Bass Station II may be used as a standalone synthesiser, or with MIDI connections to/from other sound modules or keyboards. It may also be connected - via its USB port – to a computer (Windows or Mac). The USB connection can supply power to the synth, transfer MIDI data to/from a MIDI sequencer application and allow Patches to be saved to memory.
The simplest and quickest way of getting started with Bass Station II is to connect the rear panel jack socket marked LINE Output to the input of a power amplifier, audio mixer, powered speaker, third-party computer sound card or other means of monitoring the output.
Tip
Bass Station II is not a computer MIDI interface. MIDI can be transmitted between the synth and computer via the USB connection, but MIDI cannot be transferred between the computer and external equipment via Bass Station II’s MIDI DIN ports.
If using Bass Station II with other sound modules, connect MIDI OUT on the synth to MIDI IN on the first sound module, and daisy-chain further modules in the usual way. If using Bass Station II with a master keyboard, connect the master keyboard’s MIDI OUT to MIDI IN on the synth, and ensure that the master keyboard is set to output on MIDI channel 1 (the synth’s default channel).
With the amplifier or mixer off or muted, connect the AC adaptor to the Bass Station II , and plug it into the AC mains. Turn the synth on by moving the rear panel switch
to ext DC. After completing its boot sequence, Bass Station will load Patch 0, and the LCD display will confirm this. For a list of initial synth settings which are not retained from the previous session, please see Synth settings unsaved from previous session in Appendix.
Turn on the mixer/amplifier/powered speakers, and turn up the VOLUME control until you have a healthy sound level from the speaker when you play.
Instead of a speaker and/or an audio mixer, you may wish to use a pair of headphones. These may be plugged into the rear panel headphone output socket . The main outputs are still active when headphones are plugged in. The VOLUME control
also adjusts headphone level.
Bass Station II can store 128 Patches in memory. 0 – 63 are pre-loaded with some great factory sounds. 64 – 127 are intended for storing user Patches, and are all pre-loaded with the same default “initial” Patch (see “Init Patch – parameter table” on page 22).
A Patch is loaded by simply scrolling up or down to the Patch number with the Patch buttons ; the Patch is immediately active and the LED display shows the current patch number. The Patch buttons can be held down for fast scrolling.
Patches can be saved to any of the 128 memory locations (0 – 127), but remember that if you save your settings to any of Patches 0 - 63, you will overwrite one of the factory presets. To save a patch press the Save button . The LED display – showing the current patch number - will flash. To overwrite this Patch with your current settings, press the Save button again. The LED display will briefly indicate that the patch is being saved.
To save the current settings to a different memory to the Patch number on the display (as would be the case if you loaded a Patch, modified it in some way and then wished to save the modified version without overwriting the original version), press the Save button and then use the Patch buttons to select an alternative Patch memory while the display is flashing. Once selected, it is possible to audition the target patch (by using the keyboard) just to make sure that you are happy to overwrite it. Press the Save button once more to store the patch. The LED display will briefly indicate that the patch is being saved.
You can abort the Save procedure at the “LED flashing” stage by pressing the Function/Exit button . The Save procedure will cancel and Bass Station II will return to the patch being edited.
Tip
The Bass Station II Factory Patches can be downloaded from the Novation website and Novation Components if they have been accidentally overwritten. See Importing patches via SysEx.
Once you have loaded a Patch you like the sound of, you can modify the sound in many different ways using the synth controls. Each area of the control panel is dealt with in greater depth later in the manual, but a few fundamental points should be discussed here:
The three-segment alphanumeric display will normally show the number of the currently-loaded Patch (0 to 127). As soon as you change any “analogue” parameter – i.e., turn a rotary control or adjust an On-Key function, it will display the parameter value (most are either 0 to 127 or -63 to +63), with one of two arrows being highlighted (at the right-hand side). These arrows indicate which direction the control needs to be turned to match the value stored in the patch. It reverts to the Patch number display after the control is released.
Adjusting the frequency of a synth’s filter is probably the most commonly-used method of sound modification in live performance. For this reason, Filter Frequency has a large rotary control. Experiment with different types of patch to hear how changing the filter frequency alters the characteristic of different types of sound. Also listen to the different effect of the basic filter shapes.
Bass Station II is fitted with a standard pair of synthesiser control wheels adjacent to the keyboard, Pitch and Mod (Modulation). The Pitch control is spring-loaded and always returns to the centre position.
Moving Pitch will always raise or lower the pitch of the note(s) being played. The maximum range of operation is 12 semitones up or down, but this may be adjusted using On-Key function Oscillator: Pitch Bend Range (Upper C#).
The Mod wheel’s precise function varies with the patch loaded; it is used in general to add expression or various elements to a synthesised sound. A common use is to add vibrato to a sound.
It is possible to assign the Mod wheel to alter various parameters making up the sound – or a combination of parameters simultaneously. This topic is discussed in more detail elsewhere in the manual. See ‘On-key functions (mod wheel) on On-key functions.
These two buttons transpose the keyboard up or down one octave each time they are pressed, to a maximum of four octaves downwards, or five octaves upwards. The number of octaves by which the keyboard is shifted is indicated by the LED display. Pressing both buttons together (Reset) returns the keyboard to its default pitch, where the lowest note on the keyboard is one octave below Middle C.
The keyboard may be transposed up or down one octave, in semitone increments.
To transpose, hold down the Transpose button , and hold down the key representing the key that you wish to transpose to. Transposition is relative to Middle C. For example, to shift the keyboard up four semitones, hold Transpose and press E above Middle C. To return to normal pitching, perform the same actions, only select Middle C as the target key.
Bass Station II includes an arpeggiator, which allows arpeggios of varying complexity and rhythm to be played and manipulated in real-time. The arpeggiator is enabled by pressing the Arp ON button ; its LED will illuminate.
If a single key is pressed, the note will be retriggered by the arpeggiator, at a rate determined by the Tempo control . If you play a chord, the arpeggiator identifies its notes and plays them individually in sequence at the same rate (this is termed an arpeggio pattern or ‘arp sequence’); thus if you play a C major triad, the selected notes will be C, E and G.
Adjusting the Rhythm , Arp Mode
and Arp Octaves
controls will alter the rhythm of the pattern, the way the sequence is played and the range in a variety of ways. See ???“The Arpeggiator Section” for full details.
To reduce the number of controls on Bass Station II (and hence make the synth smaller and neater!), a number of configuration and setup options have been assigned to the keyboard itself. Think of the keys as having a Shift (or Ctrl, or Fn) function, as on a computer keyboard; the On-Key functions are enabled by holding down the Function/Exit button while pressing a key. The On-Key function for each key is printed on the top panel immediately above the keyboard.
Some On-Key functions are “bi-state” – i.e., they enable or disable something, while others are “analogue” parameters which consist of a range of values. Once the On-Key function mode has been entered, use the Patch/Value buttons to alter its state or value.
Pressing Function/Exit a second time will exit the On-Key function mode or alternatively, if you wish to change another parameter, hold the Function/Exit button while pressing the key of the next parameter. See AFX mode for full details of all the On-Key functions.
Bass Station II has a high degree of MIDI implementation, and almost every control and synth parameter transmits MIDI data to external equipment, and similarly, the synth can be controlled in almost every respect by incoming MIDI data from a DAW or sequencer.
Local control is enabled/disabled via the On-Key function Global: Local (upper A). Hold the Function/Exit button and press the key. Use the Value buttons
to switch Local control On or Off. The display will confirm the setting. Press Function/Exit to exit the On-Key mode. The default state is for Local mode to be On, so that the keyboard works! If you want to control the synth via MIDI from other equipment (such as a master keyboard), set Local mode to Off. Local mode is always set to ON after a power cycle.