Novation has announced the coming of the MiniNova, a compact synthesizer with live performance enhancing features and a built-in mic.

MiniNova is the latest in the Nova range and is based on the same synthesizer engine as the bigger UltraNova, but scaled down to a compact 37 key controller size.

The most notable feature of this compact synth is Novation's new voice effect: VocalTune. Using the built-in microphone, this unique effect will tune your voice to the note that you are playing on the synth in real time. A conventional vocoder engine is also included and you can also run your voice through MiniNova's other effects. An external input is also provided so you can apply these effects on a 3rd party mic or another instrument.

Another feature that is worth mentioning is the "Animate" buttons which let you apply up to eight expressive modulations to your sound. These buttons will let you warp your sounds in real time as you play. You also get an Arpeggiate mode which lets you play and program your rhythmic synth parts in real-time.

The Synth Engine of the MiniNova is designed by Chris Huggett, with decades of experience designing classic synths such as the 1978 EDP Wasp and the OSC OSCar. The engine features 3 oscillators, up to 5 effects, 2 filters, 6 envelopes, 3 LFOs and 36 wavetables. These features will let you create a variety of synth sounds that will work in many music genres - from. It comes with 256 factory presets and gives you 128 more for your personal patches, you also get USB and MIDI compatibility for controlling external software/hardware or for patch library management.

Here is a demo video of the MiniNova:

The MiniNova is expected to be available in October of 2012, and has a suggested retail price of £299.99.

For the complete details and other information, you can visit Novation Music.

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