The latest XNB video offers a deep dive into the Novation Peak, a hybrid analog/digital 8-voice polysynth.
The Peak combines powerful digital oscillators, analog signal path and digital effects to offer a best-of-both worlds approach to subtractive synthesis.
This video is not a review, but instead offers a complete guide to the Novation Peak.
Topics covered:
0:00 – Intro
0:23 – Navigation & Presets
04:42 – Saving
06:19 – Oscillators
15:25 – OSC settings
28:39 – Filter
37:00 – Voice modes
45:34 – Envelopes
56:01 – LFO’s
01:09:49 – Mod Matrix
01:20:26 – Animate
01:25:09 – Voice spread
01:29:53 – Arpeggiator
01:36:40 – FX quick overview
01:38:33 – Conclusion
Check out the video and share your thoughts on the Novation Peak in the comments!
about time.
What are your thoughts on the Novation Peak?
This or the PolyBrute 6, REV2, etc.?
Used to be interested in the peak when I was looking for an all-rounder when picking up this hobby five years ago or so. Do these still sell in the current market? It seems to be just available everywhere, but I don’t see them being used in people’s setups or anything. Are they just forgotten? People disappointed? It seemed capable enough, and function-wise it eeems to hold up with current midrange synths.
In the past couple of years the range of synths available on the market has truly exploded with many new companies achieving success building ambitious quality products from the getgo. While synth sales are at an all time high outselling guitars in the US market and many countries around the world the range of manufacturers has equally increased and the increased demand is distributed between all these brands, which leads to fewer synths being sold out unless they face manufacturing problems. Availability doesn’t make a synth worse at all.
Yep, they hold their value very well, used examples sell for 75% or more of their new price.
Like all desktop synths, they simply disappear in most setups, as they’ve not got a whacking 49 or 61 key keyboard with the name across the top and back. I see them everywhere, they’re an exceptional and very popular synth, with numerous tweaks released by Novation.
Very solid build too, I rate mine above all the Sequential/DSI gear I have, and that’s not knocking the quality or sound of anything Dave built – the Peak is simply better build quality. Great synth, worth digging deeper !
i have a lot of great synths and if i could only keep one it would be Peak. it sounds truly amazing and is extremely versatile. and if you are someone who loves a bit of fur (distortion) like me, there is analog drive before the filter, AND after the filter. you can get very delicate beautiful sounds and enormous nasty sounds. i am a fan. i wish they made a Summit in the desktop Peak form factor, maybe i’ll just get a 2nd Peak. 😉
The Peak is one of the most under-rated synths on the market.
The analog purists didn’t approve of the Peak’s digital oscillators and missed the boat on this. The wavetable oscillators are one of the Peak’s best features, though.
It’s one of the best hybrid synth designs that I’ve ever worked with – great oscillators, great analog signal path and great digital effects.