Novation Ultranova vs M-Audio Venom vs Roland Gaia
Novation Ultranova, M-Audio Venom or Roland Gaia? Which one would you choose?
We’ve often been asked to compare these three synthesizers, and as always … each have their particular sound, features & price tags. In this post, we’ll be summarizing the differences and adding a quick comparison table.
Now, straight to cut. If you’re in dire need of multi-timbral, drum patches, FM synthesis & particulary a 49-key synth, then M-Audio’s Venom is your pick. If you’re looking for a more hands-on approach on synthesis and in need of a 1-on-1 knob/slider parameter control, then you’ll be looking at the Roland Gaia. But what these both lack are features like: aftertouch, wavetable synthesis, vocoder & external audio synth processing. This is where the Novation Ultranova stands out, as it does all of this & more. Even though it doesn’t have FM synthesis, like the Venom, it does have FM waveforms in the wavetable. The Novation Ultranova triumphs in features over the other two synthesizers on paper and is equally as powerful sounding as both.
Of course, in the end of the day … its what you really want from a synthesizer that makes you pick a particular one, but why not go for the best bang for the buck?
Here’s a quick comparison chart:
| Spec | UltraNova | Venom | Gaia |
| Price (MRP) | INR 48,000/- | INR 35,500/- | INR 47,500/- |
| Aftertouch | Yes | No | No |
| Analog Modeled | Yes | No | Yes |
| Waveforms | Square, sine, tri, sawtooth, pulse, 9x saw:pulse combinations. 20x digital waveforms, 36 Wavetalbes (w/ 9 waveforms each) | 41 oscillator waves and 53 drum sounds sampled from vintage synths. | SAW, SQUARE, PULSE/PWM, TRIANGLE, SINE, NOISE, SUPER SAW |
| Wavetable Synthesis | Yes | No | No |
| Modulation Matrix | 20 Slots | 16 Slots | None |
| Modulation Sources | 17 | 31 | None |
| Modulation Destinations | 66 (Includes FX Params!) | 17 | None |
| Filter Drive | Yes | Yes | No |
| Filter Types | 14 | 6 | 4 |
| FM Synthesis | No (There are however some FM waveforms in wavetable) | Yes | No |
| Envelopes Per OSC | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Audio Input Can Be Processed by Synth Engine | Yes | No | No |
| Vocoder | Yes | No | No |
| Computer Editor | Yes | Yes | Yes but costs an extra $99 |
| Editor Runs as | VST/AU | Stand-Alone | Stand-Alone |
| Control | 8 Touch Encoders, Filter/Last Param Knob, Mod & Pitch Wheel | Matrix, Mod & Pitch Wheel | Nearly 1-for-1 knob sliders, D Beam, Mod & Pitch Lever |
| Front Panel Editing Experience | LDC + Page linked knobs with touch encoder focus. More dedicated back lit buttons for selecting sub menus than Venom | Matrix + LCD | Clear signal flow on front panel with nearly 1-for-1 |
| User Preset Slots | 508 (4 banks of 127 Slots) | 512 single, 256 Multi | 64 |
| Effects | Distortion (up to 2 instances), Compressor (up to 2 instances) , Chorus/Phase (up to 4 instances), Delay (up to 2 instances), Reverb (up to 2 instances) , Gator, EQ, 12 band vocoder |
Global: Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser. Insert: Compression, EQ, Distortion, Bit Reduction, Decimation, | DIST, FLANGER, DELAY, REVERB, LOW BOOST |
| Audio Interface | 2 in 4 out | 2 in 2 out | None |
| Multittimbral | No | 4 | No |
| Polyphony | 20 | 12 | 64 |
| MIDI | IN/OUT/THRU | IN/OUT | IN/OUT |
| Power Options | Bus Power/AC | AC | AC/Batteries |
| Ableton Integration | Automap/Stream Audio via USB | Stream Audio via USB | Stream Audio via USB |
| Keys | 37 | 49 | 37 |
