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Novation have combined a number of things here with this synth,
firstly it’s a highly programmable midi controller which can be configured via cc or rpn / nrpn’s to control your various synths, virtual or otherwise. it comes with 16 pre-configured templates for all the major daws such as cubase, logic etc as well as templates for kontakt (virtual sampler) and a few other popular vsts that gives you out-of-the-box functionality. You can also create / tailor & save your own custom templates to suit your individual needs.
It is also a very tasty sounding 3 oscillator synth with monster distortion, filter overdrive, a fairly decent filter, an arpeggiator with latch mode plus the x-gator effect which adds a lovely stuttered (gating) effect to the patch.
the synth also has a 3 band eq (bass/mid/treble).
most of the synth’s parameters can be edited very easily without having to delve into deep menus, with the most common functions such as filter settings and volume ADSR being instantly accessible using the numerous knobs.
both arp and x gator can be tempo synced internally or externally.
most of its factory sounds are very electro-house and trance style and a handful have been crafted by trance-meister Ferry Corsten and a number of other big-name producers, it also has a very convincing "Darude Sandstorm" patch and also the retro classic Giorgio Moroder "i feel love" bubbling bassline as well as soaring saws and nice 303 acid basslines that can easily be automated to give that classic early rave sound.
the synth is jam packed with lots of tweakable features and has the same engine as the x station and will therefore accept the patches for this synth.
i have a good selection of additional patches which i’ve sourced from the interwebz inclduing some very nice patches that i bought from dezzer-music which are ideal for dance music, you can easily add these to the synth using the librarian software which i will burn to a disk for the buyer.
its great fun to use with a nice feel to the keys and fairly easy to do some quite advanced patch editing.
check out the various youtube vids to hear it in action.
it is also an audio interface and features 2 inputs, one is a xlr mic input which can provide phantom power when needed, the other is 6.35 mm (14 in) jack for guitar, synth etc. these can be individually attenuated and routed to the ouputs.
the synth has a midi out port, a headphone jack as well as the main audio outputs (1/4 inch stereo pair) and will also accept a sustain pedal.
there are a number of minor faults on my synth that i never fully sorted which are as follows…
the manual pitch bend function (pitch bender) has been disabled owing to the fact that the pitch bender wouldn’t always return back to the central position after it was tweaked, this would cause slight but noticable fluctuations in the sound so i decided to unplug it from the circuit board, the modulation still works which is controlled by the same joystick (it’s on the vertical axis and has a separate connector for the circuit board).
i examined the joystick to see if it could be repaired but the plastic guides that ought keep the joystick in the "home" position have worn slightly. replacing the part would completely solve the issue. the pitch bend function can still be utilized via cubase, fl etc.
There is an x-y pad directly below the pitch bender / modulation joystick which is very similar to a laptop touch-pad, i removed the connector for this also at the same time because in my experience they quickly develop faults and are often over sensitive, it might work fine, i just never saw myself using it, so while the cover was off i chose to disable this also.
lastly, ive had to find replacements for 3 of the knob / potentiometer covers. they are a non-standard size so i only managed to find / fashion 3, you will therefore have to source one more for the headphone volume knob.
all the keys work and the casing is in fairly clean condition with only minor scratches.
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Category: Musical Instruments:Pro Audio Equipment:Synthesisers and Sound Modules
Location: Skelmersdale