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

Product Information

The sequencer was one of the main aspects of the original Circuit to receive massive firmware updates, bringing many features such as micro-step or probability that were lacking on release. To get going, you insert the microSD provided by Novation which contains sounds and projects to get you started, and hold down the “on” button. As it currently stands the Circuit Tracks can create loops and moods very well, but a full song… that’s complicated. The TB-303 in the early 80s has lots of patterns and song mode, so this notion that adding more would stretch technical limits is absurd.

Deeper features, like the synth editor, probability sequencing and sub-steps, are easy enough to ignore until you’re ready.If you’re interested on the good things, a quick Google query will give you tons of reviews going over the features in detail. 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. The Circuit Tracks, like its predecessor, is based around its dual Nova synthesizer engines that come with a distinct digital sound.

This was a pain and ended up stifling my creativity in several ways, and I’m hopeful Novation will implement multitrack USB audio (found in certain rival devices) in the future. It’s quick and easy to get a nice-sounding mix this way, and you’ll find yourself flipping back and forward as you compose your track as you naturally balance elements. Select the sidechain menu and set the trigger source (out of the 4 drum tracks) and amount (with a 1-16 pad range) of sidechain for each synth and audio track. Products shown, tagged or featured on YouTube by creators are sold by merchants and are subject to merchant's terms and conditions. The Tracks’ ability to output DIN, USB MIDI, and digital/analog sync sets it well above any other competing device, and offers functionality on par with some of the best standard sequencers.

The original Novation Circuit is largely responsible for the resurgence of hardware music production gear, and has a soft spot in many producers’ hearts due to its highly intuitive workflow. The output is definitely a bit low, I suspect it is a firmware feature to preserve headroom and prevent clipping.