Bass Station II : Best choice starter synth

The BSII was my first hardware synth but I have some synthesis experience programming patches on VSTs for a few years now.

Now that I’ve made the switch to hardware, I’ll never look back. Don’t let the name fool you, this synth is not just for basses. I primarily use it for leads and the arp function is great.

As a starter synth, the layout is amazing, very easy to follow the signal flow on the synth. It also has a great function that shows how far you are away from a selected patch’s original setting when you twist a knob, a great learning tool.

The sound and capabilities for the price are outstanding.

Pros:

- powerful synth at a very reasonable price

- easy to use and great for learning synthesis

- a different beast when connected to external effect units (delay, reverb)

- lovely filter choices

- major firmware update released by Novation 5 years after initial release with a ton of new features, including duo mode, which turns this mono synth into a paraphonic weapon.

Cons

- for the price, none!