Novation Peak Polyphonic Desktop Synthesizer

Novation Peak sounds warm and rich with filthy, biting overdrive. It’s an eight-voice desktop polyphonic synthesizer with three New Oxford Oscillators for each voice. The synth has a resonant multi-mode analogue filter for each voice, and three distortion points in an analog signal chain.

PEAK FIRMWARE UPDATE V2.0

In Novation’s biggest update for Peak, firmware update v2.0 brings a multitude of features across stereo controls, modulation and unpredictability, and effects, that give you powerful tools to shape your sound.

Create more intricately textured soundscapes with updated stereo controls. Experiment with expansive sound design with modulation and unpredictability. A range of effects improvements bring new tonalities with the addition of Chorus Modes, Flanger, Phlanger, new effects modulation destinations and Lo-Fi delay.

STEREO

New spread modes, panning per voice, and panning in the mod matrix give additional control and allows for sound design in the stereo field. Now you can create bigger, wider, and more intricately textured soundscapes.

MODULATION AND UNPREDICTABILITY

Create deeper and more experimental sounds with new mod destinations, noise as a mod source, and additional LFO 3 and 4 parameters. Animate Envelopes and Arpeggiator Chance open more creative performance possibilities.

EFFECTS

New effects, including Chorus Modes, Flanger, and Phlanger add new tonalities. Additional effects modulation destinations open up more experimental sound design. A new Lo-Fi delay mode enables a more vintage style sound.

BUG FIXES

The firmware update v2.0 includes a number of bug fixes. The full details can be found in the release notes.

Summit and Peak firmware v2.0 is the last addition to the legacy of Chris Huggett’s innovative synth design work with Novation. Having shaped the sound of Novation’s iconic synths – including Bass Station, Supernova, Bass Station II, Peak and Summit, Chris has left an indelible imprint on Novation’s heritage, and we will always be grateful for his influence and inspiration.

ANALOG WHERE IT MATTERS – DIGITAL WHERE IT COUNTS

Peak’s design consultant was none other than Chris Huggett, the man behind Bass Station, Supernova, OSCar and many more legendary synths. Peak has its origin in the Bass Station II analog monosynth, and Peak’s oscillators sound completely analog by being high-quality NCOs (Numerically-Controlled Oscillators), but gain the flexibility of the digital domain with 17 digital wavetables.

BUILD AND REFINE NEW SOUNDS FROM SCRATCH

Broaden out your electronic music, draw in new influences and take artistic risks. The modulation system puts the most frequently used assignments right at your fingertips in the main controls. More elaborate movements and secondary ‘via’ assignments are made just a few menu button presses away.

CONNECT TO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING

You can plug Peak into your Mac or PC via USB and start playing. It also has MIDI I/O on five-pin DIN ports, so you can connect your other MIDI gear. Oh, and did we mention it connects to modular systems via a CV modulation input?

WAVETABLE EDITOR

The Wavetable Editor unleashes the power of the wavetable oscillators. It features drawing tools and a Live Edit mode, so you can draw your own oscillator shapes and preview them in real time. Audio import lets you load in your own audio to be used as the oscillator waveform. Included is a curated selection of space-themed audio from the NASA sound library, plus exclusive content from production giants Noisia.

FEATURES:

• Two ways to create waveforms: Analog-sounding NCOs (Numerically-Controlled Oscillators) and 17 digital wavetables
• A colossal amount of distortion: Three distortion points for each voice – pre-filter, post-filter and global – in an analog signal chain
• Control expression: Peak is capable of receiving polyphonic aftertouch, which puts expression right at your fingertips
• Cross-modulate oscillators: The three New Oxford Oscillators for each voice can become a linear FM source using either the analog-sounding NCOs (Numerically-Controlled Oscillators) or digital wavetables, they are also able to cross-modulate in a recursive loop
• Huge modulation system: 16-slot modulation matrix and 16 direct assignments controlled from the front panel, cleverly arranged for intuitive patch design and sound editing, three ADSR envelopes and two LFOs for each voice
• Easily switch modulations: Two animate buttons give live performers instant one-touch transformation of patches
• Mind-blowing sounds on-board: Reverb, delay and chorus at your disposal, and there’s also an arpeggiator
• Connect to hardware and software: Connect and sync to your music software and MIDI-compatible hardware, CV modulation input used to slot together modular systems
• Store unlimited sounds: Keep as many patches as you like on your Mac or PC using the Components software