Bass Station 2 firmware 4.14 AFX mode

[ranzee]

A quick run through the new firmware 4.14 for Bass Station II. This is a massive update and best of all it is free! I thought the last firmware update was huge – this is even bigger!

Here’s the new features:

? AFX mode – multi patch overlay tables
? Extended sub oscillator tuning – essentially a 3rd oscillator now
? Fixed duration sustain envelopes
? Envelope retriggering count
? Glide divergence

Firmware user guide: https://customer.novationmusic.com/site ... uide_0.pdf

After installing it & doing the video. Here are a couple of thoughts:

1. The sub oscillator tuning effectively makes this a 3 oscillator analog mono synth

2. The AFX mode is essentially turning this synth into a fully featured drum machine – on roids

3. The envelope retrigger count gives us huge percussive timbre possibilities …

So yeah – This is my quick and dirty look at the firmware update – only hours after it was released. We all now need to go and play with this amazing synth and let it all sink in what they’ve just given us!!! Seriously awesome stuff Novation!

[meatballfulton]

2. The AFX mode is essentially turning this synth into a fully featured drum machine – on roids

You are not the first person to suggest this. You can't have more than two notes playing at one time (and that requires paraphonic mode, so they share the filter and amp). Just a four on the floor kick plus hats and a snare/clap requires 3 notes. Yes, some of the other features like the fixed length envelopes are useful for drum sounds, but I think expectations need to be tempered a bit here.

[Jabberwalky]

Novation is killing it on providing quality to their gear. I'm really happy with the Circuit line, and these updates have kept my Bs2 in heavy rotation for a while now! Can't wait to update and give more detailed thoughts.

[ranzee]

2. The AFX mode is essentially turning this synth into a fully featured drum machine – on roids

You are not the first person to suggest this. You can't have more than two notes playing at one time (and that requires paraphonic mode, so they share the filter and amp). Just a four on the floor kick plus hats and a snare/clap requires 3 notes. Yes, some of the other features like the fixed length envelopes are useful for drum sounds, but I think expectations need to be tempered a bit here.

The biggest drawback is the cutoff of sounds because it is monophonic - so yes, you're right. However, this opens the synth up to a whole new world of timbre possibilities.

[meatballfulton]

The biggest drawback is the cutoff of sounds because it is monophonic - so yes, you're right. However, this opens the synth up to a whole new world of timbre possibilities.

No question about that. Some of those features can't be found in any hardwired synth, current or vintage. I started thinking about possible uses for a BSII as soon as I saw the first videos.