Circuit

Original 2015 groovebox with two synth and four drum tracks

The Circuit is a groovebox from Novation, released in 2015. It has two polyphonic synth tracks and four sample-based drum tracks, played and sequenced on an 8x4 grid of RGB velocity-sensitive pads with eight macro knobs. Unlike the later Circuit Tracks it has no MIDI tracks, and its samples are loaded through Novation's Components software.

Platform

ARM + DSP56300

Stock firmware

1.8

Manufacturer

novationmusic.com

Related

Circuit Tracks

Logo: Novation, public domain (text logo), via commons.wikimedia.org

Notes

The custom firmware here targets the official 1.8 update (build 3592) and is entered through the Circuit's bootloader, which a custom image does not replace. Stock firmware can be reinstalled through Novation Components.

Firmware 1

Circuit Extended Firmware

Browser-flashed patch for the original Circuit 1.8 firmware that adds Scale Follow, drum sample start, distortion type selection, a drum Filter LFO and Shift-Macro automation.

by tracelistener

ActiveSource: openMIT

Distribution: Browser installer (WebMIDI / WebUSB)
Requires stock: 1.8 build 3592

synth-engine
fx
lfo
scales
midi
performance

Circuit Extended Firmware version history
Version	Date	Notes
0.5.0	2026-07-31	Per-drum Filter LFO and Shift automation. Listed in the changelog; no tag or release page.
v0.4.2	2026-07-27	Fixes Synth 1 patch changes altering drum distortion.
v0.4.1	2026-07-22
v0.4.0	2026-07-22	Adds sample start.
v0.3.0	2026-07-22	Adds drum distortion selection.

2 older versions

Circuit Extended Firmware version history (older)
v0.2.0	2026-07-21
v0.1.0	2026-07-21	Git tag; no GitHub release page.