Digital technology has made it possible to record with stunning fidelity, and creating pristine sounds has never been easier. Sometimes, however, we all want a bit of filth, quite frankly, and when that time comes, Novation’s Circuit Mono Station is your accomplice in deviant audio crime.
A riotous blend of synth and sequencer, this portable powerhouse takes the best bits of Novation’s Circuit groovebox and Bass Station II synth and combines them into something that manages to be even more than the sum of its parts. Its paraphonic nature means that each of the two oscillators can be pitched and sequenced independently; in fact, there are actually three sequencer tracks, with the third being used for modulation. You can read more about paraphony HERE.
Speaking of which, the four-by-eight mod matrix enables complex sonic alteration and routing, emphasising the fact that Circuit Mono Station offers considerable sound design potential. Filtering is a big part of the package, too - choose from high-, low- and band-pass filters and slopes of 12dB and 24dB.
When the time comes to get really dirty, you can call on three distortion modes, and the audio input means that an external signal can be fed through both these and the filter and amp circuits. That means that this box isn’t just for synthesists - pedal-loving guitar players can also have an awful lot of fun with this one.
Thanks to the CV, Gate and modulation outputs you can even use the Circuit Mono Station as the centrepiece of a much larger electronic music setup. If you’re one of the many people who’ve jumped on the modular train recently, you’ll find plenty of interest here. As you’d expect, there’s MIDI I/O, too.
Above all, the Circuit Mono Station invites exploration, with its RGB-backlit button grid, pots and encoders crying out to be pushed and tweaked. Once you’ve started, you won’t want to stop; check out the video below if you don’t believe us, and head to the Novation website to find out more.
Watch the rest of Novation's filthy videos in this playlist.