Novation Summit
Description
Novation’s flagship two-part 16-voice 61-key polyphonic synthesizer
Summit’s digital New Oxford Oscillators offer subtractive, FM, and wavetable synthesis, and feed into genuine analog dual filters, distortion, and VCAs. The multitimbral engine enables merging and combining of two complete and independent patches, while up to 16 simultaneous voices deliver enough harmonic depth for even the richest of pads.
The best sounding synthesizer Novation has ever made
Summit doubles the power of Peak’s digital New Oxford Oscillators up to 16 voices and two parts, and adds a wealth of new features and a premium-quality five-octave keyboard. A synth much greater than the sum of its parts, it gives the serious producer or performer everything they need to design and play stunning basses, leads, arps, pads, effects, and beyond.
Totally tactile sound design
Summit takes Peak’s architecture and workflow to new heights, with a swathe of extra front panel controls for hands-on wrangling of FM, effects, LFOs, and more; dual filters with six LP/HP/BP combinations; audio input for processing external sources with the onboard effects; and auxiliary audio outputs.
Analog where it matters
The true stereo analog signal path comprises dual analog multimode filters, analog VCAs, and three stages of analog distortion – pre- and post-filter, and post-VCA. With roots in the legendary OSCar, via Bass Station II, Summit’s analog credentials are truly impressive.
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.
Two Peaks in one synth – and then some
The 16-voice, multitimbral engine combines two simultaneous patches. Split or stack them for keyboard-divided or layered sounds, or switch the entire synth between two separate and independently controlled setups, perhaps using one as an effects processor for an external input source.
Also, Summit can use all your Peak patches
Novation’s best keyboard ever
Five-octave, semi-weighted, velocity-sensitive keyboard with aftertouch – the same premium-quality keybed as introduced with Novation’s SL MkIII controller keyboard.
New Oxford-educated
Digital New Oxford Oscillators are capable of subtractive, FM, and wavetable synthesis. Waveforms are generated directly on the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) chip, using 24MHz bitstream processing; and adjustable drift and divergence emulate the inherent and often desirable instability of analog circuits.
True analog filters and distortion
The New Oxford Oscillators output to true analog filters, with origins in the classic OSCar synth, and three stages of analog distortion give you ample saturation options.
Dual filters
Summit’s dual filter is switchable between six paired combinations of low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass modes at 12dB/octave, or any single mode at 24dB/octave, for a broad range of sonic possibilities.
Hands-on sound design
Packed with modulation sources for deep sound design – LFOs, envelopes, Animate buttons, and more. Extended controls see
FM parameters, envelope loop switches, and LFOs 3/4 moved from Peak’s menu system to the front panel, for easy programming and tweaking.
Audio in and auxiliary audio out
Hook up external instruments for processing with Summit’s onboard effects, while using it as a synth at the same time.
Powerful effects
Onboard reverb, chorus, and delay effects are hosted on the FPGA. They’re also controlled directly from the front panel, and available as modulation targets in the dedicated FX Mod Matrix.
In Novation’s biggest update for Summit, firmware update v2.0 brings in essential improvements and a multitude of features across stereo controls, modulation, unpredictability, and effects, that give you powerful tools to shape your sound.
Firmware v2.0 Features
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.
