Applies to: X-Station

I am experiencing distortion from the outputs of My X-Station.

Check your cables and all other connections. Is the distortion in the Headphone output also? If problems persist contact technical support.

My pitch/mod joystick isn't working properly and is sending strange messages

You need to select the 'Cal Pitch/Mod:' page in the global menu on your X-Station (press the 'Global' button then use the 'BANK/PAGE' buttons to scroll through the options). Once on this page, move the pitch bend joystick from left to right a few times until you see the numbers on the screen changing from 0 - 255 and resting at 128 with the joystick centred. Move the joystick through its vertical range from the bottom to the top a few times, until you see the numbers on the screen changing from 0-127. Press the 'write' button to save the global settings and this should now be saved.

I want to update the Operating System of my X-Station, where can I download this and how do I do this?

The latest X-Station operating system is available to download from the X-Station downloads page and comes with full instructions on how to update the unit.

I get a "packet error" when updating the X-Station operating system from my PC

The instructions which come with the latest X-Station operating system (available from the X-Station downloads page) tell you to use MIDI-OX to update the unit. If you experience a packet error when sending the operating system to the X-Station using MIDI-OX, select 'Configure Buffers...' from the 'Options' menu in MIDI-OX and adjust the Low-Level Output Buffer Size setting. Try setting it to 124 and then upload the operating system again. If that still produces a packet error, keep on doubling the Low-Level Output Buffer Size until the operating system sends successfully.

How do I reset the X-Station to its Factory Settings?

There is no hardware factory reset function on the unit itself since the factory OS, templates, patches and global settings are not stored on a memory chip inside the unit. There are two stages to resetting the unit; reloading the factory templates and reloading the factory patches. Both of these can be done with the X-Station Template Editor which is free to download from the X-Station downloads page. Follow these steps to reset the X-Station:

Reloading the Factory Templates

1. Download the 'X-Station Templates and Resources' from the X-Station downloads page.

2. Connect the X-Station to your computer and turn it on, then open the Editor. If the welcome dialogue appears select 'Send bulk dumps to and from your X-Station'. After this, you may be prompted to select a MIDI input and output device. Select 'X-Station' for both and then click 'OK'. If the welcome dialogue does not appear then select 'Select MIDI input/output device...' from the 'Device' menu, choose 'X-Station' in both menus and then click 'OK'. Next, select 'Bulk Dumps...' from the 'Device' menu.

3. Press the 'global' button on the X-Station to enter the global menu and scroll to the 'Memory Protect' page. Set this to OFF then press 'write' to save the setting and 'play/synth' to return to play mode. Make sure the X-Station is in template mode using the 'play/synth' button.

4. In the Bulk Dumps window click 'Upload factory settings' to send the factory templates to the X-Station. Once the patches have finished uploading click 'OK' to exit the Bulk Dumps window.

Reloading the Factory Patches

5. Download the 'X-Station factory sounds' from the page

6. Select 'Patch Librarian' from the 'Device' menu in the Editor.

7. In the Patch Librarian Window click 'Open...' and select the 'Bank_100_199_inc.syx' file in the folder downloaded in step 5.

8. Make sure the X-Station is in synth mode using the 'play/synth' button and select a sound in bank 1.

9. Click 'Upload' in the Patch Librarian window to send the patches to the X-Station.

11. Once the patches have uploaded click 'Open...' in the Patch Librarian window and select the 'Bank_200_299_inc.syx' file in the folder downloaded in step 5, then select a sound in bank 2 on the X-Station.

12. Click 'Upload' in the Patch Librarian window to send the second bank of patches to the X-Station, then click 'OK' to exit the Patch Librarian window.

Response to notes slows down after a short period of time when using the synth mode on the X-station and the unit is connected via USB to a Mac

This only occurs in the OS version 2.0.1.0. When a note is pressed on a conventional MIDI keyboard, a MIDI message is immediately transmitted out of the MIDI out port. This is not the case with a USB MIDI interface. Instead of a message being sent as soon as the message is triggered, the message is queued in memory called a MIDI buffer within the X-Station and the computer collects the message when it is ready. This is done by making use of the USB MIDI driver.

A Windows PC loads the USB MIDI driver ready for use as soon as the USB MIDI interface is connected. Mac OSX on the other hand only loads a USB MIDI driver ready for use when an application that could potentially use the driver is opened!

Consequently when the X-Station is powered by USB from an OSX Mac, if a music application is not in use, the MIDI driver will not be loaded. Since the X-Station is connected via USB, generated MIDI data is sent to the MIDI buffer but this is not serviced by the USB MIDI driver. The MIDI buffer is of a large, but finite size and when this is full the X-Station will respond to new MIDI events very slowly.

There are three solutions: 1) update the OS of the X-Station. 2) Open a music application or even Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) that can be found under applications/utilities. This is enough to load the MIDI driver and normal operation will resume. 3) from the template common menu, stop the X-Station from transmitting data to USB when the USB connection is only used as a power supply.

How do I set up and use a sustain pedal or footswitch with the X-Station?

When using any of the factory X-Station templates, or when using the X-Station in synth mode, the sustain pedal input will be assigned to keyboard sustain. If sustain is not working correctly either in controller mode or in synth mode, operate the sustain pedal or footswitch and then press the 'template edit' button to access the sustain pedal input settings. Use the 'bank/page' buttons to scroll through the settings and make sure they are set as follows:

• Control Type: CC
• Control Nem: 64
• Display Type: 0-127
• Button Type: Momentary
• Low Value: 127
• High Value: 0

Note that these settings are for a normally closed pedal. If you have a normally open pedal set the Low Value to 0 and High Value to 127. Once you have set these press 'write' twice (synth mode) or four times (controller mode) to save the settings and then 'play/synth' to return to controller/synth mode.

In controller mode, it is possible to assign the sustain pedal input to control functions other than keyboard sustain. A sustain pedal or footswitch can be used to send CC, NRPN, RPN, sysex, MMC, note on/off and program change MIDI messages. The sustain pedal input settings are stored with each template so you can change the function of the sustain pedal input from one template to another. See pages 18-22 of the X-Station user guide for further information on assigning controls.

In synth mode, it is also possible to assign the sustain pedal input to any MIDI message you like. This allows you to control any X-Station synth parameter using a sustain pedal or footswitch by setting it to send the corresponding MIDI message. The MIDI control data for the X-Station can be found in the 'X-Station MIDI Implementation' pdf. As an example, to assign the sustain pedal input to the arpeggiator on/off do the following:

1. Look up which MIDI message arpeggiator on/off is mapped to in the 'X-Station MIDI Implementation' pdf - it is NRPN104 values 28 (off) and 29 (on).

2. Put the X-Station into synth mode and press the 'template edit' button to enter edit mode.

• 3. Operate the expression pedal to bring up its settings and make sure it has the following set:
• Control Type: NRPN
• NRPN LSBank Num: 104
• NRPN MSBank Num: 0
• Display Type: 0-127
• Button Type: Momentary (if you want arp to turn on only when pedal is depressed) or Toggle (if you want arp to turn on/off on alternate presses)
• Low Value: 28
• High Value: 29

4. Press 'write' twice whilst still in edit mode to save the settings and then press 'play/synth' to return to synth mode.

The sustain pedal input will now control the arpeggiator on/off regardless of what synth patch you select because the sustain pedal input settings are saved with the synth mode template, which is recalled every time you switch into synth mode.

How do I set up software control in Ableton Live 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 with the X-Station?

The template that comes with the X-Station for Live 2 can be used with all versions of Live.

For controlling Live load up the Live template on the X-Station and make sure it is selected as the MIDI input and output device in the Live MIDI preferences menu.

To map control on the X-Station to a parameter in Live click on 'MIDI' in the top right corner of the Live window - all of the controls will turn blue.

Select the parameter in Live that you want to control by clicking on it and then move the control on the X-Station that you want to assign to it. Repeat this process for all of the controls in Live that you want to assign and then click the 'MIDI' box again to return Live to normal mode.

Now when you move the controls on the X-Station you have assigned the corresponding controls in Live will respond.

To save your mapping click on 'save template' in the Live preferences menu - this way you will not need to do this all again when you next open Live.

MIDI data from the X-Station is getting recorded with latency in Cubase. How can I resolve this?

If MIDI notes are being recorded with latency try checking the 'Use system timestamp' box in the MIDI Port Setup page in Cubase 4 Device Setup (it is on the 'DirectMusic' page in Cubase SX2/3 - this option will not appear if you are not using at least the latest version of Cubase SX2). This switches the timing reference for MIDI. More information on this can be found here, including a link to a program that can determine which is the most stable timing reference on your computer.

If there is still a problem then try comparing the emulated DirectMusic (DM) ports and the standard WDM ports to see if you get the correct performance out of one or the other. The emulated DM ports will appear as 'X-Station [emulated]' in the Cubase MIDI input and output lists. If you do not see this as an option then the emulated ports are filtered. You can re-enable the filtered MIDI ports by following these steps:

1. Browse to the Cubase program folder (usually C: Program FilesSteinbergCubase 4) and locate the folder "MIDI Port Enabler"
2. Open this folder
3. Pick the file "ignoreportfilter" and move it into the Cubase program folder (one directory up)
4. Start Cubase

Now all available MIDI ports provided by the MIDI interface driver will appear in Cubase.

Be aware that the X-Station will now show up as a MIDI device 2 times in Cubase. Selecting 'All MIDI inputs' will result in double MIDI notes being recorded from both the Windows MIDI driver and the emulated DM driver so only select a single MIDI port as a track MIDI input or configure the 'All MIDI Inputs' in Device Setup first.

More info on emulated DM ports can be found here.

I am struggling to route MIDI data from a sequencer out through the X-Station via USB

The X-Station can function as a USB MIDI interface to allow you to trigger external MIDI devices (e.g. hardware synths) from within your sequencer. You will need to connect your external MIDI device(s) to the MIDI ports on the back of the X-Station. Also ensure that the X-Station is selected as the MIDI output in your sequencer. Press the 'global' button on the X-Staton to enter the global menu and use the 'bank/page' buttons to scroll to the 'USB To MIDI Out' page. Use the 'data/value' encoder to select whether the MIDI data from your sequencer is routed to MIDI out port 1 (-1-), MIDI out port 2 (--2) or both (-12).

How do I set up the X-Station to work with Reason?

Follow these steps to set the X-Station up to work with Reason (version 3 or later):

1. Connect the X-Station to your computer, turn it on and launch Reason.

2. In Reason go to the 'Control Surfaces & Keyboards' page of Preferences.

3. Click 'Add' to add a controller.

4. In the next window select:

• Manufacturer: Novation
• Model: X-Station
• MIDI Input: X-Station
• MIDI Output: X-Station

then click 'OK'.

5. A warning will appear in Reason telling you that a template is about to be uploaded to the X-Station. Before clicking OK, make sure that memory protect is turned off. To do this press the 'global' button to enter the global menu scroll to the 'Memory Protect' page. Use the 'data/value' encoder to set this to 'Off' then press 'write' to save the setting and then use the 'play/synth' to switch the X-Station into controller mode (make sure it is not in synth mode).

6. Click OK in Reason and after a couple of seconds, the X-Station will receive the template. To save this template to the X-Station press the 'write' button once, then use the 'data/value' encoder to select the memory location to which you want to save it. Once selected, press 'write' 3 more times to complete the save.

7. After this you can exit preferences and start using Reason. The Reason template MUST be selected to control Reason. The X-Station will then control whichever device has its keyboard (MIDI In) icon selected in the Reason sequencer.

X-Station Portamento Time doesn't seem to have any affect?

Portamento doesn’t work consistently on polyphonic patches, as the synth glides to the pitch assigned to a voice from the pitch assignment for that voice. As the voices are dynamically allocated, the behaviour may seem unintuitive, even though it is (in theory) predictable. The X-Station is 8 voice polyphonic, so the following example is based around 8 notes and an init patch with the portamento turned up to some degree and the amp release set to 0.:

• Play 8 simultaneous notes (C1, E1, G1, C2, D2, E2, G2, C3).  Assuming the voice assignment starts at voice 1, this will assign e.g.:
• C1 voice 1
• E1 voice 2
• G1 voice 3
• C2 voice 4
• D2 voice 5
• E2 voice 6
• G2 voice 7
• C3 voice 8
• Release all the notes except for the C1.
• Play and release C2 slowly 7 times and listen to the pitch change on each note on. The intuitive behaviour is that C1 is being held, so all subsequent notes should glide from the held note C1, but this logic only really works for one note held. What will actually happen is It will probably try to assign voice 2 to C2 and glide from E1 on the first note press. In all subsequent presses, the voice 2 will be re-used, and the glide will start from C2 and end on C2 – i.e. no apparent glide. Now turn the amp release up to quite a long time and repeat the test.
• The glide will seem to change as the voices in the background are active until they have zero output. This makes the synth use different voices for the C2 note and each will glide from their previous note assignment, until voice 2 hits zero, at which point you’ll be back to not hearing portamento.

Because of the seemingly unpredictable way polyphonic glide works, it's why we add in pre-glide as a portamento option. This gives every note on a predictable amount of glide.

If you change the voice mode to mono or mono AG, the portamento works in a consistent and predicable way. (see page 44 of the manual for how to change this).

Stop my X-Station outputting data when changing templates

Ensure that the templates have not got 'Auto Snapshot' set to on– press the 'template common' button and press page up to find this setting. If set to on, then change it to off and save the template by pressing 'write'. You will have to do this for each template to stop it from sending a snapshot when you press 'play'.

Does the X-Station support feedback from the software being controlled?

No, it does not.

When the X-Station is used in controller mode it can send MIDI data but will not respond to it. MIDI data sent back to the X-Station from your DAW/sequencer can only be routed to the MIDI out ports on the back of the X-Station.

The X-Station only communicates with your software in a one-way fashion when in controller mode.

This means that if you use a control on the X-Station to control a software parameter and then use the mouse to alter that same parameter. The value of the control on the X-Station will not update after changing it with the mouse.

The control will remain on the value it was at after it was last operated by hand.

How to set up keyboard zones on X-Station

The X-Station can be split into four keyboard zones. For each zone, you can define the keyboard range, transpose, whether the MIDI data is sent out of MIDI port 1, MIDI port 2 or via USB, the MIDI channel, velocity curve, whether that zone responds to the pitch/mod stick and also turn aftertouch on/off for that zone.

The keyboard zones can be saved with a template or you can set them globally so that they are permanent no matter what template you select for the knobs/sliders/buttons. Using the Template editor software is a quick way of setting up these zones, alternatively hitting the 'Global' or 'Template' button twice will access the 'Keyboard Zones' menu. The 'page' and 'cursor' buttons are used to navigate through the various parameters mentioned above.

Note: you can hit the required keyboard note to set up the high and low values for each zone.

My X-Station displays "0 Octaves" when I boot up

Press the 'global' button to enter the global menu and press page up until you get to the 'Cal Aftertouch' Page. Press the top and bottom keys of the Remote at the same time, and you will see the number of keyboard octaves on the unit appear on the left-hand side of the screen.

Once you have done this press 'write' to save. Now when you turn on the unit it will recognise what model it is.

I get a "packet error" when updating the X-Station operating system from my PC

The instructions which come with the latest X-Station operating system (available from the X-Station downloads page) tell you to use MIDI-OX to update the unit.

If you experience a packet error when sending the operating system to the X-Station using MIDI-OX, select 'Configure Buffers...' from the 'Options' menu in MIDI-OX and adjust the Low-Level Output Buffer Size setting.

Try setting it to 124 and then upload the operating system again. If that still produces a packet error, keep on doubling the Low-Level Output Buffer Size until the operating system sends successfully.

How many simultaneous inputs can I record with my X-Station?

The X-Station audio interface section has a maximum of two input streams to your computer. When in template mode, the internal synth is disabled and audio inputs 1 and 2 feed the two streams.

In synth mode, the X-Station defaults so the left and right outputs of the synth section feed the two input streams (although the input 2 LEDs will light only).

When switched to mono, using the 'input' button, audio input 1 will become active and a mono synth signal will feed the second stream to the computer.

Patch and Bank changes on X-Station

The bank select buttons (labelled 'BANK/PAGE') on the X-Station works by sending a CC0 message value 0 followed by a CC32 message (selected value) each time either button is pressed.

The 'PROGRAM' buttons send a CC0 message of value 0 followed by a CC32 message with the value selected by the 'BANK/PAGE' button and also a program change message with the program value selected by the buttons. (i.e. a change in program is always preceded by the bank data)

If you see that the 'prog/page' buttons always force your synth to a particular voice type e.g. GM or Keyboards, or that the bank select encoder does not select a bank on your synth then consider the following:

On some synthesisers CC0 messages select the voice type, CC32 messages select the bank and program change messages select the patch. Normally to change voice type you will need to send a CC 0 message followed by a CC32 message and a program change message - just sending a CC0 message will not do anything. Likewise, to change the bank you must send a CC32 message followed by a program change message so that it can change to a particular sound in that bank, sending only a CC32 message will do nothing.

How to set up and use a sustain pedal or footswitch with the X-Station.

When using any of the factory X-Station templates, or when using the X-Station in synth mode, the sustain pedal input will be assigned to keyboard sustain. If sustain is not working correctly either in controller mode or in synth mode, operate the sustain pedal or foot switch and then press the 'template edit' button to access the sustain pedal input settings. Use the 'bank/page' buttons to scroll through the settings and make sure they are set as follows:

• Control Type: CC
• Control Nem: 64
• Display Type: 0-127
• Button Type: Momentary
• Low Value: 127
• High Value: 0

Note that these settings are for a normally closed pedal. If you have a normally open pedal set the Low Value to 0 and High Value to 127. Once you have set these press 'write' twice (synth mode) or four times (controller mode) to save the settings and then 'play/synth' to return to controller/synth mode.

In controller mode, it is possible to assign the sustain pedal input to control functions other than keyboard sustain. A sustain pedal or foot switch can be used to send CC, NRPN, RPN, SysEx, MMC, note on/off and program change MIDI messages. The sustain pedal input settings are stored with each template, so you can change the function of the sustain pedal input from one template to another. See pages 18-22 of the X-Station user guide (available in PDF format from here) for further information on assigning controls.

In synth mode, it is also possible to assign the sustain pedal input to any MIDI message you like. This allows you to control any X-Station synth parameter using a sustain pedal or foot switch by setting it to send the corresponding MIDI message. The MIDI control data for the X-Station can be found in the 'X-Station MIDI Implementation' PDF, available to download from here. As an example, to assign the sustain pedal input to the arpeggiator on/off, do the following:

1. Look up which MIDI message arpeggiator on/off is mapped to in the 'X-Station MIDI Implementation' PDF - it is NRPN104 values 28 (off) and 29 (on).

2. Put the X-Station into synth mode and press the 'template edit' button to enter edit mode.

3. Operate the expression pedal to bring up its settings and make sure it has the following set:

• Control Type: NRPN
• NRPN LSBank Num: 104
• NRPN MSBank Num: 0
• Display Type: 0-127
• Button Type: Momentary (if you want arp to turn on only when the pedal is depressed) or Toggle (if you want the arp to turn on/off on alternate presses)
• Low Value: 28
• High Value: 29

4. Press 'write' twice whilst still in edit mode to save the settings and then press 'play/synth' to return to synth mode.

The sustain pedal input will now control the arpeggiator on/off regardless of what synth patch you select because the sustain pedal input settings are saved with the synth mode template, which is recalled every time you switch into synth mode.

X-Station notes slow down using the synth mode on Mac

This only occurs in OS version 2.0.1.0. When a note is pressed on a conventional MIDI keyboard, a MIDI message is immediately transmitted out of the MIDI port. This is not the case with a USB MIDI interface. Instead of a message being sent as soon as the message is triggered, the message is queued in memory called a MIDI buffer within the X-Station and the computer collects the message when it is ready. This is done by making use of the USB MIDI driver.

A Windows PC loads the USB MIDI driver ready for use as soon as the USB MIDI interface is connected. Mac OSX on the other hand only loads a USB MIDI driver ready for use when an application that could potentially use the driver is opened!

Consequently, when the X-Station is powered by USB from an OSX Mac if a music application is not in use, the MIDI driver will not be loaded. Since the X-Station is connected via USB, generated MIDI data is sent to the MIDI buffer, but this is not serviced by the USB MIDI driver. The MIDI buffer is of a large, but finite size and when this is full the X-Station will respond to new MIDI events very slowly.

There are three solutions: 1) update the OS of the X-Station. 2) Open a music application or even Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) that can be found under applications/utilities. This is enough to load the MIDI driver and normal operation will resume. 3) from the template common menu, stop the X-Station from transmitting data to USB when the USB connection is only used as a power supply.

How can the X-Station be powered?

The X-Station can be powered from USB, from batteries or from the supplied 9V DC power supply.

If rechargeable batteries are fitted, these can be recharged either by the USB power supply or by connecting to the 9V, 1000mA, centre pin positive DC power supply.

The X-Station needs to be turned on for the battery charger to work. Any type of rechargeable battery can be used in the X-Station.

Routing MIDI data from a sequencer to the X-Station via USB

The X-Station can function as a USB MIDI interface to allow you to trigger external MIDI devices (e.g. hardware synths) from within your sequencer. You will need to connect your external MIDI device(s) to the MIDI ports on the back of the X-Station. Also, ensure that the X-Station is selected as the MIDI output in your sequencer.

Finally, press the 'global' button on the X-Staton to enter the global menu and use the 'bank/page' buttons to scroll to the 'USB To MIDI Out' page. Use the 'data/value' encoder to select whether the MIDI data from your sequencer is routed to MIDI out port 1 (-1-), MIDI out port 2 (--2) or both (-12).

How to set the X-Station up to work with Reason

Follow these steps to set the X-Station up to work with Reason (version 3 or later):

1. Connect the X-Station to your computer, turn it on and launch Reason.

2. In Reason go to the 'Control Surfaces & Keyboards' page of Preferences.

3. Click 'Add' to add a controller.

4. In the next window select:

• Manufacturer: Novation
• Model: X-Station
• MIDI Input: X-Station
• MIDI Output: X-Station
• then click 'OK'.

5. A warning will appear in Reason telling you that a template is about to be uploaded to the X-Station. Before clicking OK, make sure that memory protect is turned off. To do this press the 'global' button to enter the global menu scroll to the 'Memory Protect' page. Use the 'data/value' encoder to set this to 'Off' then press 'write' to save the setting and then use the 'play/synth' to switch the X-Station into controller mode (make sure it is not in synth mode).

6. Click OK in Reason and after a couple of seconds, the X-Station will receive the template. To save this template to the X-Station press the 'write' button once, then use the 'data/value' encoder to select the memory location to which you want to save it. Once selected, press 'write' 3 more times to complete the save.

7. After this you can exit preferences and start using Reason. The Reason template MUST be selected to control Reason. The X-Station will then control whichever device has its keyboard (MIDI In) icon selected in the Reason sequencer.

How to remotely control the X-Station via MIDI

The KS synth in the X-Station can be remotely controlled from the USB input (from a computer) or from its MIDI input.

To select the synths MIDI source, put the unit in synth mode using the play button, then press the global button twice to enter the synths global menu. You can now use the Bank/Page buttons to select “Synth Midi Src:” from this menu, and use the Data knob to select MIDI IN, USB or OFF.

Note that parameters accessed from the effects section on the X-Station cannot be controlled via MIDI.

The X-Station pedal input isn't working in template mode

If you are using a sustain/expression pedal and controlling a plug-in or other MIDI device using the X-Station in template (MIDI control) mode, but the pedal has no effect, then it may not be assigned or may be assigned incorrectly. The X-Station synth automatically recognises input to the sustain/expression input jacks and treats them as such, but in template mode, this is not the case. Any one of a range of MIDI messages can be assigned to pedals, as with pots, sliders, and buttons.

To assign a pedal, enter control edit mode by pressing the 'template edit' button and press the pedal to bring up its MIDI control parameters. Depending on what type of pedal it is, ensure the following is set for normal sustain/expression control:

For Sustain:

• Control Type - CC
• Control Num - 64
• Button Type - Toggle
• Low Value - 0
• High Value - 127

For Expression:

• Control Type - CC
• Control Num - 11
• Low Value - 0
• High Value - 127

The action of the pedal can be inverted by setting the low and high values the other way round. You will need to ensure this assignment for each template with which you use the pedal - make sure you save the template by pressing the 'write' button after editing the parameters!

How do I get in to the menus for the synth on my X-Station?

The Oscillator, Mixer, Filter, LFO, Arpeggiator, Sync, Wheels, Aftertouch and Pan menus for the X-Stations onboard synth can be accessed using the buttons above the X-Stations 9 faders.

Are patches from the X-Station compatible with the Xio?

Yes! X-Station patches can be used in the Xio. You can use the Xio Template Editor to import patches saved from your X-Station.

How do I set the pan setting on my X-Station when recording in stereo?

In stereo mode, when 'Pan' is set to 0, the signal is set to mono (an equal amount of both signals is sent to each stereo channel via USB or the outputs). When set to 127, Input 1 is sent to the left channel, and Input 2 to the right.

To accurately record the stereo input without changing the stereo image, you should set the pan control to 127. Setting the 'Pan' to any value lower than 127 will reduce the width of the stereo image, so the control can be used to narrow a stereo signal if it is too wide.

How do I save the audio input settings on my X-Station?

It is possible to save the audio input settings on the settings on the X-Station, they are saved as part of the template. Set the audio inputs up appropriately, then save the template, the input settings (Including the effects) will then be saved with this template.

It the possible to set this template as the default (so it will load when you turn the unit on). This is done by saving the global settings of the unit, with the relevant template selected.

I can't play the synth sounds or change synth programs on my X-Station?

If Local control is turned off in the synth global menu you will not be able to play the synth or change synth patches using the controls on the X-Station.

To turn this back on press the 'global' button twice when in synth mode to enter the synth global menu. You can then use the 'Bank/Page' buttons to select the 'Syn Local Cntrl:' setting and use the 'DATA/VALUE' knob to set this to 'On' then press 'Write' to save the global settings.

Assigning the expression pedal on the X-Station synth

The way the expression pedal works on the X-Station is that you can assign it to any MIDI message you like in synth mode. This allows you to control any X-Station synth parameter using the Expression pedal by assigning it to the corresponding CC or NRPN message. The MIDI Control data for the X-Station can be found in the 'X-Station MIDI Implementation' PDF, available to download from here. As an example, to assign the expression pedal to filter cut-off, do the following:

1. Look up which CC number filter cut-off is mapped to in the 'X-Station MIDI Implementation' PDF - it is CC105.

2. Put the X-Station into synth mode and press the 'template edit' button to enter edit mode.

3. Operate the expression pedal to bring up its settings and make sure it has the following set:

• Control Type: CC
• Control Num: 105
• Low Value: 0
• High Value: 127

4. Press 'write' twice whilst still in edit mode to save the settings, and then press 'play/synth' to return to play mode.

The expression pedal will now control filter cut-off regardless of what synth patch you select because the expression pedal settings are saved with the synth mode template, which is recalled every time you switch into synth mode.

You may want the expression pedal to control a different parameter for each synth patch. If this is the case then you will need to assign the expression pedal, as described above, to one of the CCs which can be assigned to different parameters on the X-Station. These are:

CC1 - Mod Wheel

CC2 - Breath [NOTE: CC11 is the standard CC number for expression, but it is mapped to the breath control settings on the X-Station. You can assign the pedal to CC11 and this will be equivalent to CC2 - you still use the AT/BR menu to assign it, so it makes no difference whether you choose CC2 or CC11]

If you assign the expression pedal to CC1, then you can set what synth parameter it controls in the 'Wheels' menu. If you assign the expression pedal to CC2/CC11, then you can set what synth parameter it controls in the 'AT/BR' menu. If you assign the expression pedal to CC1, then it will have the same effect as the mod wheel.

When you set how much the pedal controls a parameter in the 'Wheels' or 'AT/BR' menus, you will find that the settings have a range of -64 to +63. The value you set will be the amount by which the pedal will change the parameter from its current value. Let's say you assign the pedal to output volume and set this to +63. If the current volume output setting is 25 then when the pedal is up the output volume level will be 25. When the pedal is down, the output volume level will be 25+63=88. Thus, the pedal will vary the volume between 25 and 88.

Now, let's say you assign the pedal to output volume and set this to -52. If the current volume output setting is 127 then when the pedal is up the output volume level will be 127. When the pedal is down, the output volume level will be 127-52=75. Thus, the pedal will vary the volume between 127 and 75 (note the action will be inverted!).

Remember that the 'Wheels' or 'AT/BR' menu settings are saved with each patch. Thus, if you change them, you must write the patch to save the settings.

Transferring templates between an X-Station and computer

Use the X-Station Template Editor to send templates to/from the X-Station, and also to create your own templates. The Editor can be downloaded from here.

To upload a template to the X-Station, follow these steps:

1. Connect the X-Station to your computer and turn it on, then open the Editor.
2. If the 'Welcome' dialogue appears, select 'Nothing thanks!' and click 'OK'.
3. Choose 'Select MIDI input/output device…' from the 'Devices' menu and make sure the X-Station is selected as the input and output device, then click 'OK'.
4. Choose 'Open…' from the 'File' menu and select the template you want to load into the X-Station, then click 'Open'.
5. Make sure the X-Station is in template mode and not synth mode. Then press the 'global' button to enter the global menu and scroll to the 'Mem Protect' page. Set this to 'Off' and press 'write' to save the setting, then press 'play/synth' to return to play mode.
6. Click 'Upload' in the editor to send the template to the X-Station.
7. Once the template has uploaded to the X-Station, press the 'write' button to save the template to the unit. After pressing 'write' once, use the data encoder to select the memory location you want to save the template to, and then press 'write' a further three times to confirm.

To send a template from the X-Station to your computer, follow these steps:

1. Connect the X-Station to your computer and turn it on, then open the Editor.
2. If the 'Welcome' dialogue appears, select 'Listen for a template from your X-Station' and click 'OK'. If the 'Welcome' dialogue does not appear, choose 'Listen for template dump' from the 'Device' menu.
3. Make sure the X-Station is in template mode. Use the data encoder to select the template you want to send, and then press the 'global' button to enter the global menu. Scroll to the 'Dump' page and select 'Current Template'.
4. Press 'write' to send the template to the Editor, and then press 'play/synth' to return to play mode.
5. In the editor, choose 'Save As…' from the 'File' menu to save the template to your computer.

How can I load patches into my X-Station?

You can use the Patch Librarian feature in the X-Station Template Editor to organise the patches stored on the X-Station. It allows you to dump one of the two X-Station patch banks into the editor and then re-order the sounds, swap some out for different ones, delete them, rename them and back them up. The X-Station Template Editor is free to download from the X-Station downloads page. To use the patch librarian follow these steps:

1. Connect the X-Station to your computer and turn it on. Make sure it is in synth mode and then open the Xio editor software.
2. If the editor welcome box appears select 'Nothing Thanks' and click 'OK'. In the editor select 'Select MIDI Input/Output Device...' from the 'Device' menu and make sure the X-Station is set as the MIDI input and output, then click 'OK'.
3. Select 'Patch Librarian' from the 'Device' menu to open the patch librarian window. To dump a patch bank into the librarian click 'Listen'. Put the X-Station into synth mode then press the 'global' button to enter the global menu. Scroll up to the 'Dump:' page, select either 'Sound Bank 1' or 'Sound Bank 2' and then press 'write' to send the bank to the Librarian.
4. Once the patches have finished sending you will see them listed in the Patch Librarian window. You can click on a patch and use the 'Move Up' and 'Move' Down' buttons to change its position in the bank. You can also right-click (ctrl-click on Mac) on any patch in the list to select to rename it, save it as an individual SysEx patch file or replace it with a different patch (perhaps a .syx patch file you have got from our site).
5. You can use the 'save' button in the Patch Librarian to save the whole bank as a single .syx file or the 'save all' button to save all of the patches as individual SysEx files.
6. To reload the bank into the X-Station make sure the unit is in synth mode and then select a patch in the bank you want to overwrite i.e. if you want to overwrite bank 1 then select patch 1XX or if you want to overwrite bank 2 then select patch 2XX. Then press the 'global' button to enter the global menu and scroll to the 'Mem Protect' page. Make sure this is set to 'OFF' then press 'play/synth' to return to play mode. Click 'upload' in the Patch Librarian to send the bank back to the unit.
7. If you have downloaded a single patch bank file rather than individual patch files that you want to load into the unit then select 'open' in the Patch Librarian window and then follow step 6 to load it into the unit. Note that you should back up the existing patches first as they will be overwritten.

The X-Station Editor Patch Librarian is capable of loading sounds from the other following Novation units:

• K-Station
• KS (programs only)

Recalibrating the X-Station's Pitch/mod joystick

To do this you need to select the 'Cal Pitch/Mod:' page in the global menu on your X-Station (press the 'Global' button then use the 'BANK/PAGE' buttons to scroll through the options).

Once on this page, move the pitch bend joystick from extreme left to extreme right a few times until you see the numbers on the screen changing from 0 to 255 and resting at 128 with the joystick centred.

Then move the joystick through its full vertical range from the bottom to the top a few times, until you see the numbers on the screen changing from 0-127. Once you have done this, press the 'write' button to save the global settings, and this should now be saved.