Novation Circuit Tracks: Groovebox Sequencer With Synth Tracks, MIDI Tracks And Drum Tracks Electronic Music Making

Product Information

Each synth is equipped with a resonant multi-mode filter with a drive control, three routable ADSR envelopes and two LFOs, plus chorus/phaser, EQ and distortion effects. Designed for electronic and dance music producers, the agile groovebox lets you lose yourself in a hands-on production workflow. Not only that, you will be able to take advantage of being able to customise the groovebox further with exclusive sound packs and presets. Needing to jump between the performance and mixer views was a particularly common hiccup I encountered, which could cause live acts to prefer other devices with more single-purpose controls. Yes it has limitations in having only 2 synth tracks but what I have found with grooveboxes over the years is it’s good not to have so many tracks from one machine.

Also tucked around the back is a micro SD card slot, greatly expanding the portable independence compared to the original.

What reservations we had at launch mostly focussed on areas where Circuit felt a little shallow; synth design was limited to adjusting unlabelled macro knobs, and there was no user sample upload. And that incurs in delays that mean that when I record an instrument alone it will be shifted a random amount.

It has a new moniker instead of a number iteration to differentiate it from the upcoming Circuit Rhythm, which looks to be more of a drum machine/sampling workstation.

Sounds: The Circuit’s two Nova engines have certain applications where they sound great (such as cold wavetable pads and harsh Massive-style leads,) however they do have a reputation for sounding cold and harsh. I certainly found that to be the case during my time with the unit, and was able to come up with ideas quickly as well as perform with the device in a DJ set.

Rugged, compact build and a rechargeable battery makes Circuit Tracks the perfect travel partner, so it’s never too far away when inspiration hits. Circuit Tracks is a Mark II Circuit in all but name, expanding on many of the original’s features and pushing aside some of the limitations. It prides itself on screenless ability however it can use the Components browser based or standalone app to explore the synth engine on screen, load samples, create patches, generate MIDI templates and backup projects. Load in over three minutes of audio per pack from a microSD card, then shape your samples to perfection across the drum tracks. The Novation Circuit Tracks, as with most other grooveboxes, are best suited for musicians looking to come up with ideas, people looking to get away from the computer more, traditional musicians entering the electronic game, and live performers and DJs.The audio ins at the back are for your two external Midi instruments, and so you have two internal synths, two external instruments, and four drum tracks to mix. Novation Circuit Tracks leans into the screen free and deeply intuitive workflow which made the original Circuit a fan-favourite ever since it launched in 2015.