New Firmware 2.2 for the Novation Summit: What's been added, what's been fixed

[@synthnerd4539]

The Peak is one of the very few synths that over all the years I've had them, I've used pretty much every day. It just feels like there's so much left to do with it - I got the Peak just before the Summit was announced but am not sure I'll upgrade really. Both fantastic bits of kit for sure.

[@doomsday.tomato]

I spoke to customer support about the wet dry mix and this is what I was sent back "Thank you for reaching out to Novation Technical Support, and thank you for your patience in awaiting our response, we are more than happy to help. The Dry/Wet parameters on Summit are there as carryovers from the Peak, so that we can import Peak patches into the Summit. The Dry Level essentially acts as a master volume. A dry/wet mix can properly be achieved by routing the FX to the Aux outputs in the Summit's FX routing page, Settings page 13/33. That being said, the user experience is a little confusing (as you observed) so we'd like to change this in the future. I have gone ahead and added the details of your ticket onto a case regarding this matter. "

[@cakebabyman5090]

Thanks for your great work Scott.

[@ingolf7411]

Great to see those improvements. Really a fantastic synth. Thank you.

[@bastiaanw3519]

Thanks for the video, Scott. Funny that we were just discussing the earlier firmware update the other day.

[@xntricity6446]

Didn't know firmware was updated. Thanks for the presentation. Novation continues to support ❤

[@vertigev]

Thanks for going over these!

[@christoroppolo8742]

It’s so beautifully designed and the reverb is amazing. Christ Hugget was a great guy .ill watch out for the update👽🤔

[@sK3LeTvM1]

Thank you for this video. Recently bought a Waldorf Iridium. Brought it back to the shop the day after. My Summit is here since it came new on the market...and probably will stay many years to come.

[@peterkenney9158]

There’s also another small feature improvement in that pressing both octave transposition buttons together will zero out the transposition. Very handy.

[@mizart1987]

From Novation: "it's now possible to change between Mutli and Single mode via MIDI as part of the Summit 2.2 update"

[@666JGNotts]

I think the Summit is one of the few current synths that I'd like to add to my "collection". I always fear though when a synth is getting on a bit that they will be bringing out a new version as soon as I buy it! It happened with my Sub37, 3 days later the Subsequent came out, my MOXF, a month later the Montage came out 🤣

[@zenithjcoke]

Great video, very glad they implemented midi cc to swap local mode on/off. I've tried to send midi to swap between the single and multi mode, but no luck. Wish they'd implement a simple CC to swap between these. I've tried some MSB/LSB stuff but never got it to work from my sequencer of choice anyway, the Akai Force. Would be great to truly be able to load up any patch, single or multi, automatically when opening a project. For now I'll have to remember if I've used single or multi for each

[@JMac1980]

I do the following, might be useful to you: Always keep the synth in multi mode when sequencing it. Create an empty multi patch set to dual mode and save in multipatch slot 000, with a silent init patch on both Part A & Part B. Then, when you want any other multipatch, you just send a program change on the Global Channel (defaults to midi chn. 1). When you want to load a single patch, you first send a prg. change on the Global Chanel to switch to the empty multipatch (mentioned before), then you can send a program change to either Part A or Part B (default midi chn 2 & 3) to load a single patch into that slot. The only downside I can see to working like this is that you don't get the full 16 note polyphony you would if you were in single mode, as Part A & B each get allocated 8 voices in multi mode.

[@zenithjcoke]

@@JMac1980 good tip! It's similar to what I'm doing now in that I tend to only use multi patches, but I create multi patches for each project I'm working on. Your method seems good in that I wouldn't need duplicates of each patch (I create them in single and then combine two into a multi). I'll see how the Akai force works in terms of order of sending the midi data since it sends program changes when loading a project and when pressing play basically. I'll try it out and see if there's any issues with sending to global and the seperate A/B channels at the same time that way. Thanks!

[@seedmole]

Nice! Seems it's also an update to the Peak, for anyone wondering.

[@timepainter6831]

I bought the Summit new for a very good price. A few months later came the update 2.0. Own(ed) quite a lot of beasts, The Summit has that unmistakable sound, somewhere you cannot place it. And for many it´s like cursing in the church. Was thinking of selling of my Kyra, but that´s also a synth with a special sound... Both can do regular...but they can do stuff....

[@RadekPilich]

wohooo, octave buttons not transposing with local off was my few weeks old request 😃

[@MaverickM1]

Summit and Peak still rocks. Lovely gears. I am very curious what they cook in their kitchen for the next feature update. Because I am pretty sure there will be more..

[@jno8039]

The fx dry/wet. I don't think it's hardware. Probably they need to re write the FPGA For the support, it sounds normal, so they don't recognize as a bug.

[@klstay]

The thing Hydrasynth added which Novation should as well is the per voice mod/offset capability.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

Agreed, that was a huge upgrade for the Hydrasynth.

[@Death_By_Media]

Novation’s Sibling company Sequential has their “vintage “ mode seams like a little sibling teamwork would benefit the end user .

[@Slowlyburnedelectronics]

Also synced loop for the envelopes

[@aquaticborealis4877]

Great info as usual. How are you feeling about the character of the Summit compared to some of your other synths? There’s times I’ve thought about something like the 3rd Wave, or the new Super Gemini, although those are a big step up in price.

[@Daniele-music]

Scott’s synth stuff, what are your top 3 dream synths of all time and why?

[@transmutationdotse]

thank you!

[@HonorV2ultimate1tb]

great!.....may i know which brand of expression pedal works with the Summit?....thks

[@JJMedusa]

-- Hi Scott! Great video! 😊👍🎹

[@rickanderson9360]

Really wish local on/off was a per-patch setting. I use my Summit live, and it would be nice to be able to go to a patch with local off in order to use the Summit to play (for example) the piano from my Nord stage 3, but also be able to easily still play the Summit if I switch patches. I guess I could set up a "blank" patch with no volume to sorta do this, but that's a bit more of a hack than I'd prefer. Not a huge deal but more of a nice-to-have, and to be fair the Summit wasn't built as a master midi controller (you'd also ideally want per-patch transmit midi channels for a controller too) :)

[@712Jefferson]

Thanks so much for these updates, Scott. Very helpful! How do you feel the Summit stands up, at this point, to the rest of the field in mid/late 2023 as a poly workhorse?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

It's really a super capable do-everything synth. I've not delved into its FM capabilities nearly enough, and it can do a lot with the various oscillator waves it has - not to mention the creamy filter and effects. I use it often.

[@rickanderson9360]

I'm not Scott, but a feature that I think is easily overlooked is that Novation provides a librarian. Better yet it's not an installed app but a simple web page. Makes it super easy to assemble your own banks, and there are user banks right out of the gate that you can browse and try out patches. My friend got the Prophet rev 2 and while that is a nice synth, it didn't come with anything handy like this. Not talking an actual editor (unless they added one), "just" a librarian, but that is a really handy thing to have.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

@@rickanderson9360And...just by visiting that web page, it will identify if your synth needs a firmware update - which you can perform with a single click. Brilliant!

[@mrcgia1136]

I hope soon to be able to buy a nice synth among those I see and hear in your reviews. In particular I would like to explore the 'sonic landscapes' 😊 Between Hydrasynth Deluxe and Summit Novation which do you think is preferable? The beauty of the sound is what I give the main importance to and from comparative tests (but only listened to on KZbin) it seems to me that the sounds created with the Summit are more fat. Am I wrong? Can you help me clarify? Thank you!

[@joojoo9758]

I have both and they compliment each other perfectly, I prefer the Summit for it's analogue warmth and fatness and the Hydra for more crisp brightness, if I had to choose I'd go Summit.

[@rickanderson9360]

I don't own the Hydra, but I've heard some pretty impressive presets from it. I think out of the box I lot of people hear the crazy digital stuff and think that's what it can do. Ironically, I needed "simple" synth sounds and out of the box the Summit is packed full of ambient atonal wild stuff, which is great but not what I need for cover band use! I got to work programming, and looking around through the other libraries that come from Novation, and made a bank of vintage synth sounds that I'm happy with. I reckon either could do the trick. I'm a bit wary of "fat" because sometimes when building tracks (in the studio) or live, fat isn't really what I'm after. Same with a guitarist, sometimes a bit thinner is what you have to use to fit in the mix. So that part is hard to really address. The Summit sounds quite rich to my ears. Maybe not as huge and fat as say an Ob6 or Obxa, but one "complaint" of those synths is that they can rapidly fill up the sonic space so that nothing else fits :D The Hydras do have poly aftertouch, and that's something I'm interested in trying out in the next keyboard or controller I get.

[@tedstahl3794]

@mrcgia1136 I got my Summit in November of 2019 when it was released. I had to return it twice (first for the encoder error and then for the aftertouch issue). The firmware releases (as Scott has documented) have addressed any remaining issues I've had with the instrument. (Although, the aftertouch is still a bit stiff for my tastes.) I played with the Summit at Sweetwater's GearFest in the summer of 2019 and I got to play with the Hydrasynth at its release at Knobcon in September of 2019. I loved them both, but I REALLY loved the Summit. Ironically, the Hydrasynth was much more stable out of the gates and their firmware releases were more focused on feature enhancements than needing to quash bugs. Both the Summit and the Hydrasynth are wavetable-based instruments. Initially I was drawn to the Summit's hybrid architecture and their wonderful analog filters. However, the Hydrasynth's digital filters are really extraordinary. I got the Summit in 2019, but I got my Hydrasynth in 2020. If I had waited, I would have gotten the Deluxe, but I didn't know that was coming. I love them both. I love the polyphonic aftertouch on the Hydrasynth and its approach to programming is so different than the Summit. They're both unique and wonderful and very different. You can get similar places with both, but in spite of the overlap, there is some true differentiation between the two. One last thing - the effects in the Hydrasynth are great. However, the Summit's effects are nearly divine. The Summit and the Peak have the best reverb I have ever used built into a synth. Period. I have the Strymon Night Sky, the Eventide H9, and the GFI Specular Tempus. I also have multiple old Lexicons (LXP-1, LXP-15, Vortex, and MPX-1) and older Roland units. However, when I want to add reverb to the Summit, I am never tempted to route it through any of those wonderfully reliable units that I love. The Summit's reverb is perfection. I can't imagine having only a Hydrasynth or a Summit. I love them both. Also, I can't imagine getting a desktop version of either. The Summit provides so much better hands on control options - especially for the 3rd and 4th LFOs and the FM functionality. At the same time, I can't imagine having a Hydrasynth without its wonderful polyphonic aftertouch. I chose to get the Summit first, but I saw it first and had already preordered it by the time the Hydrasynth came out. I was planning to get a Peak when they announced the Summit at Superbooth. I'm so glad that I waited. If you want to choose one, I would be hard-pressed to choose one over the other. I guess I would ask if you have any other instruments that respond to polyphonic aftertouch. If you do, then the Hydrasynth can function as a tool to open possibilities up on those instruments. That might be enough to lean in its favor. You truly cannot go wrong with either. However, I seriously encourage you to eventually add both to your studio. Peace.

[@dilloinitaliano]

Hello, Can you please tell me if the envelope bugs have been fixed? Thanks

[@jimmyblimmy]

there were a few envelope bugs you mentioned in previous Summit videos, are those all fixed?

[@HonorV2ultimate1tb]

I just purchased a Novation Summit from main dealer in Singapore a few days ago.... nice synth.... when I connect to my windows computer and opened the Components...it says there is an update. After successful updating ....the version shows 126.618 on the summit screen instead of ver 2.2. On my computer screen it says 'Your Summit is running Vcustom build 2126 FGPA 778 ' How come it doesn't show ver 2.2 which is supposed to be the latest version? Anyone knows what is Vcustom? build 2126 ? Thanks

[@raidtarik1]

The Summit is a piece of cake and it is on my "Must Buy List". However, I just can not decide whether to buy it or not because I do not know its capabilities. So, I am more of an oriental keyboard player. 1- Does Summit can adjust any key tone to 1/4? Also, can I generate any sounds that I want? 2- I watched many videos and it seems to me it is all about Bass, Strings, and Synth sounds. Nothing about the other sounds like Flute, Electric Piano, or some Middle Eastern instrument sounds?

[@rickanderson9360]

It isn't going to be a first choice for "natural" instruments. That said, I have a credible "rhodes-ish" patch, and something that has a flute-ish sound would be fairly easy to do. I say "ish" because those types of sounds are generally going to sound more realistic with samples, and that means a workstation or software like Kontakt. Or possibly some kind of physical modeling synthesis, I'm not too up on that. For what you are describing, you might go with say a Yamaha Montage/Modx, or Roland Fantom. These don't have quite the synth sound of the Summit (arguably, the Modx does have FM and the Fantom sounds good to my ear) but they have a lot more capability with natural instruments including drums if you need them. The Summit or other poly makes a great companion to such a synth for me live, it means I can let that other keyboard handle the organs/pianos/orchestra/etc sounds and let the poly synth do the synths including the lead sounds.

[@henrikgustav2294]

For the price,do u think this is THE synth to get?

[@humansrants1694]

Man they released it in a bad state I only found out about all these problems today a few days after buying it. Only issues I've noticed is my Peak and Summit changing each others settings and if I change preset on one it changes on the other I've put it down to user error and disabled them interacting with one another in Peak settings CC/NRPN and Bank/Patch REC+Tran to disabled.

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

It was a great synth when it was released, but companies can only do so much testing on the incredibly complex firmware inside them. Bugs are going to get through to production, and that happened here. Then, unfortunately, the creator of the Peak/Summit, Chris Huggett, unexpectedly passed away, so they had some delays in fixing the identified bugs. The 2.2 firmware however is really stable and while there are a few very minor issues still, they are not going to affect most people.

[@sawlfo]

do you think novation is going to add new functions in a future update or if they will only chase bugs?

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I would be pretty surprised if we see any new functions or features.

[@sawlfo]

@@ScottsSynthStuff a shame, envelope curves would be great!

[@harrisonrdavis]

we want MPE!!

[@briansherling5515]

I’ve come to rely on Scott for synth expose. His review of the summit was truly thorough. Also, That hippy needs a damn haircut! (Hehe)

[@cronenbergj]

No Fx dry wet fix...

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I mentioned that at the very beginning of the bug fix section.

[@Pepijn_a.k.a._Akikaze]

Hi, thanks for the quick update. I noticed one of the bugs that was supposed to have been fixed in 2.0 still exists. When I use multimode and send a cc to control portamento to the upper layer, it has no effect. Thus portamento cannot be shut off or triggered via midi and it is applied to voice 9-16in a random way, as it seems. I have come to terms with this bug but I would have preferred to be in control of portamento instead of having the synth decide which note glides and which does not.

[@gretareinarsson7461]

So I guess Summit is still worth buying.

[@humansrants1694]

Just got mine after owning the Peak for five years it's great I don't see anything in any other synth today that is better.

[@Mattbuchanan71]

The thumbnail😂

[@ScottsSynthStuff]

I hate the thumbnails where it's the guy with some big cheesy grin, so I often try to find still shots of me in weird poses or whatever just for fun. :)

[@jamesdefrancesco7765]

Hydrasynth owner, not a Summit. Always checking things out in case a bargain comes my way!