Novation Circuit User manual

Getting Started Guide

Circuit
Thank you for buying Novation Circuit, our standalone groovebox designed
to inspire. Two Novation polysynths, a four-part drum machine and
an intuitive sequencer: it’ll have you making great new music in seconds.
Any moment now, you’ll be hitting pads, tweaking knobs and creating
a brand new track, brimming with fat grooves and beats, all locked in time
and key.
First, however, please take a few minutes to read through this guide.
We know it’s tempting to skip ahead, but this will help you avoid problems
and get up and running in no time.
Enjoy!
Overview

Get Started
Follow these steps to get up and running quickly.
This guide will take you through each step in more detail, so please read on before you start.
1. Check your box contents
2. Fit your batteries
3. Switch on and hear it!
4. Register and download the included software
5. Get Ableton Live Lite
6. Powering
7. Enable SAVE
8. Start a new session
9. If you run into problems…

1. Check your box contents
You should find all of this in your box. If anything is missing, please contact us.
Documentation
• This helpful guide
• Ableton Live Lite instruction card
• Circuit patches sheet
• English and French safety information sheet
Hardware
• Novation Circuit
• 6×AA batteries
• USB cable
• Two MIDI break-out cables
• 12V DC power supply
Your software bundle code is on the back of this guide.
Get Started

2. Fit your batteries
Take the Circuit and batteries out of the box.
Slide the battery door on the side to release it.
Turn your Circuit upside down and look for the diagram
that shows you which way round the batteries should be inserted.
Slide the batteries into place following the diagram.
Get Started

3. Switch On and Hear It!
Press and hold the power switch for at least half a second to turn Circuit on. If you are running on batteries you will see the battery level meter briefly then
Circuit will turn on. If you have the power supply connected you will see a power symbol. It can take up to four seconds to be fully ready to use.
Next press the PLAY button on the right hand side to start the demo session.
Tip: Circuit comes pre-loaded with demo sessions, so you can immediately hear what
it can do. As soon as you’ve played with these sessions, you’ll probably want to make
your own music, so read on…
Get Started

4. Register and Download the Included Software
Go to www.novationmusic.com/register and click Register Your Product.
Select Circuit from the dropdown list and enter your serial number. You can find it on the back of this booklet and on the label on the
underside of your Circuit: it is 12 or 13 characters long: the first 3 characters can be numbers or letters, but the rest will only be numbers.
Your serial number is not the same as the software bundle code.
Then click “Get My Stuff” to download your software. If you don’t have a Novation account, we will ask for a few details.
Get Started

5. Get Ableton Live Lite
Inside this guide you’ll find an instruction card for downloading and registering Ableton Live Lite. There is also over 1GB of Loopmasters sample content
to work with. Ableton Live Lite is not required to work with Circuit but is a great place to record your ideas and make a bigger tune.
6. Powering
To use Circuit without batteries you can connect the included power supply. This will work with or without the batteries in place.
Turn on Circuit by holding the power button for more than half a second. The power symbol will be displayed if the power supply is connected and
working correctly.
Get Started

7. Enable SAVE
Circuit ships as save-disabled which means that initially you can’t save your sessions. This is easy to change though. Simply hold down the SHIFT and
SAVE buttons while switching Circuit on. You can tell when SAVE is available because it is dimly lit blue.
8. Start a New Session
Tip: This guide is designed to get you up and running. We think
you’ll have fun and discover more by just playing around, but if you
want more in-depth information please download the User Guide
from our website.
Press the Sessions button and you will enter the Sessions view.
The pads will change to show the available Sessions with the first
one selected. When you first receive your Circuit this will contain
a demo Session, but you can change or delete this whenever you want.
Get Started

Rather than change the demo, select an available empty session.
Next press the Drum 1 button and press PLAY. You will see the play position cycling round through the pads. The top two rows are for Drum 1 (kick) and
the bottom two rows are for Drum 2 (snare).
Press pads to turn steps on and off for Drum 1 and 2. You will hear the effect as the play position passes over the step.
Get Started

Next press Synth 1. You can use the top two rows to play the first Synth patch.
Press Record and play the pads. Your notes and chords will be stored to steps in the sequencer, and you’ll hear the effect instantly when the pattern
cycles round.
To edit any Synth part notes, press and hold a step on the bottom two rows while pressing notes from the top two rows.
So, you’ve got kick, snare and a bassline going already. Now press SAVE twice. This will save your Session into the position you chose earlier in the Ses-
sions view. You must save your Session in order for it to be recalled after Circuit has been turned off.
Why not now try Drum 3 and 4 and Synth 2 and see how you get on.
Get Started

9. If You Run Into Problems…
If you’re having trouble, please don’t go back to where you bought your Circuit. Let us help: we have free video tutorials online, including a step-by-step
setup guide.
www.novationmusic.com/get-started
We also have a collection of answers to common problems here:
www.novationmusic.com/answerbase
Details of how to contact our support team via telephone, e-mail and Live Chat are also available:
www.novationmusic.com/support
Get Started
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