Think I just found my new dream poly.
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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 I’ve been writing about put to such a good use!
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Sounds great! Between this, the Matriarch, and the Summit, (and the QPAS?,) it’s a good year for stereo filters!
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Lovely long interview with George Hearn of U.D.O. here. I really want to try the Super 6!
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I couldn’t 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 I’ll have it soon after. Got sent the .pdf manual too. Happy Daze Ahead! 
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I’m stoked for you!
Did you have to request the manual? I’m so glad to read this bc PC gives me an attitude whenever I ask them if they’ve 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 it’s 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 hasn’t 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.
Don’t know PC. My dealer has been great.
Can’t link manual as promised George I wouldn’t, and am pretty sure it’ll be up on the website very soon. But happy to answer any questions regarding it!
You’re going to love it.
saw they shipped em today! so amped. George sent me the manual last week and its sick. I don’t know when they’ll make it to the US but hopefully soon :)) post clips when yours comes please!
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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 it’s got a bit more bells and whistles. That said, the Super 6 looks more immediate and I’ve enjoyed the sounds I’ve heard a bit more (I also wouldn’t mind supporting a company that seems a little smaller and maybe more ethical in terms of part sourcing and labor).
Anyone here who’s ordered/played a Super 6 AND played the Summit?
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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. I’m also quite content with limitations. I think I’m mostly looking for something I can get lost in on its own, but won’t require me to click a bunch of buttons or spin encoders. The Summit’s bi-timbral-ness is very attractive.
I’ve 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 “flagship keyboard synth” 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 didn’t really click for me in the way they do in most other synths. Similarly the buttons in the middle didn’t feel very obvious either. This isn’t a big deal per se as a little manual reading and you’ll be there and it does sound (especially the interesting stereo image) and feel great. I guess it’s a question of if you can identify what it gives you that the summit doesn’t, and if that something is worth the 25% extra (Vs bitimbrality and 16 voices Vs 12).
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Looks nice, but what exactly do they mean by binaural?
:
Binaural analog signal path for stereo movement and spatial effects
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In as small a nutshell as I can manage:
Regular mode: 12 voice monophonic (except for the effects) poly, each voice has it’s 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 “binaural” signal path/effect for crazy stereo width modulation and associated phase shenanigans.
Binaural just means “two ears”, so if you are thinking of classic dummy head recordings etc., it’s 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 isn’t 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 don’t seem to realise with the Super 6 is that each of the 12 DDS1 parts of the VCOs can also have 6 “sister” VCOs, slightly detuned beside it for a huge, I guess “supersaw-esque” type sound. Nothing to laugh at in Unison mode when you’ll 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 off…
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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 I’m okay with overall tonality. Otherwise what’s 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.
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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 “slop” 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 wasn’t 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 shy…
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At first I thought it was another Juno clone based on the look/name, but from this demo I have to say, I am extremely impressed. It seems that they have dialed in everything so that you are given the best range of possible values for each parameter. I like that they borrow that aspects of the roland design while giving you the capability of creating modern sounds. I think that if I had the funds I would definitely jump on this, I might even consider selling some vintage hardware to fund it. I really love the sound of wavetables through the roland-esque chorus. That is something I would do in my modular system a lot, but having it be polyphonic is brilliant.
If I was going to compare the raw sound of this with anything on the market, I’d say it’s similar, in a way, to the Pro 3.
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