Novation V- Station, Software Plug-In Version of K-Station, virtual-analog, 8 Voices, 12-Band-Vocoder, komplete Midi-Transmission, Audio Input, 400 Presets, Effects: Reverb, Delay, Distortion, Phaser, Enveloped Filter and EQ, VST Plug-In for PC, Audio Unit Plug-In for Mac
Well we've just been using this one for some sessions, so I got the chance to use the beastie... I own an original Basstation hardware unit and the Supernova MK1 (and a drumstation if it comes to total 'Novation goods owned' in my den), and honestly?.... this really does it!!.... You'd be hard pressed to tell this from the hardware, a veritable synth-fest and considering everything this should really be a 'budget' item due to the bang for buck it gives you - Lot's of great presets too to get you going, and as with the hardware units, dead-easy to programme your own and tweak... Interestingly the V-Station gives you a whole bunch of USER preset positions, so you can quickly add your edits and SAVE-ALL at the end to back the whole lot up... nice touch!
Top marks to Novation for this... Here's how it's laid out...
You get 4 'pages' of settings on the V-Station, which i find preferable to multi-function muddles adopted by the occaisional manufacturer of larger software
The primary default screen is called: 'MAIN' & features the synth as it'd be physicaly laid out in hardware.... all the controls are there for performance functions in essense...
Screen 2, titled: 'EXTRA', features further osc' and envelope tweaks, the FX section, LFO's, glide/portamento & the arpeggiator...
Screen 3, titled 'CONTROLS', concentrates on Mod Wheel, Breath, Aftertouch & Pitchbend, etc 'master' settings... For example, you can assign Pitch-bend in varying amounts (or not at all) variously to any of the 3 Oscillators which ... well use your imagination... bends that progressivly split the tunings between the oscillators, wider & wider as the bend is increased, is one example of how this can be employed creatively one could certainly create some extraordinary effects by assigning reverb perhaps in vast qualtity (either on-board reverb as part of the V-Stations faetures, or external, and using bends, create reverb swells which go progressivly out of tune with a given synth part... record the reverb, reset the oscillators to a 'normal' equal 'bend-range, and add the 'de-tuning' reverb to the original synth playing in realtime..... that could be interesting.
Um.... ah yes... final screen, titled 'GLOBAL' is more master settings... 'Pot Control' preference for wether the pots on-screen turn in a 'Rotary' fashion (you have to move the mouse pointer round in a circle to adjust either side of 12 o'clock) or 'Linear', where you just drag up/down, and the pot turns as long as your dragging until it reaches max travel...
Also we have setting for loading & saving the memory (which seems in my brief use to consist of 399 locations - Performance positions 100 to 299 feature manufacturer presets .. You get plenty eh!... after these 299 excellent presets you get a further 200 'User' performance slots taking it to 399 in total for the 'memory'
The rest of this page pertains to further 'master settings' such a 'Sync' source (internal/external), global tune, etc etc...
I like this synth, I like it most because it IS a Novation synth in s/w form... I know their synths, I like their synths, I use their synths... I know what to expect when I reach for this plugin therefore, and it's the same combination of great sound & easy editing that makes the hardware versions so useable for pretty much ANY genre of electronic music and more.... any criticisms would be the Arp' could be more creative given it could have had it's own 'page' in the s/w and have been step programmable perhaps, but that's a minor...
Great software... Now i've tried it I like it, and honestly this will probably see me using the hardware versions less for sure... I'll probably give this a workout on some mixes we've got coming up for some releases of material we recorded last year that we gotta get done soon.... nice, remix!!... It is one of 'those' plugin synths... you try it and want one... I'd better get a copy! :)
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