New Gear Review: Circuit Rhythm by Novation

The slimmed down Circuit Rhythm manages to stand out in a crowded category of pad-based samplers.

In 2015, the first version of the Novation Circuit arrived into a crowded groovebox marketplace.

It was a four-part drum machine paired with two six-note synth voices that drew from the Novation synth heritage and a unique approach to sequencing that went beyond the normal sixteen note step sequencer.

With a surprising blend of form and function, it managed to distinguish itself from devices made by Roland, Korg, and Elektron.

That machine continued to be refined and reformed well after its release with new firmware revisions that greatly broadened its functionality and its appeal.

Recently, Novation updated the Circuit with not one but two new models–the Circuit Tracks and Circuit Rhythm. Circuit Tracks continues the synth and drum machine setup, whereas the Circuit Rhythm, which we are reviewing here, is purely sample-based. Let’s dive in.

Features

The hardware itself has been slimmed down from the original Circuit, partially due to the loss of the built-in speaker, which we aren’t bemoaning. The Circuit Rhythm is light yet feels able to withstand some road abuse, a tough tightrope to walk.

The unit has a rechargeable lithium battery, which is said to last up to four hours between charges. It’s possible to play the Circuit Rhythm with it sitting in your lap, as its small size and light weight doesn’t get burdensome on your lap.

The rear of the unit is where all of the connections are found, as you’d expect. Outputs and inputs are both on stereo ¼” jacks. There’s also an 1/8″ headphone output. Unlike the Circuit Tracks, it is possible to sample directly onto the Circuit Rhythm–more on that later.

Power is drawn from the built-in battery or the USB-C port on the rear, which is also used to connect to Novation’s Components software. Furthermore, there’s a microSD slot for storing Packs, which is what Novation calls full collections of data that can be loaded at once onto the Circuit Rhythm. These include all of the samples and patterns as well as the chosen Grid FX for your patterns.

The Circuit Rhythm features full size MIDI in, out, and thru jacks. Novation is one of the few companies that continue to include thru jacks on their grooveboxes, which is much appreciated. Handily, there’s also an analog sync out jack for connecting to Korg Volcas and other analog gear.

The main workflow source is the row of 4 x 8 pads, which are smaller and firmer than MPC pads but still offer a lot of velocity sensitivity and playability. This grid is surrounded by an array of function buttons that change the various modes of the pads.

While it seems a bit complicated at first given the lack of screen, after using the Circuit Rhythm for a few minutes, it all falls into place and you’re quickly off and running. I was surprised at how easy it was to fall into the Circuit workflow given my lack of experience with the product line, but I was making beats within minutes.

There are eight rubbery, endless encoders that have just the right amount of resistance. These control different sample parameters and show that the Circuit Rhythm has much more hands-on control in regards to samples than the Circuit Tracks.

Available to tweak in real time are Sample Tune, start and length, Slope (an amp envelope control), distortion, and HP and LP filters with resonance. You can only control one track at a time with these knobs.

There’s a master volume knob on the top left of the faceplate and a master filter knob that is always active to the far right of the knobs. Conveniently, the filter knob is notched in the center, so it’s always easy to get it back to neutral, even without visual feedback. There’s a global reverb and delay available as send effects as well, though neither is very tweakable.

In Use

At its core, Novation’s Circuit Rhythm is an eight track sampler. Patterns are 16 or 32 steps in length by default, though patterns can be chained up to 8 in length. Start and end points can also be changed on the fly. This allows for some very fun real-time control. You can change the play order of a pattern from forward to reverse, ping-pong, and random. This really extends the possibilities.

Each pattern can have its own sync rate, which is really what Novation calls multiples of the BPM. An alluring characteristic of the Circuit workflow is that each track has up to eight patterns available at once. It feels closer to the clip view from Ableton Live than it does similar grooveboxes and it makes jamming on the Novation Circuit Rhythm a time-sucking experience, in the best possible way.

One of the most interesting features of Circuit Rhythm is that each track contains its own patterns and you can combine different patterns in different tracks at will, almost like a mini clip view.

Patterns can also be chained, so this creates a lot of fun variation for combining sequences. It’s possible to store any combination of playing patterns of all eight tracks as a scene, which can be stored and recalled when in the mixer view. Scenes can also be chained, effectively acting as a built-in, stored song mode.

Novation have definitely made using the Circuit Rhythm a user-focused experience. For example, holding shift while turning the tune knob adjusts the chosen sample tune in semitone steps as opposed to a wider resolution.

There are also modern sequencer functionalities baked into the Circuit Rhythm if you need it–6 micro steps per step greatly increases rhythmic possibilities and allows for ratchet programming. Furthermore, probability can be applied to any individual step, which is quite nice within a machine at this price point. There are eight probability values to choose from and these can be applied per step.

There is also a Drum Pads view, which puts all eight samples loaded into the tracks on a 4 x 2 grid with additional controls for note repeat-like playing, complete with a latch control. You can even reverse the layout if you are left-handed–customization indeed!

As mentioned, sampling is possible directly into the Circuit Rhythm, either of the inputs or resampling of internal audio, which is new. There’s an available threshold control to ease in trimming sample start points as well.

The Grid FX does a lot of heavy lifting, as these momentary effects are applied to the master output. These can add a lot of performance value to your patterns, much like the performance effects on Teenage Engineering’s OP-Z. There are nine to choose from and they all sound great. You’ll be happy to know that you can customize these effects, both the settings and where they reside, using the Components software.

There are 64 project slots total on the machine, all of which can be stored on a microSD card. The aforementioned Novation Components allows for managing packs, which is what Novation calls sample sets. Components exists either as a web-based editor or a standalone application and can be used to manage beat FX and backup packs from your Circuit Rhythm.

There’s even more to discuss: there’s a mutate feature that keeps the note values but changes rhythmic placement, a built-in compressor, the ability to re-sample internal audio, and sample flipping, which is essentially per-step choosing of samples.

You also have the ability to live chop samples as they play back. The functionality of the Circuit Rhythm goes deeper than you’d expect on first glance. Importantly, it also sounds great and that big filter knob is super useful for live jams.

To Be Critical

If I had to be critical when it comes to the Circuit Rhythm, I’d start with the lack of screen. The screen-less workflow will inspire a love it or hate it response. Either you will gel with it or you will constantly find yourself wanting a screen. If you’re used to gear that does have a screen, it’s a bit of an adjustment. However, it also forces you to rely on your ears more than when you have visual feedback, so some might see the lack of a screen as a positive.

Otherwise, there are a fair number of functions that involve using shift, so it takes some getting used to. Also, sending data to and from Components still takes a little while, even though it’s supposedly been sped up since the last release. Finally, lack of adjustability with the built-in compressor is a bit of a disappointment, as compression isn’t usually a one-size-fits-all scenario.

Summing it Up

All of those small quips aside, I found Novation’s Circuit Rhythm to be an example of the best kind of gear. It appears simple on the surface, so users of all stripes can get into it., but it has hidden complexity within.

Its unique way of combining patterns within tracks is truly fun to explore. While it takes some time to master, Circuit Rhythm shows that the groovebox and sampler experience can still inspire dynamic, compelling results in a portable, affordable tool. Well done, Novation!

Leo Maymind is a producer, DJ, and writer living in Los Angeles, CA. He is obsessed with sound, and you can reach him at lmaymind@gmail.com.

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