Novachord + Solovox Synthesizers

The Novachord + Solovox collection brings back to life two early electronic instruments that were pivotal in the evolution of modern synthesizers. The Novachord, introduced in 1939, was a revolutionary polyphonic instrument featuring a divide-down oscillator architecture, an early form of analog subtractive synthesis, and a resonant band-pass filter. The Solovox, a monophonic keyboard from the same era, provided organ-style lead sounds and was widely used in light music into the 1960s. These instruments, while historically significant, are exceedingly rare today.

The Solovox, produced from 1940 to 1950, was a smaller, monophonic instrument designed to augment piano performances with organ-type lead voices. Like the Novachord, it used vacuum tubes and oscillator circuits to produce a range of sounds, but it was more compact and attached directly beneath a piano keyboard. The Solovox remained popular until the advent of transistor organs in the 1960s.

In collaboration with award-winning DSP designer Mark Barton (MRB), Cherry Audio has meticulously recreated these instruments using virtual synthesis technology, eschewing sampling entirely. With over 100 presets, responsive vacuum tube visuals, and faithful recreations of the original interfaces, the Novachord + Solovox collection offers a breathtaking fusion of historical authenticity and modern functionality.

Key Features:

• Novachord: 32 polyphonic voices, synthesized not sampled
• Three Resonators: low, mid, and high frequency bandpass filters
• Deep Tone and Brilliant Tone settings with one-pole filters
• Full Tone setting for the dry tone generator signal
• Attack knob with seven ADSR envelope options
• Depth-controlled vibrato with two modes
• Reverb effects with Room and Hall algorithms
• 56 presets covering Basses, Keys, Pads, and Strings
• Solovox: Faithful virtual analog emulation
• Combinable Bass/Tenor/Contralto/Soprano switches
• First Voice and Second Voice bandpass filters
• Deep Tone and Brilliant Tone settings
• Full Tone setting for the dry tone generator signal
• Adjustable Glide and fixed-rate Vibrato
• Mute control and Reverb effects
• Glowing vacuum tubes respond to volume settings
• 50 presets covering Basses, Strings, Leads, and Woodwinds
• Complete MIDI control and DAW automation
• Focus zoom-in feature, UI zoom, and resize via drag
• Complete documentation available online or as a downloadable PDF
• User-adjustable oversampling control
• Available in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats