Elektron Model:Samples

I love my M:S!

Pros
- closer to one knob per function than DT
- easy to use out the box
- i'm far more productive with it than i was with the DT
- smells like success
- is not a horse (little known fact: horses are not good drum machines)
- not made for long form samples, but i've had some fun doing weird things to disco loops (just gotta keep the tempo the same as how you bounce em out the DAW, though)

Cons
- tiny screen. when you transfer folders of sample over it's impossible to see the date of the transfer folder, so you just have to count and guess...
- i miss the 2 extra audio channels that the DT has
- no individual outs so i have to hard pan kick/the rest and work in mono to use my outboard compressor w/sidechain
- midi control is not amazing but i don't use it for that.

People say the pads are not that responsive and they're not wrong, but I am perfectly fine with how they... respond.

Anyway I think it's amazing for the price and a great introduction to Elektron sequencer/workflow.

I was looking for a small but powerful groovebox that was easy to use, and this fits the bill perfectly.

6 tracks that can each either handle audio (samples) or midi output, 64 step sequencer with unique length and scale settings per track. Knob for every function, parameter locks, per-track or ctrl-all parameters. Chance parameters. Far from being a "toy", there's a lot of powerful stuff in here - but it's all accessible. It's missing the Sample Locks of the Digitakt and Octatrack, but that can be worked around with sample chains, as the Sample Start and Length parameters can be locked per step.

It comes with 300 factory samples preloaded, and you can load sample packs or your own sounds - this needs to be done from a Mac/PC as you can't record direct. The class-compliant USB connection has stereo-out - pity it's not 6 tracks out - but you can easily mute tracks if you need to record each separately.

Super-light (800g!) and smaller than a 12" laptop - very easy to carry around (you'd probably want to put it in a sleeve, as it is plastic with knobs sticking out).

Very happy with my choice.

Edit: a recent firmware update added Sample Locks! Fantastic! Extra star for features for that.

I really like my Elektron devices. The combination of Model:Samples with Digitakt is super creative. The great thing is that, even with basic knowledge of the two, you can already come far in creating interesting drums and melodies. However, I also notice that, once you get deeper into programming, you can get even more fun out of them. It invites you to do something new instead of always programming the same thing you are used to. Every time, I'm surprised by what can come out of it and by how all-round the machines are.

Lately, I really started to like Model:Samples for creating melodies. I record samples from my modular synth or from the arturia_official V collection, which I then sample into new melodies. The downside is that the pads are not that nice as the Digitakt, but you can adjust them in velocity. But for the price you get a really nice machine!

I've been wanting to get hands on with Elektron gear for a long time and a while ago it finally happened, I bought a Digitakt. After months of research I was sure that was going to be the perfect Elektron machine to start with. Unfortunately I was wrong. Although I liked it, it was a bit too much menu diving and too little playing for me and in the end I ended up selling it again.

But then came the model:samples (a simpler version of the digitakt), could that be the one?

YES! For now this is exactly the Elektron device I was looking for.
Parameter locks, Sample locks, CTRL ALL function for happy accidents.

And waaaay deeper than it appears to be!

Want to start using Elektron?
Start here!

Pros
- Nice sample sequencer
- Infinite options to go deeper in the sample customization
- Very very intuitive and every control in your hands, you don't have to dig in rabbit hole
- Trigger + Probability + Samples Lock

Cons
- 6 tracks limitation (although you can add different samples per track)
- Material built, although the quality is good, it's plastic
- Velocity pads are a bit hard

In general is a great machine for the price! I am a Novation Circuit user and I am getting more in love with Elektron workflow :)

This is one of the best products to get started in the world of hardware samplers. Easy to learn, I believe that in 30 or 40 minutes you have mastered its operation. It is an instant gratification machine. But don't stop there, try adding your own samplers and you will see this machine (and your music) shine. It gave me great videos on youtube, it's pure fun to play
My only reason for giving 4 stars was that the Func button, ended up coming a little more fragile than normal. I researched Elektron and it was a faulty series. But I contacted Thomann and in a very short time they already sent me a spare part. The communication between the three parties, me, thomann and Elektron, was excellent.
Here I am excited once again to record the next video for youtube with Model: Samples.

Ok, so this thing is fun and pretty hands on (mostly). But I ended up selling the unit after 3 months or so, for the following reasons:

a) Only the single pair of stereo outs. Feels pretty limiting when it comes to post-processing your stuff.
b) Browsing samples is tedious
c) . The small screen makes all the tiny little menu diving you do pretty awful. You can't see your whole sample names, you can't een see the whole name of some projects etc.
d) After getting the grip of it, I realized I'm just not a fan of the "elektron workflow" - it feels like lots of tiny menu-diving actions. where each knob has its own little menu. It's very powerful, but just does not come natural to me.
e) I was using it with squarp pyramid, and even when trying to only use the m:s as a sample playback device + effects, there are some annoying bits, like you can't use the mutes on the m:s if the notes are being played in through midi etc.

That being said, it is powerful and if I only had a simple mono-sequencer with it, it would probably be a better fit.

This is the first sequencer I've ever bought - I'm a complete novice.

I decided on the M:S after first considering the Digitone and Digitakt. A more experienced friend said that those weren't really 'starter' machines.

I've found this machine a joy to use. You can't record samples directly but I haven't found that a problem. I've never used a sequencer before, so I had to learn the 'vocabulary' of sequencers as well as how Elektron products - and specifically the M:S - work.

It took a little bit of time to get my head around, but there are useful YouTube tutorials and after a few weeks I found myself not only being able to do most of what I wanted, but also discovering features through experimentation. The small screen is sometimes a bit limiting but that would be my only criticism. You do get used to it, though.

The build quality is really good - everything feels really solid. The knobs and pads have a really solid feel to them. It's light and portable and you can power it by USB (and so a powerbank) with the right lead.

Overall, I highly recommend it as an entry-level machine.