Novation keeps giving Circuit users want they want, step by step by step. Circuit 1.6 comes with still more user-requested features.
Now, eventually, I expect Novation is going to run out of the ability to cram things into Circuit. Not only would you expect the developer to focus on newer hardware, but Circuit has a restricted processor speed and memory – you just run out of horsepower to do everything users might imagine. But whenever the day will come, today is not that day. (And, in fact, I think Circuit will continue to see interesting new applications in editors and sound content, from the user community if not from Novation themselves. My opinion only here.)
The just-released 1.6 firmware comes with three really nice additions:
1. Panning. Novation says this is the most user-requested feature. That makes sense, given this is a little workstation, not just a single monosynth or something like that.
2. Light dimming. Blinded by Saturday Night Fever no more. Take heed, all developers.
3. Micro Steps. This is a simple but fairly genius idea: you can retrigger a sample inside each step up to six times, for more complex rhythms, fills and stutter effects, or whatever.
4. Program Change. The Settings menu doesn’t just keep from blinding you – it also lets you send Program Change messages, which is useful for working with other gear.
Now, all this comes just in time for us to feature Circuit and Circuit Mono Station on our next webcast of CDM x Beatport: Plugged In. So if you have questions for us on either product and want us to answer on-air, leave them now in comments and we’ll try to get to them.
Also, I’d better practice, so I don’t shred in front of y’all.
You can grab 1.6 for free from Novation, at the Components site (alongside that clever browser editor and whatnot):
https://components.novationmusic.com/