Novation Peak Polyphonic Synthesizer
Scale the heights of polyphonic synthesis with the Novation Peak synthesizer, an 8-voice desktop beast with aftertouch, FM, modulation, and on-board effects.
Overall User Ratings (based on 5 ratings)
Submitted November 23, 2017 by Mario Ghecea in Everett, WA
"Novation Peak is a Beast..."
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I saw the youtube videos from Novation, mylarmelodies and other and generally I know something good when I hear it...I bought this synth on a great hunch! There was something abrasive about its character that I instantly loved. I find it fitting for the sound I am after. I have lots of synthesizers including DSI Prophet 12 and the REV2. I have owned Prophet 6, Matrix Brute and Tempest. I have lots of synths to reference this Novation Peak synth against. For instance, I also own an DeepMind 12 Desktop, my Virus TI2, Radias, Waldorf Blofeld and MOOG Modulars. This synth has a harsh character that I need in my sound. Its a pleasant grainy phatness that to my ears sounds like a good tape saturation/distortion effect. It comes from the low end of the gritty oxford oscillators. We have three to choose from here and they sound crisp because they are oversampled at 21 MHz. So it is a good thing...I find the sounds simply better and super clean/clear among all the poly's that I have including the Dave Smiths. Of course it is not at the caliber of a DSI, but you can go crazy with this synth in the mod matrix or you can stay simple and classic vintage so it is a win...win...I'm looking to find flaws, but ohter than the lack of software support, I love it so far. The FM modes are a big thumbs up! Its definitelly a keeper and wider and grittier sounding in my opinion than its newest rival from Behringer.
Musical Background:
Musician, Producer, Composer
Musical Style:
Electronic, Synthesizer based music
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Submitted January 24, 2019 by Aaron R
"Seriously Impressive"
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The Novation Peak is absolutely amazing. I've been using it since October 2017 and it still impresses me. It's the most versatile synth I've ever used. Thanks to the neutral, digital oscillators it can be as transparent as you want. And thanks to the distortion and overdrive it can be as obnoxious or lo-fi as you want. The analog multi-mode filter lets you cover Moog to Oberheim territory. I call it a chameleon because it can do anything. Unlike other synths there aren't specific sweet spots. You create your own sweet spots.For most things there's very little menu diving. The menus themselves are pretty straight forward. The FX section sounds excellent. It has one of the best reverbs on any synth. The chassis and knob feel are top notch.With the latest firmware update (v1.2) it now has far more wavetables and an improved modulation section. It also received better factory patches that really show what this synth is capable. You can't go wrong with this synth. It punches well above it's price.
Musical Background:
Electronic Music Production - 12 Years
Musical Style:
Dark Ambient, Downtempo, Synthwave
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Submitted July 27, 2020 by a customer from gmail.com
"Sounds amazing"
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I bought this mainly for the knob per function control over the effects and the three oscillators. I went from only having a Deepmind 12 to now having both and I can say the peak totally showcases very easily why there is a significant price difference. The sound is extremely high quality full of robustness and texture with minimal tweaking in most cases. The oscillators are very fat and warm and I love that you have the same controls across all three. The only issues I have with this synth are that the oscillator detune isn’t as intense sounding as something that’s completely analog, and I wish there were some more routing destinations in the mod matrix, but it’s not that big a deal considering you have several fm and noise destinations that work really well. I bought this mainly for bass but I obviously wanted some polyphonic fun because why not? I think I bought the perfect synth for my needs and I’m sure novation will continue to reassure me of that. Do yourself a favor and buy it.
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Submitted May 21, 2019 by Taylor H in Winston-Salem, NC
"Fantastic Sounding and Versatile Synth"
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I have been researching the Peak for about a year at this point and after the latest software update was released I decided to go ahead and finally get one. Boy do I love it!
Sound
Despite having digital oscillators (OH NO!) this thing puts out some amazing analog-style sounds. In addition, you have the wavetables which add a lot of versatility. You can get some wonderful sounds that are simply not possible on an analog synth. Having three oscillators on a polysynth can get pretty insane at times! The analog distortion sounds really great, as do the other effects. The reverb is particularly lovely.
Features
It's packed with great functionality. A 16-slot mod matrix provides a huge amount of modulation possibilities. You have three envelopes available, plus four LFO's (as of the 1.2 update), and the LFO's can even be used as envelopes. The librarian software is a nice addition and makes it easy to build setlists.
Ease of Use
The majority of the functions have a dedicated control on the front panel, making it a very intuitive synth to use. There are a lot of deeper functions that are accessed in the menu which can be a little tedious at first but once you understand where they are it becomes fairly easy to navigate. The menu system is well though out and has even been improved as of version 1.2. I do wish that the controls for FM synthesis and oscillator sync were on the front panel though. The documentation is well written and informative. It would be nice if there was a proper manual included in the box but I can live with downloading a PDF and saving some trees.
Quality
It seems very well made and sturdy. It's surprisingly heavy at about ten pounds, with a full metal chassis and nice wooden end caps. The knobs, buttons, and faders seem sturdy too. There are nice big rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from sliding around. Definitely feels like it was made to last and will do just fine as a live instrument.
Value
I think the price they are charging is totally fair. It's a well made, great sounding synthesizer with some great features and awesome sonic potential. It's also very versatile and would serve as a great main synthesizer for your setup.
Manufacturer Support
I had a question about the product before I purchased it and they were quick to respond with an answer. It wasn't the correct answer but I appreciate that they were available. I also have to give big props to Novation for their ongoing support of their products via software updates. A lot of manufacturers will fix some bugs and issues but it's rare that a company continues to add features and functionality. Just look at what the Circuit has become since it was released. It's not even the same product today as it was at launch. I imagine they will continue updating the Peak with new wavetables and hopefully more features.
The Wow Factor
Ever since I discovered the Peak I've been very interested in it. It's a great combination of quality sound, quality build, versatility, and ease of use. The form factor is also appealing to me. I like that it's a module without a keyboard as I already have a workstation that I use as the main controller for my rig. They recently announced the Summit, which looks very cool, but the deign of the Peak fits more into my setup.
Musical Background:
Been playing various instruments since childhood. I'm mainly a bassist and keyboardist these days.
Musical Style:
Progressive rock, metal, electronic
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Submitted April 19, 2020 by Joshua D in Concord, NC
"Wowowowow"
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It came down to this or a rev 2, 8I mainly chose this because of the wavetables and bass capabilities. After using it for one day i can say it does both amazingly well ;)
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