Express w/ Nova System

[ifailedshapes]

Just wanted to let those who are interested know that I haven't forgotten about this. We're moving this weekend, so I probably won't get much of a chance to play until we're settled in the new place.

 

[gezza]

Hey Guys,

Just my 2 cents,

Had the GT6, Vox -Tonelab SE, GT8.

Yes I ran the 4cm with the GT8.
Now I could never get a good crunch with the GT8 and my Boogie Clean.
Delays, reverbs great. Boosting on the drive channel great.

I now run all pedals - best move I made yet.

As soon as I placed the MI Audio Crunch box in place, wow.

Remember that all these multi-fx pedals are trying emulating the real thing, and you know what they say, you can't beat the real thing.

I used to run the GT6 and GT8 live with no amp, just an active speaker, sounded pretty good. But was missing that valve vibe.

To be honest, the guy and girls in the pubs we play at, really don't hear any difference. I had guys coming up to me asking what amp I used, they were floored, lol, when I show them the GT8 and nothing else.

But our tastes change, we get bored, long for something new.

mmmm- Fractal - Ultra. Heard a lot of great things about these.

Must fight it, bloody expensive. too expensive for me.

gezza.

 

[pokerrules47]

I had the opportunity to rent the Nova System for a couple of months. I used it in front of my Roadster and was not that impressed. Don't get me wrong, it's a great unit, I just didn't like it in front of my amp. I tried it in the loop, and it sounded better (efx only), but that isn't what the unit is designed for.

I decided to go the route of the G Major 2 for efx only, in the loop and I am happy so far with the results.

 

[microwerx]

I have a G-System and I think the effects are really, really good. Everything is super clean and nice and I expect the Nova System to be pretty similar as far as quality goes. I opted for the G-System because of the extra effects and flexibility (i.e. 4/5CM).

I have a GT-8 also and I never use the preamp anymore. It just doesn't sound good through my Mesa's but it does sound ok going direct into my PC. Effects-wise, I think the overdrives are pretty nice. I also think the wah/eq/compressor/modulations/delays/reverb aren't half bad.

 

[Newysurfer]

Hey Guys,

Just my 2 cents,

Had the GT6, Vox -Tonelab SE, GT8.

Yes I ran the 4cm with the GT8.
Now I could never get a good crunch with the GT8 and my Boogie Clean.
Delays, reverbs great. Boosting on the drive channel great.

I now run all pedals - best move I made yet.

As soon as I placed the MI Audio Crunch box in place, wow.

Remember that all these multi-fx pedals are trying emulating the real thing, and you know what they say, you can't beat the real thing.

I used to run the GT6 and GT8 live with no amp, just an active speaker, sounded pretty good. But was missing that valve vibe.

To be honest, the guy and girls in the pubs we play at, really don't hear any difference. I had guys coming up to me asking what amp I used, they were floored, lol, when I show them the GT8 and nothing else.

But our tastes change, we get bored, long for something new.

mmmm- Fractal - Ultra. Heard a lot of great things about these.

Must fight it, bloody expensive. too expensive for me.

gezza.

Hey Gezza I'm real pleased to hear you say this cause I was one of the guys advising you onto good quality stomps when you first got your Express. So I'm glad it's worked out well for you and we're in general agreement. We must have similar ears.

I got to hear the AXE-FX in Newcastle about a year ago when Dweezil Zappa did a gig here.
Was very impressed. Sounded great, super versatile and all but his tone was no better imo than the other guitarist who had a stock standard analog rig with Fender tube amp and good quality pedal board. They both sounded equally great.
With the AXE you get so many bells and whistles but they're only of value if you actually use them :mrgreen:

 

[ifailedshapes]

Ok, so it took long enough, but I finally got to play with my Nova System live! Errr, well, more like my friend played it and I was the one tweaking the sounds for him. I was on drums and keys, but regardless of who was the one playing the guitar, the Nova sounded awesome! The analog drive section really shines. I prefer the overdrive section to the distortion, but that's purely a matter of taste. Like Pete Thorn said in his demo video, it sounds analog.... because it IS analog!

We messed around with some chorus, delay, pitch shifting, and the boost. All sound REALLY good. We didn't use the reverb, but come on, it's TC. You know it's going to have great reverb.

I'll spare you the list of features since you can easily find them elsewhere online, but I will say that this box is a huge value when you compare how much it costs to what it does for you. It's as easy to use as stomp boxes (really, the menu is straightforward without cracking open the manual) plus there's the added benefit of getting to store presets. I love the variation buttons that allow you to store multiple settings of the same effect type. With these, you can store your favorite effect settings as variations and easily incorporate them into future presets without having to go through and find the correct sound again!

All in all, I highly recommend it. The Nova System combined with my little Express make a very compact and toneful setup.

 

[ifailedshapes]

I FINALLY got to play through the Nova System live. It took long enough, but the effects are great!

Sound: Perfect. I wouldn't change a thing.

Usability: Good, but not great. I need to get a small Midi footswitch for changing presets. I think that will help a lot. Because the unit is so small (one of the reasons I like it) there aren't many buttons, so you only get 3 presets per bank. Also, the buttons on the Nova activate on release which takes a little getting used to. Muscle memory makes me want to stomp down at the moment I want the sound to change, but in reality I have to put my foot on the switch and take it off at the right moment.

All in all, nothing you won't read anywhere else, but a great unit overall.