Cube is a synthesizer that gets controlled by rolling a ball through a 3D space, and it comes from Lunacy. Now the company has released Nova, a platform where makers can craft their own music tools with AI and then offer them up for sale to other users. The announcement positions this as a dream for anyone who enjoys tinkering, since the plug-ins aren’t built inside text editors but put together from pre-assembled sound-processing blocks and AI-generated instructions.
The Ten Plug-Ins
A total of ten instruments come ready to use from the start, spanning a broad selection of tones. The collection includes gritty chiptune sounds, warm old-school synthesizers, and dark atmospheric drones. Each one performs competently, though none offer anything especially distinct on their own.
Two stand out immediately. The lo-fi Drift Cassette synth delivers nostalgic ’80s tones, while Silhouettes leans into sci-fi soundscapes. Both have simple interfaces reminiscent of Native Instruments’ Play series, with bright colors and a handful of controls.
How Nova Works
Nova plug-ins do not get created through coding done in a text editor. They are put together using prebuilt effects pieces and AI prompts instead. This matches the way Polyend’s Endless works, though there the assembly concerns a guitar pedal’s vibe-coding rather than music software.
No dedicated hardware is needed for Nova instruments. A digital audio workstation (DAW) is not required either. They can be run straight through a web browser instead. That works well for some purposes, but it is of limited use beyond that. To cover more ground, there is a Nova host plug-in available. It runs inside whatever DAW you choose to work with. This plug-in lets you search through your library and open any Nova plug-in, switching between them without delay.
Building Your Own Plug-In
The plan is to eventually release Nova Builder, a tool that lets people create their own plug-ins or remix existing ones. The whole point is that these tools are never set in stone; they are always changing and growing.
Casey Kolb, cofounder and CEO, explained the idea behind it in a statement. He said, “Say someone makes a step sequencer and shares it. You open it and wish you could add a custom shimmer reverb to the end of the signal chain. You can add that, then you can share your new version with a friend, and that friend expands it further. The tools are never fixed; they are always evolving.”
The Wary Music-Making Community
The reaction from those who make music to artificial intelligence has been lukewarm at best. Tools such as Endless have drawn careful interest, while some have responded with open hostility.
Nova is being developed by Lunacy with its workings posted openly online, complete with developer diaries, while it also reaches out for customer input. The aim is to steer clear of certain common failures and earn back the trust of musicians who have grown wary.
Why Nova Matters
Nova combines a development platform, a storefront, and a plug-in for your DAW into one package, and that combination is the entire sales pitch.
Ten plug-ins make up the opening set, serving merely as an introduction rather than the final goal. What truly matters is the builder, since it lets anyone build their own tools from scratch.
The Road Ahead
Ten plug-ins are up and running right away on Nova. The platform’s current offering is fully operational now. Nova Builder is still to come, and it will be where the platform’s future development happens.
The company’s wager is that transparency builds confidence. Developer journals and customer feedback are central to its approach.
What We Make Of It
The promise rests on three separate claims: Nova functions as a development platform, serves as a storefront, and works as a plug-in for your digital audio workstation. Combined, they form a large claim indeed.
“The tools are never fixed; they are always evolving.”
Key Facts Box
– Plug-ins at launch: 10
– Plug-ins assembled from: Premade effects blocks and AI prompts
– Platform: Web browser or as a plug-in inside a DAW
– Developer approach: Open development, with developer diaries and customer input
– Builder: Coming later as Nova Builder
The add-ons are dependable, the concept is ingenious, and the realization is still in its opening stages. Nova merits attention.
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