Gearhead Question: Novation k-station

Why not just get yourself an old Roland SH model? You could prolly find one for around $300 if you look hard enough. I think Novations tend to sound a bit too 1998 for my taste.

does the Roland do the phat bass thing?

what does 1998 sound like?

Heck yeah. They were early-80s mono synths with very nice low-end rumbly bass noises. Check out

http://www.synthmuseum.com/roland/rolsh101sm.jpg
http://www.synthmuseum.com/roland/rolsh901sm.jpg

That's the SH-1 and SH-9. The SH-1 has an external input so you can use it as a filter. They pop up on Ebay all the time.

It's just that those Bass Station bass lines were all over the place in 1998... but it's just me. To be honest I haven't ever played with the k-station so it might be very flexible and nice, just seems a bit pricey (have you thought about just going the software/midi controllor route?).

I was just over to ebay- 255 bucks with two hours left. The price is definitely right.

I don't have a computer at home so I need a keyboard (I think?)(unless there's something I'm missing).

I'm looking to get rid of my minit-moog (which is just horrible sounding) and my silvertone amp in case thing (which I never play) to pay for the new synth.

They just cut the price on k station so I was tempted. Thanks for your answer.

The K-Station is fanfrickintastic!

It has lots of knobs, one of the best tones of the digital-age, 400 slots for storing your synth-patches, and a built-in 12-band vocoder...geez, I sound like I work for Novation!

It's the shit...I'd recommend it. I'd have one myself by now if I ever came upon six-hundred extra bucks.

Novalicious,

thanks.

Aaron, which software modules produce good bass? None of the ones I've used seem to be able to put any solid oomph into the superlow -- they either just crowd in on the low end (meaning you can't bulk them up too much without destroying the mix) or hum near-inaudibly at the very bottom. And any of the ones that have a good sense of shape to them just wind up getting super-grainy in the lowest octaves.

No you're right, I haven't really used any I would recommend over hardware... I was just thinking that they're cheap (i.e. free).

That is so not the answer a poor man wants to hear.

Chaps, it is simply all about Studio Electronics. I just yesterday picked up the SE-1 that I bought on eBay for $690, which destroys my super bass station and any other novation stuff I have heard. At the risk of sounding like a bore, real analogue does sound better, and isn't that much more expensive if you get a good deal. But that said, the important thing is to buy whatever you can afford, and get on with making music...

I think the junglist (softsynth) is pretty phat sounding.

I see no reason why a softsynth should be inferior to digital hardware ie a small computer. Just get a midi controller.

>>> Analog - the Juno 6 is what William Orbit uses for those sexy bass soundz... I want one!

Oh yeah, he uses the Bass-station as well.

"Sounds? I've got warehouses full of SOUNDS" - WO

Th SH09 has an external input. novation bass-station = actal little analog monosynth, wheras k-station = virtual analog polysynth, I think. i've never tried the k-station, but I used someones nova desktop module a whila ago, and I thought that was very good. I managed to program the "hoover" sound on it!

The new KS-4, which is like a big scary K-station with pretty much 2x everything for a little less than 2x the price, has just become my next synthesizer.

Just ignore me why dontcha:

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON WHY A HARDWARE DIGITAL SYNTH SHOULD SOUND SUPERIOR TO A SOFTWARE SYNTH.

Don't waste your money. And go Analog like anyone with taste.

But if you can't afford a full string section, I suppose you could always use gigasamples...

PC/Mac, Analog/Digital, Valve/Transistor, Gibson/Fender - FUCK IT > just make music.

If Nike made synths I'm sure they'd hire you

I'm trying to come up with a polite way of saying fuck off, but I can't. Sorry.

the old rolands don't have midi. / i think this is a major problem with all that old anaogue gear..
and it all sounds a bit to 1997 for my ears ;)

While I'm out buying analogue synths in questionable condition from shady e-baystards I suppose I might as well go build myself my own mono tube preamp

Really makes all the difference in the end!

Is it a problem? It's all about Live versus Studio use ATEOTD.

Acoustic guitars don't have MIDI capabilities, but when you want an acoustic guitar sound, you may as well record an AG rather than a sample, esp for chords etc etc etc. Full orchestral sounds are a different matter given that most of us don't have 20-piece orchestras aching to interpret our every musical whim.

Analog synths & effects are entirely different creatures to their digitally-emulating-would-be cousins. I've got the Line 6 Delay Modeller, but I would still love to obtain a proper (functioning!) Roland Space Echoes unit (or around SIX of them like Portishead/Radiohead).

We all listen to 'cruddy' MP3z these days, so who can tell the difference between a sampled synth and the real thing? Like I said, fuck it, just make music and be damned.

Millar, if you're looking for decent digi-to-sweetvalveheaven-analogue conversion/compresion, I've heard Drawmer is a decent brand.

Me, I need to pay my council tax.

Shame one can't pirate that quality shit...

Thanks for the Drawmer recommendation. What I really need something like that for are my Korg drumboxen, though. I think the KS-4 and K-station do pretty well on their own. But I like Royksopp.