I demo'd this in Red Dog (Edinburgh) recently, and it is without doubt brilliant. Compared to System 8, I far preferred the Peak. What I liked was the combination of brilliant, very versatile sound plus the intuitive, classy feel of the interface. The multimode filter is stunning - band pass tweaked on chords = instant dub techno sounds. I also have to disagree with those complaining about menu diving. The menu gives you access to tonnes of useful detailed options to tweak specific aspects, but for basic programming you don't have to do any menu diving. They have made very good decisions about what to put on front panel knobs/buttons and what to tuck away in menus. Unlike some other Novations, there are separate controls for each oscillator, and two lots of env controls. Everything you need is right there on the panel. As for those saying this sounds thin or brittle...I mean, it can if you want it to, with the HP filter and the wavetables, but if you can't make this machine sound fat and warm, then I think you may be beyond help. The things I would like to see added are voice panning options and a chord memory. The arp will play chords, but I don't think you can transpose them from the keyboard. A more standard chord memory option would be very welcome on a synth of this kind.
This sounds bloody good.. could do with a few more mod destinations, although there are already many more than the P6/OB6 or System 8 and you do have 2x mod sources per slot which is very nice. Some possible extra destinations: glide time, LFO slew, VCA pan, unison detune? Other feature requests would be: alternative tuning tables, and 'parameter drift' to complement the oscillator tuning drift per voice (as available on the DM12), so that there are subtle variations in filter, envelopes, etc. per voice. This could be done via modulation matrix, perhaps?
Thanks for this. Are you planning on doing a review of the REV2? I'm between these two synths and its not an easy choice. They both seem to have a decent number of pluses and minuses. Love the balanced out on this one, Love the digital Osc options but not a fan of the menu diving. REV2 has limited osc features, a very distinct tone (love it or hate it), unbalanced out and only 1 effect at a time. But it does have a robust sequencer, very little menu diving, a keyboard and the ability to upgrade fro 16 voices all for a bonkers good price. For me it will probably come down to trying both since neither is a "perfect" synth.
I would not say that the DSI has less menu diving, both have a couple of things that the other one lacks. The Prophet 6 and OB-6, has almost every parameter on the front, but the Rev 2 is not designed in the same way.
I guess compared to the Rev 2 the sound palette on this is wider, and a better sounding filter. But in terms of one-knob-per-function, you can't beat dsi. Too bad that they use the P08´filter, which is perhaps the only complaints people made towards the P08´over the years. Then you have the unreliability and cheap quality of Novation, compared to the high end q of dsi. The Rev 2 seems very praiseworthy and the Peak is just very overpriced. But sound wise I´d pick the Peak;-)
Peak is still a great hybrid synth. Star of the show is the reverb (amazing). Arp is better than most. They added user wavetables and 2 more LFO's. Solid choice new. Used at $1k range is a great option. Quality product while not being cheap and also not expensive. Novation did a great job and bonus is still updating and adding features yrs later.
Congrats on 100k subs!! Thanks for another great review. Im really liking this synth, but is a bit pricy. Really hope you are able to get a Rev 2, I may make a choice between those 2.
Do we know if there is going to be software for this? Huge fan of the Sub37 software. Allows an incredible way of getting to the menu parameters. Deepmind has solid software also (from what I have heard). That is a big bonus for me in purchasing a synth.
Great review of this synth. It sure looks like a lot of fun to play with. I wish I could see a Moog Voyager XL review from sonicstate. You guys make amazing reviews.
Caid Johnson The Voyage was discontinued. Check out the Moog Subsequent 37, A miniature mini Moog for $1500 bucks. Sounds much better than the Sub 37 and has that Moog sound.
I've really grown to love the Novation line. The only things I own are the slmkii and Impulse midi controllers, but the intelligent design and build quality of those led me to their synths. I'd "decided" upon a Supernova II - and am still looking for a good price on one - but wow, this this seems cool. Not crazy about the dependence on the menu - I hate that (who doesn't?) - but everything else is extremely compelling. GREAT review, as usual. So grateful for your knowledge and research.
Zach Barnhart Any synth that has a lot of depth requires menus. You can dial in your sound, attach options to your mod wheel to actuate, and save it to one of the blank memory locations. Press one button to switch sounds and go.
It's hard to choose between the peak and the rev2. :/ Question for you...On the Peak, can you independently assign an LFO to modulate the pitch (at some depth/rate) of one oscillator, and then assign another LFO to modulate the pitch (at another depth/rate) of a second oscillator?
Yes. And Novation added two additional LFOs after the release via firmware for a total of four so you can assign one to each of all three of the oscillators. Granted, LFOs 3 & 4 are global only so you don’t have a separate LFO per voice.
Love your reviews on equipment. spent a few months checking various kits before deciding on the peak, instead of a virus though i like those too.. i just got the peak today and the amount of things is enough to get lost for hours.
Great review as always Nick! I can't wait until mine arrives. It's exactly what i have been waiting for, versatile oscillators that do sound amazing to my ears, and analogue distortion goodness. Plus the 16 slot mod matrix to get crazy with. That the effects sound as they do, is just the cherry on top. Great job, Novation! I think this is a future classic...
You didn't say anything about MPE so I guess it doesn't have full MPE support but I am left with the following questions: 1. Can the polyphonic aftertouch be routed to the filter for pr. voice filtering? 2. Can each voice be controlled with a separate midi channel allowing for pr. voice pitch bending and pitch slides?
Very impressive. I’ve been looking hard at old Supernovas, KS5, and JP8K....but Peak is superior. Its a shame there isn’t more modulation but thats Novation. If it had a5 octave keybed, instabuy! Novation has a hx with Nova desktop which later added keys as Supernova 2.
No KB is good. I don’t have room for another. I think the price is quite reasonable for the unit. The closest competitor appears to be DSI desktops like Prophet 08 or 12 (and Rev 2 versions). One excellent feature of those two synths is that they can be split into two layers A and B that are accessible by successive MIDI channels, making them bi-timbral. So with something like an Octatrack or Digitakt, you can sequence a four note pad and a thick unison bass line or lead. I wonder if it would be possible for Novation to do that with the Peak in an OS upgrade.
Clever routing with A&B sources! Flexible! I wonder if it has the same problem as the bass station 2? 1. Variable filter tracking? 0-200%? 2. Lfo's that start with the midi beat clock and stay in sync...and resets every time midi clock restarts...and if you change the divisions/speed of the LFO, will it wait until the next beat so it will stay in sync with the midi clock?
Hey, you might already be aware but they added filter tracking to the BS2 in a firmware update! Not quite variable 0-200% but there are 8 different values from no tracking to full (presumably 100%). Looking at the manual for the Peak, it does support 0-100% filter tracking with a resolution of 128.
I'm mostly a bass guitarist and currently use a Bass Station 2 but was considering a Deepmind 12 or Prophet Rev 2, now Novation have muddied the waters further. everyone stop making synths for a minute please!
ewanstefani Yeah I think the Peak sounds great and I really like the BS2 but the one thing putting me off is monotimbrality. Leaning towards the Rev 2 because realistically I can only lug one synth around with me and I'd really appreciate being able to do splits.
Novation have to implement a way to set mod routings from the front panel, just as Moog did with the Sub37. To have to menu dive like that when you are in the flow of sound creation is a real buzz killer.
Me too. It doesn´t seem to be too menu-ey, not more menu-ey than a DSI Pro2. And for sure much less menu-ey than a Behringer DeepMind XX. I bet the problem ppl. have is not the "menu-eyty" but the brandname. If it would say DSI or Korg on it, ppl. would flip and buy it like cut bread. But hey...i bet this will sell like hot cake.
It can be less menu-y than the Rev 2, if one only need the parameters that are on the front panel. But for certain things it will be more menu-y. If it came from NordKeyboards/Clavia, and was put inside a big red keyboard, and came in under 2K, it would have probably sold better than with any other brand name. If it was Korg, people would probably not been willing to let go of the fact the oscs are not analog, after numerous of analog synths. If it was Roland, people would have been dissapointed it was yet another digital synth, with no analog in sight. DSI has the Prophet 6, OB-6 bothers from different fathers, even if they stopped the Prophet 12, and released this instead of the rev 2, that would be problematic internal competition. Yamaha, could perhaps have pulled this off. People would glad to see that they were making synths again. The Montage feels very much like a workstation, that they are trying to push as a synth, in hope of riding the hardware synth trend. With Novation it is hard to tell. The Laundpad has put them on the radar of some new folks, however that is a cheap product, and this is not really. I hope it will sell very well. And I really really wish it could win over some analog purists. I mean some of them have even starting to accept DCOs, just because Behringer could do it so cheap. In my mind this type of technology seems like a much better "compromise" compared to the basic DCO architecture of the deepminds.
You're probably right about "purists" and the development paths of some companies, but since I acquired my BS II, all I've wanted in a new Novation Analog was a polyphonic version. The Peak seems like a better deal than what I'd envisioned, and it looks/sounds like a *much* better one. I never considered using ridiculously-high resolution digital oscillators for the sonic foundation. I also never considered changing up the filter, and adding a bonzer reverb and other effects. I apologize if I seem like a Novation shill, but I'm not. I just like what I like.
Another great review! As is pointed out, the Peak is up against quite a few other synths in its price bracket so it would be great to have a bit more of a comparison against some others.
I think DSI are struggling to keep up with the demand for their instruments. Well, that's the only reason I can think of for them not sending Nick their latest units.
The Deepminds uses stable DCOs, that doesnt have any "analog character", but it has drift, to emulate that. I would say that it isn't any advantage over good digital OSCs. Deepminds only have lowpass filter mode. The Deepmind 12s have the same number of OSCs as the Peak, but they are simpler and much simpler in case of the 2nd OSC per voice. I would say there is no need to focus on the "full analog audio path, when the effects are bypased". If one can live with the even more limited front panel, that requires even more menu digging, and one will not miss the extra waveforms, FM, and filter modes, then the Deepmind 12 desktop is probably a good choice, depending on the actual street-price. The only one that can really decide is you yourself. Nick got the Sub 37, and Dominion 1, and they were both the same price. So we know he can see himself buying a synth for the price of the Peak. But for somone that will never ever pay more than 1K, well then the Peak isn't an option. And perhaps Nick has to limit his synth purchases. (In my case, due to the front panel of the Deepmind 12, I would rather go for software. If it came with a good front panel, I could forgive it for the relatively simple synthesis, as long as it was priced better than the competition. As it is now, if I would pick up any of them, it would be the Peak)
Hi Jon, thanks for your reply. I already have a Sub 37 and don't mind spending the money on quality or either the menu diving. I'm just curious as there is such a big price difference, I might just carry on saving for a DSI desktop.
The DM12 is a Juno architecture, so quite limited in the basic timbres available; there is much more variety here with 3x digital oscillators and those multi-mode filters.
What is the maximum amount of LFO repeats? Apart from infinite of course. Could be interesting when used at audio rates for percussive sounds and such.
The manual is already online, we should check that out. It says: Repeats Displayed as: Repeats Initial value: Off Range of adjustment: Off, 1 - 127 Repeats sets how many cycles of LFO waveform will be generated each time the LFO is triggered. So if set to 1, you will only hear the effect of any LFO modulation for a single cycle, and hence for a short duration (depending on the setting of Rate, of course). LfoSync is also possible and will influence this.
Ah excellent! So maximum 127 repeats. I asked because I think this can be interesting at high rates. Setting a certain amount of repeats for an audio rate LFO might give interesting "attacks" to a sound. Maybe in combination with the LFO fade out.
They added a bunch of new stuff in firmware 1.2 2 more LFO and more, I love the extra lfo but I'm a mod freak. Peak has an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array ) A CPU that can learn new stuff with firmware updates, you can write new instructions to the cpu. Very diffrent to computer CPU like Intel and AMD.FPGA are not as fast as regular CPU's and are mostly used in expensive low number high end electronics.
I wonder if there is a possibility to import own wavetables. Filters sounds good and clean... But IMO this thing can't beat Serum and Re-Pro VST plugins by a possible sound range.
I think I have watched every vid on youtube about this synth and it is always about features. Please show us what this thing can sound like! I would love to see a vid of patch creation. Delving through unique sounds. Please and Thank You!
I'll see if I get time. I was not all that impressed with the patches, Not that they are bad, but I found it better to start from scratch for the purposes of the review
Understandable. Your patches sounded great btw. It would be great to hear more. Maybe have a killer synth player show us what is possible? Thanks again, love the vids!
I have to say, in the first part you had some great sounds coming out of the synth, Nick, i would be more than pleased to hear more of your patches. So far yours blew me away and triggered my shopping impulse...:D
Pulse2AM Sterile and bland? Ha ha ha ha. Sounds like your social life! Better listen to both part 1 and 2 after you clean the wax out of your ears. Peak has the sound, what you need are skills.
I sort of get it though, it's a bit mono sounding despite being stereo. This is the main thing holding me back from loving it. No panning automation either I read.
Like the sound. But too much menu diving. Almost every sound that Nick made you could do under half a minute with the Ob-6.....and the sound would be in a different league with those vco:s. But, this is a really good sounding hybrid with a lot of potentials. To bad that the price is so high....
and Soundwise they are both on a fairly equal playing field? Interesting that DM12 has better effects. I'd also probably say without even touching them that Peak is built better.
Really? Have you noticed all the knobs, buttons, and sliders? I'm kidding. To me it seemed like the deeper stuff was in menus and the necessary stuff was on the front panel. The Bass Station 2 had a similar panel and it was easy to get "moddy" with a few knob presses etc. Doesn't seem *that* bad to me.
To be honest I thought that if this had been an Elektron Peak Nick might have complained about the tiny screen! He did seem to be going to it constantly and things like the mod matrix are unusable without it. Just a pause for thought in my opinion. The Deepmind uses a screen too but a much bigger one.
I could probably accept the level of menu-digging on the Peak. But it would have been better if they do like Nick suggest and have short-cuts to assing a front panel parameter just by wiggling it. I would also like to see a panel-mode, where the actual settings of parameters on the front panel becomes active. The Deepmind is just too menu-ey for my taste.
I think if I could get this for around $400-500, I would, but I wouldn't spend more than that. Guess I'll wait a few years to see if they drop down on the used market :)
If it is a huge success and they keep building on the concept, perhaps it will reach those kind of prices in 7-10 years, but than there will be never versions that are so much better... would you still be willing to pay that price then?
If you mean used, well it MIGHT happen if you're lucky. But frankly there are a LOT of people here, on Gearslutz and other places that have made similar comments and they come across quite naive and unrealistic: Novation need to make a profit AND cover the cost of R&D, and the BOMs. This is not a simple synth and for its specification the price seems quite reasonable. Considering DSI are charging more for the REV2 which might come with a keyboard but sounds quite lackluster in comparison, I'd say the Peak is a good deal. A professional instrument with a surprisingly not eye-watering "pro price".
Y'all need to calm down out here on the Internet. No, I'm not poor, I own plenty of expensive gear. I was talking about getting one used years from now, like I said in my original post. Maybe it will be one of those pieces that never drops in value, but if it does, I'd snatch one up if it was $500 on eBay. That's all. It's just not exciting enough to me to buy it new, full price. If you like it, go ahead and buy a new one. The more that get sold, the more likely someone will sell me one for cheap in five years :)
Seems to be a good unit with interesting sounds. But what is this out of date ridiculous display ? Seems to come back from an old 80's synth. Horrible for a stage using. And where is the noise generator ? For such a price we could expect at least a good design, analog vco's and so on. Many other brands are providing better quality for the same price.
No need for analog VCOs in a hybrid synth!! Hybrid synths have their advantages. You want analog, there are os many other options. Why compare this to what it was never meant to be?
I think that is unrealistic expectations. I mean, there are many good softwares that are really good for a fraction of the price, some when on offer are probably 1/10th of the price. But for a hardware with 8 analog filter, 8 VCAs, plus a complex processor and a lot of research behind it to develop a new type of digital oscs, it is a fair price. A synths is not a synth, almost every synth, has it own set of specifications, so if you find a cheaper synth, it will not be a cheaper version of the same thing. It will be a different thing.
Jon Holstein 8 filters? 8 vca's? I think the voices are summed together and put through the filter and the vca which is a slight different thing than having 8 distinct filters/vca's
Yeah, all those greedy multinational synth megacorps, they just want to squeeze money out of the musicians instead of giving their stuff away for free... amazing how naive people can be when it comes to the synthesizer market. Those things don't sell by the truckload, my guess is that if this one sells 2000 units it's considered a success. 10000 units sold are rare and a big success (the original minimoog sold 13000, a korg ms20 (the old one) maybe +20000), six figures are usually only reached by digital synths (dx7, microkorg). So Economy of scale doesn't really apply here, unless you are in the category of Behringer (would really like to know the sold units of the DM12) And from the retail price you have to deduct the shares for VAT, the retailer, the distributor and the production (my wild guess: more than 50%), and apart from the R&D people the company has to pay all the other people working for them, office space, and other taxes. Oh, and of course they want to earn money so they can keep the company going and make new products, totally legitimate imho. The synth market is not one where you get really rich really fast. for really overpriced products from a greedy corp go look at 🍎 Didn't know until today that Novation belongs to Focusrite though. Might help with the production bills.
That doesn't work right and would be very unexpected behavior. If you had only one filter, what's going to happen when different notes are pushing different contours to it?
