Synapse Audio Dune 3
Users awaiting the latest Dune came for the Wavetable Editor – but stayed for the improved filter section and oscillator stack
Richard Hoffman’s epic hybrid analogue/FM/ wavetable synth has been one of our go-tos for all kinds of sounds ever since the arrival of Dune 2 (10/10, cm207), which built so successfully on the groundwork laid by version 1 (8/10, cm162) that it might as well have been relaunched as a whole new instrument.
Dune 3 (10/10, cm267) isn’t as gamechanging a transformation as its predecessor, but it adds enough new features and makes enough improvements to existing features to rekindle the interest of long-term users and prove even more attractive than before to newcomers.
On paper, the most significant new addition to Dune 3 might appear to be the Wavetable Editor, facilitating comprehensive editing, import and export of wavetables up to 256 waveforms in length; but actually, in day-to-day usage, it’s the dual filter that will prove most relevant for most.
Yes, you now get two filters, plus a re-routable insert slot for plumbing in one of a range of filter effects (distortion, comb filtering, etc), massively increasing the creative possibilities presented by the filter section.
Then there’s the new Swarm oscillator stack, which takes Dune’s already insane unison capabilities (up to 8320 voices!) into wild new territory with its per-voice modulation; and a complete overhaul of the effects section, including a considerably more flexible parametric EQ.
There’s really no doubt about it: Synapse Dune 3 is quite simply one of the finest synths that money can buy, and if you haven’t already got it in your plugins folder, you’re quite frankly missing out.