Think I just found my new dream poly.
This is so great! Just submitted my final year university project today that had me implementing DDS and envelopes and stuff on an FPGA, really cool to see all the things Iâve been writing about put to such a good use!
Sounds great! Between this, the Matriarch, and the Summit, (and the QPAS?,) itâs a good year for stereo filters!
Lovely long interview with George Hearn of U.D.O. here. I really want to try the Super 6!
I couldnât resist, pre-ordered one in blue!
[EDIT] Just been informed by the distributor that they will ship my Blue Super 6 to the dealer soon, the dealer will have it next week, and Iâll have it soon after. Got sent the .pdf manual too. Happy Daze Ahead!
Iâm stoked for you!
Did you have to request the manual? Iâm so glad to read this bc PC gives me an attitude whenever I ask them if theyâve got any updates for me, which has only been twice in 6 months.
I messaged Turnlab on Reverb yesterday bc they had estimated ship date listed as the 21st so I asked if that was still accurate and they said no itâs delayed again and they need to update the date on their page.
Any chance you can link me to the manual? If not, no worries. Thank you
Yeah, I requested the manual ages ago, George was supposed to send me a hard copy, he forgot, I poked him and he sent it last week but it still hasnât arrived. Then today I got emails from my distributor and dealer with all the great news and a copy of the .pdf manual, which I have just finished reading.
Donât know PC. My dealer has been great.
Canât link manual as promised George I wouldnât, and am pretty sure itâll be up on the website very soon. But happy to answer any questions regarding it!
Youâre going to love it.
saw they shipped em today! so amped. George sent me the manual last week and its sick. I donât know when theyâll make it to the US but hopefully soon :)) post clips when yours comes please!
Ugh. So on the fence between this and the Novation Summit. My friend is pushing me to get the Summit (He got one. Loves it.) as itâs got a bit more bells and whistles. That said, the Super 6 looks more immediate and Iâve enjoyed the sounds Iâve heard a bit more (I also wouldnât mind supporting a company that seems a little smaller and maybe more ethical in terms of part sourcing and labor).
Anyone here whoâs ordered/played a Super 6 AND played the Summit?
I ordered super 6 in January and had a Peak (half a summit) that I sold. peak was sick but super 6 seems more up my alley. depends what music you want to make. what do you look for in a synth?
Playability? Or the ability to quickly dial in a wide range of sounds with knobs, sliders, buttons, and switches. No menu-diving. Seems like the Summit addresses what was hidden away in the Peak. Iâm also quite content with limitations. I think Iâm mostly looking for something I can get lost in on its own, but wonât require me to click a bunch of buttons or spin encoders. The Summitâs bi-timbral-ness is very attractive.
Iâve played the summit and the super 6 (and own a Peak). I can say that if you wished for a peak successor that was bitimbral and put into âflagship keyboard synthâ style packaging, the summit is that. The added ability to diverge the filters (the peak has 2x12 dB/Oct where they always match cutoff and resonance settings and one or both are in the signal path) and their mode adds a whole new family of sounds shaping options. This plus the extra panel controls is a real winning formula for me.
The super 6 is solidly built with a great keyboard, but I found the interface a little confusing. The labels on faders and buttons didnât really click for me in the way they do in most other synths. Similarly the buttons in the middle didnât feel very obvious either. This isnât a big deal per se as a little manual reading and youâll be there and it does sound (especially the interesting stereo image) and feel great. I guess itâs a question of if you can identify what it gives you that the summit doesnât, and if that something is worth the 25% extra (Vs bitimbrality and 16 voices Vs 12).
Looks nice, but what exactly do they mean by binaural?
:
Binaural analog signal path for stereo movement and spatial effects
In as small a nutshell as I can manage:
Regular mode: 12 voice monophonic (except for the effects) poly, each voice has itâs own VCA, VCA, ENV etc., although two voices will share one of the 6 LFOs.
Binaural mode: 6 voice poly, but starting with the VCOs, everything that follows in the signal chain (and its modulators) will be panned hard left and right, and the LFOs will have one per side, with the ability to modulate the tuning and phase spread of the VCOs leading to a so called âbinauralâ signal path/effect for crazy stereo width modulation and associated phase shenanigans.
Binaural just means âtwo earsâ, so if you are thinking of classic dummy head recordings etc., itâs a bit different, Stereo basically means the same thing. The difference with the S6 is that the stereo signal path starts with the VCOs, and isnât just applied with effects on a mono source afterwards etc. No, not new or revolutionary, but should enable some very interesting patches.
I really hope the manual will be available generally soon, as it will clear up all this stuff with a quick perusal of the DDS Modulator section.
The other thing a lot of people donât seem to realise with the Super 6 is that each of the 12 DDS1 parts of the VCOs can also have 6 âsisterâ VCOs, slightly detuned beside it for a huge, I guess âsupersaw-esqueâ type sound. Nothing to laugh at in Unison mode when youâll basically have the sound of 72 VCOs before you even start thinking about DDS2 detuned and layered with those, or using LFO1 as another oscillator. Sorry, fan boi offâŚ
Novation Summit has a more modern sounding filter, open highs and low rather than low mid emphasis. The Super 6 has more low mids and seems to have more saturated almost band-limited highs, presumably due to the less flexible but creme de la creme SSM-type filter choice and amp design. While neither will beat a vintage poly oscs with drift for analog-type sounds, Super 6 gets closer.
But if I were buying one, the choice would rest primarily on modulation approach and how extensive it is and how much I like the hybrid sound palette vs if Iâm okay with overall tonality. Otherwise whatâs the point of a VA hybrid? Splits and bi-timbral are nice, but I would rather higher quality FX if the goal is evolving sound possibilities.
I am hoping for a really deep computer editing platform for the Super 6 at some stage. George already said it might happen, with things like a global or per function âslopâ parameter (like on Uhe Diva), microtuning/scales, user wavetables, user adjustable timings etc. That could go a long way towards making it do vintage tones better, but that wasnât a consideration for why I bought it. I think the main things were the sound, the build quality, and the user interface, for me.
Not been a fan of anything Novation since I pre-ordered the original BassStation (had serial number 16), and although I liked the sound, I was extremely disappointed with the overall build quality, plastic feel etc. Am sure they are better now, but once bitten, twice shyâŚ
Hi Gregg! Yes, I helped prove out the firmware. I thought it would be best to stop complaining about little niggles in synths and help get rid of some.
Given that I am happy using software, and have a modular, the UDO makes a great hardware synth. Iâve found it immediate, intuitive (so rare), and still rewards patience. âLow floor, high ceilingâ as Iâve heard it described. Would love to hear your experiences.