I’d like to have a Bass Machine in my Setup and I cannot decide. I like the Novation Sound a lot and cannot decide what Box I should choose: Bass Station 2 or Mono Station
Where do I come from:
I won’t use the Mono Station Sequencer but for playing around. I will sequence it from either my deluge, my digitone or my pc.
I won’t use the Bass Station 2 Keyboard that much either
I will feed the machine with MIDI all the time. Would be great if I could record and playback Parameter-Changes via CC
Currently, the Mono Station is really cheap (100€ less the Bass Station) but I’d like to make sure, that I don’t miss something.
Bass station probably. The mono station has only one envelope and one LFO because you can very easily do parameter automation and because you can use the step sequencer as a flexible mod source.
If you’re really not planning to actually use the sequencer, the bass station in going to be the more flexible synth.
I’ve had both. The BS2 has a better UI generally but its keyboard was too short to be useful (for me) so ultimately it went. I don’t much like the Mono Circuit’s reliance on a single encoder for all modulation but it sounds decent enough. I’ve programmed a bunch of patches I quite like and can easily switch between them using buttons (I don’t use the sequencer much). At the same time I bought a JX-03 Roland Boutique which, despite its tiny knobs, I like much better. It’s faster to get around and I prefer the sounds I get from it.
I often see used BS2’s go for quite cheap here in the US.
I love my BS2; it was the first synth I bought–if we ignore the DX100 I bought as a teenager that convinced me I was just too stupid to understand synthesis for a decade–and I still have it (and use it, for a bunch of things, actually; you may not use the keyboard that often, but if you find yourself in need of a controller, it’s polyphonic, with velocity and aftertouch and has a nice action, in my opinion–it’s my go-to for laying down a quick melody or a handful of chords, provided they fit the range–and the arpeggiator, while not deeply programmable does offer a lot of useful varieties).
CMS owner (and OT which i use a lot as sequencer for other gear).
It seems logical to choose the BS2 if you don’t plan to use the sequencer.
But i’ll give that a second tought. The sequencer is very fast and inspiring. It has the patch flip option (same as BS2’s Aphex Twin mode) And it has a ‘third track’ that you can setup as a modulation source (as in create you’re own LFO and other crazy stuff). What i didn’t know before i had one that i also use the pads a lot (internal, but also for my 0-coast). My 2 cents…
Another happy BS2 owner here. You can pick them up dirt cheap on the secondhand market, at least you can in the UK. I got mine for less than half the current RRP and that was from a bricks and mortar shop with a warranty etc.
I really love my Bass Station II - the immediacy of the knobs, and the sound is amazing as far as I’m concerned. Novation seems to be looking after users with updates long after its release as well.
I have not used the BS2, but I’m a happy owner of CSM, it sounds great, I mostly sequence it through the deluge.
One thing to consider as well is footprint. The CSM appears to be almost half the size of a BS2? If that makes any difference. CSM vs BS2
