NOVATION ULTRANOVA !!!

[Chando]

I just hated the Darkstar, and i had the XP version too! It sounded very thin and tiny. No presence at all. But for what you say you want it for, you might actually dig it.

Thin!! no presense!!! you're getting me all excited!! I want something to layer/pan out pretty/junky stuff to sample, because I'm getting back into my Roland VP9000. Pump out on some ambient/library jams... send the group out of my mixer to the VP9000... and I have tons of flexibility then.

Of course I'd only go for the XP2. I don't deal with RCA nonsense.

And yes, I've got Akai AX's, Pro-One, SX1000, SH's, Moogs, MS20, SEM, Juno's, JX's, Jupiter, Aelita, etc etc etc at my disposal .. that's why multi-timbrality is appealing to me more and more these days for interesting layers and happy accidents..

A "good" V/A just doesn't appeal to me and never has. Sometimes a total miss is better/more amusing than a near miss. Just missing the bullseye is much more boring than seeing someone accidently hit the fat lady..

[Umbra]

Might as well do an Elevata if your doing any Red Sound synths.

[Chando]

very true - but those seem rare and $$$ ?

[Acid Hazard]

Ya, the Elevata would be even better. But they are hard to find.

[4trakk]

back to the OP if i may..

Even tho i may wind up getting it, i have some concerns.

1) Why are all the Supernova references on the site in quotes? i mean is it a supernova2 sound engine or not? and if it is, WHERE is the FM? even the k station has FM, so how has the Ultra brought the Supernova "up to date"??

2) What exactly is making up for the fact that its MONOtimbral? and again how is that up to date??

3) I wish they left out all the noise on the back (inface, shminterface) and made a dedicated sound design tool. Also, if its gonna be a synth/controller combination, they should have called it AUTOnova for the automap -cause without FM and multitmbral its not "ultra" anything.

4) Finaly, its got a frighteningly similar body design to the GAIA:facepalm: -they better not be related somehow! (it should have used the superb SL construction design!!)

[Acid Hazard]

It looks nothing like the Gaia, in anyway. Maybe in that it has a 3 oct keyboard. Other than that, nothing. This will sound way better than the Gaia most likely.

 

I think they are marketing it wrong as pointing to the SuperNova lineage. They may have started with the same code, but probably altered it enough that it won't be the same. Maybe they kept the same Oscillators... who knows. Maybe it's all just marketing hype.

 

Monotimbrel? Who cares. I'm seeing a huge dependence on Multi-Timbrel this and that.

 

Still waiting to hear a solid release date.

[MuzikB]

back to the OP if i may.. Even tho i may wind up getting it, i have some concerns. 1) Why are all the Supernova references on the site in quotes? i mean is it a supernova2 sound engine or not? and if it is, WHERE is the FM? even the k station has FM, so how has the Ultra brought the Supernova "up to date"?? 2) What exactly is making up for the fact that its MONOtimbral? and again how is that up to date?? 3) I wish they left out all the noise on the back (inface, shminterface) and made a dedicated sound design tool. Also, if its gonna be a synth/controller combination, they should have called it AUTOnova for the automap -cause without FM and multitmbral its not "ultra" anything. 4) Finaly, its got a frighteningly similar body design to the GAIA:facepalm: -they better not be related somehow! (it should have used the superb SL construction design!!)

 

 

1: Use the ring Modulator and fake it.

 

2: It's an audio interface, midi controller, and performance synth

 

3: See #2

 

4: It looks nothing and behaves nothing like the GAIA. Totally lost me with #4.

[4trakk]

1: Use the ring Modulator and fake it. 2: It's an audio interface, midi controller, and performance synth 3: See #2 4: It looks nothing and behaves nothing like the GAIA. Totally lost me with #4.

#4 i'm talking body shape, not UI.

its a minor grievance, i know (like i said, i want the thing) i just really dont like the gaia. please excuse my opinion. -people (Bastards? ..mabye) get their feelings hurt and start flinging microkorgs around here.

but my main unanswered question is about the sound engine. Acid Hazard is probably right. its a rewrite "based" on the Supernova. there are a lot of potential factors that would make it sound different today from the original SN even if it was the same code (new processor, converters etc.)

[liliththekitten]

idgi, GAIA is all rounded and MacBooky and {censored} while UltraNova is square and blue. White people be playin synths like this and black people be playin synths like *this*. The first thing the UltraNova reminded me of was a blue Xiosynth which is guess is kinda good.

That said, I don't really care for Gaia in either department. It looks too much like the Lucina sitting next to it in the store and it sounds a bit too generic (which was my opinion on the K-station but not the Novas). Maybe I didnt have enough time w/it but I really preferred the 201 and even the SH-32 to the Gaia.

[Leonard_Hatred]

idgi, GAIA is all rounded and MacBooky and {censored} . White people be playin synths like this and black people be playin synths like *this*. The first thing the UltraNova reminded me of was a blue Xiosynth which is guess is kinda good. That said, I don't really care for Gaia in either department. It looks too much like the Lucina sitting next to it in the store and it sounds a bit too generic (which was my opinion on the K-station but not the Novas). Maybe I didnt have enough time w/it but I really preferred the 201 and even the SH-32 to the Gaia.

 

 

I disagree.

 

Spend some time with a Gaia and it's capable of some REALLY nice sounds. I LOVE mine.

 

From the videos of the Ultranova I've seen so far (admittedly it's just a snippet of what it can do, I'm sure) I don't really like the sounds.

[Gribs]

I guess that the people at Novation did their VOC research and decided that a multi-timbral synth was not required to sell to the majority of their customers and/or the extra price tag would push the envelope to the point where they would not make enough sales. I find that to be very interesting. I like to be able to layer patches, but it is certainly not essential, especially in a product that seems to be targeted at a home studio.

Other than the fact it is mono-timbral, the package looks very attractive.

[Gribs]

My guess is they're using the term "wavetable" to mean a single-cycle sample and not PPG/Waldorf/Access/NI style wavetables. Nord used this misnomer as well with the Nord Wave. I hope I'm wrong and the Ultranova will have realtime-scannable multi-wave-wavetables like the aformentioned companies.

 

 

No, they are tables of functions though much more limited than than the Waldorf wave table synths in that there are only nine wave forms per wave table. It turns out that the user guide for the Ultranova is available already for download from the Novation site (under support). On page 13, the user guide says (copy-pasted from the PDF):

 

"Each Wave Table consists of nine related waveforms, and the setting of RE5 determines which is in use. The total parameter value range of 128 is divided into 9 (approximately) equal segments of 14 value units, so setting the value to anything between -64 and -50 will generate the first of the 9 waveforms, -49 to -35 the second, and so on."

 

Also if you look at the Novation TV youtube channel, one of the videos shows adjusting the RE5 parameter to change the wave in the wave table (only briefly) and the sound is reminiscent of at least part of one of the alt wave tables on the Q.

 

The specs for the Ultranova show that there are the traditional VA oscillators, 20 digital waves, and 36 wave tables. Despite the fact that there are only 9 waveforms per wave table, I think that with modulation of the table pointer parameter (I think of the wave number as a pointer) you can probably create some very rich and evolving sounds.

 

Honestly I would trade the microphone for an xy pad though. The xy pad is one of my favorite features on my X-station. Still the more I think about it, the more I think the unit is very attractive. It won't replace my Q or Blofeld, but it certainly has potential. If it were multi-timbral I would probably put it on my mental "buy it sometime" list, but not for now.

[raffor]

9 waveforms are ok. I doubt that the PPG wavetables are created by much more waves than that, maybe the upper one. I would assume that there are 9 steps for transient. Sounds pretty waldorf / PPG to me. Only drawback is that you cannot spread the waves unevenly.

[Umbra]

Does look like the interpolation between the 9 waveforms can be tweaked from smooth transitions to abrupt.

But after going through the manual it really seems more like a KS synth with a few things removed and a few new things added. It still has the crappy very limited arps, limited number of voices, fairly limited effects, and not the greatest modulation routing.

I'd basically call it a next generation a/k/v station or really more of what the KS series should have been. Personally I like the sound of the a/k/v so given the price it probably is reasonable. I would have rather seen something along the lines of a supernova III in the $1500 to $2500 range to complete at more of a virus level.

Maybe it will drive the supernova II rack prices down a little more. It's hard to say though, if it does sound good it may be a decent deal and a good little low price hardware va/controller for someone that doesn't have the novation sound already covered but if your just looking for that sound a v-station is probably a better deal.

[liliththekitten]

I disagree. Spend some time with a Gaia and it's capable of some REALLY nice sounds. I LOVE mine.

 

 

Sure you can good sounds from it. I spent exactly as much time on the Gaia as I did on the Mopho, the Sh-32, 201, Micron, MS2000 and MicroKorg (before I bought it). Nothing on it grabbed me like those synths. Horses for courses.

 

I really liked the Nova/SuperNova sound so I'm excited for this one. The Ultranova videos do suck balls

[Acid Hazard]

I really wish they'd just give out a solid release date. Gotta sell my PerFourmer to buy this one.

[Chando]

I'd say do it. PerFourmer is by far the coolest thing Vermona ever made ... but that company still gets a major THUMBS DOWN!!! from me.

The DRM's are prolly the worst piece of drum hardware ever made... if you forget the original MFB 502.

I gotta say... and history might agree.. I funking love the germans, they invented skyscrapers, santa clause, funk(kraftwerk) and hamburgers. but sometimes they just don't know what the {censored} they are doing...

[Acid Hazard]

Hehe =o]

[4trakk]

idgi, GAIA is all rounded and MacBooky and {censored} while UltraNova is square and blue. White people be playin synths like this and black people be playin synths like *this*. The first thing the UltraNova reminded me of was a blue Xiosynth which is guess is kinda good. That said, I don't really care for Gaia in either department. It looks too much like the Lucina sitting next to it in the store and it sounds a bit too generic (which was my opinion on the K-station but not the Novas). Maybe I didnt have enough time w/it but I really preferred the 201 and even the SH-32 to the Gaia.

 

 

sh32 was actually fun. -cozy up, no lights, play the buttons in bed.

[liliththekitten]

yesss, it's nice for that!

[Tomkeen]

I've been looking at this again today, and now I kinda want it...

[Chando]

yeah.. but then I look at the X-station and just think this is the same thing with a slicker case.

[Tomkeen]

Nah... X-station doesn't sound very good...

[Chando]

you sure?

[Tomkeen]

Yeah, I had one. Great controller/interface, sucky synth engine.