I can confirm that it does not work for me. I assume that Braids mode isn’t available as modulation source. A pity, but Nina isn’t good at audio rate modulation anyway.
I just tested it today, and I can confirm using the Macro Osc as a Mod source works. I used different Braids types, and I didn’t have any problems.
While in Mod mode, I picked the Wave source (#4) and mapped it to both Resonance and Cutoff. Its effect was clearly audible. I also tried it with Osc 1 & 2 fine tuning and Width.
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Hmm, weird, cause it’s defo not working here. And you’re sure you have the volume of the Braids turned down, so it’s only modulation and not the sound of the Braids mixing in?
I’m positive it’s not merely the sound of the Macro Osc blending in, but that’s a great thing to confirm. I checked it again with some deep Osc 1 tuning modulation, and it certainly isn’t the Braids sound in the mix doing that.
You are right: unlike the default Osc 3–its level can be reduced to zero yet still works as a Mod source on my Nina–I need to have some level on the Macro Osc for it to have an effect on any given Mod destination. If I turn down the Macro Osc all the way, its Mod influence goes away.
I’ve just submitted a support query with Melbourne Instruments describing this and asking if it might be a bug or working as designed.
Cheers!
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Ah, that explains why it works for you and not for us. I turned the OSC 3 volume all the way down when I tried to use it as a modulation source. If it doesn’t work with volume turned all the way down I would consider this a bug.
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I wrote them yesterday, and it’s already submitted to the engineers as a probable bug. Thanks guys for trying it out.
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How hot does the Nina get during use? I’ve read some comments about it heating up a small room that I assume is hyperbole, but does it get too hot to have in one’s lap, for example?
I‘ve never tested it in my lap, but I haven’t noticed it getting particularly hot. Like a Syntakt, I noticed immediately that it gets quite hot. So I assume the comments you read are hyperbole, but that’s just my non scientific answer.
What would keep me from putting it on my lap is that it’s quite heavy. Every time I move it, I‘m surprised by how heavy it is. Significantly heavier than any other synth of about this size that I‘ve touched yet. It collapses all of my laptop stands when angled immediately, except for one that’s more sturdy. So if lap action is what you’re after, you should try that with a Mina before buying it, or put something of comparable weight on your lap to see how it feels.
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Is there no way of entering four or more notes on a single step when in multi-track mode? Even though I have five voices allocated to a track, I only get Root note, Note 2, and Note 3 options in the menu. Entering more notes via the keyboard seems to only register the first three pressed notes.
I’m wondering if anyone can help me out with getting an older firmware so I can check something:
I recently acquired a Nina, updated to 3.1 and after a couple days now it doesn’t make any sound at all. Everything else functions normally but when I boot it up the scope has flat line that turns to what looks like low level noise if I press a note in keyboard mode (apart from random glitching of a partial waveform occasionally on the scope).
I’ve tried everything in the layer settings including resetting, making sure the volume is up and voices are assigned, outputs are routed etc but that does nothing. Trying to troubleshoot because Melbourne hasn’t responded to me in 5 days now after I sent them video of the behavior.
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Man, good luck with this. I really hope the community can help you find that older firmware or sort out a fix.
I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for Melbourne’s support to actually solve it, though. They gave me the absolute runaround for over a year with my Roto-Control (that includes one device replacement). My first unit had phantom touch issues causing track jumping in Ableton, out-of-control spinning knobs, and random internal whirring noises. The replacement unit had phantom touches and loose, rattling knobs.
When I reached out to support about the second unit, they avoided answering my questions directly forever, then tried telling me the phantom touches were just normal, “quirky” behavior of capacitive sensors. The CEO even got involved on my ticket just to tell me it must be my environment and RF interference. He tried to claim that the loose, rattling knobs were also normal and that they would simply update their documentation to reflect that rather than fixing the hardware (funny enough, I have NOT seen any update to their documentation).
They said they would work on a firmware update to try and fix the phantom touch thing, but when I questioned why my loose rattling knob wouldn’t be covered under warranty, I think it bruised the CEO’s ego. They ghosted me for a while, came back to say they weren’t going to “address my concerns”, offered me a refund, asked for my bank account info… and then ghosted me again.
After they disappeared on me following my last message, I finally got fed up, cut my losses, and sold the controller to my nephew for $250. Lost $200 on that deal but he likes the spinny knobs, what can I say. Hilariously, he is an Ableton user as well and is now getting the exact same phantom touch track-jumping issues at his house in a completely different town. That pretty much proves the CEO’s “RF interference environment” theory was just a convenient mask for incredibly poor internal shielding on their product. Thankfully the track jump issue only happens in MIX mode, and doesn’t happen in PLUGIN mode hence the discount price for an entire advertised mode being dang near unusable.
I’ve officially sworn off Melbourne Instruments completely. I know the NINA is a massive investment, so I genuinely hope you get it working again. Just wanted to warn you not to expect much help from their end.
That is massively disappointing to hear. I actually have a roto control and my satisfaction with that is the reason that pushed me to picking up a Nina.
Fingers crossed it’s just some weird bug with the new OS.
Well damn, you’ve already tried everything I would have suggested. Have you tried using an external keyboard or MIDI note source to make sure it’s not the onboard keys that cause the issue? I assume you’ve set the sequencer buttons to keyboard mode? Have you tried to load different factory patches and init and the issue is the same for everything? If so, I’d try a factory reset.
I can only speak to my personal experience with Melbourne support for Nina and can say it’s been exceptional. Always very helpful and nice. So don’t bury the hope because they may not answer immediately, theyre a small company and sometimes you have bad luck and reach them during a show or something that most employees have to work a stand.
Anyways, good luck, I hope you’re getting your issue fixed fast and enjoy your Nina!
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Yes I have tried everything you mentioned, midi from several devices doesn’t work (despite showing the icon it is receiving midi). Sequences I’ve made on the unit also no longer appear to make sound, I’ve tried loading dozens of patches and init patches but get the same result.
As far as a factory reset… I asked support and received no answer since there doesn’t seem to be any way to do a true factory reset in the manual other than reloading the OS which I’ve done already (hence why I’m asking to see if an older OS could work).
It’s a wonderful synth which is why I’m trying everything in my control to get it up and running again.
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I have a copy of the 2.1.0 firmware. I’ll upload it somewhere and send you a link.
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Thanks! Tested it and my issue remains so probably not an issue in the current firmware. I’ll continue to wait for them to respond on what to do next.
Good luck. I’ve generally found MI support responsive the couple of times I had problems.
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Hi Miles,
We care deeply about our customers. In only one case ever in the history of the company has a situation got to the point where there was no way to make the customer happy, and this was your case. I won’t go into details since this is a public forum about having fun making music.
We offered you the unusual step of a direct full refund and a free shipping label.
The shipping label was being organised with our distributor and you emailed that you had sold the unit and did not want the refund anymore.
I want people on Elektronauts to know that thousands of people love their Rotos and I am sorry that one of them did not work out, but we didn’t leave you in the lurch and we care about every customer.
Ian Overliese
CEO
Melbourne Instruments
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Hi Ian,
I suppose it’s possible I just got extremely unlucky twice in a row with two different units, I’ll give you that. Though a quick search around the online community shows I’m definitely not the only one running into these issues.
Since you are stepping in here, I do want to pass along some constructive feedback regarding my support experience. It might be worth coaching your support team not to avoid direct questions when they encounter difficult hardware issues, rather than just brushing it off by telling users they have a “quirky” unit. Additionally, as a support agent, if you request sensitive financial and bank account information to process a return, and the customer provides it within the hour, it is really not okay to leave that email completely unacknowledged for a week.
Also, since you personally mentioned to me that the loose, rattling knobs on my unit—which severely degraded the touch sensitivity and required multiple taps just to select a track—were actually considered “normal,” I genuinely hope you follow through on your promise to update the official documentation to reflect that for future buyers.
In any case, I really hope you can help the user above (deadlyfriendly) who has a non-functioning NINA! I’m only out about $250 after taking a loss to pass the unit and its accessories along, but I would absolutely hate to be out $3,300 on a flagship synth.
Given the quality control issues I experienced firsthand with the Roto, coupled with similar posts I’ve seen from others, I just don’t necessarily see these motorized units standing the test of time. I have a 13-year-old Novation Launchkey sitting in the closet that still functions like brand new the second it’s plugged in, and I just need that level of rock-solid, plug-and-play reliability in my workflow.
Glad to hear others are enjoying theirs, though!
I only bought my Nina two years ago, but it’s without a doubt the most premium piece of hardware I have ever touched. I’m pretty confident it will stand the test of time, and I’m also confident Melbourne will repair or replace anything that might break, from my experience with them so far. They’ve earned my trust with every interaction I had so far and I’m sure they will help @deadlyfriendly eventually. I can’t comment on your experience and the way your last post was phrased was very constructive, but I wanted to add another counterpoint because it’s easy for companies or hardware to get a bad rep because of the few users that had issues commenting on forums, so it looks like there’s widespread problems when there aren’t. A rep of Dreadbox has recently made an enlightening post about that in the Artemis thread.
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