ElektronModel:Cycles 6-Track FM Based Groove Box

I loaded my own samples even though the factory samples were great. Great for sparking new ideas and it works with Studio One Pro 5. The individual sound parameters on each trigger is my favorite, you can turn a 4/4 beat to something special. Swing is also great on it. This is a great product and easy to learn compare to my old Machinedrum SPS-1.

Great groovebox. Easy to use. Looking forward to exploring it more. First impressions are that this is a solid unit.

The manual for this thing really lives up to Elektron's reputation for being "a hard workflow to get into".You can tell it's been put together with much deliberation, but it makes you work to keep up with it.I found a highlighting marker and REALLY used it for certain portions of the manual. It still helps, about two months in.Read the manual!The sounds are good, mostly. They worked hard to make a thing that doesn't have a lot of wasted potential.Sequencer is awesome.Working with the Model: Cycles has made me confident that a more expensive Elektron device might actually be worth the price tag.

Nicely built and pretty intuitive overall. The sequencer was easy to get going, and sculpting sounds is simple if not a bit abstracted by odd terminology. There’s no adsr though, so if you want a volume envelope you’ll have to create one using the single LFO available for that sound. Comes with stickers I used to spell out profanities on things.

The Model:Samples is something next level though and really allows you to be creative, but also have the amount of customization and precision you'd want out of a sampler. The build quality is great, there's a ton of customization, and the sample space isn't an issue.I've tried countless samplers/grooveboxes over the past 12 months and they almost always have a few different problems with them, whether it is build-quality, lack of control, poor sound, or something.The only real downside and caveat to this one? You cannot sample directly. If that isn't a dealbreaker, get this.

I'm 68 years old and have owned tons of synths/drum machines/groove boxes. I even used to work in a music store selling these things. I guess for the price this packs a lot in a small package with ample parameters to play with. But, for me (Mr. Old School) I just found it to be like working in a straight jacket (just a guess). The monophonic tracks were annoying to work with for me. And I found myself scratching my head in frustration through most of the learning curve and accidentally losing my hard-earned progress at one point. The choice of sounds wasn't what I expected. It could be that I'm just an old fart who can't keep up with the technology these days. This thing was just not for me. I never achieved the fun zone that everyone else seemed to enjoy with this. After 3 days of working with it I decided to return it. Too labor intensive for me. I still gave it 5 stars because I think the problem is me, not the machine. Clearly many musicians love it. I'm just not one of them. Maybe my Deluge spoiled me - it's much more fun (but for a much heftier price.)

Super fun to mess around with and quite accessible once you get comfortable

The is is an awesome groovebox. Generates some really cool sounds. Highly recommended!