Novation Music is a British musical equipment manufacturer, founded in 1992 by Ian Jannaway and Mark Thompson as Novation Electronic Music Systems. Today the company specialises in MIDI controllers with and without keyboards, both analogue and virtual analogue synthesisers, grid-based performance controllers, and grooveboxes.
History
Novation's first commercial product, released in 1992, was the Novation MM10, a portable battery-operated keyboard controller with full-sized keys, designed to operate with the Yamaha QY10 music workstation. It was based on a device called the MidiCon, which was never released and was the first hardware controller the company made. The MM10 combined with the QY10 arguably constituted the first completely portable modern music workstation.
In 1993 the company released the Novation Bass Station. Influenced by the Roland TB-303 Bassline, a portable compact synthesiser designed for instrumental accompaniment, the Bass Station used digitally controlled analogue oscillators (DCOs), an LFO, and a filter to replicate the sound of a traditional monophonic twin-oscillator analogue synth.
The core technology of Analogue Sound Modelling (ASM) was introduced in 1995 with the Drum Station, which modelled the Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines using digitally synthesised models of the original waveforms.
Novation's first technical director was Chris Huggett, who designed the Wasp and OSCar synthesisers and wrote the operating system for the Akai S1000. While working for Akai, he gave Novation's founders advice and support, contributing to the design of the Bass Station and Drum Station – the former featured both the filter and amplifier Huggett had designed for the EDP Wasp – and joining full-time in the mid-1990s to design the Novation Supernova. He was a consultant to the company and was involved in the design of many of the company's products, until his death in October 2020.
Supernova, released in 1998, was a 3U rack-mounted polyphonic synthesiser with 16+ note polyphony and multitimbral operation, an important feature being the provision of multiple effects units which could be assigned to each timbre, allowing a much richer sound than had generally been possible with a multitimbral synthesiser. Supernova and its successor, SuperNova II, have been used by a wide range of artists including Orbital, ATB, The Faint, Sin, Jean Michel Jarre and A Guy Called Gerald.
Having produced controllers since the beginning and synthesisers from the early days, the company added USB-based computer audio interfaces and in 2004 produced the X-Station, intended to provide a complete music production environment with the addition of a computer/sequencer, microphone and monitoring. This was followed by MIDI controllers featuring no keyboard at all, but instead offering varying numbers of buttons, pads, control knobs and sliders, all sending MIDI messages. With the introduction of the SL range in 2005, this was complemented by Novation Automap, a software system that automatically detects and maps the controllable parameters of a plug-in or software application and configures the control surface to address them. Automap https://support.novationmusic.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360010768459-Automap-End-of-Supportis no longer supported.
In August 2004, Novation was acquired by Focusrite Ltd. and became a subsidiary named Novation Digital Music Systems Ltd.
A keyboardless MIDI controller, the Novation Launchpad, was launched in 2009 with an 8x8 grid of large illuminated buttons that could be used to trigger sounds, loops, effects and other parameters, initially in conjunction with the Ableton Live music performance application. Launchpad was one of the first grid-based performance controllers and this area expanded over the subsequent period to become a significant aspect of the electronic music hardware market. There are currently 3 variations of the product, the Launchpad, Launchpad Pro, and Launchpad Mini. The Launchpad was out of the top two best Novation makings.
The company expanded into DJ controllers initially with the Novation Dicer in 2010, which consisted of two sets of buttons designed to be attached to a turntable or laptop, and then a full-blown DJ controller in 2011 with Novation Twitch, which differed significantly from then available devices of the type in that it used twin touch-strip controllers instead of the more common turntable emulation, providing additional control capabilities. The product has been discontinued since.
All these different areas of synthesis and control have increasingly combined in Novation products to create hybrid instruments and devices such as keyboard controllers with miniature grid launchers and on board synth and vocoder capability, for example the Ultranova (2011) and Mininova (2012).
In the mid-2010s, Novation introduced a new category of portable instruments aimed at standalone music-making without needing a computer. The Circuit (2015) was a compact groovebox combining a grid-based sequencer with two polyphonic synth engines and a four-part drum machine. It gained popularity for its hands-on workflow, portability and affordability, particularly among electronic and experimental musicians. The success of Circuit led to further development of the format, with follow-ups including Circuit Tracks and Circuit Rhythm in 2021, catering to sequencing and sample-based production respectively. These devices marked Novation’s growing presence in the all-in-one performance hardware space.
Meanwhile, Novation returned to high-end synthesiser design with the launch of Peak (2017), a hybrid 8-voice polyphonic synth with digital oscillators and an analogue filter and distortion path. It was widely praised for its sound design capabilities and sonic character, developed in collaboration with Oxford-based synthesiser designer Chris Huggett, who had been instrumental in Novation’s early products. In 2019, Novation released Summit, an extended 16-voice bi-timbral version of Peak with a full-sized keyboard and performance controls. These instruments helped re-establish Novation as a serious name in the professional synthesiser market.
Throughout the 2020s, Novation continued to refine its controller range with products like the Launchkey [MK3] series and the FLkey range, the latter tailored specifically for FL Studio integration. In 2020, the company released the AFX Station, a special edition of the Bass Station II developed in collaboration with Aphex Twin, featuring a unique sound mode and styling. The flagship SL MkIII controller combined advanced MIDI control, CV/gate outputs, and a built-in sequencer for hybrid setups. As of the mid-2020s, Novation remains a major force in both hardware controller design and compact, accessible synthesisers, supporting a wide spectrum of artists from emerging bedroom producers to internationally touring electronic acts.
Novation synthesisers have been used by a range of electronic acts including Pendulum, Jean Michel Jarre, Steve Hillier of Dubstar, Orbital, Fred Again, Barry Can't Swim, Aphex Twin, and Alt-J.
In the track "Triumph" by the rap group Wu-Tang Clan, Novation is referenced by Wu-Tang member RZA.
Key products
This section lists past and present key Novation products in chronological order with brief descriptions. See also 21 Years of inNovation Novation official web site article.
Novation in the 1990s Novation was founded in 1992 in the UK and quickly made a name with the Bass Station, a portable analogue monosynth designed to emulate classic basslines. This was followed by products like the Supernova, a powerful virtual analogue polysynth that gained popularity in professional studios. The 1990s established Novation as an innovative synth company, blending analogue-style sound with digital control.
MM10 (1992) was a battery-powered portable keyboard system for the Yamaha QY10 music workstation. Later updated as the MM10-X.
BassStation (1993: aka BassStation Keyboard) included a pair of digitally controlled analogue oscillators (DCOs) with square, pulse and sawtooth waveforms, plus an LFO with random, triangle and sawtooth waveforms, and replicated the sound of a monophonic twin-oscillator analogue synth for bass and lead lines and synth effects plus MIDI controller data.
BassStation Rack (1994) included dual ADSR envelope shapers, 12/24db per octave filter, oscillator sync, and LFO, DCOs and built-in MIDI/Control Voltage (CV) converter. Users include William Orbit, Biosphere, Massive Attack, Orbital, Apollo 440, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Jimi Tenor, Laurent Garnier, ATB, Sneaker Pimps, Out of Logic and Underworld.
DrumStation (1995) used 'Analogue Sound Modelling' (ASM), DrumStation included all the sounds of the TR808 and its successor the TR909, and the same tone controls for each sound, including tone, attack, decay, tuning, 'snappiness' and distortion (depending on the sound).
Super BassStation (1997) added an arpeggiator, noise source, ring modulator, an additional LFO bringing the complement to two, a sub-oscillator (an octave below Oscillator 1), analogue chorus and distortion effects, keyboard filter tracking, stereo outputs and panning, enhanced memory, analogue trigger signal output and more to the original design.
Supernova (1998) Polyphonic synth providing a complete multi-effects processor for each of its eight audio output parts – and a total of 56 programmable effects available on all voices all the time. Supernova originally featured 16-note polyphony, later expanded to 20 with a new operating system, and three DCOs with ASM to recreate the classic analogue synth sound. A comprehensive filter provided low-, high- and bandpass filtering with 12, 18 and 24 dB/octave, with resonance and self-oscillation, plus overdrive and key tracking, where the filter tuning could follow the keyboard. Two powerful LFOs and two ring modulators completed the sound modification capabilities and the Supernova specification was rounded out with eight analogue outputs and full MIDI implementation. Supernova and its successor, Supernova II, have been used by Orbital, ATB, The Faint, Sin, Jean-Michel Jarre and A Guy Called Gerald.
Nova (1999) essentially repackaged the Supernova into a desktop performance module based around the same synthesiser engine.
Novation in the 2000s In the 2000s, Novation shifted towards MIDI controller development while continuing its synthesiser line. Key releases included the X-Station (a hybrid synth and audio interface) and the Remote SL, which introduced Automap software for hands-on DAW control. The company also released the Nova series, building on its virtual analogue legacy. This decade marked Novation’s move into integrated, multi-function music hardware.
Supernova II (2000) was available in 24, 36 and 48-voice models with additional 12 or 24-voice expansion boards. Available again in a 3U rack-mount format, the Supernova II was also available in a 61-note performance keyboard version with velocity and aftertouch, enabling sound tweaking during live performance. FM synthesis capability was included along with ring modulation, dual analogue inputs and a 42-band vocoder. An 8-part arpeggiator was also on board and in its full version the product offered 8-part multitimbrality and 48-voice polyphony, with 57 and 2304 oscillators running simultaneously.
A-Station (2001) was a cross between the BassStation and the Supernova. With voice architecture was based on the Supernova, A-Station added 8-voice polyphony and a basic FM synthesis engine, reverb and delay, plus a 12-voice vocoder for processing external sounds – which can also be used as an oscillator source and processed via filter and envelopes. An arpeggiator was also provided.