Synapse DUNE 2 Manuale utente

User’s Manual

Synapse Audio Software 2014.

Concept and Manual: Richard Hoﬀmann

Graphic Design: Marcin Lezak

Programming: Richard Hoﬀmann, Marcin Lezak

Sound Design: See Appendix

All technical speciﬁcations in the product described in this manual are subject to change without notice. The document may not be

changed, particularly copyright notices may not be removed or changed. VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies

GmbH. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners, and do not imply owner’s endorsement of this product, or guarantee

full compliance with owner’s standards.

Contents

1 Introduction 5

1.1 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

1.2 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.3 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.4 New features in Dune 2 . . . . . . . . . 7

1.4.1 Oscillators . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.4.2 Filter............... 7

1.4.3 Graphical Envelopes . . . . . . 8

1.4.4 Unison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.4.5 Arpeggiator . . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.4.6 Master Eﬀects . . . . . . . . . . 8

1.4.7 Patch Management . . . . . . . 8

1.4.8 Audio-Rate Modulation . . . . 9

1.4.9 Multi-threaded processing . . . 9

2 Basic Operation 10

2.1 Overview................. 10

2.2 Controlling parameters . . . . . . . . . 11

2.3 MIDI Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2.4 Adjusting Polyphony . . . . . . . . . . 11

2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheel . . 12

3 The Center Screen 13

3.1 Main................... 13

3.2 Settings ................. 15

3.3 Mod Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

3.4 Arpeggiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

4 Sound Parameters 22

4.1 Patch Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4.2 Oscillators 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

4.2.1 Common parameters . . . . . . 24

4.2.2 Synthesis types . . . . . . . . . 25

4.3 Oscillator 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

4.4 Noise Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

4.5 Ring Modulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

4.6 Mixer .................. 29

4.7 Filter Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

4.7.1 Filter Parameters . . . . . . . . 29

4.7.2 Filter Models . . . . . . . . . . 31

4.7.3 Filter Eﬀect . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4.7.4 Filter Envelope . . . . . . . . . 36

4.8 Amplitude Envelope . . . . . . . . . . 37

4.9 Unison Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

4.10 Voice Edit/Common . . . . . . . . . . 39

4.11Master.................. 40

4.12MSEGs ................. 41

4.13LFOs................... 43

4.14 Eﬀect Bus 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

4.14.1 Distortion . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

4.14.2 EQ1............... 47

4.14.3 EQ2............... 48

3 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

4.14.4 Phaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

4.14.5 Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

4.14.6 Delay 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

4.14.7 Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

4.14.8 Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . 54

5 Modulation Matrix 57

5.1 The diﬀerential unison engine (DUNE) 58

5.2 List of Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

5.3 List of Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . 63

5.3.1 Common . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

5.3.2 Oscillator 1, 2, 3 . . . . . . . . 63

5.3.3 Ring mod/Noise . . . . . . . . . 65

5.3.4 Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

5.3.5 Ampliﬁer . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

5.3.6 MSEG.............. 67

5.3.7 LFO ............... 67

5.3.8 Mod Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . 68

5.3.9 FX Bus 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . 68

6 MIDI Reference 70

7 Optimizing performance 72

7.1 Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . 72

7.2 Optimizing patch settings . . . . . . . 72

7.2.1 Polyphony . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

7.2.2 Modulation Rate . . . . . . . . 72

7.2.3 Patch structure . . . . . . . . . 73

8 Troubleshooting 74

8.1 Notes click when pressing or releasing a

key.................... 74

8.2 Patches do not recall . . . . . . . . . . 74

8.3 Parameters change unexpectedly . . . . 74

8.4 The sound is distorted . . . . . . . . . 74

8.5 MIDI messages are not received . . . . 75

8.6 The CPU usage is very high . . . . . . 75

9 Legal Information 76

9.1 Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

9.2 End User License Agreement (EULA) . 76

Appendix 78

4 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1 Introduction

Thank you for choosing Dune 2!

Dune 2 is an advanced polyphonic synthesizer

VST/AU plugin, designed for creating music on a com-

puter, or playing live on stage.

The design goal was to develop a synthesizer which

oﬀers yet higher sound quality and more ﬂexibility

than its predecessor, Dune 1. Fast vector processing as

well as support for multiple processor cores allow the

plugin to run with a moderate CPU load on modern

systems.

Dune 2 was tested by music producers to guarantee

its ambitious design goals were met. It comes with

high quality sounds, created by experienced sound de-

signers.

1.1 Installation

Important note for Dune 1 users: Dune 2 is a

new synthesizer which is not compatible with Dune 1

in any way. Both run ﬁne in parallel, there is no need

to uninstall Dune 1 prior to installing Dune 2.

Installation PC

Unzip "Dune20win.zip" and run SETUP.EXE to com-

mence with the installation process. The installer will

guide you through the necessary steps. You will be

asked to select the location of your VstPlugins direc-

tory. Make sure to choose the correct directory for

your host software. Refer to your host software’s man-

ual if you are unsure about where the host software’s

VstPlugins directory is located. The plugin ﬁle "Dune

2.DLL" and the manual will be placed in the chosen

directory. Presets, MIDI ﬁles and wavetables will be

placed in your user documents directory (Synapse Au-

dio/Dune 2). The next time you start your host soft-

ware, Dune 2 will appear in the VST instrument list.

If you use a 64-bit host such as Orion 64, be sure

to provide the proper VstPlugins path for the 64-bit

edition of Dune 2.

Installation Mac

Download and open the ﬁle named "dune20mac.dmg".

Afterwards, double-click on the installer icon to be-

gin the installation process. The installer will guide

you through the necessary steps. The next time you

start your host software, Dune 2 will appear in the

AU and/or VST instrument list, depending on which

format your host software supports.

5 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1.2 Compatibility

Dune 2 should run on any VST or AU-compatible host

and comes with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

If you encounter any compatibility issues with

your host software, do not hesitate to contact us

([email protected]).

1.3 System Requirements

In order to maximize sound quality, Dune 2 employs

complex DSP algorithms that are rather CPU de-

manding. Optimized SSE-2 vector processing, as well

as support for multiple processor cores allow Dune 2 to

perform very well despite its high complexity, however.

To achieve such performance, a modern computer is

required:

•Macs require OS X 10.6 or later, and should be

equipped with a 2 GHz quad core processor or

better. PPC processors are not supported.

•PCs require Windows XP or later, and should

be equipped with a 2 GHz quad core CPU or

better. Most importantly, Windows must be op-

timized for realtime audio, in order to maximize

the beneﬁts of Dune 2’s multi-threaded engine.

Too many software packages or services running

in the background can severely degrade perfor-

mance.

Furthermore, it is important to choose a good audio

buﬀer size. We recommend to use between 128 and

512 samples (at 44.1 / 48 kHz sample rate). On most

systems, this should give the ideal balance between

low-latency, realtime feel and CPU performance. Note

that using less than 128 sample buﬀers will disable

multi-threaded processing, as the thread synchronisa-

tion overhead becomes signiﬁcant.

The memory requirement of Dune 2 is approxi-

mately 50 mb per instance, plus some memory shared

by all instances. If you plan to run many Dune 2

instances, your system should be equipped with suﬃ-

cient memory.

6 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1.4 New features in Dune 2

This section provides an overview of the most impor-

tant changes since Dune 1 — new users can skip this

section.

Since Dune 2 is a new synthesizer rewritten from

scratch, there is many changes compared to Dune 1.

What both synthesizers have in common, however, is

the diﬀerential unison engine (hence, "DUNE") with

its unique modulation system. If you are familiar with

this system, making the transition to Dune 2 should

be relatively easy.

1.4.1 Oscillators

•Oscillators 1+2 now both form oscillator

stacks with up to 32 oscillators each (previously,

there was only a "Fat" mode which used 7 ﬁxed

oscillators). Each oscillator stack can be set to

use Virtual-Analog (VA), Wavetable or FM syn-

thesis. The oscillator stacks operate in stereo

and oﬀer detune and pan spread.

•Oscillator 3 is no longer a sub oscillator, but

can use arbitrary semi and ﬁne tuning, for in-

creased ﬂexibility.

•Wavetable Synthesis now allows to set arbi-

trary positions within the wavetable, for exam-

ple in between two waveforms. Modulating the

wavetable position is now much smoother than

previously (in fact perfectly smooth when choos-

ing a proper modulation source, such as a trian-

gular or sinusoidal LFO).

•FM Synthesis oﬀers classic 3-operator fre-

quency modulation. In contrast to Dune 1, us-

ing FM does not compromise the ability to use

the full oscillator stacks. This means when both

oscillator stacks are set to 32 oscillators in FM

mode and all 8 unison voices are enabled, Dune 2

will render 1536 FM operators per key press

(64x8x3 operators). At maximum polyphony,

this is 24576 FM operators running simultane-

ously!

•The Noise Generator operates in stereo with

adjustable stereo width, and oﬀers lowpass as

well as highpass ﬁlters for increased versatility.

1.4.2 Filter

•Zero-Delay Feedback Filters: Dune 2 in-

troduces zero-delay feedback ﬁlters, which more

closely mimic the behavior of analog hardware.

A drive parameter allows to adjust the satura-

tion characteristic (important when using strong

resonance). Most ﬁlters can reach self-oscillation

and have proper resonant tuning.

7 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

•Filter Eﬀect: Some ﬁlter modes in Dune 1

oﬀered extra gimmicks, such as a distortion or

bitcrush eﬀect. Dune 2 oﬀers a separate ﬁlter ef-

fect section with a variety of such eﬀects as well

as auxiliary ﬁlters. The ﬁlter eﬀect section can

be applied pre- or post-ﬁlter.

1.4.3 Graphical Envelopes

Dune 2 introduces four multiple segment envelope gen-

erators (MSEG). MSEGs can be used to draw pre-

cise custom envelopes, or they can be used in loop

mode tempo sync’ed to the host, which allows to cre-

ate rhythmic eﬀects such as the well-known "trance

gate" eﬀect.

1.4.4 Unison

One of the most important changes in Dune 2 is the

ability to edit all 8 unison voices directly, turning Dune

into a multi-part synthesizer. This allows to stack

completely diﬀerent sounds, using diﬀerent synthesis

models (VA, FM, Wavetable), a diﬀerent ﬁlter, etc.

1.4.5 Arpeggiator

The arpeggiator now oﬀers the classic up/down/random

modes known from many synthesizers, and works bet-

ter when playing live via a MIDI keyboard. The step

sequencer adds a slide feature and allows to import

MIDI ﬁles. Polyphonic sequences can be played back

as well.

1.4.6 Master Eﬀects

The new version of Dune features two master eﬀect

busses, each containing 9 eﬀects rather than 6. The

new eﬀects oﬀer higher quality and more parame-

ters than previously. Individual unison voices can be

routed to either eﬀect bus or both.

1.4.7 Patch Management

The patch management in Dune 2 is now entirely

based on ﬁles and folders. Each patch is a single

ﬁle (FXP), folders represent banks and categories.

When launching Dune 2, all available banks will be

scanned automatically. This greatly simpliﬁes using

third party content, as it is no longer necessary to ex-

plicitly load banks. Sound design becomes easier, as

the ﬁle-based system allows to duplicate, remove, and

rename patches, and to sort them in arbitrary cate-

gories. Additional functions like Initialize and Revert

Patch speed up the workﬂow.

8 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1.4.8 Audio-Rate Modulation

The new engine can be set to audio-rate modulation

mode, allowing all synthesizer parameters (except the

master eﬀects) to be modulated at audio-rate. Audio-

rate modulation is very CPU-intensive, but allows to

develop new sounds with rapid modulations previously

not possible.

1.4.9 Multi-threaded processing

Most DSP algorithms employed in Dune 2 are a magni-

tude more complex than previously, in order to achieve

a yet higher sound quality. This also means a much

higher computational load, at least in theory. In prac-

tice the optimized SSE vector code, as well as the

multi-threaded engine lower the processor load sub-

stantially. On modern, optimized quad-core or better

systems, Dune 2 can even outperform Dune 1 in some

cases.

9 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

2 Basic Operation

2.1 Overview

The Dune 2 interface can be divided into four parts

(see ﬁg. 2.1).

•The center screen (A) hosts the patch manage-

ment, global and patch settings, the modulation

matrix and the arpeggiator. The center screen is

covered in chapter 3.

•The right side (B) contains the master section

with global volume and the polyphony setting,

as well as the unison voice controls. In contrast

to its predecessor, Dune 2 allows to directly edit

the eight unison voices, either all at once or in-

dividually. This makes Dune 2 a multi-part syn-

thesizer which facilitates synthesizing more com-

plex sounds.

•The gray switch buttons (C) toggle the bottom

view between the keyboard, eﬀect busses, LFOs,

and four graphical envelopes (MSEG).

•The remaining knobs and sliders (D) are Dune’s

main sound parameters: The oscillator stacks,

mixer, ﬁlters, and ADSR envelopes. The lay-

out roughly follows classic synthesizers, with the

oscillators on the left, followed by the ﬁlter in

the middle and the envelopes on the right. Each

unison voice has its own set of sound parameters.

All sound parameters are covered in chapter 4.

Figure 2.1: Interface overview.

10 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

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