TC Electronic Nova Dynamics

The TC Electronic Nova Dynamics is a digital compressor in pedal format, first shown by TC Electronic at Musikmesse in March 2008 as part of the Nova series of stompboxes¹. What sets it apart from a one-knob compressor pedal is that it holds two discreet processors, which can be run as two separate channels or switched A/B for one channel¹. Each processor can be switched between three modes: "Studio", "Stomp" and "Gate"¹.

Studio, Stomp and Gate modes

Each of the three modes has a selection of useful parameter controls, although not every parameter can be accessed at all times¹. The ovnilab.com review found that all modes have a very wide frequency range, with no loss of lows or highs¹.

The two compression modes are voiced for different jobs:

• Studio mode: a multi-band compressor, very transparent and high-fidelity¹. MusicRadar's demo video describes the studio compressor as a three-band compressor that allows more subtle guitar sounds and even compression on all strings³. MusicRadar's news coverage likewise described the pedal as offering a studio, rack-style voicing².
• Stomp mode: modeled on traditional single-band pedal compression, with a more noticeable effect on the sound¹. The MusicRadar demo described it as like a regular pedal compressor, great for funk-style playing³.
• Gate mode: a straightforward noise gate, although the reviewer called it one of the only ones he had used that actually sounds decent¹.

What reviewers found

The ovnilab.com review, by Cyrus Joaquin Heiduska, is the main published verdict on this pedal. He summed it up as "a very versatile digital compressor in pedal format"¹.

Two caveats came out of that review. In Stomp mode, he found a chirpy glitch artifact, like a "tink" sound, every time his signal crossed the threshold. He noted that this artifact was not at all present in the Studio or Gate modes, and that he had spoken with other owners of the pedal, some of whom have the glitching noise problem while others do not¹. On the plus side, he found very low noise in all modes¹.

On the difference between the two compressor voicings, he found that in Studio mode, as with many other multi-band comps, the lows sound less full or deep than they do in the single-band Stomp mode¹.

Bypass and noise

The footswitches are not true bypass, but the reviewer found the bypass is very clean¹. Combined with the very low noise he reported in all modes, the buffered switching is not flagged as a drawback in the published review¹.

Where it sits among TC Electronic compressors

TC Electronic has kept compressor designs in its pedal range since the Nova Dynamics, including the HyperGravity and its smaller HyperGravity Mini variant, the Vintage Comp, and the Sustain + Parametric EQ and its Classic version. The Nova Dynamics remains the one in the range documented here with two independent processors and a three-band Studio voicing¹².

Videos

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Questions