Quick review: TC Electronic Nova System

[polara]

I got a good price on one locally and thought I'd compare it to the Boss GT-8 I've been using, thinking I'd keep the winner and not be out more than ten bucks in the end.

CONSTRUCTION

Both are sturdy looking. Both have pretty clear displays, controls in rational places. Edge goes to the TC Electronic for having protection for its back panel controls, a slightly better display (more readable when standing above it) and very solid-feeling knobs. No complaints though.

FEATURES

The Boss has amp modeling, and the TC is "just" effects. The Boss is so feature-laden it's a bit overwhelming even after a year. You can arrange the effects any way you want, run it into your effects loop, front of amp, or both, control everything with the expression pedal, and the effects have such potential for extremes that half of it is virtually unmusical. But it is all there. The TC has as much depth in its effects, but fewer and of course no amp modeling. It does however use an analog signal path for its overdrive and distortion effects, controlled by digital pots. No expression pedal, though you can plug one in cheaply. The Boss clearly wins, though in terms of features people USE it's closer.

EASE OF USE

Both are complex and each has an entirely different methodology for setting your sounds up. The Boss actually has a marginally better manual, as the TC gives you a brief rundown of each capability but doesn't clearly state how to set the unit up from scratch for the typical user. Both can be set up to have each footswitch as an individual effect or as a preset in banks.

The TC has a big advantage in that when you select a preset, the buttons for each individual effect type light up so you can then, while that preset is selected, turn an individual effect on or off. For instance, if you hit preset 3 and it has a modulation effect, the modulation switch lights up and you can turn it off for a pasage then back on, still inside preset 3. Very handy.

The Boss however gives you four presets per bank, as opposed to the three of the TC. Also there is just the tiniest lag between presets on the Boss while on the TC you put your foot down and then -- tricky -- it switches when you RELEASE the switch. Takes some getting used to. The Boss has dedicated bank select switches, much easier to use than the TC.

SOUNDS

The Boss' effects are very good and very deep and editable. That having been said, the TC has a better octaver and I think the delays and reverbs are more pleasant. Not enough to make me choose one over the other, though. However the overdrive and distortion effect are MUCH better on the TC. The overdrive is pretty Tube Screamer-ish, reminds me of my old Visual Sound Route 66. The distortion is a bit more of a RAT sound to me. The Boss has a zillion different kinds of distortions and the TC has exactly... TWO...and no fuzz at all. But I was never able to get a good distortion from the Boss, at least not as good as most stand-alone pedals.

SO...

I'd be a little nervous without the Boss as it can do ANYTHING, including substitute for an amp and it's never let me down. But the TC's ease of finding a usable, musical setting and vastly better distortions -- to me -- make up for not having a wah pedal or as many presets from which to choose. I was not really expecting this result but... FWIW if you are looking at either!

[polotska]

Nice review! I mostly agree about the Nova System; it does have some limitations but overall it's a very nice unit, and at around $300 used, it's an excellent buy.

One point worth noting is that the Nova System cannot be used with the four-cable method to run the overdrive/distortion in front of the amp and the other effects in an effects loop.

To me, the Nova System overdrive is adequate but nothing more; but I like the distortion quite a bit.

[Ethan]

The overdrives/distortions on the Nova System are actually analog, most people comment that they sound a bit better than other stuff thats out there in that department. Pete Thorn has a killer demo of them on youtube.

[polara]

Yeah, I hadn't heard of Thorn until I watched those. Fine player! The clips, at least on my speakers, are pretty close to how it sounds through my AC30. I also found a clip of Neil Zaza demo'ing the unit. Incredible chops but his clip sounded pretty weird... either his amp was too overdriven already or it was just not recorded so well.