Novation Peak

Razmo

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #40 on: January 22, 2019, 02:44:11 AM »
Yeah... But the PEAK is totaly off the Thomann site and have been for some weeks now, and when they were there the price was considerably less than what they go for even now for no apparent reason... Normally at Thomann, if they are out of stock, the product is still there to be seen... But when they disappear they usually do not come back again which seems weird, as this is a rather popular synth...

As you know, I'm living in Germany, but not only this: Treppendorf (the small village where the thomann headquarters are) is only about 30km away from me, so I'm visiting their showroom quite often. My last visit was about two weeks ago and it happened that I asked about the disappeared PEAK on their website ( I have a PEAK myself and was looking for signs of an upcoming keyboard version so I wanted to look at Thomanns current price so I noticed it disappeared, too). I was told by one of the employees that I personally know, that Thomann would not earn a single € at the PEAKs current price point but they still had costs for logistics, so they temporarily took it out of their range. I do not know if that is really all and if it's true at all, or if this is just the version that he was allowed to tell me.

At a former visit I took a (bad) picture of the shelf with the DSI synth for a friend of mine. I will leave it here for you just for fun ;-)

Strange because nothing stops them from raising their price on the PEAK if they earn nothing on it... All other retailers have them at a much higher price so they would still be competitive.

It is just "that feeling" I have... Feels like retailers are trying to get rid of their last stock, and then it disappears. GEar4music had six left last I watched, and had a "for sale" sign on them.

Just seems odd to me...

Anyway, I will not be buying anything in that category (polysynth) until earliest June, so I'll probably know by then  :)
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jok3r

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #41 on: January 22, 2019, 03:50:02 AM »
It sounds like bullshit for me, too. As I said: perhaps this was the version he was allowed to tell. I hope for a coming keyboard version of the PEAK, even if the price for the module decreases. Perhaps if a keyboard version shows up, it will have a polychain mode... that would be really cool and justify a purchase even if one has a module already.

But if I remember right Novation was showing the PEAK for the first time at Superbooth... so I don't have much hopes for NAMM.
Prophet Rev2, Moog Matriarch, Novation Peak, Arturia DrumBrute Impact, Korg Kronos 2 88, Kurzweil PC 361, Yamaha S90ES

Razmo

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #42 on: January 22, 2019, 04:37:55 AM »
It sounds like bullshit for me, too. As I said: perhaps this was the version he was allowed to tell. I hope for a coming keyboard version of the PEAK, even if the price for the module decreases. Perhaps if a keyboard version shows up, it will have a polychain mode... that would be really cool and justify a purchase even if one has a module already.

But if I remember right Novation was showing the PEAK for the first time at Superbooth... so I don't have much hopes for NAMM.

I'm just thinking that it would probably be a bigger version that would come out if any... the trend is 16 voices these days for hybrid/analog synths... and I doubt they would stop selling it if it would still be in production... even if a 16 voice desktop version came out, there would still be a market for the 8 voice version I think... for some reason i have this feeling, that IF it happens that something new comes out, that no one would want the PEAK anymore... otherwise there would be no reason not to sell it still...

So unless they plan on selling an identical 16 voice version so cheap that it would not make sense (or be possible) to sell the 8 voice version at a profitable pricepoint, then I think they are working on an improved newer version (A MKII type of thing maybe).
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eXode

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #43 on: January 23, 2019, 11:59:44 PM »
FYI thomann has dropped products in the past, the Deepmind is another example of a product series that was dropped because of low margins (it is back now, fwiw).

It makes pretty much no sense that Novation would drop the Peak IMHO, considering they just released a pretty substantial firmware update for it.

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #44 on: February 17, 2019, 03:22:46 PM »
I bought a Peak this week and I am utterly impressed with it so far, I was expecting a VA sounding instrument, I was wrong. The oscillators sound great and yes they sound as good as Analog with the power of wavetable capability and other interesting modulation features. It just sounds great and very big sweetspot.

I would love to see DSI investigate this FPGA architecture for a new Prophet 12
Type synth in the future. Those NCOs sound more Analog and rich than the DCOs in my rev2 16voice.

I ordered a Rev2 16voice and the Peak, the Rev2 got very little use in the studio, the Peak is getting heavy use alongside the P12. Kind of sad I will probably take some time nextweek to use it once I am finished with this project.
« Last Edit: February 17, 2019, 03:34:41 PM by cornonthecob »
Moog Modular Model 15,Korg Prophecy,Korg Z1,Nord Modular Keyboard,DSI OB6,DSI P12,DSI Rev 2 16voiceMoog Minimoog D,SEM Modules,Moog Slim Phattys,Alesis QS 8.1,Alesis QSR,Roland Integra 7,Genelec 8341s,8040,8030,Novation Peak,Kawai K5000R,Eurorack Modulars,etc..

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #45 on: February 17, 2019, 03:27:35 PM »
Waldorf Quantum will not be out until the end of the year, so that makes ONE hybrid synth this spring :D

The Peak looks interesting for sure, especially that it's oscillators are run at this incredible speed which reminds me of custom chips in the old days... big step forward in my opinion, so that something can be done about all that aliasing normally associated with digital oscillators.... they say it is litterally like analog oscillators in quality... neat.

I agree though, that it's good to see more and more companies figure out, that we want hybrids, as to get best of both worlds, instead of all these analog mono and polys one after the other... it's becoming quite boring really.

Wonder what DSI will conjure up next to compete with all these new things.... except the Waldorf Quantum of course, it won't be out until much later... if at all... we know Waldorf and release dates... it may be two or three years, unless they have improved since the Pulse 2.

I hope DSI is paying close attention. This FPGA/NCO architecture is a huge step forward in the evolution of synthesizers. The sounds of the Raw oscillators sound great, you can beautiful classic rich sounds just from two slightly detuned saws for example, and a touch of wave shaping takes you plenty of places. Its a very impressive instrument and its like having aa porta le mini modular. Blind test you will think its VCO its that good. I would love to see DSI explore this for future instruments.
Moog Modular Model 15,Korg Prophecy,Korg Z1,Nord Modular Keyboard,DSI OB6,DSI P12,DSI Rev 2 16voiceMoog Minimoog D,SEM Modules,Moog Slim Phattys,Alesis QS 8.1,Alesis QSR,Roland Integra 7,Genelec 8341s,8040,8030,Novation Peak,Kawai K5000R,Eurorack Modulars,etc..

Razmo

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #46 on: February 17, 2019, 09:50:30 PM »
Waldorf Quantum will not be out until the end of the year, so that makes ONE hybrid synth this spring :D

The Peak looks interesting for sure, especially that it's oscillators are run at this incredible speed which reminds me of custom chips in the old days... big step forward in my opinion, so that something can be done about all that aliasing normally associated with digital oscillators.... they say it is litterally like analog oscillators in quality... neat.

I agree though, that it's good to see more and more companies figure out, that we want hybrids, as to get best of both worlds, instead of all these analog mono and polys one after the other... it's becoming quite boring really.

Wonder what DSI will conjure up next to compete with all these new things.... except the Waldorf Quantum of course, it won't be out until much later... if at all... we know Waldorf and release dates... it may be two or three years, unless they have improved since the Pulse 2.

I hope DSI is paying close attention. This FPGA/NCO architecture is a huge step forward in the evolution of synthesizers. The sounds of the Raw oscillators sound great, you can beautiful classic rich sounds just from two slightly detuned saws for example, and a touch of wave shaping takes you plenty of places. Its a very impressive instrument and its like having aa porta le mini modular. Blind test you will think its VCO its that good. I would love to see DSI explore this for future instruments.

I got a PEAK about a week ago, and yes it is currently, hands down, the best digital front end sound of any synth out there in my opinion... I do hear a difference between PEAK and REV2 though... The REV2 has a bit darker tone with a bit more analog'ish tone to it... It's a bit more fuzzy and not as "controlled" in it's tone... Maybe a tad bit more "dirty fat" than PEAK, which seems more controlled... But still fat in its own way. It is like if REV2 is a bit more "blurry" in its tone... Good for some things, bad for others, but I contribute this to the analog DCOs.

When I try to decide between them, I'd probably choose PEAK, but I would rather have both... PEAK do have five major drawbacks in comparison;

Only eight voices

Lacks an ekstra per voice LFO

Lacks a modulation sequencer

Has no voice panning (that surprised me! Really disappointing)

Lacks dual timbrality

... But instead it has so much else that make up for it, and if synths did not have differencies, there would not be much need for so many of them anyway.
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LoboLives

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #47 on: February 17, 2019, 11:17:07 PM »
Waldorf Quantum will not be out until the end of the year, so that makes ONE hybrid synth this spring :D

The Peak looks interesting for sure, especially that it's oscillators are run at this incredible speed which reminds me of custom chips in the old days... big step forward in my opinion, so that something can be done about all that aliasing normally associated with digital oscillators.... they say it is litterally like analog oscillators in quality... neat.

I agree though, that it's good to see more and more companies figure out, that we want hybrids, as to get best of both worlds, instead of all these analog mono and polys one after the other... it's becoming quite boring really.

Wonder what DSI will conjure up next to compete with all these new things.... except the Waldorf Quantum of course, it won't be out until much later... if at all... we know Waldorf and release dates... it may be two or three years, unless they have improved since the Pulse 2.

I hope DSI is paying close attention. This FPGA/NCO architecture is a huge step forward in the evolution of synthesizers. The sounds of the Raw oscillators sound great, you can beautiful classic rich sounds just from two slightly detuned saws for example, and a touch of wave shaping takes you plenty of places. Its a very impressive instrument and its like having aa porta le mini modular. Blind test you will think its VCO its that good. I would love to see DSI explore this for future instruments.

I got a PEAK about a week ago, and yes it is currently, hands down, the best digital front end sound of any synth out there in my opinion... I do hear a difference between PEAK and REV2 though... The REV2 has a bit darker tone with a bit more analog'ish tone to it... It's a bit more fuzzy and not as "controlled" in it's tone... Maybe a tad bit more "dirty fat" than PEAK, which seems more controlled... But still fat in its own way. It is like if REV2 is a bit more "blurry" in its tone... Good for some things, bad for others, but I contribute this to the analog DCOs.

When I try to decide between them, I'd probably choose PEAK, but I would rather have both... PEAK do have five major drawbacks in comparison;

Only eight voices

Lacks an ekstra per voice LFO

Lacks a modulation sequencer

Has no voice panning (that surprised me! Really disappointing)

Lacks dual timbrality

... But instead it has so much else that make up for it, and if synths did not have differencies, there would not be much need for so many of them anyway.

I hope that the Peak is simply a “testing the waters” instrument for something bigger. Voice pan is an odd omission though. I always think it’s strange when you discover synths that are missing some pretty basic features. I remeber hearing the $25K Schmidt synthesizer didn’t even have an arpeggiator!

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #48 on: February 22, 2019, 03:57:13 AM »
I used to have a peak and returned it for a rev2... on the good side I found it has a very robust construction, knobs feel real good, screen is nice. I didn’t like the vertical sliders though that I found a bit loose and inacurate. Sound wise the Peak was too creamy to my ears and the only « benefit » of the analog filter was the noise... but it certainly didn’t bring life to the sound. The rev2 is a much wilder animal very analogish and I have absolutely no noise. I thought the Peak could easily be replaced by a random vst while the rev is totally an instrument on its own with keyboard and one feature one button (almost).

Razmo

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #49 on: February 22, 2019, 11:22:38 AM »
It is funny how different people hear completely different things about the same synth... But I guess that is good because otherwise only one synth would be "the best"... What a boring synth world that would be  ;) ... I like both REV2 and PEAK, and the more I learn about PEAK, the more I know I cannot live without bothv ;D
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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #50 on: March 12, 2019, 06:24:00 AM »
Price is down to £964 new on amazon uk.

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #51 on: March 13, 2019, 09:01:44 AM »
New Peak:
1. Sane & documented Sysex/CC implementation.
2. Official rack mount 19" ears (https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/2156147044445085/)
3. 16 voice would be nice.
Bax, Sweet-water still sell these just $100 above a REV2/8 DT. Wonder we will see anything at Messe or Superbooth.
 

Razmo

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #52 on: March 13, 2019, 09:11:01 AM »
New Peak:
1. Sane & documented Sysex/CC implementation.
2. Official rack mount 19" ears (https://www.facebook.com/commerce/products/2156147044445085/)
3. 16 voice would be nice.
Bax, Sweet-water still sell these just $100 above a REV2/8 DT. Wonder we will see anything at Messe or Superbooth.

I reverse engineered the SysEx of the PEAK for my editor... if anyone wants them, just write me a PM  ;)
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maNŒuvre

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Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #53 on: August 22, 2019, 08:04:49 AM »
So the rumours were correct. And the Summit looks and sounds great. I’m tempted to sell my Prophet 6 Desktop! Not that the Peak or Summit would be a replacement for the analog warmth of the P6. But for the kind of music that I do, the P6 is sometimes too lush. And I’d hope to be able to create darker, slightly more digital vibes with the Peak/Summit. Perhaps I should just opt for the security of getting/trading an OB6. Can’t go wrong with such quality eh.... And it would bring me new sound designing thrills!
'Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.' Victor Hugo

laurentluigi

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #54 on: December 17, 2019, 06:01:09 AM »
Hello everyone,

i've received my Peak last week ...
The association with the Prophet X is just awesome !!

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #55 on: December 18, 2019, 09:16:53 AM »
laurentluigi,

Glad to hear they compliment each other.  I take it you're controlling the Peak with the PX?
Sequential/DSI Equipment: Poly Evolver Keyboard, Evolver desktop,   Pro-2, Pro-3, OB6, P-12,
 

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laurentluigi

Re: Novation Peak
« Reply #56 on: December 19, 2019, 02:11:09 AM »
laurentluigi,

Glad to hear they compliment each other.  I take it you're controlling the Peak with the PX?

Hello,

i'm effectively driving the peak by the px but only for the played notes !
I've got some "trouble" to have the sustain pedal ....
I'm really not a specialist about the CC or NRPN controls ....

I'm going to join the HydraSynth Desk to have the possibility to travel all around the Unviverses ....