Novation X-Station?
victor
|
.
permalink
Mon, Jun 8, 2009 @ 2:31 AM
I’m looking very seriously at picking up a Novation X-Station to work with on the road (which is a somewhat permanent affair for me) based on a Loveshadow recommendation.
I like the fact that it’s an audio interface, midi controller and surface all rolled into one. The fact that it’s also a HW synth is actually less interesting to me. Personally I would love to find a device that is all of this without the synth I was somewhat surprised this product is 5 years old. I understand it was groundbreaking when it first came out but do they really have no competition? thoughts/adivce? |
radiotimes
|
.
permalink
Mon, Jun 8, 2009 @ 3:27 AM
It may not be exactly what you are looking for but I use an M Audio Axiom 25. Some say M Audio does not have a good build but I’ve found mine to be no problem and it travels all over the place! They now do an upgraded version called Pro which has a higher spec.
Not sure what your set up is but I combine this with my Macbook pro and an Apogee Duet and that’s a great piece of kit for on the road. |
John Pazdan
|
.
permalink
Mon, Jun 8, 2009 @ 5:42 AM
As a working professional musician who travels with a minimal rig, I have owned both the x station and the newer XIO. I prefer the XIO as it has the same engine as the X, but adds a few bells and whistles that I find useful. The main drawback of the XIO was the lack of an editor, but there’s a 3rd party one available for free now that works quite well. The Novation company is non responsive to customer requests btw, no emails, no dialog. There’s a good yahoo group, as there is for the X..and the patches are interchangeable as well, so there’s hundreds of them available..for free.
I was able to buy a new XIO for $200, which influenced my decision as well. I have made a stand for it too, and found the proper case/bag, neither of which are offered by Novation. I sometimes plug the piezo of my Rick Turner Deuce Electric Extended tenor bass into the “audio in” on the XIO for performances, and it works well matching the Imp. However, though the outputs are balanced, they still require an xlr to go into a PA. If you have any other questions, I will be very happy to answer them all FOR FREE. |
|
.
u mock me. I hate you.
meanwhile the XIO is not an audio interface and it’s that combo that’s interesting. but again, the age of the thing is disconcerting - you know it would be firewire if made today - I can’t help feeling like the X2 will come out exactly a day after I spring for the the X. |
|
|
.
Quote: fourstonesu mock me. I hate you.
meanwhile the XIO is not an audio interface and it’s that combo that’s interesting. but again, the age of the thing is disconcerting - you know it would be firewire if made today - I can’t help feeling like the X2 will come out exactly a day after I spring for the the X. Victor I love you…Free Love! anyway.. the xio sorta replaced the X..and umm, like, it is an audio interface, as in line in and phantom powered xlr..cause, you know that’s what I was sayin in the above hate filled free information, ‘cause when I play for free for people, I plug my tenor bass into it and then it’s like a mixer and stuff, and then like people can hear it and stuff…I mean as long as I plug the outputs into the PA that the house dj who’s slammin Hot House Beatzz and makes like $400 a “show” , is usin’ and stuff. XIO..and I think they will replace that too, and it only has usb, but since my Commodore 64 doesn’t even have that..I mean, like. |
|
|
.
|
|
teru
|
.
permalink
Mon, Jun 8, 2009 @ 7:05 PM
Somewhat competition. The Line 6 one is made for guitarists. The Korg has a Vocoder (I know you want one). ;)
http://line6.com/podstudiokb37/ http://www.korg.com/Product... |
|
.
|
|
|
.
discontinued? I thought it just started shipping?
|
|
|
.
|
|
|
.
it’s strange… here’s a CDM review from 3 years ago
|
|
|
.
lol - I’m equally confused. Maybe the new shipping is a new packaged combination? And the discontinued is the original configuration?
In any case, I’m convinced I’ve seen it in at least one music store over the last month or so. And yes it does look very cool close up! Also available online at musiciansfriend. |
|
|
.
Yep, the POD Studio KB37 is basically a “new” version of the discontinued TonePort KB37. It ships with POD Farm software instead of the older GearBox software. And it’s black instead of black/red.
|
|
|
John Pazdan
|
.
permalink
Tue, Jun 9, 2009 @ 6:13 AM
The line 6 thing is just a controller, no synth, and is the “model II” which might explain dude boy at Geetar Barn USA not knowing nuttin, though I doubt it. Anyway, you’ll actually like having a hardware synth again with the XIO, as well as it doing all the other “stuff”. I had the little Korg for a bit, but..no audio interface, and the keyboard has the 3/4 keys too, no thanks.
what would really be nice would be a XIO with 3 octaves (not two or four) and firewire, with real support from Novation, costing the same, new @ around 2 beans. HA HA HA and jobs for eva’body!! and … |
|
.
but but but - I really don’t want/need a synth.
and I’m on the road so size, # of boxes to lug/ship around is a key factor. the drag with the line6 box is that, compared to the x/xio there’s not a lot of midi controllers (faders, pads, etc.) I’m also very scared that a box with all these goodies jammed into it, sacrifices quality on the A/D unit. I have a perfectly good m-audio FW sitting in storage and I’m not convinced the audio components in these guys are up to snuff. I have been salivating for pod farm for a long time, so the line6 is tempting, but I’m really stuck on what to do. |
|
|
.
I know you don’t want a synth..but when you come over, you can play it ;)
the XIo 25 is about as small as it gets. another reason I bought it. the a/d stuff in the Novation stuff (we have a theme!) is from Focusrite, who make good..stuff. And while it is not Apogee Bat Ears in a hyperbolic chamber as used by Pat Leonard on Madonna …stuff….it actually works pretty well. I’ve been working it for a while. Then again, I like Howlin Wolf….stuff. ..my experience with the Line 6 ..stu..is closely akin to an Emperor’s New Clothes-like thing. At least for bass..here’s an SVT, here’s a bassman, here’s an Ashdown..here’s… wait a minute, these are all the same patch with minor eq tweaks that you or I, with a little bit of “ears”, could easily get. otoh, I thought the Amplitude sftware was pretty good. In my Professional Traveling Musicians Rig, I use a Digitech hardware box..which also has a usb audio i/o tacked on (and in that case, I agree with you about feature creep, this thing sounds like poop). As I did a bit of patch design for one of the first modeling-like devices in 1908, for ART, I kind of (…) know my way around..and was fortunate enough to hook up with a guy in a lab deep in the cornfields of Iowa (really!) who has done some hacking into just how digi’s things operate..and has come out with a nice supply of much better than stock models, which I use..Magnatones, Silvertones, a “killa” 57 DeLuxe, etc etc. That and the XIO fit in a little case.. |
|
|
.
By the way, probably not at all what you’re looking for, but this looks majorly cool.
|
|
|
.
All that thing needs is a little disco ball to pop out and float over the controller surface and little figurines of John Travolta and some generic female dancer :-).
Sorry … there I go butting into gearhead discussions again…can’t help myself…as you were gentlemen :-). |
|
|
.
which answers the question, what does Moses, Big Foot and Darth Vader have in common:
http://forum.ableton.com/vi... |
|
|
victor
|
.
permalink
Thu, Jun 11, 2009 @ 1:32 PM
Thanks to everyone for their help. I decided to try a different direction since I needed portable speakers too
http://www.alesis.com/m1act... Controller will come later |
DIY::Novation X-Station?
This site uses