Novation SuperNova

Back in the late '90s, this synth arrived as a rackmount powerhouse, packing 20 voices of digital analog modeling into a sleek blue 3U chassis that let producers layer massive pads and leads without breaking the bank.

At its core, each voice boasts three independent oscillators with sync, pulse width, FM hints in later tweaks, plus noise and dual ring mods feeding a mixer into a versatile filter—low/high/bandpass at 12/18/24 dB/oct, resonant, self-oscillating, with overdrive. Two LFOs and three loopable ADSR envelopes fuel a deep 5x5 mod matrix per section, while seven per-voice effects like distortion, reverb, chorus, delay, phaser, EQ, and comb filtering stack up for huge soundscapes. Hands-on control comes via dozens of knobs and buttons for real-time tweaks, with eight outputs, two audio inputs, full MIDI, and 512 patches expandable to 1,024 plus 256 performances—multitimbral across eight parts.

Players loved its bold, aggressive tones for techno and trance, often praising the filter growl and effect depth, though some noted the interface could feel button-heavy for quick live changes. It's a classic that still holds up for vintage rack enthusiasts chasing that era's fat digital warmth.