Novation Summit

The Lounge Other Gear
#165

I think your points hit the nail on the head. I’ve had the Peak for a couple of days and am really impressed at how it feels to use, in a way that is quite hard to describe or see on a video or whatever. Everything just flows nicely and feels great to use, from the sound to the control layout to the feel of the knobs… Exactly as you say, it’s really easy to create the sound you have in mind, but it’s also really easy to go to completely unexpected places because the synth has such a huge range.

Even the menu parts feel well designed (I didn’t think they did when watching videos, but it becomes second nature quite quickly) and don’t interrupt the flow, I can imagine with the extra knobs on the Summit it is even more fun!

2 Likes
#166

One thing to keep in mind is that it is my understanding that MIDI 2.0 will replace MPE for most scenarios, in that it allows per-note controller data without taking up multiple channels. Some manufacturers may be biding their time waiting for MIDI 2.0 to become more of a standard, rather than adding MPE support.

It should be possible to create some software to translate MPE to MIDI 2.0 fairly easily so I don’t think this would mean existing hardware would become useless, even if manufacturers can’t do it in a firmware update.

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#167

You teasing me now? Or are you for real?

Cause if you are, I’d be prepared to try the Summit, just to see if there might be some truth to that.

One of the main reasons I didn’t go for the P12 keyboard is cause the keys are pretty bad on that one. Far from the Prophet 6 quality keybed. But if there was a Prophet 12-character synth out there with a strong keybed, and an interface wrapped around its size, I’d be interested. For real.

#168

Do you have a shop near you that has one?

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#169

No, I do not. I’d have to travel about 500km to get to a place where I could play one live.

But if this is for real, I wouldn’t mind the hassle of getting one on credit and returning it before it’s time to pay, if it could be the real thing.

I love the Prophet 12. I truly do. I’d love a proper keyboard version even more. The Prophet 12 keyboard is a keyboard version. But it’s not proper. Damn toy keys.

#170

I never understood the Peak/Summit until I played them on speakers in person, it’s just different for some reason.

Alphacode’s demos are what got me closest to that feeling, Inhalt’s demos are excellent as well. Also, lots of those amazing sound banks are free through Novation Components, I mean hundreds of well designed patches all for free and patch management is a breeze.

Here’s to hoping they release AFX mode on the Peak/Summit someday…

1 Like
#172

I tested the Summit keybed up against a Prophet 6.
To me the Prophet 6 keybed was in a different and better league.

That said, the keybed on the Summit is fine for normal playing, but I still don’t agree with the force needed to activate aftertouch.

I’ve had two Summit’s. The first unit’s keybed’s AT I remember as harder to activate than the second unit (Novation swapped them because of the encoder issue), but I still find it too hard and I’m considering trying to pursue the issue through Novation support once again.
The first time around, I was told, that the firmness was by design, which I could only translate into my own language as: Take it as is or leave it.
However, after that, not very friendly novation support episode back in december/january, Novation has started to swap out units with a new and less firm AT implementation, so I think I am gonna contact them again about this issue.

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#173

I have a pretty recent unit, I had a batch from the encoder issue, got another, sold it then got another at a better discount down the road. I find that the first time AT is implemented on a key, you have to get it down to 100% before it activates, like a break in period.

After that it’s pretty normal AT having owned a few Sequential/Moog keyboards, but I’ve never used a P6. I have the opposite of “heavy fingers”, I simply don’t play heavy and have smaller hands/thin guitar fingers lol. I find the AT to be perfectly fine for everything I’ve tried.

Sure, getting specific values is difficult but that’s on any AT I’ve tried. I find I can always work into CC ranges, say, 1-32, 32-64, etc… quite easily and give it a little wiggle from there.

I’ve played a Moog One and I mean wow, yes the difference is night and day but that’s a Moog One.

Novation has been making keyboards for decades and I have no problems at all with it. It’s very light to the touch and has a very synth-action feel, just what I want in a synth!

Everyone seems to want MPE in every keyboard that exists (I suppose MPE “enabled” is different), but where is it in even a single keyboard? It isn’t! We’re still waiting on the Osmose to be released.

I sent in a feature request yesterday to have attack/release settings for the animate buttons.

Couple it with an Expressive Touche and you pretty much have morphable patches and insane modulation control like the new Arturia MatrixBrute lol.

What do you mean, in multi-mode, are there separate instances of LFOs 3 and 4? If so, yes. Two entirely separate instances of the same system as far as I can tell.

2 Likes
#174

Yeah, I was just joking around. What could be more P12 than the P12 itself? I feel they are both fine synths, with their own character.

3 Likes
#175

Whew. Close one.

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#176

Here’s another nice patch, the Summit is a pad/poly monster, interesting to see some modern EDM patches

3 Likes
#177

Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me. I’m a keyboard snob and loving every minute of it. Thanks for letting me know.

#178

Keyboard feels great, I’d say it’s as good as the Digitone Keys but a little different, differently shaped keys as well. I’d say for you specifically though, don’t buy one!

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#179

Digitone keys are great, tho.

But you’re right. I’m not gonna go there.

#180

Yeah I’ve got them side by side here, they both feel very good. I’d say the Keys board requires a tiny bit more force, but they are both quite good. I’d echo what other have said really, it’s a nice synth action with aftertouch that’s very usable. The keys are nice and reinforced on that the underside. The black keys are strangely shaped in a way that I like, they have a steep angle at the front and a very rounded off edge where that slope occurs. They also have very broad tops. It feels really nice! Even though the Digitone Keys board has ever so slightly more resistance, I think the Summit is a little bit more fun to play for me. They are both good keyboards though.

#181

… Says the guy who seems to follow this thread with a serious attention.
And that has not tested a Summit yet :syringe:
^^

Wonder why, btw…

4 Likes
#182

There’s none around, like even remotely :blush:

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#183

These patches are great! After playing mine for a few hours this morning, and then listening to this video, something really stands out to me; there is SO much more weight and buzz to the sound when playing it in real life, it’s hard to describe but it sounds even better in person as you obviously know.

#186

I dunno I thought the bassline was pretty cool and even really cool at some points, the track is fat, listened all the way through. Thanks for taking the time to film and post!!! Quality Summit thread content users are clamoring for.

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#187

I programmed it in around 1 minute, nothing too nuanced but I just wanted a smooth “upright bass” type of sound. That’s just one Summit oscillator, there were 47 others available!

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