What sits inside what, and when your work is saved. From Elektron’s Model:Cycles manual (OS 1.13).
What sits inside what
Projects
The machine’s memory, the +Drive, keeps your projects. Think of a project as a song file: one is open at a time.
6 banks
Banks A to F. Pick one with PATTERN + T1…T6.
16 patterns
Pick one with PATTERN + 1…16. The course track lives in B01.
6 tracks
Each track has its own sound, called a preset, and its trigs. The pattern also keeps the tempo, length, swing, and delay and reverb settings.
Sound library
Sounds you keep for any project. Open it with FUNC + MACHINES. Loading a sound puts a copy on the track, so tweaking it there leaves the library version as it was.
When it’s saved
Every change
Each knob turn and trig is kept in the machine straight away. It survives switching off only if you hold MAIN VOLUME to do it. Pull the plug and you get the last saved version back.
Snapshot
Tap FUNC + SETTINGS before trying something wild, and tap FUNC + PATTERN to go back to it. The snapshot is gone when you load another project.
Save
Hold FUNC + SETTINGS for a second to save the pattern, and hold FUNC + PATTERN to go back to the saved version. The first time, save the project itself: SETTINGS, then PROJECT, then SAVE.
Backup
Elektron's free Transfer app copies your projects and sounds to a computer over USB.
Chains
A chain of patterns is lost when you switch off or pick another pattern. There is no song mode, so write the order down or record it into Live.