Novation Bass Station – Bold, Booming, and Buzzing.
The original Novation Bass Station, launched in 1993, is celebrated for its raw, punchy, and unmistakably analogue character. Designed during a period when digital synthesisers dominated, the Bass Station brought analogue warmth and grit back into the spotlight, making it a cult favourite among producers.
The Novation Bass Station by GForce, whilst remaining sonically faithful to the original, has been extensively enhanced, now offering polyphony, unison modes, a powerful modern sequencer, and expansive modulation capabilities with the advanced X-LFO and X-ADSR. These updates bring unprecedented depth and flexibility to the Bass Station’s iconic sound.
Ferocious Basslines and Monstrous Polyphonic Sounds
The Bass Station delivers a sound as powerful and textured as the iconic TB-303® that its 24dB filter is meant to emulate. Its distinctive filter sweeps and lively oscillators allow for expressive bass lines and leads, from smooth, rounded tones to biting, edgy textures. Whether you’re shaping intense bass grooves or slicing through leads, the Bass Station is your ultimate ally in redefining the low end. Break free from the ordinary and let your bass lines take centre stage with the timeless energy of the Bass Station.
How Was It Augmented?
The Novation Bass Station by GForce has been richly enhanced to bring the best of both worlds—vintage charm aligned with modern possibilities. Here are the key enhancements:
- Enhanced Signal Path: The Bass Station retains the authentic, rich tones of the original while benefiting from a new waveforms alongside, a sub OSC, FM, noise, LFO sync & retrig, discreet key tracking for the 24dB filter, additional mod sources, pan spread, vintage knob and more.
- Polyphony up to 16 Voices and Unison: Unlike the monophonic original, we’ve added polyphony and mono unison.
- X-Modifier: Unlocks unparalleled creative possibilities by enabling direct modulation of most parameters, transforming your sonic landscape with ease. A scope shows the sum of the modulation.
- High Pass Filter: This addition allows for more precise control over the frequency spectrum, enabling cleaner mixes and more intricate sound design.
- Distortion, Chorus, Delay, and Reverb Effects: Integrated effects expand the sonic palette, allowing for lush, atmospheric, and dynamic soundscapes.
- Two Versatile Macros: These provide real-time control over key parameters, enhancing expressive performance and sound customisation. Macros can be modulated by the sequencer. This can get very creative!
- Built-in Arpeggiator and modern Sequencer: These tools simplify creating dynamic rhythmic and melodic patterns, adding depth and complexity to your music. The sequencer includes individual step length, velocity, slide, swing, accent, probability, two Macro tracks, arp chords, scales, and extensive randomisation options.
- Advanced Patch Browser: Quickly find and customise the perfect sound from a vast preset library, streamlining the creative process.
These enhancements ensure that our Novation Bass Station is a powerful, fun and versatile musical instrument.
The Original Rebel of Analogue Bass
The Novation Bass Station debuted in 1993 when digital synths dominated the market and analogue synthesisers were just beginning to make a comeback. Known for its punchy bass, portable size, and affordable price, it quickly became a favourite among producers and electronic musicians who craved an accessible analogue sound with a modern twist.
The Bass Station, a classic of the 90s and 00s, was extensively used in the electronic music scene, both in professional studios and the burgeoning home studio culture, as well as at rave parties. Those familiar with its capabilities know that it’s much more than a simple bass synth—it’s an instrument with a unique voice and undeniable character.
Create hugely Complex, Yet Musical, Sounds With X-Modifier
Using our unique X-Modifier technology, the scope of sound modulation possibilities is immense. The intuitive X-LFO and X-ADSR section enables you to work faster without having to set up modulation paths; they’re already set up for you. X-Mods provide you with the ability to create extensive modulations of almost every parameter, allowing you to create hugely complex, yet musical, sounds. So, while the tone and character at the heart of the synth remain authentic to the original, the additional features turn it into a true sonic canvas. We’ve added a dedicated screen to monitor the output of the X-Modifier.
Unleash Your Musical Ideas
The GForce Bass Station, with its fully resizable UI, powerful Preset Browser, Scope, and over 300 brand-new production-ready presets from top-level sound designers, is fully ready to inspire your future musical ideas.
GForce Bass Station features the aforementioned preset browser, giving you the power to organise your sounds in a way that suits your workflow. With extensive tagging, sorting and search possibilities, it’s quick and easy to find the presets you want. We’ve enlisted an array of diverse sound designers and artists including Zardonic, Alex Jann, Jogging House, Polydata, GEOsynth, Jordan Passmore, Tontario, Reverb Machine, Boudicca Bass Service, Dave Spiers, Graeme Rawson and more. The patches span from edgy and modern to passionately classic, featuring many recreations you’d expect from GForce.
Novation Bass Station – key features
- An authentic-sounding emulation of the 1993 original Novation Bass Station
- Developed in collaboration with Novation
- Mono, Mono Unison, Legato, Autoglide and Poly Modes, up to 16 voices
- Augmented with vast modulation options via X-Modifiers
- Arpeggiator and Sequencer including macro automation
- Unique 2-pole or 4-pole filter with gnarly resonance
- Fully-scalable UI
- Over 300 presets
- Powerful Preset Browser
- Pan Spread
- High-Pass Filter, Distortion, Chorus, Delay and Reverb effects
- Two programmable Macros for easy manipulation of sounds
- Programmable Velocity Responses and Poly Aftertouch
- Polyphonic Pitchbend for use with MPE controllers.
Compatibility
Mac: Standalone Application, AudioUnit, AAX, VST and VST3
PC: Standalone Application, AAX, VST and VST3
The Minimum System Requirements for Mac are as follows:
- Intel or Apple Silicon Mac
- macOS 10.13.x or above
The Minimum System Requirements for PC are as follows:
- 2GHz CPU with 2GB RAM
- Windows 7 and above
