words: LUKE PEPPER Novation Mini Nova TECH
SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND
Will Novation’s latest incarnation of their Supernova synthesiser propel producers to another galaxy?
N
ewcomers to the music production scene could be forgiven for thinking that Novation only make
controllers and MIDI keyboards, due to their huge presence in this market. However, Novation started out making synths like their Bass Station, Drum Station and SuperNova synthesizers. The latter were a huge smash with dance producers worldwide, but in recent times they have turned their attention to making various ranges of keyboards and MIDI controllers — with much success. 2010 saw Novation revisit their synthesiser heritage and resurrect the Nova range in the form of the UltraNova, which was extremely well received by the music industry. Now the latest in this line of legendary synthesizers is born in the form of the MiniNova.
Given the diminutive size of the MiniNova and the microphone that sticks out of the control surface on a flexible gooseneck, it is clear that this synthesiser is in direct competition with the microKorg and microKorgXL. However, despite the very small size of this synthesiser and the fact that it weighs in at 2.5 kg, the MiniNova is actually a heavyweight synth when it comes to sounds and features due to the fact that it has the same powerful sound engine as the UltraNova. It also has most of the features from its big brother, and sound patches can be shared between the two synthesizers. While the microphone that sticks out of the MiniNova manages to make the synthesiser look completely awesome in an old skool way, it is clearly not there for
decoration. This pint-sized monster has a built in Vocoder and VocalTuner. Most modern synths with vocoder capabilities have been a bit of a letdown in terms of fatness and coolness of the sounds they produce, especially when it comes to the presets — however, the MiniNova breaks this trend in a big way. The vocoder is absolutely awesome, with a good range of very nice presets for instant Daft Punk-style gratification. The VocalTune mode recreates classic hip-hop and urban vocal tuning effects with serious aplomb, and Vocoded/ VocalTuned output can also have onboard effects such as reverb and distortion added on top. The MiniNova also has a jack input at the back to allow external sound sources to be connected to it such as keyboards, samplers or any other instruments and then be vocoded, or have effects added via the MiniNova. Another sweet touch is that the onboard microphone can be detached to allow connection of other microphones. Despite being a compact synthesizer, the three octave keyboard on the MiniNova is perfectly playable and has managed to strike a good balance between portability and functionality, and while the key action isn’t quite as nice as the ones found on the microKorg range, it certainly isn’t terrible. The keyboard is complemented nicely by two large wheel controllers for pitch and modulation that look and feel fantastic, thanks to the blue LED backlighting and rubberized tops. The rest of the control panel is nicely spaced with large buttons and old skool- style large knobs giving an uncluttered
and well-laid-out control surface that is perfect for quick tweaking in the studio or onstage antics. The deeper levels of programming and tweaking functions are unlocked via the free editing software provided by Novation that can also be used to save sounds or load new sounds into the MiniNova quickly and easily.
The MiniNova ships with 256 onboard presets, with space for an additional 128 user-created presets. There is also the option to download more soundbanks — created by names such as Daniel Fisher and Chuckie — from Novation’s website for free. The preset sounds are excellent, with a decent range to be found even before customizing the soundbanks to individual preferences, and the SuperNova heritage can be heard both in the sounds and the effects that the MiniNova produces. Loading up the controller software onto a computer will pay big dividends, as the synthesiser engine running the MiniNova is incredibly powerful and can produce some seriously amazing sounds if the time is taken to programme them. Adding to the overall slickness of the package are the 14 onboard filters to choose from, which sound brilliant and provide hours of fun (or productive work as we like to call it) tweaking away in the studio. The overall build quality of the MiniNova manages to strike a good balance between ruggedness and lightweight portability, with the layout and design being very well-executed. The MiniNova is packed with nice touches, like the huge filter cut-off knob and the
PRICE $499
CONTACT
novationmusic.com
VERDICT BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF USE FEATURES
7.5 8.0 8.5
VALUE FOR MONEY 8.5 SOUND QUALITY 8.0
HYPE
Onboard vocoder, voice tuner and arpeggiator, plus the power of the UltraNova sound engine packed into a small and lightweight package.
GRIPE
The only gripe to be found is that the action of the keys isn’t quite as nice as the ones found on the microKorg range.
Continuing their rich tradition of creating top-class synthesisers, with this latest incarnation of their Nova synth, Novation have packed an awful lot of synthesiser into a very small package.
8.0/10
brilliant performance matrix, which makes tweaking sounds feel like second nature. This synthesiser offers instant gratification for creating music in the studio as well as performing out in the wild — not to mention ticking all of the boxes as far as size and weight are concerned. This is a great value synthesiser that punches well above its weight and price point.
djmag.com 105
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