Novation has just dropped Novation Play, a new virtual instrument that brings decades of iconic synth sounds directly to Launchkey MK4 controllers — and it's completely free for all MK4 owners.
Built in collaboration with Swedish plugin developer Klevgrand, the new Novation Play offers over 80 sampled presets drawn from iconic hardware, including the Novation Bass Station II, Nova, and Peak, alongside Sequential’s Prophet 5 and Prophet Rev 2, and the Oberheim OB-6. The team didn’t rush this either—they spent weeks capturing what makes each of these synths special.
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Where Novation Play really shines is how it works with your hardware. Everything’s already mapped out, preset switching happens on the controller itself, and those colour-coded drum pads give you visual feedback so you’re not constantly reaching for your mouse. It’s designed to keep the ideas flowing without technical interruptions getting in the way.
You’ll find all the building blocks you need: solid basses, cutting leads, lush pads, effects and drum kits. Four creative Pad FX (Chorus, Cassette, Spinner and Freeze) sit right under your fingers on the hardware, while delay, reverb and a simple one-knob compressor add the final sheen. The visual feedback is straightforward – pad brightness shows whether effects are active, and when you load a percussive preset, the available pads light up green automatically.
“We took a truly hands-on approach, spending weeks meticulously sampling Novation, Sequential and Oberheim synths in order to showcase the beauty of each model,” explains Lola Muresan, Product Owner for Novation Play.
Play works as both a standalone desktop application and as a VST/VST3/AU/AAX plugin across all major DAWs. Existing and new Launchkey MK4 owners can download it immediately from “My Software” in their Novation accounts at no additional cost.
For more information, head here.
