Circuit

Start something

Whether you're a producer, a musician or you just want a quick and easy way to play, Circuit will do something for you. It's a starting point for your music-making; jam with Circuit's synths and samples, sync or sequence other devices, or unplug everything and start something anywhere. 

"Novation hit it out of the park. Circuit is fun, affordable, intuitive and it keeps getting better."
- Audio Newsroom

Make beats

Use two six-voice polyphonic Nova-heritage digital synths and four drums - with independent pitch, decay, distortion and filter controls - to build a beat. Flip in your own samples for complex and changing rhythms on the fly. Make your beats move with micro-steps, mixed up pattern lengths per part, and swing. Then hook up to your other MIDI devices and have everything play along.

Make Tracks

You have four parts. Synth 1 and Synth 2 are a part each and Drums 1 & 2 and Drums 3 & 4 make up the other two. You can create eight Patterns per part, per Session, and mix, match and chain in any way you can imagine for endless, complex and evolving tracks. Then add or switch patterns, record automation on macro controls or FX, and change your drum pattern lengths to switch it up as you go, even while playing.

.... a truly self-contained musical marvel... it is without a doubt about the most musical fun you can have with one box and no computer, and haven't made music so quickly in 20-odd years of reviewing gear

Circuit has a broad, quality sound palette, inspiring workflow and a sequencer that beats instruments fourtimes its price

Circuit really feels like it's about intuition experimentation, and happy accidents .

Load in samples

You have up to 60 seconds of sample time, shared across 64 slots. Then, Sample Flip lets you select a different sample for each step in a sequence across all four of Circuit’s drum tracks. You could have both a kick and a snare on Drum 1, for example, leaving you three more sequencer lines for whatever sample insanity you can think of.

The first thing I noticed about Circuit was how extremely intuitive and easy it was to use... In my opinion, one of the most intuitive interfaces and workflows for a rhythm based synth ever

Designed for optimized creativity, rather than the 'blank slate syndrome' that sitting down in front of a DAW can bring about

It's one of the most accessible pieces of gear I've ever used

Connect with anything

Send MIDI to other synths, or synchronise and jam with other drum machines, grooveboxes or your DAW. 3.5mm MIDI jacks make daisy–chaining Circuits together easy - including Circuit Mono Station which opens up a whole other world of analogue filth. Connect to your computer too and sync with your DAW, access the synth editor, and keep your firmware up-to-date for the latest round of new features.

You don't really need to understand what each knob controls, just listen with your ears and let your fingers shape your sounds. The Circuit excels in this area, while other machines seem almost basic and quaint in comparison

......with the Circuit I felt somehow compelled to explore strange, improvised melodic ideas almost constantly. This ability to push user to easily out of their comfort zone while coming up with exciting new approaches in the process makes Circuit's place in any studio seems like a bit of a no-brainer (4.6/5)

...the interface design and the implementation of the sequencer is actually a thing of genius... 

Helping you find your new sound

Music making is all about the journey, and we’re always looking for new ways to inspire you along the way. That’s why we’ve created the Sound Collective. Receive free versions of the most innovative software instruments and creative FX from developers we admire, as well as discounts to help you make the most of third-party software, exclusive to Novation customers. All you have to do is register your Novation gear, and one offer will be featured in your Novation account every couple of months. 

All you need to make music - anywhere

Compact - and with a built-in speaker - you can produce whole tracks anywhere with Circuit and six AA batteries. In the studio it will work alongside your standalone synth gear and run in sync with your music software too. Circuit is all you need to inspire, create and play new tunes.

Key Features

Ideas in seconds. Tracks in minutes

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

Always learning new tricks

Want to get the latest updates for Circuit? Simply head to Novation Components, log in and connect your Circuit to your Mac® or PC running Chrome™ - there's a downloadable standalone version too

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 outs, USB and MIDI ports

Legendary Nova 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 basslines, 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. Delve deeper into sound design with Circuit Synth Editor.

Build whole tunes with effects

Create an entire tune, then add 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

Tech Spec