Grid FX

Grid FX

Circuit Rhythm’s Grid FX let you rapidly add a range of additional audio effects from a dedicated set
of pads: it’s a great way of adding variations to your patterns in live performance.

Grid FX are accessed in Grid FX View, which is the secondary view of the Mixer button. 

• Open by holding Shift and pressing Mixer, or press Mixer a second time if already in Mixer View to toggle the
  View. 

The Macro controls remain active as the Mixer’s track level controls and the top row of the grid
is also unchanged from Mixer View, continuing to be the Mute buttons for each track. The two lower
rows (Pads 17 to 32) are available as Grid FX performance pads. 

By default, the Grid FX on Circuit Rhythm are:

Grid FX may be configured using Novation Components. In Components you may assign each effect
to any of 16 slots. Seven different effect types are available, each with its own set of parameters
to explore. 

• You are able to use multiple versions of the same effect with different parameters on
  different pads. 
• The set of Grid FX is saved with each Pack and any Project within that
  Pack can access the Grid FX configurations that were saved with the Pack.

With a set of Grid FX loaded, pressing a pad that has an effect loaded to it triggers the effect, which
remains active until the pad is released. You can press multiple Grid FX pads to trigger several effects
at once, but if you have variants of the same effect on multiple pads (i.e., with different parameters),
only the last pressed will be active. If you then release the pad while another pad for a variant of the
same effect is being held down, the earlier one will take over.

The seven types of effect available in Grid FX are:

• The effects are colour-coded, so you can identify the various types available once you have uploaded
  them into Circuit Rhythm.

The basic effects are:

Beat Repeat – capture a short segment of tempo-synced audio from the master mix and repeat
it for a stutter effect.

• Beat Repeat playback is not synced to sequencer playback.

Reverser – immediately reverse playback of the master mix in short tempo-related segments.

• Reverser playback is not synced to sequencer playback.

Gater – a square-wave LFO that affects the volume of the master mix at tempo-related rates.
When pressed, the Gater will always be at maximum volume. 

• Gater playback is not synced to sequencer playback.

Auto-Filter – a variable state (Low/Band/High-Pass) 12/6 dB/octave filter with a tempo-synced
LFO. The LFO shape may be set to Triangle, Square, ramp-up, or ramp-down, and key-synced
such that it restarts when the effect is triggered. The modulation depth may also be customized.

Digitize – reduce the sample rate of the master mix and apply a bit-crush effect.

Phaser – a 4-pole phasing effect to the master mix with a tempo-synced LFO. The LFO depth
may be customized, and feedback may be introduced

Vinyl Simulation – a Lo-Fi effect to the master mix that simulates the sound of a bad vinyl
record. Apply varying degrees of pitch-wobble, crackle, and hiss, alongside a width parameter
that cuts high and low frequencies.

Effect Latching

Pad 16 in Grid FX View enables a Latch function. By default it is dimly lit white; when pressed it
illuminates bright white, and any Grid FX effect pad now selected will remain active until either it, or
the Latch button, is pressed again.

• Note that when disabling an effect directly (i.e., not via pressing the Latch button), the effect will be disabled upon release.
• When latching is enabled, multiple effects will be latched on when they are selected, however, only one effect of each of the seven types may be latched at any one time.

The Latch state for each effect type is saved with the Project, so that some or all effects can be made
active immediately on loading the Project.

Using Grid FX with external audio

Audio signals applied to the external audio inputs will be processed by Grid FX. While monitoring
is enabled in Sample Record View, incoming audio will be routed through Grid FX (in stereo). This
allows Circuit Rhythm to be used as a stereo FX unit. Furthermore, with resample enabled in Sample
Record View, Grid FX active during sample recording will be committed to the recorded sample as
heard.

MIDI control of Grid FX

Enhanced control of Grid FX parameters is possible using external MIDI control, e.g., from a
MIDI controller or sequencer. 

• Full details are available in the separate document Circuit Rhythm Programmer’s Reference Guide