Basic Operation - Sound Modification; The Oled Display; Parameter Adjustment; The Filter Knob - Novation Peak User Manual

Basic Operation – sound modification
Once you have loaded a Patch you like the sound of, you can modify the sound in many
different ways using the synth controls. Each area of the control panel is dealt with in
greater depth later in the manual, but a few fundamental points should be noted first.

The OLED display

The OLED display will show the last menu page selected until a rotary control or slider is
moved on the control panel, when it changes to confirm the control being moved, together
with the instantaneous parameter value and the parameter value for the currently loaded
Patch:
01Fine
current
saved val
Many rotary controls have a parameter range of 0 to +127. Others are effectively "centre-
off", and have a parameter range of either -64 to + 63 or -128 to +127.
The display reverts to the previous menu page a short time (user-definable) after the control
is released. If no control is touched for 10 minutes, the display turns off, but will resume
immediately a control or menu button is selected.
Two exceptions to the above are the MASTER volume rotary control and the more setting
of the Oscillator Wave selector. Adjusting the MASTER control does not alter the OLED
display in any way. Selecting an Oscillator Wave to more will change the display to page
3, 5 or 7 of the Osc menu: this page includes the WaveMore parameter for wavetable
selection.

Parameter adjustment

As with traditional analogue synths, most of the primary sound modification controls on
Peak are dedicated, physical rotary controls or switches, providing instant access to the
most commonly needed sound parameters.
Many more parameters are available for adjustment in most of the synth sections via the
menu system; these tend to be parameters that you wouldn't need immediate access to
during a live performance. Those in the Osc, Env, LFO, Arp/Clock, Voice and FX menus
all affect the relevant sections of sound generation and treatment directly, while the Mod
menu lets you interconnect different synth sections with the Modulation Matrix.

The Filter knob

Adjusting the frequency of the synth's filter is probably the most commonly-used method of
sound modification. For this reason, Filter Frequency has a large rotary control 35 near
the bottom of the panel. Experiment with different types of patch to hear how changing the
filter frequency alters the characteristic of different types of sound. Also listen to the effect
of the three different filter Shapes.

Pitch and Mod wheels

Any MIDI keyboard controller used with Peak will be fitted with a standard pair of
synthesiser control wheels, Pitch and Mod (Modulation). Pitch is usually spring-loaded
and will return to its centre position. The range of control of Pitch is adjustable (with the
BendRange parameter - see page 18) in semitone increments up to +/-2 octaves; the
default setting is +/-1 octave.
The Mod wheel's precise function varies with the patch loaded; it is used in general to add
expression or various elements to a synthesized sound. A common use is to add vibrato to
a sound.
It is possible to assign the Mod wheel to alter various parameters making up the sound
– or a combination of parameters simultaneously. This topic is discussed in more detail
elsewhere in the manual. See "The Modulation Matrix" on page 26.

The Arpeggiator

Peak includes an arpeggiator (the 'ARP'), which allows arpeggios of varying complexity
and rhythm to be played and manipulated in real-time. The Arpeggiator is enabled by
pressing the Arp ON button 30 .
If a single key is pressed, the note will be retriggered by the arpeggiator, at a rate
determined by the ClockRate parameter on Page 1 of the Arp menu. If you play a
chord, the arpeggiator identifies its notes and plays them individually in sequence at the
same rate (this is termed an arpeggio pattern or 'arp sequence'); thus if you play a C major
triad, the selected notes will be C, E and G.
Adjusting Gate 32 , and the Type, Rhythm and Octaves parameters on Page 2 of
the Arp menu will alter the rhythm of the pattern, the way the sequence is played and the
note range in a variety of ways. See "The Arpeggiator" on page 29 for full details.
12
-17
+0

MIDI control

Peak has a very high degree of MIDI implementation, and almost every control and synth
parameter is able to transmit MIDI data to external equipment, and similarly, the synth may
be controlled in almost every respect by incoming MIDI data from a DAW, sequencer or
master control keyboard.
The Settings menu has numerous options for enabling various aspects of MIDI control,
which include MIDI Channel setting, Arpeggio MIDI Out, Aftertouch, CC/NRPN transmit/
receive and Program/Bank Change transmit/receive. Please see page 35 for full details.
The factory default is for all MIDI transmit/receive options to be On, and MIDI Channel 1 is
set as the active channel.

The Animate Buttons

Each of the two ANIMATE buttons 59 may be programmed to provide an instant
modification to the synth's sound, which persists for as long as the button is pressed. This
is a great way of adding sound effects "on the fly" in live performance.
The ANIMATE buttons are programmed using the Modulation Matrix, and appear in the
list of Sources on Page 2 of the Mod menu. Each button may be assigned as a modulating
source for any of the Destinations available in the Mod Matrix. See page 26 for full
details.