I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to dip their toes into the Electron world and see what the acclaimed Elektron workflow is all about. Coming from a classical/jazz piano playing background, I bought this a little over 3 years ago back in 2021 when I barely knew much about drum machines, grooveboxes, or even music production in general. I thought it looked so cool with all the knobs and buttons, but learning how to navigate through it and what all the available functions are definitely took some time (and I'm sure there's still more to learn).

Listening to the some of the preset tracks, you can tell the folks at Elektron are fans of video game music (as am I), so I got into transcribing some catchy old school video game tunes in the beginning and tried to rearrange them back into the box, using these as opportunities for learning how the box worked in addition to of course strengthening my transcription skills. Some say if you like this unit, you may end up liking the Digitone since it is also FM but with many more features. I ended up getting the Syntakt the following year, and though it's a far deeper machine, without even reading the manual, I immediately felt at home with knowing how to navigate many of the menus and perform many of the functions because of my time with the Model:Cycles.

Digging into its parameters, I found that it's very different, but refreshing, from the typical take on FM--i.e. dealing with operators and algorithms on instruments like the Korg Volca FM, Opsix, or the Yamaha Reface DX. But the sounds coming from Elektron's choice of "machines" are great and fun to play with. You'll undoubtedly stumble into making Sega Genesis era sounds lol.

In its weight class (or price range), some comparable units with similar functionality could be the Korg Electribe, Roland MC-101 or T-8, and the Novation Circuit Tracks, none of which I own but I hear they are more immediate to work with because of presets and come with loads of effects, which the Model:Cycles may be a little scarce on by comparison.

The last thing I'll say is, as I've moved deeper and deeper into music production over the last few years, I've noticed there are many people in different online forums who constantly look at what is lacking in any piece of gear. Do your research, buy it for what it is, and put your head down and get your hands dirty! Again, as someone who has spent almost a couple decades playing ONE instrument, I think a great part of music mastery is about how well you can work with limitations. So to me, a Korg Volca Beats or even a Monotron unit can be as equally fun as this one too. Embrace the limitations and have fun!

I wanted to buy some versatile hardware on a slim budget, so I chose this and the Aira S1. I like how the Cycles fills a sonic gap in my plugins since it's a drum synth. It's sort of like a lovechild between a JoMoX Xbase and a Waldorf Microwave with a gen Z workflow. It's a fun and intuitive product. I use it for noodling, playing guitar with, and eventually in combo with the computer. I got it on sale for $ and although I might not have bought it for $ at the time, now that I have it, I would've been content with it at $. If it had 4 voice polyphony on the tone or chord engines it would be a slam dunk even at $. Does the Digitone ever go on sale? lol

It looks like a dialysis machine. Not really sure what they had in mind with the aesthetics of this sad looking little guy. But who cares when it is in fact anything but sad? The sound quality is utterly unquestionable. This magic box easily conjures a range of extremely usable drum & percussion sounds, fathomless bass lines and even ear-tingling FM synth pads and chords to boot. I really can't overstate how good it sounds.

It's easy to agree with the positive things others have said and written about the workflow and sequencer. There's a learning curve but it's not particularly steep. On the other hand, I don't necessarily find the simplified parameters intuitive to grasp-- words like "contour" and "color" don't mean a lot to me in the context of sound design. But I get it, Model:Cycles was meant to be simple and quirky to use, and it is.

Build quality seems good. I actually like the little screen. Encoders feel decent enough. The pads are very stiff and have a weird velocity curve (even with adjustment) as others have said so this probably isn't a great one for the groovebox finger drummers out there. It makes no difference to me, not a problem at all.

I've used and owned a number of budget grooveboxes over the years and the Model:Cycles destroys them all-- DESTROYS. And you know, I don't really hate the appearance of it but I can't not rip on it a little bit because it really does look like something you'd see in an emergency room. But like I said, whatever-- I freaking adore this thing.

The Elektron sequencer is one of the best and this has it with all it's bells and whistles.
The pads, however, are far from the best. You need to set them to full level to be able to play them. If you try to use them with any touch sensitivity you will be exhausted before a pattern is created.
Also be warned, if you are hoping to trigger the cycles from an MPC there is a major bug. No it's not that it takes 6 midi tracks. For some reason when you press play or stop on the MPC it resets all the Cycles engines to default kick sounds and this is with no cc messages being sent. This is a widely reported bug and has been reported on for a number of years. So far Elektron has not addressed it.
We were promissed a battery pack which did materialize but only to be withdrawn as it was a fire hazard.
No updates on a working battery solution have since been issued.

This thing is cool. Just do yourself a favor and buy it (assuming you don't already have it's more expensive cousins). It's easy to learn. Sounds great. Very usable for serious projects. This is not just a useless toy. The snare sound alone makes this worth it.

This thing is great. The only way you're not gonna like this is if you already own one of the more expensive Elektron units. But comparing within the price range, this is the best groove box you can get. The sound quality alone makes this a very usable device. Everything is pretty easy to use. Not much of a learning curve. If you need a groovebox and don't feel like spending too much, then there's no question. You have to buy this.

This is an awesome little FM synth drum machine. The drum sounds are very nice and easy to tweak and customize to your liking. There is a ton of flexibility available with the 6 FM sound engines. It has a lot more than just percussion sounds as well, and you can make a full well rounded song with just this device using the tone and chord engines.

I was looking primarily for a drum machine but I wanted flexibility to make my own sounds as well and this does everything I need it to. There is enough flexibility to create your own unique sounds but the numerous factory presets always give you a baseline to return to if you get carried away.

Very nice GrooveBox. Some much you can create. Thank you Elektron for making this unit at an affordable price.

Pros:
-- Awesome synth sounds, and very easy to learn how to make and tweak them.
-- Can quickly hook up a midi keyboard and play sounds from any of the six tracks from the keyboard controller, as long as you can easily switch your keyboard from cc1 through cc6. (Arturia KeyStep does this, including velocity.)
-- Nice build quality, except for where the USB and power cables (both provided) plug into. Those two jacks feel cheaply made and likely to not last long.
-- All knobs, buttons, and pads have just the right feel to them, based on what I've come to expect from such things.
-- Nice presets, and very easy to transfer files or do a firmware upgrade via the Elektron Transfer app. (My experience was with Mac.)
-- Effects onboard, and they are way cool.

Cons:
-- Tries to do too much in too small of a form factor.
-- The little monitor screen . . . are you kidding me with that?
-- Sequencer has a longer-than-you'll-like learning curve, and Elektron provides no tutorials. (The online manual does have all the answers for when you get stuck though.)
-- USB and power jacks are flimsy.
-- Although there is a chord "machine," you'll miss polyphony if you've become used to having it.

Who is it for:
Anybody, really. If you are shopping for your one device that does everything, including being a drum machine, and you don't mind spending extra time mastering it, then you will love it. If you want a cool FM synth and don't care about mastering the groovebox aspect of it, you will love it.
If you already have a few electronic machines and it just seems like this one looks appealing, you might regret the purchase; I'm not sure whether I do or not.

To consider instead if it's mainly a synth you're looking for:
Arturia MicroFreak

A great instrument for all levels including introductory into synth, beatmachines,melodies, etc... Using this instrument will lead you to creating a sound you want. I.E. use on board controls to sculpt sound, lo-fi hip-hop, hip hop, house, ambient, house, techno, its all depending on what you want to create

I've been messing with my cycles for a little while now - and if I had to describe it with a word, it's fun. It doesn't boast endless features or promise it can do more than it can, you go into it knowing you're getting a good little FM drum machine. What you get out of it, however, is a brilliant little FM drum machine that also can do some awesome synth sounds and be a full six-track groovebox, with a wonderful sequencer to boot.

It does have its limitations - sequencing other gear with MIDI is difficult, for example, as it has no "dedicated" midi tracks, six tracks can feel like not a whole lot sometimes, and the interface can be a little confusing. But for a box that does as much as this does, those are tiny fish in a big ol' barrel. My only other gripe is no multi-track recording over USB, but again, not a deal breaker.

I find myself grooving with this a whole lot and love toying with all the sounds. It's very versatile and sounds phenomenal , absolutely worth picking up.

I already have the Elektron Digitakt and Digitone. I love Elektron instruments. This device is well thought out. However, the pads they chose are terrible. They're incredibly tight. With Pad velocity set to default the pads barely make a sound when pressed. I have to turn off pad velocity completely, which you have to do every time you start a new pattern. Even then, it takes too much pressure to trigger a pad. I find myself not wanting to use it for this reason. I read that the pads were an issue for some people, but I didn't think they would be this bad. I guess I will try to exchange it to see if that helps, because otherwise this is a great instrument.

Also experienced a weird bug that made the effects not work at all. Had to do a factory reset to fix the problem.

I have to admit, even as a huge digitakt fan, it's been a funny journey with this machine. it arrived, I was excited to try it and... well initially I hated it and was pissed off haha. but, like everything elektron, you start realizing all these different layers, alongside many of the elektron sequencing powerful options like parameter locks, probability and so forth. now I'm completely addicted to it.

there is really just 1 major thing I don't like and that's the "Metal" machine. I cannot stand the limitations of that one, and that it sounds like it's going through a hi pass filter or something, it's just painfully useless compared to the others. the others are all hugely useful in comparison, but that leaves you five machine types instead of six, which in one way isn't that big of a deal, but I sincerely think elektron owes us one more machine type in this device or something.

also yes, you can connect it to ipad and transmit/receive audio and midi. I utilized the included usb cable and an apple camera adapter (not sure why it's called that, but that's an extremely useful adapter). this can make for a super powerful portable setup, especially if they ever release that powerbank handle attachment for this device and it's reasonably priced.

so ultimately if you want a nice fm drum synth and don't compare it to digitone, and don't plan to have a digitone, this is a 100% solid and amazing machine at this price point. only speaking of the sound itself, I don't know anything else like it anywhere near this price. it pairs amazingly with whatever I throw at it - digitakt, korg er1, or my 303 clone especially!

it's so awesome I literally bothered to come here and write a review, and I never do that.

The only piece of gear I have owned by Elektron is the Analog Heat (which is great), but this caught my eye for sure. I have had it for about 5 hours and here is what I have learned so far: the sequencer makes a lot of sense, even coming from the MPC sequencers and various Eurorack ones. I was a little nervous about the learning curve but can get a couple of sequences going already. The synth sounds are full and whole unlike other modern FM based synths. They have an interesting organic quality to them. While I haven't figured everything out I would say tone shaping is easy with many of the parameters controlled by the 15 knobs on the unit itself. So, here is my thought: if you like the Volca Drum and Volca FM this might be for you. If you want something with infinite possibilities, get the Digitone. This box fills a space in features and cost between the Volcas and Digitone.

It's pretty sweet. I've mostly been using it like a sketch pad for songwriting and it's changed my world. The sounds are super cool, and the ability to manipulate them then instantly snap back to your preset is killer. The transitions between patterns are pretty neat too.

I was immediately impressed with the sounds and touch/feel of the instrument. Be prepared to spend some time reading the manual and re-reading as you lay down your first 1 or 2 patterns. While somewhat confusing at first, the workflow becomes very quick and logical. Your imagination is the only limit with this box. You can create melodies, bass, lead, pads and sound FX to go along with your beats. I like using the pads for my drum sounds and plugging in a MIDI keyboard to play the different synth tones but you can do it all on the Cycles with the chromatic keypad.
Distortion, reverb and delay are all high quality. The only way they could have made this better is to have included a couple selectable effects like a bitcrusher or phaser would have been cool but there is so much capability with parameter changes that you can create your own effects.

I like the streamlined versions of the Elektron workflow. The Digitakt is my favorite piece of gear, so i got the Model:Cycles. I've had the M:C for 2 weeks and love the sound. I love that I find myself using sounds i normally would not come up with. The sequencer is typical Elektron... excellent.

Here's what annoys me, and why i might sell it.... the chord machine. I didn't think it possible, but the one button chord workflow is harder, slower, and less fun to use that an old school keyboard would be (i'm saying this as a guitarist who is not great at playing keyboards). It's uninspiring to hear an idea in my head and not be able to play the chords with the bottom row of buttons. It would be an interesting and useful option if the M:C ALSO had the ability to play chords manually, or with an external keyboard, or had an autochord function which let me play all 8 chords in a scale/key with one button. However on it's own, with no other options, the current chord implementation is just annoying.

This is my personal preference. I'm not returning it to sweetwater because it works as designed. It's just got this one feature that i find very annoying, which is too bad because it actually sounds really good. Just a pain to program any meaningful ideas in.

Also... the "chance" menu should be bi-directional like on the Digitakt. It's annoying to have to scroll through all of the % settings to get to the ratio chance settings.

Final gripe... Mutes should be per pattern. Having mutes be global hinders the creativity and performance aspects greatly.

One wish (not a complaint) is for multi channel audio over USB and bi-directional audio over USB... so i guess that's two wishes. Also I'm looking forward to the power bank whenever that comes out (if i hold onto the M:C).

All the other machines are great. The build quality is solid. Sounds amazing. Sequencer is top notch.

So i'm giving it 3.5 stars because it's mostly good... but with 3 annoying aspects. Elektron could change these things. I reeeeeeeealy hope they do so soon.

Thanks to the SW video here! Very helpful! I am having a great time grooving with this synth/groove box.

The following review corresponds to firmware v1.12. FYI, I've found loopop's video to be the most informative tutorial on the Model:Cycles covering most of its functionality.

PROS:
- Very logical workflow. I was up and running with much of the functionality within 30 mins of opening the box. Offers a great balance of physical controls and menu diving. However, you will need to read the detailed manual to familiarize yourself with most of the capabilities.

- There are hundreds of preset sounds from the factory where someone has pre-configured one of the 6 machines for a specific sound. I find this especially useful because, once a preset is loaded, I can dissect it to learn how it was crafted in terms of parameter settings. It informs you about the possibilities. Also, if a preset is close to the sound you're looking for, you can load it and tailor it to your preferences. Dig into the presets and you learn that the Model:Cycles is capable of bass lines, lo-fi beats or synthwave/outrun tracks.

- There are 6 synth tracks that can be played simultaneously. You can set any of these 6 tracks to be any of the 6 pre-programmed "machines". For example, you can set 6 "tone" machine tracks resulting in 6 FM synths playing at once, each with its own specific set of parameters.

- The LFO can be assigned to each track independently with several possible waveforms applied to almost any parameter, resulting in some wild sounds.

- Many have commented that the 6 "machines" can seem limiting and that the Model:Cycles has a decidedly FM sound to it. This is a feature, not a bug! I personally find that the constraints force you to experiment more with the parameters to construct sounds. The famous saying that "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations" holds true here. Others have observed that it is often faster to settle on a sound you like on the Model:Cycles than on synths with greater customizability such as the Digitone.

- The 64 step sequencer is very powerful. While I have limited experience with hardware sequencers, the Elektron sequencer seems nothing shy of class-leading. A vital feature is that pretty much any parameter can be adjusted on a per step basis, unlocking a lot of sonic potential.

- Despite the myriad buttons and knobs, the form factor is perfect. I can just sit down on the couch and craft simple tracks in minutes without clutter.

- Reasonable offering for the price. Also, I saved a bit more getting a demo model from Sweetwater, and it arrived in mint condition, including all the funky stickers. Yes, it comes with a sheet of stickers.

CONS:
- The track buttons are very stiff. The tactile feel is reminiscent of a lenovo/IBM red mouse trackpoint in the center of the laptop keyboard. You can barely feel a track button move when you tap or press on it. Fortunately, the velocity sensitivity is configurable via the Track menu.

- Inputting trigs into the sequencer in chromatic mode is limited. You cannot simultaneously select both a step and note. So you can only record chromatically during live recording mode. Sometimes, I need to ramp the sequencer down to the slowest tempo of 30bpm to insert notes. In a future firmware update it would be a nice compromise to enable a single step per trig/note press in the quantized live recording mode (where each note is fitted to a step anyway; hold record and tap play twice). So you would start on step 1, press any of the 16 notes, which advances you to step 2. Navigating the steps could be implemented by rotating the Level/Data knob. Elektron, if you ever read this, please implement a better way to chromatically fill the sequencer using the trig buttons in quantized mode.

- From Elektron's release, the Model:Cycles uses the same engine as the Digitone. It's conceivable that a future firmware release could unlock an arpeggiator. It could use one. Fingers crossed.

- I would prefer that the detailed manual, which you 100% need to read, be included in the box. The main reason most of us buy dedicated hardware synths is to get away from the computer!

RANDOM:
- The Model:Cycles is the only product I have ever owned that is Made in Estonia. Cool!

Overall: I absolutely love this synth, but there is some room for improvement. 4.5/5 stars.

A good idea to have Bobeats video close by to get your started. It's fairly easy to navigate but you will come up against some things that are just not logical and you will need to know what to press to make it work. Easy when you know how though. Great sounds and a fair amount of editing for the preset sounds. The sequencer is the best there is on any hardware machine. There is something about Elektron machines that inspires you and enables you to come up with fun, interesting stuff..

Preface : I've owned every modern Elektron box. I find this and the Digitone to be the most enjoyable for my musical tastes, though this paired with an Octatrack is next level. OT can perform utilizing song mode, and simple crossfades, while you tweak the living daylights out of the Model:Cycles and smash those drum pads.

This is one of the most fun instruments out there. Doesn't matter if you have no gear or $10,000 in synths alone, or even Elektron gear alone. This is hands down an absolute blast.

Awesome groove box, lots of sounds to work with and they are all adjustable. I mostly got this to sequence some synths and have drums under it and so far it is working perfectly but beyond that I have found that it's own synths are really cool to. Also Drew was a great help in keeping me up to date on the availability and in the loop with changes.