TC Electronic Nova Drive overdrive/distortion pedal

[chapperbone]

Amazing, clear and precise demo video on how to use and how a pedal functions and sounds. What an awesome overdrive/distortion pedal. TC ELECTRONIC is fantastic company and makes legendary pedals. I own the Nova repeater and the Nova dynamics, and they are studio HI-FI sounding pedals. FREAKOUT!!!!!!!!!! Thanks dude for the awesome video!

[tcelectronic]

@chapperbone Thank you! - We do what we do, to get responses like this - thanks a bunch:)

[std882]

Everytime I watch this video, I pick up something new which I had missed previously. Fantastic!

[Gregrg7]

In a midi rig, Can I choose which of the 18 presets I want with each patch (9 banks of the Line 6 XT PRO?) Or will it limit me to now only have 18 presets total?

[tcelectronic]

@Gregrg7 I can't answer that, sorry. - Please contact support?

[Stratamania]

@Gregrg7 You can store up to 18 presets on the Nova Drive and then you should then be able to select any of one of those via Midi from the XT Pro, when you create a patch. So you can do this with as many patches as you want from the line 6 XT pro. You can have more than 18 patches on the Line 6, but each patch if selecting distortion from the Nova Drive is a choice of one of the 18 Nova presets.

[beeroosterm]

Holy shit. How am I ever going to use this thing on the stage?

[Prestonwilliams371]

Slow dancing in a burning room improvision!  3:38

[SpookeyEyeGhost]

I'm getting one. I really love how TC's effects actually enhance your guitars natural tone. A lot of companies could learn a lot from them!!! BEST OD/DISTORTION PEDAL I'VE HEARD YET!!!

[bazZzment]

Excellent Demo! Can someone tell me if it will sound good on bass too? The mix-function of the OD seems to be perfect but does it cut the low end?

[tcelectronic]

@bazZzment - It has many features, I'm sure some of those would be satisfying for bass players too. I always recommend trying our units out of yourself.

[std882]

One of the best demo I ever seen. Thanks. I learn some of operating my pedal from here... ;-)

[mhd9890]

Hi, just wondering, how many presets would you get if you control with a midi controller, say a boss gt 10?

[AlterEgoEffectors]

Cool pedal

[DBOEvilCondomn]

can i use it for really extreme metal tones? like metalcore, hardcore and djent?

[tcelectronic]

@DBOEvilCondomn The distortion is very heavy - but when is very heavy, heavy enough?

[DBOEvilCondomn]

@tcelectronic ;)

[konter999]

@tcelectronic Heavy enough:

Triple Rectifier + BBE Sonic Maximizer :D

[Rnexen]

i love your danish accent :D

[Tzachi076S]

what guitsr is that?

saw it many times and it looks interesting

(the sunbrusted tele-ish one)

[zabimaru1000]

Does a VOX AC15 C1 amp take in this pedal well?

[tcelectronic]

@zabimaru1000 We see no reason why it shouldn't sound good with the VOX AC15C1. We designed Nova Drive to be used with most amps on the marked. But try it out and let us hear what you think.

[Manaslash]

@tcelectronic i tried that in a local guitar store yesterday...cant wait to get them both!! Very good job TCE

[tcelectronic]

@Manaslash Good to hear, Manaslash - I'm sure they'll serve you well.

[SparkPlugnl]

So TC, when is the Nova Fuzz coming out? ;-)

[HoTpAnTs411]

Hi TC,

Can the Nova Drive do the Nova System's JCM800-like distortion sound , too, or its distortion channel is different?

[stavrostza]

uhmmm...tune dude..you make the pedal like crap...

[freakguitar1]

can i use that pedal instead of a real tubescreamer to tighten up my peavey 6505 and get the same or even better result than a normal TS 808 / TS 9?

or is a tubescreamer (original) not replacable? :P

[tcelectronic]

@freakguitar1 Nova Drive does a great job tightening up your sound. Weather it sounds better than a TS 808/ TS 9 is a matter of taste, but it's pretty damn good.

[Budhabe]

Hmm why is this in the DNB tc playlist ?

[vinny1577]

HI Can you please tell me how to get a clean boost from this pedal? I tried to put overdrive at 0, full volume and all the way clean. But I hardly noticed any boost.

[rafasounds2010]

nice sounds, just miss a single coil demonstration

[tcelectronic]

@rafasounds2010 please refer to the manual for information on this, if that doesn't help contact our support.

[mobobilly]

crap

[aunlecram]

cool, also see this man using the g system called "MArcel JAramillo" improvising over go go dolls´s iris song...

[bergweg]

what about a an analogue spring reverb unit with digital controls and midi... I wonder how that would work

[rhykko77]

These are some of the best, ,quickest and most complete demos I have ever seen on YouTube.....you feel like you have mastered the device after watching it once !

Kudos to TC Electronics

[tcelectronic]

@rhykko77 Thank you so much! There are many ways and styles of doing videos for youtube. We try to keep it simple. Glad this one worked for you ;-)

tcelectronic/jens

[hiway52]

@rhykko77 Yeah!! DAMN this thing sounds awesome...

would it sound good into the clean channel of a 50 watt plexi reissue?

[bille77]

Fuck, this pedal starts looking like the long-sought after and notorious "Holy Grail of sound"... Am I talking bullshit again?

[AlexMolnar123]

Is the OD channel similar to a tubescreamer?

[tcelectronic]

To be honest - not really, but we apprciate the input for future products. The MIDI facilities on NOVA Drive were designed specifically to integrate with G-System. This idea doesn't apply as well to a Delay pedal as Delay is already integrated in G System. Check out some of our 19" rack modules with Delay if you are looking for MIDI controlled Delay units

all the best

tcelectronic/jens

[jskim1]

wish nova delays come w/ midi capabilities...any possibility in the future?

[Crodon]

3:15 SUDDENLY, DEATH APPROACHES.

[Carl8888]

I actually logged into youtube just to say that this demo was GREAT! Thank you very much. Mycke bra:)

[RiffMountain]

"Come with me if you want lieeve"

[frogscar]

...Can you bypass it via MIDI?? or... can you store a bypassed preset??

[pensatore]

@frogscar

Hi frogscar,

Yes, you can bypass the pedal via midi and store a bypassed preset too.

Best,

Tore

[StAtUsSeeker92]

What Ibanez model is this?

[pensatore]

@StAtUsSeeker92

The Ibanez is my own personal Ibanez Universe from '93. I have put an EMG707 in the bridge instead of the original DiMarzio Blaze.

Best,

Tore

[StAtUsSeeker92]

@pensatore Great guitar! Reminds me of John Petrucci previous 7 string Ibanez that he had before he switched to Musicman.

[chino00]

3:40 slow dancing in a burning room! HA!

[Viterkim]

elsker at man kan høre at han er dansker! :D

DANISH FTW

[SpookeyEyeGhost]

This demo is ok, but the proguitar one is better. This is a very good pedal. I'm going to get one soon. It should go great with my BOSS GT8. I really like that you can save different tones, a major plus and very usefull.

[delpimpo]

I can't stop watching this demo, this pedal is so awesome.

[faustoj26a]

is this analog 100%? i play heavy metal, hard rock, thrash and death metal, can this lil piece give the sound?

[michaelkim119]

I'm fine with digital delays and reverb and stuff. Sounds fine to me. But the difference between analog and digital overdrive is night and day. Once you go Analog, you don't go back. This pedal is amazing!

[AndreySuperstar]

Can somebody say is it pre-amp or not? And how it can be described? I other words I need to know could I use it only for quality computer recording or I need another pre-amp in chain after this? Thanks in advance.

[awesomejohnnet]

Very disappointing demo, the idea sounds good, the box looks good,

but the the gain is... well not what I expected..

I think you need to make a new demo using a different guitar, better mike, I don't know it just doesn't sound like the quality that we have come accustomed to from TC electronics. I'm not trying to be negative please forgive me.. just honest..

[funktifiedghostdog]

does this pedal play well with solid state amps? specifically, i'm looking to get something to add a bit of bite to my acoustic image corus+ , which is great for all the clean jazzy stuff, but i don't want to schlepp my mesa for some gigs where medium amount of drive is necessary. so i'm thinking about this pedal either in front or in the loop...

[tcelectronic]

@funktifiedghostdog Hiya, Yes, Nova Drive was specifically designed to sound and react like a tube amp. This means that it doesn’t compress a lot and keeps the dynamics of your playing. It also cleans up very well when you back off the volume knob.

Best wishes,

Joey @ TC

[tpcjames111]

Could i use one of these to push my marshall vintage modern to death metal distortion

[daisukiosan]

du lyder som en dansker haha

[belzebrutt]

I generally use the g major controlled by the cfb1010.

Can I control the nova drive and g major both with cfb1010?

[nuhaho]

best analog distortion i've heard

[z3r0soul]

I want to know wich tele is that, the first guitar please :)

[z3r0soul]

which guitars were used in this demo?

[Morningv0dka]

hey what kind of neck pick-up do you have on that strat copy around 4:48?

[samgam69]

@Morningv0dka its a suhr so very expensive ones

[sonicshori]

could this pedal be used for 6 string bass

[portfolio122]

I have a amp head with an effects loop that runs at 'line level.' Standard stompboxes have not worked because of the level mismatch. Someone suggested using TC pedals in this type of loop. Would that work?

[crguti]

another question. Can you control this pedal using G-major?

[tcelectronic]

@crguti Yes - you can control Nova Drive via G-Major. But it won't show up in the G-Major menus like on G-System. But it integrates perfectly into a midi setup.

[crguti]

thanks TC. I bought one already.

[crguti]

I would like to smooth a little bit the distortion of my high gain tube amp. Would it sound good this pedal with a high gain amp?

[tcelectronic]

@crguti Nova Drive will work great for smoothing out an already driven tube amp.

[MrJackanthony]

@tcelectronic How would I use this with a g system? DO I use an effects loop? I have a mesa express 5 50.

[knikk77]

Many people don't know that this is a GOOOOD pedal! Too bad! I have one, it is so smooth, versatile, great tone! Midi!! It cleans up using the volume pot very great! Dynamic pedal!

[kngf548]

GREAT pedal!

[gmmakesmehurl]

Man, I think I'm sold on this one. I've tried most every pedal under the sun and they all either fail to provide the lead tone I need nor the smoothness and tightness I'm looking for. Seems to be more difficult being that I have an old 1976 Twin.

[sushruthz]

this will work well with a marshall tube stack specifically the dsl 100 right?

[tcelectronic]

Absolutely it will :).

Best wishes,

Joey @ TC

[clownkillerloaf]

i got this pedal today and i love it! i play a strat through a hot rod deville. i love the amps clean tone but the overdrive tends to get gritty. this pedal really cleans it up. also, i really love using the overdrive section at low gain levels to really boost my clean. perfection!

[alsgh422]

very versatile...

[leagiar]

I want to use the distortion at a normal level and when i do a solo i want to increase the volume so it can be heard by everyone. Is it possible with this pedal? How?

[xsonicassassinx]

make a preset with the volume higher. or buy something like an mxr micro amp

[tcelectronic]

Hiya,

Sure thing. If you set the pedal in bank mode youll be able to toggle between two different presets using the footswitches. So if you program preset 1 to be your rhythm distortion sound and preset 2 to be the same sound but louder, you can toggle between them using the two footswitches.

Best wishes and a merry Christmas,

Joey @ TC

[sushruthz]

will this work well with a marshall dsl 100 stack

[tcelectronic]

Hiya,

I can't see any reason why not!

Best wishes,

Joey @ TC

[lantyboy]

This demo is very good and i really want one, but £200?? Can get a pretty good Mulit fx for that, shame they did'nt make it a bit more accecable to the hobbyst.

[symmie666]

what a great pedal and demo, this is what demos should be like. fantastic presentaion. SOLD!!

[delavg]

@symmie666 yes these guitarists are really professionnals and shows really wel the potential of these effects. i Got three nova pedals now and i recommand these pedals.

[shanejohnson2002]

I started my TC pedal love affair with the Nova Delay. Once I found out they made a MIDI controllable overdrive, I was completely sold on it. I like everything about this pedal. I'm mainly a metal and hard rock player. My friend, who is a blues and jazz player primarily, loved my pedal so much he bought one of his own! It replaced his TS-9 and DS-1 setup all by itself!

[tcelectronic]

What a lovely comment :). Thanks so much for the feedback, it's hearing comments like these which really let us know we're getting it right!

Best wishes,

Joey @ TC

[petedogg369]

Any word about the X1 and V1 pedals for G System? Or have you guys scratched that project?

They looked so good in a few photos I found of them. They look great sitting next to the G System but it's probably only a dream to think they will actually become available some day.

[MrIcefromheaven]

I have the Nova system and it does a fantastic job with effects, i think they are superior in preserving the clarity of your original tone. while the line6 or the Boss GT can change your sound very dramatically, you lose your tone. however the drive section of the nova system colors my tone, so I'm going to buy this true bypass pedal for OD+Disto and use the Nova system without the drive section. after nearly 10 years of guitar and an Orange amp at the end of my line, I want my tone preserved.

[knikk77]

Are you not finding the overdrives/distortions on the M13 good enough? I am thinking of buying the M9. I ordered this pedal. But I need some effectsunit, Nova system, M13, M9 etc.

[shortscalematt]

3:38 sounds amazing, i didn't expect it to clean up so well.

[impactblue573]

Im am completely blown away...not only is this an ingenius piece of engineering...IT SOUNDS GOOOD!!

[sushruthz]

what does toggle do?

[tcelectronic]

Hiya,

Toggle is for when you don't want to use the overdrive and distortion at the same time. You can "toggle" between them using either switch. For more detail feel free to check out the manual downloadable from our website.

Best wishes,

Joey @ TC

[searchlight31]

Hi I believe the circuitry for the nova drive is that of the nova system. If you're looking to accomodate your m13 (which I believe has all the necessary saptial/modulation effects, you would sorta be purchasing much of the same in a Nova system. If it is just a midi controllable drive pedal, the nova drive would fit you better.

[jjmgunsjm]

i want to get one, but guitar center in NJ and NY cant get me one the pedal is back order

[matt926uk1]

i think my nova drive is faulty, there is hardly any gain and the volume levels are way too high, is there any way to recalibrate it?

[beastmouth]

ooh, i want this. MIDI preset switching for a dirt effect that modulates like the Moog MuRF! <3

[cablelvs]

Hi, thanks for this great demo... Are you using only Nova Drive or there is also a comp. pedal too ? And what do you think of Nova Drive and a flat system like guitar ->mixer ->amplified speaker (JBL Eon 15) ? Thanks

[tcelectronic]

Hiya cablelvs,

No comp - just the drive... but it has some compression in itself due to the way it's designed, which makes it very nice to play. I haven't tried Nova Drive straight into a P.A. or amplified speaker, but Nova Drive doesn't have any speaker simulation, so I'd expect the tones to be a little harsh.

Best wishes,

Joey @ TC

[cablelvs]

Thanks for the reply... So you are using it direct to an amp... So I will better use an amp or an amp simulator like revalver/guitar rig.... what do you think about it ? thanks a lot

[tcelectronic]

Hiya,

Yes you can use Nova Drive straight into an amp (like Im doing in the video), into Revalver/Guitar Rig/Eleven/Mainstage, etc. or with a speaker simulator like the Hughes and Kettner Red Box.

Best,

Joey @ TC

[kasperfalkenberg]

Sådan, Tore! God og grundig demo!

Dejligt at høre dig spille for en gangs skyld.

Cheers! Kasper

[delecroix2]

What guitar is that at around 3:40?

[tcelectronic]

Hiya, That's Tore's favourite - his Suhr guitar.

Best,

Joey @ TC

[DemoColorScheme]

I would be very interested hooking this up to the G-System, especially when the 3.5 update becomes permanent [no BETA].

I wouldn't say this unit does metal though .. It's not chunky and tight enough.

[jspartacus]

Meh. You obviously don't know the first thing about how to get a metal tone. "Chunky" comes from excessively scooped EQ.  Buy an EQ pedal. "Tight" comes from a noise gate. Buy a noise gate. Or use it with the G-system.

[DemoColorScheme]

Here we go with the YouTube ignorance fights without having heard the other person. Good luck being in a band with 3 guitarist and scooping every bit of mid from your signal. This is just a distortion that isn't relatively designed for metal due to the open and less compressed character of the distortion. It's just a flavor thing in regards to the saturation. I bet tight palm-muting isn't really doable with this pedal.

[jspartacus]

Oh whatever. How about you actually play one of these pedals instead of just speculating and talking as if you know something about metal tone. Unless your last name is Hetfield, you aren't qualified to speak about metal tone.

[DemoColorScheme]

I shake my head because of people like you. No one said I wasn't going to try this out. I am very interested in it but just don't think it does a metal tone well. Is that what I want it for? No. I'll take that from my amp and the rest of my setup.

[jspartacus]

I am disgusted by people like you. First you criticize the pedal for not being "metal" enough, then you say you're not going to use if for that anyhow. Why throw your opinion out there if that's not how you're going to use it anyhow? Make up your damn mind and praise its merits within the context of its usage instead of criticizing for the sake of criticism. That's like looking at a horse and criticizing it because it won't guard your house, but then saying you were only planning to ride it.

[DemoColorScheme]

I don't criticize the pedal for not being 'metal enough'. It's just not one of the features I'd use it for though he showed its metal side, which to me, for my taste - definitely - lacks some character that I [and I bet a lot of other people] won't find suited for metal. It's definitely not voiced for metal. Is this a problem? Not necessarily but it would've been a dream pedal if it could do that as well. I'm not going to use it for that because it can't do it that well. It's a matter of taste.

[NenoLarocca]

can you set it up so one channel is louder OD/DIS. to boost the leads and is changing presets instant so you can change mid song?

[ntfcrecords]

you can use one side to boost the other (take care to fine tune the gains to avoid to go overcompressed), preset chg is fast , non problem in using it mid song

[NenoLarocca]

thank you, very helpful i ordered one yesterday

[Alejozul]

POR FAVOR QUE AFINE PRIMERO!!!!!

[sild123]

but so muddy. not chunky distortion. is it because of the video? or the recording?

[searchlight31]

I know what you mean. I actually have this pedal, but when I try to get a distortion tone out of it, I always add a bit of the OD channel to add more punch. So you're right, the dist on thie pedal does lack a bit of top end and so, sounds a bit muddy. BUT, it's a freaking amazing pedal, it's not much of an issue as I use it along with 3 other pedals and my rectifier, but it's an awesome awesome pedal.

[MightyPwned]

I agree.

Use them both together, and it sounds way better.

Look up TC Electronics Nova Drive Metal on youtube and click on the first demo to see what I mean.

[freetssti]

How much? I want one so bad now

[tcelectronic]

It's out now, so check with your local TC dealer!

Glad you like it :).

Best wishes,

Joey @ TC

[2020shredfest1980]

Man !!! This sounds good....im in the market for an overdrive to go with my BB Preamp...was sure of getting the OCD to stack the BB with, now im in 2 minds !!!

[phpalpha]

I'll be back!

[samgam69]

okay the external switch could i switch the between the overdrive and distortion on toggle mode from the g systems relay switching or is it just for banks because i would like to know more about that aswell as the midi control

[ntfcrecords]

The external switch inlet is for the 3 buttons TC pedal, you can set it up in order to change banks/preset. Via MIDI you have full external control capability, you can switch over the 18 presets and you can access all knobs and buttons functionalities via control chg messages. I am using it in front of a Boss GT-10 and the Nova Drive is fully integrated via MIDI.

[newsboysfan77]

how much does it cost

[8ulls3y3]

3:04 King of the Rotten by Corrosion of Conformity???

Anyway, I find this pedal too weak and educated for my taste and needs. Good OD tone though, very transparent.

[bigskymind81]

does the distortion have enough gain for grunge? im really interested in this pedal..thanks

[pensatore]

Yes, the pedal definitely has plenty of gain on tap to play grunge. Yogi - the guitar player for Chris Cornell - is using one on Chris' current tour - and they play a lot of old Soundgarden stuff as well.

[bigskymind81]

thanks man...the idea of this pedal is good because u can have OD and DIST in one box,,and you can save space..but i play a single coil guitar, and in this demo he plays guitars with humbucker..so i,m afraid that i can get enough dist with my guitar,,i just wish he also plays it with some single coil...

[Scumkill2]

bigskymind81:

I think it definitively can do grunge. As you see in the demo this pedal is able to boost distortion with overdrive, so setting both gain knobs to max you can get total meltdown for heavier stuff. Great pedal. Analog dist/od with digital control and preset possibility is one of the most innovative and useful guitar inventions of the decade. T.C. Electronic makes great stuff.

[turiguiliano]

would a tech 21 midi mouse work with this? for bank switching?

[pensatore]

Yes - you can use the MIDI Mouse for program changes.

[Frankieboy24365]

superb! I want to use it for gain stacking in combination with my g system and my Marshall jcm900. Can't wait to go and try it out.

[samgam69]

played it at london music show, this guy was there and let me play it. very good pedal

[Fliko]

You should just put 2 footstomps on there to switch the banks up and down, and add a mid control.

[MarcoDiLoh]

It is possible to switch bank up and down, when having a G-switch connected. Just put the "switch mode" in "Bank"-mode and the two footswitches on the pedal can be used for going up and down in banks. G-switch can be used to access 3 presets directly within each bank. Don't why Tore doesn´t show that in the video, but it is explained in the manual.

[DarkVelizar]

Great! I want it!