Samples vs Cycles?

Elektron Gear
#1

Not sure if I am the first person to make this thread (I checked and I couldn’t find one) but I am just getting started out with hardware/synths I am torn between the two. Which one would you recommend to someone, especially considering this would be their main piece of gear?

Currently I have been messing around with Volcas and have bought and sold a few most them (coincidentally my favorites were the Sample and FM). I am more interested in the more experimental side of things (Autechre, Tim Hecker, OPN, Forest Management for some examples if that helps).

#2

When you were messing around before, did you prefer using samplers or synthesizers?

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#3

Model:Cycles is about as close as you can get to achieving an LP5-era Autechre sound in hardware without buying a Nord or other more expensive gear, imo.

On the other hand, the Samples is great because, well, it uses samples, and you can get it to sound like anything. It really depends on whether you want a sample-based or synthesis-based sound.

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#4

Slightly preferred the sampler but I think that was in large part in that it was more versatile (it could could do percussion/chords/basslines/sample mangling) as opposed to just chords/leads. But I am guessing the Cycles is a lot more versatile than the Volca FM. I guess one of the big things for me is which would get me more mileage in terms of odd textures/sounds Sample Mangling or FM synthesis? FM Synthesis takes more time to learn but Sample Mangling also requires me to have other gear to sample in the first place.

#5

Haha I was pretty sold on the sample until I heard the Cycles and LP5 was the first thing that came to mind.

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#6

There’s not a lot of mangling that can be done on the M:S compared to say, the Octatrack, but you can still get away with a lot if your source samples are good.

This is true, but the M:C simplifies it quite a lot. The Tone machine is the only hint of it having FM parameters, and even that should be pretty easy to figure out.

The challenge comes from where to go once you’ve explored the parameters. In my opinion it takes some lateral thinking, so if you’re the kind of person who naturally tries to do weird things that a synth isn’t usually designed for, you’ll get a lot out of the M:C.

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#7

I have never owned m:s and I would quite like to but in the spirit of getting there first
…fuck your samples :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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#8

They’re both limited, but the limitations play out in different ways.

If the lack of attack parameter is a real sticking point for you, I’d go with the Samples.
I use the start point to shave off kick sample attacks a lot, making bass lines from them. Can’t do that with Cycles, but I can still make great bass lines with Cycles. They’re just different.

If the lack of a filter on most machines is a real sticking point for you, I’d go with the Samples. I use the filter to make just about any kick sample work. Sometimes the Cycles kicks are too clicky for my tastes, and I wish it had a filter. Really the filter is the star on the samples. I LFO it and trig-less lock it on just about everything. With the LFO envelope shape, it can do a lot of things. And the combined HPF/LPF on one sweep knob is wonderful. Automating the filter can completely transform a sample.

If you’re really into the sound of FM synthesis, and Macro control… I’d go with the Cycles. You’re just not going to be able to modulate anything other than pitch/decay/start/length/filter/dist/fx/pan on the Samples. But on the Cycles you get to modulate macros of the synth parameters, and that’s where the magic is. Things can get real far out and varied, spacey… good times.

If you’re willing to let the tool define the path (and perhaps the final destination), I’d go with the Cycles. I tried to make a noisy chordy techno track last night and it just would not happen with the chord machine. But I did make a groovy deep tech-house track, that I kinda like. It wasn’t my intention, but it was fun to go down an alley I don’t often venture through. As a friend of mine said, “sometimes it’s nice to try on silly hats at home that you wouldn’t wear in public”.
So that certainly gives it a “fun” aspect. And in this regard, it reminds me a lot of the OP-1, but without the frustration of getting sequences onto the tape.

So yea, pick your poison. But you’ll probably end up with both. :wink:

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#9

A post was merged into an existing topic: Model:Samples Feature Requests Thread

#11

In terms of mangling I was kind of hoping of of mangling stuff using outboard gear and then loading them back as my own samples. Not sure if that would be a huge headache.

#12

get the Model:Cycles. I’d recommend it to anyone new to electronic music, actually. but I think it’s especially good at this sort of sound. very simple, but also capable of a vast array of sounds. the perfect first (or one of the first) machine.

#13

So, short answer - get both.

#14

Ultimately, I ended up with the one I started with, MS.

I found the MC capability edges too quickly and it’s not a sound I love, at least not the way I love other limited drum synths (classic Roland analogs, MFB, etc).
But I think if you’re unsure, the only way to become sure is to try them both.