They absolutely do not all sound the same. At least in my opinion. Each of the "generations" has a particular sound.
So, the old Nova's like the desktop and the keyboards that Rob was showing earlier in this thread.
Then the "K" series of stuff.
And now the latest, which is the SuperNova and the Mini.
The K-Station and the V-Station do sound the same. At one point I had them both and I wound up selling off the K-Station.
Novation Nova (old) - worth getting ?
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- Banned
- 1373 posts since 5 May, 2007 from Finland
Like i posted earlier the Supernova/Nova range sounds very different to the newer V/A/K-Station etc synths. My personal experience is with Nova and V-Station. Love em both, but for different reasons.Aiynzahev wrote:Can somebody (Rob or anyone) give me the final word on whether all the Novation synths sound the same or not?
I mean all the VA's. The K-station, the V-station, The old Novas and the Ultra Novas.
Thanks, entertain the idea of a Supernova II & UltraNova. I love the V-station btw. LOVE IT
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theodore_whitmore theodore_whitmore https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=297562
- KVRist
- 155 posts since 29 Jan, 2013
A Novation Nova was my first hardware synth (still have it, currently dead-more later). These are my thoughts on it.
The sound: definitely not virtual analogue. A pure digital subtractive synth-something like Synth 1 with a little more grain. The envelopes are not smoothed so the filter sweeps in semitone steps. Subjectively the sound is a little murky. It is nice for deep basses and warm pads but a little lacking for cutting leads.
Synthesis options are somewhat limited (at least compared to modern digital subtractive synths). No FM, no S&H and a very limited mod matrix. On the positive side each oscillator has a 'hidden' sync oscillator and osc 1*2 and 2*3 can be ring modulated. There are also some waveform shaping controls that are useful for moving further into digital synthesis territory but they unfortunately cannot be modulated. If it is running the latest OS (4.2?-should be freely available on teh interwebz) you also get a supersaw oscillator, which is nothing special, and some nice dual filter options. The filter itself is pretty nice. It does not have the painfully sharp resonance that many early digital filters suffered from.
The effects setup is as good as it gets. Every sound can have its own reverb, delay, modulation, comb filter, distortion and eq. The downside is that the quality of the effects is not great. The reverb in particular is only useable to create a deliberately metallic sound.
The multimode is fantastic. Each sound in the multimode is saved separately from the main patch memory so you can edit within a multi to your hearts content. This includes the FX, so each sound in a multi can have its own FX setup without compromise.
The audio inputs are a useful feature but the AD convertors are pretty poor and clip far too easily. The vocoder is pretty good. It doesn't have a mass of options but does sound pretty clean (if you treat the convertors gently). It is also resource light. Iirc it takes up one multimode part and no extra polyphony.
I will also give a lot of praise to the UI. There are very few multifunction controls and it is incredibly well laid out and programmable. The only exception to that is the arpeggiator but only because it tries to fit a lot of options to a very few controls. If you can live with that the arp is excellent. You could easily base a whole set around switching arp patterns.
Here's the BIG WARNING. Remember I said my Nova is dead? It will only rarely boot and when it does it is barely useable if at all. According to teh interwebz this is a common problem, *possibly* power supply related. If you are looking to buy one make sure you demo it. Turn it on and off REPEATEDLY. If there are any problems, such as a sudden and unexpectedly loud and distorted output or controls that refuse to react, walk away. It will die, and hard. If you find a good example, and can live with the provisos mentioned you will be very happy with it. I loved my Nova when it worked and would certainly buy another (if it was fully functional).
The sound: definitely not virtual analogue. A pure digital subtractive synth-something like Synth 1 with a little more grain. The envelopes are not smoothed so the filter sweeps in semitone steps. Subjectively the sound is a little murky. It is nice for deep basses and warm pads but a little lacking for cutting leads.
Synthesis options are somewhat limited (at least compared to modern digital subtractive synths). No FM, no S&H and a very limited mod matrix. On the positive side each oscillator has a 'hidden' sync oscillator and osc 1*2 and 2*3 can be ring modulated. There are also some waveform shaping controls that are useful for moving further into digital synthesis territory but they unfortunately cannot be modulated. If it is running the latest OS (4.2?-should be freely available on teh interwebz) you also get a supersaw oscillator, which is nothing special, and some nice dual filter options. The filter itself is pretty nice. It does not have the painfully sharp resonance that many early digital filters suffered from.
The effects setup is as good as it gets. Every sound can have its own reverb, delay, modulation, comb filter, distortion and eq. The downside is that the quality of the effects is not great. The reverb in particular is only useable to create a deliberately metallic sound.
The multimode is fantastic. Each sound in the multimode is saved separately from the main patch memory so you can edit within a multi to your hearts content. This includes the FX, so each sound in a multi can have its own FX setup without compromise.
The audio inputs are a useful feature but the AD convertors are pretty poor and clip far too easily. The vocoder is pretty good. It doesn't have a mass of options but does sound pretty clean (if you treat the convertors gently). It is also resource light. Iirc it takes up one multimode part and no extra polyphony.
I will also give a lot of praise to the UI. There are very few multifunction controls and it is incredibly well laid out and programmable. The only exception to that is the arpeggiator but only because it tries to fit a lot of options to a very few controls. If you can live with that the arp is excellent. You could easily base a whole set around switching arp patterns.
Here's the BIG WARNING. Remember I said my Nova is dead? It will only rarely boot and when it does it is barely useable if at all. According to teh interwebz this is a common problem, *possibly* power supply related. If you are looking to buy one make sure you demo it. Turn it on and off REPEATEDLY. If there are any problems, such as a sudden and unexpectedly loud and distorted output or controls that refuse to react, walk away. It will die, and hard. If you find a good example, and can live with the provisos mentioned you will be very happy with it. I loved my Nova when it worked and would certainly buy another (if it was fully functional).
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- KVRAF
- 6208 posts since 25 Dec, 2004
I've owned both the Nova (desktop) and the Supernova (rack)... they sounded identical, except for a few small things I don't remember, but the Supernova I didn't have a vocoder if I recall correctly... it's a very bubbly sound, and multi timbral, but nothing too much that Predator won't do, or KarmaFX Synth might be a similar sound. I like the slew type of sounds I used to get...
https://soundcloud.com/onesnzeros/elevator-to-mars at the 4:40 mark the Supernova comes to the light, tweaking using the cutoff, decay and the octave buttons on the arp. It's a fun synth, if you can get a good condition desktop Nova for around $300 or under then you've got a nice deal I guess.
The annoying thing about the Nova is the beep noise when changing patches. It can't be switched off, and it's loud.
I'll fish through my database and see if I have the sysex info...
https://soundcloud.com/onesnzeros/elevator-to-mars at the 4:40 mark the Supernova comes to the light, tweaking using the cutoff, decay and the octave buttons on the arp. It's a fun synth, if you can get a good condition desktop Nova for around $300 or under then you've got a nice deal I guess.
The annoying thing about the Nova is the beep noise when changing patches. It can't be switched off, and it's loud.
I'll fish through my database and see if I have the sysex info...
sketches... http://soundcloud.com/onesnzeros
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
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- KVRAF
- 6208 posts since 25 Dec, 2004
I found this...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova_nrpn.doc
and these patches and resources...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova.rar
I also have heaps of SQS files if anyone needs, just PM me.
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova_nrpn.doc
and these patches and resources...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova.rar
I also have heaps of SQS files if anyone needs, just PM me.
sketches... http://soundcloud.com/onesnzeros
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
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- Banned
- 1373 posts since 5 May, 2007 from Finland
sqigls wrote:I found this...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova_nrpn.doc
and these patches and resources...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova.rar
I also have heaps of SQS files if anyone needs, just PM me.
Is the supernova.rar public domain?
I'd like to include stuff to the patch manager vsti i have for the Nova.
What are SQS files? SoundQuest stuff?
Could you record them with Midi-OX into standard sysex files. Those 3rd-party closed formats serve no-one.
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- KVRian
- 609 posts since 29 Jan, 2004
Could you share your patch manager vsti you have for the Nova. I can't seem to find it on your website.mkdr wrote:sqigls wrote:I found this...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova_nrpn.doc
and these patches and resources...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova.rar
I also have heaps of SQS files if anyone needs, just PM me.
Is the supernova.rar public domain?
I'd like to include stuff to the patch manager vsti i have for the Nova.
What are SQS files? SoundQuest stuff?
Could you record them with Midi-OX into standard sysex files. Those 3rd-party closed formats serve no-one.
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- Banned
- 1373 posts since 5 May, 2007 from Finland
It's not quite finished yet. Just a few little fixes needed..when i have the timecyberheater wrote:Could you share your patch manager vsti you have for the Nova. I can't seem to find it on your website.mkdr wrote:sqigls wrote:I found this...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova_nrpn.doc
and these patches and resources...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova.rar
I also have heaps of SQS files if anyone needs, just PM me.
Is the supernova.rar public domain?
I'd like to include stuff to the patch manager vsti i have for the Nova.
What are SQS files? SoundQuest stuff?
Could you record them with Midi-OX into standard sysex files. Those 3rd-party closed formats serve no-one.
I'm currently in a very special situation where i'm actually getting paid for my musical expertise. A musician getting a steady salary these days is so rare that i need to focus all my efforts on the job 
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- KVRian
- 609 posts since 29 Jan, 2004
I quite understand and well done.mkdr wrote:It's not quite finished yet. Just a few little fixes needed..when i have the timecyberheater wrote:Could you share your patch manager vsti you have for the Nova. I can't seem to find it on your website.mkdr wrote:sqigls wrote:I found this...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova_nrpn.doc
and these patches and resources...
http://www.spectraselecta.com/misc/supernova.rar
I also have heaps of SQS files if anyone needs, just PM me.
Is the supernova.rar public domain?
I'd like to include stuff to the patch manager vsti i have for the Nova.
What are SQS files? SoundQuest stuff?
Could you record them with Midi-OX into standard sysex files. Those 3rd-party closed formats serve no-one.
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- KVRist
- 111 posts since 31 Jul, 2004 from NEUK
I've had once since 2001. I disagree about another owner who states it can't do cutting leads - but, sound is subjective, right? So I don't really want to get into some drawn out, pseudo science bollox about it!
Anyway, forgetting the synth side of it, the audio processing capabilities are mental. For instance, create a program which makes use of the two inputs, making it stereo. Pass the audio through one of the dual filters, choosing one of the many. Effects to taste, perhaps pan to suit the material going into it (ie, tempo locked - althoug this is manual only).
Go to performance mode, apply this same patch to parts 1 to 6, but change the filter type accoring to the stereo placement (ie, same on part 1 as 6, same as part 2 and 5, same as 3 and 4.
Pan each part, 1 and 6 hard left and right, 3 and 4 centre. Change filter tracking to suit, change the filter width on velocity, maybe. Make all of the parts respond to the same midi channel. When you hit the keys you get a very addictive processing taking place depending on where and how hard you play. Maybe assign the modwheel to filter sweep as well as effects wet to dry and as well as effect chain order.
Seriously fun to play and so immediate to program - gives you flexibility which is just different and refreshing and fun to actually play in comparison to software. In my opinion, of course!
ps, mine's on ebay, no reserve!
Anyway, forgetting the synth side of it, the audio processing capabilities are mental. For instance, create a program which makes use of the two inputs, making it stereo. Pass the audio through one of the dual filters, choosing one of the many. Effects to taste, perhaps pan to suit the material going into it (ie, tempo locked - althoug this is manual only).
Go to performance mode, apply this same patch to parts 1 to 6, but change the filter type accoring to the stereo placement (ie, same on part 1 as 6, same as part 2 and 5, same as 3 and 4.
Pan each part, 1 and 6 hard left and right, 3 and 4 centre. Change filter tracking to suit, change the filter width on velocity, maybe. Make all of the parts respond to the same midi channel. When you hit the keys you get a very addictive processing taking place depending on where and how hard you play. Maybe assign the modwheel to filter sweep as well as effects wet to dry and as well as effect chain order.
Seriously fun to play and so immediate to program - gives you flexibility which is just different and refreshing and fun to actually play in comparison to software. In my opinion, of course!
ps, mine's on ebay, no reserve!