Our latest hardware collaboration: a limited run of Bass Station II synthesisers designed in cooperation with Ian “Swifty” Swift, creator of some of the most recognisable logos, record sleeves, and magazine covers in British music history. Known for shaping the visual identity of underground British music, Swifty now brings his signature style to the instrument itself. Bass Station II Swifty Edition wraps all the deep bass, searing leads, paraphonic pads, and wild effects you’ve come to expect in a fresh, white-and-blue design that’s as bold as it sounds. Bass Station II Swifty Edition also comes pre-loaded with a selection of new artist patches from three Bass Station II power users: Dutch techno icon Legowelt, alt-pop duo Pecq, and jazz/electronic fusion artist Maria Chiara Argirò.
If you don’t know Swifty, you’ll definitely know his work. During the 1990s and 2000s, legendary British graphic designer Ian “Swifty” Swift helped define the visual identity of UK music and club culture. As the creative force behind Straight No Chaser — a cult magazine covering jazz, hip-hop, electronica and world music — and with sleeve and logo designs for labels like Mo’ Wax and Talkin’ Loud, his bold, DIY-inspired style became part of the era’s sound as much as its look.
Now, that aesthetic comes to hardware for the first time. This limited-edition Bass Station II features Swifty-signature typography, custom-printed panels, and graphic motifs inspired by rave flyers, dubplate culture, and DIY zines.
The analogue monosynth reborn. Nothing out there sounds this warm, fat and dirty. Bass Station II is our pure analogue monosynth. We based it on our classic Bass Station, then enhanced every area to make it even bigger, angrier and more versatile. It has two tuneable oscillators, a sub-oscillator for enormous bass, plus noise and ring modulation. It also gives you two distinct analogue filter types: the classic multi-mode filter and a new acid filter, for a massive variation in sonic possibilities. Artist Soundpack We decided to put a call out to a handful of our Bass Station II artists to have them create some patches for a new soundpack. Here’s the roster of analogue noodlers who got involved: Nite Jewel, Cian from Super Furry Animals, Jeremy from Everything Everything, Jason Miles, Victor Parris Mitchell, Adam Freedland. Much More Than Bass This synth can sound as mellow or aggressive as you want. Seek out sweet spots with the filter mod to make it sing. Crank the distortion and it will growl with pent up anger. Push the resonance to self oscillation to create shrieking leads. Bass Station II can sound however you feel. Easy Controls for Complex Design We put as many controls as possible onto Bass Station II, so you can totally lose yourself in discovering and creating new sounds. Of course, we also laid out all those controls in the clearest and most useful way, to keep sound design as straightforward and fun as possible. Save and Load Patches We loaded Bass Station II with 64 diverse patches that showcase its huge sonic variation. We also left 64 slots free, so you can easily save and load your own patches on the unit, or in the free librarian software. Instant Inspiration Bass Station II's pattern-based arpeggiator and step sequencer are a fun and immediate way to find new inspiration. The sequencer lets you record your own notes, ties, rests and rhythms in real time, then store them, recall them and use them with any patch you like. Easily and automatically sync them to your music software or hardware setup, or even add swing to get your groove going. Connect to Just About Anything Bass Station II is fully class compliant, so you can plug into anything via USB and start playing. It also has MIDI I/O on 5 pin din ports, so you can connect your other MIDI gear. You can even connect an external instrument and run it through Bass Station II's analogue filter and effects.
Hardware & controller assignment
•25 note synth-action keyboard
•Aftertouch can be assigned to modulate:
-Filter frequency
-LFO 1to Osc pitch
-Osc 2 speed
•Pitch wheel
•Modulation wheel can be assigned to:
-LFO 2 to filter frequency
-LFO 1 to Osc pitch
-Osc 2 pitch
•Octave up/ down buttons
•64 factory presets
•64 slots for user patches (and patch dump facility for storing more)
•Master volume dial
•Inputs and Outputs
•USB 2 socket for MIDI (for connecting & powering Bass Station II via host computer)
•Mono output on 1/4" TRS jack
•Headphone output on 1/4" TRS jack
•External input on 1/4" TRS jack
•Sustain pedal input on 1/4" TS jack
•MIDI IN / MIDI OUT ports on 5 pin din
•DC power input
•Switch between power off / DC powered / bus powered