Only time i cranked the volume to max on my Peak was for this test. When running more osc’s, and some chords, about 12 o’clock is plenty.
I just imagine the noise gives it a “vintage” character. hehe.
The Peak has several entry points for gain staging. The OSC Mixer section is one part here. A lot of ppl. tend to forget this on a lot of synths. The result is similar to an e-guitar Level knob. The sounds can dramatically change with a little twist if the synth (guitar) is well designed.
I thought you got the best signal to noise ratio if you cranked up your instrument to full and turned down your mixer / audio interface volume accordingly… that’s the way I’ve always done it (haven’t noticed any undue noise on my Peak)
Might be wrong tho… ?!
Normally you get highest S/N ratio if you crank up the volume of the instrument and adjust on the amp.
With several gain staging on the instrument side, it might be more complicated though : e.g. the Moog Grandmother Osc mixer stage introduces (lovely) distorsion after 12 o’clock…
Might be similar on the Peak… (idk right now, only played my Peak for an hour max so far, can’t wait for tonight).
So: one has to really test each stage separately to gain a proper knowledge of how to reach the best S/N ratio.
Depending on the internal gain setting (that they introduced in the big software update), it is possible to clip the digital effects, so you have to watch out for that a bit. Other than that, the gainstaging and drive settings can definitely give some nice analogue overdrive/distortion both pre- and post-filter section. It’s one of the Peak’s strengths.
Had some time with my Peak yesterday…
I really love this synth, it’s amazing. Particularly the distortion, I’m extremely fond of the sound in the last 25% !
A beauty really.
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Yes, I’m loving mine, lots to explore, sounds great. It makes for a surprisingly great and flexible monosynth also!
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Yeah, it’s a killer monosynth.
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For playing and tweaking the Peak really does kill with so many knobs per function. It’s hard to understate just how immediate the synth is.
But after finally getting the Overbridge Beta I think I’d flip if I had a similar interface for designing / organizing patches for it.
Some proper Peak sounds here:
Pads, some higher Lead Arp Chord progressions, Bass sound.
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This synth truly feels solid. Much better build quality than DSI imo; I’m quite impressed by how robust it feels.
Can the Peak’s USB port power a midi keyboard like the Arturia Keystep, or will the Keystep still need a separate power source?
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Yeah, it does. I was going to make a stand for mine out of perspex, as I had for my Elektrons, until it arrived and I realised how heavy it was, haha. Realised why the official stand is made of cast aluminium.
I know this is an old thread, but I’ve been spending some proper time with the Peak recently, and it just sounds SO so good. I keep getting totally lost, just building sounds around arps etc. Glorious.
The firmware update earlier this year was brilliant. But I do wish it had a proper ext input to utilise the very beautiful FX section! 
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I use it with the Novation 61SL mk3, but it would be the same with an Elektron MIDI sequencer: while I love playing the Peak, I can really express myself and give some life to the sounds with these sequencers, reaching the Elektron workflow somehow 
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is fx section setting saved with presets ?
Yes, all the fx settings are saved with the patch.
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Absolutely! #DrownedInReverb
Indeed, I’m a keys player, but I don’t even bother hooking up a keyboard at the mo. I like using the Digitakt sequencer and having both hands free for knob twiddling!
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Anyone using the MIDISynth-Peak VST/AU/Standalone Editor & librarian from sigabort with his PEAK?
https://www.sigabort.co/midisynth
I downloaded the demo and from the little time I had with it, it seemed to to do a pretty good job. Anyone else tried, or has it and can share some experiences? 
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Not yet but I just spotted an absolute mint 2nd hand Peak for 600 Eus. If the seller is legit I’ll grab it. But somehow the price is too good to be true.