The Novation Bass Station II is an excellent small controller for Omnisphere. The panel is easy-to-understrand and you have control over all four Layers of a Patch and the FX send. You can control Filter types and slopes, two LFOs, an Overdrive control, a Distortion control, and the Arpeggiator — all powered from a single USB cable connected to your laptop! It’s way more capable with Omnisphere than it might look at first glance and it’s also a good analog mono synth. The keys are high-quality, it has nice wheels, and a sustain pedal input. The overall feel of the controls is excellent and best of all, the price is surprisingly low. This synth is highly recommended if you are looking for a mobile companion for your laptop/backpack rig — it’s the closest thing to a no-brainer on the list! Even if you already have a larger synth to use with Omnisphere, this one is ideal as a mobile option.

Novation Bass Station II Strengths:

  • Intuitive, Fun AND Powerful!
  • Highly Portable
  • USB-powered
  • Great Build Quality and Feel
  • Nice Analog Mono Synth

Novation Bass Station II Details:

Retail Price $579
Number of Keys 25
Keyboard Type Unweighted
Size of Controls Medium
Special Features N/A
Dimensions 18” x 10.75” x 3”
Weight 5.37 lbs
USB Powered Yes
Pitch Bender Yes
Mod Wheel Yes
Sends Aftertouch Yes
Sustain Pedal Input Yes
Expression Pedal Input No
Ribbon No
Non-Functional Controls Volume
Transpose
Arpeggiator Yes
Sequencer No
MIDI Messages CC, NRPN

Omnisphere Sections Controlled by the Novation Bass Station II:

Independent Layer Control No
Number of Oscillators 4
Number of Wavetables 4
Number of Envelopes 2
Number of LFOs 2
Filter Types Classic LPF 2-pole
Classic LPF 4-pole
Beefy LPF 4-pole
Beefy BPF 2-pole
Beefy BPF 4-pole
Jupiter HPF 2-pole
Jupiter HPF 4-pole
FX Units Tube Overdrive
Global Ambience
Soundsources No
Mod Matrix No
FM Yes
Ring Mod Yes
Waveshaper No
Unison No
Harmonia No
Granular No
ORB No
Arpeggiator No

Ratings

Control of Omnisphere
Panel Layout
Ease of Use
Keyboard Feel
Build Quality