Do digitone owners need Cycles?

Elektron Gear Model:Cycles
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Hello everyone.
I own a Digitone OG, but do I need a Model:Cycles ?
I just bought a used Digitone OG for a very cheap price end of last year, and I also found a used Cycles for cheap, but both are FM sound source equipment, so I’m wondering if I should buy Cycles. I like the concept of elektron and I was thinking of buying other products, but then I found a good deal on a Cycles.
Thank you

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I can’t tell you if you need both. For me it’s always a question of want! I now have both Digitones and the Modal Cycles (among many other Elektron products). Perhaps you can find one used for cheap, if you really want one! :smiley:

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Thank you for comment!
Are those two things active within you?

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I haven’t used my cycles for a while, but I’ve been playing around with my new DT2.

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I’m a Digitone Keys owner and I’ve never felt the need for the M:C. I tried messing with a M:S and I didn’t get along with it. It made me realize how much I need that screen…that Gold screen….

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Im a digitone owner.
I had a cycles for about 3 weeks. Hated it, sold it on.

Does that help answer your question? probably not.

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I had a Digitone, paired it with Model:Cycles, then moved to Syntakt when that was announced. Turns out ST was what I wanted between those machines.

But I’m a different person. We’re all different. You’ll find your way!

I’ll add, check out Ivar’s stuff on DN. It can be an incredible drum machine in the right hands.

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Cycles is great when you just want to pick up a machine and jam something out without thinking too hard….Digitone 1 and 2 are far deeper but require a bit more effort in the sound design dept. I think there is a place for both.

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Of course it helps.
Thank you.

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Thank you for comment. It’s been just over two weeks since I got my hands on the Digitone. I’m in the middle of enjoying exploring the sweet swamp. After reading everyone’s comments, I think it might be better to wait a while before choosing my next Elektron.

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Thank you for comment. After reading everyone’s comments, I think it might be better to wait a while before choosing my next Elektron.

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:+1: If you are not sure if you want something then you don’t need it. But if the MC is dirt cheap, you could buy it and sell it on later, but also consider your time too. I’ve spent way too much time messing around with gear I’ve not jived with (MC included).
In general I think it’s best not to buy gear until you fully understand what it can add to your music.

That said, an OG Digitakt is what you need :shushing_face:

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Answer=YES

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I don’t know if you need a Cycles but I think the two machines are different enough to get both.
M:C with its machine paradigm offers a very different feeling and can achieve some things impossible on Digitone (machine can be selected with cc, with a midi lfo it can become very glitchy and fun, swing per track is cc controllable, etc…).

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Model:Cycles is closer to Syntakt: it’s more focused on drums, and you getting rhythms very fast. Synthesis is more limited.
Kicks sound very good, hats are less good, and snares need some work. But if you’re ok with the sound palette, having a drum machine next to your DN can be handy.

An alternative could be a Digitakt 1, some are real cheap. With this you could sample Digitone sounds, or use very different flavors of sounds.

Anyway, start with exploring the DN, there is a lot to discover before you reach limits.
First one is the 4 track limit, but there are way to circumvent it. Besides limiting yourself to 4 tracks can lead to drastic choices that make your sound more compact and defined.

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Good decision to just explore your DN first and see what you’re missing. Especially if you’re using a DAW to record and arrange your tracks, DN has you covered because it’s a fantastic synth as well as a drum machine. Don’t buy something just because you found a good deal, buy it because you’re missing something when making music and know that the device you want to buy can fill this void.

Edit: @LyingDalai just wrote the exact same things, but I agree with them:

I’ve bought a DT a few weeks after I got my DN because I wanted to have a drum machine and felt limited by DN’s four tracks. If you start to feel that way too, an M:C could be a good solution. It’s FM sound will blend nicely with DN and it’s easy to understand and program. You will still have to learn a things anew since the Models work differently than the digis. So a Syntakt might be faster to understand. A used DT is the best solution because they’re really cheap right now, you could sample your favorite DN drums into it.

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Thank you. I find myself drifting towards Digitakt 1 :thinking:

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I Agree.
I find myself drifting towards Digitakt 1 :thinking:

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In that case just stick with the DN for now, theres a lot of ground for you to cover at this stage and obtaining other stuff would just get in the way of that.

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Yes I liked to own both. Now that I havedn dn 2 i have listed the M:C to sell. I still often wonder if I should just keep it, considering how cheap and useful it is

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