I bought the Model:Samples a month or two before Cycles was announced. I wish the timing had worked out a bit differently because I see myself enjoying working with the M:C more. I enjoy using samples to create music and all that, but based on the limitation of the M:S not being a direct sampler itself (just a sample player) I find myself interrupting my workflow to adjust a sample or load a new one. I guess what I’m saying is I’d prefer to have a standalone device that generates all its own sounds without having to rely on external sources. Like other people have said, this all depends on your workflow. The M:S process for loading up materials is just not that appealing to me at this point.
I would not never buy a sampler that can not sample, but that is me; if microfreak covers yours synth needs I would go for a Digitakt but you say your budget is tight…at the end is up to you.
I bought the cycles and I am using it more as a drone synth and polyphonic synth via ableton than as a groovebox, which to be true does not interest me at all. As an FM synth is brilliant… wanted to sell it, now I know it will stay.
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Yeah, I get your point (and also what others said) about not being able to sample stuff. But I figured I have that covered by the Blackbox. 
I miss the Elektron-sequencer (havent got any E-stuff now), but that’s on both…
I’ll think I’ll have another round of Cycles-only music, with all of your suggestions in mind. Thanks for all your thoughts!
A question for people advocating the Samples:
Does this particular unit have a “sound”? I know that my Digitakt definitely has a sound when compared to my Electribe ES-1, V-Synth or EPS 16 Plus. The clean 16 bit audio, it’s normalization after sampling, it’s filters, and its compression definitely have a sound. I’m at the point where I can “hear” the Digitakt on my recordings. Do Samples users get the same feeling?
Owning neutron and microfreak you can create lots of weird noises, on the digitakt you can sample and start using them, on the M:S you are going to need a computer to manage those samples. A sampler is something I still do not own, I would like a digitakt with more FX but for that you need an octatrack, which has a hell of menu diving.
A hybrid of Sigitakt and electribe 2S would be perfect for me, but that does not exist so no hurries…
Also thought of just getting a looper, we will see…
Big disadvantage of the DT (and the reason why I sold it) is that it samples in mono.
That was a turnaround, this one neither samples nor does it in stereo. I hope the workflow is more suitable for you than the Digitakt.
Not really. I already got (stereo) sampling covered with the Blackbox. Most important for me now, I figured, was to have a flexible groovebox and an Elektron-sequencer again.
Maybe a Cycles will join it one day!
So bloody enthousiastic about the Model:Samples that I ordered the Cycles today. (eating away the money I was saving up for a Subharmonicon)
It is a quite interesting observation
I agree you can spot a loop made on the MC with closed eyes.
I still prefer the AR to the MS though when using only samples.
Yeah also MS treat the samples imported as mono and the AR as well
For stereo you need an Octatrack or another stereo sampler