Novation Announces UltraNova Analog-Modelling Synth

Novation is billing its brand-new UltraNova as “an analogue-modelling synthesizer designed for everyone: from first-time synth purchasers to keyboard addicts.”

Novation UltraNova, an analog-modelling synth for the masses

The next generation of Novation’s “Nova” synth family (including SuperNova and SuperNova II), UltraNova’s deep sound engine is tailored to be easy to use, and it offers new and unique performance features, including “Touch” control (see below).

Here’s the spiel on UltraNova features:

It has a 37-note Fatar keybed, illuminated pitch and modulation wheels, eight assignable touch-sensitive rotary encoders, a 144-character LCD, and a large knob for fine control of parameters.

Under the hood, UltraNova’s arpeggiator, vocoder and USB audio interface make it useful for today’s music makers, and bus powering lets you put it at the centre of your stage or studio rig.

UltraNova’s single-part synth engine can employ wavetables alongside conventional subtractive synthesis. It has three oscillators with density and detune controls, two ring modulators, a noise source, two filters, six envelopes, three LFOs, five assignable effects slots, and more.

The UltraNova Editor plug-in

On-board effects include distortion, chorus/phaser, delay, reverb, and gator plus compression and EQ. Its intuitive top-panel layout helps to make tweaking UltraNova’s parameters simple, with dedicated buttons providing quick and easy navigation.

Included is a free plug-in editor which provides easy access to the synth’s controls and patches (300 factory-loaded, 200 user), from within your music software.

UltraNova’s Touch feature is a unique system that brings a new level of performance control to synth players. Hit the Touch button and the eight encoders become receptive to finger contact. These touches can control modulators and envelopes within the synth engine, so dramatic modulations can be performed with the touch of a finger. With the corresponding Tweak feature — which allows you to group your favorite parameters to the rotary controls for on-the-fly patch manipulation — and a large knob for extra-fine tweaking, you have total control of the synth at your fingertips.

UltraNova will be available towards the end of Q4 2010 (MSRP $849.99/Street: $699.99). Check out the Novation website for more information and movies of UltraNova in action!

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