Novation Circuit Rhythm 2.0: Firmware update to reinvent beat making
4,6 / 5,0 | 
Novation introduces a new firmware for the Circuit Rhythm and uploads editable effects, beat matching, Fixed Length Recording and numerous improvements.
Circuit Rhythm 2.0
I reviewed the Circuit Rhythm back in August 2021, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a slick piece of hardware that can generate beats without any bother and lets you perform and mess with them on the fly. It’s an 8-track sampler, sample player and groovebox where you can play sliced samples like kits or get more melodic in note view mode. There are lot of hands on effects and parameters you can stuck into via the 8 encoders. You can get great stuff out of it in no time at all, either using the massive included library or dropping over your own.
So what does version 2.0 add to the party?
Beat Match. First of all, we now have the ability to match up the beats. This feature lets you change the speed of your samples and loops to match up to existing ones perfectly. I’m assuming this is something that happens automatically when you bring new loops into a session that’s running at a different tempo.
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Fixed Length Recording is a feature where you can record samples into the project at a fixed length so that they fit properly. With version 1 you sort of had to record in and hope for the best. That’s because recording is done in isolation from the project. Fixing the length relative to your project makes this so much better. You can set it to 8, 16, 32 or 64 steps in the Sample Record view.
All the Grid FX are now totally editable directly from the Circuit Rhythm. So you can really get into those parameters.
Novation Circuit Rhythm
It sounds to me like Novation has been listening to the struggles of users trying to get their home-grown samples into the Circuit Rhythm. Being able to record in and have your sample fit right in with the project is a massive time saver. So is Beat Match, where you don’t have to worry about the tempo of your samples anymore. It’s a very likeable machine, and this update just makes things smoother.
The update is free to download for all Circuit Rhythm users.
- Novation Circuit Rhythm : Robin Vincent
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