Novation Summit Synth - SonicLAB Review

[@daveother]

"Keep in mind this a simple sine wave patch..."

[@ogasi1798]

hahahaaaaaa

[@BOOelectric]

whatever the synth, you make the most beautiful sounds Nick. And now we really want this one, damn you!

[@Nomo_Popo]

Forreals

[@discombob93]

So true... Nick is an incredible sound designer, regardless of synth. I sometimes watch Sonic State just to listen to his organic and emotive patches.

[@st0rmchild]

This man has cost me a lot of money.

[@Kkidzz]

Stormchild Dominion, SV-1 Blackbox, Fusebox, Erebus......and now this. I’ve told EVERY Mfgr....’Take care of Nick’....without him I might not have pulled the triggers. 😉

[@m.g.kroger]

True! He has such a wonderful taste in sound design.

[@JimmiG84]

They missed out on the chance to call it "Twin Peaks"...

[@DigitalDesires87]

Ha! I would have actually bought it just for the name alone!

[@nobel11]

It will arrive wrapped in plastic...

[@skunchtv]

Thats copywrited, sorry

[@JimmiG84]

@@skunchtv Trademarked perhaps, but the Summit is a synthesizer, not a TV show. Apart from several mountains named that (for obvious reasons), there are also restaurants, chocolate bars etc. as well as a 1974 rock album named that.

[@chrisdigiuseppe7717]

They could have called it SummitS

[@jutjup4731]

21:22 wow that sounds so awesome!!! Love the idea to route the reverb level to the modwheel. Total inspiration thnanks Nick

[@SHVNE]

This is my next purchase for my home studio. This thing is incredible and, as always, you show it off better than anyone, Nick!

[@m.g.kroger]

This is the first Summit review where I really understand how good this synth is.

[@indyslide8641]

Man I fell in love this beauty before I even heard the first demo video. Such a wonderful and powerful synth. Though as always, your review stands out, Nick :)

[@MinPlanck]

Up there with the nicest sounding synths I've heard and your little play out song really showed it off! Nicely done Mr Batt. Cheers!

[@OscillatorSink]

Hahaha, Nick's cheeky grin on "that's what 48 oscillators in unison sounds like". Novation are absolutely killing it with the Peak series, this really does sound gorgeous.

[@InkyDaCaT]

Yeah I just types same lol😂🙌

[@cellrok]

Hehe, yup! Who wouldn't put on a smile like that hitting that note? Wish he had tried adding OSC diverge and OSC drift settings on top of that.

[@itsbruxyall]

Nick, that play-out track is just so gorgeous. outstanding job!

[@michaelscottpettis]

Brooks Callison yeah, this is simply gorgeous

[@TerekkiTerekki]

What he said

[@RikMaxSpeed]

FPGA's are most definitely not analogue, they're digital chips, but you can reprogramming the actual logic gates of the chip and they're excellent at running very parallel repeating tasks, such as generating oscillators, so they can sample at 24MHz for example which hugely reduces the aliasing you would normally get with a typical digital synth.

[@adastra123]

If I got one of these, I would come out of my room and there would be flying cars and I would have a long long beard.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

Sounds like a win to me.

[@adastra123]

@@fortheloveofnoise just subscribed to your channel. You're a clever guy.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

@@adastra123 Sometimes, but not often.

[@adastra123]

@@fortheloveofnoise lol. But you're smart enough to get them on video.

[@noobslayerr9732]

Or a dystopian land after covid19...'eerie sound' U got it tho?

[@ChrisP3000x]

Dang! I was needing at least 49 oscillators in unison.

[@kentxx12]

Just call up Sam he do it for you ;) kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2WYd3uQgbutaLc

[@Fercomusic]

@@kentxx12 :DD haha

[@Jimbo386000]

This is probably my 15th viewing of this video. I absolutely love it. You’ve sold me on it Nick!

[@rnedp760]

Every time I hear a demo of this synth it sounds great, there's something special there.

[@MarshalArnold]

I never snagged a peak mostly because no key bed. Really like that this is a proper synth, with a nice layout and keys! Think this will be a huge hit. Sounds great!

[@jumpstar9000]

I've been going backwards and forwards for months on what might suit me best, and I have to say this really is an absolutely stunning piece of equipment. I really think this is the one. Thanks for such a great review.

[@mrcmarciniakify]

I could honestly listen to him playing for like 3 hours straight

[@andreilemieux9525]

how beautiful is this synth!!! i love how it takes wavetable synthesis, has FM, and fx all in one. what makes this synth so intriguing is the oscillators, i realllllllly want one of these. i love how novation updated the peak and added all those tables. but what made me not want it as much, was the fact that it was a desktop synth. i find that 61 keys is a bit too much for myself but I'm sure having a multitimbral synth makes it a bit different :D great job sonic state, thanks for covering this monster

[@BluffMunkey]

Do you remember the day that 48 oscillators of unison made PWM face happen? I do.

[@stvm]

15:05

[@Zinfidel1]

Novation doesn't release too many synths but when they do *oh man* is it great! Also, that last jam was just wonderful.

[@HotStrange]

The great thing about Novation is they don’t NEED to release many synths. Instead, they release major updates that completely change it from what is was before. They easily could’ve made a Bass Station 3 with all the new added features, but instead released all those insane updates for free and turned it into a new synth altogether. They’re truly a great company and, IMO, are really over looked compared to the big dogs like Korg, Roland, Moog, DSI, and now Behringer.

[@videosuperhighway7655]

@@HotStrange Yup I bought 2 peaks And now this Amazing Summit Keyboard. Its great they focus on not a huge line of Synths but on a small line and really great instruments.

[@HotStrange]

VIDEOSUPERHIGHWAY Agreed. Novation and Korg are probably my 2 favorites of the “big” manufacturers.

[@danrkelly]

Great jam at the end, Nick.

[@taavikelle9813]

21:35 - Boards of Batt

[@WingHouseCup]

I would get lost for weeks with this machine. Sounds amazing and massive. And that play out track just awesome.

[@watchaddicts1213]

And the WINNER is: SUMMIT!!! Sonics-wise…Stunningly Gorgeous! I am saving for mine. It will be my Going Away to a Deserted Island, FOREVER, and-according to island law-I’m allowed ONE Polysynth. Likely, this is an older video, a la PRE Version 2.0, which I understand made some great improvements. I’ll hope to take a 2.0 rendition then…to the island. I selected SUMMIT over MOOG ONE, in part (to be fair) 😢because I’d be dead before I saved enough money to own one, but…completely without knowing it, Novation made a Poly that makes the sounds I’ve been chasing around (inside my head) for many years now.

[@Am6-9]

Soon to be expected: the announcement of the Behringer “Bummit”. Ok, I’ll admit, I made that gag before on the NAMM video of this... 😋 worth it...

[@thedarkestrainbow]

Lol. There’s always someone with the “B” joke. 👏🏼 👏🏼

[@localtechnique]

"It's like two Beaks!"

[@architectofechoes4]

Still funny tho' !!

[@charlieaydin1377]

Worth a second take

[@Goettel]

I'd buy a 'Bummit' for €499 :-)

[@Pontiki1977]

I love novation's designs. this and the peak look gorgeous and ofcourse the sound matches the looks.

[@johnadams5489]

Wow, sounds MASSIVE. Great hands-on review Nick, as usual. It sounds massive. Just a note of worth: Sweetwater raised the introductory price from $1999 to $2199. Too bad. That will send me price shopping somewhere else after the initial orders are filled.

[@TheOrionZane]

I always come back to the last bit you play. I would pay to hear a full song of that

[@JohnDoeWasntTaken]

That is just insane when he twisted the spread knob and suddenly the sound just completely FILLED my headphones.

[@rodrigolaporte274]

What an AMAZING synth! I hope someday to be able to get one

[@lefunghi6151]

I was pretty torn on what to save up for, the peak or the summit, but what you did with it around the 21:00 minute mark just convinced me to save a bit longer and just get the summit. Such a vibe

[@Superlover]

why can I not press the like button 5 times? so many lovely tones out of this great machine

[@ChrisP3000x]

I wonder if they could setup a launchpad (with overlay) as a mod matrix?

[@fuzzjohn]

Just learned that Chris Huggett passed away, RIP thanks for all the sounds.

[@FallingIslands]

That ending jam made me cry. :'D

[@ScottWozniak]

Perfect thing to watch while I'm eating breakfast! ❤️

[@adastra123]

Lol. I am just taking time out with a cup of tea and sweet cake at a restaurant anticipating the video when I see your text. I know the feeling.

[@aurelioramos8463]

@@adastra123 And here I am eating smoked fish and rice!

[@adastra123]

@@aurelioramos8463 a healthier option by far. But we can both drool over this synth.

[@kablehead]

I'm eating diner. :)

[@cellrok]

Thanks. Now i am hungry. haha :D

[@ConenRuam]

Stunning outro! Incredible sounds there

[@claudiowiesflecker413]

Your synth Jams are always really great musically!

[@DaveHoskinsCG]

Nice demo! Great sounds.

[@mrdiggie3321]

Nick, FPGA is basically the Lego of processing. You buy a bigger or smaller Lego kit, which determines how much it costs and how much you can ultimately do with it at once and also how much it costs, same with FPGAs. The Lego kit comes with some special blocks you can use to fulfil certain roles with less manual assembly, same with FPGAs (small CPUs are common). And essentially when you power the thing on you feed it your Lego manual (e.g. from an eeprom) and it builds itself into your custom processor. Boom! Reprogrammable custom voice/filter/effects unit you can change with a firmware update. Unlike a CPU that has only so many units to do certain tasks at once and so bottlenecks at some point, on an FPGA if you need more or less of something you can manage those allocations, until you run out of Lego.

[@DerekPower]

And since then, there was a significant firmware update (2.0) for both Peak and Summit, which added more modulation options and effects, amongst other things. This is what excites me about the more current synthesisers. After all, you couldn’t really do this with the vintage ones without going into the actual architecture and modifying components. And even then, you might as well have just built your own.

[@kanzeon7729]

the jam in the end is amazing

[@st0rmchild]

It always is!

[@BecomingProductions]

I've had this pre-ordered for weeks now, just just waiting for September for delivery. I was already really excited for the possibilities of 2 separate Peaks but when you demonstrated the 2 independent arp's at different rates my jaw hit the floor. The possibilities with this are nuts.

[@jr6786]

I was told mid october... :/ ordered this back in may.

[@BecomingProductions]

@@jr6786 Hopefully things have changed since then. The store I ordered from seemed pretty sure it was due in early September. Either way I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

[@dionysiaex5538]

Finally a Novation synth I think I actually like after many bad experiences. And an excellent presentation from Nick.

[@trevor4835]

17:30 - 18:00 was very convincing for me

[@northerncatto]

What a fantastic piece of gear. I'll never be able to afford this, nor would I use it to its full potential anyway, but wow. What puzzles me about these synths, like the Prophets or this one, is the tiny screen. Couldn't they go with something a little less sterile and easier to read, less "divy"? I understand my Minilogue having a tiny screen, since it's entry-level, but this?

[@rodrigolaporte274]

Well, you have the Yamaha MODX with a big touch screen that is also part of its sound design. I guess with these synths the idea is to have everything on knobs, buttons and sliders. Well, as much as possible. Then since you need some under the hood stuff you either put a screen or go for secondary function shortcuts which tends to be cumbersome. And then they go for the as little intrusive screen they can. IMHO.

[@northerncatto]

It's funny, I was thinking of the MODX when writing my comment, since it's the polar opposite of that small screen. I dunno. I'm guessing pro synths have pro users too, and they're less intimidated than me by menu diving. :D

[@danpreston564]

You don’t need a bigger screen, since it’s only displaying basic information.

[@MSS-g7f]

No doubt there'll be the ubiquitous software editor to follow

[@Pictus_Invictus]

@@MSS-g7f, There is one for the Peak sigabort.co/midisynth Probably they will make for the Summit too...

[@PROJECT-de9pd]

Still one of the best reviews and jams .. classic

[@ElektronicCricket]

Best review of the summit ...

[@CB-zu4md]

The one issue I have with this synth is how you have to set up modulation sources and destinations. Always fiddly having to use a rotary encoder and one of the reasons I sold my Virus. By far the best/easiest system is instant source and destination selection as used by the DSI Prophet Rev2 “Simply hold down the source button and move the control you want to use as a source (the mod wheel, for example). Then hold down the destination button and move the control that you want to use as a destination (filter cutoff, for example)”. I have written to Novation to ask if this functionality can be implemented in a firmware update - no news yet... Fix this and we could be looking at the perfect poly synth.

[@JuanAMatos-zx4ub]

That would be a very appreciated feature. Don't know why it doesn't have it by default.

[@ecsnsan]

Wow! Now I just want to leave the office and go home and play my Peak. 😁

[@phillytee9106]

Happy to see they put all those interface in's and outs on this, this looks and sounds like a really well thought out synth, with loads of user options available. Suddenly having a reasonably priced multitimbral modern synth with full controls and effects isn't as out of reach as say a Moog One is. Good work Novation.

[@rumo201]

WOW! Perfect review! Song at the end is fantastic 👏👏👏

[@LarsBjerregaard]

Great playout and review Nick! Massive synth, great sounds.

[@valdiskrebs566]

Sounds great! I still like my Novation KS-4: 4 part multi-timbral and 4 splits & FX.

[@ProckGnosis]

Yeah, loved my Novation KS4. Would have loved it more if I didn't have to get the encoders replaced twice.

[@valdiskrebs566]

ProckGnosis I guess I have been lucky with mine... no problems.

[@ProckGnosis]

@@valdiskrebs566 The Novation repair tech told me that some of the earlier batches had used bad encoders...I was just unlucky enough to get one of them I guess. Still love it though...

[@EverettDudgeon138]

I think the key to the Summit's sound is really the Wavetable and FM sonic characteristics. I'm hearing DX7, Prophet VS, and even some PPG stuff in this baby. That's unique in today's current synth market. I'm holding off until I see what Sequential has up their sleeve but...this and the Roland System 8 are top contenders for complimenting my analog and sampler gear.

[@DivKid]

I definitely got some of the nice colder PPG edges when I first got some time with it around Superbooth. It has a really nice range.

[@scottkeenan1646]

17:00 'I'm just going to play some sounds and see what happens". WOW is what happens. I've watched a lot of Nick reviews and he is often so casually brilliant. Please record an extended version of this tune/patch, Nick. Great work!

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

He is a professional in the game with high profile musician connections.

[@supernatural802]

just a lovely piece of kit. begs to be explored. me wants.

[@Dunbar0740]

My old Korg Oasys PCI cards use FPGA chips. They're twenty years old now; they still sound great.

[@kierenmoore3236]

This stirred Summit deep inside me, and made me Peak ...

[@fburton8]

Very good, Kieren. :D

[@tonyhill2318]

No.

[@kierenmoore3236]

@@tonyhill2318 Yes ... Ohhh, YES! ... and it’s happening, again ... 😱

[@thedrumunkey]

I think Novation’s key, unique capability is there user interface design. From function to materials, even “lower” level ones like the Monostation are so fun to program...

[@Mark_Ocain]

Man Hybrids have just come on strong lately. This one just dishes up the juice and lots of knobs is what I dig the most.

[@thewideeye]

I have never seen anything blow Nick away as much as this synth. Novation are to me the leaders among the big guys when it comes to developing synths. I have had three of their synths myself since the late nineties and their evolution is like no one else's. Heck, you can still do lots with a Xio that sounds great, but their more recently Oxford focused synths (incl BS2 with its firmware updates) are among the best you can get to your rig.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

As Nick always does, this is the best demo/review of this synth.

[@GNeuman]

Sounds absolutely awesome...

[@dep1001]

Another great review, Nick! Thank you!

[@NathanChisholm041]

Just bought one and its a amazing synth! Endless possibility..

[@joeyxl3456]

awesome. really thinking about one myself :)

[@NathanChisholm041]

@@joeyxl3456 Do it mate you will love it!

[@JessyTeddles]

man what a great synth! i wasnt expecting that. seems to stand out amoungst all these modern polys. i always forget about novation for some reason, but theyve never really released anything shitty.

[@Nomo_Popo]

Tempting. I wish you had time to do a Summit only EP, Nick!

[@iantanner7579]

Boards of Canada in a single synthesizer, - nice!

[@Bannazkit]

wat...

[@DJTrainBrain]

17:40 makes me think of Mirror's Edge. Most lovely sound indeed!

[@smuskind7872]

Good video! Can’t wait to play with crazy synth!

[@bugeyedmudafuka2]

Nick do you have any music available? I love the sounds you get when demoing synths and would love to hear whole tracks. If not you should really release something.

[@Jimbo386000]

God that sounds beautiful...

[@Angelstarscotland]

Best demo I've heard so far by miles............. Well Done Nick! Unfortunately out of my price range but sounds beautiful!

[@DJTrainBrain]

18:02 was just painful :-( I really wanted to listen to that patch for much longer.

[@johnpaulpatton9786]

Using the synth as a MIDI controller, is it possible to create splits across the keyboard and assign MIDI channels to groups of keys?

[@abge5300]

MOOG & NOVATION is love 💕

[@scottishpig]

17:05 is exact instant when I fell in love.

[@Jimbo386000]

Same here. My heart jumps when he makes the bass squeal.

[@MrRoskoPeko]

I really like the ‘Sound’ of both the Peak and Summit. 👌🏻

[@MrLarsDF]

Nick! Its about time you make that 10h electro-ambient album!! Im waiting😊😊😊😊😊😁😁. Hurry up now!!

[@whitelabmusicuk]

Addictively good sounding synth! awesome :-)

[@HonorV2ultimate1tb]

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

[@fredrikw1447]

15:12 Like a child in a candy shop :)

[@videosuperhighway7655]

Nick is really digging the Summit. LOL

[@Individual_two]

We are now seeing a steady roll out of higher-end poly & paraphonic synths and this Summit is certainly a solid contender in that category. That said, I would not be surprised if the Peak synth engine tech soon finds its way into a replacement for the long-in-the-tooth, Ultra Nova. A smaller synth with this new tech would sell really well in the sub-$750 marketplace.

[@activistarts7722]

Was Nick in Tangerine Dream ? 17:20

[@robbatke7430]

This thing has Ulrich Schnauss written all over it.

[@HotStrange]

I sold my entire set up recently to start over from scratch. So far I have a Matriarch and a Model:Samples. Next up is my poly synth and I’m having a real hard time deciding between a Prologue + Argon8 or the Summit. I really want to simplify my set up. So the Matriarch is my big “mono” synth and the Summit would be my poly. But damn it’s a hard choice.

[@JuanAMatos-zx4ub]

How do you like the Model Samples?

[@kierenmoore3236]

Which Poly did you end up going with? I’m currently debating with myself whether or not to buy a Matriarch …

[@pedrokremermotta605]

I try to put other synth on ext input like in the end of this video, but never was able to make it sound without laying down a key or pressing key latch. I would love to learn how you do that so you can play both patchs on multi, and the synth hooked up on ext input. Can someone explain me how to do that? Thanks in advance!

[@mrbreaker101]

Great review Nick. Two minutes in and noticed you missed an opportunity for a Twin Peaks reference though.

[@InkyDaCaT]

😂😂😂15.14 .. Nick's super happy face as trys out 48 in unison...he's happy lol..yeah great synth..think we all want one no brainer lol

[@gydur]

FANTASTIC synth

[@Daphoid]

I've got the Matriarch and Matrixbrute on my list for paraphonic synths or first "really big ticket items", but damn if this isn't tempting, 1-2 years from now when I have the space for it.

[@johnadams5489]

The Summit is the best sounding AFFORDABLE poly synth to come along in decades. I've never been much of a fan of Digitals, normally I don't like the sound. However, the over clocked Osc on Novation synths are clean and don't sound at all Digital to my ears. LOVE the Filter, the FX. and all the modulation capabilities of this synth. The Unison patch using all 48 Osc sound MASSIVE. Great demo as usual NICK. Awesome! I have to find a way to get enough $$$ to buy one. In my Senior years, that gets more difficult.

[@karimnasser9226]

" and don't sound at all Digital to my ears". Probably has to do with the analog filters.

[@kierenmoore3236]

Rev2 >>

[@collectionofsensations]

Maybe a PiP (picture in picture) could solve the delay problem with the back screen. If there is something adding latency between aux and monitor.

[@whitewolfy1000]

...a good review of the 'Twin Peaks" synth...A single question: can you save your own patches and where?

[@transmutationdotse]

So beautiful ❤ I can’t wait. .. Yes I can 😂 Patience is key in manifesting 🎉 I love U Nick! Victor too! ❤

[@MrJigstavo]

bro that bit at the end with the neutron was a vibbbbeee

[@Jimmy_Sandwiches]

What a beast! .....synth looks cool too

[@Jimbo386000]

This puts butterflies in my stomach.