Aphex Twin and Novation release AFX Station synthesiser

Legendary electronic pioneer Aphex Twin has teamed up with one of the electronic music industry’s most recognised equipment brands, Novation, for a new synth that they call the AFX Station. The synthesiser is an adaptation of the widely used Bass Station II, with a few added features.

The AFX Station features an updated aesthetic, with deep purple accents and an Aphex Twin logo, as well as a some intuitive button layout changes. The unit also comes with the 2019 ‘AFX Mode’ pre-installed, which enables each key on the synth to become its own patch (patch-per-key), and comes with 128 new preset patches and seven overlay banks, from renowned sound designs such as Richard Devine, Noyze Lab, Perplex On, Lightbath, and r beny. The packaging for this hardware collaboration is also unique, with a box design from longtime Aphex Twin collaborator Weirdcore.

If you’re a fan of synth hardware and don’t have the Bass Station II, or are looking for a bit of a refresh, the AFX Station might be for you. The unit retails at US$459.99 and can be found on Novation’s website here, but before you race over and order make sure and watch the announcement video below. If you’re more of a VST synth person, check out our list of the six best VST plugins of 2020 here.

Warning: Novation advises that the below video may trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.

Image credit: Novation