Novation KS-5

Using the latest 2.1.0 software controlling this beast is easy as twisting one of the knobs and thats it. The presets wern't too bad considering, but i had them overwriten within the first 15 mins.

Novation dont seem to make a patch editor, but i found a wee peice of software on the net that allows you to change the patches with ease.
Google "MIDI Quest Download". Great wee peice of kit.

Manuals brilliance, great few newbies who dont know how a synth works or what it does, has full in detail tutorials on waves and oscillators.

Semi-wheighted keys are smashing good feel to them, and they feel solid aswell, no problems there.

Did anyone know that you can load A-station, K-station, X-station & Xiosynth patches onto this!!

Its brilliance, as theres TONS of patches out there for the entire novation range, couldn't ask for more.

depending on the patches or presets you use, you can create any sound you could ever imagine. from deep gurney basses to high pitched wailing pulse waves

had it for a few months, and never had any problems what so ever, so it looks to be reliable, only time & a few gigs will tell.

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Brilliant peice of kit, and around the same price as a microkorg, what the hell you suppozed to do!

remeber, your getting xiosynth/astation/kstation & xstation patches opened up to you when you buy this beast.

I'm using OS v2.1 which added a few new menu options as far as I can see (or remember). The presets are varied in style and all fairly good and easy to find due to the full length naming and catergorising of them. I struggle to see where I would use some of the more abstract ones and wonder if the programmers were running low on ideas. Editing patches using the machine alone is very very simple - choose oscillator, select waveform/tuning/modulation for each oscillator, choose effects and quantity (parameters just one menu away), change filter and envelope (mod and amp) and the mix (and LFO once I figure out what it does). That is one thing I'm lacking - a good manual. Perhaps it's just because I got it 2nd or 3rd hand but the manual I have is quite thin and doesn't explain the useful things like the drum edit feature (I'm really keen to make my own drum/arpeggio patterns but can't figure it out). Fortunately the machine is so easy to work with otherwise (menu/knob combination is done well - you aren't overwhelmed with either; a sensible balance with buttons placed strategically around the appropriate knob). It is ironic that the things the manual tells you about are the things one can find through just playing it. I give it a 9 because its just so easy but it loses one for the brief and light manual which fails to explain the more complex things.

The 16 note polyphony is not as big as it once seemed. If you fill a performance with a drum track and 3 synth layers it cuts notes off which can be a bit annoying but now that I am slightly wiser to this I can avoid it by turning off "OSC Unison" which really chews up the space.
The keyboard is not too flimsy but in a former life mine has had something sit heavily on two of the keys so they are now slightly lower (<1mm) than the rest (no impediment to playing though). The aftertouch is good with a good range sensitivity so it's not just all on or all off.
Everything in it transmits MIDI as far as I know but I don't have the right types of software to take advantage of all of it.
I use the computer to sequence where I can see it all - or is that not sequencing? The problem with using the computer is that I can't use the sequences in a performance which I guess is the whole point.
I give it an 8 in light of its good range of oscillators, effects, and voices and its drums, arpeggiator and modulator but slightly restrictive polyphony and lack of sequencer and internally modifiable drum/arpeggiator patterns.

The KS-5 is not the instrument to buy if you are looking for realistic instruments - buy something with a wavetable instead. The KS-5 doesn't try to be realistic and so it is not. Having said that the sounds you can make out of the waveforms can suit any music type but it's prefered genre would be dance. I use it in a 3-piece rock band to great effect - it provides deep clear bass and killer lead voices.
As many others here have mentioned, there is a noticable crackle in some of the presets and some of the voices one makes but this is easily fixed and I am surprised people got so worked up about it. Simply going into the envelope menu and reducing the "ENV ProgBoost dB" (signal booster through the envelope) will fix any crackle.
The effects are good overall but I dislike the distortion as it doesn't work well when playing several different notes (it does give a good effect when it is used on single notes). I choose different voices to overcome this and depending on some settings overdrive will achieve the effect I'm after.
It supposedly is touch sensitive but I find that in practice the speed you hit the keys has no impact on the volume of the voices. The aftertouch however has a good responsiveness and is not just on or off.
I give it a 9 because it achieves what it sets out to do in terms of sounds well and is a solid performer in filling in the gaps in my band but its lack of touch-volume connection limits its other more expressive uses.

I can relate to some of the other peoples' problems with the out of kilter knobs. For me it is the semitone knob that can only get to +11 causing 0 to be slightly right of centre and so when "zeroed" it leaps around trying to figure out if its pointing to 0 or 1 or 2 causing awful dischords. I have overcome this by setting the knob all the way left so it is past where it assumes -12 is and any confusion as to where 0 is does not affect it. This doesn't mean that the voices are all -12 semitones as it doesn't change voices unless you move a knob and save it in one session.
The metal case with wooden ends is solid enough but I wouldn't take a hammer to it as I don't have a back up.
I'm going to have to give it a 6 here because the problem I have may be an issue to consider even though I have a work around - it would be a real problem if it was a different knob - but its software has yet to crash and the case should be good for quite a while.

Can't really say much - updated the OS which went flawlessly but that's it. I would hope for another one soon.
I doubt I will contact novation if I need it fixed as it would cost an arm and a leg to ship it to be serviced in Australia from New Zealand. I talked to a local company who said they could fix it if it broke down though.
I won't give a score because I can't rate novation's own support.

If it was stolen I would probably look at getting it again or its bigger brothers - the Nova and SuperNova series - but the price will be deciding factor.
I've had it for 8 or so months now and have never regretted the biggest purchase of my life so far. It has been outstanding.
I can't afford any other gear at this time so the multifunctionality of it makes it a great deal. I use it for compositions on the computer and for playing in a band at school and its a stand out.
I've played piano for 7 years so the synthesizer was the next step for me.
Because of the size of the purchase to me I spent a lot of time comparing it to others but the only other ones on the local second hand market or cheap market were wavetable keyboards which I had felt would be limiting. I enjoy the fact that I am not limited to sounds that there are waves already made for and this helps me immensly in making music that is to my liking. The virtual-analogue synth combines the best of both the analogue sound making system and the digital memory and voice system.
The only things I wish it had would be a higher polyphony capability and a drum/arpeggio editor that I could find.
Overall this synth is the most versatile machine I have seen (but that doesn't say much) and I have never regretted it. It scores a good solid 9.

Software version 2.1.02 GET IT! If you purchase this get this update.
It makes this synth what it should have been along time ago in a galaxy....
Excellent programed presets to try, think trance/dance this is sharp!
Edditing is a doddle, it's gotta be the easiest out there.

16 note poly with great action keys if a tad light. The rest has been said.
Midi now better than eva with this update and some issues with pedles and filtering etc have all been addressed as far as i can see.
Also this board just feals right not too heavy or light nice sturdy construction without going bomb proof. great job novation.

Sounds FANTASTIC! Ive tinkerd with the rest and this thing realy holds up well doing most of what all the others do and more. Its just so inspireing i cant put it down. No more clicks GREAT!
This update has breathed new life into what we all knew was potential a great synth.

I use in studio only, but shes a rock solid performer.

Took a while for this upgrade, they got there in the end.

THEY ARE CHUCKING THIS OUT AT REDICULOUS PRICES EVERYWHERE.
GET ONE WHILE YOU CAN AS THIS IS WORTH TWICE THE PRICE!!! :p

Well, I'm using OS 2.0 on my KS5 and I must say that on the whole this is a fine machine... especially within it's (very low) price-class. With it's many fine factory preset sounds and performances (4 stacked/splitted sounds including effects, arp and individual program settings, I wil get into this later) it has litterally lured me into buying it. The plethora of knobs make for extreme ease of control and editing is a real breeze... In fact, I found the control panel layout and incredibly easy set-up menu structure SO easy to work with that I got through about 95% of the KS5's features without the need for a manual! There is a downside however, in both the sound an editing area: As mentioned earlier some (factory) sounds tend to produce an increasingly annoying crackle. By carefully re-editing the patches this can be resolved but I would have expected more from the people at NOVATION to tackle this obvious "value-dropper"! It just should not have been shipped with this flaw. (Of coarse all credits and glory for crackle-free patches go to all KS5 users now.. HAIL!!). While editing out the crackle (rub, rub.. @NOVATION) you may experience some difficulty weeding out the "crackling-source" as it could have emerged from any amplification source e.g. the Oscillator volume, distortion, ADSR, effect controls etc. In short: the machine could have easilly ACED on easy of use but I feel obliged to deduct 2 whole points out of an otherwise 10/10 score for the negligence by the NOVATION staff at correcting the cracle-issue.

With its 16-part polyphony this instrument is very usable in a studio aswell as a performing evironment. I personally think the keyboard allows for very fast playing (depending on your own playing abilities, of coarse) and can therefore be considered a good addition to any live set-up. With it's many control-knobs and ADSR sliders, ALL of which produce streaming MIDI contol data the KS5 can certainly prove itself in any studio environment aswell. The built in effects section is pretty simple yet very effective (!) As standard delay and panning fx are automatically tempo-linked (can also be set manually though) you can have instant gratification by the turn of a single knob. In addition you have the possibility to tempo-link modulation aswell AND even use a combination of tempo-linked delay, panning and modulation while synchronized to arpeggio's and motion effects over a few bars in length using the integrated HYPERSYNC funtion, pfew! The KS5 allows 400 sounds and 100 performances to be stored (this includes the 200 factory sounds and 50 factory performances, all of which can can be overwritten by the user). NOW this is important: The number of performance memories (100) mentioned is a kind of bashfull figure. I'll tell you why: Every performance consists of a maximum of 4 sounds. These sounds can be layered, splitted... in fact, all of them can be TOTALLY re-edited to a new sound without compromising the original preset that was used as the template/blueprint for that part. So the perfomance section ACTUALLY houses another 400 memory allocations for totally new sounds! Now that's a neat surprise, isn't it? MIDI-wise, the KS5 is a total knock-out. It's just so easy to set-up any CC to either the mod-wheel or the keyboard AT. Note that this is not a MIDI control keyboard by definition, but it certainly outranks many official MIDI controllers out there. There's no built in sequencer (hey what'd you expect at this price?) but it has a, really usefull, arpeggiator. Despite some negative reviews on the KS5's arpeggiator I believe that, with enough creativity you can get arpeggio's that might just rock the pants off any "Paganini" out there.

Although the sounds of the KS5 may lack the warmth of the real analog synths this shortcoming is hardly noticeable as the TRIPPLE oscilator section allows you to add just a little more "fatness" to your sound when needed. Nice leads, warm and wide pads.. enough expression though the AT keyboard, wheels an knobs for anyone to stay entranced with this very musical synth for hours, days, weeks... yes even months! If you put enough effort in creating your own patches you'll have a musical weapon that will stun both your friend and enemies with it's sounds and useability/deployment. (As is the case with many other synths aswell.)

I'd say it's as reliable as any synth I've ever used, both at gigs or in a studio environment. Taking good care of my instruments i.e. always using professional carry- and flightcases for transport and handling them carefully has saved me lots of money over the years. So to be even more precise on this matter: It's as reliable as its user! (Although you might want to get a spare on as it currently sells at almost a "two for one" rate!)

Had a bit of trouble finding the NOVATION website, which by the way is: http://www.novationmusic.com. Never needed any technical support as I'm carefull (see: Reliability) aswell as clever (!) So I honestly haven't got a clue...

At it's price I think the KS5 is a unique musical instrument. It's user friendliness is right up there with the best in synth-developing and thank God for that because, however sadly enough, it may take you some time to edit out some unwanted noises from the factory sounds. If NOVATION ever attempts to produce a follow-up for the KS4/KS5 this is the first issue they should adress! Apart from this I think my 649 Euro were absolutely well spent at this perfectly designed and very musical virtual analog synthesizer! ... and I haven't even mentioned the 16-part vocoder, the 2 x 2 audio outputs, the small yet very clear and informative clear-blue display, the.... OK, enough!

Well I've some egg firmly placed on my chin at the moment...! so i'm just posting this review by means of making up for my RANT in the previous post...

I have since solved the problem of the seemingly impossible distortion crackle which i spoke of in the review below!!!

it really is a case of playing with the mixer levels for each oscillator, AND ALSO, reducing the amp boost (in menu/env/boost) by as much as is necessary until the crackle is removed, and it DOES remove, every time... so hands in the air here, i posted too quickly so to speak... the hidden menu option has basically solved my crackle prob... rejoice!!! (although why the presets have such obvious crackling is a sign of some very shoddy programming at factory level... anyway, its avoidable and reversible so.. cool...)

given that i now dont have the infamous crackle problem the synth deserves a whole new rating....

for ease of use its gotta be a 9... everythings controlled by a knob or fader.. you cant go wrong!

absolutely loads of features...
the fx are so easily applied that you;ll find you actually do use them more often than if they were hidden in menus...

quality of fx is not bad buit not excellent... reverb is OK. usable i guess... distortion i do not like at all - way too digital.. sounds more like the crackle that i was so eager to remove earlier on!

arpeggiator patterns are EXTREMELY boring IMO, although i'm not a huge arp fan anyway, but i would probably use it if the results were more rhymthmically interesting...

keyboard quite nice... responds to aftertouch, although you do have to lean into it a bit heavily IMO... overall nice feel to the keyboard though...

now heres where i really have changed my tune...
with the 'crackle free' ks5, i'm really able to cook up some amazing sounds on this beast, and really quickly too...
their description of a 'liquid' sound in the marketing blurb really does apply here...
i'm getting to dig the sounds of this more and more as i edit and experiment (and it is SO editable!!!)...

synth basses are excellent... also it does wonderful organ sounds, bell sounds and even some piano sounds... none of these sound like the real thing OK??? dont look here for your perfect rhodes emulation etc... but for beautiful sounds in their own right, theyre very usable and whats the word? - musical i guess...

drums. i have not yet investigated enough to comment but they sound a bit lame to my ears initally, and very few of them too?? could be wrong here though...

BUT! the famous clicking problem... yes it does exist (now that the crackles are gone i can hear it :D)... to me its not a HUGE problem... often it doesnt happen.. only on some voices, some edits.. sometimes i dont even mind the sound it makes... sometimes its blatantly 'not nice'. i would prefer if it was sorted... if they do sort it in an OS update i'd up my score here to a 9 or 10

some parameters begin to self edit now and again... quite frustrating when youre trying to call up a different menu... but overall build quality is reasonably sturdy

i hear theyre very bad on various forums... but ive never really called them so dunno...

although i did send a mail about the next OS update (hoping that they solve that clicking problem) but got NO answer so thats not great...

lost or stolen?? dunnno.. i would probably get it again cos theyre now so cheap... but theres so much else out there too, youd have to look around... also theres now the V-Station...

but this thing also makes a wonderful controller for PC software....
overall its got a sound that i'm really liking , more and more all the time.. and is alot more versatile than i orginally gave it credit for... capable of really beautiful sounds, they just bring a smile to your face when you get them :)

final advice to would be buyers,, these things are real cheap now - buy one you wont regret it... just be sure to talk to other users about eliminating initial probs (re crackling, badly programmed presets etc etc)...

I realise this is a TOTAL 180deg. turn against the review below, but then i had a serious problem with the unit... which made it impossible to evaluate anything else about it... Having got around that i find its actually a neat piece of gear. so, please flame at will whoever so wishes, but at least i did own up to it ok? :D

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WHAT!!! ARE ALL OF THE PREVIOUS POSTERS COMPLETELY DEAF!!!!
this synth crackles like bacon on a frying pan! thats NOT a compliment by the way....

for the simplest of patches, you will very often find that doing the most simplest of filter sweeps will give you the most horrible digital crackle on top which makes it completely unusable when it does happen.... and unfortunately this happens all too often IMO...

I would have thought this was a problem with my unit, but there are literally LOADS of people on forum (SOS, Cubase etc) who agree with me on this, and some are alot more pissed about it than I am too!

even without the crackles the synth sounds kinda brittle and weak IMO (although you can get some really REALLY nice tones from it at the same time... just not enough i'm afraid)...

all too often you will find youre looking for a sound which fits the mix and suddenly as you may be getting close, you get this horrible distortion form the filter as it sweeps (and yes I have tried setting filter overdrive to zero, distortion to zero, even resonance as low as possible and even with the 12dBfilter selected!!!) INFURIATING...

as a starting point if youre in a shop, check out the organ patch called "je t'aime" . nicefunky sounding organ patch... now play with the filter a bit, try to get some funky stab type filter swells etc etc... now hear that bacon sizzle!! aaarrrggghhhh!!!!!

i rate it a 4 because there are some really nice sounds to be had there now and again too.... otherwise would be a two...

wanna buy a KS5???

Really easy and nicely laid out.

This synth superceeds my expectations. Amazing features to price ratio.

Lovely clear, transparent sound. Sound quality reminds me of the Roland JD800. Very satisfying funky fresh tone.

No probs

I live in UK and Novation are UK also. They are great.

Awesome synth for the price. Here in the Uk they cost #459 brand new.....that is just unbelievable. This synth is a must have at this price. It is so powerful and versatile....I still cant get over how affordable it is. 10/10 to Novation....goddamn geniuses.

The Alesis ION is also bloody brilliant aswell. Its great to see manufacturers fill the mid-price market with high quality synths. This is a welcome trend.

I totally recommend the KS5 to everyone.

Using OS 2.0 on this kb. The presets are excellent and well rounded. Includes some fatttt bass, sparkling electric pianos, epic leads, and more. Editing patches is very easy.

The polyphony is 16 voices, which is great considering other va's in this price range. Korg...4 Alesis...8 16 is actually an amount you can work with. The keyboard action is good, although I still prefer my dx7's keyboard. There are built in effects, which are god for a synthesizer and complete the sound. No expansion options unless offered in a new operating system, but what can you expect for this price. No on-board sequencer(does anyone still use these anyway?)

The sounds are AMAZING. Smooth pads, and biting leads....this synth has it all and more. The osc. waveforms are not just the basic analog ones, but also offer noise, loopable drum sounds, several electric piano waveforms. This makes this a much more versatile instrument. reacts well to aftertouch, although you must set it correctly, on some patches it can be a little jumpy.

I dont gig my instruments anyway. :P
It seems as though you could gig with it. The plastic endcheeks may become a problem though.

N/A, I have never had to call them.

I would indeed buy it agian. This synth is amazing for the price, it fills in a wide range sonically. I also own a Korg Em-1, Yamaha CS2X, Oberheim OB-12, Sony HR-MP5, Alesis Quadraverb, Yamaha DX7-IID E! expanded, and the usual software/plugins. When purchasing, I also considered a NOrd Lead 3, and the Access Virus C. The nord lead is great, but not really what I'm looking for. Effects are an essential part of a synth now. People buy a synth expecting effects, just like you expect a synth to have a filter. The virus was very expensive, and as I am still in school, the novation seems to have the most features at a decent price.

OS version 2.0, hoping for further upgrades. This thing is extremely easy to use. I made a good patch the same day I got this thing.
Everything is on the table, and there is few display menus.
Just start twisting knobs! The presets sound good, and is usefull.
The manual, is easy to read and understand. But who needs it?
No synth is easier than this. I can't imagine that.

16 voices, may be a bit little, if you use Unison. Othervise, it's good enaugh. Since it only has 4 part multitimbral capability.
The keyboard, is regular, normal, fine. No need to wory. I think
the most synths got the same keyboard/keys. And it's good enough.
This thing has 6 effects on each voice on each part! Choose the effect with a buton, and turn a knob. Simple! The menu buttons, got the extra details on each effect. For me, the hatch on this thing, is the limited lfo and envelopes features. (that's wy I got a supernova II)

Organs, String, L-pianos, Brass, sound very realistic.
Pads, is not the strong side of KS5, (You know the limited lfo/env features) Leads and basses are very nice.
(everything on this synth is easy to use)
The effects is the strong side of Novation. And still is.

It hanged some times, (a sequenser/midi problem, it is solved now).
You don't loose any data. Rock solid.

I've e-mailed support, and they answer quickly, they ensure that you understand the answer. The answers are good. Their'e nice too.
My problem was solved, and I got some tips.

I would buy it again. That's for sure. It's worth it!
I've been playing for over a year. I own a Supernova II Rack 24 voice. I exchanged from my roland XP 30, to this KS5. I do not regret.
I love it's sound, it user interface, and looks. What i don't like is, it's only 16 voice and 4 part multitimbral.
Before I bought this thing, I compared it with a Nordlead 2X.
But the 2X sounded thin.
I wish the KS had more envelope an LFO features, more voices and multitimbral parts. Other vice. I love it!
My music became much better with this synth.
(I'm sorry for my bad english)

Very simple to use. There are a few parameters that are available for editing only in menu's, which I personally think should have been made accessible on the front panel, especially since no CC#'s are indicated in the manual. Also, when you write a patch, there is no way to see the name of the patch you're over-writing. (and it's not easy to remember which patch is which, when you have a possible 400)

Tons of features & effects. Enough to keep a boy (or girl) busy for months! (BTW: I'd like to meet the girl that spends months twiddling synth knobs!)

Sounds are incredible. Very warm sounding oscillators. Digital waves are exceptional for creating organs, bells, pianos, etc. Much better than my previous all-arounder which was the Roland JP-8000. Pitch & Mod wheels are solid and weighted. Keys have great action and feel.

Here's the catch. I'm on my second KS-5, and it has the SAME problem as the previous one: There is a knob that adjusts itself randomly. The first one I had, the Effects Level knob would not go below a value of 32. (out of 127) The 2nd one I got in exchange has the same problem, only this time it's the Portamento Time knob. It won't go below 77, and it adjusts itself wildly. Impossible to play! The only way to make it stop is to put pressure on the knob, which indicates that it is a hardware problem, not software. I've e-mailed Novation, and plan to exchange my KS-5 AGAIN! Unfortunately, it's friday, and the store is closed for Memorial Day weekend, so I'm stuck with a faulty KS-5 for 3 days... BOOO! HISSS!

I haven't heard back from Novation yet, but I'm pretty sure my problem is a hardware issue that will warrant replacement of the unit. I just hope that Novation is kind enough to pay for return shipment for the retailer, who i don't blame for the problem. Apparently they are having a similar problem with the waveform knob on their demo KS-4 unit. Perhaps this says something about Novation quality, but we shall see. (When I get KS-5 #3!!) I give them a 5 for now until problem is fixed.

I hope to get a fully functional KS-5 soon, because from what I've heard (Whilst holding the Portamento knob down) it sounds great. Features are awesome.