Model:Cycles Song Mode Workaround (Works with Model:Samples Too)

Model:Cycles Song Mode Workaround (Works with Model:Samples Too)
Today I'll be showing you my Elektron Model:Cycles song mode workaround. While I absolute adore the sequencer in the Model:Cycles and Model:Samples, one thing it lacks is a proper song mode. However, by using pattern chaining, bank swapping, and the length and chain settings (found in the scale menu), we can simulate a song mode pretty easily. Let me know if you have any other tips for a song mode workaround! Enjoy the video :)
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[@stevenblock2514]

Pattern chaining across banks is actually quite easy! 1. Press & hold PATTERN button, current bank button will blink. 2, Now press STEP button for pattern(s) in that bank to add to chain (be sure to hold the 1st pattern STEP down too, i.e. you're now holding PATTERN and that 1st pattern STEP). 3. You can now press a new BANK button which will then blink (display will also show that bank name). 4. Now press any STEP button to add patterns in that new bank (although you can't add the step you already have been pressing since step 2). 5. Release the PATTERN and that STEP button you have been holding and press PLAY - IT WORKS!.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jahovahjira]

Excellent, Free Beat! Thank you! Great clarity on this topic!

[@-thetapestream-channel1808]

i was looking for this info a lllooot! thank u!

[@FreeBeat]

Glad I could help, thanks for watching!

[@RobbekenSynthMusic]

That’s the way! It reminds me of how video game music worked. You get some intro bars then they typically cycle through the verses, chorus, bridge etc. and back around again. I love it.

[@FreeBeat]

I feel like that's how a lot of music works haha, but it's a great way to write!

[@RobbekenSynthMusic]

@@FreeBeat ah, you’re right. I guess I frame it this way because it’s a big part of how I got into making music. There’s been times that I’ve let a chain of patterns loop for a long time as music would in games. Maybe that’s what I’m thinking.

[@josefsamsa7535]

Muchas gracias! Muy bien explicado

[@photo-m]

very helpful! Thanks a lot!

[@FreeBeat]

Glad to help!

[@daddyfunk13]

You are a hero. Thank you so much for this. Agreed it would be cool to have a "Song Mode" but this allows it to be just hands-on enough that you feel more like you're performing on an instrument, instead of just pressing play on a backing track. Appreciate you Free Beat!!

[@FreeBeat]

Glad you found the video helpful, thanks so much for the kind words and for watching!

[@steeng7901]

Great! Very helpfull 😊

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks so much!

[@cal3033]

love your vids with the m:c !! pls give us more handy tricks for this machine

[@FreeBeat]

You got it!

[@ildafons]

My song mode for Model Samples is my notebook, where I write sequence of patterns and a number of repeats :) - don't want to mess with pattern change setting as much, I just set pattern change to LENgth. The only time for me when pattern CHAnge is needed is when your first pattern needs to be played twice or more times as during pattern chaning you can't make your very first pattern to play more than once, so you can use CHAnge setting to set how many times that pattern plays before it changes to another.

[@FreeBeat]

That's a great tactic, glad it works for you! Thanks for watching :)

[@MoeShinola1]

I wasn't sure how to change banks on the M:S, thanks!

[@ritofuturito]

Great tip, I think this could also be the best way to repeat the first pattern when chaining patterns. I've been copying pasting to achieve the same result, but the way you do it you can keep all 16 patterns available.

[@FreeBeat]

Exactly, thanks for watching!

[@jktek5299]

Graciasssss!!!!!!!

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

Elektron just added song mode, to the Syntakt. Maybe they will add to Model:Cycles some day.

[@vj7248]

Didnt realize there was this song repeat feature and how it relates to pattern chaining! Would be cool to have a tracker esque song mode where you could queue up patterns in whatever order you want and save it as a song. But this pattern chaining is prob better for live performance anyways

[@FreeBeat]

Being able to save patterns would be awesome!

[@GerenM63]

Thanks for this ... this is something I've actually been struggling with a bit this week. According the the Model:Samples manual, you're /supposed/ to be able to chain patterns across banks, too (manual section 8.13). I've not been able to get that to work. Another thing they say you can do is repeat a pattern in a chain by tapping the pattern button again, but that doesn't seem to want to work if the pattern you want to repeat is the first pattern in the chain. It immediately dumps out of the chaining mode. Of course, the real downer is that there's no way to actually /save/ a pattern chain, either. Learning that was a real disappointment.

[@FreeBeat]

I've never been able to get the bank switching to work, maybe I'm missing something though. Being able to save pattern chains would be a true game changer!

[@bunjumun]

@@EphemeralThought you just need to have any pattern key held down at all times so if you hold 16 down after you press it you can let go of button one and press it again and repeat as needed.

[@djcuda]

I’m Using the Novation circuit to learn how to use the cycles better lol

[@FreeBeat]

Nice!

[@oN0AH]

Would be cool if they added an option to the "Scale Setup" to configure a pattern to play after the pattern has played for the "Chg" amount.

[@jahovahjira]

I'm thankkful for this video, but when I try it, it only chains the 1st 16 steps of my 32 step pattern. My pattern's 2nd page is ignored. Any suggestions?

[@albertof8905]

Hi, can you save those chainings and reclaim them easily as if they were "songs"?

[@thedeepblueskys]

Thanks for the video. It does help. Although I some how already figured this out on my own, but haven’t really used it to my advantage yet. I guess it’s because I was trying to figure out how to save the pattern changes. Knowing that you can’t do that now, I guess I’ll have to write it down on paper so I can re-enter the pattern changes after I power up the unit every time. Also reading the other comments in this video and others, it seems like there’s some kind of gray area for changing patterns between banks. Next step for me would be to find out if this is a myth or not. Not that I don’t believe it’s not possible, I just really want to know if it truly isn’t possible. That would be helpful if so. Regardless I could probably work within these limits. In fact if I took proper notes on paper I could just perform all pattern and bank changes manually on the fly. After all I didn’t buy this thing for producing, just for jamming.

[@FreeBeat]

Thanks for the comment! I haven't been able to figure out how to chain between banks, so if you figure it out please let me know!

[@thedeepblueskys]

@@FreeBeat will do. It’s most likely not possible but some people are claiming that they have, and that it’s even in the manual. I’ll check into it and if I figure it out, I’ll make it a point to comeback to this comment section and let you know. Thanks again for your videos on this machine. I’m on the verge of having 3 songs with the Samples and Cycles synced to each other, but as of right now there just 3 patterns. All a work in progress.

[@AlexandreSoma]

Is it possible to export tracks individually by usb to a DAW better mixing?

[@FreeBeat]

Unfortunately it is not.

[@JohnLunney]

Check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioe9dJmJd56Dj7M the new Underbridge release supports multiple-tracking (with a hack)

[@goonstock]

Love it but the over emphasized hand gestures did my head in

[@FreeBeat]

I've tried to get better with them in my more recent haha. Thanks for watching!

[@kjstar1star]

For the life of me I cant figure out how to save a variation pattern in slots 2 through 16? Was curious what you are pressing to save? Thanks! BTW your videos at the most helpful out there on the MC..they got me up and running out of the box.

[@FreeBeat]

You need to copy the pattern that you want to make variations of into an empty slot first, then make your changes to it. Hope that helps, thank you for the kind words!

[@edtuckerartist]

Is it just me or does anyone else think all the Electron's songs/sounds have a very distinctive sound to them, Possibly it's to do with the reverb not quite sure?

[@FreeBeat]

It does have a very distinctive metallic flare to it. FM synthesis at its finest :)

[@d3tuned378]

You can't chain pattern 1 four times to start? it just accepts that on 2, 3, 4 e tc