Feature | 30 Years
WHAT IS IT?: MONO (AND 303-A-LIKE) SYNTH | LAUNCH YEAR: 1993 | LAUNCH PRICE: £349
In 1993, dance music was at a peak, with the tools used to create it having been produced by Roland a decade before. One of these, the now iconic TB-303 Bass Line, had become a pillar of the dance community because of its ability to produce tearing and squealing basslines and leads that (literally) resonated with dance fans. But with only 10,000 of the original machines made, prices were starting to rise. Roland, however, were not interested in recreating something they’d done before, so it was up to smaller and faster-moving manufacturers to recreate the old sounds for the new masses. Enter Novation…
The Bass Station was designed by synth legend Chris Hugget who had produced the mighty OSCar and unique Wasp synths. He was tasked with producing a synth that was capable of those sliding 303-style riffs, all within a relatively affordable keyboard. He relished the opportunity and the results were amazing: a digitally controlled machine with an analogue character that more than emulated a 303. In fact it was capable of a wide variety of sounds, but its name and the welcoming price tag helped make the original Bass Station a hit and the start of a couple of decades of bass for its makers.
What we said at the time
“A MIDI compatible monosynth capable of creating all those classic analogue sounds, and a bit more besides. It’s an ideal way to add those analogue sounds to your present setup without worrying about retro-fits or secondhand uncertainty. Solid, super and less than 400 notes. Smashing.”
Legacy
The original Bass Station only had seven memories, yet it was successful thanks to its ease of use, portability and, of course, the sound. The synth featured digitally controlled analogue oscillators and an analogue filter that gave it exactly what people wanted: 303 grit that didn’t cost four figures. So successful was the original model – apparently selling well into six figures – that Novation quick
