Novation Ultranova Unboxing & Overview

This official intro video takes a look at the Novation Ultranova.

The UltraNova is a ‘Nova’ series analogue-modelling synthesizer with a powerful effects processor. It is a single-part synth, taking the Supernova II synth engine as a starting point and updating it. It now includes wavetable synthesis, more powerful filters, a software editor and a new touch-sense performance mode.

The Novation Ultranova is available for about $700. See the Novation site for more info.

If you’ve used the Novation Ultranova, what do you think of it?

17 thoughts on “Novation Ultranova Unboxing & Overview

  1. [laughs] They should do one with Alex from “A Clockwork Orange” doing the unboxing — “You grab the gooseneck mic and then you and your droogies go to the neighbor’s and give him a good pounding in the yarbles! Ultravi with the Ultra!”

    1. Did you know you can use ear-buds as microphones? It’s true. Just plug the ear-buds into a mic input, and cup your hands around the ear-buds and shout REALLY LOUDLY.

      It’s technology these days! It can do ANYTHING!

  2. terrible synth, tried it out for a month an brought it back to the store. It has a very “thin” sound, its just a terrible sounding synth/ soundcard.. Build quality is shit too, definetly a toy.

  3. every time i have gone to guitar center this year i turn it on and play with it. some of the presets are great. but the editing for me is what really makes it awesome. for a digital synth that isnt a 1 for 1 control interface i was able to jump into editing and creating right away. it is very easy to understand and operate and has alot of functions, i was not happy that it didnt have FM synthesis but that was one of its only draw backs. i liked the synth very much and as far as being a modern digital synth i give this a good rating, i dont really care about classic “analog sounds”. im a child of the digital age. i can appreciate the sounds of analog modeling and analog sound but honestly for the more cutting edge sounds out there today digital hardware synths more closely compete to the hardware synths out there.

  4. For that price you have a minibrute or minitaur or slimphatty.
    And you will have real analog synth.
    you can also use analog gear for massive cutting edge sounds! 🙂
    Even with only one oscillator you can have these cutting edge sounds
    It’s a shame they use the name ultranova for that toy!

    1. unfortunately all of the synths you mentioned can’t come close to the “massive cutting edge sounds” of a synth like the nova. those synths you mentioned have extremely limited modulation routing schemes compared to the nova. the real power of synths like the nova and the korg r3 and m-audio venom is in their editors, allowing a programer to explore routings that may only exist on much larger modular synths or only on digital synths.

      having a “real analog synth” just means you have an analog synth, nothing more or less… this “toy” is far more capable of the exploration of NEW sounds than you’re probably aware of. there is a whole world of programing that you’re missing and for that matter a world of digital music, not better or worst than analog, just different.

      if you’re truly a synth head, your head should be open to ALL new ways to make electronic music. or maybe you should be a historian of analog synths.

  5. Surely under pressure now from the new Casio synths. Time for a serious price drop – really a microKorg alternative no more.

  6. I’m always amazed at how people judge synths on a few presets and say that a synth is thin or whatever.

    Do you think Prophets and other vintage synths had great presets? Most of them would sound pretty terrible, by today’s standards. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do great things with them.

    Dig in and learn your gear, guys! If you can’t make great sounds on a Nova, you need to work on your synth chops!

  7. oke,my advise is that you pay 200 more and go for a virus ti snow or buy a good vst that’s much cheaper.
    Oke,the stuff I mentioned is much more limited (modulation) but with some external effects(hardware or software) you’r getting the same result.
    It’s a whole different way of working with your gear but I can have the same result like a virus ti by putting some effects on my analog gear.
    But it depends on what result you’r looking for.
    Still ,I think the ultranova looks like a toy and is no fun working with it !

  8. Oh yeah,everyday I’m searching on second hands websites for synths.
    The ultranova is one of the synths that’s always available on those sites because buyers don’t like that toy.
    And I know some of them are advanced synth users.

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