Synapse Audio – DUNE 3 v3.4.0.4 R2R iNC KeyGen (WiN)

Scoring full marks back in 2014, the second version of Synapse Audio’s Dune synth was a landmark virtual instrument, turning what had previously been a decent virtual analogue/wavetable synth into a mainroom-filling powerhouse. 

While it’s apparent at first glance that Dune 3 (VST/AU/AAX) doesn’t mark quite as sweeping and profound a revision as its predecessor did, there’s still plenty of good, meaningful new stuff here for experienced users and newcomers alike to sink their teeth into. Before we get to all that, though, a quick recap is in order. 

A three-oscillator synth with superb built-in effects, arpeggiation and sequencing, Dune’s two headline features are the ability to independently set Oscillators 1 and 2 to Virtual Analogue, Wavetable or (rather basic) FM mode, and the incredible number of unison voices it’s capable of generating: up to 8320 when running 32 stacked oscillators each in the Oscillator 1 and 2 blocks, and eight global unison voices, at 16-voice polyphony. 

The oscillators feed into a zero-delay feedback filter with various onboard distortion and second-stage filtering FX, and the overall sound of the thing is big, beefy, glamorous and supremely versatile. In one sense, it’s a workhorse, delivering the full spectrum of ‘static’ and sequenced sounds, and in another, it’s a character instrument with a sound very much its own. Fundamentals summarised, then, let’s move on to what’s new in Dune 3…