Lunacy Audio Nova is a place to build and sell your own AI-powered music plug-ins

Lunacy, known for VST plug-ins such as the Cube synth, has introduced Nova, a platform that lets creators assemble AI-powered music plug-ins and sell them to other users. The launch includes a small catalogue of 10 instruments covering styles from chiptune and lo-fi cassette tones to vintage synth textures and ambient drones, all developed either by Lunacy or selected partners. Rather than requiring traditional code authored in a text editor, Nova’s plug-ins are constructed from premade effect blocks and guided by AI prompts. Lunacy says this modular approach will allow users to combine and tweak components without coding, and eventually remix others’ creations once the company releases Nova Builder, a forthcoming tool intended to open plug-in creation to the wider community. Nova plug-ins can run in a web browser without dedicated hardware or a digital audio workstation (DAW), though Lunacy also offers a Nova host plug-in that loads instruments inside a DAW for more conventional production workflows. Interfaces for the initial instruments are described as simple and colorful, with limited controls reminiscent of other consumer-focused instrument platforms. Lunacy positions Nova as a collaborative, evolving environment: cofounder and CEO Casey Kolb described scenarios where users add elements—such as a reverb—to shared sequencers and then redistribute their modified versions for others to expand. The company is developing Nova transparently, publishing developer diaries and soliciting user feedback, noting that the music community’s response to AI-driven tools has so far been mixed.