Novation

B
ack in July 2017, I
reviewed Novation’s
Peak, their fl agship
hybrid polysynth
featuring eight
voices and analogue
fi lters. Fast forward
to September 2019 and Novation
have launched their newest fl agship
keyboard, based on two Peaks with
various other juicy improvements.
Once again designed in collaboration
with Chris Hugget (Chris designed the
legendary OSCar), Summit (Twin
Peaks would have been too obvious
With the new expansive front panel,
the plethora of controls have been
spread out nicely, though personally I
would’ve placed the control section
and screen centrally. However, like
the Peak, the panel is very intuitive
with lots of hands-on control and
many of the Peak’s hidden menu
items now have dedicated panel
controls on the Summit, with all the
main controls at your fi ngertips.
Again, deeper parameter editing is
done via the menu system but you’ll
need to do this less than on the Peak
due to the extra front panel controls.
The screen is also pleasingly easy to
read and navigate.
Hardware-wise, Summit has a
lovely, fi ve-octave keybed which, in
line with the rest of the hardware,
feels premium. Notably, the black
keys have a wider top surface than
most and these feel great. Velocity
and aftertouch response are spot-on
too; this is a very playable, precise
and nicely-balanced synth-action
keybed. The chunky rubberised
backlit mod/pitch wheels also feel
very premium and add lots to the
overall expressivity of the synth.
perhaps!?) feels just like Peak in as
much as it’s a premium product with
super-tight rubberised knobs, good
quality faders, nice, satisfyingly clicky
buttons and a clear OLED screen with
adjustable brightness.
This time, however, the twin
expanded Peak engines are packaged
in a very high-quality metal chassis,
which stands fi rmly on a blue rubber
surround/pad on its underside. Unlike
Peak, Summit has a proper IEC power
connector inlet and built-in power
supply, so the wall wart is gone,
making Summit feel even more ‘pro’.
THE PROS & CONS
+
The fi ve-octave
keyboard with
aftertouch
feels premium
U nique vibe with
nicely textured
analogue fi lter
modes and plenty of
modulation/shaping
New Dual fi lter
modes, dedicated
FM section,
bi-timbrality, stereo
inputs, 16-voice
polyphony and
separate outs
-
Screen/navigation
control should be
more central
No dedicated CV/
audio outputs over
USB or sequencer
Mod routings require
some menu diving
Novation Summit | Reviews
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FMU350.rev_novation.indd 85 02/10/2019 12:29