Back in the early 90s, the original Bass Station set the bar for affordable analog bass synths, and this sequel took that legacy into bold new territory with paraphonic tricks and modern sequencing that still punches above its weight today.
At its core, it's a monophonic analog beast with two digitally controlled oscillators offering sine, triangle, saw, and square/pulse waveforms, plus a dedicated sub-oscillator for earth-shaking lows—think square, sine, or narrow pulse, dropping one or two octaves below osc 1. You get two gritty filters (Acid for classic 303 bite, Classic for smooth Moog vibes) with LP/BP/HP modes and variable slopes, fed by dual envelopes and two LFOs with key sync, MIDI clock sync, and rates from ultra-slow sweeps to high-speed FM weirdness. Hands-on controls abound: pitch/mod wheels, octave shift keys (-5 to +4), a 32-step sequencer with four memories and 32 rhythms, arpeggiator, ring mod, noise generator, and effects like filter overdrive, distortion, and osc-filter mod—all in a compact 18 x 10.75 x 3-inch metal chassis weighing under 9 lbs, topped with 25 full-size velocity-sensitive keys and assignable aftertouch. MIDI I/O, USB, line in/out, and headphones keep it studio-ready, powered by 9V DC or USB.
Players love its fat, immediate bass tones and how effortlessly it nails leads, drums, and pads in AFX or paraphonic modes, with 128 patch memories (64 factory, 64 user) that load fast via the LED display. Sure, the single mono out wishes for stereo sometimes, but that pure analog signal path and responsive synth-action keyboard keep it a go-to for hands-on tweaking years after launch.
