Quote:
Originally Posted by TweakHead
Yes, seems to be a good product getting even better with updates. Main difference to the Virus is probably that it doesn't support Multi. Could also be the reason they manage to work flawlessly, no? If only they added FM capabilities to it, like the former SuperNova's used to, would make it an even more interesting product. I think it probably compensates for that with the new performer features, no? You're able to assign multiple parameters to a single knob with this thing, right? And change stuff with just touching a button (at least on the mini I saw a video with that), that must surely open some wild possibilities...
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I don't hear it mentioned often, and its not true FM synthesis with operators etc, but the Ultranova does let you load FM wavetables (not custom ones, you can't import, but a large selection of them nonetheless) as the oscillator source, and because of the ways you can combine and modulate, the total timbre possibilities are WAY beyond just saw/square/tri/sine etc. Many folks though have asked for FM in a future update, and really there's no reason they couldn't do it except maybe to open the door for a future instrument that's a FM purist synth (i.e. real FM, not subtractive with an FM modulation possibility). Or maybe they figured it would just complicate the hardware, require more buttons/knobs and complicate the UI of the VST, making the Ultranova cost a lot more. Did you ever program a DX7 or TX81Z from the synth (soft synths that make things easy like FM8 don't count
? If so you can imagine what I mean... the Ultranova would cost $2000+ with all the extra knobs/buttons or interface considerations at least )...
About the knobs -- as far as whether you can map multiple modulations to same knob for touch purposes, yes. But if you mean for purposes of turning the knob? I'm not sure about that one but personally I don't think its useful, because you'd be restricted to sending the same amount increment to different parameters. Yes you could get some interesting FX I guess but it seems very limiting. It may be possible but I think you'd have to use Automap in the DAW rather that achieve that with the synth away from a computer. Oddly enough, even though the Ultranova is very tightly integrated with Automap (to the point that many of the buttons on it don't work without it!), I only use automap with pure softsynths. With the Ultranova I can just manipulate everything on the physical keyboard so I have not bothered with Automap on that board.
What you could do, however, and I think its more useful... you can do things like say Env6 modulates Env3 and Env5 modulates Env2, where Env3 = filter amt and Env2 - resonance amount, then you could say modwheel increments Env6 by one amount and Env4 by a different amount. Yes you could also map the modwheel directly to cutoff and resonance at the same type (notice I said modwheel and not THE TURN of one of the knobs), but my point with the above example is you can do other things with those Envs that have nothing to do with mod wheel but rather velocity (or maybe you just want to control it all with mod wheel).
Now, back to the knobs. The knobs are "ok" for turning but they aren't pots, they are endless clicky things, which is okay on a synth of this price point. But where they are great is the TOUCH of the knob, and in that case yes you can map same knob to multiple targets, so if you touch knob 1 it triggers both Env6 and Env5 or just animates cutoff and res to whatever amount specified.
But, the knobs themselves are sort of like perky cheerleader nipples begging you to fondle them
In practice, you'd find yourself using that feature of the Ultranova a lot... even though its just an on-off toggle of a modulation (you still have aftertouch, velocity, expression pedals if desired etc as options if you need more), the toggling on-off of various modulations turns out to be tremendously creative when you are using four fingers at once in various combinations (just depends on what you set them up to do).
One of the things I think the Ultranova shines at is providing a slight amount of feedback, distortion, sync-madness etc (or something more easily described like gating or delay) when fondling those nipples. Just like the expressiveness of being able to physically put a guitar closer to an amp to get a touch of feedback, it brings something visceral to the actual act of playing the Ultranova for those who choose to use it. Really adds character and inspiration to real-time playing.
I'd love to be able to use the touch knobs on my MKII to control the Ultranova touch knob modulations (just because its my primary and the keyboard is bigger), but I'm not sure if its possible, so normally when I want sound out of the UN I just play it directly.