Novation Mini Nova

Two things immediately stand out about Novation's new MiniNova. Firstly it has some similarities to Korg's classic MicroKorg, which enjoys a prominent position in my studio. And the second is that it looks brilliant, and this impression just escalates when you fire it up and all those lights come on. It has a very cool future-retro kind of look, with controls that are obviously durable – this is a synth that will beg to be let out of the studio once in a while.

The layout is clear and easy to understand, without a reliance on all those hidden menus some synths suffer from. Like the Micro Korg it has a 'genre knob' which helps navigate the generous 256 presets, though the inclusion of a 'dubstep' option may date quickly. This knob is near the centre with the LED display to the left and a large filter knob to the right, with four more knobs and six banks of parameters, so you can adjust all the usual suspects like 'resonance', 'attack' and so forth. The sound engine is supposedly the same as its big brother the Ultra Nova, and the MiniNova certainly packs some punch. The sound quality is just excellent. It has 18-voice polyphony, three oscillators, 14 conventional wave shapes, 36 wavetables and 20 digital waveforms; 14 filter types, six envelope generators, up to five effects per patch, a versatile arpeggiator, a vocoder and vocal effects processing. With the option of audio-in so you can run an external sound source through its signal processing and a 37-key keyboard, it offers tremendous value in a very compact and stylish package.

Below the editing section at the top right, where a combination of knobs and sliders allows you to adjust 24 parameters for each patch, there's a section with eight pads. These can be used to write arpeggio patterns, skip between favourite patches or make adjustments to patches, depending which mode is selected. It's a clever and tactile way of approaching a few useful performance attributes. Overall the layout is logical and extremely well thought out. My review unit didn't have an instruction manual and that wasn't a problem. If you've used a synth before you'll get the hang of it quickly and there's plenty of material online at the Novation site. The preset sounds can be navigated alphabetically or numerically, and as mentioned are divided into broad genres. One of these options – 'classic synth' – is apt because that is what springs to mind when I play this compact beast. There's a huge range of 'classic' sounds, from biting 'acid' squeals to stabs and huge pads. The filter sweeps are seamlessly even, and once you get the arpeggiator going you don't want it to stop. Sonically it's every bit as good as it looks – a real pleasure to play and the ergonomics are fantastic. Some companies set the bar high. Novation are one of those. Their kit is always top notch and I'm pleased to say the MiniNova continues in that tradition. Editing software and all the necessary in/out connections means this great synth can integrate with a computer-based system, or standalone. It ticks all the boxes for me.