Cubing Pro

7 Simul Simplified (4 Memo)

This is a memo-order trick for Tommy's 7 Simul. The execution is exactly the same — same pin order, same 7 simultaneous moves. Only the memorization changes.
Tommy's version memorizes 6 numbers (M1–M6). This version memorizes only 4: M2, M4, M5, M6.
The other two memos come free: M3 = L - U is just the negative of the U - L you already computed for M2, and M1 = c - d is the very first move, so you hold it in short-term memory for a few seconds instead of memorizing it.
Strictly speaking that is 5 memos with the last one done intuitively — so "4 memo" is a bit of clickbait. But in practice you only carry 4 numbers in your head.

Method

Before you start memorizing, check for a skip quickly: glance at the dial pairs that make up the memos. If a memo comes out 0, you skip it — no memory, no move. For example, if c = d then M1 = 0 and the left dial of step 1 does nothing.
Always start on the main face — the face whose dials are written in capital letters (U, L, R, ...). The first half of M2 (U - L) lives there, and you finish back on the main face to start solving.

All arithmetic is modulo 12 (e.g. 5 = -7, 3 + 8 = 11 = -1, 5 + 8 = 13 = 1, 2 - 3 = -1, 2 - 8 = -6 = 6).
The memos, in the order you compute them:

  1. M2: U - L on the main face, flip, add dr - r. Memorize M2. (M3 = L - U comes free.)
  2. M4: d - r on the back face. Memorize M4. No flip — you are already looking at the back.
  3. M5: l - ul + r on the back face, flip, add UR - U + C - D. Memorize M5.
  4. M6: UL - L + DR - R on the main face, flip, add u - c + d. Memorize M6.
  5. M1: c - d on the back face. Do not memorize it — hold it in your head, flip back to the main face, and start.

When to flip for memo

Every memo's two halves live on opposite faces, so the rhythm is always the same: compute half a memo, flip, add the other half, memorize. A few tips that make this work:

  1. Flip immediately after the first half. The first half is still fresh in short-term memory while you read the second half on the other face. If you wait, you will forget it and have to flip back.
  2. One flip per memo, never two in a row. If you just flipped, the next thing you do is compute — never flip again without computing something in between.
  3. M4 needs no flip. After M2 you are already on the back face, so d - r is right in front of you. This is the one place where beginners flip out of habit and lose time.
  4. The last flip brings you home. After M6 you are on the back face; c - d is there too, so do it intuitively, flip back to the main face, and check the pins are correct for step 1 before your first turn.

You will have the flexibility on how to memorize the 4 numbers. But we recommend several common strategies:

  1. Remember numbers as-is in your native language.
  2. Encode numbers into A for 1, B for 2, ..., K for 11.
  3. Combine both, e.g. 1-6 with native language, and E for 7, D for 8, etc.
  4. Similarly, but instead of native language, use a language (e.g. Japanese/Korean/Chinese) which has low syllabus count for numbers.

After memorizing these 4 numbers, we will solve the clock with the aforementioned pin order.
Each time, you will adjust two dials simultaneously (unless the adjustment required is 0), either based on the memorized number, or based on intuitively matching two clock faces (similar to flip method).

The best way to illustrate this method is to use a demo example. We use the same scramble as Tommy's 7 Simul so you can compare the two memo orders directly.

Now the clock is solved!

You may also check out 7 Simul Flip for a variant that avoids the pinky finger.