Novation Nova

OS v3.X The presets sound superb and are widely varied including electric piano and organ as well as strings/pads, killer leads, squealy TB-303, synth bass, and 808/909 percussion - all modelled with analog synthesis. Editing is a breeze as most features can be modified directly via the numerous knobs and buttons on the front. The manual is also excellent and as well as operational instructions it covers all aspects of synthesis that the module contains, with clear diagrams and descriptions.

There are 12 voices and six parts, but there is a seperate effects module for each part (six effects per part!), plus a 40 band vocoder. There is no onboard sequencer, but there is a fully-featured programmable arpeggiator that works in mono or poly modes and can be synced to MIDI. All the adjustments to the knobs on the front are recordable in real time as NRMs via MIDI so almost every parameter can be controlled by your external sequencer (or a MIDI controller).
There are 2 pairs of outs so that some parts can be routed to external effects, and an extra pair that can be used as in or out. No hardware upgrade, OS software upgrades are downloadable from novationusa web site, and there are extra buttons on the panel to facilitate additional features (filetr types etc) in future OS upgrades.

This is most suitable for dance / techno styles, some of the "dirtier" sounds could be used in grunge or acid.
The basic sound of the module is fantastic - based on analog synthesis modelling using computer processors rather than sample playback - even a basic saw wave patch without effects or filters added has a huge amount of depth and character. Add HPF, BPF and LPF filters, ring modulation, and oscillator sync with control via velocity or aftertouch and you get some very expressive sounds that range from one extreme to the other depending on how hard you play the note. Timbres range from metallic tubular bell-like tones and hard-sync to warm moog leads, fat basses and lush strings. The sound is also consistently great over the entire range, unlike some modules which sound thin at the top end or in the bass. The onboard effects are good, but don't expect the quality of a dedicated lexicon effects unit.

The pitch bends and portmentos are rock solid even at full polyphony, and the LFOs can be driven so fast that they cross-modulate. The knobs and buttons feel solid and the case is very well put together. The unit looks and feels very "robust" in operation. It's never locked up.

I'd back up the patches and the OS.

N/A

I'd probably only replace this with a Supernova II. I own a Roland Juno-106, SH-101, Emax II sampler and a Roland RD500 piano. I was also looking at the Roland XP-50 techno-dance expansion card, but found it very limited in comparison. 64 voice polyphony means little when you have to layer and layer and layer sounds to make them fat, and the low processing power resulted in glitches in portmento and pitch bend when polyphony was more than 1 or 2 parts. Not to mention limited effects per part (only 3 effects processors in total), and the resonant filters were very "harsh" and plastic sounding. At less than half the price, the Nova was the best thing I could have bought for making music.
FM synthesis, parametric EQ and more filter algorithms (such as vocal filters) would be nice. Hell, may as well put additive synthesis in there while you're at it.

OS V3.X // The presets sound good and it's easy to alter them. Patches are created within minutes. A patch editor is not necessary because of the great layout on front of the blue box ;-))

Polyphony is only 12 voices but if you consider how much it costs... The effects are great, easy to use, superb sound. And you have lots of them, you can apply different fx to each of the parts.
All necessary MIDI capabilities are there. You can access all the knobs and potis via MIDI. Arpeggiator is very useful (but not too easy to program user patterns) and MIDIclock syncable

For Techno, Dance, D&B, Trance and sfx or even as an effect for external machines. No realitic sounds (that's why it is analog not digital). The effects section is very easy to use and of best quality. You can program it to react to your playing easily because of the perfect modulation matrix.

massive!! robust, I think it will last forever (hope so...)
Always make backups! Even if its 120% reliable...

Tody i tried the support via email but I don't have an answer yet.
Upgrades are available for free at the website www.novationuk.com and they are transmitted via midi easily (I tried it with Cubase on my PC. The PC crashed, because I transmitted data too fast. Using 60bpm worked well without any problems.)

Would buy it again. It's small in size and big in sound!
I use it for about a week now and I'm sorry I didn't buy it earlier!
I have several samplers, a MicroWave, some E-Mu modules...
I don't need to compare. It inspires me very much and it increased my productivity.
I wish it had more voices.

Version 3.0 The presets are great but this little unit wants to be tweaked!!! Didn't open he book once and I'm finding everthing I'm looking for. Very very easy to learn. Actually you don't have to learn anything at all. It's all there if front of you. Wish there was a disk drive cause I could create a thousand sounds...there's always sysex...

12 notes of pure PHAT sound. FX are pretty good and there is many but not quite as good as my TRITON

good for trance/dance/pop/industrial etc... Don't let anybody tell you that it doesn't do aggressive. It's hard to explain but it's sweet, lush, fat and can also rip through a mix.

Had it for one day but it seems pretty sturdy and heavy...

don't know

I wish I could afford 2 of them (or the new SUPERNOVA)
I retured a brand new Korg MS2000 to get this one. Don't get me wrong. The MS2000 was great for the money but if you have the xtra bucks, go for the nova. Tried the Access Virus but prefered the user interface and sound of the Nova. Only wish it had the 24 voices of the Virus.
This is the perfect compliment to my Triton.
Enjoy and don't judge it by the demos found on the internet. if it were just for the demos I woul have purchased a virus.
NOVATION get your but in gear and create better demos to show what the nova is capable of.

By far the easiest synth I have ever had to learn to use. Editing is simple and straightforward,but at the same time is very powerful.
The editing structure is much better than any of the competitions.

12 note polyphonic and 6 part makes the nova very powerful. The only thing
I would grumble about is the fact that it is only 12 note. The effects
are by far the best effects I have ever found built in to a synth. They
even rival the standard of the Trinity effects. Every knob sends out
midi data so creating huge filter sweeps is almost too easy.

All the sounds are excellent. I have got fat growling basses and sublte
detailed hammond sounds out of it. I don't know of another instrument that is
capable of this. (apart from maybe the Supernova)

It has never crashed yet. (touch wood). I know I can rely on it 100%

I had one problem with it and I rang Novation UK. The person I needed to speak to was not there
But I left a message and he phoned back the same day.

I have used it in every single project since buying it and don't really know what I would do without it now.
I've had it since January 2000.

This was the easiest synth to use out-of-the-box I have ever seen. It is incredibly easy to edit patches on. One of the most ingenious features is the Modulation Matrix. All the modulation sources and destinations are in one place - you just push a button for the source, and then you push a button for the destination. A patch editor would slow you down with this unit.

The Nova is a 12-voice, 6-part multitimbral virtual analog synthesizer module - it does not have a keyboard. One of the mast amazing features is the effects section. When used in multitimbral mode you can assign completely different effects to each of the six parts, as opposed to most multitimbral units that only allow you one set of effects for the entire multi set-up. The effects can also be accessed externally, as can the rest of the Nova's features via external audio inputs. The Nova also has an excellent arpeggiator and a really good vocoder built-in.

It excels on just about any type of analog synth sound.Sounds really lush.

Really solid design and construction. The pots and switches are of the best quality.

I had one question for Novation support once and they emailed me back the answer the next day.

If my Nova were lost or stolen, I would definitely have to replace it.
Less metallic-sounding than a Nord Rack and more atmospheric than a JP-8080.The Nova does bass sounds as well, or better than both those units.The closest thing to it is the Access Virus, but I think the Nova wins over it because of the more intuitive user interface, even if the Virus has more knobs.

v3.0 Software. The layout makes perfect sense and editing is easy. No need for a software editor. Compared to my JP8080 the interface is a dream. The manual sucks - though you won't need it much. The presets are good and give you a good idea of what this thing is capable of.

6-part multitimbral. Separate effects section for each part. Once again this thing is very user friendly. I've had it for 3 months and I've completed more songs in a short period of time than ever before. Compared to my JP8080 this thing is very user-friendly. No expansion card slot or anything - you'll need to use your computer librarian or dump patch data as syex into your sequencer. There is a studio module for cubase available as well as an adaptation for SoundDiver.

Great sounds. At least as good as any other virtual analog concerning sound quality, thickness of the sound etc.. The only thing it doesn't do well are the thinern, distorted type sounds like the access virus. The distortion algorithm in the effects section is not really aggressive and overdriven, it's more mild.
All the effects included delay, chorus, flange etc. have extensive capabilites for syncing to MIDI clock. The arpegiator also syncs to midi clock (and it's got user-programmable locations to store user patterns you come up with). I can't imagine using this thing for anything but dance/techno type music. It ios certainly tailored to this crowd. My latest song is currently up near the top of the trance charts at mp3.com ( http://www.mp3.com/AlphaZone ). This song is almost all nova so you can get an idea of what's possible.

No problems yet. It's very compact and well built so I'd expect problems with electronics-related things if anything.

Great customer support. There's a Novation messageboard at Dancetech that is fairly active. Novation employess contribute on a regular basis. You can reach them on the phone easily.

I'd buy it again in a second.
I've been doing electronic music for 8 years. As far as synths I currently own the Nova, Korg Wavestation, Alesis QS8, Roland JP8080.
In the past I've also owned Roland JP8000, Ensoniq EPS, Kawai K1, Roland JP8000. The Nova is my favorite of any of them. I get so much work done with it. You can't beat the price on this gem.

Version 3.0 Software. Eeeeasy to use. The presets are quite useful and accurate emulations. This unit has a good punchy sound that can either stand out or blend seamlessly into a mix. Editing could not be much simpler. 20 knobs and 60+ buttons make editing a joy and no digital stepping sound ever enters the mix while you tweak away. The manual is by far the best cure for insomnia to date.

The nova only has twelve voices. Keep in mind that there are 3 oscillators per voice and things can become extremely thick in a performance. I've only run out of polyphony once or twice but this really is not a tremendous shortcoming. The effects sections is very flexible and allows you to create some very comlex timbres. It also responds very well to velocity and aftertouch which can bring some of the sleeper sounds to life. And the arpeggiator is great fun. It is really a music composer allowing you to quickly arrange and create a complex moving sound that can fit pretty mych any musical taste. A BIG 10 for bang for the buck.

The main focus of this machine is to emulate analogue type sounds from synths of yesteryear. Like the TB303 - it does it well. Oberheim style fatness - it's got it. ARP's - very convincing. The acoustic emulations, however, are a bad joke. Buy a sampler or some all in one workstation if that's your bit. Techno, dance, industiral, new age, and even rock can be accomodated with this unit. As mentioned the unit is equipped with an outstnding effects unit and the filter is really fat and fuzzy.

This is one well made piece of equipment. All of the knobs and buttons have a quality feel. If you want the true analogue experience without the hassles of repair bills, instruments that won't stay in tune, overheating problems, non MIDI capable, and tempermental operating quirks then buy this machine. You won't be diasappointed and most likely won't know the differnce.

Have not had to deal with them but the website is the most user freindly of any available. All updates are absolutley free and a downlaodabel into the NOVA via MIDI. A definite plus.

the nova can be as hard or as easy to use as you want it to be, if you stick to the preset sounds then youll be able to throw up tunes in no time but if your more into creating your own then it takes a little longer but thats not such a bad thing, the longer it takes me to work on a sound the more satisfied i am with the finished product.
if you know very little about analogue then the manual can be a bit of a nightmare, it seems to be wrote for those who already know it all, but saying that your better off just messing about with the machine and reading the manual when you come across problems.

the nova has 12 voice polyphony and 6 part multitimberal, not as much as supernova but more than most other analogue modelling synths. the effects are realy sharp and can have 42 of them going at once which i found pretty impressive and the vocoder is crystal clear, theres also two inputs for what ever you want to plug into it and it transmits every turn of a button dial nob switch etc through midi.

nova should be shot for the beats or should i say beat that they included in the programs, ive never heard anything so crap. they have provided everything you need to make a track but missed out on the percussion, so youll have to invest in a drum machine/sampler to go along with it,
the preset sounds are aimed at the dance market (techno trance etc), if your into that then no doubt you could have a track made in minutes but to be honest its more fun ripping the novas presets to bits to create your own stuff. (ive given it eight for the lack of percussion.)

so far i have had no problems with the nova(touch wood), ive done a few live sets and it seems to handle it self, its a lot smaller than what i thought it would be but its actualy quite solid and sturdy,
i know this may sound daft but the feet on the bottom stick to surfaces like glue so it doesnt slide about.

never dealt with them (thank god)

it took me a while to decide between pc synth or hardware, to be honest i would of chosen software but i do occasional live stuff and i cant trust my pc as far as i could throw it.
so far ive had nothing but joy with it, ive got it hooked up with a sampler and a work station and im writing constantly, to be honest by pc has gone redundant. if your thinking about getting this go for it but take in mind youll need beats and a sequencer to go on top.

Very easy to use, especially if you've had to work with machines with long lists of parameters that you have to scroll through just to find one little thing. Editing sounds on the Nova is a joy and a breeze. You do have to go through some menus, but none of them are ever more than 4 or 5 lines long, and the lcd is bright and clear. The presets are somewhat crappy and too 'effected,' but a few are useful as a starting point for making your own sounds. The manual is as good as it needs to be, and I haven't really looked at it yet. Half of it is just a table of midi implemntations for all the beautiful lfo's and envelopes and filters and effects. Version 3.0, i think.

6 voices, 3 oscillators (plus 2 ringmods,noise, and external input) per voice. 7 effects, a filter, 2 lfo's 3 envelopes per voice. vocoder can be used on only one voice at a time, but how many vocoded sounds would you want to have at once anyway. the arpeggiator seems powerful, but i will probably never use it. effects and lfo's are MIDI-syncable.
the most brilliant thing about this machine are the filters, which are fat and warm and screaming and fuzzy and all the other superlatives that can be heaped on VA filters. on the other hand, they can also be subtle. linking frequency or resonance to lfo's envelopes, or mod wheel is very easy and intuitive. effects are all good, though maybe a little less editable than i imagined they would be; for my purposes though they are more than enough, and you can have seven of them a time! well more like 6, since the vocoder can only be on one voice and EQ is not really an effect. 6 1/2 then. whatever, they're nice and you can change their order to your likiing, i.e. delay>>chorus>>reverb, or >>distortion>>chorus>>delay, or whatever. I'm somewhat disappointed that you can't put filters after effects instead of the other way around, but I will get over this because all i really need is good filters for raunchy bass sounds and mashed-up breakbeats and hard distored electric piano hits and dynamic undulating pads and the nova's filters do all the above for me.
I chose the nova over the supernova because of price and inputs. my sampler now has much more potential use now that i can route it through the nova's filters and effects.
there are many other features to this thing, go read a magazine if you want the full scoop.
oh and the unit itself is very inviting and tactile. it is a tasteful dark blue with a matte-like metal face. the knobs feel solid and sturdy, though unfortunately they are non-infinite and don't pick up at the programmed value. if i had to complain about anything, it might be that the buttons feel a little stiff and everything is very small, which makes the nova a veritable arthritis breeding grounds if you are an obsessive twiddler like myself.
the only reason i'm putting a 9 instead of 10 is because of low polyphony, but i myself haven't had any problems with this yet. i'd rather have 6 voices with 6 independent effects each than 16 voices with only 3 effects to share among the whole lot.

i'm using this for drum 'n bass and trip hop, so it's all basslines, pads, organs, pianos, and effects for me. the factory organs and pianos are somewhat weak, but i think a little tweaking can make them usable. the nova uses the same sound engine as the supernova, so the sound overall is excellent and very versatile too. don't come looking for realistic sounds, that's not the focus of this machine. implenting velocity, aftertouch, and mod wheel responses is very easy.

i've only had it a couple days now, but it seems very dependable and i would bring it to a gig.

haven't had to deal with them yet, but i hear they're okay and pretty on top of things when it comes to updates and the like. O.S. updates can be downloaded and then transferred via MIDI.

I compared with JP8000 and Nord Lead. It's more versatile than both in terms of the sounds you can get out of it. Other than that i don't have much experience in VA, so I can't say much about it's place in that whole arena, but from what i've heard the super/nova's sound is as good as or better than anything out there.

Uses latest OS ver 3.0. It is pretty easy to use once you know how. Once you get your head around how sounds are put together then its pretty easy. The presets sound good especially the pads, leads, stabs, basses. The pianos sounded pretty awful to me and they will be the first thing that I lose when I get around to rolling my own. The manual while thorough could be better. It would benefit from a more tutorial like approach in addition to the section to section layout.

12 note polyphony, 6 voices, 7 independent effects per voice which sound pretty good to me. Vocoder and audio input. No expansion capabilty but then it is a very small box which you could fit in the pocket of your trenchcoat.
Midi is good, knob changes recordable etc.
The onboard arpeggiator looks very powerful.
In short, this has everything that the more expensive Supernova has in terms of architecture but with reduced polyphony, fewer audio outs, fewer parts and less memories. However, it does have different presets (improved in my opinion), a vocoder (brilliant) and audio ins and it is very small (brilliant). In a head to head at the Turnkey shop in London, the Nova sounded much better than its bigger brother but this may have been due to the Supernova having an old version of the operating system loaded.
If you want all the polyphony in the world then I guess that the Supernova is your man. However, if like me you have a few synths and you dont need to program whole arrangements on the one box then the nova is more than adequate. A full arrangement on the nova would probably run out of voices. I wanted it because the dance sounds were much richer and had more prescence than on my sample based synths. However, I think the drums, pianos, brass and other parts are better on other machines and I wont use them. It is unlikely that I will ever use more than 3 voices at the same time. If I wanted/needed more than this I would definately have purchased the Supernova.

Real instruments (pianos, drums etc) are not too good. Synthesiser noises are the best Ive ever heard on a digital synth.
Dance, techno etc is what this box is for.
All the usual stuff for velocity, aftertouch is there. The onboard effects are good and perhaps overused in the presets.

Havnt had it that long.

Never dealt with them, hope I never have to.

If it was lost Id be very upset and would buy another. I compared this with its big brother and chose this because it was smaller, cheaper, sounded better and I didnt need the polyphony voices of the more expensive box. I also wanted the vocoder. They are both brilliant and would not hesitate in recommending anyone to try them out.