Review: Elektron Model:Cycles

With Digitone, Electron has already shown how to make clunky and difficult to program FM synthesis more accessible. Model:Cycles takes this idea a step further. Like with Model: Samples, they paid special attention to easy operation by giving direct access to relevant parameters and functions. Model:Cycles is also more attractive in terms of price and currently costs less than a half of the desktop version of the Digitone.

Cheap FM groovebox

Savings were made primarily on the housing and operating elements. While more expensive electronic devices with metal housing and hard plastic buttons are designed for daily stage use and are almost indestructible, the Model:Cycles sits in the same clunky plastic housing as the Model:Samples, but this time with a grey colour scheme. It‘s not very sexy, so the included stickers for modifying it are of little help. And the orange backlit buttons are