Nova: a polyphonic synth VST for leads, pads, plucks and basses

What a subtractive synth VST does

Nova is a subtractive synth: you start with harmonically rich waveforms and carve them with a filter, then shape the volume over time with an envelope. That one signal path covers most leads, pads, plucks and basses in modern music, which is why subtractive synths are the first synth VST most producers learn.

1. Oscillators: Osc 1 and Osc 2 each choose Saw, Square, Triangle, Sine or Supersaw. Osc 2 Semi and Osc 2 Fine tune the second oscillator against the first. Sub adds weight an octave down, Noise adds breath and grit.
2. Filter: LP 24, LP 12, Band or High, with Cutoff, Resonance and Drive. Key Track opens the filter as you play higher, so high notes don't sound dull.
3. Envelopes: Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release shape the volume. The F Attack, F Decay, F Sustain and F Release controls shape the filter, with Env Amount setting how far it moves (negative values close it instead).
4. Movement and FX: an LFO drives LFO → Cutoff and Vibrato, Glide slides between notes, and Chorus, Delay and Reverb finish the sound.

New to plugins in general? Start with what a VST plugin is and how it loads in your DAW.

Synth presets for leads, pads, plucks and basses

Every preset is a working sound, not a demo patch. Pick by role, then adjust Cutoff and the envelope to fit the track.

Supersaw VST leads: unison without the mud

A supersaw is several detuned saw waves stacked together. Nova's Supersaw waveform already stacks seven saws, and Unison multiplies the whole voice up to seven times, with Spread setting how far those copies are detuned and spread across the stereo field. Supersaw Lead uses both: Supersaw on both oscillators, the second an octave up, 7 voices and Spread at 55%.

Play the demo below with your computer keyboard (A to K is one octave). Hold a chord and you'll hear the wide, shimmering wall of saws that defines EDM and trance leads. Play the same chord an octave lower and it gets thick and cloudy, which is the cue to cut lows before it reaches the mix.

• Keep supersaw leads above roughly 200 Hz. Use an EQ low cut on the lead and let the bass own the bottom.
• Raise Spread for width, not volume. Unison in Nova is level-matched, so more voices sound wider without simply getting louder.
• For extra density in a drop, a multiband compressor such as Apex with its Hyper Synth preset brings up the detail between the saws.

Analog synth VST basses: analog, reese, acid and sub

Basses need different settings from leads: less unison, more Sub, and short releases so notes don't smear into each other. Analog Bass is the all-rounder, with a saw and a square an octave down, Sub at 40% and the filter driven at 30%. Sub Bass is a pure sine for trap and drill, where the low end has to be clean enough to sit under a loud kick.

Reese Bass detunes two saws by 22 cents and lets a slow LFO move the cutoff, so the bass seems to churn on its own. Acid Line is one saw with Resonance at 80%, a short filter decay and 60 ms of Glide. Play a sixteenth-note line and you'll hear each note squelch and slide into the next.

For the acid sound, automate Cutoff over 8 or 16 bars. For a darker reese, lower Cutoff and raise Drive. And if a bass disappears on phone speakers, the Sub alone won't fix it: add Drive or a saturation plugin so its upper harmonics carry the note.

Pads, strings and lo-fi keys

Pads live on slow envelopes. Warm Pad fades in over 0.9 seconds and releases over 2.5, so chords overlap and blur together. Soft Strings uses the gentler LP 12 filter and light vibrato for a string-section feel. For lo-fi beats, Lo-fi Keys is a soft, rounded keys tone with a little noise, pitch wobble and chorus, made to sit under drums without fighting them.

Wide pads can crowd a vocal. Lower Cutoff until the pad sits behind the singer, and turn down Nova's Reverb if your mix already has a shared reverb on a send.

Using Nova in Ableton Live, FL Studio and Pro Tools

Nova is an instrument, so it goes on an instrument or MIDI track, not on an audio track. Effects you add after it process its output like any other source.

• Ableton Live: drag Nova from the Plugins section of the browser onto a MIDI track, or onto empty space to create one. Audio effects go to its right. See our Ableton plugin guide for installing VST3s.
• FL Studio: add Nova to the Channel Rack, route it to its own Mixer insert and program notes in the Piano roll. Effects go in that insert's slots.
• Pro Tools: create an Instrument track and insert Nova (AAX) in the first insert slot. EQ and compression go in the slots below it.
• Logic Pro: create a Software Instrument track and choose Nova (AU) in the Instrument slot.

When several synths share a mix, set Nova's built-in Reverb low or to zero and send everything to one reverb return. The parts then sound like they were played in the same room.

Subtractive vs wavetable synth VSTs

Wavetable synths such as Serum and Vital scan through stored waveforms to create moving, evolving tones, which suits modern bass design and complex leads. A subtractive synth like Nova starts from classic waveforms and shapes them with the filter, which is faster for the bread-and-butter sounds most tracks need: supersaws, pads, plucks and analog-style bass. Many producers keep one of each. For a wider comparison, see our guide to the best synth VSTs.