hold up to a BIA or WMD Crater. I play a lot of hybrid sets and a lot of collab liveset gigs in clubs, and it’s important to me that a kick drum be able to hold up in that context. The sub on the Cycles kick drum isn’t enough to hold up in that regard. I’d be happy to be proven wrong as a matter of “insufficient skill”, if anyone has settings for a subby kick they want to share.
Do you have a Sub in your monitoring system?
I’m a fan of Noise Engineering stuff and for me the model:cycles is like a 6 voices BIA with an awesome sequencer… only much cheaper than a BIA. Well done Elektron !
Don’t worry about my monitoring system (which, yes, I do actually have a proper monitoring setup given that I’m a mix engineer) - I do the real roadtest of my setups in clubs 