This is the one synth that going to suprise you!
Thick and lush sound and the filters.. what an amzing filters.
Here is my overview and demo
https://youtu.be/HKVYc8bNdRQ
Synapse Audio Dune 3
Read ReviewStill my favorite VST synth out of everything I've tried, and I've tried pretty much all of the popular ones. Sound of the synth and its filters are so excellent, there is something special about Dune. Very easy to program as well and its almost limitless what you can do with the ability to keep adding layers.
Read ReviewI just bought this recently. Immediately I can hear the quality. It just doesn't sound thin and digital and that I have to add 4 effects and eq to get it to sound good in a mix. Just try the demo and listen to it, you'll immediately hear quality. Something that felt worth the money when I bought it.
Read ReviewDune 3.5 is such a high-quality synthesizer that it blows up synths like Korg or Yamaha in electronic sounds. You won't find 4 GB piano sounds or real strings, but the electronic sounds are tops. Consider the price you will pay for it. The power of its leads, the character of its pads and synth basses is unrivaled in the world of synthesis. The reason is the quality and path of the 'analog' signal that it brings inside. Also the drum kicks are powerful and unique. Hopefully in the future there will be improvements and expansion of sample editing so that eventually an acoustic piano or full drum kit can one day be triggered, but maybe Synapse isn't going that way.
In complex sounds in terms of power and quality it surpasses Falcon and Omnisphere by far. Dune's sounds have a unique analog-digital grain and characteristic, nothing sounds like the Dune 3.
Thank you Synapse for such a great musical instrument for the electronic musician! An unbeatable classic in 2022.
Read ReviewReviewed By lolilol1975 [all]
April 22nd, 2022
Version reviewed: 3.512 on Windows
Right from the bat, let me say this: Dune 3 is my favorite VSTi.
I own Diva, Zebra, Synthmaster, Spire, VITAL, Surge XT and Sylenth1 v1*.
Dune 3 is the one I'll reach first, and often last as well, VITAL often coming as second. Dune is not the deepest of all those (Zebra arguably still is), and its user interface isn't the best either (VITAL has). But it still has a rich feature set, and its UI is still good and rather simple to understand for someone who already knows software synths. Plus its skins look great.
But what makes it really stand apart is its sound. It just sounds better than all the other synths, and yes that includes the legendary Diva. I don't know what Synapse Audio's secret sauce is, but the oscillators sound great, the 24 filters sound great and the myriad of FX sound great. Including the reverbs, which are often not so good in synths.
The latest release has added a patch generation feature based on a genetic algorithm: choose 2 or more patches and Dune 3 will combine them to generate as many new patches as you want. The result is often surprising. After playing with it, I think every synth should include a patch generator.
Is Dune 3 perfect ? No of course. The browser, right now only has a few categories. You can add new categories but a patch cannot belong to more than one category (for instance a gated pad has to belong to the gated category or the pad category). This improvement alone and the possibility to search several categories would be the functional equivalent of a search by keywords.
Also I wish Dune 3 allowed to input real time audio from the DAW instead of an oscillator. Finally, it lacks a granulator, but I guess that will be added to Dune 4 ?
Apart from that, there is really not much downsides to this synth. Due to the awesome sound combined to the super easy UI and the fact it's light on the CPU, Dune 3 is the definition of a workhorse.
* That's way more software synths than I need. But I simply never use Sylenth1 any more. I also own Dune 2 but I uninstalled it because Dune 3 is equal or superior in pretty much every way, and it comes with all the Dune 2 patches. BTW Dune 3 can read Dune 2 patches, contrarily to what is said in another review.
Read ReviewAmazing and flexible sounding VST synth, one of the best ones out there, if you are thinking of getting it, no need, just get it!
The range of excellent sounds is incredible, from the lush pads to aggressive lead sounds!
I would say this is one of those synths that can be truly used to make any type of music with an electronic element, very rich and diverse sound quality.
The addition of the new preset browser and the possibility to generate sounds from other presets just adds another dimension.
Reviewed By Trader One [all]
January 18th, 2022
Version reviewed: 3.5 on Windows
This one definitely deserves 5 stars. It's pretty full featured synth similar to workstation. It has layers. UI is still simple, it doesn't look like full featured synth from screen shots.
Authors decided to break backward patch compatibility, which is not good move. People often buy synth because there are presets pack they like and split between old and new Dune will discourage them. Why buy synth if next version will be incompatible and your patches useless? You can use old version but it will probably stop working after you upgrade to Windows 11.
Sound is very good too, audio rate modulation is supported. This synth can easily become your everyday work horse. We have cheap and simple synths and then premium 200 USD category. Buy 200 USD synth only if you can put it into every day use.
For life playing use, I don't remember seeing max glide distance setting and multi segment key tracking curve. Both are important for live use. Key tracking curve is hard to give up after you started to use it. Dune have velocity curve, which is still not very common.
Synth authors usually resist to implement these features because they do not play live. They often have all infrastructure needed in place but no will to finish features like routing different MIDI channel to selected layer. That's why Omni sphere is so much used for live playing- Team leader works in industry for a long time and understand what features are most needed. For example UVI Falcon is more like audio engineering workstation, it will attract much less users because it's more work then fun. Most people simply want just to play.
Dune is not very popular in the community, so less 3rd party patches are available. Splitting between incompatible versions didn't helped either. It's not a big problem, there are factory presets from various genres - you can tweak them.
I wonder when synths will start to have switchable DAC emulation as standard. We can take a look at KORG Triton VST and difference between digital out and Korg Studio mode DAC is quite noticeable.
So, buy Dune or not? Buy.
Read ReviewIncredibly huge and complex timbre capabilities. Versatile beyond limitation for sound design. Solid presets to get going and an intuitive UI full of unique features. Highly recommend.
Read ReviewReviewed By franciscosta [all]
May 21st, 2021
Version reviewed: 3.5 on Windows
An impressive synthesizer, this product will keep you happy for years. Regularly updated, very supportive developers, high-quality user manual. Generates high-quality sound, runs extremely efficiently and is as stable as you can get. Everyone agrees: this sounds like a hardware synthesizer. It is also very easy to program.
I've designed a Soundbank for DUNE 3 containing 500 presets, grab it using the link below:
https://spiritualsynthesis.gumroad.com/l/htuyw?layout=profile
Thank You Synapse Audio.
Read ReviewI've never actually owned a real virtual synth like this, all I've ever used have been freeware like Synth1. I've only owned Dune 3 for a short while now but I do not regret buying it, it is an amazing synth. Powerful yet runs even on my potato. Every time I use it, it makes me happy and I keep on returning back to it to explore more :D.
Read ReviewInfinitely valuable. I was lost from the moment I opened it and started playing, and for a very reasonable price.
Read ReviewI began using synthesizers in 1982. I started with the Yamaha CS-70M analog synthesizer and then moved on to FM synthesis; I am one of the first American composers to score an animated TV series (The Adventures of Gumby) with only synths in the late 1980s.
I've used many software synthesizers, and still do, including FM8, Z3TA, Tera, Massive and Dune. Dune 3 is the most sophisticated and interesting softsynth I've used to date. The sound quality and the range of sounds that can be produced is incredible. The digital sounds have a clarity, beauty and purity to them that is unmatched. It is not only one of the deepest synths I've used, in terms of number of programmable parameters including occillators, waveforms, LFO, envelopes, arpeggiation, signal processing and many more, but is also, unlike many synths, not difficult to edit or program from scratch. It integrates seamlessly into the DAW I use (Sonar/Cakewalk) and I've never had it crash on me. The ergonomics are logical, the signal path is not difficult to learn and understand and the synth's visual appearance adds to the synth's programmability.
If you're looking for an incredibly versatile synthesizer with a lot of wonderful factory patches, fairly easy to program and with many musically useful timbres, I highly recommend Dune 3.
Jerry Gerber.
www.jerrygerber.com.
Read ReviewReviewed By Danilo Villanova [all]
January 14th, 2020
Version reviewed: 3 on Windows
I tried every synth demo available and Dune 3 stood far above the rest in terms of sonic quality. Insanely powerful synth.
Read ReviewSimply awesome. DUNE = Differential Unison Engine. Up to 32 Voices per OSC that can be distributed with very harmonic Logarithms (..., perfect 5th, Minor, Major, ...) and 8 Unison Voices that represent separate Layers with the Full set of Capabilities for each. You can work and sound more "additive" than with any other Synth around. Really deep and huge Pads, evolving with lots of Modulation Possibilities (per Unison Voice).
The streamlined Wavetable Editor, containing a 1000+ Harmonics Editor. Very good Handling. The Synth feeld great anyway.
The Filters are brilliant or even really dirty if you want them to. Even the FX sound much better than I would have expected.
To make it short: I stumbled upon it. I have too many (complex) VSTs already, but this one convinced me within 2 Hours.
It's a MUST HAVE for really smooth Chillout / Ambient Pads and "Choirs".
It's a Progress and has a really nice, soft OWN Sound Character.
Thank you Synapse Audio, you have saved me lots of time (already).
Read ReviewReviewed By FathomSynth [all]
May 2nd, 2019
Version reviewed: 3.0 on Windows
Plato theorized that all physical objects have an ideal form and Dune 3 occupies this position comfortably as a simple to use but epic sounding synth.
I guess you know a plugin is great when a competing synth developer can give it a perfect review. I've been wanting to download Dune 3 for over a year now to see if all the hype is true.
Well, it is.
Whenever I approach a new synth I start by initialized a patch and stripping it down to a single sawtooth with no filters or effects to reveal the basic quality of the oscillators. Dune 3 surprised me here.
Its oscillators are incredibly clean with a good analog thickness to them. I found them to be very well balanced overall in the frequency domain and pleasingly bright in the high end but with zero aliasing. The brightness is easily controlled by selecting one of a staggering array of low pass filters.
Additionally I found it very unique that Dune offers several detune algorithms which are some of the best I've heard to date in a synth.
I've had experiences before with synths that start with great oscillators but fall flat when you turn up the detune because of cancellation problems, and this is definitely not the case with Dune. Also worth noting is that Dune's CPU efficiency seems to allow a significantly higher number of voices per oscillator than I'm used to, which might explain its capacity for orchestral thickness even before any effects are employed.
If that big EDM sound has eluded you definitely check out Dune 3.
Read ReviewReviewed By okrzysztof [all]
April 24th, 2019
Version reviewed: 1 on Windows
very good synthesizer, definitely worth buying it and supporting programmers like Synapse Audio.
Read ReviewReviewed By DavidCarlyon [all]
January 21st, 2019
Version reviewed: 3 on Mac
I have falcon, Avenger, Synthmaster, Serum, Ana2, Arturia V Collection 6 (on and on and on) Point is, i love all those synths a lot. But after trying Dune 3 things have changed a bit. This is simply the best sounding synth there is. The oscillators, filters and effects are best in class.
Then you have the immense layering possibilities, modulations, MSEGs etc. So not only does it sound incredible, but it is a sound design powerhouse.
The you have the different unison modes. this has the nicest range of oscillator stacking styles of any synth i have, they also just sound incredible.
New in v3 is wavetable synthesis. Its a simple implementation, with no warping algorithms. But the sound is fantastic. You also have a fully fledged wavetable designer/editor (nicest to use).
This really is most likely the best all rounder out there right now. Love it.
Read ReviewAmazing synth, the new filters are so warm and analog brings more punch to the sounds, effects are top quality. Best all around synth today.
Read ReviewDownloaded the demo yesterday. I went through the presets and they were all pretty impressive. the design looks real good. this is a kick ass vst. The sounds are off the chain. 5*.
Read ReviewI have to admit that this is one of the best software synth in it's class and can be very addictive. I come to realize that the possibilities are endless that I'm just now scratching the surface of how easy it is to program. The most thing I really like about it is it's programming potentials and another best feature is the arpeggiator mode. You can even record and export your own MIDI files and then later import your MIDI files you've already recorded and play them as an arranging instrument. (Hey not bad). Not too many software synths has that kind of feature as what Dune 2 has and what its capable of doing. Dune 2 is such a great software synth as it is as with Halion 6 and Serum. Icarus on the other hand has great sounding potential but programming Icarus is very limited. With that being said when programming Dune 2 you are creating your own patches from scratch and importing your own custom wave tables and at least you have something to work with in a better feel and nothing else is missing. This is just one of many software synths I'm comparing with Dune 2. All I can say so far that this is an outstanding software synth and I went nuts over it. You guys keep up the good work there since I'm looking forward for dune 3 later in the future.
Pros. Great innovative software synth with just enough everything you need for your work flow.
Cons. May not replace your hardware synths like the maybe yamaha DX7 or the casio vz-1 etc.
Overall. Great instrument to have along with with your other digital instruments you may have since the sky is the limit.
Read ReviewI've had Dune 2 since it was released. I always have had a soft spot for Synapse products because Orion was the 1st DAW that I actually liked and started working with immediately about 18 years ago.
Dune 2 is my #1 synth.
Is this the most punchiest sounding synth? No.
Is this the most feature ridden synth? No.
Is this the synth with the best fx or filters? No.
Is this the best wavetable synth? No.
What Dune 2 is though is versatile. Dune2's sound fits a nice modern space due to he power of it's oscillators and how they can function. From the amount of voices, to the tuning, to the layers, to the different synthesis types... you have the potential for a really rich deep smooth sound that can work in all genres. Notice I said SMOOTH. Dune2 isn't something you grab for edginess, and it wasn't really designed to be. It was designed for you to add on sound sources & keep some flexibility in 1 synth.
What throws most people off about Dune 2 is they expect Massive or Sylenth fatness, or Serum or Spire power. Dune 2 is its own field. Dune 2 can do these type of sounds with some love from you programming them, but it's focus is rich & smooth. Dune 2's focus is not the leading man/woman of your sound stage... it's for everything else.
I use Dune 2 a lot for drums. Most ppl dont consider this a very percussive synth, but again, you can layer with this thing and make any kind of percussion you want. I also use it for basses, pads (of course), & atmospheres. It is super light on the CPU considering how many oscillators you can use, so using multiple instances isn't an issue in a modern computer. The reverb is so lush.. though sometimes maybe too lush LOL. The envelopes aren't the snappiest, but you can also use the MSEGS for that if you choose.
Which brings me to the problem. Dune 2 is one of those synths that fits its certain space SO well, that you which it could do more. A deeper modulation matrix. More flexibility to the arp, More envelopes, more LFOS. Better implementation of the wavetables with a wavetable editor. Multitimbrality & Multiple Outputs for the unison voices. Etc, etc. Currently Synapse is working on a version 3, and I cant wait to see what they have in store. Usually, from my experience of using their products & hearing requests, its something between what people want & what people aren't thinking of.
Even in its current state, it is one of the most top notch synths. If you are looking for a synth that may not focus on modern edginess or classic flavor, this is the synth to get. Put Dune 2 in your arsenal. You won't regret it.
(NO I wasn't paid for this LOL)
Read ReviewThis is more a series of user impressions than a template review.
===============================================.
Dune 2 is about high quality fresh sound.
I came down the Dune CM trail to Dune 1, and now to Dune 2.
It's got a definite sweet colour of its own, really musical to my mind.
- and boasts really splendid presets of all varieties.
And though there aren't many 3rd party presets.
- the Rob Lee work is pretty good and worth considering.
When mixed with Kontakt tracks, Dune 2 needs its reverb taking down, or it can sound a bit fake next to samples.
The arp is quite wonderful with its MIDI file input.
It's good having loads of oscillators too, though I don't always use Dune 2 this way as it sounds too much "like a trance synth" albeit a very good one.
I often use it more like an analog synth as the oscillators & filters are so thick and nice.
- and while I like analog sounds, I'm not a purist.
So most Moog etc emulations sound pretty good to me these days.
Comparisons.
=========.
Recently I've worked with Blue 2, Massive and Sylenth - and now pass on all of them.
Dune 2's only serious competition is from high end Omnisphere 2, rather than other similarly priced top spec synths.
- as buying a synth in this range is always very much a personal preference.
But even Omni can't sound like Dune does!
Dune 2 isn't as broad a synth as Blue 2.
- but much less synthetic sounding than Massive.
- and much more interesting than Sylenth as it does more.
- but not as experimental as Serum or Synthmaster, which I don't own.
Dune 2 is very decent on CPU for such a fast detailed sound.
- while the price is average for a full-on totally pro synth.
Should you buy.
===========.
I started with Dune CM and was immediately impressed by how good, and how different it sounded - never mind that it was free.
So if you can get a copy of Dune CM, try this instead of a Dune 2 dem download.
Dune CM ain't Dune 2, but it's still got that same special something.
- so it'll always be a keeper instead of another duff demo to get rid of.
This vid walks you through the Dune 2 presets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UmIZHLp2yw.
Read ReviewYes to everything that Yorrrrrr says below.
I wanted to say, though, that this synth is nearly ideal for beginners trying to learn to program synthesizers.
Often, beginners are directed toward free synthesizers. Certainly, that's not bad advice, since there are some stupendous ones out there (Synth1, Tyrell N6, TAL Noisemaker, etc.). As good as they can be, however, they very often come with no documentation -- or documentation that's really just a quick overview for people who already know their way around. What's more, some of these synths can have pretty obscure interfaces (sometimes because, in their devotion to vintage hardware emulation, they make UI decisions that favor looking retro over usability).
I want to be careful, here; Dune 2 is, in every way, a pro-grade instrument. But one of the things that makes it a great beginner synth is that it has one of the clearest workflows you'll ever see, and really, really solid docs. I can't speak for the devs, but I think their goal was to create a modern, state-of-the-art subtractive synth designed for right now. They're not trying to slavishly emulate the UI (or the sound) of past instruments, but they also aren't trying to do something forward-looking (read, weird) with the UI. In practice, this means that the controls and the signal flow are extremely clear. If you're still at the stage of trying to figure out how to make a basic sound that uses a sawtooth wave, a low-pass filter, and an amp envelope, then this thing just won't get in your way. And it's rare to see an instrument this powerful that doesn't.
I can imagine this synth being the perfect complement to Syntorial (the way to get started with synthesizers, as far as I'm concerned). Syntorial has "on your own" sections where he asks you to go program your own patch using the things you've learned in the previous tutorials. If "your own synth" is Tyrell N6, you might be totally lost. If your synth is Dune 2, you'll know exactly what to do.
Once again: This is a very powerful tool. It'll be a very long time before you exhaust its immense feature set, and it sounds magnificent. Any pro tweaker will have a field day. But honestly, this is one of the most approachable synths I've ever used. If you're starting out, this one can really grow with with you -- and on you.
Read ReviewDUNE 2: Features such as...
1. The oscillators. 2 stacks of up to 32 voices + 1 Sub Osc/Noise per stack. Very high quality oscillators, on all the frequency ranges. Almost non existent aliasing on the VA, but none on the wavetables. Deep low end, excellent high end. Very balanced sound.
2. The detuning options, with various modes (linear, non linear, random, major and minor chords, etc..), detuning amounts, etc. Detuning sounds good and can be tailored for taste and need in a variety of ways.
3. Virtual Analogue + Wavetables + Frequency Modulation synthesis. In addition to the usual VA, iIt comes with an excellent set of wavetables, and you can find more in KVR or Synapse forums. But you can even load your own wavetables with the proper format. You can use with the free Audio Term tool to create more Wavetables to load them on the synth, or wait for the official Synapse's own tool for creating wavetables for DUNE 2. This means the synth will just grow more and more on possibilities, as more wavetables become available. The FM capabilities are basic, though. Nothing super fancy but just enough to have a taste of FM sound and capabilities, without being a full FM synth.
4. Amazing UNISON implementation with full control over the voices. The unison engine allows to have up to 8 synths stacked, up to 8 different sounds working together, each part with its own filters, envelopes, etc., effectively turning DUNE 2 into a multi-part synthesizer. So you can have 8 synths in one, 8 independent sounds, and you can even detune and spread them (like they were simple oscillators). Crazy. The unison in Dune 2 also mean that there can be up to 8320 oscillators working simultaneously at full 16x polyphony. You can have a multi timbral synth, if you edit the parameters directly, or you can offset the parameters in the mod matrix using the 'const' mod source, to maintain common controls.
This differential unison engine is the defining part of the whole synth, the concept unique to DUNE 2.
5. Various different filters, including Clean multimode ones, plus Sallen Key, Transistor Ladder, Acid Lowpass, and even the filters from DUNE 1 to make similar sounding presets. The new Expander filters (in v. 2.5) sound great, with oversampling and better resonance and drive behavior; It has Zero delay feedback filter design, to mimic analog designs; It also comes with some special "filters effects" (which include various distortion types, comb, notch, etc.), pre or post filter, to spice up filter sound in various ways. All filters sound beautiful and different. Some of them have saturation (Ladder and Expander). It's possible to make them scream with the Drive parameter, which acts as some kind of a mix knob between the resonant part and the not resonant. Very flexible filter design.
6. Very nice set of effects. They all sound great, with the reverb being the best I've heard inside a software synth. There are 2x effect buses, which allow to use different set of effects for different unison voices. The synth even allows to change the order of the effects processing too.
7. 4 multiple point graphical envelopes (MSEGs) included. They allow for things like custom shape envelopes and curves, custom shape LFOs (in 'loop' mode), gating effects, custom arpeggiator, and crazy modulation of nearly every parameter on the synth. The normal knob envelopes for the filter and amplitude are snappy or punchy when the 'analog' switch is enabled (new in v. 2.5), and more linear when not.
8. Extensive modulation matrix of 32 slots and so many sources and destinations. Very nice set of sources and destinations. The mod matrix even allows to modulate its own parameters, or set the modulation of parameters to apply just for some of the unison voices. The "Const" modulation source has so many uses, like offseting a parameter value for a specific unison voice, or to set parameters only available in the mod matrix (like initial phases for the oscillators, phase of the LFOs, etc..), and more.
9. Excellent arpeggiator, with MIDI import, in addition to the usual step sequencing. It can even be used as a yet another modulation source (note and velocity).
10. Oscillator synchronization.
11. Ring modulation.
12. Pulse Width Modulation.
13. Audio rate modulation. The synth can work sample by sample, not by blocks. It allows, for example, the output of an oscillator to modulate any parameter.
14. Full multithreading support. The CPU usage is low for the excellent sonic quality you get. Sylenth1's level of CPU optimization, with similar settings of course, while capable of doing so much more if you really want to.
15. Simple, easy to use, functional, clear, uncluttered, good looking, inviting GUI. The color of the main panel can be changed. You can create and use third party skins as of v. 2.2. There are great skins available out there.
16. And more....
...make this a masterpiece of a synth. Definitely better than similarly priced synths like Sylenth1. Well, better is not the correct word...just 'different'. It's just that it has so much more to offer.
It is a modulation beast. Inmensely powerful, flexible, quick and easy to use. This is pads and sequences heaven. But it can do everything under the sun with flying colors and it's very hard to make it sound bad. But at the same time it's so easy and fast to work with. It's flexible, versatile, quick to dial in. Bread-and-butter kind of synth. Not only it is quick and easy because it can go incredibly deep. It is a sound designers plugin too.
Beautiful sounding. Clean, rich, lush, expensive, musical are all words I would use to describe its sound. It has its own character too.
Excellent patches included, and more are coming. Amazing sound designers behind. Check the patches made by Rob Lee (RL), Kevin Schroder (KS) and Ed Ten Eyck (EDT), for example. They really show the capabilities of this fantastic software synth.
Not enough words to describe this incredible synthesizer plugin. I hope it sells well and gets all the recognition it deserves in then music production community. It's already getting raving reviews everywhere that confirm what I say.
Thanks, .
Read ReviewReviewed By fisherKing [all]
April 22nd, 2012
Version reviewed: 1.42 on Mac
DUNE is the latest addition to my arsenal; am extremely picky about the plugins i have (i recently deleted two very-popular synth plugins, both excellent, but not what I personally needed); I only keep what i use…(am an avowed minimalist).
What I need most is presets, lots of them. Lots of USEFUL presets.
My workflow goes like this: I open a custom template in Logic, start making music. SIMPLE. I want nothing interrupting my workflow. Once I'm on my way to a worthwhile track, I will THEN modify a sound, customize things. I just want a lot of great starting points.
So, DUNE.
The architecture is excellent: no layers, pages to click thru, no scrolling. Everything is right there; the GUI is nothing much to look at; instead it is useful. (BTW, is there a way to 'lock' the effects panel so it's ALWAYS there? I can't see any reason to look at a mini-keyboard…I have a real one right next to my mac; please give us a way to hide the keyboard panel).
I can tweak, customize sounds without much thought; this is a very intuitive synth. And there are a great-many things to tweak. (I need to explore the modulation matrix more, seems pretty extensive).
Ultimately, it's the sound that matters. Listeners don't care about what DAW, what plugins we use; it's the sound (and of course, the song) that matters. And DUNE sounds great: Clean, clear, well-defined. Noisy when I need that, lush when I want that. Great for leads, pads, fx...
I feel that I can make a whole song with this (and did, in fact, with just the demo, when I first tried DUNE out).
This is EXACTLY what I want from a synth; to be versatile, and rich (as I am versatile, and want to be rich :-) )
I want nothing to get in the way of music-making; no extreme learning curve, no constant need to check the manual; nothing that ISN'T intuitive, direct, obvious.
So am very happy, and will be using the plugin a lot. PLUS it runs as a 64bit AU (thanks for that).
I rarely find anything worth 10 stars, but DUNE qualifies. It's a 'must-have'.
Read ReviewI planned to review D.U.N.E months ago, but only after spending many many hours with this synth do I really feel confident I can offer any useful insight.
At first glance it may seem that D.U.N.E is a fairly standard three osc, one filter, three envelope and three LFO per voice affair with unison. However this is not at all the case.
D.U.N.E stands for Differential Unison Engine, and what this does is significant for a few reasons to "get" what D.U.N.E is really about. What is so useful about this feature is that it is both not unison and unison at the same time. Unison on most synths is just a multiplication of voices, D.U.N.E can do that too.
You can think of it as an eight layer synth controlled from a single a single matrix, the brain of the synth if you will. So if you have three envelopes per voice for example then with all voices active you have twenty four in total. But that's the beauty of this design. If you activate all eight voices you still only have three envelopes, you actually have twenty one more potential envelopes. Unless you specify otherwise in the mod matrix, all voices will respond to all envelope and LFO routing the same. Then you can simply adjust one for a specific voice.
Its a good middle road between complexity and ease of use. There are some draw backs though. For example, you may change the speed of any LFO for any voice, but you must use more mod slots to do this and you cannot select the LFO waveform from the mod matrix, so you only ever have a choice of three LFO wave forms. You also cannot specify from the matrix whether the LFO for voice four for example resets or syncs. This can only be done from the front page. What this means in effect is once you get past using three LFO's you can then choose to modulate any voice with anyone one of those three and alter the the speed and phase of the LFO for that voice but nothing else.
It can be limiting, but at the same time it really helps to keep things moving. Too much complexity can just overwhelm people.
Now as for the OSCs themselves they are very good. D.U.N.E has a nice strong sound. Its smooth at the same time as it is sharp. Its difficult to describe, but I have been thinking for a while about its sound. Some have described it as flat and lifeless. Interestingly I can see why people would use those descriptions and at the same time disagree with what is meant. While I would say that the synth sounds flat and still I would not use the term lifeless. Its got a precise sound, but its not clinical, I would say its got a tight and focused sound but its not thin. Its not overly aggressive and its not overly soft either.
This is just my opinion, but after a lot of listening and experimenting I think D.U.N.E sounds just right for a lot modern electronic music. If you listen to some of the latest tunes people are favouring a lot of less agressive sounds. Not so much analog sounding, but not harsh digital sounding either. I am thinking for example of Yahel's pop star remix on Oakenfold's Four Seasons. Again this is just my opinion, but D.U.N.E to me is a new and interesting flavour and I think it sounds perfect for a lot of the new sounds being used. It can't do everything though. If I wanted an analog synth I would either buy one or buy an emulation. When making dance music you don't always want a largo overwhelming analog style sound.
However, while I don't always want the drift, dirt and instability of analog sound I do like to have decent analog styled filters for some things, what is nice is that D.U.N.E gives you a choice of lower CPU-consuming filters and Analog modeled filters, which sound lovely in my opinion and really match the rest of the synth in terms of sound character well.
The wave-tables give a huge expansion to the sound. They are all good, they are not always this good with every synth. You should read the manual about the wave-tables, you can do wave sequencing but there can be clicks, you have to work with it. If you want to scan through the waveforms though you can to a degree and its quite smooth depending on which waveforms you scan through. At about the centre of the table there are around 10 waveforms that are perfectly sequential in their harmonic content and are perfect for scanning.
I think Synapse-Audio have done a really good job with the effects, Especially the phaser which operates in three modes. The delay has a diffuse mode which is on of the better sounding delays out there. I expect it inverts the phase of one channel as it gives an wide stereo sound to the delay. It works just beautifully on a trance pluck for example. The reverb is good and here they give you a good choice. I think there are 5 algorithms, the first two are CPU savers, and they sound pretty good.
Most of the time unless I am looking for something specific, if I put the effects on I decide to keep them on, and apart from the reverb I might not really opt to add a third party effect, which says a lot. I also want to praise Synapse-Audio for their distortion algorithms. This might sound strange, but they sound excellent without sounding analog. Some people may think that analog distortion is the warm kind whereas digital distortion is harsh. So it either sounds analog or harsh. This is not true. In my opinion D.U.N.E.'s distortion fits the rest of its sound qualities perfectly, it doesn't try to sound analog but it does sound good.
Its obvious by now that I like D.U.N.E. I've always thought it had something special to offer in terms of sound and the feature set is great. I love how easy it is to set up complex moving patches. One thing I really appreciate is you don't have to delve into its complexity to get good sound. It sounds great with just a typical subtractive set up, meaning you really could just program simple patches and get years of good use out of it, and yet at the same time when you put the work into DUNE you really get great results, and that is a rare quality.
Finally, I want to add that giving it a 10 does not at all mean I think it is the greatest be-all and end-all synth or that it is perfect. My rating of 10 reflects how much of a place DUNE has in my set-up. It means I find it to be an integral part of my set-up, one which I wouldn't now want to be without.
Update 5/8/2012
adjusting the score to 8. Although I like the lowpass filters a lot I do not find the hp/bp/comb to be as good.
Read ReviewYou may think that you don't need another subtractive synthesizer... but I suggest you try the demo version!
Developers have clearly paid special attention in making the interface simple but effective. Just like in Sylenth1 - you only have the most essential knobs in front of you and even though it may not look like much, it really is well enough.
What sets DUNE apart from the competition is it's special feature where you can do (modulate) whatever you want with the selected unison voices from 1 to 8. I'm only starting to get it myself and see all the possibilities but it really adds a whole new dimension to the synth.
In about 2 seconds you can create a lush, panning multioscillator analog sweeping beauty pad or nice pwm lead (for example). It actually has some patches that sound a bit like physically modelled.
It comes with the most essential FX. 2 EQs for fine sculpting the sound, reverb, delay, chorus/phaser and distortion.
And a very capable arpeggiator!
LOTS of usable sounds and 64bit compatibility both Mac and Win. (VST / AU)
Read ReviewI bought this Synth 2 Weeks ago and was impressed about his Sound.
Dune has a crystal clear transparent sound.
A Big Plus is the Arpeggiator. Very easy to use but extremly powefull.
The Factory Arpeggio Presets are amazing. The only thing I miss is to save my own
created Arp Presets. Maybe it will come soon as a Update.
I like the Interface. There are not to much Faders, Knops or Funktions to overhelm me.
It's well balanced and looks cool.
Im using Dune with Logic Pro 9.1.3 and it works Perfect.
In all, Dune is worth every Penny and Im using it in most of my Productions.
Latest 24 reviews from a total of 24
Synapse Audio you did a killer job on Dune 2. Sound, Look and Function are superb and I would love to get the full version.
I am really impressed with DUNE2. The direct unison voice editing is huge improvement now allowing to take advantage of the unison engine fully.
I cannot express how much love I got for this amazing synth.
Hi,.
For me it's not just an version 2. It's a whole new synth, and a good one.
Agreed! DUNE II is now in my top 3 favorite VST synths list along with Blue II and Sylenth1. It has also fixed some serious limitations with DUNE and made the whole interface much better. It's really easy to use, it sounds GREAT (think hardware), and the patch save/load system is freaking genius! Each patch is it's own file, and the VST automatically numbers them when loading from a folder, so theoretically a single patch folder can contain up to 999 sounds. Even if it's limited to only 128, that's still simple to expand by creating another folder and starting to drop sounds into it. This also makes backing up patches very easy. Highly recommend this one!!.
Great job but Image-Line's Synths are much better than this. I think the only advantage of Dune 2 is its Arpeggiator supporting Chords via MIDI import. I have used lots of synths till now but the capability of micro tuning provided by Image-Line's Sytrus and Harmor synths and also their fast loading is fascinating that I have not seen in other synths like Dune 2. The other facility of Dune 2 is its supporting of 8 parallel channel of oscillators that is included in LuSH-101 too. After all I prefer Sytrus and Harmer. They are my goddesses.
I bought Dune2 yesterday and I gotta say it sounds absolutely fantastic! Very versatile synth and the internal effects (especially the reverb!) sounds awesome.
Dune 1 I tested and tested again over the years but didn't like it. Dune 2 I'm only testing since one week and still love it.
- great user interface
- great synthese features
- great effects
- great MSEG envelopes
- great OSCs
- better sound quality
- better filter quality.
OK, the LFOs and the standard envelopes could react a little bit finer and noble and the stepsequencer could have 64 or better 128 steps and the option to save own presets, too (!) ... but this are only little wishes, this synth still is wonderful.
Thank you, great work.
I agree with all the positive reviews. I've tried many synths all those years. the biggest problem for me is that all those synths are all boring to use. Imagine if you have an acoustic piano, which has only one sound - the piano sound, but you can play it all day without boredom. Any synth I've tried always has hundred sounds, but almost none of them has the power that could make me play whole night. So what really happens is that I would spend few hours just browsing presets, every preset for few seconds. Dune 2 did something really different, the presets are amazing. Not all of them is my kind of sound, but still there are many of them have the power that could make me play for at least one hour before I got bored. It is definitely something different. The soft synths are no compare to acoustic instruments so far, no matter how many companies already have been trying for all those years. But Dune 2 is very close to be one. That is something really incredible.
Next time someone asks me "how to make it sound big", I will answer Dune 2. Sick unison for dummies, just out of the box. Also, it has great syntheis possibilities despite simplicity. I think I'll cut my wishlist just to fit Dune in.
Would love to see visual representations of oscillator, ADSR and LFO's etc but sounds great.
I was able to put Ghost Dog and Cubrick Soundset soundbanks into Dune 2 folders. Wasn't able to figure out the other two. Haven't tried them yet, but thank you for the patches, I'll try them in the near future.
Amazing new analog envelopes and filters in version 2.5.
one of the best VST synths on the market PERIOD.
I had saved up the $169.00 but found out there is 20% VAT to add on top bringing this to $200 mark.
Hi SunlightSpirit, .
the VAT is now inclusive regardless of location, we changed our pricing model recently. So you should see exactly $169 when adding DUNE 2 to the shopping cart.
Best Regards, .
Richard / Synapse Audio.
I love the new Dune 2.5 Kevin Schroeder and Cuebrick presets.
I use them in everything.
Any more planned soon?
impressed with DUNE2, really looking forward to buy the Cuebrick preset.
Cuebrick presets are free.
The recent Dune upgrade is brilliant for presets.
like bags of Kevin Schroder presets, and a couple of hundred Ambients by someone I don't know.
The only shame is that the MIDI files in Dune presets can't be exported as midi. But that's a very minor thing. Dune just keeps getting better.
Good sounding synth, but the interface is terrible. How anyone can like this interface...
Still it's worthy for good sound.
Can't really imagine what's exactly terrible about it. Everything is clear, no clutter, tweakable colors, very fluent envelope editing — I just love it.
I for one cant stand multipage synths. i like dune 1 cause you can have most things in one single screen.
I just wished 1.4 had al the filters from dune 2. those sk filters are sweet.
Yeah it's nice if everything can be fit on one screen. But Dune 2 has many more parameters than Dune 1. Synths of this complexity are always multi-page, there is simply no other way. In Dune 2 all the key areas like the Oscs, Filter, Mixer, ADSR etc are always visible though, so the need to switch pages is greatly reduced.
Richard.
I realize dune 2 is more complex than dune 1.
So... its alright i guess, .
Have you thought of maybe adding the extra filters to dune 1 for an upgrade price? Id buy it.
Dune 2 is due for an upgrade IMO. It sounds good though.
First comment of 2018.
I think Dune2 has changed my whole life around and I'm going nuts over this amazing synth. What make it better if you have a wave editor you can copy wave forms from any old hardware synths into dune2. Look what you'll be having? Truly amazing.
The copy protection that's mentioned here says "serial" but that's very misleading. Typically when this is mentioned it means it's strictly simple serial via offline registration. Dune 3 is unlike version 2, and requires either online authorization with your serial, or offline challenge / response which is based on your specific system hardware configuration.
You're right. The page was from Dune 2, hence it inherited a lot of information from there.
It seems Ben has now updated the copy protection to "Online Activation" which is correct. It is a one-time authorization with a given serial. Note that after successful authorization, the plugin will never connect to the internet. Furthermore, Offline activation is available as well.
Dune 3 is an amazingly power synth with a great sound! Very versatile and capable of a wide range of sounds. From cinematic pads, to hard dubstep basses, to trance arps, and loads more.
The Dune 3 sound bank by New Loops has a good audio demo and a free demo pack to download - https://newloops.com/products/universal-dune-3-presets
IMO Best VST at the moment with no compromiss! And possible best synth from VST & Hardware in same time. Still didnt heard even a better, clearer and warmer sound in Hard synths too.
I agree its a fantastic lush sounding synth not great for everything like basses but fantastic for pads.
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DUNE works great for basses, but it might not float everyone's boat...
You need tonal variation in a mix, so using different instruments and combining them will help to achieve this...
Arranging 101 :).
I installed the demo. It acted like it installed the exe. But all I ended up with was the pdf manual.
DUNE 3 is a plugin in VST/AU/AAX formats, you'll need a compatible DAW to use it.
Mon challenge:
Créer deux orgues à partir des samples de mon B3 et mon Vox continental (UK 60's) sur un synthé.
J'ai essayé pas mal de synthés et seul Dune3 me permet d'arriver à mon but grâce à ses 8 voix x 3 Oscillateurs.
Le résultat est fantastique.
Avec deux Msgs en dessinant deux sinusoides inversées j'obtient un vibrato digne des originaux.
Et enfin un Chorus me permettant de simuler facilement une Leslie.... (en AfterTouch)
Avec un oscillateur 3 en sampler, je simule sans problème la percussion.
Pour commander les 9 flutes + la percussion: 8 voix sur l'oscillateur 1, 1 Voix sur l'osciillateur 2, 1 voix sur l'oscillateur 3 en sampler pour simuler la percussion.
Chapeau bas à Synapse !
Je me suis concocté un B3 comme j'aime, pas mou du genou comme sur les B3 samplés.... Un régal !
Au chapitre des qualités:
• L'ergonomie, tout est clair.
• La documentation ou tout est bien expliqué.
• Pas de glisser déposé (je n'aime pas et je trouve cela superflu vu l'ergonomie de Dune 3)
• les 8 voies sur 3 Oscillateurs !
• Et le résultat sonore incroyable et tellement vivant.
Au chapitre des défauts:
• KTRK sur les filtres ne permettant pas de couper les aigues sur les notes du haut.
• Dans la fenêtre Oscillateur, Synthesis Type l'affichage de la Wavetable est faux quand on change de voix.
• Dans les presets MSGS les formes simples de bases: Sinus ... etc.
Au niveau des améliorations:
Quelque chose que l'on ne trouve sur aucun synthé et pourtant indispensable.
Pouvoir splitter le clavier, pour se faire un C0-C1 uniquement Basse.
Idée:
En Mod Matrix:
- Source=Voix ON, Destination = Keyboard Note, AMT = Note Number
- Source=Voix OFF, Destination = Keyboard Note, AMT = Note Number.
Félicitations Richard, vous avez le meilleurs des synthés .... je rêve du même en Hardware.
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