Overview
Peak is Novation’s desktop polysynth and Summit is the larger keyboard version, built on the same engine with two parts. Each voice has three oscillators that can play sine, triangle, sawtooth, and pulse, plus a fifth option, more, which opens a set of wavetables. Novation’s Summit user guide lists 60 factory wavetables and 10 slots for your own.
A wavetable on these synths is short. Each one is a bank of five waveforms, and the oscillator’s Shape control sweeps through them, interpolating between neighbors to morph from one to the next. You get smooth, controllable movement rather than the long scans of a 256-frame software table.
Wavetables on the Novation Peak and Summit
User wavetables arrived in firmware 1.3 for Peak and 1.1 for Summit, and they go through Novation Components, either the standalone app or the browser version in a Web MIDI browser such as Chrome, Edge, or Opera. Its Wavetable Editor lets you draw the five waves by hand, pull the tables off the synth, or import audio. Novation’s guide says you can import an audio file or a third-party wavetable, naming Serum, then pick the part of the file to use as a single waveform (512) or a whole wavetable (2560, which is five waves of 512).
Components doesn’t read a WaveStack project, and there’s no card or folder on the synth to drop files into. It does read audio files, so the cleanest handoff is a file that already has the right shape: a table of exactly five frames, exported with Other tools at 512 samples per frame. That’s 2560 samples, the length Components takes for a wavetable, with each frame landing on one of the five waves. A Serum-style export at 2048 also imports, by Novation’s account, but its frames won’t line up with the 512-sample waves, so you’d be picking a slice rather than getting your table.
After you send a table to a user slot, save it on the synth. Novation’s support article is clear that a table sent from Components is lost at the next power cycle unless you store it from the OSC menu (page 9 of 9). Keep a copy saved on your computer too.
Components also works the other way. With the synth connected, the Wavetable Editor can fetch the wavetables already on Peak or Summit, so you can start a new table from one that’s already on the synth, or from one saved in a bank. Logging in to Components is optional, but it backs your banks and tables up to your Novation account, which helps if you move between computers.
Specifications
| User wavetable slots | 10 |
|---|---|
| Factory wavetables | 60 |
| Waves per wavetable | 5 |
| Import length | 512 for one waveform, 2560 for a wavetable |
| Transfer | Novation Components over USB |
| Firmware with user wavetables | Peak 1.3, Summit 1.1 |
From WaveStack to the Novation Peak and Summit
- In WaveStack, make a table of exactly five frames. A five-frame morph in Build is the quickest way.
- Open Export, choose Other tools, set the frame size to 512, and save the WAV.
- Connect Peak or Summit over USB and open Novation Components, either the standalone app or the web version in Chrome, Edge, or Opera. Wait for the green connection indicator.
- Open the Wavetable Editor, create a new wavetable, click Import, and load your file. Choose Import Wavetable so all 2560 samples come in as five waves.
- Check the result with Live Edit, pick a User Wavetable Slot, and click Send to Peak/Summit. Save the wavetable in Components as a backup.
- On the synth, go to the OSC menu, page through to 9/9, find your user wavetable, and save it so it survives a restart.
Things to know
- Novation’s guide says “cycles” where it gives 512 and 2560; with five waves per table, those are sample counts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I load my own wavetables into Peak or Summit?
Yes, from firmware 1.3 on Peak and 1.1 on Summit. User wavetables go through the Wavetable Editor in Novation Components, connected over USB. You can draw the five waves, import audio, or import a third-party wavetable, then send the result to one of 10 user slots. After sending, save it on the synth from the OSC menu, page 9 of 9, or it’s gone at the next restart.
How do I get a WaveStack table into Peak or Summit?
Make a table of five frames, export it with Other tools at 512 samples per frame, and import the WAV in the Components Wavetable Editor as a wavetable. Novation’s guide says a wavetable import takes 2560 samples, which is exactly five 512-sample waves, so each WaveStack frame becomes one of the synth’s five waves. Send it to a user slot, then save it on the synth.
Can Components import Serum wavetables?
Novation’s Components guide says the Wavetable Editor can import an audio file or a third-party wavetable from another synth, and it names Serum. After import you choose the section of the file to use. A Serum table is up to 256 frames of 2048 samples, while a Peak table is five waves of 512, so you’re taking a short slice of the Serum table rather than the whole thing. For a predictable result, export five 512-sample frames instead.
Why does my user wavetable disappear when I turn the synth off?
Sending a table from Components loads it but doesn’t store it. Novation’s support article says to go to the OSC menu on the synth, page to 9/9, scroll to your user wavetable, and save it. Repeat that for each table you send. Also keep a copy saved locally or in your Components account, so you can resend it after a firmware update or factory reset.
How many waves are in a Peak or Summit wavetable?
Five. Novation’s guide says the wavetables on these synths have five slots, and the Summit user guide describes each wavetable as a bank of five waveforms that the Shape control morphs between. That’s far fewer frames than a software table, so think of a Peak table as five keyframes. WaveStack’s Build morph can produce a five-frame table directly from your source waves.