Novation A-Station
Polyphonic Synthesizer (2001)

 

Digital successor Bass Station Rack based on the VA synthesis modeling engine inspired from famous Supernova at cut-down price.

RACKMOUNTa single unit.
Main panel features a simple segment display, 25 knobs (transmit Midi CC#), 10 tab switches and 14 rubber buttons.

Rear panel terminal connectors:
- main signal out
- audio line input
- Midi interface

Power supply is a 9V external PSU - 600 mA.

TECH 16 bits HD6413003F (H8/3003 family) + DSP56362 manage 8 voices polyphony and 2 syntheses:

- basic FM a basic FM process inspired from DX principle: a single modulates another to produce a resultant more harmonically complex waveform. OSC 2 is able to FM OSC 3 using a dedicated FM envelope. - VA modeling subtractive synthesis (main synthesis)

 

 

STRUCTURE a voice is composed by 3 oscillators:

OSC1 OSC2 OSC3 waveforms tri / saw / sine / pulse like osc1 like osc1 pulse width yes yes yes hardsync 1>2 1 > 2 - phase attack yes yes yes random drift yes yes yes ringmodulator yes yes yes

PERFORMANCE some special playmodes:

- unison: stacks up to 8 voices with mono glide+ detune - drift: simulates an analog VCO drift - mono: 2 modes with different priorities - portamento: linear or exponential - noise: add a white noise - aftertouch: can be assigned to pitch, filter or modulator freq - breath: can be assigned to pitch, filter or modulator freq - vibrato: can be assigned to pitch, filter or modulator freq - polymode: with or without note stealing option.

 

FILTER digital Lowpass resonant filter with 2 / 4 poles configuration and overdrive saturation.
Filter can process also external sources + Keytrack function.

HEAR external source filtering

 

ENVELOPE 3 EGs:

- EG modulation: 4-segments with retrigger mode - EG amplitude: 4-segments with retrigger mode - EG FM: attack, decay, EG velocity and depth.

LFO up to 2 syncable (34 dividers) delayed modulators (4 shapes with variable phase attack: sine, square, saw, sample and hold. )

- LFO1: modulates osc pitches (each depth is individual) - LFO2: modulates filter and pulse width HEAR sample and hold-filter

ARPEGGIATOR a 4 octaves engine, with variable gate time, latch mode and 16 sync-time dividers. 6 patterns: up, down, random, up-down1, up-down2 and lastnote (the arpeggio plays the last note played in sequence).

SYNC quite all parameters can be synched together to Midi clock with various dividers rate. Engine also transmit notes to other compliant Midi machines. HEAR arpeggiator

MIDI all parameters can be controlled by Midi CC#, in addition a full sysex protocol is implemented for both edit and data storage dump.

EFFECTS DSP offers various editable effects:

- delay: with feedback, tempo sync and dividers - reverb: 6 models with variable decay - distortion - equalizer - chorus: with variable width, rate, feedback and 34 tempo dividers - panning: with motion rate, start position and sync 34 dividers - vocoder: 12 bands and use internal OSC as carrier with sibilance control (highpass or noise)

MEMORY:
- 200 ROM sounds
- 200 RAM sounds

- LEFT - Astation motherboard - Click to enlarge picture -

 

EDITOR

- Midiquest (win/mac commercial) - novation astation editor (win, commercial) - Novation astation control (VST, freeware) - Novation A-Station Editor Luigi Bianchi PIC

RELATED FAMILY:

	Bass station, analog machine exists in both: -rack -keyboard
	Novation Supernova I / II - top notch Nova synthesis VA
	K- Station rack - updated version with some extra PCM wavetable section.

 

AUDIO DEMO

factory demo ambient bass Rhodes electric piano wavetable-like phaser pad robot dance Commodore 64 like

arpeggiator chill chords electro bass computer from seventies vocoder + delay vocoder robot filtered external loop

 

 

VIDEO SELECTION demo 1 + Drum Station + Drum Station

A-STATION MANUAL

SERVICE MANUAL / SCHEMATICS - MORE DEMO

original brochure

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