Novation Circuit User Manual

English

Novation A division of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd. Windsor House, Turnpike Road, Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 3FX. United Kingdom

Tel: +44 1494 462246 Fax: +44 1494 459920 e-mail: sales@novationmusic.com Web: www.novationmusic.com

Trademarks

The Novation trademark is owned by Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd. All other brand, product and company names and any other registered names or trade marks mentioned in this manual belong to their respective owners.

Disclaimer

Novation has taken all possible steps to ensure that the information given here is both correct and complete. In no event can Novation accept any liability or responsibility for any loss or damage to the owner of the equipment, any third party, or any equipment which may result from use of this manual or the equipment which it describes. The information provided in this document may be

modied at any time without prior warning. Specications and appearance may differ from those

listed and illustrated.

Novation and Circuit are trade marks of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited.

English

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Key Features ........................................................... 6

About This Manual . . .... . .... . ..... . .... . .... . ..... . .... . .... . ..... . .... 6

What’s In The Box ....................................................... 7

Registering your Circuit ................................................... 7

Power Requirements..................................................... 8

HARDWARE OVERVIEW....................................................10

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Top View – controls ......................................................12

Rear View – connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

BASICS .................................................................16

Powering the unit on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Getting started..........................................................17

Loading and Saving......................................................18

Starting from Scratch ................................................... 20

THE SYNTHS............................................................ 22

Playing a Synth ........................................................ 22

Expanded Note View ................................................ 23

Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Scale selection..................................................... 25

Root note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Selecting Patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Exploring the Macros ............ . . . . ........................ . . . . ....... 28

Recording a synth pattern in real time .......... . . . . ........................ 28

Step editing ........................................................... 30

Deleting notes .. . .. . ... ... . .. . ... ... . ... ... . .. . ... ... . .. . ... ... . .. . .31

Inserting notes ......................................................31

Clear and Duplicate..................................................... 32

Clearing Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Duplicating Steps ................................................... 32

Velocity and Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Velocit y ........................................................... 33

Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Recording Knob Movements.............................................. 36

English

THE DRUMS .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . . . . .37

Playing Drums ..........................................................37

Expand View . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . .. . .. . . . .. . . . .. . .. . . . .. . 38

Selecting Patches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Using the Macros for drum design . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . 39

Recording a Drum Pattern ............................................... 40

Manual hit entry and step editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Velocit y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Recording Knob Movements.............................................. 43

Clear and Duplicate..................................................... 44

PATTERN S .............................................................. 45

Patterns View .. .. . .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. .. . .. ... .. . .. .. . . 45

Clearing Patterns....................................................... 46

Duplicating Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Nudge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Length ............................................................... 48

Combining Nudge and Length adjustments............................... 50

Chaining Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Pattern Octave .........................................................51

TEMPO AND SWING...................................................... 52

Temp o ............................................................... 52

External clock...................................................... 52

Tap Tempo ........................................................ 53

Swing................................................................ 53

MIXER ..... .... . ... . .... .... . ... . .... . ... . ... . .... . ... . ... . .... . ... . ... 54

FX SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

SIDECHAINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

THE FILTER KNOB .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

SESSION SWITCHING .. . ... . .... . .... .... . .... . ... . .... . .... . ... . .... . ... 59

Clearing Sessions ...................................................... 59

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Firmware Updates ...................................................... 60

Bootloader Mode ....................................................... 60

MIDI I/O ...............................................................61

Clock settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Session loading problems ................................................ 62

English

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing this Novation Circuit: the inspirational grid-based Groovebox. Circuit is a great electronic musical instrument based on two Novation MiniNova synth engines, four drum parts and a 6-track, 16-step sequencer.

Circuit has been designed to let you create music fast: getting great rhythm patterns together is quick and easy. It’s both a compositional tool and a live performance instrument. You don’t need to connect Circuit to a computer or other device to make music – it’s completely standalone, and can run off batteries if you wish. If you’re working in the studio, Novation’s

superior sound quality means you can use Circuit as the basis of your nished track.

Circuit’s playing grid is a set of 32 illuminated, velocity-sensitive rubber pads, which can act as synth keys, drum pads, sequencer steps and perform numerous other functions. The pads’ internal illumination is intelligently RGB colour-coded*, so you can see at a glance what’s going on.

Eight rotary controls are provided to let you tweak the synth and drum sounds to perfection and a large Filter control is always available to further enhance your performance. There are a host

of other quickly-accessible features: Synth patches and drum sounds to choose from, a choice

of musical scales, adjustable tempo, swing and note length, and more. You can assemble sequences together into longer patterns and save your work in one of 32 session memories.

Circuit also sends and receives standard MIDI data, so you can connect other MIDI-compatible devices, synchronise with other drum machines or grooveboxes, or to trigger synths, for

example. The USB connection also handles MIDI; this lets you connect Circuit to your computer

so you can synchronise and record MIDI data in your DAW.

For additional information, up to date support articles and a form to contact our Technical

Support Team please visit the Novation Answerbase at: www.novationmusic.com/answerbase

* RGB LED illumination means that each pad has internal red, blue and green LEDs, each of which can light at

different intensities. By combining the three colours at different brightness levels, almost any colour of illumination can

be achieved.

English

Key Features

• Combines two MiniNova synth engines and four drum parts

• 32-button multi-colour grid for playing and displaying information

• Split grid displays sequence steps and notes simultaneously

• Velocity-sensitive pads

• 64 synth Patches

• 64 drum sounds

• Tempo range from 40 to 240 BPM, plus tap mode

• Adjustable Swing

• Patterns can be chained together

• Pattern Nudge and Length adjustment

• 12-octave (-6, +5) range

• Eight macro controls for further “tweaking” of sounds

• Classic synth-style Filter control

• Built-in mixer

• FX section

• Clear and Duplicate functions

• Adjustable Note Velocity and Gate (Length)

• 32 Session slots

• Stereo line output

• Separate headphone output

• USB port for MIDI data and rmware update

• Internal speaker

• Runs off external AC adaptor (supplied) or 6 x AA batteries (supplied)

About This Manual

We’ve tried to make this manual as helpful as possible for all types of user, both newcomers to electronic music making and those with more experience, and this inevitably means some users will want to skip over certain parts of it, while relative novices will want to avoid certain

parts of it until they’re condent they’ve mastered the basics.

However, there are a few general points that are useful to know about before you continue reading the manual. We’ve adopted some graphical conventions within the text, which we hope

all types of user will nd helpful in navigating through the information to nd what they need to

know quickly:

English

Abbreviations, conventions, etc.

Where top panel controls or rear panel connectors are referred to, we’ve used a number thus:

to cross-reference to the top panel diagram, and thus: 1 to cross-reference to the rear panel diagram. (See “Top View – controls” on page 12 and “Rear View – connectors” on page 15).

We’ve used Bold text to name physical things – the top panel controls and rear panel connectors, and smaller Bold italics to name the various Views that the grid can display.

Tips

These do what it says on the tin: we include bits of advice, relevant to the topic being discussed that should simplify setting up Circuit to do what you want. It’s not mandatory that you follow them, but generally they should make life easier.

What’s In The Box

Circuit has been carefully packed in the factory and the packaging was designed to withstand

rough handling. Should the unit appear to have been damaged in transit, do not discard any of

the packing material and notify your music dealer.

If practical, save the packing materials for future use in case you ever need to ship the unit again.

Please check the list below against the contents of the packaging. If any items are missing or damaged, contact the Novation dealer or distributor where you purchased the unit.

• Novation Circuit Groovebox

• USB Type A to Type B cable (1.5 m)

• 2 x MIDI break-out cables: 3.5 mm 3-pole jack plug to 5-pin DIN socket

• Getting Started Guide, including Product/software Registration details

• Registration card for Ableton Live Lite recording software

• Patches reference sheet

• Safety information sheet

• AC adaptor: 12 V DC, 1.5 A; includes interchangeable AC plugs

• 6 x AA Alkaline batteries

Registering your Circuit

It is important to register your Circuit on-line using the Product/software Registration details at

Step 4 of the Getting Started Guide. Apart from validating your manufacturer’s warranty, you will

also then be able to download the additional software that you are entitled to as a Circuit owner:

• Ableton Live Lite music making software

• 1 GB of Loopmasters sounds and samples

The registration details also contain codes you will need to enter in the on-line forms on our website to download the software, but before you attempt to do this, warranty registration is required.

English

Power Requirements

Circuit can be powered either from AC mains via the AC adaptor supplied, or from AA batteries.

It cannot be powered from a computer or other device via a USB connection.

Using the AC adaptor

The AC adaptor supplied with the unit is a 12 V DC, 1.5 A type, and can operate on mains voltages from 100 V to 240 V, 50 or 60 Hz. The adaptor has interchangeable slide-in AC plug

heads; different plug heads are supplied which make the adaptor compatible with AC outlets

in many different countries. Plug heads can be easily swapped if necessary by pressing the spring-loaded semi-circular button in the centre of the adaptor and sliding the plug head upwards to separate it from the adaptor body. Then slide in the correct plug head (as shown by

the arrows), ensuring that it locks rmly in place.

The cable from the AC adaptor connects to the coaxial DC input socket on the rear panel of Circuit ( 4 on “Rear View – connectors” on page 15).

The use of AC adaptors of a type other than that supplied is not recommended. Please contact

your Novation dealer for advice on alternative PSUs if necessary.

English

Using batteries

Circuit will also operate from six AA-size R6 Alkaline or high-capacity Lithium batteries. A set of suitable batteries is supplied.

The battery compartment is on the right-hand side of the unit. Slide the compartment cover downwards to open it; note the cover has a retaining strap.

Slide cover down too reveal battery

compartment

Insert the batteries in two sets of three, as shown by the diagram on the base of the unit immediately below the battery compartment:

+ - + - + -

Shift

Patterns

Mixer

Notes:

• Circuit will accept both 1.5 V non-rechargeable and 1.2 V NiMH rechargeable batteries in AA-size. In the case of non-rechargeable batteries, we recommend the use of either Alkaline or high-capacity Lithium types.

• Never mix battery types. Always ensure that all six batteries are of the same type.

• Battery life is dependent on type: up to ve hours use should be obtainable from high- quality Alkaline types.

• Circuit does NOT charge rechargeable NiMH cells while installed; these must be recharged externally in a suitable charger.

• Do not mix cells that are charged to a different degree – i.e., don’t mix brand new cells with partially-run-down ones.

• Always remove batteries from your Circuit if it is not to be used for a long period.

• Spent batteries contain hazardous substances and should be disposed of in a responsible manner. Always dispose of used batteries in accordance with local environmental and/or recycling guidelines.

English

HARDWARE OVERVIEW

Glossary

Some of the terms used in this manual have a specic meaning as applied to Circuit. Here is a

short list:

Term Button Denition

Expanded View Shift + Note

Doubles the area of performance pads for the Synths,

and a “tap” hit mode for the Drums.

Fixed Shift + Velocity

Allows the velocity response of the grid pads to be disabled.

FX View FX

Allows the user to add reverb and delay to individual tracks.

Gate View Gate

The Gate value of a note is how many steps it sounds for. Gate View allows the length of a step to be edited. Individual gate values can be set for each note assigned to a single step by using live record.

Grid pad

One of the 32 pads making up the main performance area.

Length View Length

Allows the user to alter the length of a synth pattern;

values can be between 1 and 16 steps.

Live Record Record

Lets you add synth notes in real time while a pattern is playing. Also records any movements of the Macro controls.

Macro Controls

Eight rotary controls whose function varies with the

currently selected View; primarily used to “tweak” the

synth and drum sounds.

Manual Note Entry

Assignment of synth notes to specic step in

a pattern. With a step pad pressed, press the performance pad for the note to be added. Can be done with the sequencer either running or stopped.

Note View Note

The View that is used to enter synth notes and drum hits.

Nudge View Nudge

Allows all the steps of a Pattern to be nudged forwards or backwards in time in one-step increments.

Patch

Synonymous with “Preset”; one of the 64 synth or 64

drum sounds which can be selected for each track.

Pattern

A repeating cycle of synth notes and/or drum hits of up to 16 steps. Includes data for velocity, gate, length and automation.

PATTERN buttons

Collective name for the button group comprising the

Nudge and Length buttons.

English

Term Button Denition

Pattern Chain

A cyclic set of Patterns played continuously one after the other.

Pattern memory

Where a Pattern is stored; there are eight per track in each Session.

Patterns View Patterns

This View displays the eight Pattern memories per track, and allows their selection individually or as a Pattern Chain, deletion and duplication.

Performance Pad The grid pads used to enter synth notes or drum hits.

Playback Cursor

In playback, the white pad which moves through the pattern display, indicating which step is currently being played. Changes to red in Record Mode.

Playback Mode

Circuit’s operating mode with the sequencer running;

the Play button will be lit bright green.

Record Mode

Circuit’s operating mode when synth notes can be added to the Pattern, or when adjustments using the Macro controls can be saved. The Record button will be lit bright red.

Scale View Scales

Allows the user to select one of 16 musical scales for the synth and also to transpose the scales.

Session

A set of all necessary data for full playback of all

tracks, including Patterns, Sequences, automation data, etc. Up to 32 Sessions can be saved in ash

memory.

Session View Sessions The View used to save and load Sessions

Setup Page Allows control of MIDI clock and TX / RX settings.

Normal Circuit operation is suspended while Setup

Page is open.

Sidechain Sidechain A method of allowing the hits of the Drum 1 track to

modify the dynamics of Synth notes.

Step Each Pattern is divided into Steps; Drum Patterns

always have 16 Steps, while Synths may have fewer.

STEP buttons Collective name for the button group comprising the

Note, Velocity, and Gate buttons.

Stop Mode Circuit’s operating mode when the sequencer is not

running.

Trac k One of the 6 instruments in a Session: Synth 1, Synth

2, Drum 1, Drum 2, Drum 3, Drum 4.

Velocity View Velocity Allows editing of the velocity of a step.

View One of various ways the 32 grid pads can be used to

display information and allow user interaction.

English

Top View – controls

5 13

120

14 15 16 1817

32-pad playing grid – a 4 x 8 matrix of rubber pads; internally illuminated with RGB LEDs.

Depending on the view selected, the grid may be “split” into logical areas with different functions.

Filter – large diameter rotary control with a centre detent and RGB LED: controls lter

frequency like on an analogue synth. It is always active.

Macro controls 1 to 8 – eight multi-functional rotary encoders, with associated RGB

LED. The availability and function of these controls varies across Circuit’s other views. The movement of Macro controls in performance may be recorded and replayed.

Master Volume – controls the overall level of Circuit’s audio outputs.

Most of the remaining buttons switch the 32-pad grid into a specic View. Each View provides information and control of a particular aspect of the track, pattern, sounds, timing, etc.

English

Most of the buttons have both a momentary (long press) and a latching (short press) mode. A long press will temporarily display that button’s view, but only while the button is held down. When released the view will revert to whatever it was before the button was pressed. A short press on a button will switch the grid view to that programmed into the button.

Track buttons: SYNTH 1/SYNTH 2/DRUMS – these eight buttons select different grid views.

Their operation varies slightly depending on other user actions.

STEP buttons: Note, Velocity & Gate – these switch the grid to further views, and allow the

parameters of each step of the pattern to be individually entered, deleted or modied.

PATTERN buttons: Nudge & Length – switch the grid to views that allow adjustment of

pattern length and timing.

Scales – this button allows the selection of one of sixteen different music scales for the

synth keyboard, and also lets you transpose the synth keyboard to a higher or lower key.

Patterns – lets you store multiple patterns for each synth and drum track, and to join them

together to make a pattern Chain.

Mixer – enables Mixer view, where you can mute or adjust the level of each synth and drum

making up the sequence.

FX – opens FX view; lets you add reverb and delay effects to each synth and drum

individually.

Play and Record – these two buttons start and stop the sequence (Play) and enter

Record mode (Record). In Play mode anything you play on the grid will be heard; in Record

mode, anything you play will be heard and also added to the sequence.

Oct J and Oct K – these let you shift the synth pads’ pitch by one to ve octaves or down

by one to six octaves. The pitch range of each of the two synths is adjustable independently.

Tempo – lets you set the BPM (tempo) of the sequence, using Macro control 1.

Swing – alters the timing between steps to change the ‘feel’ of a pattern, also using Macro 1

for adjustment.

Clear – allows deletion of individual sequence steps, stored Macro control movements,

Patterns or Sessions.

Duplicate – operates like a copy-and-paste function for patterns and individual steps.

Save and Sessions – let you save your current Session and open a previously-saved one.

English

Shift – several of the buttons have a “second function”, which is accessed by holding down

the Shift button while pressing the button in question.

(Headphones) – connect a pair of stereo headphones here. The internal speaker is muted when a plug is inserted. The headphone amplier can drive +5 dBu into a pair of 150 ohm stereo headphones.

Battery compartment – accepts six AA-size batteries.

Kensington security slot – secure your Circuit to a suitable structure if desired. Please see www.kensington.com/kensington/us/us/s/1704/kensington-security-slot.aspx for further information on how to use this feature.

Speaker (in base of unit) – internal loudspeaker fed with a mono mix of Circuit’s output. Note that Circuit’s moulded base provides a gap below the speaker grille; for best results, place Circuit on a hard or reective surface such as a table or magazine.

English

Rear View – connectors

12345

L/MONO and RIGHT – Circuit’s main audio outputs on two ¼” TS jack sockets. Max. output

level is +5.3 dBu (+/-1.5 dBu). With no plug in the RIGHT socket, the L/MONO socket carries a mono mix of L and R channels. The internal speaker is muted when a plug is inserted into either of the main output sockets.

MIDI IN and OUT – MIDI connectors on two 3.5 mm TRS jack sockets. Use the break-out

cables supplied to convert these to the industry-standard 5-pin DIN sockets.

– USB 2.0 port using a Type B socket. A Type B-to-Type A cable is supplied with the unit. The port is MIDI class compliant; connect to computers and other devices supporting MIDI via USB to transmit and receive MIDI data. Also used for rmware updates. NOTE – Circuit’s USB port does not carry either DC power or audio.

(DC input) – connect the AC adaptor supplied to this coaxial socket.

POWER – “soft” on/off switch; to prevent inadvertent power up/down, a press of approx. one second is needed to turn the unit on or off.

English

BASICS

Powering the unit on

If you haven’t tted batteries into your Circuit, connect the supplied AC adaptor to the DC input

socket 4 and plug the adaptor into the AC mains.

Connect the main outputs to a monitoring system (powered speakers or a separate amplier and passive monitors); alternatively plug in a pair of headphones if you prefer.

Long-press the POWER button 5, and the grid will show the boot-up display for approximately

ve seconds:

If you’re running Circuit from batteries, the boot-up display will look like this:

The diagram above shows the display when the batteries are fresh or at full capacity. The

number of pairs of green pads give an idea of the battery condition; fewer green pads means

the batteries are running down. When no green pads are showing, the batteries should be

changed; otherwise you may lose your work.

English

After boot-up, the grid display will change to something like that shown below:

Getting started

We’ve pre-loaded 16 demo Sessions into the memories to give you an idea of how Circuit

works. Press the Play button

; you should hear the rst demo Session.

If it’s not already lit, press the Synth 1 button 5; Circuit is now displaying Note View for

Synth 1. The two upper rows – the synth pads - show the notes that Synth 1 is contributing to

the sequence, while the two lower rows – the sequence steps - show the progression through

the sequence. You can see the contributions made by Synth 2 by pressing the Synth 2 button. Note that the notes of Synth 1 are coded pink and those of Synth 2 green; when the sequence includes a synth note, the pad corresponding to the note changes to white. Similarly, the

sequence pads are pale blue, but turn white as the “play cursor” moves through the sequence.

Now press the Drum 1 button. The displays for the drums differ from those for the synths: the display shows two drums simultaneously - Drum 1 (typically kick) and Drum 2 (typically snare) in this case. The two upper rows represent one drum (Drum 1) and the two lower rows the other (Drum 2). The arrangement for Drums 3 and 4 is identical, except for the colour coding. Drums 3 and 4 are normally variations of cymbal, hi-hat and other percussion sounds.

Note that pads representing steps that have drum hits are lit brightly while those that don’t are

dim. Try pressing some of the dim pads to add more drum hits; press a bright pad to delete a

hit.

Press the Play button to stop.

Later in the manual, we explain how you can choose the synth and drum sound you want in your pattern, and also how you can manipulate the sounds in real-time.

English

Loading and Saving

When you press Play for the rst time after powering on, the Session Circuit will play will be the last one used when it was powered off. The factory demo described in the previous section was

loaded in to Memory Slot 1.

To load a different Session, you use Sessions View. Press Sessions 18 to open this:

Each pad corresponds to one of the memory slots. The pad’s colour indicates the slot’s status:

• Dim blue – slot is empty

• Bright blue – slot contains either a Session saved by the user or a factory demo Session

• White – the currently selected Session (only one pad will be white)

If you’re still experimenting, you can select a different factory demo to listen to and play around

with. You can jump between saved Sessions while in Play mode.

Sessions loaded when the sequencer is not running will play at the tempo that was in force when the Session was saved.

Sessions loaded while the sequencer is running will play at the tempo that is currently set. This means that you can recall different Sessions sequentially with the condence

that the tempo will remain constant.

There’s nothing special about the slots containing factory demo Sessions: you can overwrite

these if you wish.

English

IMPORTANT – ENABLING SAVE

By now you will probably have read the Getting Starting Guide shipped with your Circuit, so will be aware that Session Saving is disabled, but in case you haven’t, we’re

repeating it here:

The Save function is deliberately disabled before shipping from the factory to prevent accidental erasure of the demo Sessions. The Save button 18 will initially be unlit, and before you can save any Sessions of your own, you will need to unlock the Save

function. To do this, hold down the Shift 19 and Save buttons together while powering Circuit on. Save will now be illuminated blue.

You can choose to disable Save in the same way – hold down Shift and Save while powering Circuit on, and the Save button will no longer be illuminated, indicating that

the Save function is now disabled.

Note also that the Clear Session function is also disabled when Save is disabled.

You don’t need to be in Sessions View to save a Session you’ve been working on. If you press

Save 18, the button ashes white; if you press it a second time, it blinks green rapidly for a

second or so to conrm the save process. However, in this case, your work will be saved in the last selected Session memory, which will most likely be the one that held an earlier version; the

earlier version will be overwritten.

To save your work in a different Session memory (leaving the original version unchanged), enter Sessions View. Press Save; both Save and the pad for the currently selected Session will ash white. Press a different memory pad: all the other pads will go dark, and the selected pad will blink green rapidly for a second or so to conrm the save process.

English

Starting from Scratch

Once you’ve experimented with the factory demo patterns for a while, you will probably want to create a pattern from scratch.

Select Sessions and select an empty memory slot. Now select Drum 1. When you press Play you’ll see the white pad (the play cursor) progressing across the 16 steps of the two drums:

PLAY

Pads 1-16: Drum 1

Pads 17-32: Drum 2

You won’t hear anything just yet. The Drum Note Views in Circuit are always in pairs: Drum 1 on the two upper rows and Drum 2 on the lower two. Drums 3 and 4 work in exactly the same way.

NOTE

In Circuit, drum patterns are always 16 hits long. Synth patterns can be of any length

from 1 to 16 steps. This topic is explained in “Length” on page 48.

To make a “four-on-the-oor” kick drum, press pads 1, 5, 9 and 13 as shown:

PLAY

Pads 1-16: Drum 1

Pads 17-32: Drum 2

You can now add a snare drum to the sequence by pressing pads on the lower two rows. If you press Drum 3 (or Drum 4), the sequence view for the other two drum tracks will be displayed,

and you will nd that you can add two other drum sounds at any step or steps in the sequence.

English

If you want to delete a drum hit, just press its pad again: you can do this while the sequence is playing or stopped. The brightly lit pads tell you where the hits are.

Now you can add synth notes. Press Synth 1 to open Synth 1 View. The top two rows represent a music keyboard, the lower two show you where you are in the sequence. When Play is pressed, you can see the white pad progressing through the steps.

With all scales except Chromatic (see “Scales” on page 24), the grid display looks like this:

PLAY

Synth keyboard

Pattern display

The “keyboard” is two octaves, with the mauve pads representing the lowest and highest notes in each. You can add synth notes in real time by just playing them, or you can add them to the pattern by pressing Record 12. While the Record button is lit, anything you play in either of the Synth Views (Synth 1 or Synth 2) will become part of the pattern.

The Oct K and Oct J buttons alter the pitch range of the currently selected synth keyboard, by

one octave each time they are pressed, up to a maximum of ve octaves above or six octaves

below the default octave. The lowest note in the default octave is ‘middle C’ on a standard piano keyboard.

For a conventional piano keyboard, press and hold Scales 8 and then press Pad 32 (the bottom right one), which will turn bright pink. This gives the keyboard Chromatic scaling, and the layout differs from that in the other scales:

C# D# F# G# A#

EFGA

PLAY

Synth keyboard

Pattern display

Chromatic scaling offers all twelve notes in the octave; to accommodate

them, the keyboard “size” is reduced to one octave.

English

THE SYNTHS

Each synth “engine” in Circuit is based on the powerful and versatile Novation MiniNova synth, albeit with fewer controls than the MiniNova offers. This section of the User Guide discusses the synth features in greater detail.

Playing a Synth

The two synth tracks – Synth 1 and Synth 2 operate identically. The only difference is in the RGB colour coding – Synth 1 keys are illuminated purple and Synth 2 keys are green; the high

and low C notes in each octave show brighter than the intermediate keys in both cases. This colour coding is consistent in other Views.

To play a synth in real time, press the Synth 1 or Synth 2 track button 5 and then Note 6. This places the grid in Note View for the selected synth. Note will illuminate in purple or green according to which synth track is selected. The upper two rows of the grid constitute the synth keyboard, while the two lower rows show steps in the 16-note pattern. Note these are

always illuminated pale blue, apart from the “current” step, which ashes white.

PLAY

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

Synth keyboard

Synth 1 selected

Pattern display

PLAY

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

Synth keyboard

Synth 2 selected

Pattern display

English

With the exception of the Chromatic scale (see Scales, page 24), the top row of the synth keyboard contains notes one octave above those in the second row. The highest note of the lower octave (Pad 16) is the always the same as the lowest note of the higher octave (Pad 1). Thus to play the notes over two octaves in ascending order, start with Pads 9 to 16, then 1 to 8.

When Circuit is powered up and an empty or new Session selected, Middle C will normally be

the lowest note of the two octave keyboard (Pad 9). It is possible to alter the keyboard ‘layout’ so that the bottom note is something other than C – see page 24. The synth has a total range

of 12 octaves; you can access higher or lower pairs of octaves by using the Oct J and Oct K buttons 13. Note that at the highest and lowest octave settings, the ‘size’ of the keyboard is

limited.

Expanded Note View

To obtain a keyboard with a wider range, hold down Shift 19 and press Note 6; Note now illuminates white. This is called Expanded Note View, and removes the pattern display in the two lower rows of the grid, replacing it with keys for the next two lower octaves of the selected scale.

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

Synth keyboard

Synth 1 selected

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

Synth keyboard

Synth 2 selected

English

This View is very useful when recording synth notes in real time.

Expanded Note View can be cancelled by pressing Note again; the lower two rows of the grid now resume the pattern’s step display.

Scales

Circuit is extremely exible in how it lets you congure the note pads in the playing grid to suit

many musical genres in key or scale. There are two aspects to specifying how the note pads are laid out: the scale and the root note.

Up to 16 musical scales are available: these include those common in western musical styles such as major, natural minor, pentatonic and chromatic as well as more unusual scales (or modes) such as Dorian, Lydian and Mixolydian. Not all these scales contain eight notes, though the only one that has more than eight is Chromatic, with 12.

You don’t need to understand musical theory to make use of different scales. Because Circuit lets you alter the scale in use after you’ve created a pattern, it’s easy to get an idea of their effect and their differences.

Record a simple pattern of synth notes, and then play it back using different scales. You’ll notice that with some scales certain notes shift up or down a semitone, and that this gives the “melody” you’ve composed quite distinct “moods” or “feels”, some of which will be more suited to what you’re trying to achieve than others.

Furthermore, although the default keyboard is based on a note of C (as described in the

previous section), it is possible to redene the lowest sounding note to be any note of the

chosen scale.

Both scale and root note are set using the Scales View, accessed by pressing the Scales button 8. The Scales View will look similar to that shown below:

1234 5678

910111213141516

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Eb F# Ab Bb

EFGAB

Keynote Selection

Scale Selection

Currently-selected

starting note

Currently-selected

scale

English

Scale selection

In Scales View, the bottom two rows allow selection of one of the 16 available musical scales. These are listed in the table below, with the notes that each scale includes when the lowest note in the scale is C:

Pad Scale C C# D Eb E F F# G Ab A Bb B

17 Natural Minor

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

18 Major

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

19 Dorian

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

20 Phrygian

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

21 Mixolydian

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

22 Melodic Minor (ascending)

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

23 Harmonic Minor

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

24 Bebop Dorian

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

25 Blues

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

26 Minor Pentatonic

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

27 Hungarian Minor

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

28 Ukranian Dorian

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

29 Marva

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

30 Todi

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

31 Whole Tone

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

32 Chromatic

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

The scale you choose to play in will be saved when you save the pattern.

You will see that when you select a different scale in Scales View, the illumination of the pads in the upper two rows changes. If you are familiar with a piano keyboard, you will see that the arrangement of pads simulates the layout of keys over one octave (initially starting at C), with Row 2 representing the white notes and Row 1 the black notes. Note that Pads 1, 4, 8 and 16 are always disabled in this view, to allow pads 2 and 3, and 5, 6 and 7 to act as the black notes. The brightly lit pads are those that belong to the selected scale, the dim ones are the notes that don’t belong.

English

When you exit Scales View by pressing Note again, the upper two rows in Note View now contain the notes in the selected scale, over two octaves. There is one exception to this – Chromatic scale. With this scale selected all 12 notes in the scale are available, which means that only a one-octave keyboard is possible to accommodate them. The upper two rows in

Note View now have the same layout as in Scales View. In Expanded Note View, a two-octave

keyboard is presented with Chromatic scale selected.

n+1

C# Eb F# Ab Bb

EFGAB

n-1

C# Eb F# Ab Bb

EFGAB

Upper octave (Cn to C

n+1

)

Lower octave (C

n-1

to Cn)

Chromatic Scale in Extended Note View

Root note

The default root note for all scales is C. In the Scales View shown at page 24, Pad 9, corresponding to C, is lit a darker blue than the other pads. To change the keyboard root note in Note View, select a different note in Scale View. (Note that the top two rows of Scales View always show an octave from C to B.) When a different root note is selected, the pad illumination changes to indicate the notes available in the currently selected scale for the new key.

For example, if you are working in the Major scale, and select G as the root note, the Scales

View will look this:

1234 56

910111213141

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

D# F# G# A#

EFGAB

Keynote Selection

Major scale

selected

Scale Selection

G selected as

root note

The upper two rows now show the notes making up the G major scale: G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#.

In Note View, each of the two upper rows (or each of all four rows in Expanded Note View) will now sound the notes of the G major scale, running from G to G’ (where G’ denotes a note one octave above G). The same principle can be applied to re-scale the synth note pads in the Note

Views to any desired root key.

English

If you have already created a pattern including synth notes, you can change the keynote to transpose the pattern, even while the pattern is playing. You can also change the scale itself for an existing pattern. In this case, some notes in the pattern as it was created may not exist in the new scale. In such a case, Circuit makes an intelligent decision as to which note to play instead, which will normally be either one semitone above or below the original note.

Selecting Patches

Each of the two synth tracks in your Circuit can use any one of 64 pre-loaded Patches

(Presets). These Patches have been developed specically for Circuit, and are listed on the Patch Sheet packed with the unit.

To change the Patch for Synth 1 or 2, hold down Shift 19 and press Synth 1 or Synth 2 5 as appropriate. This opens the Patch View Page 1 in the case of Synth 1 and Patch View Page 2 in the case of Synth 2. Synth 1 and Oct J (or Synth 2 and Oct K) will illuminate white and each of the pads in the grid represents 32 synth Patches: Patches 1 to 32 for Synth 1 and Patches 33 to 64 for Synth 2. To view the other page in the case of either synth, press the non-illuminated

Octave button.

The pad corresponding to the currently selected Patch will be illuminated white and the others

will be purple (Synth 1) or green (Synth 2). Patch 1 is the default Patch for Synth 1 and Patch 33 is the default Patch for Synth 2.

To select a different Patch, press its pad. The synth (1 or 2) will now adopt the sound dened by

the new Patch. You can change Patch while a pattern is running, though the transition may not be absolutely smooth, depending on the point in the pattern when the pad is pressed. Changing the Patch of a saved pattern does not alter the Patch that was originally saved with the pattern, unless the session is re-saved.

English

Exploring the Macros

You can modify Circuit’s synth sounds extensively with the Macro controls 3. Each of the 64 factory Patches available can have eight of its parameters “tweaked” in value to alter the sound. The audible effect of any adjustment will depend to a large degree on the Patch itself: on some Patches the effect of a given Macro control will be more obvious than on others.

By far the best way of understanding the effect of each Macro control is to load some different

Patches, and experiment with the controls while listening. You will nd that with certain Patches,

turning some of the Macro controls will have an audibly different effect when other Macro controls have different settings. Try moving pairs of controls together to create unusual and interesting sonic variations.

If you’re familiar with synth terminology, you may nd it useful to know that,

where possible, the assignment of the Macro controls broadly follows this scheme:

Macros 1 & 2 adjust Oscillator parameters Macros 3 & 4 adjust Envelope parameters Macros 5 & 6 adjust Filter parameters Macros 7 & 8 adjust Modulation and FX parameters

However, it must be emphasised that numerous Patches will differ to a greater or lesser degree from these assignments, and that there is no substitute for experimentation!

Each Macro control has an RGB LED below the knob, which illuminates in either purple

or green according to which synth is selected. The rotary controls are ‘endless’; the LEDs

therefore provide an indication of the parameter value, with the LEDs’ brightness indicating the current value of the parameter as the knob is turned.

You can use the Macro controls while a pattern is playing to alter synth sounds in real time. If Circuit is in Record, the LEDs change to red as soon as the knob is turned, and parameter variations will now be recorded to the Session. See page 36 for more details.

Recording a synth pattern in real time

To record a synth pattern in real time, you will probably rst want to record a drum track. Drum

patterns are discussed in full detail in a later chapter, but a good starting point for a rhythm “bed” is to select Drum 1, and press Pads 1, 5, 9 and 13. Then when you press Play, you will hear a simple 4/4 bass drum. You can add some snare hits on or off the kick drum beat by pressing some pads on the lower two rows* (Drum 2), and you can also add some 1/8 or 1/16 hi-hat if you wish by selecting Drum 3, and entering some hits on the upper two rows of pads*.

Enter Note View for Synth 1 or Synth 2 (press Note and then Synth 1 or Synth 2 if not already selected) and run the pattern. If you want your synth notes to extend over four octaves rather

*Assuming that the factory default patches remain assigned.

English

than two (or two rather than one if you’ve selected Chromatic scale), select Expanded Note

View instead (Shift + Note). You can “audition” the synth notes simply by playing them against

the rhythm tracks a few times until you’re happy – they won’t be recorded until you press the

Record button. When you’re ready to save them to the pattern, press Record and carry

on playing; after the pattern has completed 16 steps, the notes will be replayed. Circuit’s synth

engines are “six-note polyphonic” – that is, you can play up to six notes at once at any step in the pattern, if the Patch you’ve selected is suitably polyphonic.

While you’re in Record, the step cursor (normally white) changes to red as it progresses through the pattern as an additional reminder that you are now about to alter the pattern.

Once you’ve played the required notes, press Record again to stop recording. You can also delete or add notes “manually” – that is, while the pattern isn’t running. If you’re working to a fast tempo, this is often easier. This topic is discussed in detail in the next section of the Guide.

The factory default Sessions load with monophonic sounds for Synth 1 and polyphonic sounds for Synth 2. This means you can easily use Synth 1 for a bass line, and Synth 2 for keyboard sounds. But you can, of course, change

this at will.

Note that the two Octave buttons 13 have no effect on the pitch of the notes once they’ve been

recorded; you need to decide which octave you’re going to play in at the time of recording.

However, you can still alter the octave of the pattern after recording by holding down Shift when pressing Octave.

The two parameters in Scales View – Scale and Root Note – can both be altered during

playback as well, so if you like the pattern, but it’s in the wrong key to t with another musical

element, you can just press Scales and select a different root note. The selected scale and root

note apply to both Synth 1 and Synth 2.

Playing the same note in different octaves at the same step can add great depth and character to the sound. Circuit’s six-note polyphony lets you play any six notes from each synth, and they don’t all need to be in the same octave.

You can also experiment with different Patches once you’ve recorded a simple pattern. Enter

Patch View while the pattern is playing (see “Selecting Patches” on page 27) and choose

some different Patches; you’ll hear their effect immediately.

English

Step editing

Step editing operations in Circuit may either be done with the pattern running (i.e., in Play mode) not running (i.e., in Stop mode).

Circuit gives you the means of adding or deleting individual notes in a pattern without needing to worry about accurate timing, as editing is step-based and doesn’t require the notes to be accurately entered.

All the following details apply equally – and independently - to Synth 1 and Synth 2; press the

Synth 1 or Synth 2 buttons to see the individual contributions of the two tracks to the overall pattern.

In Note View (note – not Expanded Note View), the two lower rows of grid pads represent the 16step pattern and the two upper rows are the performance pads. When a pattern is played, you can see the white pad moving through the 16 steps. When a step has a note associated with it, the performance pad in the two upper rows corresponding to the note being played illuminates white while the note is sounding (but see below regarding octaves).

When the pattern is not playing, you can listen to the notes assigned to each step and alter the pattern manually. When the pattern is playing, you will only hear the notes associated with each step when the sequence gets to the step. (But if you mute the synth track while the sequence is playing, you can press any of the illuminated pattern step pads to hear the note(s) assigned to a step.)

The pads for the steps which have notes associated with them will be illuminated bright blue.

One step pad will ash white/blue: this shows where the pattern had reached when it was stopped. This is shown in the rst diagram below. However, note that when you press Play again, the pattern will restart from Step 1.

These two steps

have synth notes

associated with

them

One step pad blinks

blue/white to

show where pattern

is stopped

Press and hold step

pad down to see

which note belongs

to the step

Performance pad(s)

illuminate red to

indicate note

at step

(HOLD)

English

If a bright blue step pad (i.e., one corresponding to a synth note) is pressed and held, it illuminates red, the note(s) at that step will sound, and the performance pad corresponding to the note(s) will also illuminate red (it will be two pads if it’s the highest note in the lower octave or vice versa). This is illustrated in the second diagram above. The pads stay red and the note(s) sound(s) for as long as the step pad is held down.

The above description holds good as long as the currently selected octave is the same as that used to record the note. (Remember that although you can’t change the octave of a note once it’s been recorded, you can shift the octave of the performance pads up or down when a pattern isn’t playing.) If you press a brightly-lit step pad but no performance pad illuminates red, it means that the note you are hearing – the one recorded for that step – lies in another octave. Use the Oct J or Oct K buttons 13 to move to another octave to nd where the note is: a performance pad (or pads) will light red when you hit the right octave. You can hold the step pad down while pressing the Octave buttons to do this. With a bit of listening practice, you’ll be able to guess the octave a note lies in relative to the one the performance pads are currently set to.

Deleting notes

If a note is incorrect, you can easily delete it by pressing the performance pad (showing red) while pressing the step pad. The performance pad will resume the colour of the other (unplayed) notes according to the synth being examined – purple or green.

Inserting notes

You can add synth notes to a pattern by selecting the step where the note is to go by holding down the pattern pad for that step, playing the required note(s) on the performance pad(s), and then releasing the pattern pad. You don’t have to press Record. Now when you run the pattern,

you will nd that the note has been added.

Remember that you can add notes in any octave, but the octave you select will determine the octave displayed on the performance pads, so if all your existing notes are in the mid-range and you want to add a bass note, the performance pads will not display any of the higher notes once you’ve selected a lower octave.

Other note alterations

You can’t change the note at a step to be a different note; you have to add the revised note rst

and then delete the original note. With a little practice, this will become an intuitive and very rapid process. The procedure needs to be done this way round to retain the Gate and Velocity values for the original note.

You can also alter the duration (Gate) and Velocity of individual notes. These topics are covered in a subsequent section of the Guide.

English

Clear and Duplicate

Clearing Steps You can delete all assigned synth notes from a step in one go using the Clear button 16. This

has the advantage that you don’t have to search through several octaves to nd all the notes

assigned to the step.

Press and hold Clear; the button will illuminate bright red to conrm Clear Mode. Now press

the step pad; it will turn red and all notes for the selected synth track at this step will be deleted.

The step pad will revert to its dim “unassigned” illumination when this has been done. Release the Clear button to exit Clear Mode; its illumination will return to dim blue to conrm that the clear procedure is complete.

The Clear button has an additional function in both Patterns View and Sessions View; see “Clearing Patterns” on page 46 and “Clearing Sessions” on page 59.

Duplicating Steps

The Duplicate button 17 performs actions very similar to “copy-and-paste”.

In Note View for either of the synth tracks, you can use Duplicate to copy all the synth notes at a step, and their various attributes, to a different step in the pattern.

To copy synth data from one step to another, press and hold Duplicate: it will illuminate bright green. Press the pad in the two lower rows corresponding to the step to be copied (the ‘source’

step); it will illuminate green. Now press the pad corresponding to the step where the data is to be copied to (the ‘destination’ step); this will give a single red blink. All the note information

in the source step will now have been duplicated in the destination. Any pre-existing note information in the destination step will be overwritten. Upon release, the Duplicate button will return to dim blue to indicate that the duplication procedure is complete. If you want to copy the note data to several steps, you can continue to hold the Duplicate button down, and simply repeat the “paste” part of the operation to the other steps.

English

Velocity and Gate

Every step in a pattern has two further parameters that are available to you to adjust. These are Velocity, which determines how the volume of a note is related to how hard the pad is struck, and Gate, which sets the duration of the note. The Velocity and Gate values of each step will apply to every note assigned to that step.

Velocity

The velocity parameter determines the relationship between the speed of movement and the

volume of the note. A high value for Velocity means that the note will be loud; a low value

means that the note will be lower in volume.

Velocity values are assigned to each step as you play the performance pads.

Velocity values are per-step, not per-note: all notes at a step will have the same Velocity value.

You can set the Velocity parameter for each step Circuit lets you change the Velocity value of a step to any of 16 values, after you’ve created a pattern. This is done in Velocity View, which is selected by pressing Velocity 6, which illuminates sand (off white).

One step pad blinks

blue/white; this is

the step whose

Velocity value is

displayed

The two dark blue

steps have

synth notes

associated with them

This indicates a

Velocity value of 11

1234 56

910111213141

Pattern step display

Velocity value display

In Velocity View, the two lower rows of the grid represent the pattern steps. In the 16-step

example shown above, Steps 4, 12 and 16 are brightly lit, indicating that these steps have notes associated with them. One pad in the Pattern step display will ash alternate white/blue: this is

the step whose Velocity value is being displayed.

The two upper rows of the grid make up a 16-segment “bargraph” meter; the number of

pads illuminated white is the Velocity value for the selected step. In the example shown, the displayed Velocity value is 11 (equivalent to an actual Velocity value of 88 – see following page): the remainder of the Velocity value display is unlit.

English

If you record in real time – i.e., while the sequencer is running and recording – the velocity value is set internally to 7-bit accuracy: a value between 0 and 127. However, Velocity View can only display the Velocity value to a resolution of 16 increments of 8 value steps each (because there are only 16 pads available). This means that you are likely to see the “last” pad in the display lit at a lower brightness. For example, if the Velocity value is 100, you will see Pads 1 to 12 fully lit and Pad 13 dimly lit, because the value of 100 lies midway between two multiples of eight. The table below shows the relationship between actual Velocity values and the pad display:

No. of lit pads Velocity value No. of lit pads Velocity value

1 8 9 72

2 16 10 80

3 24 11 88

4 32 12 96

5 40 13 104

6 48 14 112

7 56 15 120

8 64 16 127

You can change Velocity value by pressing the pad in the Velocity value display rows that

corresponds to the Velocity value. If you wanted the note(s) at Step 12 in the example above to have a Velocity value of 48 instead of 88, you would press pad 6; Pads 1 to 6 now illuminate

white. If you want to increase a Velocity value, press the pad corresponding to the required value.

You can also use Velocity View to change Velocity values while a pattern is playing. In this case,

you need to press and hold the pad for the step to have its Velocity value changed; you can do

this at any point in the pattern. The held step pad will illuminate red, and the two upper rows will “freeze” to display the Velocity value of the selected step. Press the Velocity pad corresponding to the new value required. The pattern continues to play, so you can experiment with different Velocity values in real time and hear the differences.

English

Fixed Velocity

You may sometimes prefer to disable Velocity; then the notes comprising your synth sequence

will have a more “mechanical” feel to them regardless of how you hard you actually strike the pads. Circuit has a Fixed Velocity function, which sets Velocity at a value of 96.

Fixed Velocity is enabled by pressing Velocity 6 while holding down Shift 19. Fixed Velocity

is conrmed by the Velocity button illuminating bright white while Shift is pressed.

You will now nd that all the synth notes that you have just played have a Velocity value of 96

(12 pads lit).

Note that setting Velocity to Fixed does not alter the Velocity values of notes previously recorded.

Gate

Gate is essentially the duration of the note at a step. The Gate value is a number from 1 to 16, and the number represents the time – in the number of steps - for which the notes at the step will sound.

Gate values are assigned to each note as you play the performance pads; Circuit quantizes

them to the nearest whole number of steps. A short stab at a performance pad will likely result

in a Gate value of 1; if you hold a pad down for longer, the Gate value will be higher. A Gate

value of 16 means that notes at that step will sound continuously for the entire pattern.

Although Gate values are assigned to individual notes as the synth is played, editing the Gate value causes all the notes at a step to assume the same value: i.e., all notes at a step will then sound for the same duration.

Circuit lets you change the Gate value of a step after you’ve created a pattern. This is done in

Gate View, which is selected by pressing Gate

One step pad blinks

blue/white; this is

the step whose Gate

value is displayed

These two steps have

synth notes

associated with them

This indicates a Gate value of 2

1234 56

910111213141

Gate value display

Pattern step display

In Gate View, the two lower rows of the grid represent the pattern steps. In the 16-step example

shown above, Steps 1 and 4 are brightly lit, indicating that these steps have notes associated with them. One pad in the Pattern step display will ash alternate white/blue: this is the step

whose Gate value is being displayed.

The two upper rows of the grid make up a 16-segment “bargraph” meter; the number of pads

illuminated white is the Gate value for the selected step. In the example shown, the Gate value is 2: the remainder of the Gate value display is unlit.

English

You can change Gate value by pressing the pad in the Gate value display rows that

corresponds to the Gate value; that is, the number of pattern steps that the note(s) at the step should sound for. If you wanted the note(s) at Step 1 in the example above to sound for four steps instead of two, you would press pad 4; Pads 1 to 4 now illuminate white. If you want to

shorten a Gate value, press the pad corresponding to the required value. The rule is: press the pad corresponding to the actual number of steps that the note(s) should sound for.

You can also use Gate View to change Gate values while a pattern is playing. In this case, you

need to press and hold the pad for the step to have its Gate value changed; you can do this at

any point in the pattern. The held step pad will illuminate red, and the two upper rows of Gate View will “freeze” to display the Gate value of the selected step. Press the pad corresponding to the new value required. The pattern continues to play, so you can experiment with different Gate values in real time.

Pattern steps with no notes have a zero Gate value; all Gate pads in Gate View for such steps will be unlit. You can’t edit a step’s Gate Value if there are no notes assigned to that step.

Recording Knob Movements

You can tweak the synth sounds in real time using any of the eight Macro controls 3. Circuit features Dynamic Automation, which means you can add the effect of these tweaks to the recorded pattern by putting Circuit into Record Mode (by pressing Record 12) while moving the knobs.

When you have entered Record Mode, the LEDs below the Macro controls initially retain the colour and brightness they had previously, but as soon as you make an adjustment, the LED

turns red to conrm that you are now recording the knob movement.

In order for the knob movements to be replayed, you must drop out of Record Mode before the sequence loops right round, otherwise Circuit will overwrite the automation data with that corresponding to the new knob position. Provided you do this, you’ll hear the effect of the Macro control being replayed when the sequence next loops round, at the point in the pattern where you turned the control.

You can also record Macro control changes when the sequence isn’t playing; in Note View, press Record, select the step at which the change should occur by pressing and holding

the pad corresponding to the step; this will play the synth note(s) at that step. Then rotate the Macro controls; the new value will be written to the automation data, and press Record again.

When the sequence is running, you will hear the effect of the Macro knob movements at that step.

You can delete any Macro automation data you don’t want to keep by holding down Clear and moving the knob in question by at least 20% of its rotation – the LED below the knob will turn

red to conrm. But note this will clear the automation data for that Macro for the whole Pattern,

not just at the sequencer’s current step.

English

THE DRUMS

Circuit has four separate drum tracks, Drum 1 to Drum 4. The grid displays for the drum tracks differ from those for the synth tracks in that the drums data is presented in odd/even pairs, and also, all of the display shows the pattern steps, there being no pitch information to display as with the synths.

Playing Drums

The two pairs of drums operate identically apart from the RGB colour coding. Drum 1 and Drum 2 are displayed as a pair, in orange, while Drum 3 and Drum 4 are yellow. If you press either Drum 1 or Drum 2 8 in Note View, you’ll get the displays for both drum tracks, with Drum 1 being displayed on the two upper rows and Drum 2 on the two lower. Drums 3 and 4 operate in the same way.

Pads 1-16: Drum 1

Pads 17-32: Drum 2

PLAY

Pads 1-16: Drum 3

Pads 17-32: Drum 4

PLAY

In certain other views however, the whole 32-pad grid is devoted to one of the four drums.

In Note View, the 16 pads for each drum are the pattern steps. When you press any of Pads 1 to 16, you are assigning one hit of the drum sound currently selected for the drum track to

that pattern step. So, if you press Pad 4 in Note View for Drums 1/2 and press Play, you’ll hear the drum sound which is currently assigned to Drum 1 at step 4 of the pattern. Similarly, if

you press pads 17, 19, 21 and 23 in Note View for Drums 3/4, you’ll hear the drum sound that’s currently assigned to Drum 4 at steps 1, 3, 5 and 7 of the pattern.

Note that pads illuminate brightly once they’ve been pressed – this is to show you where the hits for each drum occur in the pattern. As with the Note View for the Synth tracks, the current step is indicated by one white pad, which moves through the 16-step pattern when you press

Play.

English

Expand View

You can enter a drum pattern “manually” on a dedicated set of four pads – one for each drum – by using Expand View. Hold down Shift 19 and press Note 6. This disables all the grid pads except 29-32, as shown:

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

1234 56

910111213141

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

Playing Pads for Drums 1-4

All drums active

The drum sound generated by each of the four playing pads is the one that is currently assigned. See “Selecting Patches” on page 27 for how to how change these.

You can play the drum pads in Expanded Note View freely in real time, or record them into a pattern if you press Record. Circuit will quantize the timing to make the drum hits t the 16-step pattern. You can also use Expanded Note View while a pre-existing pattern is playing, to record additional hits.

Selecting Patches

Each of the four drum tracks in your Circuit can use any one of 64 pre-loaded Patches (Presets).

To change the Patch for any of the drum tracks, hold down Shift 19 and press Drum 1, Drum 2, Drum 3 or Drum 4 5 as appropriate. This opens the Patch View Page 1 in the case of Drums 1 or 2, and Patch View Page 2 in the case of Drums 3 or 4.

Drum 1 or 2 and Oct J (or Drum 3 or 4 and Oct K) will illuminate white and each of the pads in the grid represent 32 drum Patches: Patches 1 to 32 for Drums 1 or 2 and Patches 33 to 64 for Drums 3 or 4. Whichever drum track you’re working on, press the non-illuminated Octave button to view the other page.

English

The grid pad corresponding to the currently selected Patch will be illuminated white and the others will be orange (Drums 1 and 2) or yellow (Drums 3 and 4). The default Drum Patches are summarised in the table below:

Drum Patch No. Page No. Patch

1 1 1 Default page for

Drums 1 & 2

Kick

2 17 1 Snare

3 33 2 Default page for

Drums 3 & 4

Hi-hat (closed)

4 37 2 Hi-hat (open)

To select a different Patch, press its pad. The selected drum track (1 to 4) will now adopt the

sound dened by the new Patch. You can change Patch while a pattern is running, though the

transition may not be absolutely smooth, depending on the point in the pattern when the pad is pressed. Changing the Patch of a saved pattern does not alter the Patch that was originally saved with the pattern, unless the session is re-saved.

Using the Macros for drum design

You can use the Macro controls

to tweak drum sounds in the same way as you can with

synth sounds. Unlike the synth Macros, the functions are xed for drums, but the actual sonic

nature of moving the knobs will vary greatly with the drum Patch being used. As with the synth sounds, we recommend that you load different drum sounds and experiment with the Macros to hear what they can do.

Because the drum tracks are arranged in pairs, the odd-numbered Macro controls affect the odd-numbered tracks (i.e., Drum 1 or Drum 3) and the even-numbered controls affect Drums 2 or 4.

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

Macro controls

Macros 1, 3, 5 & 7 affect Drums 1 and 3 Macros 2, 4, 6 & 8 affect Drums 2 and 4

English

The table below summarises the functions of each Macro control as applied to the drum tracks:

Macro Drums Function

1 1 or 3

Static pitch

2 2 or 4

3 1 or 3

Decay envelope time

4 2 or 4

5 1 or 3

Distortion

6 2 of 4

7 1 or 3

Filter

8 2 or 4

Recording a Drum Pattern

Creating a drum pattern is a slightly different procedure from creating a synth pattern. When you’re in Note View for any of the drum tracks, just hitting the performance pads establishes drum hits at those steps in the Pattern.

However, another difference from the synth tracks is that the Pattern must be running (press

Play) in order for you to hear the hits; you won’t hear anything in Note View if you hit the

pads with the Pattern stopped. (However, you can hear the hits in Velocity View – see “Velocity” on page 41.)

A 16-step drum Pattern is created simply by pressing Play and hitting some pads. (You can create longer sequences by chaining Patterns together, see “Chaining Patterns” on page 50.) You can switch between Drums 1 and 2 and Drums 3 and 4. It’s not a bad idea to establish a

basic drum Pattern using the default drum sounds (kick, snare and two different hi-hats); once

you think you’re getting somewhere with the groove, you can experiment with different drum sounds by going to Patch View and/or using the Macros.

The Pattern you make will constitute Pattern 1 (of 8) for the currently active Session. There

are eight Patterns for each of Circuit’s four tracks – two synths and two drums. Pattern 1 is the

default Pattern in all Sessions, and will be the one you record to and the one you’ll hear when

you hit Play.

English

Manual hit entry and step editing

Although you can’t hear the drum hits in Note View when the Pattern isn’t running (i.e., Circuit is not in Play mode), Circuit lets you add or delete individual drum hits to/from a Pattern, effectively “off-line”.

All the following details apply equally – and independently - to Drums 1 and 2, and Drums 3 and 4; press the Drum 1 (or Drum 2) or Drum 3 (or Drum 4) buttons to see the individual contributions of the four drum tracks to the overall pattern.

In Note View, the two pairs of grid pad rows (upper and lower) represent the 16-step pattern; all the pads are performance pads. When a pattern is played, you can see the two white pads – one for each visible drum track - moving through the 16 steps.

In both Stop and Play modes, you can see which steps have the hits in each drum track

because the pads for those steps are brightly lit.

You can alter the pattern manually in Stop mode. To add additional hits, simply press the (dimly lit) pad at the desired step. To delete a hit, press the bright pad at the step; its illumination will

dim.

Other drum hit alterations

You can also alter the Velocity of individual hits. This topic is covered in the next section.

Velocity

Drum hits entered in Note View will always have a xed velocity of 96 (12 pads lit in

Velocity View). Drum hits entered in Expand View (i.e., using the four tap pads) will have velocity

values determined by how hard the pads are struck.

Circuit lets you change the Velocity value of a step after you’ve created a pattern. This is done in Velocity View, which is selected by pressing Velocity 6. Velocity Views for the drums differ from those for the synths due to the pairing of the drum tracks.

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

1234 56

910111213141

Pattern step display

Velocity value display

One step pad blinks;

this is the step whose

Velocity value is

displayed

These four steps have

synth notes

associated with them

This indicates that

Step 12 has a

Velocity value of 5

English

In Velocity View, the two upper rows of the grid represent the 16-step pattern for Drum 1 or

Drum 3, while the two upper rows make up a 16-segment “bargraph” meter; the number of pads

illuminated “sand” (off white) represent the Velocity value for the selected step. If Drum 2 or Drum 4 is selected, the pairs of rows are reversed, with the velocity meter above the steps.

In the example shown on the previous page (which would be for Drum 1 or 3), Steps 4, 12 and

16 are brightly lit, indicating that these steps have notes associated with them. One pad in the

Pattern step display will ash alternate white/orange: this is the step whose Velocity value is being displayed. The Velocity value for this step is 40; the rst ve pads of Row 3 are lit sand

(because 5 x 8 = 40), the remainder of the Velocity value display is unlit. If the Velocity value is not a multiple of 8, the “last” pad in the Velocity display will be dimly lit. Note also that you hear the drum hit at the step when you press the step pad.

You can change Velocity value by pressing the pad in the Velocity value display rows that

corresponds to the Velocity value. If you wanted the hit at Step 12 in the example above to have a Velocity value of 96 instead of 40, you would press pad 12; Pads 1 to 12 now illuminate sand.

If you want to decrease a Velocity value, press the pad corresponding to the required value.

You can also use Velocity View to change Velocity values while a pattern is playing. In this case,

you need to press and hold the pad for the step to have its Velocity value changed; you can do

this at any point in the pattern. The held step pad will illuminate red, and the other two rows will “freeze” to display the Velocity value of the selected step. Press the pad corresponding to the new value required. The pattern continues to play, so you can experiment with different Velocity values in real time.

Velocity View can also be used to enter drum hits. Hold down the pad

corresponding to the step where a hit is to be added, and press a pad on the

two upper rows; the pad denes the velocity of that note. This is great for

adding a series of “ghost” hits at low volume.

Fixed Velocity

If you’re entering hits on the four performance pads in Expand View, you may prefer to disable

Velocity; then the hits comprising your drum pattern will all be at the same volume. Circuit has a

Fixed Velocity function, which sets Velocity at value of 96 (pad display12).

Fixed Velocity is enabled by pressing Velocity 6 while holding down Shift 19. Fixed Velocity

is conrmed by the Velocity button illuminating white while Shift is held down.

You will now nd that all the drum hits you enter have a Velocity value of 96 (pad display 12).

You can still change this to another value if you want by following the procedure described above.

English

Recording Knob Movements

As with synth sounds, you can tweak drum sounds in real time using the eight Macro controls 3. Circuit features Dynamic Automation, which means you can add the effect of these tweaks to the recorded pattern by putting Circuit into Record Mode (by pressing Record 12) while moving the knobs.

When you have entered Record Mode, the LEDs below the Macro controls initially retain the colour and brightness they had previously, but as soon as you make an adjustment, the LED

turns red to conrm that you are now recording the knob movement.

You can also add Macro automation to specic drum hits while the sequencer is not running (i.e., with Circuit in Stop Mode). Because Note View for the drum tracks doesn’t include a

separate display of the step pattern as it does with the synth tracks, you will need to select

Velocity View by pressing Velocit y

. Press the Record button 12 (it will illuminate

bright red) and select the drum hit that you want to alter the sound of. You’ll hear the currently assigned drum sound and the pad will alternately blink the track colour (orange or green) and

red. Move the Macro control(s) for the drum track you’re working on as required; the Macro LED

will change from the track colour to red. You can keep playing the drum hit by pressing its pad repeatedly while doing this. When you’re happy, exit Record Mode.

Because the drum sounds are always affected by the Macro control settings, you will now

nd that all the drum hits on the track (assuming there are more than one) have assumed the

revised sound. If you only want a single hit to have the revised sound, repeat the process described above, but this time select one of the other steps with a hit, and reset the Macro

controls to give you the original sound back. Exit Record Mode. You will now nd that only the hit you altered the sound of the rst time is different; all the other hits will assume the Macro’s

new setting when you run the sequence.

You can delete any Macro automation data you don’t want to keep by holding down Clear and moving the knob in question by at least 20% of its rotation – the LED below the knob will turn

red to conrm. But note this will clear the automation data for that Macro for the whole Pattern,

not just at the sequencer’s current step.

English

Clear and Duplicate

The Clear and Duplicate buttons perform the same functions with drum tracks as they do with synth notes (see “Clear and Duplicate” on page 32), although as altering a drum pattern is such a simple process to perform in Note View, you probably won’t ever use them to simply add or remove drum hits.

However, there is one important point to note – using Clear and Duplicate will also remove or copy any automation data (Macro knob movements) associated with the step. If you use the

Duplicate function to copy a drum hit from one step to another any modication to the drum sound effected by the automation will be copied to the new step. Similarly, if you just delete a

drum hit from a step, any automation data for that step remains in place and will affect a new drum hit recorded at that step. Using the Clear function deletes the automation data as well, so that a drum hit added subsequently will have the “native” sound.

English

PATTERNS

Each Session in Circuit has memory space for eight separate Patterns per track, so you can create eight Synth 1 Patterns, eight Synth 2 Patterns, eight Drum 1+2 Patterns and eight Drum 3+4 Patterns within a Session.

The true potential of Circuit begins to be realised when you start to create interesting variations of a pattern, save them, and then chain them together to be played out as complete sequences of up to 128 (8 x 16) steps. Furthermore, not all the Patterns for each track need to be chained in the same way: you could have 32-step drum patterns for each pair of drum tracks combined with a longer sequence of bass and/or synth lines, for example. There is no restriction on how you combine the patterns from different tracks (though there is a restriction on how the Patterns for individual tracks are chained; this is explained in “Chaining Patterns” on page 50).

Patterns View

To see how your Patterns are arranged and currently selected, you use Patterns View, accessed by pressing Patterns 9. The rst time you open Patterns View in a new Session, it will probably look like this:

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

1212 12

3434 34

5656 56

7878 78

Pads #1 pulsing dim/bright

The grid is divided vertically into 8 (2 x 4) pads per track. As with most of Circuit’s other views, the drum tracks are pairs of drums: each of the Pattern memories for Drum 1/Drum 2 can contain an 16-step pattern made up of hits recorded on BOTH Drum 1 and Drum 2.

The Pattern memories for each track are numbered 1 to 8 as shown. How each pad is lit indicates its status. A dim pad means that the Pattern is not currently selected. One pad per track will be pulsing slowly between dim and bright: this is the Pattern that was playing when

Play was last stopped. Initially (i.e., when a new Session is started), Pattern 1 in each track will

be in this state with all the other memories empty (and the pads consequently dimly lit).

To select a different Pattern for any track, simply press its pad. You can do this in Stop or Play Modes; an important feature of the pattern sequencing is that if you select a Pattern while

English

another is already playing, the rst will play to the end of the Pattern before the new Pattern

starts playing. This gives you a smooth transition between patterns. In this case, the pad for the

newly selected track will ash quickly while it is being “queued”, until it starts to play.

The currently selected Pattern is the one used in both Play and Record Modes: this makes operation very simple and transparent. The current contents of the selected Pattern (if any) will play when you press Play, and if you add extra hits (on a drum track) or notes (on a Synth track, but you have to press the Record button as well in this case), they will be saved in the same Pattern.

Every time you press Play, the Pattern restarts from Step 1. You can restart the Pattern from the point at which the sequencer was stopped by pressing Shift and Play together.

Clearing Patterns

Pattern memories may be cleared in Patterns View by holding down Clear 16 and pressing the pad for the Pattern to be cleared. Both Clear and the pad itself will light bright red while you

press them to conrm deletion.

Duplicating Patterns

In Patterns View, the Duplicate button 17 can be used to perform a simple copy-and-paste function, letting you copy a Pattern from one memory to another. This is a very useful function, as it lets you use an existing 16-step pattern as the basis for another, slightly different one: it is often easier to modify an existing Pattern to be how you want it than create a new one from scratch.

To copy a Pattern, hold down Duplicate (it lights bright green), press the pad with the Pattern you want to copy (it lights green while you press it), and then press the pad corresponding to the memory that should contain the copy (it will light red). You now have a duplicate of

the Pattern in the rst memory in the second. If you want to copy the Pattern data to several

memories, you can continue to hold the Duplicate button down, and simply repeat the “paste” part of the operation to the other steps.

IMPORTANT

You can copy a Pattern from one Synth track to the other, and a Pattern from one Drum

Pair track to the other, but you cannot copy data from a Synth track to a Drum Pair track, or vice-versa.

English

Nudge

Circuit’s Nudge function is all about per-track timing adjustments. It lets you move the notes of a synth track or hits of a drum track backwards or forwards in time, in one-step increments,

relative to the other tracks making up the Session. It’s useful to correct notes or hits that you

didn’t manage to enter exactly on time, and can also be used creatively to move synth or drum phrases against the rest of the Pattern by any number of steps you wish.

To make these timing adjustments, you use Nudge View, entered by pressing Nudge 7.

Nudge Views for synth and drum tracks are slightly different because of the pairing of drum

tracks; this is the same principle that you’ve already seen in Velocity View. The Nudge Views for both synth tracks and also for Drums 2 and 4 place the step pattern display on the two lower rows of the grid, while the Nudge Views for Drums 1 and 3 place the step pattern display on the two upper rows of the grid.

One step pad

blinks

blue/white when

Pattern is stopped

The darker blue pads have notes

associated with

them

Nudge back

one step

Nudge pads

Nudge

forward

one step

Pattern step display

Nudge view for Synths

The two darker pads

have drum beats

associated with them

Nudge back

one step

Nudge pads

Nudge

forward

one step

Pattern step display

Nudge view for Drum 1

In either case, two pads are lit dimly blue; the left pad retards the selected pattern by one step

each time it is pressed, the right pad advances it. The Nudge pads light white as they are pressed.

English

The grids below (Synths used as the example) show the effect of retarding and advancing a

Pattern by one step using Nudge:

Original Pattern

Pattern nudged back one beat

Pattern nudged forward one beat

Length

The number of drum steps (on the four drum tracks) in a Pattern is always 16, but the Patterns on the synth tracks can have any number of steps between 1 and 16. The default number of steps in the synth Patterns is 16, however. This, for example, lets you set an 8-step or 12-step synth or bass phrase against the 16-step drum Patterns, which can add some interesting and

unusual timing variations to your Session.

To reduce the synth pattern length from 16, press Length 7 to enter Length View. Because

Length is only applicable to the synth tracks, you can only select this View if Synth 1 or Synth 2 is selected; the Length button is disabled when a drum track is selected. As with most of Circuit’s other modication views, you can use Length View either with the pattern running or

stopped.

Length View is similar in principle to Gate View (see “Gate” on page 35). The two lower rows

display the step pattern, while the two upper rows indicate the length of the synth pattern in steps – initially all 16 pads will be lit sand because the default pattern length is 16.

In the step pattern display, pads will be brightly illuminated if there are synth notes at that step,

and dim if not. One pad will ash blue/white to indicate the current position of the pattern cursor

English

To reduce the synth pattern length to, say, 12 steps, press pad 12; the LEDs in pads 13 to 16

will go out. In the lower two rows, the last four pads will also change their indication: if any of

Steps 13 to 16 have notes assigned to them, the relevant pads will glow dim red. If there are no

notes assigned to them, the pads will go dark.

Pattern step display

1234 5678

910111213141516

The five darker pads

have notes

associated with them

The white pads

indicates a synth

pattern of 12 steps

This red step had a note associated

with it before the pattern was

shortened to 12 steps

Steps 13 to 16 are

now disabled

Pattern length display

One step pad blinks

blue/white; this is the

step whose Gate value

is displayed

When this pattern plays it will now only be 12 steps long; any notes that were associated with Steps 13 to 16 will not be played, and the pattern will restart at Step 1 after Step 12. The drum

tracks will continue to play the 16-step pattern that has been assigned to them, so the effect will be that step 1 of the synth pattern will occur at a different point relative to the drum track on three successive drum patterns, as illustrated below:

444036

282420

128

Drums

Synth

Synth pattern (12 steps) Synth pattern (12 steps)

Drum pattern (16 steps)Drum pattern (16 steps)

Synth pattern (12 steps)

Drum pattern (16 steps)

Synth pattern (12 steps)

Pattern repeats after 48 steps

Thus the pattern will repeat in full every 48 steps, because 3 x 16 = 48 and 4 x 12 = 48; you’ll

hear four repetitions of the 12-step synth pattern for every three repetitions of the 16-step drum pattern. This is a simple example, and obviously if you enter other lengths – particularly

odd numbers! – you’ll nd patterns that take a long time before they repeat. And it gets more

interesting still when your patterns are part of a chained sequence.

English

Combining Nudge and Length adjustments

Nudge and Length make separate adjustments to the pattern, and may be used independently. However, the effect of Nudge on shortened Pattern lengths differs from its effect on the Pattern’s original length.

Nudge only shifts “active” steps in the Pattern. Thus if a Pattern of 16 steps is shortened to,

say, 12 steps, the data for Steps 13 to 16 – which continues to exist, but is rendered temporarily

inactive by the reduced Length - is not shifted.

Remember that when using Nudge with Patterns of less than 16 steps, the effect of Nudge is

restricted to the Pattern length. Steps outside the Pattern length will be unchanged.

Chaining Patterns

Once you’ve created several Patterns for one or more tracks, you can start to chain them together to make a longer sequence. You do this on a per-track basis: to chain four Patterns together on a track, press and hold the pad for the lowest-numbered Pattern required and then press the pad for the highest-numbered Pattern required. For example, if you want to chain the Patterns in memories 3 to 6 together on a particular track, hold Pad 3 down and then press Pad

6. You’ll see that all four pads now illuminate brightly in the track colour, to conrm that they are

all now part of the chained sequence.

What’s important to remember is that the Patterns you chain together must be contiguous, that is, numerically consecutive. You can chain Patterns 1, 2, 3 and 4 together, or 5, 6 and 7 together, or 4 and 5 together, but you can’t chain 1,2 and 6 together.

The following example will illustrate these points.

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

1212 12

3434 34

5656 56

7878 78

Pads with stars are pulsing dim/bright

The Pattern View example above shows a possible arrangement of Patterns for a 4-pattern (64-

step) sequence. We are using four Synth 1 Patterns (Pads 1 to 4), one Synth 2 Pattern (Pad 1),

two Drum 1+2 Patterns (Pads 2 and 3) and two Drum 3+4 Patterns (Pads 1 and 2).

English

When you press Play, each track will loop round its own chain of Patterns. The longest chain

is Synth 1 – this denes the overall length of the sequence, in this case, 64 steps. Synth 1 will play Patterns 1 to 4 in order, and then loop back to Pattern 1 and start again. Synth 2 only has

one Pattern, so this will repeat four times in the 4-pattern sequence. Both drum pairs have two Patterns in the sequence, a total of 32 steps each, so they will play twice. What you hear is illustrated in the timeline below:

444036

282420

128 52 56 60

640

Drum 3+4

Drum 1+2

Synth 2

Synth 1

Pattern 1 Pattern 2

Pattern 1

Pattern 2

Pattern 1Pattern 1Pattern 1

Pattern 1

Pattern 2

Pattern 1

Pattern 2 Pattern 2

Pattern 3

Pattern 3Pattern 3

Pattern 4

LOOPS BACK AFTER 64 STEPS

The above example illustrates the basic points involved in chaining Patterns together to make a longer sequence. Creating longer, more complex and more interesting sequences is merely an extension of these principles. Circuit allows sequences of up to 128 steps, with each of the four tracks changing pattern every 16 steps.

Every time you press Play, the Pattern restarts from the beginning of the rst Pattern in the chain. You can restart the Pattern from the point at which the sequencer was stopped by pressing Shift and Play together.

Pattern Octave

You can shift the pitch of an entire synth Pattern up or down one or more octaves by holding down Shift 19 and then pressing Oct J or Oct K 13. You can do this either while the Pattern is playing, or in Stop Mode. For Pattern Octave to work, you must be in a Synth View, i.e., any of the STEP or PATTERN Views (but not when in Patterns View). Only the pitch of the currently selected synth is adjusted, that of the other will remain unaffected.

If the synth pattern contains notes which are already in the highest octave that Circuit can

generate, they will remain unaffected by an upward Pattern Octave shift; the same applies to

the lowest notes and a downward octave shift. If this is the case, the Oct button will light red to indicate that the command cannot be executed.

English

TEMPO AND SWING

Tempo and Swing are closely related and the methods of adjusting them are very similar.

Temp o

Circuit will operate at any tempo in the range 40 to 240 BPM; the default tempo is 120 BPM.

The tempo can be set by the internal tempo clock, or, if you are working with other MIDI devices

or a DAW, by an external MIDI clock source. External MIDI clock can be applied either via USB

or the MIDI IN break-out cable.

To display and adjust the BPM of the internal tempo clock, press the Te mpo button 14 (like most of Circuit’s buttons, you can press and hold to view momentarily, or make a short press to retain the tempo display).

The BPM is displayed on the pad grid as two or three large digits in blue and white. The “hundreds” digit (which can only ever be a “1”, “2” or off) occupies grid columns 1 and 2, while the “tens” and “units” digits occupy three columns each, How the digits 0 to 9 are depicted is illustrated below.

Macro control 1 is used to adjust the tempo; its LED illuminates bright blue.

External clock

No switching is required to allow Circuit to be slaved to a source of external MIDI clock (subject to clock settings - see Appendix). If a valid clock signal is applied, it will automatically be

selected as the clock source, and the grid will display the work “SYN” in red and white. Macro 1

is disabled and its LED goes out.

While the internal tempo clock only allows discrete numbers of BPM (i.e., no fractional tempo values), Circuit will synchronise to any external clock rates – including fractional values - in the range 30 to 300 BPM.

If an external clock is removed (or goes out of range), Circuit will stop playing. The “SYN”

display will remain visible until Play button is pressed (i.e., cancelled). The display will then

show the BPM value that was saved with the Session and Macro 1 will be re-enabled and can

now be used to adjust the tempo.

English

Tap Tempo

If you want to match Circuit’s tempo to another piece of music and you don’t know its BPM, you can use Tap Tempo. Hold down Shift 19 and tap the Te m p o button 14 in time with the track you’re listening to. You need at least three taps for Circuit to change its tempo setting to your

manual input, and will then calculate the BPM by averaging the last ve taps.

You can use Tap Tempo at any time, but if you’re in Tempo View, you’ll see the BPM display update itself to the tap tempo.

Swing

By default, all steps in a pattern are equally spaced in time. At tempo of 120 BPM, a 16-step pattern will repeat every 2 seconds, making the steps one-eighth of a second apart. Altering the

Swing parameter from its default value of 50% (the range is 20% to 80%) alters the timing oddnumbered steps (the off-beats); a lower swing value shortens the time between an odd beat and the previous even beat, a higher Swing value has the opposite effect.

1 1623 151413121110987654

Swing = 50%

11623 151413121110987654

Swing = 25%

1 1623 151413121110987654

Swing = 75%

Odd beats are advance

Odd beats are delayed

Swing can be used to add an extra “groove” to your pattern. Note that as it is the odd steps that

are “swung”, these can be interpreted as 1/16-notes (semiquavers).

English

MIXER

Circuit includes a six-channel mixer to let you adjust the volume of each track (i.e., instrument) relative to each other. By default, all the tracks are played at a volume level of 100 (range 0 - 127), leaving you with the Master Volume control 4 to adjust the speaker volume and output level as required.

Press Mixer 10 to open Mixer View.

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

1212 12

3434 34

5656 56

7878 78

Macro controls

The six illuminated pads are effectively Mute buttons for each track. Press a pad to mute the

track; the pad’s illumination dims. Pressing a Mute button stops the sequencer triggering notes

in the synth.

The level of each track is adjusted by the Macro control vertically in line with the grid column. The encoder LEDs are illuminated with the track’s colour-coding, and dim as the track level is reduced.

Track Pad

(Mute)

Macro

(Level)

Synth 1 1 1

Synth 2 3 3

Drum 1 5 5

Drum 2 6 6

Drum 3 7 7

Drum 4 8 8

Macros 2 and 4 and all other grid pads are disabled in Mixer View.

Track levels in Mixer View are automated. If Circuit is in Record Mode, adjustments of the individual track levels will be recorded to the Pattern.

English

FX SECTION

Circuit includes a digital effects processor (FX) which lets you add delay and/or reverb effects

to any or all of the tracks making up your Session. Sixteen delay and eight reverb presets are

provided, and you can select any one of each type. The send level from each instrument - how much reverb and/or delay there is on each track – is individually adjustable using the Macro controls.

Press FX 11 to open FX View.

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

Macro controls

Each of the “peach” pads on Rows 1 and 2 calls up a delay preset, and similarly, the “pear” pads on Row 3 enable reverb presets. By far the best way to evaluate the various effects is to listen to them, most effectively on a single repeating hit like a snare drum. As a general rule though, the reverb presets are arranged with increasing reverberation time from Pad 17 to Pad 24, and the delay presets with increasing in basic delay time from Pad 1 to Pad 16. All the delay presets feature feedback for multiple echoes, and some include some interesting pitch shift and stereo pan effects as well.

To add reverb to one or more of your tracks, select a reverb preset. The pad corresponding to the active preset illuminates brightly. Macros 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are now the reverb send level controls for the six tracks: this is exactly the same arrangement as used in Mixer View (see table at page 54). The LEDs under the six macros are now dimly lit pear; as you increase a send level you will hear reverb being added to the track it controls and the LED will increase in brightness.

English

You can add the selected reverb effect to any or all of your tracks to different degrees by using the other Macro controls. It is not possible to use different reverb presets on different tracks, however.

Adding a delay effect is exactly the same process: select an effect from the rst and second rows of pads. The same six Macros are now delay send level controls; you’ll see that their LEDs are now showing peach to conrm their reassignment to delay effects.

Although the same Macros are used as reverb send levels and delay send levels, the two effects remain independent: the Macros adopt one function or the other according to whether the last FX pad pressed was a reverb preset or a delay preset.

The FX send levels are automated in the same manner as the Macro control “tweak” functions;

you can deliberately increase or reduce an effect during a sequence and if Circuit is in Record Mode, the changes will become part of the sequence. The Clear button 16 can be used to delete automation data for the FX send control: press Clear and turn the send control for which

you no longer require automation; the LED turns red to conrm the action.

See also “Recording Knob Movements” on page 36.

English

SIDECHAINS

Each of Circuit’s two synths has a Sidechain feature. This works in the same manner as

common dynamics processors such as compressors, and can be used to alter the “envelope” of synth notes in time with the main beat – the “key” source for both sidechains is always Drum 1.

The Sidechain feature allows the hits of Drum 1 to duck the audio level of the synths. Using

synth presets which produce sustained notes, or using shorter sounds with long Gate times, you can make the kick drum “pump” the synth sounds to produce some interesting and unusual effects.

Seven Sidechain presets are available in Circuit, each allowing Drum 1 to modify the sound of Synths 1 and 2 in subtly different ways. The default state is for Sidechain to be OFF on both

synths.

To open Sidechain View, press Sidechain 5 for either Synth 1 or Synths 2. For Synth 1, the

Sidechain View looks like this:

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

Sidechain View for Synth 2 is identical.

The lower three pad rows are disabled. The top row of pads corresponds to the seven

Sidechain Presets (Pads 2 to 7); Pad 1 is ‘the OFF button’ – this disables sidechain processing for the selected synth. Pad 1 is illuminated bright red when the Sidechain is OFF; press any other pad in the row to enable one of the Sidechain Presets, and Pad 1 becomes dim and the

selected Pad shows bright white.

As with many of Circuit’s other features, by far the best way of understanding sidechain processing is to experiment and listen. A good starting point is to set a single synth note to have a Gate value of 16 so that it sounds continuously, and make Drum 1 play a few kick drum

beats. As you select different Sidechain Presets, you’ll hear the different ways in which the continuous synth note is “interrupted” by the drum. The same Sidechain Preset may have a

English

markedly different effect when used with different synth patches, so it is worth experimenting with various synth sounds as well. Above all, because sidechain processing is modifying time parameters, the effect will be more or less interesting depending on the relative timings of the synth patterns and Drum 1.

The “key” source for the sidechains is derived pre-fade; this means that if you turn the level of

Drum 1 right down in Mixer View, any sidechain processing enabled will continue to function operate even though you can’t hear the drum any more. This is a feature which can be used quite creatively!

Note that the Macro controls still function as “tweak” controls for the selected Synth in

Sidechain View.

THE FILTER KNOB

The entire audio output of Circuit – the sum of the sounds from all six tracks – is fed through a traditional analogue-style lter section. The control for this is the large Filter knob 2. The Filter knob on most synthesisers is one of the key performance controls and can be used to radically change the overall sound: Filter on Circuit works in a similar way.

The Filter encompasses both low-pass and high-pass types. A high-pass lter removes low frequencies (bass) from the output and a low-pass lter removes high frequencies (treble). Circuit’s Filter knob controls a low-pass lter when you turn it anticlockwise from the centre position and a high-pass lter when you turn it clockwise from the centre position. Note that the control has a detent in the centre – in this position, no ltering takes place and the LED below

the knob is dimly lit blue. As you turn the knob clockwise, you’ll hear the kick drums and lower

notes disappear leaving you with a much thinner sound; in the opposite direction, the high notes disappear rst, leaving you with a mufed sound. The LED changes to white when either lter type is active, with the brightness increasing as the control is turned.

English

SESSION SWITCHING

A basic overview of loading and saving Sessions can be found at page 18. This chapter looks at some additional aspects surrounding the use of Sessions.

There are some rules governing how Circuit responds when you change from one Session to another. If you’re in Stop Mode (i.e., with the sequencer not running) and change Session in

Sessions View, when you press the Play button, the new Session will always begin from Step

1 of the Pattern; if the Session comprises chained Patterns, it will begin at Step 1 of the rst

Pattern. This will be the case regardless of which step the sequencer was at when the previous

Session was stopped. The tempo of the new Session will replace that of the previous one.

There are two options of changing Sessions while in Play Mode:

1. If you simply select a new Session by pressing its pad, the current Pattern will play through to its last step (note – only the current Pattern, not a complete chain of Patterns),

and the pad for the new Session will ash white to indicate that the next Session is being “queued”. The new Session will then begin playing from Step 1 of its Pattern, or Step 1 of the rst Pattern in a chain if the Session comprises a chain.

2. If you hold down Shift while selecting a new Session, the current Pattern will stop playing and switch instantly to the new Session. The new Session will play from the same step in the Pattern chain that the previous Session had reached. This obviously gets complicated (and often musically interesting!) when the two Sessions either contain Patterns of

different lengths, or different numbers of Patterns making up a Pattern chain. As we have mentioned elsewhere in this User Guide, experimentation is often the best way of understanding how Circuit deals with this.

Clearing Sessions

Clear 16 may be used in Sessions View to delete unwanted Sessions. Press and hold Clear;

it illuminates bright red and all the grid pads extinguish except that for the currently selected

Session, which shows bright white. Press this pad to delete the Session; the pad ashes rapidly

for a second or so.

Note that this procedure makes it only possible to delete the currently selected Session; this provides a safeguard against deleting the wrong Session. Always check that a Session pad contains the Session you want to delete by playing it before you hit Clear.

It is not possible to delete a Session if Save is disabled (the state that Circuit is shipped in from the factory). See page 18 for details of how to enable Save.

English

APPENDIX

Firmware Updates

Updating Circuit’s rmware is very simple. Novation is constantly rening the operating systems

for all its current products, so do make a point of checking the download website from time to time for any Circuit updates.

Firmware updates can be found at www.novationmusic.com/downloads. Select Circuit from the Find support for: dropdown list. If an update is available, connect Circuit to your

computer with the USB cable supplied, connect the AC power adaptor and turn Circuit on. (Updating rmware while powering Circuit from batteries is not recommended.)

Click on the downloadable le, and as the new rmware downloads directly into your Circuit,

you will see pairs of green pads moving from left to right while a pattern of red pads rotates around them. Circuit will automatically enter its normal operating state when the download is complete.

Bootloader Mode

In the unlikely event of a problem with your Circuit, it may become necessary to enable Bootloader Mode. This is strictly an “engineering mode”, and all normal unit functions become inoperative. You should not use Bootloader Mode without instructions to do so from Novation’s

Technical Support team.

Bootloader Mode lets you check the version numbers of the currently installed rmware, and also to update rmware (and factory Patches) should the Firmware Update procedure described

above not work correctly for any reason.

To enter Bootloader Mode:

1. Turn Circuit off

2. Hold down the Scales 8, Note 6 and Velocity 6 buttons

3. Power Circuit on again

Circuit will now be in Bootloader Mode, and the grid display will look something like this:

Synth 1 Drum 1 Drum 2 Drum 3 Drum 4Synth 2Sidechain Sidechain

English

Synth 1, (Synth 1) Sidechain and Synth 2 are lit; selecting each of these generates a pattern of illuminated pads; the pattern represents the version numbers of the three rmware elements in binary form. You may need to describe these patterns to Novation’s Technical Support Team

in the event of a problem.

Bootloader Mode is most easily exited by simply pressing the Play button. Circuit will then reboot into the normal operating state.

MIDI I/O

Circuit is able to send and receive MIDI data both via the USB port 3 and the dedicated MIDI

IN and MIDI OUT sockets 2. Use the 3.5 mm TRS jack-to-5-pin DIN breakout cables supplied to use standard MIDI cables to connect the latter to other MIDI equipment.

When it is shipped from the factory, both MIDI Rx and MIDI Tx are ON.

To enable/disable MIDI transmission (Tx) and/or reception (Rx), Circuit must be placed in a special Setup View. This is accessed by holding down Shift 19 while powering Circuit on. (Remember to save any unsaved work before powering Circuit off!)

The display will look like this:

MIDI RX

On/Off

MIDI TX

On/Off

AUTO Sync

Internal

Clock

The rst two pads in the bottom row control MIDI Rx and MIDI Tx respectively. A red illumination means that Tx or Rx is OFF; a green illumination that Tx or Rx is ON.

Note that the MIDI Tx/Rx settings have no effect on how Circuit uses MIDI clock. Clock settings are described on the following page.

English

Clock settings

The method of selecting internal or external tempo clock is very similar to the above MIDI I/O on/off selection.

The two right-hand pads in the bottom row select AUTO mode (left) or the internal clock (right).

The two pads act as a “toggle pair”: that is, selecting one deselects the other. One pad will be lit bright blue (selected), the other dim blue (not selected). When shipped from the factory, Clock mode is set to AUTO, so the left-hand pad will be brightly lit.

When INT is selected, Circuit’s BPM is dened only by its internal tempo clock. Any external

clock will be ignored. When AUTO is selected, the BPM will be set by an externally applied

MIDI clock at either the MIDI IN or the USB ports if a valid one is applied; if this is not the case,

Circuit will automatically switch to its internal clock.

Novation Circuit User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual