This page is read from MIDI Instrument Definitions, a Python library used in the author's other projects, in which every number is traced to a document its maker published. Its source is on GitHub.

Novation Bass Station II MIDI implementation

The MIDI implementation of the Novation Bass Station II: what it answers to, and the 94 controls it offers.

At a glance

Firmware: Not recorded.
MIDI channel: Any one of 1 to 16.
Voices: One, and it can play paraphonically.
Note range: Not recorded.
Velocity: Not recorded.
Aftertouch: Not recorded.
Pitch bend: How far it bends is not recorded, and the range can be changed.
Program change: 128 presets. Whether a program change is received or sent is not recorded.
MIDI clock: Received.
Start and stop: Not recorded.
Control change: 63 controls, in the tables below, 16 of them with a fine half on a second controller number.
NRPN: Supported. 31 of the controls below have one.
System exclusive: Supported.

Controls

In the order the definition gives them, by group. Under each control is the name a program calls it by, once pymidiinstrumentdefs.load("novation/bass_station_ii") has loaded them.

Master

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
patch volume `master_patch_volume`	7		0-127

Oscillator

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
osc 1 fine `oscillator_osc_1_fine`	26 fine 58		0-127
osc 1 range `oscillator_osc_1_range`	70		0-127
osc 1 coarse `oscillator_osc_1_coarse`	27 fine 59		0-127
osc 1 waveform `oscillator_osc_1_waveform`		72 MSB 0, LSB 72	0-127
osc 1 Mod Env depth `oscillator_osc_1_mod_env_depth`	71		0-127
osc 1 LFO 1 depth `oscillator_osc_1_lfo_1_depth`	28 fine 60		0-127
osc 1 Mod Env PW mod amount `oscillator_osc_1_mod_env_pw_mod_amount`	72		0-127
osc 1 LFO 2 PW mod amount `oscillator_osc_1_lfo_2_pw_mod_amount`	73		0-127
osc 1 manual PW amount `oscillator_osc_1_manual_pw_amount`	74		0-127
osc 2 fine `oscillator_osc_2_fine`	29 fine 61		0-127
osc 2 range `oscillator_osc_2_range`	75		0-127
osc 2 coarse `oscillator_osc_2_coarse`	30 fine 62		0-127
osc 2 waveform `oscillator_osc_2_waveform`		82 MSB 0, LSB 82	0-127
osc 2 Mod Env depth `oscillator_osc_2_mod_env_depth`	76		0-127
osc 2 LFO 1 depth `oscillator_osc_2_lfo_1_depth`	31 fine 63		0-127
osc 2 env 2 PW mod amount `oscillator_osc_2_env_2_pw_mod_amount`	77		0-127
osc 2 LFO 2 PW mod amount `oscillator_osc_2_lfo_2_pw_mod_amount`	78		0-127
osc 2 manual PW amount `oscillator_osc_2_manual_pw_amount`	79		0-127
sub osc oct `oscillator_sub_osc_oct`	81		0-127
sub osc wave `oscillator_sub_osc_wave`	80		0-127
osc tuning error `oscillator_osc_tuning_error`		111 MSB 0, LSB 111	0-127
paraphonic mode `oscillator_paraphonic_mode`		107 MSB 0, LSB 107	0-127
osc glide divergence `oscillator_osc_glide_divergence`		113 MSB 0, LSB 113	0-127
sub-osc coarse `oscillator_sub_osc_coarse`		84 MSB 0, LSB 84	0-127
sub-osc fine `oscillator_sub_osc_fine`		77 MSB 0, LSB 77	0-127
Bend Amount `oscillator_bend_amount`	107		0-127
Osc 1-2 Sync `oscillator_osc_1_2_sync`	110		0-127

Mixer

Control	CC	Values
osc 1 level `mixer_osc_1_level`	20 fine 52	0-127
osc 2 level `mixer_osc_2_level`	21 fine 53	0-127
sub osc level `mixer_sub_osc_level`	22 fine 54	0-127
noise level `mixer_noise_level`	23 fine 55	0-127
ring mod level `mixer_ring_mod_level`	24 fine 56	0-127
external signal level `mixer_external_signal_level`	25 fine 57	0-127

Filter

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
Type `filter_type`	83		0-127
slope `filter_slope`	106		0-127
shape `filter_shape`	84		0-127
frequency `filter_frequency`	16 fine 48		0-127
resonance `filter_resonance`	82		0-127
Mod Env depth `filter_mod_env_depth`	85		0-127
LFO 2 depth `filter_lfo_2_depth`	17 fine 49		0-127
overdrive `filter_overdrive`	114		0-127
filter tracking `filter_filter_tracking`		108 MSB 0, LSB 108	0-127

Portamento

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
portamento time `portamento_portamento_time`	5		0-127

LFOs

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
LFO 1 speed `lfos_lfo_1_speed`	18 fine 50		0-127
LFO 1 delay `lfos_lfo_1_delay`	86		0-127
LFO 2 speed `lfos_lfo_2_speed`	19 fine 51		0-127
LFO 2 delay `lfos_lfo_2_delay`	87		0-127
LFO 1 wave `lfos_lfo_1_wave`	88		0-127
LFO 2 wave `lfos_lfo_2_wave`	89		0-127
LFO 1 Sync value `lfos_lfo_1_sync_value`		87 MSB 0, LSB 87	0-127
LFO 2 Sync value `lfos_lfo_2_sync_value`		91 MSB 0, LSB 91	0-127

Envelope

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
amp env attack `envelope_amp_env_attack`	90		0-127
amp env decay `envelope_amp_env_decay`	91		0-127
amp env sustain `envelope_amp_env_sustain`	92		0-127
amp env release `envelope_amp_env_release`	93		0-127
amp env triggering `envelope_amp_env_triggering`		73 MSB 0, LSB 73	0-127
amp env retrigger `envelope_amp_env_retrigger`		109 MSB 0, LSB 109	0-127
amp env fixed sustatin duration `envelope_amp_env_fixed_sustatin_duration`		114 MSB 0, LSB 114	0-127
amp env retrigger count `envelope_amp_env_retrigger_count`		117 MSB 0, LSB 117	0-127
Mod Env attack `envelope_mod_env_attack`	102		0-127
Mod Env decay `envelope_mod_env_decay`	103		0-127
Mod Env sustain `envelope_mod_env_sustain`	104		0-127
Mod Env release `envelope_mod_env_release`	105		0-127
Mod Env triggering `envelope_mod_env_triggering`		105 MSB 0, LSB 105	0-127
Mod Env retrigger `envelope_mod_env_retrigger`		110 MSB 0, LSB 110	0-127
Mod Env fixed sustain duration `envelope_mod_env_fixed_sustain_duration`		115 MSB 0, LSB 115	0-127
Mod Env retrigger count `envelope_mod_env_retrigger_count`		118 MSB 0, LSB 118	0-127

Effects

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
Distortion `effects_distortion`	94		0-127
Osc Filter Mod `effects_osc_filter_mod`	115		0-127

Arpeggiator

Control	CC	Values
on `arpeggiator_on`	108	0-127
latch `arpeggiator_latch`	109	0-127
rhythm `arpeggiator_rhythm`	119	0-127
note mode `arpeggiator_note_mode`	118	0-127
octaves `arpeggiator_octaves`	111	0-127

Other

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
mod `other_mod`	0		0-127
sustain `other_sustain`	64		0-127

Mod wh

Control	NRPN	Values
LFO 2 Filter Freq `mod_wh_lfo_2_filter_freq`	71 MSB 0, LSB 71	0-127
LFO 1 Osc Pitch `mod_wh_lfo_1_osc_pitch`	70 MSB 0, LSB 70	0-127
Osc 2 Pitch `mod_wh_osc_2_pitch`	78 MSB 0, LSB 78	0-127

Aftertouch

Control	NRPN	Values
Filter Freq `aftertouch_filter_freq`	74 MSB 0, LSB 74	0-127
LFO 1 to Osc Pitch `aftertouch_lfo_1_to_osc_pitch`	75 MSB 0, LSB 75	0-127
LFO 2 Speed `aftertouch_lfo_2_speed`	76 MSB 0, LSB 76	0-127

LFO

Control	NRPN	Values
Key Sync LFO 1 `lfo_key_sync_lfo_1`	89 MSB 0, LSB 89	0-127
Key Sync LFO 2 `lfo_key_sync_lfo_2`	93 MSB 0, LSB 93	0-127
Speed/Sync LFO 1 `lfo_speed_sync_lfo_1`	87 MSB 0, LSB 87	0-127
Speed/Sync LFO 2 `lfo_speed_sync_lfo_2`	91 MSB 0, LSB 91	0-127
Slew LFO 1 `lfo_slew_lfo_1`	86 MSB 0, LSB 86	0-127
Slew LFO 2 `lfo_slew_lfo_2`	90 MSB 0, LSB 90	0-127

Velocity

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
Amp Env `velocity_amp_env`	112		0-127
Mod Env `velocity_mod_env`	113		0-127

VCA

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
Limit `vca_limit`	95		0-127

Arp

Control	CC	NRPN	Values
Arp Swing `arp_arp_swing`	116		0-127
Seq Retrig `arp_seq_retrig`		106 MSB 0, LSB 106	0-127

Where these facts come from

Source documents

Bass Station II user guide, Version 5.0, dated 15 August 2025, its user manual, read on 2 October 2026 (the file read).
Bass Station II | Novation Downloads, its download page, read on 2 October 2026 (the file read).

How they were read

Bass Station II user guide, version 5.0, 82 pages, dated 2025-08-15 by its own metadata. Its "MIDI parameters list" (pp. 71-74) is the whole of this instrument's published map: 98 rows of panel section, parameter, whether it is addressed by control change, NRPN or a message of its own, the number, and the range, run over four pages.

ALMOST EVERY CONTROL SENDS AND IS ANSWERED TO, in the guide's own words, which stop short of every one and do not say which: "Bass Station II has a high degree of MIDI implementation, and almost every control and synth parameter transmits MIDI data to external equipment, and similarly, the synth can be controlled in almost every respect by incoming MIDI data from a DAW or sequencer" (p. 19).

FOUR OF THE 98 ROWS ARE NOT CONTROLS and are not below: patch inc and patch dec, which are program changes, pitch, which is a pitch bend, and after touch. For those the message is the address, so each belongs to a field of its own rather than to the controls.

SIXTEEN CONTROL CHANGES CARRY A FINE HALF, written in the guide as MSB:LSB and always as n and n+32.

THE SAME NOTATION MEANS SOMETHING ELSE ON AN NRPN ROW, where it is the two halves of one parameter number: 0:72 is 72, not a pair. Conflating the two was caught by a check that every control change pair is n and n+32, which no NRPN row satisfies.

THE GUIDE WRITES ITS NRPNS TWO WAYS in the one table: 28 give both halves as 0:nn and three give the low half alone. Every pair it writes out has a high half of zero, so the three bare ones mean the same thing - checked rather than assumed, because the whole NRPN column rests on it.

THREE PRODUCTS, ONE GUIDE, AND THE GUIDE SAYS SO ITSELF: "This user guide applies to all editions of the Bass Station II. We've used the original Bass Station II for graphics throughout. If you're using the AFX Station or Bass Station II Swifty Edition you'll have more information on the top panel relevant to the various firmware upgrades we've added over the years" (p. 4). Novation's download pages agree from the other side: the three products are offered this same file and no other. So this definition describes all three where MIDI is concerned, and the guide has a section of its own for the AFX Station's overlays and the system exclusive that manages them.

TWO DIN SOCKETS AND NO THRU: "MIDI IN and OUT - standard 5-pin DIN MIDI sockets for connecting Bass Station II to other MIDI-equipped hardware" (p. 13), with a class-compliant USB port beside them that also carries MIDI. The guide rules out the obvious next thought: "Bass Station II is not a computer MIDI interface. MIDI can be transmitted between the synth and computer via the USB connection, but MIDI cannot be transferred between the computer and external equipment via Bass Station II's MIDI DIN ports" (p. 14).

NOT RECORDED: the note range, which the guide never states for what the instrument receives - its keyboard is "25-note (two octaves) velocity-sensitive" (p. 8) with octave shift keys, and that is the panel rather than the span it answers to. Whether it transmits MIDI clock, since the guide describes only the other direction. Transport, which no sentence in the guide mentions at all - not start, not stop, not continue, not song position. And whether program change is received: the only thing in 82 pages that bears on it is the table's own two rows, patch inc and patch dec, which name the message and say nothing about direction. Aftertouch in either direction, for the same reason - its row is in the same list - and its kind, which no page gives.

ONE MORE TYPOGRAPHICAL SLIP, CARRIED AS PRINTED: the envelope section has an "amp env fixed sustatin duration" (p. 72) where its neighbour four rows down is spelled "Mod Env fixed sustain duration" (p. 72). The label below is the guide's, misspelling and all.