TC Electronic Nova Delay is the best...

[joe*w]

The Boss DD-200 seems to be a very similar concept.

 

[joe*w]

The Timeline is excellent live, anything you need to frig in the heat of battle is on the top panel.

I don’t have a Timeline, but I do have a Big Sky. I love it. I’m sure the Timeline is just as amazing. The presets are amazing for set lists and saving those lush ambient tones you stumble on as you tweak.

My Boss DD-500 is great for presets, but I can’t visualize the settings by glancing at the knobs. And I can’t slightly roll the mix/feedback to adjust. There’s always a jump and then your guessing where it was at and if the new level is what you wanted.

That’s where the Nova Delay shines when used in manual mode.

 

[Jimmy3Fingers]

Very interesting. I have two Nova Delays...both in white/blue boxes and with white/black labels on the side of the box and bottom of the pedals.

Serial number on one is 9092059 and second is 9108775. First has TC item number as 960610011, second has 960610005.

Seems odd...do both have the iB buffer?

 

[Trick Fall]

The only thing that kicked the Nova off my board was getting an RV-500. It currently lives very happily in my synth rig. I dedicate it to my Arturia Microfreak. The bpm readout is an added plus for this use.

 

[sanfi4u]

Very interesting. I have two Nova Delays...both in white/blue boxes and with white/black labels on the side of the box and bottom of the pedals.

Serial number on one is 9092059 and second is 9108775. First has TC item number as 960610011, second has 960610005.

Seems odd...do both have the iB buffer?

Both serial numbers of your pedals (9092059 & 9108775) are higher than 9091796. Thus pedals must be manufactured later than Jan 2012 and shall feature improved iBModified input buffer.

 

[thesjkexperienc]

Not sure how many people ignored the calibrate function and dismissed the pedal. Everytime I got a new fuzz, muff or overdrive I would recalibrate mine. I never used the preset option but did find it cumbersome. If it had a analog dry path it would have been the last delay I bought. A Boss LS-2 solved that problem for a while but it was just a pedal taking up space for one function.

Thanks for reminding me of that function. I have a few controls that don’t offer the sweep I’m used to and I bet it’s because I never calibrated it. My earlier one was ruined by liquid and I’d had that for 10 years. I do notice better dynamics in my new one due to the better buffer and giving it the correct power.

 

[Frank67]

The nova delay is very good, but has its shortcomings.
For me, I did not like that the analog setting stayed very pristine/digital. And having to scroll through presets instead of instant access is a compromise, although it is nice to be able to define the preset list/number of presets.

That is definitely one of the downsides

imo two things kept it from being perfect:

- a/d conversion (no analog dry through coupled with a not-so-great input buffer in the original version)
- lack of a proper looping function which IMO is a must on any delay from the last 10+ years

I think the conversion is not an issue once the Nova is integrated into a loop switching system. Then the signal is only converted when the Nova is actually in the signal path.

There is a company (Microdesignum) that make a MIDI interface to the Nova. Then the 9 presets can be accessed from a MIDI controller. It is not perfect, since delay time and other settings can not be set by MIDI, but at least those 9 presets are available and that goes a long way. I just send them my Nova for hat modification and expect it back next week.

I personally couldn't care less about a looping function on a delay pedal - in particular since invariably in most units it eliminates the possibility to use the delay at the same time. A humble Ditto gets the job done quite nicely.

I hope that TC is actually putting some serious effort into their upcoming 2290 pedal and not just trying to sell us a Flashback in a retro looking enclosure. For the time being, I am very happy with the Nova.

 

[Stu James]

I have had a Nova for a short time, I have another delay as well, but I do like the nova. There seem to be a lot of people that use it only in manual mode. Just curious as to the benefits of this. Does it not function exactly the same in preset mode? You can still do the same tweaking and adjustments in preset mode? And you can choose to save those adjustments or not.
I have set up different presets, then tweak from there as I go.
I do plan on setting up the presets for different songs

 

[Jimmy3Fingers]

I have had a Nova for a short time, I have another delay as well, but I do like the nova. There seem to be a lot of people that use it only in manual mode. Just curious as to the benefits of this. Does it not function exactly the same in preset mode? You can still do the same tweaking and adjustments in preset mode? And you can choose to save those adjustments or not.
I have set up different presets, then tweak from there as I go.
I do plan on setting up the presets for different songs

Yes to all...

 

[Jimmy3Fingers]

Both serial numbers of your pedals (9092059 & 9108775) are higher than 9091796. Thus pedals must be manufactured later than Jan 2012 and shall feature improved iBModified input buffer.

Thanks for the info.

Yes...noticed both were after the seriel # mentioned, but the first was close and has a different TC item #, so thought perhaps it might be a non-iB version.

 

[earwax]

Any of the newer units that came in the blue and white box(originals were in a long black box) are the iB modified version without the red faceplate.

Is this right? I am pretty sure the black box came after the white and blue box.

I’ve only had the older one in the white box with blue on it and the in modified one. All the ones besides the ib modified were older serial numbers

 

[joe*w]

There seem to be a lot of people that use it only in manual mode. Just curious as to the benefits of this. Does it not function exactly the same in preset mode?

When in preset mode, the knobs don’t reflect where they’re actually set. So, if you want to bump the mix up just a bit, there’s a jump when you first adjust the knob.

Most pedals that include tap tempo and a bpm display don’t have a have a manual function (mainly thinking about the Timeline and Boss dd-500).

Most pedals that are manual don’t have tap tempo or a bpm readout.

That’s why I think the Nova delay is so special. Easy to tweak on the fly while having tap tempo and bpm display.

 

[rickenbackerkid]

Yep! The calibrate function is very important to the sound of the repeats.

This is so true. It's something I've often thought about. When I'm doing live sound, I'm near fanatical about trimming or adding input gain, to optimise a signal to a digital console's processing.

You can insert a signal into a digital desk at a low gain level and add a whole lot of digital gain internally, but that SOUNDS different to how it does when an analog preamp sets up the signal to go into the A/D converter at an optimal S/N ratio. And while it's a subtle difference, if you've got a bunch of channels coming in with gain levels low, so the A/D converters are not working as well as they could, you end up with a crappy sounding mix.

I think this is a big part of why some digital pedals don't sound that good. For instance I had an eventide TimeFactor for years, and while the delay FX were just brilliant, the dry sound suffered something shocking. Where as the Nova Delay has a dry sound which to my ears was just fine. Nowdays I use a Nova System, and have the input gain carefully set up, and once again I get a really good dry sound.

 

[Zoo Bahnhof]

Bought a brand new Nova Delay today. Should arrive tomorrow.

Tonight, I'm not sure if I've bought wisely.

Should I have gone for a Flashback/Triple?

I wanted pristine, chiming, repeats.
I wanted more than 3 presents.
I didn't want any MASH switches.
I didn't want any Toneprints through a computer.

But I'm a little concerned tonight after reading about the A/D conversion.

... and if it will stack well with a Carbon Copy.

 

[Veritas]

Bought a brand new Nova Delay today. Should arrive tomorrow.

Tonight, I'm not sure if I've bought wisely.

Should I have gone for a Flashback/Triple?

I wanted pristine, chiming, repeats.
I wanted more than 3 presents.
I didn't want any MASH switches.
I didn't want any Toneprints through a computer.

But I'm a little concerned tonight after reading about the A/D conversion.

... and if it will stack well with a Carbon Copy.

It’s a good pedal. Checks your wish list. If it doesn’t sound good to you, I’d recommend the Boss DD-200, which is a very similar pedal functionally. I’d say to give the Nova Delay a spin, and go from there. It’ll give you plenty of chiming pristine repeats. That’s one of the things it’s really good at.

 

[bbsomm]

I loved my nova too. But maybe it was in my head, I just couldn’t get over the fact that it A/D D/A converts your signal even when its off.
I spent too much on the rest of my signal chain to put it through that unnecessarily. But I have thought of getting another one and a one channel true bypass looper

 

[Brian Gilmour]

Bought a brand new Nova Delay today. Should arrive tomorrow.

Tonight, I'm not sure if I've bought wisely.

Should I have gone for a Flashback/Triple?

I wanted pristine, chiming, repeats.
I wanted more than 3 presents.
I didn't want any MASH switches.
I didn't want any Toneprints through a computer.

But I'm a little concerned tonight after reading about the A/D conversion.

... and if it will stack well with a Carbon Copy.

You’ll be fine. The A/D thing won’t matter unless your super OCD like I was. Tonewise it‘s still the best delay I ever I had outside of the Boonar. I had a Carbon Copy stacked into my Nova a long time ago and it worked great for me. Switched to the DM-2w later on and it was even better but any true analog delay will make a great pair with the Nova. Since I last posted I’ve gotten a loop switcher so my Nova itch is returning but unless you get lucky like yourself and get a new one its hard for me to confidently buy a older used one and hope it lasts with the internals and switches. No way it’s getting repaired at this point. The DD-200 is the next generation Nova Delay for all intents and purposes so I’m leaning toward that now. And I doubt TC ever releases that 2290 pedal and if they do it will just be a Flashback+ with a fancy 2290 motif.

 

[Zoo Bahnhof]

Thanks for the reassuring comments guys.

It has just arrived. Serial number 9107067
(Google threw up nothing when I searched the serial number to establish if it was IB Modified).

I bought it from Andertons in Guildford, England.
GAK in Brighton, England also have some apparently.

I had my doubts it would be, but the pedal is not only boxed, but also bagged (factory sealed) as new.

 

[Brian Gilmour]

Thanks for the reassuring comments guys.

It has just arrived. Serial number 9107067
(Google threw up nothing when I searched the serial number to establish if it was IB Modified).

I bought it from Andertons in Guildford, England.
GAK in Brighton, England also have some apparently.

I had my doubts it would be, but the pedal is not only boxed, but also bagged (factory sealed) as new.

Man that’s awesome, hang onto it. If Tore was still at TC I think we may have had a updated model released sooner or later as he was very proud of the Nova series. Nova Delay II, if you will. If not this 2290 pedal they have teased would have been a definite follow up.

That said, please calibrate the thing with your dirt pedals if you want the best sound out of it. It’ll make the trails sound so much better. Play as loud as possible for a few licks. The manual explains it quite clearly if I remember.

 

[Zoo Bahnhof]

First impressions of the Nova?
It clearly has it's idiosyncrasies; which I'll need to familiarise myself with in the coming days; but I'm fairly happy with it.

I'd love to see them release that 2290 pedal.
I've been waiting for further announcements in that, but have not heard a thing from TC this year.
I was getting impatient and so I bought the Nova.
I would imagine the Coronavirus situation has delayed the 2290 pedal even more.