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Rev 2 vs Summit


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Greetings and Salutations!

 

Has anyone done a comparative analysis of the Summit and Rev2? Well it looks like this Summit thing has no wall wart. A IEC cord, at least that's nice.

 

Thanks.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I will be watching this thread cause I am going to pull the trigger on one of these as soon as Summit is launched and in stock ready to demo next to the Rev 2.

 

My initial opinion is the summit seems to be more versatile with the 3rd oscillator having multiple waveforms but the Rev 2 sounds a little fuller/more analog ? Also, doesn't one have an arpeggiator and one doesn't?

Kurzweil Forte 7, Mojo 61, Yamaha P-125,

Kronos X61, Nautilus 73

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I briefly played the Summit at GearFest. Haven't played a Rev2 but have put some time in on a P8, which has very similar architecture.

 

Neither one got me particularly excited. I don't care for the sound of the Curtis filters which infect the P8 and Rev2 and other DSI products. I find the P6 and Pro2 much more to my liking.

 

The Summit I found hard to get under control. Every time I went to strip the sound down, remove modulation or open the filters, it persisted in having some layer somewhere still doing wild stuff. The presets were OK but it kind of sounded like a nice VST to me. The analogue filters didn't really shine with character.

 

I honestly prefer how my old Blofeld sounds.

Moe

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What I really dig about the P8 is the Modulation Matrix. The Summit may have a similar switchable routing setup. I don't know.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I have a Rev2 since it came out locally in 2017 and it really is a jack-of-lotsa-trades, master of none. You can get a lot from it, especially with layers and splits, but it misses some punch/character when you want to, even in 16 voice unison. The oscillators and filters are rather tame. Great for pads, a bit lacking for leads IMHO.

 

I cannot comment on the Summit as I haven't been able to play one myself.

Trumpet player by trade, but fell in love with keys too.
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I have a Rev2 since it came out locally in 2017 and it really is a jack-of-lotsa-trades, master of none. You can get a lot from it, especially with layers and splits, but it misses some punch/character when you want to, even in 16 voice unison. The oscillators and filters are rather tame. Great for pads, a bit lacking for leads IMHO.

 

I cannot comment on the Summit as I haven't been able to play one myself.

 

I'm a fan of Dave Smith, he is as important to the music industry as our dearly departed music God, Bob Moog. I have read similar takes on the REV 2 as you have experienced. Not bad for $1500 provided you are not out for an aggressive synth to make a statement. But Dave has other synths that will fill that need.

 

I have listened to a number of Summit demos, it is certainly cleaner than an RA but I don't find that a liability, not every sound we can use has to sound like an analog reproduction or reissue. I love my analog synths for their sound, but I value the sound of my Motif ES8 too. I would love to add a Novation Summit to my music room, it sounds different than the other synths I own. I don't have the $$$ to buy one, but I don't find the $1999 price out of line at all.

 

 

Mike T.

 

Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1.

 

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If I could spend that money again, I would've sat on it some more and get me a P6. I also love Dave's synths and as said, the Rev2 is useful, but there's more to be had from other synths too.

 

I I can give OP one advise: if you can, play them before you decide. That way, you know which excites you and which does not.

 

Good luck.

 

Mark

Trumpet player by trade, but fell in love with keys too.
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These days I"m more about modules. Prophet 6 module vs keyboard, save £500. Summit vs Peak save £900. Digitone vs Digitone Keys, save £500+. You can get a great midi controller for £500, plus you save a stack of space. (I do realise that the Summit has the extra voices, but you get my drift.)
Occasionally, do something nice for a total stranger. They'll wonder what the hell is going on!
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  • 3 months later...

I have the Rev2 16, for me this has changed my life :)

I find the sound very warm and I love the filter.

I'm sure Novation Summit will be great also. You should Indeed try them both, for a long time and Peak :D the one you feel the best.

Both are great !

Nord Electro 6D / Prophet Rev2/ Digitakt / Minilogue / Keyscape -

New video :

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Has anyone done a comparative analysis of the Summit and Rev2?

 

Ceb, I personally haven't. For many people the most important question is whether the prefilter distortion (and osc drift) in the Novation adds enough character to the oscillators. The Novation filter is lovely. This video might help you decide if the general character of one of the synths is preferable. Hope this helps ...

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

 

 

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Can anyone speak to the P6 vs rev2. I have seen very little, other than people seem to love the P6

 

Starsky Carr has an in-depth review

. The most important comparisons (patch to patch) and conclusion begin at 28.00. I hope this helps. :)

 

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I was weighting out a bunch of these and decided (without playing any of them just yet) that I'd probably opt for the Rev2 8 voice. The price is great, I can upgrade later to 16 voice if I like.

 

The Hydrasynth is a wild card here, not because it is quite the same beast sonically (although I do wait to see if it can do decent analog sounds) but because of the ribbon and poly aftertouch (whatever I'd get would become my studio controller with my pc361 ailing...)

 

I love the Starsky Carr vids. My own takeaway from that is that the P6 sounds a bit punchier/snappier but that for my live needs and cost savings I'd still go for the Rev 2.

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The Hydrasynth is a wild card here, not because it is quite the same beast sonically (although I do wait to see if it can do decent analog sounds) but because of the ribbon and poly aftertouch (whatever I'd get would become my studio controller with my pc361 ailing...)

 

You and me both bro. I keep wanting to like it's sound, but every demo seems to demonstrate that it has the earth-shaking punch and peerless sonics of the Roland Gaia. ;)

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The Hydrasynth is a wild card here, not because it is quite the same beast sonically (although I do wait to see if it can do decent analog sounds) but because of the ribbon and poly aftertouch (whatever I'd get would become my studio controller with my pc361 ailing...)

 

You and me both bro. I keep wanting to like it's sound, but every demo seems to demonstrate that it has the earth-shaking punch and peerless sonics of the Roland Gaia. ;)

 

I've heard small bits and pieces showing simpler bits in demos that give me some hope. We are sure to find out soon.

 

As far as a Prophet--it's been one of my "dream keyboards" for decades. I certainly love the sound and miss having a board with lots of knobs to play with live. Behringer has already said the UB-Xa won't have effects so that probably rules it out for my live use...otherwise I might wait to see how that one turns out and at what price. Oberheims are ALSO the sound of my younger days :D

 

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