Novation MiniNova Compact Keyboard Synthesizer, 37-Key

Overview

The Novation MiniNova is a compact, studio and live synth with the same sound engine as its big brother; UltraNova. It comes with 256 incredible onboard sounds that you can tweak with five knobs, or totally warp with eight 'animate' buttons. It has up to 18 voices with as many as five synth effects on each sound. MiniNova also has an onboard VocalTune effect as well as a classic vocoder so you can recreate iconic vocal sounds from hip hop, urban and electronic music.

Small synth, big sounds

Don't let its size fool you. MiniNova is the most recent in the 'nova' range of synths dating back to the legendary Supernova series. It has the same incredibly powerful sound engine and synth effects as the Novation UltraNova which means it is capable of creating dirty-fat bass synth sounds, soaring leads, lush pads and vintage synth sounds. All this in a 37 mini-key form with a USB port and MIDI i/o so you can hook it up to your laptop and control your music software or connect it to another keyboard or sound module.

Classic and contemporary vocal effects

MiniNova takes vocal effects one step further. As well as a vocoder, it has VocalTune. This means you can talk into the mic and play the tune you want your voice to follow on the keyboard recreating those classic hip hop / urban vocal effects. You can also run your voice through MiniNova's effects engine, adding reverb, distortion, chorus/phase, gator compression or EQ. This doesn't need to be limited to your voice; there is an input into which you can plug a guitar or any other instrument and give it the same treatment; effects or vocoder.

Choose your sound
- and get more for free

MiniNova has 256 onboard sounds and space to save another 128 of your own sounds. You can quickly search for sounds by selecting the style of music you're making, or the type of sound you're after whether it's bass synth, lead
- hip hop or techno. MiniNova comes with a free software Patch Librarian so you can store as many sounds as you want on your computer. If 256 is not enough, there are numerous soundpacks for MiniNova assembled by renowned artists and sound designers. These include plenty of vintage synth sounds.

The 'Animate' performance mode

Switch to 'Animate' mode and press one of the 8 backlit buttons (whilst playing the keyboard) to trigger awesome performance functions

Jam with the Arpeggiator

Switch to 'Arpeggiator' mode to jam with arpeggiator rhythms in realtime. The 8 buttons act like an arpeggiator step sequencer so you can switch steps in and out!

Editing software included

Editing sounds in such a powerful synth can be overwhelming, so they've created a software application that gives you visual access to the synth engine. The MiniNova Editor works as a plug-in within your DAW or music software. You can fully edit MiniNova using the hardware; the software just makes it easier to see what you are doing.

The Synth Engine and effects

MiniNova has an enormously powerful sound engine and synth effects, unheard of in a micro synth. There are 14 conventional waveforms to choose from (square, sine, sawtooth, pulse, triangle and combinations), 36 wavetables and 20 digital waveforms. Each of the three oscillators (per voice) have density/detune for fattening up sounds, virtual sync and 'hardness'
- which acts as an additional lowpass filter. There are 14 filter types (and you can run two simultaneously), six envelope generators, three LFOs and 20 modulation slots where you can link modules of the synth engine together to shape sound. MiniNova can add up to five effects to each sound including distortion, reverb, chorus/phase, delay, compressor, EQ and Novation's unique gator effect.

Instant editing and performance control

The 'Perform' section enables you to access the synth and effects engines by switching between six positions to assign four knobs, giving you instant access to 24 sound-bending parameters.

Hugely powerful micro synth with UltraNova's sound engine

MiniNova has Novation's signature Nova-series synth-engine onboard, capable of creating and editing massive sounds with up to 18 voices and powerful effects.

Current VocalTune and classic vocoder effects

The VocalTune function can recreate iconic urban and hip hop vocal sounds, as well as classic house and techno voice effects with the onboard vocoder.

Live synth: tweak and warp your sounds in Realtime

Eight animate buttons enable you to warp and twist sounds in realtime alongside a dedicated filter knob, four further editing knobs and oversized pitch and modulation wheels

256 awesome onboards sounds
- instantly searchable

Instantly find the sound you need by type or musical genre, from bass to pad, hip hop to house. Save and store another 128 of your own sounds too.

Layer up to Five effects per voice

MiniNova can add up to five effects to each voice including distortion, reverb, chorus/phase, delay, compressor, EQ and Novation's own gator 'stutter' effect.

Comes with editing software and a software patch librarian

A free software editor allows full editing of the synth and effects, the Patch Librarian enables storage of as many of your own sounds
- or the free soundpacks
- as you want.

Run instruments through Vocoder

Run guitars and other instruments though the vocoder, VocalTune and effects. There is a line input into which you can plug a guitar, bass or any other instrument which can then be routed through the effects engine or the vocal effects.

Free soundpacks including vintage synth and bass synth sounds

Download free soundpacks for MiniNova and UltraNova which have been created by eminent artists and sound designers including Chuckie, Daniel Fisher and more...

37 key controller keyboard with MIDI I/O

MiniNova is also a great compact desktop keyboard for triggering software instruments. It has physical MIDI i/o ports for triggering other external sound modules
- or connecting to a larger keyboard.

Download MoroderNova Patches for Free!

MiniNova customers can now access 30 Giorgio Moroder inspired synth patches upon registration. These patches, initially exclusive to Novation's limited-edition MoroderNova, are downloadable absolutely for free.