NOVA
Key Features
- One NOVA host plug-in provides access to a growing instrument library in a DAW and a browser.
- The launch Freebies collection includes Woodland Piano, Chiptuner, Silhouettes, Good Vibes, and Zephyr Strings.
- Woodland Piano combines upright-piano sampling, modeled key and pedal noise, and an octave-climbing granular delay.
- Good Vibes layers sampled vibraphone with reverse delay, rotor tremolo, and granular texture controls.
- Zephyr Strings uses two multisampled Budapest Strings layers and an Intensity macro for dynamics and brightness.
- Silhouettes brings five synthesis and sampling engines together through an XY-pad interface for ambient exploration.
- Chiptuner supplies 16 chip-style waveforms, a tempo-synced arpeggiator, and a two-stage bitcrusher.
Description
NOVA is Lunacy's cloud-based instrument platform, pairing a browser player with a host plug-in for opening its instruments inside a DAW. The launch collection includes five permanently available no-cost instruments—Woodland Piano, Chiptuner, Silhouettes, Good Vibes, and Zephyr Strings—while the same platform also offers separately paid instruments and a paid launch bundle.
The five launch instruments cover a deliberately varied starting palette: soft upright-piano texture, chip-style synthesis, ambient hybrid sound design, vibraphone, and a string arpeggiator. Rather than managing a separate installer for every title, users install NOVA once and choose instruments from the platform in a browser or on a MIDI track.
Woodland Piano combines a sampled upright with modeled pedal and key-release noise plus a granular delay, while Good Vibes uses multi-velocity vibraphone samples with delay, tremolo, and granular processing. Zephyr Strings is built from two multisampled Budapest Strings layers, and Silhouettes uses an XY-pad interface to move across synthesis and sampling engines; Chiptuner takes the more focused route with chip waveforms, an arpeggiator, and bitcrushing.
NOVA runs as AU, VST3, or AAX on macOS 11 and later, and VST3 or AAX on Windows 10 and later. A free NOVA account and an internet connection are required for the developer's current download and activation flow, so it is best suited to producers comfortable with a connected instrument library rather than a self-contained offline plug-in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which instruments are included in NOVA's launch Freebies collection?
The five launch Freebies are Woodland Piano, Chiptuner, Silhouettes, Good Vibes, and Zephyr Strings. Lunacy also sells separate premium NOVA instruments, so only the titles shown in the Freebies section are included without purchase.
Do I install every NOVA instrument separately?
No. NOVA uses one host plug-in, and the developer says its instruments can be discovered and used from the platform in a browser or in a DAW. The individual instruments are selected through NOVA rather than installed as separate plug-ins.
Can I use NOVA in a DAW as well as in a browser?
Yes. Lunacy presents NOVA as a browser-and-DAW platform, and the host plug-in is supplied in the formats listed on its product page. Add it to a MIDI track, then select an available instrument from the NOVA library.
Does NOVA require an account or an internet connection?
Yes. Lunacy's setup steps begin with creating a free NOVA account, and its technical requirements say a stable internet connection is required for downloading and activating the product. This is therefore a connected platform rather than an offline-only instrument collection.
