The Novation X Station
The Novation X Station belongs to a new breed of USB powered MIDI keyboards that allow you to create music using your computer software, they are the controllers and the Novation X Station is the best of them. What is a controller? Briefly, keyboard controllers are based around the traditional keyboard set up (i.e. with keys). They allow you to play and record notes into your sequencer and will also allow you to control the knobs and sliders on soft synths. The X Station even has patches on board to access some of the soft synths or sequencers (like Logic, Reason etc) available. The best thing is that the Novation X Station can be updated through downloads to the computer, or it can learn specific functions from your favourite sequencer, storing up to 150 controls. The Novation is ruggedly built, and its small keyboard is perfect for transport, it can be powered by adapter, USB or through batteries, making this a perfect home and away based controller. The Novation X Station has a front that looks like it has been covered in glue and thrown into a button shop and low and behold the result is a mammoth amount of buttons and switches crammed onto a small area.
There is a smart effects section with delay, reverb and compression (plus others) and controlled from the machine itself. You can also (with a touch of one of the many buttons) add an effect. In other words you can add an effect and not record or bypass them entirely. I might as well get it out of the way now, I know that the keyboard looks small and if you are worried about the octave range (with it being a two octave keyboard) there are octave up and down buttons to remedy this situation. Most if not all controller keyboards are just that, control software and help you out without having actually any synth sounds on board. However, a major plus point for this little beauty is that it has a range of synth sounds on board. Press the synth button, and you are then transported to a cracking little hardware synth that is 8-voice polyphonic. All the on board controllers become assigned to the synth mode and the sounds can be easily manipulated. There are 200 sound patches with harsh bases, piercing leads and great sequences. The sounds are clean and crisp and can worryingly put some specific hardware synths to shame. Again the synth out put can be sent down the USB cable to a sequencer, mixer or amp. In conclusion the X Station is a very capable machine. It is a first rate controller but it is also a sound card, MIDI interface and an 8 voice KS synth. Two audio inputs even provide phantom power, which can be used (via USB if the computer is pwerful enough). Attach a laptop and it becomes the worlds smallest portable studio. Here is another quoted review for the Novation X Station, by Computer Music, Summer 2005: “Having built up a solid reputation in the controller world with the ReMOTE 25, Novation have greatly upped the ante with the X-Station…” “…let’s focus on the fact that the X-Station is a damn fine controller, utilising many of the same controls as the ReMOTE 25 but with a slightly refined layout.” “In terms of knobs and sliders, the X-Station takes some beating, offering a ton of hands-on control…most impressively, an assignable Touchpad, which is superb for playing with effects.” “When you’re up and running, using the X-Station is a joy.” “The X-Station is a real winner and is certainly right up there with the best of them for the sheer amount of functionality it provides.” 5 out of 5 stars Click to check out the Novation X Station. Click here to go back to the best techno equipment page.
|
