Novation Remote-25 / X-station 2.0, X-station - Its just a bit Crap. Options

[Richard Trier]

Finally Novation have released X-Station 2.0 software for REmote Audio Extreme. This OS upgrade converts the humble midi controller into a single part KS Engine.... whatever that is when its at home.

For people who already bought the Remote 25 you will know just how long novation have taken to release this software.. their excuse at the time was "we're just trying to get it right"... OK so this is an acceptable excuse, we'd rather a bit of kit that works than a half baked mess. Unfortunatly it seams is exactly what novation have made. The Synth sounds awesome with excellent patches (well they come from the KS synth - so Im chuffed)

It seems the problem is useability. YOU CANT PLAY IT! you can press a few keys and twiddle the occasional knob but anything more than this makes the keyboard crash. Which them requires a swift on and off manouver (do this to often and OS X will crash too).

The update is available at www.novationmusic.com/xkstation
if you need it.... dont expect too much though.

P.S. AudioUnit version of V-Station still hasnt been updated to a version that actually works either.. but thats a story for another day.

[mrjeffrey]

i really like the idea of this thing and im considering putting out the cash, but just how good is it really? the usb thing is worrysome, is it 1.0 or 2.0? 1.0 might be a deal breaker for me. and it CRASHES? what's up with that? are there any other units out like this with usb 2.0 or firewire? i really like the all in one aspect of this, just this guy and my laptop to lug around. is it worth the money?

[Richard Trier]

The Remote 25 seemed like the best option for me when i bought it - I am running a powerbook and needed an i/o and a keyboard so I decided to take out 2 birds with one stone.
It a great keyboard and sound card - does everything that you could want and more.
It is USB 2.0 and so can power itself from your laptop (although your battery might not last very long doing this).
The synth is fantistic and does work without crashing with various apps such as ableton live. however if you just fancy playing along with itunes it kinda goes funny! I dont know why it would do this.. but hey! I prefer jamming with Live anyway.
the other disapointing thing about it is that the synth does not make itself available as an input. so using it with somthing like Ableton Live means that you cannot sample what you play on the synth.
Additonally the V-station software STILL doesnt work as and audiounit!
I would highly recommend the remote 25 - it does everything and more. Well worth the money. Novation hit on a great idea here and made it work. For me the disspointing side of it is that with just a few tweaks here and there it could hit perfection.

[nuon]

Hi all ! The reason i used this forum is because i am having the crash problem too. The thing is that it crashed and i dunno why, however it does not need an on/off procedure, as a bit of time waiting is enough to make it come back to life

I am using it with ableton live, and it works very fine, but it crashed after a bit of time... I think it might be because of the usb cable ... is there anything such as USB 1.0 and 2.0 specific cables ? because that can be the problem ...

TO RICHARD : you can sample what you play mate choose the input on the preferences to be the remote 2in/2out, and in the input of the channel you wish to record to, choose live in and youre on the road it really works, the patches are very nice and the sound is great. Be sure to use the monitor knob to mix the synth/soundcard volume !

I hope you enjoy the live/x-station combo, and if you guys find a solution for the unit NOT TO CRASH please send me a PM or anything just to let me know how to work that out !

Thanks
nuno
Portugal

[filarion]

I was similarily angry after updating. However, the problem for me only manifests itself when I'm using the Remote25 Audio without MIDI drivers active on the Powerbook. With Logic or Live (set to Remote25 Audio MIDI) open I can tweak whatever I want, record automation over automation etc. without a hitch. Same when the USB is unplugged and I'm running on AC adapter. The only problem I have is when I'm not running any audio software, USB is plugged in and I'm strarting to play more than a couple of keys. Seems like a MIDI loop issue - not that much of a problem for me, but annoying considering the time it took them..

[schjvaaz]

does anyone know when the novation x-station will become available?

[filarion]

the x-station -is- the Remote25 Audio you can buy. You get the software by mail and can download the X-Station firmware from the novation website.