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Novation MiniNova 37-key Synthesizer with Vocoder

37-mini-key Synthesizer/Vocoder and USB Controller with Realtime Performance Controls, 14 Filter Types, 6 Envelope Generators, 3 LFOs, and Gooseneck Mic
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Item ID: MiniNova
Novation MiniNova 37-key Synthesizer with Vocoder
Price:$529 and 99 cents
Special Financing - Ends Aug 2, 2026. $15/month with 36 month financing*

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Novation MiniNova 37-key Synthesizer with Vocoder
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Price:$529 and 99 cents
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Our Product Research Team

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It's MiniNova!

Small yet beastly, Novation's MiniNova 37-mini-key synthesizer/vocoder gives you robust performance controls that let you tweak and warp 256 great-sounding onboard presets - and your voice - in real-time. Under the bonnet, MiniNova sports the same potent synth engine as its big brother UltraNova. String synth engine modules together in the 20-slot modulation matrix to create monster patches. Jam to patterns you create with the onboard arpeggiator. Connect MiniNova to your computer via USB and use it as a MIDI controller. Want boatloads of synth in a pint-sized package? You want Novation's MiniNova.

Novation MiniNova 37-mini-key Synthesizer/vocoder at a Glance:
  • Gets its attitude from its big brother
  • A beefy synth engine juiced with great-sounding effects
  • Knobs and buttons (oh, goody!)
Gets its attitude from its big brother

The Novation MiniNova is endowed with the same sound engine as its big brother, the UltraNova. It ships with 256 dynamite patches that you can tweak using five knobs - or completely warp with MiniNova's eight Animate buttons. MiniNova also sports an onboard voice-tune effect as well as a classic vocoder. The net result is a powerhouse of a synth in a tidy, trim package.

A beefy synth engine juiced with great-sounding effects

Novation's MiniNova has the beefiest synth engine ever put into such a compact synth. You get 14 waveforms (square, sine, sawtooth, pulse, and triangle, plus variations), 36 wavetables, plus 20 digital waveforms. Each of the three oscillators (per voice) sports Density/detune for fattening up sounds, Virtual Sync, and Hardness - which functions as an additional lowpass filter. Speaking of filters, MiniNova is fitted with 14 different types (you can run two simultaneously), six envelope generators, three LFOs, and a modulation matrix with 20 slots in which you can string synth engine modules together to create a sonic beast. Effects? Definitely. With MiniNova, you can add up to five effects to each voice - that includes distortion, reverb, compression, EQ, chorus/phase, delay, and Novation's proprietary Gator effect. Wow!

Knobs and buttons (oh, goody!)

Novation's MiniNova has unique and powerful sound-shaping capabilities for such a bantamweight. You get knobs, naturally, that let you tweak your sounds, but you can also "animate" sound using eight back-lit buttons that trigger mods in the synth engine that warp your patches in real-time as you play. There's a large knob for filter cutoff so no matter what else you are doing, you always have instant control over the filter. MiniNova also sports a 33-pattern arpeggiator, and you can use the eight buttons to jam with these patterns, creating completely new sequences (in real-time) in the process.

Novation MiniNova 37-mini-key Synthesizer/vocoder Features:
  • Massively powerful mini-synth with UltraNovasound engine
  • Voice-tune and classic vocoder effects
  • Tweak and warp your sounds in real-time
  • 256 amazing sounds onboard, instantly searchable
  • Layer up to five effects per voice
  • Comes with editing software and a software patch librarian
  • Run guitars andother instruments though the vocoder and effects
  • Also functions as a 37-key controller keyboard with MIDI I/O
  • 3-year warranty
The Novation MiniNova is a beastly little synth!

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Keyboard Synthesizer with Vocoder
  • Sound Engine: Modeling
  • Number of Keys: 37
  • Type of Keys: Mini Synth
  • Velocity Sensitive: Yes
  • Other Controllers: Pitchbend, Mod Wheel
  • Polyphony: 18 Notes
  • Number of Presets: 256
  • Number of Effects: 7
  • Effects Types: Distortion, Reverb, Compression, EQ, Chorus/Phase, Delay, Gate
  • Arpeggiator: Yes
  • Audio Inputs: 1 x XLR, 1 x 1/4"
  • Audio Outputs: 2 x 1/4"
  • Headphones: 1 x 1/4"
  • USB: 1 x Type B
  • MIDI I/O: In/Out
  • Pedal Inputs: 1 x Sustain
  • Mod Matrix: 20 Slots per Patch, 66 Destinations
  • Power Source: 9V DC power supply
  • Height: 2.95"
  • Width: 23.2"
  • Depth: 9.06"
  • Weight: 6 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: AMS-MININOVA

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Reviews

Mini nova vocoder keyboard synthesizer
Fun little synth with a great vocoder on board, so much better and easier to use then the microkorg I had prior to this. Nice toy as well as a practical special synth to add to your rig. This little synth gets more use then I actually thought it would. I definitely reccomend this product over the microkorg, microkorg s, microkorg xl, and the Arturia microfreak. They are all great products, but the mininove is way better and much easier to use.
Music background: non professional music lover
Absolutely awesome
So much fun. I mean incredibly fun. We bought this for the family as a starter synth and I'm blown away.

Just buy it!
Nemesis of the Micro Korg

Not the perfect synth but almost. And for the selling price, it offers more than a fair amount of sounds. I got lucky to found it on sale at $. I own the Ultra Nova but i bought it 'second hand' and it has a lot of white noise probably because of the "mileage" of it (the keys turned yellow). It sounds very similar to the Ultra Nova but without the white noises of the used one i purchased. The 'action' filer's big knob is definitely the way to go. It feels lightweight and almost everything is rugged. The blue lights theme looks fantastic to me. Some bottons are blue and purplish and remind me of a blcklight. I love the Micro Korg (mk1) but red lights give me migrane. The Mini Nova is easy to use and everything is organized and neat. This is a 2012 synth and some things like the preset patterns in my opinion are far from being trendy but still some are useful for me in 2025. I have read some owners saying you can't save modifications to patches but yes you can. I have read also that the Mini Nova has a dedicated plug in where you can edit and add sound banks. But i haven't use anything related to these features. I wrote in the title it is the NEMESIS of the Micro Korg but it is a fact that Korg is the pioneer of these type of synths as far as i know. I just call it NEMESIS because it has some crucial things i would have taken out from the Micro Korg and it has some things i would have add like for example the blue screen and buttons.

Fun Little Synth
I bought this because I wanted to have a good sounding VA to add to my sound palette but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. This is definitely a winner, especially with the added bonus of a cool sound vocoder. It's just a slight bit menu divey but I haven't owned it long so I'm sure I'll get faster with time at programming my own presets. I haven't used the optional software to tweak the sounds with yet but I'm sure that makes it even easier and I got some sound packs to reverse engineer and really get my head around this thing. It sounds awesome and I sense lots of potential and possibilities in this little guy.
Music background: Serious Hobbyist
New user
Still trying to figure everything out but it is a quality synthesizer
Music background: Most
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What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?
Carson McClain
The Novation MiniNova picks up where the MicroKorg left off. Affordable, lightweight, portable, and a completely unique and different soundset when compared to other boards similar to it. The highlights of this board are all easily accessible and not buried in menus. Just 30 minutes with this little beauty and you will fall in love (until you meet her bigger sister, ULTRANOVA!).
The Novation UltraNova has been hailed as an outstanding modeled analog synthesizer, delivering both authentic vintage sounds and cutting-edge tones. Plus, it has vocoder functions, can serve as a USB controller, and can even work as an audio interface for your system. But this article isn't about the UltraNova's amazing power. It's about the equally powerful MiniNova, which includes the same high-powered synth engine as the UltraNova, as well as the same vocoder capability and USB controller functions. The big difference? (Maybe I should say the small difference.) The MiniNova is designed to be a more compact, lightweight synth, with 37 mini keys and a downsized chassis. But don't let that small size fool you. The mini keys are extremely playable, and you get plenty of hands-on knobs, switches, buttons, and controllers for anything you want to do. A software editor and a patch librarian are also included. Want more features? You get a 33-pattern arpeggiator, 256 classic and modern patches, eight Animate knobs for warping sounds, three oscillators and five effects per voice, and a 20-slot modulation matrix. And best of all, you get big brother UltraNova's engine and features for about 2/3 of the price -- nice! For me, the MiniNova makes a great mobile synth solution, with full-sized sounds coming out of a compact and lightweight unit. In the studio, it connects up and serves as a powerful MIDI sound module with the rest of my keyboards and my computer. From big, fat basses to screaming leads to pads to arpeggiated tones, the MiniNova can cover a wide range of applications -- and sound great doing all of them!
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