Novation Bass Station

I bought one when they were new think that was 1993 (??330) then got the rack version a year or so later because of the memory difference, osc synk and the option to control a monsynth over CV/Gate on another midi channel. But I found another at a bargain price locally. I got the original one because at the time I used it as a master keyboard too because its polyphonic over midi and it had a 2 ocs synth attached bonus!! And at the time I was desperately after a TB303 clone, which was wrapped up in the bargain too. Very easy to use, manual looked at a couple of times, just for setting up etc..
Can not be compared with a CZ101 too different types of synth, like comparing a washing machine with a fridge both have different jobs to do!!!

Monophonic, keyboards fine for this type of synth and its polyphonic over midi. No effects. Patches very easy to save to a sequencer and to retrieve from, so memory not really a problem even though it only has 7 spaces for storage on the unit. It has lots of midi control, Frequency, Resonance, Mod Depth, Env 1 Attack, Decay, En2 Attack, Decay etc...
It doesn't have an on board sequencer or arpeggiator thats what your sequencers for.
Has lots of sonic capabilities for some wild and wonderful original sounds, makes a change from trawling through hundreds of presets.

Got velocity not sure about aftertouch may be over midi it sends it out. No realistic instruments on this its a synth not a piano. Works best for retro synth bass and lead in anything from drum and bass to hard house. A great portable synth/little master keyboard for music on the move. I used to have a Yamaha QY20 and just the bass station for jamming round at my mates in the nineties.

Its pretty reliable, my original one had sticky octave buttons. I would use it in live work without a backup.

Never had to use it.

I did get another one, they are a good bargain price. I had forgot how good they were. I've been into making mind bending music for over 20 years. I have Access Virus Indigo Redback my favourate all rounder, Studio Electronics Omega 2, Access Virus A, KorgMS2000Rb, Novation Nova, MFB synth lite (doesn't even have memories), MFB drumcomputer 502, Jomox Xbass09, Roland TB303 various outboard stuff Roland dep 5, Alesis reverb etc... And of cause my pride and joy a Minimoog.
What I like about the Novation Bass Station is its originality in the sounds that come out of it I can recognise it in mixes I did years ago. Theres nothing I hate about it, its cheap, cheerful and fun. Excellent for teaching sound construction or should that be sound destruction.

Novation Basstation Analog Synth - keyboard ver -2 octaves
Bought new in the mid 90s ser no indicates around the 300th made
at the time.
Paid NEW usd 550.00

The keyboard version of this synth (in my opinion) is much easier to
program. Also, using a ext controller (even direct In/Out midi with no MIDI patchbay or computer between) there is delay when using the
occ 1 and 2 before you get a reaction from the keybd. Even holding 1 note steady did this with a rack ver I had. I played a kybd version
and this problem of 'hard to program sounds' is not a issue.
I can get from the cars pinging melody lines to full on Goa Trance 303 pinging Bass - minimoog, juno 106 sounds-no problem, ARP2600 sequenced sounds with filtering - no problem. Drum and Bass fans, this tiny 2 octave keyboard IS ANALOG, it will make a pa system have so
much sub bass your stomach and organs will jump around vibrating. No sh*t. Really. I love DB dark stuff, this kid will put those sin and cos wav manipulations from cubase (or wherever) to SHAME. Yes, its a wav, but ANALOG. Like the Tube Amp or solid state amp dilemma with guitars. Buy all of the stuff and get wappy!

One of the best BEST features of the basstation that no mfg has really EVER done before or again with a ANALOG synth, is making
ALL THE KNOBS TRANSMIT MIDI data. If you have a 303 bass sound and you record to your computer sequencer (midi guys, not analog recording for this trick) simply record your bass line, rewind the seqencer (set it to add, not record over data on cmputr) then play rec your bass line and tweak the res and filter and get a 303 filtered bassline (or growling monster) in a second. My Nord Lead will transmit knob changes, it is NOT ANALOG, and it wont shake your liver in your belly, but it doesn't trak the knobs and replay them as well as the novation bstation. this is my experience of course. If you cant program a analog synth, go back to your laptop and the presets in that cakewalk synth you stole offline. NOTHING is wrong with the basstation. Oh, one thing, the headphone out could be louder. Runs on adaptor OR 6 AA batteries, get wappy in the woods with it. bring that lazer widow and batteries for it. I live in hurrican alley mid east-coast usa, get outdoors in that one!

Sold originally as a 303 cloner plus. This synth will do 303, no prob. but, it does thousands more, LEAD analog is its best, a new found use after years of only traking bass with it, I love it, hope it lasts another 10 years. Plastic case sucks. But, its bounced many many times. Keeps Kicking. ANALOG 100 percent synth! under 400.00 (resale)

Keeps on kickin (10yrs so far LOTS AND LOTS OF USE)

Got some freebee knobs when I wore out the ones I had ( i actually dropped it in a haste during the rain of HUGO) got them free, from europe, 2nd day fedex. Well how about that gimpy? Yes, true, Yep...

Love my Basstation, my, I might love you too if you were as
cool looking AND made my tummy rumble sub bass for days.
A quote! - get that one and rip it off.

no presets, you make the presets, the possibility of 7 user patches and one manual patch which does exactly what the knobs are doing at the moment think of it as a live mode.

if you cant edit the patches then you dont understand synthesis. its setup like any other mono analog bass synth. id say it gets a ten because being there is no screen banks to go through it doesnt get any easier then this. this setup is one of the reasons people pay in the 1000's for analog. not the only but one of them.

manual is straight forward. you can pick it up at novation.com. i did and it was a plus to have it.

no poly, mono. not ment to be poly. when you get into synthesis theres two types poly and mono. this one is mono. no fx, bass synths shouldnt have any so right on. you wouldnt want a bass with built in effects would you?

sadly no expansion. but niether do minimoogs or any other of the synths they were trying to emulate in this model.

hmm. it has velocity, i didnt like this cause your buying this to emulate having a ol vintage mono synth. they had no velocity. but, you can turn it off so that makes it ok. i would have liked to see a arp on it but im spoiled. most of the old monos didnt have an arp so its ok that it doesnt. its mono but the midi signal isnt. in otherwards you can do so cool layering with other synths you cant even do with most old mono's. all and all i give it a nine. if it had more patches(7 patches) and an arp it would get a ten.

ok, my last entry got removed cause of my choice words about the genius with the cz101 comment below so ill keep the four letter words out this time. either that guy is reffering to the sh101, or he works for casio and is trying to hype a piece of junk. or he was trying to sell one on ebay and make it sound good to bring more bank. so ill create a breif ex and get back to things. the cz101 is more or less a casio tonebank you can save sounds on. it honestly doesnt deserve a review. if it has one ill leave one after this cause i owned one and it was baaad. as for sh101. yes it doesnt sound like a sh101. and thats cause a sh101 casts 4 times as much. try to think of a bare bones no frills moog. but with a thinner sound more like a cs 5. it plays just like an analog and might i say much more convincing then its competition at the time. however if you can get the module id get it. looks more stable and more features. ex. cv gate, and tone of user patches. i got one cause i got tired of owning unreliable analog mono's. this thing uses 9 volts so it 100% stable and does all the same stuff and takes up almost no room at all. my one complaint is the lfo. it lingers in the long notes. however this gives the most convincing moog rogue detuned oscillator bass sound ive heard other then the real thing which i owned for 6 years. i run it through fuzz and effects and its fairly clean. reacts well to the touch. nice and smooth for leads and basslines. also you can get some cool sidlike leads too.

suprisingly since the geniuses put it in a plastic case!
its actually quite reliable. but no it doesnt look it. id prefer a metal case but most of the old roland stuff has the same issue.
ex.sh101,tb303,etc.
but on a mono analog level its a ten, but keep in mind, no its not the real thing. and nothing is anymore. it uses digital synthesis to create the oscillators. everything does now. if they say otherwise. there lying.
but this makes the oscillators 100% stable unlike real analog which believe it or not even bad wheather outside of where your playing can make them go haywire. things to know before you invest 1000 in a true analog synth.

considering they still have a manual unlike most of the other import companies id say there cool.

quasimidi, etc..

well id say its a good investment. see there should be a book out there called "so you wanna buy a analog synth" cause its alot like owning a muscle car. what you do with it stops being the hobby and just owning the thing and upkeep becomes a hobby in itself. ive owned 10 analogs and none of them just worked. and none of them worked all the time. you sacrifice a tiny percent of analog warmth but you make up for that knowing you can bring this lil guy on stage. its not a virus, its not a jp8000, and no its not a moog. but your not paying 1000 for it either. dont pay over 350 for it though. otherwise get something else. but its great for what it is. if i lost mine id get anotherone without thinking twice.

ok the only harsh point about this synth is the ease of use. if youve never owned a analog synth youll think its crap or possibly even broken. analog synths arnt easy to use and were never back in the day. i give it a ten cause it has presets which unless you owned a prophet you didnt have presets. its much easier then a tb 303 so thats why it gets a 10.

no poly mono. its a analog bass, you want poly buy a poly 800

no effects this is an analog synth! this is a synth that falls in line with the mini moogs and arp's and aold korgs and yamaha's and does it quit well. look! if you dont no shit about analog synths like that moron down there listing a cz101! go dish out 1000+ on a nord or a new moog cause quite frankly you deserve to get ripped off!
and quite frankly im pretty pissed an idiot like that was able to leave a review. he seems so sure of what he's talking about but really has no clue..(sigh) ok to clarify so none of you guys who dont know much about synths end up following that idiots advice ill explain something real quick

the casio cz101 was niether a mono bass synth or a analog synth for that matter. it was a early digital poly synth. it had no real time sliders or knobs and one information slider. and a pitch wheel. i owned one for 3 years in my teens. it was basically a cheap knock off of the yamaha dx line in the 80's. which are also cheap now a days to sum it up this synth isnt even in the same market as it and that moron has no clue what he's talking about. there rendered useless by technology and are more or less pieces of crap.

the nordlead is a sample based synthesis synth and is also a completely different then a cz or a bass station. its a good synth but its also a 1500 dollar synth. its not comparable to the bass station and wasnt even the type of synth they were going for you douche!

ok now what is comparable is this...
the bass station is a very practical replacement for your old moog rogues or mg 01's or your yamaha cs 5's or arp axxe's etc. ive owned two moogs (rogue, mg 01) a cs 5, this is great as far as old moog style goes. i prefer this to a moog. well the fact that moogs go for waaay more then they should doesnt hurt either. these will most likely become one of the few collectors items of that era of synths (the mid nineties) it has all the knobs youd expect from a vintage synth without the rediculious weight and size and moody electronics!

ok i found this very fascinating, a bass analog with velocity control! thats a big first. also midi. note, a midi mini moog costs about 1 to 3000 just keep this in mind IF YOU CAN FIND ONE. ok now it only has 7 presets...hmm a moog has zero! and costs five times a much! ok to get things clear the beauty is in the simplicity. thats why its so special. actually for what it does nothing since its release has hit as close to the vintage beauties except the creamware stuff coming out now. if you want a tb 303 but cant afford 2000 bucks get this and a good 303 clone controller and youll be set. id rather have this than my old moogs any day. this is the closest thing ive heard to the moog rogue which was great for its slightly detuned 2 ocillator sustained bass sound. this hits it right dead on! the bass is incredible for its time. sounds authentic not like its been fixed with an eq to sound like analog like the new moogs. i can only imagine how these will get attention in the future for this. this filter is even better then the old analog yamahas too. closest range to a old moog ive heard. (keep in mind i keep saying moog because they wrote the book on bass synths. not synths! just bass synths and thats what this is.)

ok so its plastic, down side-its lighter and could be cracked alot easier then a vintage

up side- if you drop it it will most likely survive, old mono's fell once due to the size and weight (usually metal heavy casing)they were most likely never the same. also its running only 9 volts! which is great cause less electricity means less chance of bad signals. it looks cheap but its light and sturdy. also keep in mind the tb 303 is plastic, dont let the metallic paint job full you.

none i know of like all old synnths. but the manual is still available at novation.com which is a big plus!

its great! ive owned alot of synths..3 dx yamahas, cz101,jp8000,cs1x,korg delta,rogue,mg 01,dr synth,poly 800, and a handfull more. this is definetly one of my favorites, and might i mention the only one i still have. jp8000 suck! basically alot of the same sounds as the mc 303 which also sucks, dated techno relics! i decided to start fresh and this one is the best for what it does.its stood the test of time and its sound survived the death of 90's techno unlike alot of its competitors of that era. anything under 450 and its worth it. if i lost it id be very upset and would replace it. im sure in the next five years that idiot "rockin" the cz101 piece of crap will be posting how he bought another one on here. lol

Very easy to use if one's familiar with VCO analog synths, or a good first analog if your want to learn. Yes, doubled controls can lead to wrong settings, but once you get used to it, it's really no problem. A few menu settings are on the keyboard - but not too hard to understand. I was lucky as mine came with the manual. When patches are saved and recalled later, they don't always sound the same. This is not a design flaw, but has to do with the nature of VCOs (if you're ever had a VCO synth, you know what I mean.)

2 VCO monophonic, but can emit two note sounds by usuing the detune on VCO2. Control pots are top quality sealed units and will not wear (which produces noise.) If you're tired of sub-menus etc, this is a breath of fresh air. Keybed is great for a little 2 octave. Midi works perfectly - especially cool with a 2 VCO mono! You can run a sequence into it and work the knobs. This unit also incorporates an auto-tune feature.

Fat bass. Was designed as 303 clone, but it isn't. Still, I'd rather have this than a 303 as this has much more versitility. Can be used as lead synth by using the Octave Select buttons or another keyboard as controller. I can get all kinds of sounds from this - filter sweeps, burps, bubbles, etc. The only real downside to this unit is that the VCA envelopes are a tad slow (I used to own a Yamaha CS-10 which was extremely fast.) No effects, but I prefer using outboard effects anyway. I sometimes run this through a guitar delay and phase shifter and it sounds great.

Plastic case, but seems to be built well. Will run about 20 hours with fresh batteries. Uses Yamaha type AC adaptor (pos inside / neg outside - 9v, 800ml amp) Case is plastic, but Novation did everything they could to keep costs down and sound quality high. High quality parts were needed - mostly unseen.

I got lucky. Paid $85 for mine, so I can't complain. I think the second hand store that had it thought it was some sort of toy synth.

I wouldn't say this is the easiest synth I've ever used because a lot of the functions are consolidated. For instance, you'll have to switch between osc 1 and 2 or env 1 or 2, and sometimes I forget that I'm altering one when I meant to alter the other. Sometimes editing can get a little tedious, but all the knobs make it more interesting than programming a rompler. Once you get the hang of it, though, it's fairly easy (and extremely fun) to create a new sound.

This is a monophonic synth, which is great if that is what you're looking for. There are no effects, but that's a plus if you're looking for unaltered analog sound. MIDI capabilities are basic, but all you'll probably need. No sequencer, but an arpeggiator would have been nice. I have a lot of fun making new sounds and then dumping them into my sampler (which has a sequencer) and going to town. One drawback is the memory. You can only store seven patches on the machine. If you want to sacrifice the keyboard, you can get the rack model, which holds more patches.

You can create some really thick basses and cutting leads. It definitely has an old school sound, which I like. You can also get some great sound effects. You can have a lot of fun mixing the two oscillators together to get a richer, fuller sound. I don't really play around with the velocity too much, but it's there.

I've never had any problems with it, but like others have said, the case is plastic and probably won't handle a drop too well.

This is a great synth to add to your studio if you already have a bread and butter synth that is polyphonic. It's definitely a unique synth and it's pure analog. If you're looking into a buying a new synth, however, and need one that create a broader range of sounds and has more functions, you may want to consider an Alesis Micron, an Ion, or one of the new Creamware ASB synths.

Very easy and straight forward. Editing is simple uses subtractive synthesis. Manual is very helpful in setting up for a convincing TB 303 emulation.

After owning many synths such as the Tb 303 this little unit can produce a very nice TB 303 emulation. The heart of the TB 303 is not just the sound it is the sequencer. If the BassStation is hooked up to the right sequencer you can get some nice 303 slides etc. I like the fact that you can record knob movements into an external sequencer so that if you are doing a live gig you can concentrate on tweaking a different synth.

No not realistic at all its a synth no need for realisitc. Awsome for techno, tracne, etc.

It is made out of plastic just take good care of it you'll have no problems. Don't go spilling a drink in it or the unit is pretty much fried. If you do have a specialist look at it.

Not realy supported by Novation anymore there are a few tips on thier web page factory presets. They do have the software plug in now that is nice but I still like the hardware.

Basically this is my 3rd time owning one of these. Don't ask me why. I think because it is a collectors now and they are scarse to come by. They still go for 400.00+ on ebay in mint condition with box and manual. But more and more people are holding on to them like the TB 303, and other XOX boxes. I like the sounds it produces and I think it looks cute next to my Novation K Station. E-mail me with questions concerns or technical questions about the unit and I can answer them for you.

Its very very easy to use if you know your analog synthesis basics, everything has (small)knobs or switches. Separate knobs for envelope 2 would have been nice. The manual is very clear, but not the easiest way to learn how to program an analog synth.

I don't know how the factory presets sounded, I got mine 2nd hand, and as there are only 6 patch memories, they were all replaced. Playing presets is not the point of this instrument.

Polyphony = 1 and that is cool. 2 DCOs, analog filter with 12db (Roland-ish) and 24db(Moog-ish) settings, nice bubbly resonance. 2 Envelopes, LFO (saw, tri, random). LFO can control pitch and filter. Mod wheel cannot control LFO depth unfortunately.

This could very well serve as a replacement for your nice but fragile monosynth from the 70s. With all the limitations, but far more reliable. Also, the 2 octave keyboard is [too?] limited, but plays fine and not flimsy. The mod and pitch wheels are a bit on the thin side.

There are no FX onboard, and it begs for a delay...got a nice pedal for that. Certain functions are midi recordable, but I never use that myself. Patches can be loaded and saved easily via midi.

Sequencer...hahaha. No way!

Only 6 memories, which is enough for me, but you have to be careful and save your patches to your PC.

This thing can basically do all your analog classics, and the two filter settings give it a lot of flexibility. It is best suited for thick and greasy basses, but the 24db filter makes it very useable for lead sounds too. Those leads cut like a knife!! I use mine for ARPlike leads, and thick Moog basslines. I play acidjazz and funk.

It is a little hard to make it sound smooth, because the normally rather hollow sounding square wave alreay sounds pretty agressive. Buy a nice delay pedal, and you have that solved.

With some good programming you can achieve the most amazing sounds, because of the two oscillators, and flexible ADSRs

VCF and VCA can be velocity controlled, but velocity response is a bit wacky.

Totally reliable, min looks solid, and not flimsy like others said. But it is not a Moog with a nice wooden casing, no. The octave transpose button is a bit soggy and needs a firm push.

never dealt with them

I really like this little machine. It's a very clever thing, the smallest possible package around a 2 VCO monosynth. It even plays on batteries. So far, the flexibility has surprised me, and I am nowhere near the limits for programming yet. If you have some outboard effects, you have a quality sound for next to nothing! I also love the simpleness, and the limitations, makes me more creative.

On the negative side...the small wheels, and the limited keyboard. And, I wish I could control more with the mod wheel.

I like simple machines. I play a Fender Rhodes and a Nord Electro, and this makes my 'vintage' setup complete. If somebody would steal it, I would be very unhappy. I would probably get an older synth then, but miss the possibility of taking it on the train, or in the park when the sun shines. The rack version adds some extra features and memories, and is the more rational choice.

But this is one cute synth. Get one if you have the chance, you'll have bags of fun

pretty straightforward if you have some idea about analogue synthesis.

nice action; very playable and tweakable. just what you want.

lovely. not as fat as a moog perhaps, but it's squelachy enough for me. nice lead sounds too, and the bottom end could destroy a small building. expressive. why the bloke below was comparing it to a cz-101 is beyond me. it's a bit like comparing a banjo with a trumpet.

seems fine on that account. no breakages, though i wouldn't like to drop it...

got it secondhand...

if it was nicked, i'd be gutted. i'm only scratching the surface with it at the moment; using it occasionally live (i normally play bass guitar) for added squelch. i love it.

All parameters have knobs for them!

It's just a monosynth... More memory would be nice. Battery operation a plus.

No natural sounds whatsoever. Excellent analog bass and leads, and 303 like lines tho. Random LFO give amazin parndom arpegios if used wisely and.

It is plastic, and it is fairly old, so I guess it could end up broken if not looked after. But it's rather compact, thus less easily a victim of clumsiness, and the knobs not long enough to break off.

The guy right before me is talking nonesense. Yes, obviously it is not as good as a pro virtual analog, but neither does it cost as much as one! It is rather stupid to compare a plastic little #120 (approx $180) monosynth with synths like any of the nords (btw, the micro modular, costs (secondhand) about $400, and doesn't have a keyboard, which adds another $100 or something. That's almost 3 times as much as a bassstation on ebay!) As for the CZ-101, I have not used one to be honest, but the lack of real time parameter controll kinda makes it a completely different type of synth altogether (not to mention the fact that it uses a different type of synthesis).

The bass station is an overall cool very inexpensive, extremely easy to use synth. It is good for what it's supposed to be At the end of the day, the 303 was too a little cheap plastic thing that had a very limited spectrum of sounds...

As for the ridiculous preconceptions this guy has about british people, I find them childish and ridiculous, if not mildly offensive. I think it is rather weak to claim that a whole people has bad taste in sounds...