Everything you need to get the most out of NovaEditor and your MiniNova.
NovaEditor is a desktop patch editor for the Novation MiniNova synthesizer. It gives you complete visual access to every parameter — oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, effects, modulation matrix, vocoder, arpeggiator, and more — without navigating the hardware menus.
Changes are sent to the device in real time via USB-MIDI. You can also manage a library of up to 384 patches across three banks, perform full device backups and restores, and save patches to standard .syx files.
Connect the MiniNova to your computer via USB and power it on. Launch NovaEditor.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Connected | MIDI active — edits are sent immediately |
| Connecting… | Negotiating with the device |
| No Device | No MIDI ports detected — check USB cable and power |
| MIDI Error | Communication error — click Connect to retry |
The text field shows the current patch name (16 characters max). Click to edit. The name is sent to the device when you click Write.
Buttons A, B, C select the active bank. The arrow buttons ◀ ▶ and the number field navigate through slots 000–127.
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| ⤓ Read | Requests the current patch from the device |
| ⬆ Write | Sends the patch to the device at the selected slot |
| 💾 Save | Exports the patch as a .syx file |
| 📂 Load Lib | Loads a .syx file into the active bank |
The Library panel is always visible on the left side of the window. Three banks (A / B / C) each hold 128 patches.
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Load .syx | Load a .syx file into the active bank |
| Backup Device | Read all 128 patches from device → active bank (requires license) |
| Restore to Device | Write the active bank back to the device (requires license) |
| Clear | Clear all patches from the active bank |
The Oscillators tab contains panels for Osc 1, Osc 2, Osc 3, Voice, and Mixer.
| Family | Examples |
|---|---|
| Basic | Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, PW, Square |
| PW/Saw blend | Saw 9:1 … Saw 1:9 |
| Classic | BassCamp, Bass FM, EP Dull, EP Bell, Clav, Organ 1/2 |
| Digital | Bell FM 1/2, DigBell 1–4, DigiPad |
| Wavetable | Wtable 1–36 |
| Audio In | AudInL/M, AudioInR |
| Knob | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WT Interp | 127 | Wavetable interpolation smoothness |
| PW/Idx | 64 | Pulse width or FM index; 64 = 50% |
| VSync | 0 | Virtual sync depth |
| Hardness | 0 | Hard-clip amount |
| Density | 0 | Supersaw-style detuned copies |
| Dens Detune | 0 | Detuning spread |
| Semitones | 64 | Coarse pitch; 64 = no shift |
| Cents | 64 | Fine pitch; 64 = no shift |
Poly Mode: Mono, Mono (AG), Poly, Poly 2, Mono 2.
Portamento: Time (0–127), Mode (Exponential / Linear), Pre-Glide (±1–3 semitones or Off).
Unison: Off / 2 / 3 / 4 voices with Detune amount.
Level knobs for Osc 1, Osc 2, Osc 3, Ring Mod 1×3, Ring Mod 2×3, and Noise. Noise Type: White, High, Band, HiBand.
Routing: Single (Filter 1 only), Series (F1 → F2), or Parallel (both mix via Balance). Freq Link and Res Link couple both filter controls for unified sweeps.
| Control | Options / Range |
|---|---|
| Type | Low Pass, Hi Pass, Band Pass, Band Reject, All Pass, Low Shelf, Hi Shelf, Peak EQ |
| Drive Mode | Diode, Valve, Clipper, X-Over, Rectify, BitsDown, RateDown |
| Freq | 0–127 · cutoff / centre frequency |
| Resonance | 0–127 · self-oscillates at high values |
| Drive | 0–127 · input saturation |
| Env→Freq | 0–127 · filter envelope depth; 64 = none |
| KBD Track | 0–127 · keyboard tracking |
| Q Normalise | On/Off · maintains volume as resonance increases |
All 6 envelopes are visible simultaneously in a 3×2 grid. Each panel shows a live ADSR curve.
| Envelope | Colour | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Env 1 (Amp) | Orange | Volume shape |
| Env 2 (Filter) | Teal | Filter frequency modulation |
| Env 3–6 | Blue, Yellow, Purple, Red | General-purpose modulation |
Env 3–6 additionally have a Delay parameter (time before the envelope starts).
Anim Trig links any envelope to an Animate pad (A1–A8): ReTrig, Trigger, or Enable behaviour.
Three LFOs displayed side by side with live waveform preview.
| Control | Notes |
|---|---|
| Shape | 38 options: Sine, Triangle, Square, Sawtooth, Rand S/H, Time S/H, PianoEnv, Seq 1–7, Altern 1–8, Chromat, Major, Minor, etc. |
| Rate | Free-running speed (when Rate Sync = Off) |
| Rate Sync | 36 MIDI clock divisions (32nd T to 64 beats) |
| Slew | Output smoothing |
| Phase | Start phase offset |
| Delay | Time before LFO reaches full depth after note-on |
Mode toggles: One Shot, Key Sync, Common Sync, Delay Trig.
Each slot has a Type dropdown (Bypass, EQ, Compressor 1/2, Distortion 1/2, Delay 1/2, Reverb 1/2, Chorus 1–4, Gator) and a Level knob (0–127).
Feedback, Pan Position, Pan Rate, Pan Depth. Routing: Serial or Parallel. Pre FX and Post FX mix levels.
Bass, Mid, Treble — each with Freq and Level (±0 dB at 64). Applied to the output signal.
20 independent slots, each routing two multiplied sources to one destination.
| Column | Details |
|---|---|
| Source 1 | Direct, Mod Wheel, Aftertouch, Expression, Velocity, Keyboard, LFO1–3 (uni/bipolar), Env Amp/Filter/3–6, AudInEnv |
| Source 2 | Same 19 options — scales Source 1 depth |
| Animation | Off, or A1–A8 ReTrig — activates the slot when a pad fires |
| Depth | –64 to +63 (positive = in-phase, negative = inverted) |
| Destination | 62 targets: oscillator pitch/sync/PW, filter freq/res/drive, LFO rates, FX amounts, EQ, chorus, delay, vocoder, and master parameters |
Maps synth parameters to the four front-panel performance knobs of the MiniNova, across two rows:
Each slot offers a Parameter dropdown with 170+ assignable targets including portamento, oscillator levels, filter parameters, envelope ADSR, LFO rate, FX levels, Arp gate/swing, and mod matrix depth slots.
Modes: Up, Down, Up+Down, Up&Down, As Played, Random, Chord, Solo.
Patterns: Pattern 1–16, User 1, User 2.
Gate, Swing, Length (1–16), Octaves (1–4). Key Latch. 8-step gate grid.
Level, Carrier, Modulator, Sibilance, Resonance, Width, Shift, Spread, Decay, Gate Threshold, Gate Release. All Max toggle and Freeze toggle.
Modes: Off, Scale Corr, KB Control, Pitch. Scale and Key selection. Shift, Bend, Speed (correction time), Vibrato Depth/Rate/Mod Wheel. Insert point: Pre Filt, Post Filt, Pre FX.
Enable, Chord Size (Off / 2–5 notes), Transpose (0–127; 64 = no shift). Per-note interval selection from 0 (Unison) to 60 semitones (5 Oct).
Without a license, NovaEditor runs in Demo mode: full UI access, but only 5 patch operations (Read / Write / Save). Backup and Restore require a full license.
To activate: press ⌘T / Ctrl+T or click the Activate button in the footer. Enter your purchase email and serial number, then click Activate. An internet connection is required for initial activation only.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌘T / Ctrl+T | Open Activation window |
⌘Shift+H / Ctrl+Shift+H | Open User Manual PDF |
Reading or writing 128 patches requires 128 SysEx transfers — a full backup takes 20–30 seconds. Do not disconnect the cable or switch patches on the device during transfer.