The Bass Station II Monophonic Analog Synthesizer from Novation is a 25-key synthesizer with assignable aftertouch that, while designed for bass synth sounds, is also capable of leads and arpeggiated performance. It features two analog oscillators and a third sub-octave oscillator. The tones its oscillators produce can be modulated, shaped, and altered by the Bass Station II’s Classic and Acid filters, dual ADSR envelope generators, 2 LFOs, and analog distortion.

The synth has a built-in arpeggiators with 32 different patterns and a 1 to 4 octave range. The step sequencer provides another playing style with up to 4 different sequences. The Bass Station II’s front-panel controls give you hands on access to all of the synth’s editable parameters. Your edits and self-created patches can be saved to the 64 user patches for fast recall.

You can easily turn your Bass Station II into an AFX Station with the v4.14 firmware update (free download available separately). Developed in collaboration with electronic music legend Aphex Twin (Richard James), the AFX mode enables you to assign a discrete set of synthesis parameters to each note on Bass Station II’s keyboard. Use it to introduce subtle changes to a sound as you play up and down the keyboard, divide the keyboard into multiple zones—one per key if you like—each playing its own sound, or create entire drum kits in a single preset for triggering manually or via the arpeggiator. This inspiring mode opens up a whole new world of sound design and performance possibilities.

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