Image Credit: Novation

Circuit Rhythm is based on Novation’s Circuit Tracks, built for turning samples into beats and hooks into full blown tracks.

Teased by Novation back in February, Circuit Rhythm was finally officially revealed last week. The sampler is built in the same chassis as the Circuit Tracks, but in a light grey finish rather than black. Circuit Rhythm features eight sample tracks, each with their own 32-steps patterns, chainable for 256 steps per track.

Image Credit: Novation

Circuit Rhythm is ready standalone, straight out of the box, designed for a screenless workflow while still offering all of the capabilities of a full-fledged sampler. Alternatively hook the sampler up to your existing studio setup. Plug in and record samples directly to the Circuit Rhythm from your phone, turntable or synth, then playback and chop up samples to form basslines and melodies. Mix with reverb, delay and Side Chain, while the dials along the top give you controls such as distortion, slope, high and low pass filters, and more. Sculpt, process and re-sample to create new sounds on the sampler. Keep beats in time with quantisation or record to micro steps for a human feel. For live sets, perform with vinyl simulation, beat repeat and many more performance focused Grid FX. Use Novation Components on desktop to load sample, edit Grid FX and backup projects. For more, watch the demo here.


Around the back, you’ll find similar connectivity to the Circuit Tracks, with MIDI in, out and thru; phono, jack and analogue sync outputs; phono for samples in; microSD to save samples and project; plus USB-C for power and charging. As with the Circuit Tracks, the Circuit Rhythm is similarly portable with its slim build and rechargable battery.

Novation Circuit Rhythm IO
Novation Circuit Rhythm Portability

At $399.99 Novation Circuit Rhythm is at the perfect price for those interested in developing their beatmaking skills. The sampler will be available in mid-July. Find an online or local retailer here.