When someone asks us what to buy to start making electronic music, we usually point them to Elektron's Model:Samples and Model:Cycles. They don't grab headlines like Teenage Engineering's flashy gadgets or the Telepathic Instruments Orchid, and even next to Elektron's own fancy stuff like the Digitakt, Octatrack, or Tonverk, they're often ignored. But as our collection has grown to include pricier, more impressive instruments, we keep coming back to the Model series.

First-timers often gravitate toward familiar names like Korg or Roland, and Reddit loves recommending the Novation Circuit Tracks (which we personally find confusing and mediocre-sounding). Part of the problem is Elektron's reputation for making gear that's, well, obtuse. If you're a seasoned music maker who isn't scared of a complicated workflow, you'll probably spring for a more powerful Elektron box like the Digitone or Syntakt. That leaves the Models lineup in a weird no man's land, and that's a shame.

The main difference between the two Models is that the Model:Cycles uses FM synthesis, while the Model:Samples, as the name suggests, plays samples. (It's not technically a sampler because it can't record samples - you have to load them over USB.)

The Model:Cycles is built around a streamlined version of the engine in the Digitone, one of our all-time favorite synths. It's a modern take on FM that can do the cold bells and icy pads of iconic instruments like the DX7 (the sound of the '80s), but also modern glassy keys and aggressive turn-of-the-millennium EDM bass.

But the two are more alike than not. Both are six-track grooveboxes with six velocity-sensitive pads and plenty of knobs for hands-on control, and they look almost identical. Most importantly, they feature Elektron's legendary step sequencer without being nearly as intimidating as the company's pricier, notoriously complicated gear.

The sequencer revolves around what Elektron calls 'trigs' and 'locks.' Trigs are basically events (usually triggering a note), and locks are step-specific settings. Simple in theory, but they make these instruments far more capable than they seem.

Six tracks isn't a lot. Once you've loaded a kick, snare, and hi-hat, you've only got three tracks left for bass, melody, and extra percussion. But sound locks let you change samples or presets per step, so as long as they never play at the same time, you can have your kick and snare share a track, hi-hats and other percussion on a second, and leave four tracks for everything else. That's just the most obvious trick - locks expand possibilities that look limited on paper.

The sequencer can be used as a simple step sequencer - drop a four-on-the-floor kick and a snare on the backbeat. But it grows with you: trig conditions let you set rules like 'only every third loop,' 'only when I press fill,' or 'only if a previous condition is met.' You can create tons of variety in a single 64-step pattern, then chain patterns into complex, evolving arrangements you won't find on most gear at this price.

The Models are also just incredibly fun. Where other Elektron gear demands menu diving, the Model:Samples and Model:Cycles are immediately approachable and built for live performance. Trigger a drum fill with a button, tweak a knob to open the filter on a bass, or drench a lead in delay.

Control-all might be the most fun feature: it lets you control all tracks at once. Bury your whole track in reverb, crank distortion, lower the pitch of all samples for a chaotic breakdown, then instantly undo it and drop the beat again by pressing function and pattern. These boxes encourage jamming in a way a lot of electronic music gear just doesn't, and it's an absolute blast.

Now, they're not perfect. The pads are mediocre, loading samples via USB instead of recording them directly kinda sucks, and the lack of polyphony (each track plays one note at a time) is a bummer. But at $349, it's hard to complain. And you can find them used for as little as $200 on Reverb or Craigslist. Frankly, they're some of the best bargains in music hardware and a great starting point for electronic music production.