New synth from Novation

Tom_1970 · Post by **Tom_1970** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 10:02 pm

It has been a while since Novation released a proper synthesizer, but there it is: the UltraNova!

http://www.novationmusic.com/ultranova/

Specifications
Synth engine

• Up to 18 note polyphony (dynamic voicing)
• Mono-Timbral

Per patch:
• 3x oscillators
• 1x noise generator
• 2x ring modulators

Waveforms include:
• Square, sine, tri, sawtooth, pulse, 9x saw:pulse combinations.
• 20x digital waveforms
• 36x wavetables

Filtertypes:

2x filters per patch

• low pass no resonance 6dB per octave
• low pass 12dB
• low pass 18dB
• low pass 24dB
• band pass 6:6
• band pass 6:12
• band pass 12:6
• band pass 6:18
• band pass 18:6
• band pass 12:12
• high pass no resonance 6dB per octave
• high pass 12dB
• high pass 18dB
• high pass 24dB

Sources:
20 modulation slots per patch
• 6x envelope generators
• 3x LFOs.
• Aftertouch
• Velocity
• Key scaling/track
• Mod wheel
• Expression pedal

Total of 66 Destinations including:
• Oscillator pitch, pulse width, wavetable index, level and sync
• Filter cutoff, resonance, envelope settings
• Effects parameters and send levels
• Recursive modulation (modulating modulation sources themselves)

5 Effects slots per patch

• Distortion – up to 2 instances
• Compressor – up to 2 instances
• Chorus/Phase – up to 4 instances
• Delay – up to 2 instances
• Reverb – up to 2 instances
• Gator
• EQ
•12 band vocoder
• Arpeggiator – 33 patterns
• Chord function – lock up to 10 notes
• Patch storage up to 512 on hardware (ships with 300 factory patches)

Hardware

• 144 character LCD
• 8x detented touch sensitive encoders
• 1x large smooth encoder (with back-lit filter lock buttons)
• 1x large patch select/speed dial encoder
• 2x volume & monitor mix dials
• 39 LED lit/indicated buttons
• Pitch wheel (LED lit)
• Modulation wheel (LED lit)
• 37 note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
• XLR dynamic mic input
• 2x ¼” jack inputs
• 2x ¼” jack outputs
• 2x ¼” jack aux outputs
• 1x ¼” jack headphone output
• SPDIF digital output on RCA connector
• Expression pedal on ¼” jack input
• Sustain pedal on ¼” jack input
• MIDI in/out/thru
• 12 volt power input
• USB port (UltraNova can be powered via USB)
• Kensington Lock port

kimu · Post by **kimu** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:08 am

i love novation synths from Supernova and through KS and Xio.... this looks very interesting!

gjvti · Post by **gjvti** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 8:46 am

I can agree, that UltraNova looks really interesting. What else can be added to sound generation path after Radias, Virus, V-synth as virtual and Moog, DSI as analogue? Not much probably. UltraNova with its advanced modultaion system and special touch sensitive encoders is a great example showing that there are still many interesting approaches to improve the way how you manipulate those sound generation engines to achieve impressive results.

Hugo · Post by **Hugo** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 12:08 pm

The controllers seem especially interesting. Don't know if this is a step up from the SuperNova, though

Timo · Post by **Timo** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:22 pm

Nicely spec'd.

Definately one to watch.

platypus · Post by **platypus** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:15 pm

I was actually thinking of looking into getting a Xio for something small and portable to mess with, but I may just have to save some more money up now.

Tom_1970 · Post by **Tom_1970** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:58 pm

Reading the manual and looking at the pictures on the site, I think the controllers are implemented in a clever way that makes decent patch editing possible without the software editor.

Nice synth for on my desktop (Remote Zero SL MKII behind it)...

Still curious when we can touch this little beauty.

Post by **Sharp** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:29 pm

Yummy

kimu · Post by **kimu** » Sat Sep 11, 2010 12:54 pm

Ultranova short review on keyboardmag

http://keyboardmag.com/article/119935

UltraNova will be available towards the end of Q4 2010. (so it's coming for Xmas.....)

Prices will be as follows:

UK: RRP £587.49. Estimated street price £499.99.

USA: SRP: $849.99. At dealers for $699.99.

DE: UPE €679.99. EST €599.99.

not what could be defined an "entry level" synth....

Timo · Post by **Timo** » Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:41 pm

kimu wrote:not what could be defined an "entry level" synth....

I'm not sure. I think that price is about right, considering the price of a R3/MicroKorgXL or similar keyboards.

The hardware looks good, Fatar keybed (velocity AND aftertouch - even my £1K+ RadiasKB hasn't got aftertouch), touch-sensitive encoders, audio inputs, >18 voices poly, 3 osc's, supersaw/supersquare, wavetables, versatile filter types, 20 mod slots, 5 fx at any one time, gater, 512 patch storage.

Plus it's a full USB audio interface (2 ins, 4 outs).

The only thing that would put me off slightly is that it's mono-timbral. But in saying that my Virus Indigo is used primarily for setting down monster mono-timbral tracks.

Think you'd have to pay quite a bit more to trump it. Virus TI Snow is £800+ (and you'd need an additional keyboard), Radias is a lot more expensive, as are the fully-blown Viruses.

The most directly competitive product to the UltraNova would be the Waldorf Blofeld keyboard @ £575.

...which has >25-voice poly, 3 osc's, FM, Waldorf Q modelling, Microwave II/XT/XTk wavetables, 1000 patches, 1 fx per part, 2 fx processors total, 16 mod slots, 2 filters, drive, velocity and aftertouch keyboard.

kimu · Post by **kimu** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:46 am

yes you're right...

new R3 o microXL has a very similar price to the one announced for ultranova here in Europa...

main competitor i think are Blofeld (even if no vocoder at all), R3 itself, miniAkai and "the old" micron (even if it has vocoder but not XLR in and the tweaking capabilities are very limited).

i guess that the real differences (a part from personal tasting regarding how each of these synths sound) will be the Novation Touch Controller and the Big LCD screen, maybe this will introduce a new way to perform

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 7:54 am

It kinda looks like the R3 too, but I think it is much more fully featured than the R3. Could be a real close competitor.

Some features sound a little disappointing though:
Monotimbral
12 band Vocoder

One of the main reasons I was interested in the Nova was the 128 band vocoder.

benedictjohnson · Post by **benedictjohnson** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:26 am

The Bass Station was an excellent lightweight real-analogue mono-synth but after the dreadful A-Station and Xio, I'm not risking getting my fingers burned again by Novation.
Shame coz I would prefer to buy British.

kimu · Post by **kimu** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:09 am

do not know A-station, but the Bass Station do not impress me so much thinking that it is a real analogue, way better the waldorf pulse for example....

the Xio instead as surprised me positively....

benedictjohnson · Post by **benedictjohnson** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:29 am

Even though I don't find the sound to be the slightest bit impressive, I do like the promo video showing a guy playing the UltraNova live alongside a real drummer.

http://www.novationmusic.com/ultranova/