Emulates two rare Hammond-era instruments, the polyphonic Novachord and monophonic Solovox, capturing their vintage vacuum-tube character through virtual analog synthesis.
Historical Emulation
The Novachord + Solovox bundle faithfully recreates two pioneering electronic instruments from the early synthesis era. Novachord, a polyphonic instrument from 1939, used a divide-down oscillator architecture and offered features that foreshadowed modern subtractive synthesis, including envelope controls, a resonant band-pass filter, and vibrato. Solovox, a compact monophonic keyboard attachment from the 1940s, was designed to add organ-like lead voices beneath a piano keyboard.
These software versions are built using virtual analog modeling, not sampling, to reproduce the original circuits. The interfaces faithfully mimic the original hardware, including the Novachord’s distinctive white and black keys, rotary levers, and wood finish. Solovox adds animated vacuum tubes that respond to settings, providing an authentic visual and sonic experience.
Key Capabilities
Both instruments offer flexible tone-shaping controls. Novachord includes three resonant band-pass filters with fixed frequency ranges, plus optional low-pass and high-pass filter paths and a dry signal control, all mixed together. It provides several envelope options and a vibrato with two historical variants, along with a reverb to emulate the original amplifier and speaker. Solovox features separate bass and treble filter sections with adjustable levels, glide, fixed-rate vibrato, and a mute for harmonic filtering.
Each instrument includes a set of presets curated by a sound designer, covering categories like basses, strings, pads, leads, and woodwinds. The bundle provides a comprehensive toolkit for vintage-sounding textures, from eerie sci-fi pads to expressive monophonic lines.
Workflow and Control
Users can access complete MIDI control and DAW automation for every parameter. An intuitive MIDI learn function lets you assign physical controllers or hardware knobs quickly, with both preset and global mapping options. The interface supports zooming via a focus feature or drag-resize, making it easy to work in any session.
Documentation is built directly into the instrument, with online access and downloadable PDF guides. An adjustable oversampling control allows you to tailor processing quality to your system’s performance. Both tools run as standard plugins or standalone applications, giving flexibility in setup.
Practical Applications
These emulations are ideal for adding authentic vintage character to film scores, horror or sci-fi soundtracks, and retro-style compositions. The Novachord excels at creating sweeping pads and otherworldly textures, while the Solovox delivers lead lines and woodwind-like phrases for light music or period pieces.
Use the presets as starting points, then tweak filters and envelopes to craft custom sounds. The monophonic nature of the Solovox calls for careful phrasing, while the Novachord’s polyphony supports lush chordal work. Both instruments invite experimentation with vibrato and reverb to capture their mystical, haunted tones.
Key features
- Virtual analog emulation of Novachord and Solovox instruments
- Multiple filter types, including resonant band-pass, low-pass, and high-pass paths
- Envelope, vibrato, and glide controls for expressive playing
- Reverb effects for authentic amplifier and speaker emulation
- Over 100 combined presets for quick sound selection
- Full MIDI control and DAW automation with MIDI learn
- Adjustable oversampling and detailed interface zoom
Best for
Composers and sound designers seeking authentic vintage electronic textures for retro film scores, horror or sci-fi atmospheres, and period music. Ideal for lush polyphonic pads on the Novachord and expressive monophonic leads on the Solovox, especially in genres that evoke mid-century aesthetics or eerie soundscapes.