Novation Peak

So, I have a second Peak now. Build in the same moth in 2018 as the last one.

It’s a tough call. I measure the same S/N ratio as before with the Init patch - about 55db. And the noise is still bothering me. But then, the UI and the sounds (minus the noise) make up for a lot of it. It also helps that I do Dub Techno, where some noise is basically required to get to the approved sound.

Damn.

K

I’ll test mine when I get a chance. I hadn’t really noticed the noise floor but I haven’t recorded much with it properly yet.

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Much noise on headphones output, but not recognizable on main out.

i havent heard any noise on the recordings of the synth.

Do you have some USB involved?
Try using basic MIDI, to check if it changes something.

Nope, USB makes no difference. And I have symmetrical cables.

What really makes me scratch my head are people who do not notice any noise at all. It is always there, headphones or not, and it can be seen in the DAW meter… just adjust for -12db on the Init patch, and you are very likely to have something like -68db to -70db on the peak meter.

Could some kind people around here please confirm what their DAW meter says about the noise floor when the master volume is set such that “Audition” gives you -12db for the Init patch? If I knew that I have bad luck with two lemons, I can send the Peak back. If not, I will consider keeping the Peak anyway, but the German in me wants to really know if there is a consistent problem in the Peak or not.

(For comparision, on a Digitone, which should be almost silent as it is digital, I measure -90db distance between signal and noise)

Have you tried balanced cables? I think that helped a little bit on mine.

I do notice some noise when I look for it. But it’s not something I notice in a mix. I can try to see what the noise is in my daw tomorrow.

Have you followed the exact procedure linked in the Novation article to measure the noise? It’s possible that the way you are setting your DAW and gain stages up is the problem as well. Maybe post photos up of the way your DAW and interface are set up. I remember there were people in the Gearslutz thread that were claiming noise problems over and over and it was just gain staging errors on the part of the users. Not necessarily saying you’re doing something wrong, but you could be! And it seems more likely than having 2 Peaks in a row with a noise issue that Novation addressed in an official post.

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The procedure described in the Novation article does not capture noise in the same way. I am bothered by the noise floor present when not even one note is playing.

The procedure I have described takes about 2min to set up. It shows, replicable, how much noise there is between a signal (one oscillator saw) and the note-off noise floor. It would really help me to know how much other people see under the exact circumstances.

Could you elaborate what gain staging errors there could be? I have 7 other hardware synthesizers, and none of them shows a noise floor as high as the peak. I can not rule out user errors now, so any ideas?

As I said: symmetrical (balanced) cables are there. I use the line ins of my audio interface, main volume is set at 3 o clock to get enough signal from the synth.

3 o clock? The signal from my Peak is really hot, my interface only needs the inputs set to around 9 o clock to have PLENTY of signal. That’s with Peak volume knob set around 11 o clock.

Also I ask if you’ve followed the Novation procedure because that will let you know absolutely if your unit is faulty or not by comparing your results with theirs.

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I’m not going to split hairs with you about this - I mean, if it bothers you, it bothers you, and I would never presume to tell you how to feel about it - but this is clearly a gain structuring issue, nothing more. And context is everything. The fact that you have quieter pieces of gear is arbitrary at best, but it has obviously allowed you to work within a somewhat unrealistic gain structure thus far.

First of all, if you’ve got the gain on your audio interface set to 3 o’clock, the signal from your synth is too quiet (or you’ve got your input padded). Period. And even still, if a noise floor of -70db is all you’re dealing with, and that’s bothering you, you’re either listening too closely or too loudly. I defy you to identify that, at a reasonable volume, in the context of a performance or a mix. Hell, in 30 years as an audio engineer, to be honest, I can’t say I’ve seen a much quieter noise floor on average; not working with consumer-grade electronics anyway, never mind analog gear.

My best advice is, if you like the synth, forget about the hiss. It’s not a Manley compressor/preamp, it’s a hybrid D/A synth (with three analog drive circuits, I might add) for well under two grand. Love it or hate it. Think about the noise coming out of the average guitar amp (wink)…

Cheers!

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Interesting.

I have a Focusrite audio interface and use their 3+4 line inputs. The signal from the Digitakt is hotter, even when I set the Peak to 0db attenuation in the settings menu.

Still, if your signal is so hot, then reaching -12db should be very easy. May I ask again how much distance to the noise floor you measure in your DAW?

Thanks.

I appreciate the input, and your approach seems to be a sensible one. I, on the other hand, will definitely not be happy until I know whether all Peaks Show this behavior or just mine (both of them from mid 2018), as some people are reporting very hot outputs on the Peak that mine definitely does not have - something is off here.

Even Novation states that the headphones out are very loud and hence people notice noise, but on both of mine, it makes no difference whether I use headphone outs or the main outs.

K

I switched the inputs, when I use the 1+2 inputs and set the gain to 12 o’clock, the main volume of the synth can stay at 11 to reach -12 db with the Init patch. This probably is the best gain staging - but again, -68db noise floor.

Will consider forgeting about the hiss :wink:

Migth be that my Tinitus has the same noise floor as my Peak, so it cancels out. hehe. Only time im bothered by it is if i use some compressors with auto gain, and if i has multitracked it. All the “silent” parts can bring out some noise. I just use a noise gate for those occations and everything is fine.

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Interesting discussion. Should I take away from this that the Peak is inherently a little noiser than other synths but that most of you aren’t bothered by it? :slight_smile:

Yeah. Something like that. But it is one of those things that might be easy to “obsess” about. Ive been dealing with a ground loop issue that was so much worse thant Peaks noise, that it didnt bother me.

I use input 1+2 on my Fireface 400. Gain in software is set to lowest. And i usually get a loud signal when volume pot on my Peak is at 12. That depends on the patch. Some patches are lower. And i usually dont use any of the overdrive ciruits, and keep oscillator levels at around 12 o’clock to not drive the filter.

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Do you have similar problem with a single TS jack, on only one output ?