Novation Introduces Circuit - New Stand Alone Grid-Based Groove Box

Uploaded on Sep 23, 2015 NovationTV

Novation reveals what's behind their "Start Something" campaign (previously posted here). Watching the videos I was expecting some sort of DAW software or controller. When I first saw the image of the Circuit, I thought my expectations where confirmed.  Well, it might look like another DAW controller, but it isn't. This is a stand alone production system with the synth engine built in. The engine includes two six voice Novation analog modeling synths with wavetables, a four-part drum machine, and built-in delay and reverb. Don't miss by Q&A with Novation at the bottom of this post!  The Circuit can be battery powered and has built-in speakers for full portability. All for a MAP of $329, available in October.  Full details follow.

"This is Circuit. In this performance video, Harry Coade takes us through just some of the functionality of Novation's latest release. Sequencing beats with the 4 part drum machine, playing in harmonic sections with 2 desktop poly synths, adding mixer and fx tweaks and browsing through 32 different performance sessions allows you to start something quickly."

"Sometimes, starting a track can be a difficult and daunting task. We're sure that like us, you've sat staring at a screen overwhelmed by the choice of plug-ins, struggling to write a beat that inspires you, a melody that doesn’t sound corny.

As our 'Start Something' series has illustrated, inspiration can come in many shapes and forms, from taking a break from the studio and just living life to digging through vinyl and hunting for that elusive sound to get the ball rolling.

We suffer from this problem too and wanted to create a solution. We wanted something small and portable, something that doesn't sound like a toy, something that gives maximum creative output from minimum input, something that encourages exploration and creates ‘happy accidents’. That's why we created Circuit.

Circuit is a standalone groove box that combines Nova-heritage synths with expertly sculpted drums. It’s all you need to make music anywhere. You don't need to buy three different things. With Circuit you can create an entire tune by combining up to 128 steps of synth and drum patterns, then add space, depth and energy to your music with built-in effects. It even has built in sidechain. When you’re done, save your tune to one of 32 slots.

The intuitive navigation delivers immediate results, scale modes ensure that you never hit a bum note and cleverly mapped macros deliver deeper personalisation, ‘happy accidents’ and moments of genius.

With Circuit, making a genuinely decent sounding track requires very little effort and takes minutes not hours. And because it’s battery powered you can do it all on the bus, then take it back to your studio and finish it in your DAW.

Make new electronic music quickly and easily with a standalone groove box that combines Nova-heritage synths with expertly sculpted drums.

Circuit is designed to inspire. Two Novation polysynths and a four-part drum machine, combined with an intuitive grid-based sequencer in a standalone box that will have you making electronic music in minutes. Hit some pads, tweak the knobs and your track will start to emerge, all locked in time and key. Play around with effects, patterns and sounds in real time, to produce your track, brimming with fat grooves and beats.

Compact and battery powered with a convenient built-in speaker, Circuit can be used to make music entirely on its own. In the studio it will work alongside your standalone synth gear and run in sync with your music software too. In short, it's all you need to inspire, create and play new tunes.

Ideas in Seconds. Tracks in Minutes
Circuit inspires, straight out the box. It combines a 2-part synthesiser and a 4-part drum machine with a 4x8 RGB velocity-sensitive grid sequencer, which will have you finding new musical directions and creating electronic grooves in no time.

Stand Alone
Compact and battery-powered, Circuit truly stands alone. You can create entire tunes from scratch without a laptop, then save them and play them back live. You don’t even need speakers, because it has a one built in. Of course, Circuit will plug in to your sound system and work with your computer and other synth gear too, via its Line outputs, USB and MIDI ports.

Cutting Edge Sound
Building on our true Nova heritage, Circuit delivers cutting-edge sound with production-ready monophonic and polyphonic patches and tons of character for easily creating deep bass lines, epic leads and warm pads.

Build Ideas Quickly
Embrace a new way to make music. Circuit's split grid shows your steps and notes at the same time, so you can sequence and play while seeing exactly what's going on. Build up your parts quickly and easily, either by programming each step or capturing your performance in real-time.

Combine Simplicity and Experimentation
Use simple streamlined modes to keep your harmonies, rhythms and melodies locked in time and key while you make riffs, hooks and chords. Or start experimenting for some serious sequencing exploration.

Looking for the Perfect Beat?
Velocity sensitive RGB pads let you quickly build expressive drum beats, by step sequencing or playing the wide range of drum sounds. Define your sound with total control over pitch, decay, distortion and EQ.

Easily Tweak Your Sound
Sculpt your sound using eight macro knobs allowing you to subtly tweak or completely transform each patch. Then add movement and rhythm by recording or sequencing your performance.

Build Whole Tunes with Effects
Create an entire tune by combining up to 128 steps of synth and drum patterns, then adding space, depth and energy to your music with built-in effects. Sidechain your synths to the kick drum to get them to pump. When you’re done, save your tune to one of 32 slots.

Key Features
2-part Nova-heritage analogue-modelled synthesiser
4-part drum machine
4x8 grid of RGB, velocity-sensitive sequencer pads
6 voice polyphony
Loads of oscillator types and wavetables
64 production-ready patches
Step sequence or build live
Lock your music in time and key
Combine ready-made drum patterns
Tweak using 8 synth macro encoders with RGB LEDs
Record and play back your tweaks Combine up to 128 steps of synth and drum patterns
Add amazing delay and reverb effects
32 slots for creating, saving and playing tunes without a laptop
Compact and battery powered
Built-in speaker
Works with computer and hardware via USB and MIDI

What’s In The Box?

Novation Circuit
USB cable
2 MIDI breakout cables: 3.5mm jack to female 5 pin din
Printed Getting Started Guide
Circuit patches sheet
Safety information sheet
6x AA batteries included
12V DC power supply included
Price

MAP: $329.99. Available in October"

I was curious how deep the synth engine was. Here's my quick Q&A with Novation:

Q: How deep is the editing of the synth engine - do you get access to all parameters like on the MiniNova and UltraNova or just the 8 macro knobs for common parameters?

A: We have edited the synth to present 64 patches with 8 macros per patch. Please don’t think that 1 patch = 1 sound. Each patch has been designed to be transformed from pluck to pad, bass to lead, percussion to FX, nice to nasty etc.

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Q: What are the eight common parameters and do they differ per patch?

A: They’re not common. There is a general rule of Osc stuff, Env, Filter, Modulations, FX from Left to Right, but some patches ignore this. E.g. A Bass patch with lots of controls dedicated to filter cut-off modulation, and a pad sound with more controls dedicated to the envelope and evolving elements of the sounds.

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Q:Will there be a dedicated software or iPad editor for access to additional parameters?

A: Most likely. We know our customers will want software (we want it too) We are going to offer something but are planning and evaluating exactly what and how we are going to deliver this.

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Q: If not will there be a MIDI or Sysex table for people to create custom controllers?

A: There are elements of the synth engine that can be controlled from an external controller, or anything that sends MIDI data. I think we’ll be publishing the MIDI table soon after release. There are 20 mod slots per patch, then the macros are made up with 4 destinations per macro, and each macro has some detailed segmentation and range per parameter. Access to the more complex stuff is gonna be really tricky.

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Q: Will there be any management software included or upcoming for DAW integration, patch management, and or other?

A: Yes. Again, I don’t want to be specific about the exact details. We’ll probably release some sort of work in progress beta version of the software first, then let it develop organically. We’ll evaluate what our customers value the most then put effort into developing that.

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Q: Is the drum engine sample based or based on Novation's ASM used in the original DrumStation?

A: Samples. We’ve got some samples from our drum station heritage, but also created some more modern and relevant dance drum and percussion sounds, and some fun noises too. 64 drums and percussion is quite a lot of variation but with Pitch, Decay, Distortion and Hi/Lo filter per drum, you’ll be surprised at how much variety you can get out of the 64.

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Q: How close is the synth engine to the MiniNova and UltraNova aside from polyphony and effects? Basically how much does it share of the specs from the Novation site for the MiniNova and UltraNova:

A: We have taken the Nova engine and scaled down the number of Oscs, modulations, filters, FX. The wavetables have been updated, as have the delay and reverb.

Per patch
2x oscillators
1x noise generator
1x ring modulator

Waveforms include: a selection from the MiniNova along with some new ones. e.g. we’ve added some vocal ones so some of the patches can do talky stuff.

Filter types
1x filters per patch

Low band and Hi at 12 and 24

Modulation sources

20 modulation slots per patch
3x envelope generators
2x LFOs

Destinations include:

Oscillator pitch, pulse width, wavetable index, level and sync
Filter cutoff, resonance, envelope settings
Effects parameters and send levels

8 macros with 4 destinations per macro. Each macro can have the destinations overlapping, or segmented.

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And there you have it!