Ultranova - Got one! Here are my thoughts..

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Berni

Yeah...should have said that. I wasn't blown away by any of the patches on the vid tbh but I've heard 'I feel love' a thousand times & they didn't come close. Hey if you're charging an extra $50 on the strength of a few patches & a different paint job they should really cut it. They are apparently Moroder approved so not programmed by him.
Bit like the 'darkstar' just a gimmick to sell the same shit in a new wrapper

Yes it is kind of like the darkstar gimmick, and I personally wouldn't pay an extra $50 for a limited edition of same, but in truth someone selling one used on eBay 15 years from now would probably more than recoup the premium simply by the fact it will be rarer than the regular Mininova.

I'm sort of glad they are doing this, if it brings attention to the synth then maybe we'll get more soundbanks for it. It also demonstrates a commitment to the product line. At least they aren't just abandoning existing Ultra and Mini and coming out with something completely new to boost sales.

However about the "I Feel Love" sounds, most synth sounds do not sound like they do on the official track unless they are mixed and mastered the exact same way. When you listen to them in isolation they never sound the same, true of any synth. Listen to the Depeche Mode virus patches which are supposedly the original patch. They won't sound the same outside the context of the other parts of the original song. A synth sound in a mix is as much a product of the sounds around it than as it is in isolation.

I felt there were too many other factors (i.e. the fact he wasn't playing them the same, the tempo was wrong, they are played in isolation) to really judge them properly anyway.