The TC Electronic Nova System guitar effects processor gives you analog sounds and digital control, packed into a compact floor pedal unit that's perfect for onstage use. The eight dedicated footswitches onboard the Nova System allow you to access and control an amazing range of effects, easily. Analog distortion and overdrive tones can be tweaked to your taste, and modulation, delay, and reverb effects are taken from the TC's incredible G-System processor for great sound. If you want reliable, adjustable effects at your feet, step on a Nova System!
I'm trying to change presets and banks on the G System from Ableton live. I'm not having much luck. I'm getting the tempo change from Ableton, but I can't figure out how to call up different presets and patches.
My G System MIDI in is on and set to omni. When I posted on the TC forum this is the response I got: 'To select a preset on the G from an external MIDI controller or sequencer, you need to do three things: 1) Set the controller/sequencer to output messages to the G-System on the MIDI channel that the G-System is set to. 2) Go to the MIDI menu on the G and set Program Change In = ON 3) Be sure to send BOTH a MIDI bank select (00=Factory Presets, 0A,0B=user banks) and a MIDI Program change (with PC number between 1 and 100) on that channel. If you read the section on MIDI integration in the G-System white paper, you can take a look at the explanation about how the G-System MIDI OUT behaves when MID Program Change Out = On. The relationship of the banks and presets described there is the same as for the MIDI Program Change.' My question is, how do I do this on Ableton? Great Effects in a Compact Pedalboard!TC Electronic Nova System Guitar Effects Floor Processor at a Glance:
Floor-based solution
Nova System is the complete, floor-based effects solution for the dedicated guitar player who knows quality when he sees it. Its unique inclusion of an all-analog programmable distortion/overdrive section under preset and expression control makes it the perfect choice whether you want to trim down your rack setup, step up from your pedal patchwork or simply just want the ultimate combination of operational simplicity and audio superiority. Add to this an array of effects taken straight from the king of floor-based processors; G-System and you have top-notch compression, EQ, noise gate, modulation, pitch, delay and reverb right at your feet. All you need is a guitar and an amp and you're good to go.
Analog drive circuit
What makes Nova System so remarkably different is the Nova Drive Technology (NDT) - a unique, new drive and distortion circuit that gets you the best of both worlds: World-class analog distortion and overdrive with digital control. This is the real deal - no modeling. While the NDT is 100 percent analog and physically separated from the digital effects, its control potmeters are digital. This way you can tweak, store and recall as many drive settings as you want - you can even hook up an expression pedal and control the amount of distortion in real-time. Its wide gain range covers your every need from light breakup to heavy distortion.
Top-notch effects TC Electronic Nova System Guitar Effects Floor Processor Features:
Equipped with TC branded quality effects from delays and reverbs to compressor, EQ and modulation, Nova System is the obvious all-in-one solution for any guitarist who wants setup simplicity without sacrificing tonal fidelity. All neatly programmable and storable in 60 user presets. Its 30 factory presets give you a demonstration of just what this unit provides; great sound quality and an immense versatility of effects combinations - all designed to get you started right out of the box.
My Nova ConnectThe TC Electronic Nova System is your floor-based guitar effects solution!Here is a little review I did for the Nova System, after having been gigging with it for quite a while now!So here is a little bit of background. I already own the TC Electronic G-Major and I have done for about 8 years now, so I knew what I was expecting effect's wise, pure effects awesomeness from TC Electronic. For pure simplicity, the Nova system is just fantastic! I am using it in simplified set up for gigging, where I am not using my rack system. It works really well and most importantly means I can do away with a massive pedalboard, and could just simply have the Nova System and a wah and I am away! Having said that..I am using a few additional pedals in the pedalboard. One is the Electro-Harmonix Micro Q-Tron as the Nova System doesn't have an envelope filter sadly and the other is the Suhr Riot which is just pure distortion heaven and I don't want to not have it as I love it so much!! It is the perfect partner for the Nova System as the distortions on the NS are really great but range from TubeScreamer like overdrive to classic rock distortions, the Riot pedal really is the 'turn it up to 11' pedal. How easy is it to use? On the whole the unit it very simple to use. There are two main ways of using it, one being in preset mode, where the bottom three pedals on the left (Drive, Comp, Rev) enable you to switch between presets. In this mode you still have access to be able to turn on and off the Pitch, Delay, Mod and Boost functions (and tap tempo). By holding your foot on either the Pitch or Mod control you can scroll up and down banks of presets. You can also connect the G-Minor footswitch to enable you to switch between presets, and you can then use the Nova System in pedal board mode. Pedal mode provides you with access to all the pedals as it would on a standard pedal board (i.e. you get 7 different effects). By holding the pedal down for a couple of seconds you can switch presets (this happens on the release of the pedal!). I know that this annoys a lot of users, but it makes total sense to me, you have multi functioning switches and the easiest way to be able to not only switch an effect on an off and use it to switch preset is the way TC have implemented. If you want instant preset switching (but loosing access to turn the Drive, Comp and Rev on and off) just switch the unit to preset mode. I think it is a really clever idea and it makes sense to me. In a sense you could see it that you could potentially have a different pedal board setup for each song for example and then switch between them between songs. If you content the G-Minor or use a midi controller, such as the FCB 1010 or the Tech 21 Midi-Moose, then you have instantaneous access to the different presets. So it is actually quite powerful. There has been a lot said about the patch changing method that is implemented in the unit, I understand that they switches are multi-functional and the patch change works on the release and there is a lag time in the loading. It is fine for the way I use the system, but I can understand that it isn't for everyone. Potentially adding a G-Minor pedal or Midi Footswitch is the way forward, it is something I am considering! I currently only have 3 different patches (read that as pedal boards) set up. Primarily to switch between the overdrive and distortion pedals. One preset has the overdrive and tremlo effect and the other to have the distortion effect and flanger. The rest stay the same. Nova System Connect Midi ControllerSo most importantly what does it SOUND like?The effects are pristine in quality, and I know that is not for everyone, but it certainly works for me. I think the analogue drives are really good, whilst not out and out metal distortion, you can get some great rock and blues tones from the OD, and classic rock, metal from the distortion. But if you use it to drive a tube amp I think it would work well! The user interface is dead simple, I like the patch system where you can use different patches like different pedal boards, that is fantastic! I personally really like the compressor, octave and boost functions. The boost is really really useful and can add a considerable boost say when you are switching to a lead tone. It is also fantastic into a tube amp as you can get the amp to break up nicely and cleanly with the boost. I think all the effects are pretty awesome, but I am not too impressed with some of the modulation options, but I should add I am not a modulation fan. As usual too their is a perceived drop in volume when using modulation effects, I make up by this by running with the compressor or the boost to increase the perceived level. You can also create a whammy effect by adding and additional expression pedal (sadly this uses the same input as the G-minor footswitch, so it is one or the other!). Programming the sounds is dead simple, plus for each effect you can store up to 4 favourites (i.e. configurations you like), whilst you can't access these without having to bend down and press the button (and in a sense in a gig why would you?) it is a really nice feature. The unit also has a speaker emulated output (although you loose the use of the EQ block..which by the way isn't footswitchable, which is a shame!). As the Nova System is not an amp modeller taking this approach might not be the best course of action, but in a totally emergency it is there, plus you could get something like the Tech 21 character pedals to provide you with an 'amp' and then run that either after or before the Nova System. Are there any nice touches? The unit is really solid, the brushed metal looks fantastic, the orange lights illuminating the pedals are also really great under stage lighting, as well as the display LCD. It runs from an IEC plug which is also fantastic, so no wall wart power supplies, I mean ideally it would run from my *** distribution box, but I it makes like really easy. The size is just right too, it can be thrown in a backpack, or on a small pedal board. I have actually managed to downsize to using an Electro-Harmonix Pedal Board Bag which may not be suited for touring, but if you are carefully it is a great little (and light) bag which you can stick pretty much anywhere! Will it fall apart? It is a pretty robust unit, perhaps not as tank proof as something like a Boss pedal, but not bad at all. It is susceptible to scratches though! Pros 1)The sounds are great (for me!) 2)The flexibility and the ability to have a number of different pedal board configurations at the press of a switch 3)The size and weight and construction The negatives (for me) 1) The Tuner - The tuner has a limited range... I can't tune my 7 string, not good in my opinion..perhaps this could be addressed in a firmware update. 2)Whilst I totally understand the reason that you can't to 4CM (4 Channel Method) with the Nova System (i.e. stump up and buy a G-System), it is a real sadness that the drive pedal (and also technically the compressor too) are lost if you decided to run it in the effects loop. 3)No filter effect and no foot switchable EQ I would recommend at least trying it out! Alternatives The main contenders are the Line 6 M-Series floorboards (that is effects units only, rather than modellers) I am sure I will continue to update this review as I spend more time with the unit. But it has been in my pedalboard for about 7 months now and it isn't going anywhere!!
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TC Electronic Nova System
No stranger to quality guitar effects, Danish company TC Electronic has produced an array of both individual stompboxes and larger multi-effects floor processors for several years. The flagship their new range is the Nova System, a seemingly bombproof multi-effects processor with eight footswitches and seven categories of switchable effect.
The Nova System looks like it's designed to take plenty of stage abuse without flinching. It's mains-powered via an IEC cable, so there are no messy wall warts and the socketry offers plenty of potential for different usages.
Besides the guitar input, there's a line input to allow use in an amp's effects loop, while the output can be stereo or mono. S/PDIF digital I/O is provided, as are MIDI in, out and thru sockets, while a 'pedal in' socket allows the connection of an expression pedal or TC's G-Switch.
The easy-action footswitches are arranged in two sets of four, one set higher than the other for uncluttered operation. When any one is active it's surrounded by a red glow, so you know exactly what your status is.
The Tap Tempo switch flashes constantly in time. The large backlit LCD clearly displays patch names and parameters - flanked by four soft knobs for quick editing. Calling up effects and parameters is facilitated by several soft rubber switches.
The Nova System offers a series of effects modules in a chain. Seven of the modules (Modulation, Delay, Boost, Pitch, Reverb, Compression and Drive) are assigned to individual footswitches. You also get Noise Gate and EQ modules plus volume, which can be controlled by an expression pedal.
There are three possible routings for the effects - all can be connected serially if desired, but the two alternatives are to have the Reverb and Delay modules connected in parallel so no reverb is added to the delay repeats or to have Modulation, Pitch, Delay and Reverb modules all in parallel so they don't affect each other.
You can assign a particular effect to each module. The Drive module, for instance, can either supply overdrive or distortion, while the Modulation module is host to chorus, flanger, vibrato, phaser, tremolo or panner - and there are many editable parameters.
Once you've edited the system to get your preferred overall sound or set of sounds, your set-up can be saved to one of 60 user preset slots, alongside the 30 fixed factory presets.
The Nova System has two distinct operating modes, Pedal or Preset, but this is cleverly implemented so that elements of the other mode are still available in either. Preset mode allows you to instantly call up stored presets using three footswitches - the Reverb, Comp and Drive switches (numbered 1, 2 and 3) access the three presets in every bank. To increment the bank up or down you need to press and hold the Mod and Pitch switches respectively.
Normal short presses on these two will actually activate/deactivate the modulation and pitch effects in the preset, while delay and boost are also switchable. This mode will therefore enable you to dial in a particular sound for a song or part of a song, but still have individual control over all but the compression, reverb and drive.
For more flexibility, a G-Switch added to the system will facilitate program changes so all of the effects bypass footswitches can be used. In Pedal mode all of the footswitches turn their relevant modules on and off, just like a bunch of individual pedals - albeit with the settings that are stored within the active preset. World of warships historical flags.
However, pressing and holding the Reverb, Comp or Drive switches for about half a second enables you to select that active preset from a choice of three. This effectively provides you three different pedalboard set-ups onstage.
Sounds
The first thing you notice when playing through the Nova System is the excellent sound quality. The digital effects are pristine, with a great range of available variations.
In the modulation section there's everything from vintage amp style tremolo and vibrato to a slew of phasing, chorus and flanging effects, while the pitch effect offers subtle detuning and octave effects through to a full-on whammy effect if you connect an expression pedal.
All manner of harmonies are also available via the intelligent pitch shifter, while the separate reverb and delay effects allow plenty of scope for setting up all shades of ambience. Whether you wish to emulate old-school tape echo and spring reverb or set up U2-style synchronised rhythmic repeats - it's here.
Now, while TC is renowned for its digital effects, it's aware that analogue is the way to go for the best in dirty sounds, so it has added analogue overdrive and distortion, but with digital control for accurate tweaking and storing of settings.
Both sound really good, with the overdrive smoothly mimicking valve amp tone from clean through crunch to cranked, contrasting with the somewhat edgier distortion - suitable for fat chords and screaming leads. The independent Boost switch conveniently gives you extra welly when you need it.
With its solid build, high visibility and the way that it can be set up for effects switching and calling up patches, the Nova System is an ideal stage workhorse. And with its switchable speaker simulation for the outputs, it could also double as a practical direct recording tool.
TC sees the Nova System as a viable compact alternative to carrying a massive pedalboard rig around, making much of the idea that you can slip it into a bag and carry it with you, even taking it onboard a plane.
Certainly that's one advantage of this unit - if you're travelling light to gigs and relying on hired/borrowed amps then it's a marvellous 'front end' to ensure that you can consistently get the sounds you need, plus it has automatic power switching if you happen to be playing abroad.
Regardless of that though, it sounds great, offers about as comprehensive a range of usable effects as you get in a multi-FX that's not equipped with its own pedal treadle - it's pretty damn bullet-proof too.
Add your own wah and an expression pedal and there won't be many sounds that you can't conjure up. The Nova System seems like a steal: we like this a whole lot.
Hear what the Nova System can do with our audio demo:![]()
Intro
Simon Bradley tests the Nova System
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