Building upon the success of the original Circuit, Novation has announced their next-generation sequenced monosynth, the Circuit Mono Station. This paraphonic analog synthesizer originates from the Bass Station II and includes three sequencer tracks and 32 velocity-sensitive RGB pads. But what does “paraphonic” mean, you ask? A paraphonic synthesizer offers two independent oscillators, yet both oscillators share the same VCA, envelope, and filter. Each oscillator is controlled by its own sequencer, and you have independent control over glide rate, gate length and pattern behavior. The third sequencer track controls modulations. You can independently alter gate length, switch patterns on-the-fly, and choose sync rate and pattern mutations all while the sequencers are running.
Other notable features include a state-variable OTA filter with low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass selection, as well as 12 dB and 24 dB slopes. In addition to the pre-filter overdrive, the Mono Station offers three modes of distortion based on the classic Bass Station, new fuzz, or a mixture of both. The modulation matrix provides an excellent platform for enabling complex alterations and routings with sources including envelope, LFO, sequencer, and velocity. Destinations include pitch, PWM, amp, filter, distortion, and aux CV. All modulations are always available with depth control for each route.
You can save and load up to 64 patches, while the cloud-based Component software allows you to back up and restore an unlimited number of patches and sessions to and from your computer. The rear panel offers a host of inputs and outputs including two ¼” jacks for input and output. There are thee MIDI jacks (In, Out, Thru) on 1/8” connectors and the Mono Station ships with MIDI DIN breakout cables, allowing you to interface with other hardware instruments and sequencers. There are two 1/8” jacks for analog clock input and output, while an additional set of three 1/8” jacks include CV, gate, and aux CV outputs for interfacing with outboard analog gear such as Eurorack modular systems.
The sequencer section offers 32 sessions with 16 patterns for oscillator 1, 8 patterns for oscillator 2, and 8 patterns for the modulation sequencer. Real-time record notes with velocity and automation with up to 51 automatable parameters including all knobs and slider (excluding main volume). The sequencer’s tempo range is from 40 to 240 and the unit offers swing with a range of 20 to 80%. There are several pattern direction settings including ping-pong and random. What’s more, there’s a pattern mutate function, which augments your input data for fresh and innovative ideas at the touch of a button. All of this makes for an incredibly powerful and fun instrument with a very “hands on” approach to programming.
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