How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

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Subject: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

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Original Message 1/19 22-Jul-00 @ 11:47 AM - How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

Greywalker

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Hi. I am new with syntheziers and I was just wondering how easy the Nova/Supernova are for beginners? If you could email me to let me know I would really appreciate it.

From,
Nick
aka Greywalker

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Message 2/19 22-Jul-00 @ 01:48 PM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

sitar

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I just emailed you. I can't remember if I signed my name or not.

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Message 3/19 22-Jul-00 @ 09:13 PM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

satori

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Just read all messages in a topic - 'Any chances of a new manual?' which was
17 June 2000.
Generally, brilliant sound, hot look and... dog to read manual and no support of
SoundDiver as yet. That support will create new wave of fantastic sounds. You can use of course ready made sounds. They are great. Multitimbral section is easy to understand and to set up with your sequencer.
When comes to designing new sounds, than your trouble will start.
You can play randomly with buttons and... you can make fantastic sounds.
But it's very hard to do exactly what you want to design without SoundDiver or other programs to edit that beautiful beast. It is like Ferrari or a beautiful and sophisticated woman. You will have learn your way to handle it.
After all, I'm still in love with my Supernova.

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Message 4/19 23-Jul-00 @ 03:48 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

Stefan

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The supernova has the best user interface of all virtual analog synthesizers that I know.

Even this will not make some basic knowledge of subtractive sythesis unnecessary.

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Message 5/19 23-Jul-00 @ 11:44 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

flaming_hooligan

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hi,

Actually, I think the jp-8080 has the best interface. Absolutely no menus needed and even has a few sliders. I love sliders.

The Supernova does sound better though, except for the filters on the 8080 which I think are more dynamic.

Which do you think is better for pads? Everyone says that the 8080 is the best for pads but I always find my Supernova to fill the void nicely.

flaming_hooligan

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Message 6/19 24-Jul-00 @ 09:29 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

satori

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I had tested jp-8080 for one weekend before I bought SN. I didn't find any sounds I would like in jp-8080. Maybe that's me. But when I heard SN, (Was twice the price of jp-8080!) my choice was of course SN. Regards pads, SN had pads very juicy, rich and... transparent in the mix. IMHO Supernova is just perfect for ambient, esoteric stuff I do often.

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Message 7/19 24-Jul-00 @ 09:50 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

realtrance

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Both are great instruments, but I'd recommend the JP8080/8000 line for a beginner over the SN.

The SN is a lot of money for one synth, and it is marvelously deep, and it has a great raft of onboard sounds, but if it had been the first VA I'd started with, I know I'd have been swamped and frustrated quickly.

The SN is actually quite complex to program effectively. Which doesn't mean it has a complex interface; on the contrary, it's got a more "natural" and intuitive user interface -- given its depth -- than almost anything out there (except maybe the Q keyboard).

BUT: you really have to have some experience making sounds, knowing what various settings will result in aurally, how to combine oscs and waves, how to sculpt same, what to use envs and lfos and other modulations on, to make it worth having spent such an amount on a VA.

If you're really into that, or have the patience to take the time to read and learn, you can make incredible sounds NO other VA out there can even come close to emulating, and you'll get a richness of tone which only some of the best original analogues still in good shape can come close to.

If you're still on a learning curve, though, you'll understand more, faster, from the simpler architecture of the JP-8080 than you will from the SN. The 8080's also got a _great_ and sophisticated vocoder, and wonderful abilities to mix external sounds (via analogue input), which the SN doesn't have (the Nova and SN II _do_ have the external input, though).

rt

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Message 8/19 24-Jul-00 @ 01:22 PM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

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it's the only major synth i've got that i can work with without even looking at the manual - the only time i had to look in the book was: 1. to see how to setup PARTS, that required about 20 seconds just to grasp the proceedure, then that was it - 2. To see exactly WHAT was happeing with the formant width & skew etc... but that was more just intellectual interest, it didnt actuall have anything to do with making a sound... it is basically MEGA fast to work with.. everything is as logical as it could possibly be. Another boon, is that if say you flip from the filter mod to the envelope, the setins are displayed - it 'remembers' where everything is... the actual physical knob may not (like all synths) actually be in the same position as the setting, but you can see the setting on the screen. - excellent... all in all tho, the best thing about it is, if i did TRance, it'd allow me to do a set... also likewise if i did hardcore, rnb, hiphop, pop/chart music, drum&bass, etc etc... whatever... it has the sounds to get you working straight away

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Message 9/19 24-Jul-00 @ 01:44 PM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

roller8

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I agree in saying the Nova is the easiest piece of gear I have to operate. It also required almost no time to work it into my existing setup. learning parts was easy as Kilo said. The hardest thing for me to get to using right away was the audio input/vocoder. But even that is not rocket science and a new OS might potentially make that even easier. Great synth. I give it a 10.

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Message 10/19 25-Jul-00 @ 02:40 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

lightyear

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The Nova is my second synth, and my
first analogue style synth. I am very
happy with it. Great sound and best
interfac

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Message 11/19 25-Jul-00 @ 05:35 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

Stefan

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IMHO if someone has difficulties with the Supernovas user interface he hasn't yet understood subtractive synthesis.
But even if one is new to synthsizers the SN ist the best unit to learn subtr. synthesis.
The only possibility to make it even easier would be to take away some of its possibilities, for example to make envelopes less flexible by fixed mod routings etc.

Regards Stefan

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Message 12/19 25-Jul-00 @ 10:07 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

realtrance

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Stefan and All,

Not saying the user interface is difficult _at all_ -- that's my point: it's one of the most natural interfaces out there, _if_ you have a clue about what subtractive synthesis is all about.

If you're really new to the whole process, though, I still think the SN can swamp you and frustrate you; I've seen plenty of frustration from new users on the net with issues that people with a little more experience wouldn't even think about.

For instance, the "distortion" if you turn up too many oscs on too many parts too high. It's natural, if you understand mixing oscs at all, to realize under certain circumstances that you have to roll back one or two oscs from 127 to, say, 84 or so if you're mixing a bunch, with overdrive, norming, etc. and setting up different stuff with the mod depth.

A new user will just hear the distortion and think their Nova/SN is "broken."

That's just one small example of what I'm talking about.

If you have any knowledge of subtractive synthesis, and/or have had other synths and basically understand, YES, the SN is probably one of the easiest and most immediate instruments out there to play with.

But if you're really new to it all, have mostly just played back samples on sample synths, etc. -- as I suspect the majority of newcomers have done -- something like the JP-8080 is probably a more reasonable starting point.

rt

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Message 13/19 25-Jul-00 @ 10:35 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

Stefan

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Sure RT, I had a lot of questions to the mailing list in the beginning ;-)

Maybe Novation should combine a Nova and the Virus manual ;-) It contains a step by step introduction to subtractive synthesis specified to the Virus and might be a good download for Novation customers too (www.access-music.de)

The SNV2 will have a lot more features than model 1. Will it be worse for a beginner ? I guess no, as long as the manual tells them not to start with the exploration of FM-Algorythms.
Or how about an OS that hides advanced features behind a special button and dislocks them after the cutoff knob has been twisted at least 200 times ;-)

Regards Stefan

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Message 14/19 25-Jul-00 @ 07:31 PM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

realtrance

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That Virus manual is fantastic -- I downloaded it awhile ago, and even though it went over stuff I already "knew" about, it was well worth the read (I never assume I know much about anything, it helps me learn more that way). And I don't have a Virus (everyone has to stop somewhere! Too bad for me, I know, oh well....).

I really like your approach to the Special button, it would be a great way for Novation to field-test the reliability of the buttons and knobs on their synths (juuuuuuust kidding!).

I would guess the SNV2 would be just as "bad" as the SN for a beginner, along the terms I've suggested.

IF you're a beginner with lots of patience who likes to get swamped and can swim cheerfully in a pond of confusion and ambiguity, you'll learn more, faster, by going out now and quickly obtaining an SNV II keyboard (preferably the 48-voice version) and/or Q keyboard, and Nord Modular keyboard version. That would keep anyone in knob-twisting ecstacy for a good decade. If you've only got room for one larger keyboard, check out the Q against the SNV II to see which feels better. And, if possible, give 'em all at least 4 hours' worth of close listening apiece.

Or, alternatively, heck with all the VA and wait for an Andromeda.

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Message 15/19 26-Jul-00 @ 06:30 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

LHB

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Even if the JP range is easier to operate I dont think any beginer is going to think it's the best thing to get. Come on it only has 2 parts, begginners are likely to want as much multitimbrality as they can get and at a much cheaper price and the nova has all that.

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Message 16/19 26-Jul-00 @ 08:37 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

lol

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oops!

I think all VAs are good for beginners they have a lot of knobs and sliders. it is not difficult to make sounds (and good sounds after a few days) My first synth was a Roland D5, it's a black box with a little LCD and a few buttons, what a mother fucker thing to edit, I hate these PCM schit of 80's and 90's. If you want to make electro,you are a beginner,...buy a VA!

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Message 17/19 26-Jul-00 @ 09:57 AM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

Stefan

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If I had bought my Microwave II as first synth I would have given up after playing the presets.

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Message 18/19 26-Jul-00 @ 01:41 PM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

realtrance

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RHB respect for your claim, BUT: working effectively with multitimbrality takes some knowledge as well. I'd rather have a beginner learn more about individual sounds and how to sculpt them on a VA.

Basically, to give a _total_ newcomer to electronic music an initial sense of the maximum range of what is possible, they'd be best off with something like an XP-80 or Trinity/Triton. That way, they can get some sense of the basics while still having the comfort of simple sample playback, which provides a wider range of base sound palette than you'll find on any VA, with plenty of options for learning what LFOs, filters, etc. do as well. And plenty of multitimbrality to do that Danny Elfman imitation as well.

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Message 19/19 26-Jul-00 @ 02:21 PM - RE: How easy is the Nova/Supernova to opperate?

RHB

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Point taken, depends what *they* want to do though.

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