Novation has been a leader in analogue modeling and MIDI control since the early 90’s. Products like the Supernova, Bass Station, and the Launchpad series of MIDI controllers are mainstays in digital production still today. To celebrate their electronic heritage, Novation has unleashed a trifecta of offerings for their fans.
First up is Maestros: The Novation Story. This 17-minute video chronicles the journey of Novation as a company, their products, and the people who love them. Its focus is on synthesis and its impact on electronic tastemakers. It features Novation co-founder Ian Jannoway, Gus Unger-Hamilton of Alt-J, Liam Howe (Speaker Pimps & Lana Del Rey), and product manager Matt Derbyshire.
The video is a gear slut’s dream. It’s a mess of VCAs, oscillators, growly sounds, and the technical knowledge that ties them together. Their growth as a company and the explosion of digital production is a compelling story worth watching. It even includes a shoutout to Madeon’s “Pop Culture” Launchpad video and Daft Punk.
Along with the stories of these classic pieces of hardware and software comes a free 1GB collection of one-shots, loops, patches, and drum kits. Dubbed The Heritage Synth Sample Pack, this gratis collection of sounds is a transporter to the best sounds of the past. Of particular interest are the vintage synth samples. Let’s just say they’re huge and leave it at that. You can download them here.
Novation Supernova
To top it all off, Novation is offering 3 lucky winners the choice of a Bass Station II, UltraNova, or Mininova. To enter, participants will create a track using the Heritage Synth Sample Pack and submit it for judging by a top-notch panel. From Novation’s website:
“Has your inspiration been stirred by our heritage celebration short film? The combination of the Novation sound and innovative design style makes our family of synths invaluable for your productions, and has done for acclaimed electronic and dance musicians including Orbital, M4SONIC, Rudimental, T.E.E.D, Lunice, Teddy Riley, Jimmy Mac (keyboardist for international sensation Lorde), and many more for over 20 years. We’re proud to present a massive free sample pack that shows off our legendary synth heritage, and all you have to do is create your own track using it for the chance to win one of our latest award winning hardware synthesisers.”
To enter the contest, click here! Have you entered or do you plan to enter? Share your submission with us and we may just feature it on the Dance Music Northwest Soundcloud!
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