Novation Peak Polyphonic Synthesizer

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 analog filter for each voice and three distortion points in an analog signal chain.

Analogue 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. Peak’s oscillators sound completely analog by being high-quality NCOs (Numerically Controlled Oscillators), but gain the flexibility of the digital domain with 60 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

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. It even connects to modular systems via a CV modulation input.

Enjoy three years of warranty

Wherever you happen to be in the world, you can rely on a three-year warranty if any Novation hardware needs repairing or replacing due to a manufacturing fault.

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.

Firmware v2.0 Update

Novation’s firmware update v2.0 for Peak/Summit brings major enhancements across stereo control, modulation, unpredictability, and effects, providing powerful new tools to shape your sound.

Firmware v2.0 Features

Stereo

New spread modes, per-voice panning, and panning in the modulation matrix give you more control for sound design in the stereo field — enabling bigger, wider, and more textured soundscapes.

Modulation and Unpredictability

Create deeper, more experimental sounds with new modulation destinations, noise as a mod source, and expanded LFO 3 and 4 parameters. Animate Envelopes and Arpeggiator Chance unlock more expressive performance possibilities.

Effects

New effects — including Chorus Modes, Flanger, and Phlanger — add fresh tonal options. Additional modulation destinations and a Lo-Fi delay mode enable vintage and experimental sound shaping.

Bug Fixes

Firmware v2.0 also includes numerous bug fixes. Full details can be found in the release notes.

Peak/Summit firmware v2.0 is the final contribution from Chris Huggett, whose innovative synth design work shaped the sound of Novation’s iconic instruments including Bass Station, Supernova, and Summit.

Key Features

• Two ways to create waveforms: Analog-style NCOs and 60 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: Supports polyphonic aftertouch for expressive performance.
• Cross-modulate oscillators: Three New Oxford Oscillators per voice can be linear FM sources or cross-modulated in a recursive loop.
• Huge modulation system: 16-slot modulation matrix and 16 direct assignments, three ADSR envelopes, and two LFOs per voice.
• Easily switch modulations: Two Animate buttons provide one-touch patch transformation for live performance.
• Mind-blowing sounds onboard: Built-in reverb, delay, chorus, and an arpeggiator.
• Connect to hardware and software: Sync with DAWs, MIDI gear, and modular systems via CV modulation input.
• Store unlimited sounds: Save unlimited patches using Novation Components software.

Technical Specifications

Product Hardware Specifications

• 42 Control knobs
• 8 x 35mm Sliders
• 1 Volume knob
• 2 Data encoders
• Rubberized knob caps with spun metal discs
• 30 Function buttons (unlit)
• 16 Function buttons (lit)
• 2 Animate buttons + Hold button
• 90 Indicator LEDs
• OLED display
• Kensington Security Slot
• USB-B 2.0 (MIDI comms only, no bus power)
• MIDI In / Out / Thru
• 2 x 1/4" jack inputs for pedals
• 3.5mm CV modulation input
• 1/4" stereo outputs (L/R)
• 1/4" headphone output
• Metal chassis with American walnut wooden end cheeks

Synth Engine

• 8-voice polyphonic
• Mono-timbral
• 5 Voice Modes: Mono, MonoLG, Mono2, Poly, Poly2

Oscillators and Modulation

• 3 oscillators + 1 noise generator + 1 ring modulator per voice
• 2 LFOs, 1 Amp envelope, and 2 Mod envelopes per voice
• Waveforms: Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square/Pulse + 17 wavetables (5 waves per row)
• 1x State variable OTA filter per voice (12/24dB slope, LP/BP/HP, pre/post filter drive)
• 16 modulation slots, each with 2 sources and 1 destination

Effects

• Analog distortion
• Chorus (3 types)
• Delay (16 sync types, LP/HP damping, stereo)
• Reverb (3 types)

Miscellaneous

• Arpeggiator with 33 patterns
• Patch storage: up to 512 (256 factory presets)
• Glide function
• All knobs and most buttons send/receive MIDI CC

Software Compatibility

• Ableton Live Lite is included
• USB-MIDI class compliant

Power Requirements

12V DC, 1A (maximum consumption)

Product Dimensions

233mm (W) x 464mm (D) x 70.5mm (H)

OS Compatibility

Not applicable / class-compliant hardware.