Novation Bass Station II User manual

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Bass#Station&II&v4.14!
New#Features!User%Guide!
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New!Features:!
AFX"Mode"
Fixed-Duration"Sustain"Envelopes"
Envelope"Retrigger"Count"
Glide"Divergence"
Extended"Sub-Oscillator"Tuning"
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CONTENTS!
AFX"Mode"..............................................................................................................................................."3"
Overlays".............................................................................................................................................."3"
Saving"Overlays".................................................................................................................................."3"
Copying"Overlays"................................................................................................................................"4"
Protecting"Overlays"............................................................................................................................"4"
Overlay"Parameters"............................................................................................................................"4"
Sysex"Support"....................................................................................................................................."5"
Export"............................................................................................................................................."5"
Import"............................................................................................................................................."5"
Copy"................................................................................................................................................"5"
Move".............................................................................................................................................."5"
Save"Current"Overlay"Bank"............................................................................................................."5"
Clear"Current"Overlay"Bank"............................................................................................................"5"
Clear"Single"Overlay"........................................................................................................................"6"
Current"Overlay"Bank"Selection"......................................................................................................"6"
Overlay"Write"Protection"..............................................................................................................."6"
Fixed-Duration"Sustain"Envelopes".........................................................................................................."7"
Envelope"Retriggering"Count".................................................................................................................."7"
Glide"Divergence"...................................................................................................................................."8"
Extended"Sub-Oscillator"Tuning"............................................................................................................."8"
Overlay"Parameter"List"..........................................................................................................................."9"
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AFX!Mode!
AFX"Mode"allows"multiple"variations"of"patch"parameters"to"be"assigned"to"individual"keys."This"
enables"the"user"to"effectively"have"a"different"patch"on"each"key,"bringing"even"more"extensive"
possibilities"to"the"Bass"Station"II."You"could"begin"with"your"favourite"patch"and"introduce"subtle"
changes"as"you"advance"up"the"keyboard,"prebuild"drum"sounds"and"assign"them"to"given"keys,"use"
the"Arpeggiator"to"structure"overlays"or"even"create"full"tracks"entirely"from"the"Bass"Station"II."
Overlays!
An"overlay"contains"a"list"of"parameter"values"that"are"loaded"on"top"of"the"patch."As"soon"as"a"key"
with"an"overlay"is"pressed,"the"parameter"values"stored"in"an"overlay"are"recalled."
Overlays"are"arranged"into"banks"of"25."Each"bank"of"25"overlays"is"positioned"over"the"25"notes"of"
the"two"initial"octaves"of"the"BSII"keyboard"(when"octave"set"to"0,"C2"to"C4)."There"are"8"banks"of"
overlays,"any"of"which"can"be"loaded"on"top"of"any"patch."
By"default,"no"overlays"are"selected"in"each"patch."To"select"a"bank"of"overlays,"hold"Function"and"
press"the"Arp-Swing"key"twice."Using"the"Patch"<"and">"buttons,"choose"from"o-0"(no"overlays),"and"
o-[1-8]"(overlay"banks"1-8)."
To"modify"an"overlay,"press"and"hold"the"desired"key"and"make"some"changes"to"the"controls."The"
key"will"then"exhibit"the"changes"applied"when"pressed,"all"other"keys"will"remain"unaffected."
The"banks"of"overlays"are"independent"of"the"patches,"allowing"any"bank"of"overlays"to"be"recalled"
on"any"patch."For"example,"you"can"make"changes"to"the"overlays"in"bank"1"when"using"patch"1"and"
then"recall"the"overlays"in"bank"1"on"top"of"any"other"patch."The"changes"in"bank"1"will"then"be"
applied"to"the"selected"patch,"creating"new"variations"on"the"patch."
By"default,"banks"1-4"contain"preset"overlays"and"banks"5-8"are"left"blank."When"assigning"a"blank"
bank"of"overlays"to"a"patch,"the"patch"‘underneath’"the"overlay"will"be"heard"when"first"pressing"a"
key."
Saving!Overlays!
Each"bank"of"overlays"must"be"saved"individually."To"do"this,"go"to"the"overlay"selection"menu"(by"
pressing"Function"+"Arp-Swing"twice)"and"press"Save."
Any"unsaved"changes"will"be"erased"when"changing"an"overlay"bank."Changing"patches"may"
introduce"a"change"to"a"different"overlay"bank."
The"selected"overlay"bank"is"saved"within"the"synth"patch."
Individual"overlays"can"only"be"saved"as"part"of"a"bank."For"individual"overlay"export,"see"the"sysex"
support"section"
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Clearing!Overlays!
Overlay"banks"can"be"cleared"using"Novation"Components"via"the"AFX"Mode"page."The"default"
overlay"banks"can"also"be"restored"from"this"page."
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Individual"overlays"can"be"cleared"individually"via"Sysex"(see"‘Sysex"Support’"below)."
Copying!Overlays!
It"is"possible"to"copy"and"paste"overlays"from"one"note"to"another"on"the"hardware."
Press"and"hold"Function+Transpose!(in"that"order)"to"enter"copy-paste"mode,"this"is"only"available"
when"a"bank"of"overlays"is"selected."Whilst"holding"Function+Transpose,"press"and"hold"a"key"to"
copy"an"overlay"(“CPY”"is"shown"on"screen"when"the"overlay"is"copied)."With"copied"key"still"held,"
the"overlay"can"then"be"pasted"to"any"key"by"pressing"the"desired"key"(‘PST’"will"be"displayed"on"
screen)."An"overlay"can"be"pasted"onto"any"number"of"keys."
Protecting!Overlays!
It’s"possible"to"write-protect"your"overlays"to"allow"you"to"make"performance"changes"to"the"synth"
without"accidentally"changing"the"overlays."To"enable"write-protection"hold"Function"and"press"the"
Seq-Retrig"key"twice,"then"change"r-0"(read-only"disabled)"to"1"(read-only"enabled).""
This"write-protection"applies"only"to"the"overlays.""
Overlay!Parameters!!
For"a"full"list"of"the"parameters"stored"in"overlays"see"the"table"at"the"end"of"this"document."
Overlay"parameters"are"only"those"values"that"apply"on"a"note-by-note"basis."Arpeggiator"settings"
and"global"(voice)"settings"are"not"included."Most"surface"controls"and"on-key"parameters"are"
included."

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Sysex!Support!
AFX"Mode"has"comprehensive"sysex"support.""
Via"sysex"messages"it’s"possible"to"export,"import,"copy,"move"and"save"the"overlays."The"current"
overlay"bank"and"overlay"write-protection"can"be"changed"using"dedicated"NRPNs."
Export
To"dump/export"an"overlay"over"sysex,"ensure"the"appropriate"overlay"bank"is"selected,"then"send"
the"following"request"to"the"device:""
0xF0"0x00"0x20"0x29"0x00"0x33"0x00"0x4F"0xnn!0xF7"
Where"0xnn!is"the"index"of"the"overlay"(0"–"24"where"0"corresponds"to"the"C"at"the"bottom"of"the"
home"octave"position).""
The"response"to"this"message"will"be"sysex"of"length"106"bytes."The"sysex"message"received"matches"
the"format"of"the"Import"sysex"message,"allowing"dumped"overlay"data"to"be"later"reinstalled.""
Import
To"import"an"overlay"to"BSII"over"sysex"simply"play"the"corresponding".syx"file"to"the"device"using"a"
MIDI"librarian."The"format"of"the"message"is:""
0xF0"0x00"0x20"0x29"0x00"0x33"0x00"0x4e"0xnn!<data>"0xF7"
Where"0xnn!is"the"index"of"the"intended"overlay"(0-24)."
Copy
The"following"sysex"message"copies"an"existing"overlay"from"one"position"to"another:"
0xF0"0x00"0x20"0x29"0x00"0x33"0x00"0x4b"0xnn!0xmm!0xF7""
Where"0xnn!is"the"destination"position"and"0xmm!the"source"position."The"source"overlay"is"not"
affected"by"this"operation.""
Move
The"following"sysex"message"moves"an"existing"overlay"from"one"position"to"another."The"source"
overlay"is"cleared"after"the"move"operation"is"carried"out.""
0xF0"0x00"0x20"0x29"0x00"0x33"0x00"0x4d"0xnn!0xmm!0xF7"
Where"0xnn!is"the"destination"position"and"0xmm!the"source"position."
Save Current Overlay Bank
The"following"message"saves"the"current"overlay"bank"to"memory."
0xF0"0x00"0x20"0x29"0x00"0x33"0x00"0x4a"0xF7""
Clear Current Overlay Bank
The"following"message"clears"the"current"overlay"bank."

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0xF0"0x00"0x20"0x29"0x00"0x33"0x00"0x49"0xF7"
Note"that"this"operation"does"not"save"the"cleared"bank,"this"must"be"performed"separately."
Clear Single Overlay
The"following"message"clears"an"individual"overlay"
0xF0"0x00"0x20"0x29"0x00"0x33"0x00"0x4c"0xnn!0xF7"
Where"0xnn!is"the"position"of"the"overlay"to"be"cleared"(0-24)."
Current Overlay Bank Selection
The"overlay"bank"can"be"selected"using"NRPN"0:112."
Overlay Write Protection
Overlay"write"protection"can"be"selected"using"NRPN"0:116."
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Fixed-Duration!Sustain!Envelopes!
A"new"feature"has"been"added"whereby"the"duration"of"the"sustain"period"of"each"envelope"can"be"
fixed."When"active,"the"envelope"will"move"to"the"release"stage"a"set"period"of"time"after"entering"
the"sustain"stage,"regardless"of"whether"the"triggering"note"is"released"or"not."This"can"be"helpful"to"
produce"envelopes"that"are"not"affected"by"how"the"note"is"played."
Once"enabled,"the"decay"stage"is"removed"from"the"envelope."The"decay"slider"will"now"determine"
the"duration"of"the"sustain"stage"of"the"envelope."
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To"change"the"envelopes"to"a"fixed-duration"mode,"hold"Function!and"press"the"Amp-Env!or!Mod-
Env!key!four"times"(until"the"display"changes"to"d-0)."The"fixed"duration"envelopes"can"be"enabled"
on"this"page"(d-1)."When"enabled,"this"overrides"the"envelope"retriggering"feature."
Fixed"duration"envelopes"can"be"enabled/disabled"using"NPRNs"0:114"(amp"envelope)"and"0:115"
(mod"envelope)."The"timings"can"then"be"controlled"using"the"standard"decay"controller."
Envelope!Retriggering!Count!
As"an"extension"to"the"retriggering"envelope"feature"added"in"the"2.5"firmware"update,"re-triggering"
envelopes"can"be"set"to"loop"indefinitely,"or"up"to"16"times."
Envelope"Retriggering"must"be"turned"on"for"this"feature"to"be"effective."To"turn"on"Envelope"
Retriggering,"hold"Function"and"press"the"Amp-Env"or"Mod-Env"function"keys"twice"(until"the"display"
changes"to"r-0),"then"use"Patch"</>"buttons"to"select"r-1."By"default,"the"envelope"will"not"retrigger."
To"set"the"number"of"times"the"envelope"will"loop,"hold"Function!and"press"the"Amp-Env!or!Mod-
Env!key!three"times"(until"the"display"changes"to"c-0)."When"set"to"c-0"the"envelope"will"loop"
indefinitely,"this"is"the"default"setting."Select"from"c-[1-16]"(using"the"Patch"</>"buttons)"to"set"the"
number"of"loops"from"1"to"16.""
Envelope"Retrigger"Count"can"be"configured"using"NRPNs"0:117"(amp"envelope)"and"0:118"(mod"
envelope)"
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Glide!Divergence!
By"default,"the"same"Glide"time"(portamento)"is"applied"for"all"oscillators."It"is"now"possible"to"
introduce"a"customisable"divergence"between"the"glide"times"of"the"first"and"second"oscillators."
To"enable"this"feature,"hold"Function"and"press"the"Input!Gain"key"twice"(g-0)"and"select"from"g-[1-
15]"(using"the"Patch"</>"buttons)."When"glide"divergence"is"enabled"oscillator"2"will"always"glide"
more"slowly"than"oscillator"1."The"selected"value"determines"how"much"slower"oscillator"2"glides."
Oscillator"glide"divergence"can"be"controlled"using"NPRN"0:113."
Extended!Sub-Oscillator!Tuning!
The"Sub-Oscillator"slaves"to"the"pitch"of"oscillator"1."It"can"now"be"detuned"using"the"Coarse/Fine"
controls."This"allows"all"3"oscillators"to"be"tuned"to"different"pitches."
To"adjust"the"tuning"press"and"hold"the"Function"key"whilst"adjusting"the"oscillator"Coarse/Fine!tune"
controls."
When"the"Sub-Oscillator"detune"is"set"to"zero,"it"will"match"the"detune"of"Oscillator"1,"which"is"the"
default."
Sub-Oscillator"Coarse"can"be"controlled"using"NRPN"0:84."Sub-Oscillator"Fine"can"be"controlled"using"
NRPN"0:77."
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Overlay!Parameter!List!
All"of"the"following"parameters"can"be"stored"in"an"overlay
Voice"
Osc"1-2"Sync"
Osc"1"
Waveform"
Pulse"Width"
Range"
Coarse"
Fine"
Osc"2"
Waveform"
Pulse"Width"
Range"
Coarse"
Fine"
Sub-Osc"
Wave"
Octave"
Coarse"
Fine"
Osc"Extra"
Tuning"Error"
Glide"Diverge"
Mixer"
Osc"1"
Osc"2"
Sub-Osc"
Noise"
Ring"Mod"
External"
Filter"
Frequency"
Resonance"
Overdrive"
Shape"
Type"
Slope"
Amp"Env"
Velocity"
Attack"
Decay"
Sustain"
Release"
Trigger"
Retrigger"
Fixed"Duration"
Retrigger"Count"
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Mod"Env"
Velocity"
Attack"
Decay"
Sustain"
Release"
Trigger"
Retrigger"
Fixed"Duration"
Retrigger"Count"
LFO"1"
Waveform"
Delay"
Slew"
Speed/Sync"
Non-Sync"Speed"
Sync"Speed"
Key"Sync"
LFO"2"
Waveform"
Delay"
Slew"
Speed/Sync"
Non-Sync"Speed"
Sync"Speed"
Key"Sync"
Aftertouch"
Filter"Freq"
LFO"1"to"Osc"Pitch"
LFO"2"Speed"
LFO"1">"
Osc1"Pitch"
Osc2"Pitch"
Sub-Osc"Pitch"
LFO"2">"
Osc1"PW"
Osc2"PW"
Filter"Freq"
Mod"Envelope">"
Osc1"Pitch"
Osc2"Pitch"
Osc1"PW"
Osc2"PW"
Filter"Freq"
Osc"Filter"Mod"
Amount"
Distortion"
Amount"
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