Does anyone know what the on-key below the Seq Retrig does? It has r:[aphex symbol] ... It's presumably not to turn AFX mode on because that's what the overlay does ... confused.

Yea that logo doesn’t make sense to me. Unless the AFX model is different to the BS2, that key is for overlay read-only mode - so twisting knobs doesn’t affect the overlays, only the underlying main sound.
On my overlay sticker I made it r:Read(lock icon)

Oh yes, you’re right - I think I overlooked it in the instruction manual. I think a lock symbol would make more sense too! Thanks

Yes, the overlay idea is great, but the implementation is too limited.
They really need to make it so that a patch includes a bank of overlays.
Sequencer is also frustrating, but they don't want to compete with other products, I guess.

I'm going to try out the Mono Station to see how I get on with that for sequencing different patches..

Does anybody know how many of these AFX Station's are being made?

I ordered one should be here soon, the BS2 is one of my all time fav synths ever, so versatile and bargain to boot. One thing I want to know about the overlays is can they be over more than 2 octaves of the keyboard, like can you button down an octave and start and move up to higher octaves making overlays that go for 4 octaves say..? Also the software can save endless overlays as far as I know, the software is sick I was watching all about it last night.

Was only for 2 octaves (BS2 keyboard) last time I checked the manual.

A chap called Garf Namesake on the facebook group Synth sales and trades is selling overlays for the BS2 for the AFX functionality. A great way if you already have the BS2 to avoid the outlay.

(Note: its not me)

And if you're not on Facebook, he has shared his info and his contact address in this thread a few posts above. Looks pretty cool to me.

The web page is: http://ctrlv.bigcartel.com

Only £11.50 inc VAT

What software do you use to create your own tunings, if you don’t mind me asking?

Also is there a way to backup/restore the factory tunings?

Oof. My bad. I got my monosynths mixed up. You can upload Scala tunings to the BS2 but it's the Monologue I was created custom scales on. Sorry for the confusion.

OK, now I remember how I got it mixed up. One can use sysex to change tunings in real time while you play. I made a bunch of notes but never did it (though I frequently used sysex to manage AFX overlays). I use the RS7000, so I'm not aware of what software does this (though I'm sure there are many that do).

Here are my notes in full:

BS2 TUNING SYSEX

Tuning Table Save — F0 00 20 29 00 33 00 48 F7

Tuning Table Select — B0 64 03 65 00 06 tt 64 7F 65 7F
• B0 64 03 65 00 selects the MIDI tuning program change
• RPN 06 tt selects the tuning table number, where tt is [0:9].
• The rest of the message disables the RPN controller selection.

Tuning Morphing
It’s possible to morph in real-time between different tuning tables. Hold function and press the Tune key twice. This parameter screen will not time out, to allow it to be used for performance reasons.
Turn up the glide time, hold some notes (try paraphonic mode) and switch between the tuning tables to hear the effect of morphing between tunings.

Tuning tables can be modified using sysex, using the real-time MIDI tuning message:
F0 7F id 08 02 tt ll [kk xx yy zz] F7
Where:
• F0 7F = universal realtime SysEx header
• id = target device ID, which for us is 00.
• 08 = sub-id #1 (MIDI tuning standard)
• 02 = sub-id #2 (note change)
• tt= tuning program number from 0 to 127
• ll= number of notes to be changed (sets of [kk xx yy zz])
• [kk xx yy zz] = MIDI note number, followed by frequency data for note
• F7 = end of SysEx message

The frequency data is described by:
• kk = MIDI note number
• xx = New MIDI note number
• yy = detune in 100 cents / 128 steps.
• Zz = detune in 100 cents / 16384 steps.
For example, to detune A4 (note number 45) to B4 (note number 47), in the first tuning table, send:
F0 7F 00 08 02 00 01 45 47 00 00 F7

To shift the note A4 sharp by 50 cents, in the second tuning table, send:
F0 7F 00 08 02 01 01 45 45 40 00 F7

When notes are retuned, the effect is immediate, so holding a note and changing the tuning will result in an audible change in pitch.

Multiple tunings can be sent in a single message by changing the entry for the number of notes to be changed. For example, to shift A4 to B4 and B4 to C5 send:
F0 7F 00 08 02 00 02 45 47 00 00 47 48 00 00 F7

It should be possible to play Scala tuning dumps to your BSII.

Don’t forget to save your tuning tables. Do this by pressing save when you’re on the tuning table- select page (function + Tune twice). Otherwise any modifications made to the tables will be lost.

An absolute lower limit on our tuning accuracy is a semitone/256. This means only the top bit of the detune in 16384 steps value will be observed. In practical terms we can achieve sub-cent accuracy.

I’m surprised these sold out so quickly overseas, there are heaps of them available in the shops here in Australia!

Is it me or does this new AFX BS2 sound dirtier and meaner and fatter than before..? man its seriously got a more sinister sound imo, love it so much.

Maybe they cheaped out on some components? Just kidding...

Yeah. Strange. Heard the prices for equipment in Aus are high is maybe why . Sold like 'hot cakes' over here. Probably for a few reasons... He is bigger in Europe and US maybe. People holding out on the Bass Station for various reasons till now. Anyhow. Yeah they are flying off the shelves. Anybody on the fence, don't wait, now is the time. Recently received mine and blown away. My first Novation product. Always heard the bass station 2 was incredible but never invested till now as that blue/previous look (eurgh) .

Having received mine i'm glad I waited. The sound is incredible! I see what people have been hyping all these years, bass for days. And that filter - Pure Cream!

The AFX Station is worth buying not just for the sound but for the updated look (Has a retro Roland Sh-2 vibe). Love the simple black and white look with 8bit font, bit of a ZX Spectrum vibe maybe?! Also many people probs bought it to flip later for more as it's gonna go up in value. So flippers for profit and others trying it for a year or 2, then part for more than they paid maybe? (I'll never sell mine)

Anyone on the fence all these years, get in there. Looks killer, sounds killer. It's complete now


By the way, even the packaging is a work of art. Anbody else put it on display (Closed or open) Or is that just Me?

Yup it only applies to the 25 keys when the octave setting is at 0, any notes played outside that range will use whatever the current patch is, so you can do interesting melodic things in conjunction with the overlays (arpeggiating through multiple octaves is fun for example).

Just to add to the mix, I just got hold of one of the last AFXs from Music Matter for £399. I saw a few reviews and thought that I wanted to get involved.

I have many mono synths from Analogue Solutions Nyborg and Liepzig, Behringer Pro 1 and WASP, Vermona Mono Lancet and Moog Sirin and a couple of others.

When the Minibrute first came out I weighted up getting a Bass Station ii or a Minibrute and went with the Minibrute. I had that for a year or two but then felt uninspired by it and sold it.

So I’m lookIng at the AFX Station as a new synth, not a rehash, because I am comparing it to everything else that I have and it has, so far, blown me away. The sound is fantastic and so different to anything else I have. The flexibility and modulation routings are superb, needless to say I’m not used to having the ability to save patches so that will always impress me, despite the fact that you can’t see the status of each parameter on the knobs upon patch recall. I don’t personally mind that as I’m so used to not having patch saving.

I use Maschine for sequencing and mixing tasks so I always have the laptop open and find the Novation Components website very easy to navigate, and therefore the 8 banks of Overlays isn’t an issue as it’s so easy to save more.

I think the AFX Station holds it’s own still, and if it came out today as a brand new product still offers great value and solid build at a price that would sell. Yes you pay a small premium for the rehash but it’s well worth it in my opinion.

Mine just arrived. Very nice looking and feeling. It's a tiny thing but makes a big difference in using the synth, I fondly hated having to look at the manual to decipher the hidden functions!

PS it also hides the bottom blue lines of the panel, I like with a little more black and less blue

This synth is in my fav top 3 synths ever, Virus, BS2 & Analog keys. For me the BS2 sounds the most analog of any mono out there and it isn't even a fully true analog, just bonkers seriously.

How would one send Scala presets into the Bs2 and is it working ? so the Bs2 is microtonal and stores user scales ? is that full scale or 1 Octave ?

I think its one of the best sounding new analogues and reminds me of the classic old roland Sh2 a bit , its not quite got the old charm of the older vintage monos or ' that something ' old **** has but i think what it has is a new edge and also a totally mental set of creative features and its own character .

I hope they take the Bs2 sound and make it poly .

Use Novation's Components software available on their website, or if you have Google's Chrome browser or the browser called Opera, go to components.novationmusic.com. Those are the only 2 browsers I know of that use the WebMIDI protocol to connect your MIDI gear to the web.

First you have to download the scales.zip (Components gives you a link to use), then use Components to upload a .scl file (there are 4,800 of them) to the BS2. I've used a few tunings and have had no problems yet.

Yes, BS2 is microtonal and uses full scales, not just one octave. Yes, you can create user scales with Scala and upload them to the BS2.

While playing the BS2, you can switch scales. If you switch while holding a note, you'll hear the tuning change. Very cool.

Soooo many different ways to take music forward in new directions timbrally. Duophonic, microtonal synth with filter FM, loopable envelopes, AFX mode and the ability to rapidly switch from one patch to another? It's a synth that challenges you to expand your mind. I love it.

I just want to reiterate that I spent this entire weekend kind of concentrating on the new to me AFX Station/BS2 and Finally spent some time with the editor for the overlays oh my goodness they spent so much detail on this thank you so much novation and Aphex Twin, really!!

I spent an awful lot of time with my Hydrasynth desktop as well and the two are a happy marriAge of complimentary supporting cast.

I’m running my BS2 through a Hardwire DL-8 Delay/Looper and some lexicon reverb on mixer, and if anyone out here hasn’t done this yet experiment with even messing around with changing the factory sound set up you can do this easily with the components app and then mess with changing the overlays it makes a huge profound difference in just switching things up and seeing where it lays.

Today, I’ve had so much fun for 3 1/2 hours straight, it’s like an idea machine man I’ve come up with some really cool percussive elements as well and I’m using my RC505 to Create loops of some of these wildly arpeggiated sounds from the AFX dimension

(Tonight I’m going to run the Hydrasynth audio into AFX Station External Input, and AFX Station through my Evolver arrays external audio input in case I open an audio centipede wormhole and don’t return)

called guitar center of all places to see if they had any in stock today. They do! The guy said they still had 110 of them (well, 109 now) with none of them in the cue.

It really is a the best bass monster imo, I just like the way it does bass, it's so bang on and slightly gritty love it so much, might buy another down the road.

apologies if this was already covered (gotta go through the thread), but does anyone know if I could use the trigger outs on a Behringer RD-8 into the external in of the AFX station to trigger sequences and the arpeggiator? I've never had a piece of gear with trigger outs before, curious to explore.

That won't work. The external in on the Station is for processing sounds with its filter, distortion, etc.

ah, got it. Thanks!