Chords for Bad Gear - Novation Bass Station - Bassless TB-303???

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_ _ _ _ _ _ Welcome [G] to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools.
Today we are going to talk about the original Novation Bass Station.
The keyboard version of this monophonic synth was the second product ever created [Ab] by Novation,
right after the MM10, a MIDI keyboard for the Yamaha _ QY10.
Fun fact, I have a QY10 and it would be [G] ideal Bad Gear material,
if I took off half a year to finally understand how to operate this cursed VHS cassette.
It was released in [Eb] 1993, when producers wanted a substitute for the Roland TB-303,
because many genres with the acid prefix were really popular back then.
The racked version of the Bass Station we are taking a look at in this episode,
hits the market one year later.
Keep in mind that the early 90s were dominated by digital synthesizers,
so the release of the Bass Station turned quite some heads and heralded a renaissance [Gm] of real-time synth tweaking.
At the first glance, the Bass Station seems to be among the best the 90s had to offer.
MIDI and CV connectivity, a filter input and 18 _ unsettlingly wobbly knobs.
That sounds like a lot, but I always have the feeling that I need more when I tweak the synth,
and I missed the original value LED [G] we all know and love from, [Gm] for example, the Korg MicroKorg.
You can save your sounds and, yes, please discuss in the comments whether DCOs are real analog oscillators or not.
Speaking of oscillators, there are two of them with extensive tuning options.
[N] Exceptional for a 303 type synth.
There is also an LFO, two independent envelopes, a surprisingly complex modulation section
and you can switch the filter between 12 and 24 dB. _
Novation also released the Super Bass Station, the Bass Station 2, a Bass Station Plug-In
and I even saw some Bass Station T-Shirts on the [Gm] internet.
The original can be found for prices ranging from 200 to 400 units of your preferred major western currency.
I bought mine over 10 years ago for _ 150 Euro.
[G] Although most people are happy with their Bass Stations,
there is also a vocal minority that [Gm] argues that the synth is not worthy of its name.
[D] You have already heard the synth in our little intro tune.
We all knew that it was going to get the job done.
There is a [Dm] lot of talk about the Bass Station having [Gm] no bass.
Let's [C] find out if there is some truth to it. _ _ _ _
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Without a doubt, the Bass Station can move plenty of air.
There is of course some drop in bass frequencies when employing [Gb] higher resonance settings,
but we are, after all, talking about a synthesizer in the tradition of the TB-303.
_ [C] 303s and FX go together well.
I wanna know how pedal friendly that Novation Rack Unit really is. _ _ _
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_ [Bb] It [C] _ _ _ _ _
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_ sounds really [Bb] nice with the [Cm] delay, but I had a hard time [Ebm] finding the right [Bb] distortion for it.
I went with [F] the Boss Metal [G] Zone because of [Cm] the sentimental value it has [F] to me.
Apart from [Abm] that, the synth seems to take FX rather [Bb] well.
Let's [C] beef it up with Plug-Ins in [Eb] this Bass Station only [Bb] synthwave and roll instrumental.
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[D] _ [N] _ _ _ _ [Cm] _ Verdict
The [F] original Novation Bass [Ab] Station is, of course, a classic.
[Bb] It was designed [C] with acid sounds in mind, but it [Eb] can also provide squelchy [Bb] leads and moguish basses for [Fm] days.
[G] Nevertheless, [F] I can understand the critics.
The controls are [Ab] super fiddly and there are more versatile filters.
[Bb] I'm a big [Cm] Monosynth fan and although I like [Eb] the Bass Station in theory,
[Bb] it never got a lot [Eb] of actual use in my [E] setup.
[Cm] _ Novation fans, please [Fm] don't butcher me in the comments.
[Ab] As adults, we should be [Bb] able to agree [Cm] to disagree. _
[Eb] I always found the [Bb] Bass Station to be a little one [Fm]-dimensional and sterile [Cm] sounding.
What is more, even a DX7 gives [Bb] you more information on [Ab] what is going on on the inside while programming [Bb] your sound.
[Cm] On the other hand, I will most [Eb] probably never part [Bb] with that little Rack synth.
[Fm] Thanks for watching [G] and [F] see you next time.
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_ _ _ _ [Dm] For sure. _
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