Vintage Synth Explorer

Novation • BassStation Keyboard

Before the famous Novation BassStation Rack module came the small and portable BassStation Keyboard! Basically a 2-octave keyboard with a BassStation rack built-in. This synthesizer uses analog sound emulation to reproduce the sounds of a monophonic 2-VCO analog synthesizer with the same simple and intuitive controls via 17 knobs, 10 switches and 2 Moog-style pitch/mod wheels.

The BassStation can faithfully reproduce analog bass sounds just like a TB-303, Minimoog or Prophet synthesizer. The small keyboard and monophonic architecture set this keyboard up for strict bassline or lead synth lines. It also transmits MIDI continuous controller data for its pitch/mod wheels, frequency cutoff, resonance, filter modulation depth, env1 attack, decay and env2 attack and decay.

Unlike the Rack version, however, the keyboard lacks basic patch storage options. There are only 7 memory patches and 1 manual patch (what the knobs are doing right now). The memory can be stored externally using MIDI SysEx dumps. But for the low price (under $500) this makes a great and compact analog bass synth for any user with simple but tasteful bass needs. It is used by Apollo 440 and Lo Fidelity AllStars.

VISITOR COMMENTS (18)

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Posting Rules: Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

 

Keybern

Posted 11 days ago

This is "only" a VA, right ? Then why the quote that it can "faithfully reproduce analog bass sounds like a Minimoog or Prophet" ?
That's just plain BS. I heard a lot of demo's and to me it just sounded like a Casio toy. I couldn't "feel" any low-end like I do with some other VA's out there.

Benny

Posted 148 days ago

I ended up selling mine after all, it behaved a little spooky for me, like it made its own "ghost routings" or something, furthermore, the horrible plastic casing was starting to fall apart and bend from age.. This synth can make a lot of cool sounds though, but it seemed mine had a life of its own, for classic analogue synth basses and leads it will perform the part, great for making weird outer space noises as well. If you are considering buying one I would strongly suggest you try finding a Rack version instead, you lose the keyboard but in return you get a nifty MIDI/CV converter built-in as well as an Audio In-port for using the BassStation as a filterbank.

2xl

Posted 162 days ago

The bass station rips, bought mine off a guy who thought it was broken for 30 bucks, mint just needed a reset. nobody ever said this was juno 60 or SC synth... if you guys cant get a good sound out of this your a noob! no matter how many overpriced, overfetishizied synths you have! give it up gear snobs your killing it for the rest of us!!!!

kelly g

Posted 238 days ago

YES YES YESi love goodwill i just found one for 3 bucks in the kids toys .............awman what a find the same place i found my mc 303 ....im not kidding i live iN MARIETTA GA i ? folks dont know what it is our dont care...hmmmmm ...im going to clean the bassstation up it has stickers all over it but other than that she plays fine .thank you GOODWILL

Daniel Fletcher of D a z z - S y n t h

Posted 288 days ago

BassStation was also used by Tim Skold

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