Other synths like Novation Summit

[TS-12]

I recently played Summit in a music store, ( it's rare to see a good synth in a music store ) .
Liked it for the most part, it has a good variety of presets for various genres and most of them are very useable.
I'm highly considering buying it, but wanna explore other similar synths to compare, what if there is a synth that suit me even better than Summit.
So what other polyphonic synths are similar to summit ?

EDIT: The only analog synth I have is Moog Subsequent 37.
And lots of synth plugins and few Hardware Romplers.

[Lectropunk aka influx808]

Arturia polybrute +1

[kritikon]

2 Novation Peaks. Very similar indeed.

[cryophonik]

Korg Prologue
Arturia PolyBrute
Sequential Prophet Rev2
UDO Super 6

[TS-12]

2 Novation Peaks. Very similar indeed.

Novation Peak doesn't have a built in keyboard tho.
Built-in keyboard is a must for me

[TS-12]

What about Virus TI ? How does it compare ?

[rod_zero]

What about Virus TI ? How does it compare ?

Old, the digital engine has already been surpassed by plugins or more recent hardware, the physical interface is quite modest for all that it can, far from being a "One knob per function synth". The more current digital synth comparable to the virus would be the hydrasynth, and while it packs lots of features the user interface is also minimalistic.

The Summit has 61 key (with aftertouch), plus a great number of controls, very few things require using the menu. It has extensive options for the arpeggiator, it can be used for two sounds at the same time, has 16 voices and very good effects. The filters are analog and the Oscillators allow form more than the basic waveforms.

So what is comparable? in its price bracket almost nothing, The prologue has similar voice count but fewer controls and modulation. The Prophet Rev 2 at almost the same price only has the 8 voices, the arturia polybrute has 6. The UDO super 6 is one of the most similar in the physical aspects but the voice count is lower and the synth engine is quite more basic.

More expensive options by Sequential or the new Moog give you good user interface and full analog engine but you loose voices and in some cases the 61 keyboard.

Other options could be the Behringer polysynths, if you could try them there might be a good option since they are half the price of the Summit.

[cryophonik]

What about Virus TI ? How does it compare ?

I’ve owned well over a dozen different Virus models over the last 20 or so years and also owned a Peak for a while, so I’ll try to give you my unbiased opinion. The TI has far more voices, far more features and sound sculpting possibilities (many more oscillator waveforms and filter types) and an excellent arp, but is 100% digital, whereas the Peak/Summit is a hybrid with very good FPGA digital oscillators and analog filters.

The Summit wins for analog sounds, whereas the Virus is proudly digital and has that trademark sound (but is very flexible). The Virus also has the best keybed on the market IMO and it has the Total Integration, although it is no longer supported by Access and I wouldn’t count on it to work flawlessly, especially if you’re on a Mac like me. There is a paid-for third-party editor that works ok, though..

They’re both excellent options and could happily live side by side in someone’s studio, but it really comes down to your preferences.

[TS-12]

btw, I forgot to mention that one analog synth that I have is Moog Subsequent 37.

So I narrowed down my choices to these 3 synths: Summit, Virus TI, and Prophet Rev 2

[cryophonik]

btw, I forgot to mention that one analog synth that I have is Moog Subsequent 37.

So I narrowed down my choices to these 3 synths: Summit, Virus TI, and Prophet Rev 2

That's a tough choice. I reluctantly sold my Peak a few years ago because I felt that I had too many other synths that covered its bases, especially my Rev2, but I would still love to own another one or a Summit if I had infinite space and inputs. The Virus is a different beast. Any one of them would complement the Subsequent 37, it just depends on whether you want a digital workhorse in the Virus, a DCO-based analog workhorse in the Rev2, or a hybrid workhorse in the Summit.

What type of music do you make? Do you play live?

[Uncle E]

What about Virus TI ? How does it compare ?

Discontinued and the TI aspect of it doesn't work on any modern Mac OS's. If you don't care about that, an original TI Keyboard for around $1,000 would be pretty amazing for what you get.

Not a replacement for a Summit, though. Neither is the REV2. Roland JD-XA is a closer equivalent (and has much higher voice count).

[zerocrossing]

Unclear why people are suggesting analogs as alternative to a hybrid, but if you’re looking for something with similar types of waveform morphing, you are looking for a hybrid. Several great hybrids that are currently being sold are…

Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave. A modern take on the classic PPG Wave 2, but also lots of high resolution oscillator functions and samples. One of my favorites.

Waldorf M. A modern take on the Microwave rev1. Another great sounding synth, but more limited to a vintage style of sound.

Prophet 12. No longer in production, but a powerhouse of a synth.

Prologue. Programmable oscillator section and VCOs.

Nina. Wavetables and VCOs. Patch morphing. Kind of a vintage Moog meets Waldorf vibe.

Fred Labs Tooro.

Xena: a new build of the Mutable Instruments Ambika. Cheap, but sounds awesome. Kind of low-fi into classic filters, but more than just wavetables. A recent firmware update really improved the sound, IMO.

UDO Super 6. A “binaural” synth. It doesn’t do wavetables in a Microwave/PPG style or even wave morphing like the Summit, but it’s got a fair number of great digital and analog style waveforms and it sounds awesome. I would have bought one had it not been for a stupidly low preset memory amount, and no software editor-librarian.

I wouldn’t bother with a Virus. I’m in the camp that thinks they were great in their day, but surpassed by plugins like Dune 3, Icarus, Current, Massive X, etc. Plus, you a download the chip emulation version from The Usual Suspects and basically have a free TI plugin. The Microwave XT is coming soon, as is the Nord Lead 2.

Speaking of plugins, here are a few that I think give the Summit a run for its money:

Spire. Fantastic sound, and per-voice distortion that’s on par with the quality of the Summit’s, and has a lot more variety of drive types.

Dune 3. Lots of great filter types and a fantastic oscillator unison engine.

Current. Really fun stereo filter modes and generally good sound.

MSoundFactory. More like a modular system than a standard synthesizer, but it can do almost anything. The downside is that its flexibility comes at a price. It’s not intuitive to use out of the box, but once you realize the basics, it’s clear and easy to create your own patches or use one of the many factory presets or user authored presets. It also has really great per voice distortion like the Summit’s but more variety, and you have to make sure you have the rendering quality high and add oversampling to make sure it’s smooth.

Icarus. Best audio file to wavetable conversion I’ve come across, and it generally sounds great and has a bunch of oscillator morph types that really open things up for cool sounds. Good analog filter models included.

[bmanic]

Definitely need to be careful with the Virus TI if you aren't familiar with it's sound output. I happen to like it a lot and thought the DSP emulation version was too clumsy and too CPU intensive to use so I bought a Virus TI Snow that is awesome, especially when combined with the excellent AURA Access Virus Editor.

But if you happen to like the Virus TI sound and get lucky with a great condition 2nd hand purchase, then it's an absolute no-brainer.

Otherwise I would definitely recommend the Summit. Can't really go wrong with it as it's an absolutely excellent synth!

[Amberience]

Deepmind 12. Prophet 12.

[egbert101]

If you're looking for bread and butter sounds, then Sequential Take 5, if you're willing to go for virtual analog then Hydrasynth. Also check out KingKorg Neo, Korg MicroKORG 2 (When released), Korg Modwave, Korg Wavestate.