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CONTENTS IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ENVIRONMENTAL DECLARATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 For USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 For Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing this Bass Station II digitally-controlled analogue synthesizer. Based on the classic 1990s Novation Bass Station synth, it combines traditional analogue waveform generation and processing with the power and flexibility of digital control, plus a set of effects and presets for the 21st century.
Hardware Overview 21 9 10 44 46 42 5 8 6 47 7 29 12 13 18 20 11 15 14 16 17 19 26 22 31 27 28 32 30 35 34 45 37 36 33 49 43 48 41 4 3 24 25 23 25 24 2 38 39 40 1 1 25-note (two octaves) velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch. 19 Pulse Width – a multi-functional control adjusting the pulse waveform; only active 2 Pitch and Mod wheels: The Pitch wheel is mechanically biased to return to the centre position when released. The wheels are internally illuminated.
Filter section: Arpeggiator section: 30 Type – two-position switch selecting filter type: Classic configures a variable filter, 41 On/Legato – turns the arpeggiator on and off. Also allows notes in a recorded arp sequence to be tied, or played in a Legato style. whose basic characteristics may be set with the Shape and Slope switches 32 and 33 ; Acid configures a 4-pole diode ladder lo-pass filter, which emulates a type of filter found on early ‘80s analogue synths.
GETTING STARTED Bass Station II may be used as a standalone synthesizer, 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.
Synthesis Tutorial This section covers the general principles of electronic sound generation and processing in more detail, including references to Bass Station II’s facilities where relevant. It is recommended that this chapter is read carefully if analogue sound synthesis is an unfamiliar subject. Users familiar with this subject can skip this section and move on to the next.
Volume Having shown that just three elements may define any sound, these elements now have to be related to a Musical synthesizer. It is logical that a different section of the Synthesizer ‘synthesizes’ (or creates) these different elements. These are rich in harmonics, and contain both even and odd harmonics of the fundamental frequency. The volume of each is inversely proportional to its position in the harmonic 1 3 5 7 series.
Volume The Mixer To extend the range of sounds that may be produced, typical analogue synthesizers have more than one Oscillator. By using multiple Oscillators to create a sound, it is possible to achieve very interesting harmonic mixes. It is also possible to slightly detune individual Oscillators against each other, which creates a very warm, ‘fat’ sound.
KEY "ON" KEY "OFF" A Piano note quickly attains full volume after a key is pressed, and gradually falls in volume VOLUME to zero after several seconds, TIMEeven if the key is held. KEY "ON" KEY "ON" KEY "OFF" KEY "ON" TIME KEY "OFF" KEY "ON" KEY "OFF" KEY "OFF" FILTER CUT-OFF VOLUME SUSTAIN VOLUME ATTACK TIME DECAY RELEASE TIME VOLUME TIME KEY "ON" KEY "OFF" A String Section emulation only attains full volume gradually when a key is pressed.
Simplified Bass Station II Block Diagram Bass Station II Block diagram 1. Audio flow 2. Mod flow 3. Sub Osc control from Osc 1 Sub Oscillator Mod Envelope Amp Envelope Oscillator 1 Ring Mod 1 * 2 Mixer Overdrive Filter Distortion VCA Oscillator 2 Noise LFO 2 External Input Oscillator modulation controls 1. Mod flow 2.
2. Mod flow 3. Sub Osc control from Osc 1 (e.g., if sustain is at maximum). Negative values invert the sense of the pitch variation; i.e., the pitch will fall during the attack phase of the envelope if Mod Env depth has a negative setting. Pulse Width When the Oscillator waveform is set to Square/Pulse, the timbre of the “edgy” square wave sound can be modified by varying the pulse width, or duty cycle, of the waveform.
Cutoff Frequency Volume Frequency Frequency Volume Frequency Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Cutoff Cutoff Frequency Frequency Frequency Cutoff Cutoff Frequency Frequency Frequency Cutoff Frequency Frequency Frequency Cutoff Frequency Volume Cutoff Frequency Frequency Volume Cutoff Frequency Cutoff Low Pass 12 dB Frequency Frequency Frequency Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Frequency Cutoff Cutoff Frequency Frequency Frequency Cutoff Frequency Frequency Frequency Sweeping the filte
The ADSR envelope can be most easily visualised by considering the amplitude (volume) of a note over time. The envelope describing the “lifetime” of a note can be split into four distinct phases: • Attack – the time it takes for the note to increase from zero (e.g., when the key is pressed) to its maximum level. A long attack time produces a “fade-in” effect.
24 25 23 25 24 Note that Slew has an effect on all LFO waveforms, but the effect differs somewhat between waveforms. As Slew is increased, the time taken to reach maximum amplitude is increased, and can ultimately result in it never being achieved at all, though the setting at which this point is reached will vary with waveform.
SWITCH POSITION Up Down UpDn DESCRIPTION COMMENTS Ascending Descending Sequence begins with lowest note played Sequence begins with highest note played Sequence alternates As UpDn, but lowest and highest notes are played twice Sequence comprises notes in the order in which they are played Ascend/descend UpDn2 Played Key order Random Random Record Play The notes held are played in a continuouslyvarying random sequence See Sequencer section (page 17) You should spend some time experimenting with d
Mod Wh: LFO 1 to OSC Pitch (lower C#) Range: -63 to +63 The LFO 1 to OSC Pitch parameter controls the degree to which the oscillator pitch (both Osc 1 and Osc 2) is modified by LFO 1 when using the Mod wheel 2 . This function is summed with all other oscillator pitch controls, therefore its specific effect will also depend on the other oscillator pitch control settings. Positive values increase the modulation, resulting in a maximum pitch change of 96 semitones, or 8 octaves.
Arp: Swing (upper F#) Range: 1% to 99% This modifies the rhythm of the current arp pattern. See page 17 for a full description. Arp: Seq Retrig (upper G) Range: Off or On This forces a repeat of the current sequencer pattern regardless of the length of the arp pattern. See page 17 for a full description.
Init Patch – parameter table This list gives the values of all synth parameters in the Init Patch (the factory Patch initially loaded into Patch memories 64 to 127): Section Parameter Initial Value Master patch volume 100 Oscillator Mixer Osc 1 fine 0 (centre) Osc 1 range 8’ (A3 = 440Hz) Osc 1 coarse 0 (centre) Osc 1 waveform saw Osc 1 Mod Env depth 0 (centre) Osc 1 LFO 1 depth 0 (centre) Osc 1 Mod Env PW mod amount 0 (centre) Osc 1 LFO 2 PW mod amount 0 (centre) Osc 1 manual PW amou
MIDI parameters list Section LFOs LFO 1 speed cc 18:50 0 to 255 Parameter CC / NRPN Control No.
