DUNE Manual

Advanced Subtractive Software Synthesizer
User’s Manual
Copyright c Synapse Audio Software 2010.
All rights reserved.
Concept: Richard Hoffmann and David Goodwin

Programming and Manual: Richard Hoffmann
Graphic Design: Warren Bones, Maxx Claster, David Goodwin, Alain Meziane
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.
3.5 Filter Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.6 Filter Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Contents 3.7
3.8
Unison Section . . . . . . . . .
Output Section . . . . . . . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
21
22
3.9 Modulation Envelope . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.10 Filter Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1 Introduction 4 3.11 Amplitude Envelope . . . . . . . . . . 24
1.1 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3.12 LFOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
1.2 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.13 Arpeggiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
1.3 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.14 Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.14.1 Distortion . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2 Basic Operation 6 3.14.2 EQ-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.1 Selecting a patch . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.14.3 EQ-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.2 Choosing a category . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.14.4 Chorus, Flanger, Phaser . . . . 33
2.3 Playing a patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3.14.5 Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.4 Loading/Saving patches and banks . . 7 3.14.6 Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheel . . 7
2.6 Setting the number of voices . . . . . . 7 4 Modulation Matrix 37
4.1 The differential unison engine (DUNE) 38
3 Sound Parameters 9 4.2 List of Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.1 Patch Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 4.3 List of Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . 42
3.2 Oscillators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.1 Oscillator 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . 11 5 MIDI Reference 51
3.2.2 Oscillator 3 . . . . . . . . . . . 13
6 Legal Information 53
3.3 Noise Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
6.1 Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.4 Common oscillator controls . . . . . . 13
6.2 End User License Agreement (EULA) . 53
3.4.1 Pulse Width . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.4.2 Ring Modulation (RM) . . . . . 14 Appendix 55
3.4.3 Frequency Modulation (FM) . . 14
3 DUNE User’s Manual

sure to choose the correct directory for your host soft-
ware. Refer to your host software’s manual if you are
1 Introduction unsure about where the host software’s VstPlugins di-
rectory is located. The plugin file "Dune.DLL" and
the manual and presets will be placed in the chosen
Dune is a next-generation software synthesizer plugin directory. The next time you start your host software
designed for creating music on a computer. It was de- Dune will appear in the VST instrument list.
veloped with the highest possible audio quality in mind If you use a 64-bit host such as Orion 64, be sure to
and offers exceptional flexibility. The latter is achieved install the 64-bit edition of Dune and choose the Vst-
by its modulation system, the new differential unison Plugins directory of your 64-bit host. Choosing the
engine (DUNE) — hence the name. Despite the com- wrong version will either cause the plugin to not ap-
plexity of the synthesizer, the highly optimized code pear in your host, or cause a serious performance drop.
allows Dune to run even on older computers. On cur-
rent hardware, many instances can be run in parallel,
making Dune the perfect everyday studio workhorse.
Dune was tested by professional music producers Installation Mac
to guarantee its ambitious design goals were met. It
comes with high quality sounds, mostly created by pro- Dune comes with a dedicated installer applica-
fessional sound designers. tion. Download and open the file named "Dune In-
staller.dmg". Afterwards, double-click on the installer
icon to begin the installation process. The installer
1.1 Installation will guide you through the necessary steps. The plu-
gin files will be placed in the proper directories auto-
matically. In contrast to the PC version you do not
Installation PC
need to select any directories manually, as the plugin
Unzip Dune and run SETUP.EXE to commence with directories are identical for every Mac. The next time
the installation process. The installer will guide you you start your host software Dune will appear in the
through the necessary steps. You will be asked to se- AU and/or VST instrument list, depending on which
lect the location of your VstPlugins directory. Make format your host software supports.

1.2 Compatibility • PCs require Windows XP or later and a single-
core CPU with 2 GHz or better or alternatively
Dune should run on any VST or AU-compatible host. a multi-core processor with 1 GHz or better.
If you encounter any compatibility issues with your
host software, do not hesitate to contact us. Dune has The memory requirement is approximately 15 mb per
been tested under the following hosts: instance.
• Ableton Live
• Apple Logic Studio
• Cakewalk SONAR
• Image Line FL Studio
• Steinberg Cubase
• Synapse Audio Orion
1.3 System Requirements

Dune has been optimized to operate on a wide range of
computers and thus has only modest system require-
ments.
• Apple computers require an iMac running OS X

10.4 or later, equipped with a 1 GHz dual core
processor or better. Older PPC processors are
not supported.

order to find a suitable one for your music as quickly
as possible. Click on "Show All" and pick a category
2 Basic Operation to limit the patch selection to that category.
Note that this only affects the patch browsing in
Dune, not in the host software. The host software will
always display all patches and all banks regardless of
2.1 Selecting a patch the category setting.
If you create new patches, you may want to define
Each musical sound that you can play is called a Patch. the category for your patch. This can be done in the
Dune comes with three sound banks, each bank con- patch settings area.
tains 128 patches. The last patch in bank C is the Init
Patch, which sets all sound parameters to default val-
ues. It can be used as a starting point to create new
patches.
To select a patch, either click on the patch name or
use the arrow buttons. You may also choose a patch
from your host. 2.3 Playing a patch
You can play individual notes directly by clicking on
the keyboard at the bottom of the user interface. The
vertical click position determines the velocity of the
sound. A much better way, however, is to use your
host sequencer or a MIDI keyboard.
If a MIDI keyboard is hooked up to your computer,
2.2 Choosing a category playing notes on the keyboard should depress the same
keys in Dune (provided they are in the 61-key range
By default, all patches are shown in Dune’s patch shown). If this is not the case, then the required MIDI
browser. Sometimes it can be desirable, however, to information is not transmitted to the plugin, and you
list only patches falling into a specific category. For should refer to your host software’s manual to address
example, you may wish to only list the bass sounds in the issue.

2.4 Loading/Saving patches and bend wheel is used to temporarily shift the pitch up-
or downwards. When released, it automatically snaps
banks back to center position. The modulation wheel typi-
cally controls vibrato type effects, but can be used to
When you load or save a project from your host se-
modify other sound parameters as well. It remains in
quencer, Dune will automatically recall all settings for
whatever position it was set to.
the last active patch. Sometimes, however, you may
The Bend up/down parameters specify by how many
wish to send patches to a friend or use them in a dif-
semitones a sound is pitch shifted up or down, when
ferent host sequencer.
the pitch bend wheel is turned all the way up or down.
You can load and save individual patches by click-
ing on the PATCH label. Patches are stored in Cubase
FXP format, a common format for storing sounds. As
explained previously, patches are organized in banks
of 128 patches each. To load or save a bank, click on
the BANK label. Banks are stored in Cubase FXB Click on the numbers and drag the mouse up or down
format. to increase/decrease the pitch bend range.
If a MIDI keyboard is hooked up to your computer,
turning the physical pitch bend or modulation wheel
should turn the same wheel in Dune automatically. If
this is not the case, then the required MIDI informa-
tion is not transmitted to the plugin, and you should
refer to your host software’s manual to address the
issue.
2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation 2.6 Setting the number of voices
Wheel
Each key that you press triggers one or more voices.
At the bottom left of the user interface, the pitch A voice comprises everything that is needed to syn-
bend and modulation wheels are located. The pitch thesize a tone. The DUNE technology allows to stack

up to 8 voices per note played, where each voice may
use entirely different sound parameters. Thus, a Dune
patch can play a chord or complex sound mixture even
when pressing just a single key.
As each voice costs CPU time, the total number of
available voices is limited. The maximum number of
voices can be adjusted with the Voices parameter.
Click on the number and drag the mouse up or down to

increase/decrease the number of voices. If the number
of voices is set too low, voice stealing can occur, which
means older notes get cut. This can lead to clicks or
other undesirable effects.
Note that the voice polyphony can be adjusted per
patch. While all patches should employ an adequate
setting out of the box, your individual playing style
or usage of sounds may require adjusting the voice
polyphony at times.

or more periodic waveforms. The resulting signal is
typically very bright. To further refine the timbre, the
3 Sound Parameters signal is processed by the filter block, which atten-
uates frequencies specified by the user; usually, high
frequencies are removed. Hence, this type of synthe-
This section describes how a Dune patch is con- sis is commonly called "subtractive". The final block
structed, the operation of all front panel knobs and controls the volume of the signal.
switches, the effect section and the arpeggiator. On their own, the three basic building blocks syn-
thesize a completely static sound. This is in contrast
to acoustic sounds, where pitch, timbre and volume
3.1 Patch Structure change over time. In order to obtain this possibility in
a synthesizer, so called envelopes are used to add dy-
The structure of a Dune patch is shown in fig. 3.1.
namic variation to a sound. The most important en-
The block diagram shows the basic working principle
velope is the amplitude envelope ("Amp Env"), which
of the entire synthesizer without taking into account
is essential to fade in and fade out notes and thus to
the modulation matrix (which will be covered in detail
make a synthesizer playable like a real instrument in
in chapter 4).
the first place. Also important is the filter envelope
Whenever a MIDI note is played, one or more voices
("Filter Env"), which dynamically controls the bright-
are triggered to synthesize that note. Each voice has
ness and thus the timbre of a sound over time. The
the exact same structure shown, but may use different
modulation envelope ("Mod Env") can be freely as-
parameters. The voices are summed and fed into the
signed to any sound parameter, and is typically used
effects unit to further refine the sound with equaliza-
to change the pitch progression.
tion, delay, reverb etc.
Each voice comprises three major building blocks, While envelopes nicely control the overall progres-
an oscillator block ("OSC 1-3"), a filter block ("Fil- sion of a sound, it is sometimes desirable to add pe-
ter") and a volume control block ("Amp"). The blocks riodic modulations. Such modulations can mimic vi-
emulate the three basic properties of a sound: Pitch, brato or tremolo effects known from acoustic instru-
Timbre and Volume. The oscillator block controls the ments, and can be added by using one or more of the
pitch and basic timbre of a sound by generating one low frequency modulation ("LFO") blocks.

LFO-1 LFO-2 LFO-3
Periodically Periodically Periodically
modulate the modulate the modulate the
sound sound sound
OSC 1-3 Filter Amp Effects

Distortion, EQ,
Timbre and Brightness Volume + Phaser, Delay,
Pitch control control control Reverb
Mod Env Filter Env Amp Env

Adjust any Adjust the Adjust the
parameter brightness volume
over time over time over time
Voice #1
Voice #2
Voice #3
...
Figure 3.1: Structure of a Dune patch.

3.2 Oscillators 3.2.1 Oscillator 1+2
An oscillator generates a periodic waveform and forms
the basic building block of the majority of synthesiz- Waveform
ers (the most common waveforms are illustrated in
fig. 3.2). Dune offers three oscillators and a separate An oscillator can create different waveform shapes.
noise generator. This corresponds to how many tradi- The LED buttons in the sections labelled OSC 1 and
tional synthesizers work. In Dune, however, it is easily OSC 2 allow choosing between the classic sawtooth,
possible to instantiate a multitude of its oscillators in pulse and sine/triangle shapes. Furthermore, a wave-
parallel - up to 120 per key. This allows to obtain form from a table containing 69 additional shapes may
thick pad, bass or lead sounds impossible with tradi- be selected. The last 10 waveform shapes are special
tional gear. Dune’s oscillator controls can be found in waveforms containing chords or click sounds. The lat-
the sections labelled OSC 1, OSC 2, OSC 3, NOISE, ter are useful when only a single cycle is triggered.
COMMON and FM in the top area of the user inter- This can help form the transient of a sound, particu-
face. larly good for percussive sounds.
Switching oscillators from regular periodic playback
Sawtooth Pulse to one-shot mode is accomplished via the modulation
matrix (see chapter 4).
50%
Sine Triangle SEMI
The two controls labelled SEMI adjust the tuning of

the 1st and the 2nd oscillator in semitones. The range
spans +/- 36 semitones. A larger range can be ob-
tained by using the modulation matrix, if required.
Figure 3.2: Basic oscillator waveforms. This will be covered in chapter 4.

FINE counter-clockwise towards "1", only the first oscillator
will be audible, turned fully to the right "2", only the
This parameter adjusts the fine tuning of Oscillator 1 second. At center position, both are summed at equal
and 2 in cents. A value of +/- 100% corresponds to level. Apart from setting the mix level, another impor-
half a semitone. Fine tuning is typically used to create tant application of this control is to automate it via the
a beating between both oscillators. modulation matrix. By varying the mix level between
both oscillators, it is possible to create a changing tim-
FAT bre of the sound. For example, a sound could start
with a sawtooth that fades smoothly to a sine, or con-
When this parameter is at zero (knob turned fully stantly switches between both for the entire duration
counter-clockwise), the oscillators act like those found of the sound.
in traditional synthesizers, creating a single waveform
of the selected shape. Set to nonzero values, a stack of
7 oscillators of the same type are synthesized simulta- OSC SYNC
neously. The tuning increasingly diverges as the knob When enabling Oscillator Sync, the second oscillator
is turned clockwise, controlling the ’thickness’ of the is reset whenever the first oscillator has completed one
sound. If FAT is enabled for both oscillators, a total waveform cycle. This leads to interesting new wave-
of 14 oscillators will be audible per voice. Combined form shapes for the second oscillator. When choosing
with the sub oscillator (described below) and Unison sawtooth or pulse and sweeping the 2nd oscillator’s
mode, up to 120 oscillators can be fired per key, allow- frequency without changing the pitch of the 1st oscil-
ing very rich patches that few synthesizers are capable lator, the classic ’sync’ sweep sound is achieved. When
of generating. choosing the sine, the reset effect often leads to wave-
The FAT mode works on any chosen waveform, not forms resembling a sawtooth, but sounding softer.
just the classic sawtooth, square and triangle shapes. In Dune, all waveform shapes including the waveta-
bles can be synced. Note that the FAT knob has no
OSC MIX meaning for the 2nd oscillator when SYNC is enabled.
This is because the detuning effect is only possible with
The OSC MIX knob blends seamlessly between the oscillators that are in free run mode. Of course FAT
level of the first and second oscillator. Turned fully can still be used on the 1st oscillator.

3.2.2 Oscillator 3 brighter timbre is produced when turning the knob to
the right. This is often useful, as the bass frequencies
The third oscillator is controlled by the OSC 3 section. contained in white noise are often objectionable.
It is slaved to oscillator 1 and tuned precisely one oc-
tave lower. This is useful to add sub-bass to a sound,
making it more voluminous. Waveform choices include
sawtooth, pulse and triangle. The LEVEL knob ad- 3.4 Common oscillator controls
justs the level of the sub-oscillator. Set to zero, the
oscillator is inaudible.
3.4.1 Pulse Width
Located in the COMMON section below OSC 1, the
3.3 Noise Generator pulse width knob adjusts the duty cycle of the pulse
waveform for oscillator 1 and 2 (see fig. 3.3). The de-
With the exception of the attack shapes, all three os- fault is 50%, corresponding to a square wave. Note
cillators described so far generate perfectly periodic that this parameter has no effect if waveform shapes
waveforms with a certain pitch. Sometimes it is useful, other than pulse are selected.
however, to spice up a sound with a random element
that has no fixed pitch. This can be useful to syn-
thesize percussive sounds, to recreate the behavior of
wind or plucked string instruments during transients
or to synthesize nature sounds such as fire, water or
wind.
For this reason, Dune offers a white noise generator.
White noise is a type of noise which contains all fre-
quencies equally. Two knobs located in the NOISE sec- 25% 50% 75%
tion control the white noise generator. The LEVEL
knob adjusts the amount of white noise, which is
summed with the signal coming from the oscillators.
The COLOR knob filters the noise signal so that a Figure 3.3: Pulse Width.

3.4.2 Ring Modulation (RM) 3.4.3 Frequency Modulation (FM)
A further interesting effect that can be applied to os- Apart from simply multiplying two oscillator signals,
cillators 1 and 2 is to multiply them with each other. it is also possible to let one oscillator control the fre-
This can be seen as one oscillator modulating the other quency of another oscillator. This synthesis principle
in its amplitude (see fig. 3.4). The effect depth can be is known as Frequency Modulation (FM). The typi-
controlled using the RING MOD knob. Set to zero, cally fast pace of the modulation generates a lot of
the ring modulator output is inaudible. overtones in the oscillator being modulated. This re-
Mathematically, the result of this process is that sults in new waveforms, and gets particularly interest-
the sums and differences of both signal’s frequencies ing when dynamically varying the amount of frequency
are generated. If the oscillators are detuned, this will modulation.
typically lead to inharmonic, metallic sounds. Dune offers three FM modes. In the first mode
1 called "1->2 fbk", oscillator 1 is the modulation source
while oscillator 2 is the destination. The amount of
0
frequency modulation, that is how strongly the second
-1 oscillator is affected by the first, is determined by the
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
FM 1 knob. The FM result is audible at the output of
1
oscillator 2, so OSC MIX should typically be turned
0 fully clockwise. As an extra effect, the FM result can
be fed back into its input using the FM 2 knob.
-1
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 In the second mode called "1->2 dual", once more
1 the first oscillator modulates the second (controlled
by FM 1), but additionally the second oscillator fur-
0 ther modulates a copy of itself (controlled by FM 2).
-1
Again, the FM result is audible at the output of oscilla-
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 tor 2, so OSC MIX should be turned fully clockwise.
Time (s)
The third FM mode is "Filter FM", which is com-
Figure 3.4: Ring modulating two sinusodials with fre- pletely different from the former two modes. Filter FM
quencies 2 Hz and 50 Hz. means that the filter cutoff frequency is modulated by

Magnitude
an oscillator. In DUNE, FM 1 controls how much the
first oscillator changes the filter cutoff, while FM 2
adjusts how much the second oscillator modulates the
filter.
Frequency
Cutoff frequency
3.5 Filter Controls
The raw oscillator sound is typically too bright to be
useful. Furthermore, the periodic nature of the os-
ccilators results in a dull timbre. Many natural in- • A band-pass (BP) filter damps frequencies
struments like a flute or piano feature a short, bright around the cutoff frequency. As a result, bass
transient behavior, and then decay to a more steady, and treble get attenuated.
darker timbre. This behavior can be modelled by us-
ing a time-varying filter. The filter section is located
in the top right area of the user interface, its controls Magnitude
are described below.
CUTOFF Frequency
Perhaps the most important filter parameter is the Cutoff frequency

CUTOFF knob. It sets the corner frequency where
the filter operates. Its meaning depends on the filter
type chosen:
• A band-stop (BS) filter rejects frequencies

• For low-pass (LP) filter types, frequencies above around the cutoff frequency and passes every-
the cutoff frequency are damped: thing else.

Magnitude
Magnitude
Cutoff frequency
Frequency
Frequency
Cutoff frequency
The five filters described above form the basic filters

encountered in most synthesizers. The low-pass fil-
• A high-pass (HP) filter attenuates all frequencies ter is the most common, as it fully preserves the bass
below the cutoff frequency and passes the higher frequencies and allows the natural progression from a
frequencies unchanged. bright to a dark timbre when being modulated. For
this reason, all other filter types have an optional low-
pass filter operating in series with them in order to
Magnitude increase their versatility.
To modulate the cutoff frequency and produce a dy-
namically changing timbre, the LFOs and filter enve-
lope can be used. Both options will be discussed later
Frequency in this chapter.
Cutoff frequency
RESO
If the output of a filter is fed back to its input, reso-
nance occurs, which is a sinusodial oscillation near the
• When a comb filter is chosen, the frequency spec- cutoff frequency (see fig. 3.5). The RESO knob con-
trum looks like a comb with a series of regulary- trols the depth of this effect. At lower settings, reso-
spaced spikes in it. The cutoff knob adjusts the nance can be used to add presence to a sound. Using
spacing of the spikes. higher settings, the sinusodial oscillation gets strong

enough to use the filter in a similar fashion as an os- In rare cases, you may also want to set the envelope
cillator. This property can be useful to create special amount to a negative value. This can be helpful to
effect sounds such as laser guns, electronic bass drums create sounds which become bright when releasing a
etc. key. A negative envelope amount can be set using the
Magnitude modulation matrix, with the envelope amount knob
Resonance
set to zero.
Frequency
KEY TRACK
Cutoff frequency
The key track parameter determines how much the
cutoff frequency is affected by the MIDI key note. Set
Figure 3.5: Response of a resonant low-pass filter. to zero, all notes share the very same cutoff frequency
as specified by the CUTOFF parameter. Nonzero
ENV values move the cutoff according to the key pressed,
with higher keys corresponding to higher cutoff fre-
This knob controls how much the filter envelope (de-
quencies. At low settings, this parameter is useful to
scribed later in this chapter) affects the cutoff fre-
create subtle timbre variations when different notes are
quency. Set to zero, the filter envelope has no effect
played. At higher settings, key tracking can be used
on the cutoff frequency. At 100%, the envelope spans
to simulate the properties of acoustic instruments that
the entire cutoff range from the minimum to the max-
have a varying timbre dependent on the note played.
imum value. Most sounds will use a low-pass filter
with an envelope amount setting in between the two
extremes and the envelope attack and sustain set to
their minimum values. This creates the most common OFFSET
timbre which is a bright start followed by a darker
sustain stage, a property shared by many acoustic in- The meaning of this knob depends on the chosen filter,
struments. Note that when a dual filter is used, the and is thus discussed separately for each filter type in
filter envelope affects both filters simultaneously. the following section.

3.6 Filter Models LP Ladder 12/24 dB
Two more low-pass filters with 12 and 24 dB attenua-
By clicking on the list box in the filter section, one of
tion, respectively. This type was painstakenly mod-
16 different filter models can be chosen.
elled after the filters of legendary analog hardware
synthesizers, which employed a transistor ladder struc-
Lowpass 12 dB ture. This filter combines a great sound with authentic
behavior of cutoff frequency movements as well as re-
The first filter is a low-pass type, thus attenuating fre- sponse to resonance. Thus it requires more CPU than
quencies above the cutoff frequency. The slope of at- the two previous low-pass filter models.
tenuation is 12 dB per octave, which is relatively soft.
Additionally the CPU usage of this filter type is very
LP24 -> LP12
low, making it an excellent choice for a wide range of
sounds. The OFFSET knob has no effect on this filter This model consists of a combination of two low-pass
model. filters in series, as illustrated in fig. 3.6. The first low-
pass has a slope of 24 dB while the second is a 12 dB
type, yielding a total attenuation of 36 dB per octave.
Lowpass 24 dB Using the OFFSET knob, the cutoff frequency of the
second 12 dB filter can be adjusted relative to the main
This type is identical to the first filter, but features
cutoff frequency.
a slope twice as steep. Starting from the cutoff fre-
quency, each octave upwards is attenuated by 24 dB
instead of 12 dB. This creates a much stronger filter-
ing effect than the previous filter model. If the cutoff OSC Low-pass filter Low-pass filter
frequency is set to 1000 Hz, for instance, it means that Signal #1 #2
frequencies at 4000 Hz will be attenuated by roughly
48 dB and thus become practically inaudible. Note Adjust cutoff using
OFFSET knob
that the 24 dB filter model needs slightly more CPU
than the 12 dB type. The OFFSET knob has no mean-
ing in this filter mode. Figure 3.6: Two low-pass filters chained in series.

BP12 -> LP12 more frequencies and thus creating a brighter timbre.
Moved to the left, the cutoff frequency of the low-pass
This dual filter structure consists of a 12 dB band- decreases resulting in darker sounds.
pass followed by a 12 dB low-pass filter. Once more,
OFFSET adjusts the low-pass filter’s cutoff frequency.
LP12+Dist
BS12 -> LP12 A low-pass filter preceded by a distortion effect. The
distortion effect models the typical characteristic of
Same as the previous model, but with a band-stop fil- analog semiconductors. The OFFSET knob controls
ter instead of a band-pass. the gain level of the signal before being fed into the
effect. Note that at center position, some distortion is
HP12 -> LP12 already audible. Turn the knob to the right to increase
the gain and thus the distortion, turn it to the left to
Same as the previous model, but using a high-pass fil- decrease the effect.
ter. Note that in this model, the low-pass filter can be This filter model can be used to either add some
turned off completely by setting OFFSET to the max- spice to sounds by using negative gain settings result-
imum value. This may be useful in scenarios where a ing in only a subtle effect, or to create very harsh
pure high-pass filtering effect is desired. sounds by turning OFFSET fully clockwise. As the
distortion effect is processed before the low-pass fil-
ter, the effect of the distortion is most audible at high
Comb -> LP24
cutoff frequencies.
This type is a dual filter comprising a comb filter fol-
lowed by a low-pass filter in series. While both filters
LP12+Bitcrush
respond to all controls in the same manner, a cutoff
frequency offset for the low-pass filter can be speci- Similar to the LP+Dist filter, a low-pass filter is pre-
fied by using the OFFSET knob. When this knob is ceded by a distortion effect. Here, the distortion is not
centered, the low-pass and comb filter share the same achieved by a virtual analog model but by simple bit
cutoff frequency. Moved to the right, the cutoff fre- reduction of the signal coming from the oscillators, re-
quency of the low-pass filter is shifted upwards, passing sulting in harsh quantization noise. The OFFSET con-

trol sets the number of bits used, with higher settings LP/BP/HP Sweep
corresponding to fewer bits and thus more distortion.
This multimode filter sweeps from lowpass over band-
pass to a highpass type, according to the OFFSET
knob. The middle position yields a bandpass response.
LP12+Follow
This is a special purpose filter model, which consists LP12/LP12 Split

of an ordinary low-pass filter followed by a key tracked
high-pass filter. The key tracking for the high-pass fil- The four split filter modes, starting with LP/LP, work
ter is independent of the KEY TRACKING parameter fundamentally different from the series filters. Rather
in the filter section, it is configured automatically so than processing the fully mixed signal from the os-
that the cutoff frequency corresponds exactly to the cillators, in the split modes the oscillator signals are
MIDI note played. The effect of this is to weaken the processed separately by two filters in parallel. In the
fundamental frequency, useful to resemble thin string- LP/LP configuration, oscillator 1 is routed through
type sounds such as an acoustic guitar string. The the first low-pass while oscillators 2+3, as well as the
depth of the high-pass effect can be adjusted using the noise signal, are processed by the second low-pass. The
OFFSET knob. OFFSET parameter adjusts the cutoff frequency of the
second low-pass filter.
LP24+Saturation OSC 1 Low-pass filter

#1
A low-pass filter based on the LP ladder model with
a saturation effect in series. The OFFSET knob con- OSC 2+3+N Low-pass filter
trols the amount of saturation. The effect is more #2
subtle than the LP12+Dist model, it can substantially
enhance the feel and overall character of a sound, how-
ever. Figure 3.7: Split model using two low-pass filters.

BP12/LP12 Split mon change is to slightly detune the stacked voices, re-
sulting in thick bass, lead or pad sounds. Another fre-
This configuration is identical to LP/LP, except that
quently used technique is to spread the stacked voices
the first filter is a band-pass type. This means oscil-
in the stereo field, making the sound more spatial.
lator 1 will be routed through a band-pass filter while
Note that the Differential Unison Engine (DUNE) de-
the remaining oscillators plus noise are processed by
scribed in chapter 4 allows to modify any parameter
the low-pass. Again, OFFSET allows to adjust the
of stacked voices in a simple fashion, taking the unison
cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter relative to the
concept to an entirely new level.
main cutoff frequency.
The basic unison parameters can be found in the
UNISON section located below the oscillators.
BS12/LP12 Split
Same as the previous model, but with a band-stop fil- VOICES
ter instead of a band-pass.
This knob controls the number of voices to use for each
HP12/LP12 Split note played. Note that the global polyphony is reduced
by this setting. When using four voices per note, the
Same as the previous model, but employing a high- global polyphony will be reduced by a factor of four.
pass filter. Make sure to increase the polyphony if necessary (see
chapter 2).
3.7 Unison Section
DETUNE
Dune allows to stack several voices for the same note.
This is useful to for a variety of tasks, the most com- This parameter detunes the unison voices. Higher set-
mon being to create the illusion of many instruments tings correspond to more variation, a minimum of two
of the same type playing simultaneously (e.g. a string voices is necessary to create an audible change. The
section). detuning is always centered around the note pitch.
To obtain an audible change, the instanced voices When playing e.g. A4 (440 Hz) and detuning two
must differ in one or more parameters. The most com- voices by 1 Hz, the two pitches would be 339 Hz and

441 Hz, thus still creating the sensation of a 440 Hz MONO
note.
When enabled, only one note can be played at a time.
This can be useful for bass and lead sounds, particu-
larly in combination with GLIDE. It creates a unique
SPREAD playing feel and sound which can be better for mono-
phonic lines.
Spreads the unison voices in the stereo field. A mini-
mum of two voices must be dialed in using the VOICES
knob to create an audible effect. At maximum posi- GLIDE
tion, the voices will be fully spread in the stereo field
— in the case of using two voices, one voice will be When nonzero, this parameter causes each note to
hard left and the other one hard right. In case of three smoothly adjust its pitch from the previous note to
voices, one voice will be hard left, one dead center and the new one. Higher settings correspond to a slower,
one hard right, etc. more noticeable glide effect. Sometimes this parameter
is referred to as portamento. Note that when MONO
is enabled, GLIDE affects only notes which overlap.
SOLO
VOLUME
Allows to solo individual voices. Note that only voices
that are actually in use can be solo’ed. Pressing solo Sets the overall volume of the entire synthesizer.
on the 4th voice of a 3-voice patch will thus lead to
silence.
3.9 Modulation Envelope
An envelope is used to model the progression of timbre,
3.8 Output Section volume or pitch of a sound, from start to finish. An
envelope is triggered whenever a key is hit. The mod-
The OUTPUT section contains basic performance pa- ulation envelope can be assigned to almost any sound
rameters and allows to set the global volume. parameter via the modulation matrix. All envelopes

in Dune can be described by four stages called Attack, lower level, the sustain level. The DECAY control
Decay, Sustain and Release (ADSR), see fig. 3.8. specifies the duration of the decay stage, i.e. how long
it takes to fall back to the sustain level. The slope of
Level the decay stage is logarithmic.
SUSTAIN
Sustain
Time This parameter specifies the sustain level that is
reached after the decay stage ends. The sustain stage
lasts as long as a key is pressed.
Attack Decay Release
RELEASE
Key pressed Key released The final release stage is triggered whenever a key is
released. The RELEASE parameter specifies the du-
ration it takes the envelope to hit zero. The slope of
Figure 3.8: The modulation envelope. the release stage is logarithmic like the decay stage.
ATTACK
3.10 Filter Envelope
The ATTACK parameter specifies the duration it
takes for the envelope to reach its maximum value. The filter envelope modulates the filter cutoff fre-
When set to zero, the envelope immediately starts at quency and thus the timbre of the sound. Many sounds
the peak value. The slope of the attack stage is linear. start with a bright timbre and then decay to a darker
tone. This behavior can be modelled with the filter
envelope. The depth of the effect is controlled with
DECAY
the ENV knob in the filter section. The filter envelope
After reaching the peak, the decay stage commences. has the same shape as the modulation envelope (see
During the decay stage, the envelope falls back to a fig. 3.9).

Level SUSTAIN
This parameter specifies the sustain level that is

Sustain
reached after the decay stage ends. The sustain stage
Time lasts as long as a key is pressed.
Attack Decay Release
RELEASE
Key pressed Key released
The final release stage is triggered whenever a key is
released. The RELEASE parameter specifies the du-
Figure 3.9: The filter envelope. ration it takes the envelope to hit zero. Note that
when SUSTAIN is set to zero, the RELEASE param-
ATTACK eter may have no effect if the envelope has previously
reached zero already.
The ATTACK parameter specifies the duration it
takes for the envelope to reach its maximum value.
Most sounds use a setting near the minimum in order
to start bright.
3.11 Amplitude Envelope
DECAY
After reaching the peak, the decay stage commences. Located below the Filter envelope, the amplitude enve-
During the decay stage, the envelope falls back to a lope controls the progression of the volume of a sound
lower level, the sustain level. The DECAY control (see fig. 3.10). It works in the same manner as the
specifies the duration of the decay stage, i.e. how long filter and modulation envelopes, but offers two extra
it takes to fall back to the sustain level. parameters, SPIKE and HOLD.

Level HOLD
Spike
HOLD specifies a duration in milliseconds in which the
peak level is maintained, before the decay stage com-
Sustain mences. This parameter can be useful to obtain more
Time punch when modelling percussive sounds, which often
decay quickly. HOLD is exclusively accessed from the
Attack Hold Decay Release
modulation matrix.
DECAY
Key pressed Key released The DECAY parameter specifies the duration of the
decay stage, i.e. how long it takes the amplitude to
fall back to the sustain level.
Figure 3.10: The amplitude envelope.
SUSTAIN
ATTACK
This parameter specifies the sustain level that is
The ATTACK parameter specifies the duration it reached after the decay stage ends. The sustain stage
takes for the amplitude envelope to go from zero to lasts as long as a key is pressed.
its maximum level.
RELEASE
SPIKE HARD/SOFT
The final release stage is triggered whenever a key is
Using this parameter, a spike can be added during the released. The RELEASE parameter specifies the du-
attack stage, to give a sound more ’bite’ during the ration it takes the envelope to hit zero. Note that
transient stage. Two types are available, a hard and when SUSTAIN is set to zero, the RELEASE param-
a soft spike. Both parameters are accessed via the eter may have no effect if the envelope has previously
modulation matrix (see chapter 4). reached zero already.

3.12 LFOs Sawtooth Pulse
Using oscillators, the filter unit and envelopes, it is

possible to control the basic properties of a sound, such
as timbre, volume and pitch. For many bass and per-
cussive sounds this is enough to get good results, but Sine Noise
for pad or lead type sounds, the sustain stage may still
sound dull. This is because the pitch, filter cutoff and
volume are steady in this stage and do not change.
This is where LFOs (low frequency oscillators) come
into play. LFOs work just like ordinary oscillators,
generating a periodic signal using similar waveforms Figure 3.11: Basic LFO waveforms.
(see fig. 3.11). They are inaudible, however, and their
only purpose is to continually change one or more as-
Shape
pects of the sound. The most typical applications are
modulating the volume, cutoff or pitch, resulting in Use the four LEDs to select one of the four waveform
a vibrato or tremolo effect. Dune’s three LFOs are shapes depicted in fig. 3.11. Sawtooth, Pulse and Sine
much more capable than that, however, as almost any are periodic waveforms, the fourth shape is S+H Noise
parameter discussed so far can be used as a modu- (Sample-and-Hold Noise). S+H Noise is a signal with
lation destination. Additionally, LFOs can modulate random, abrupt changes. It can be used for special
each other in volume or frequency to obtain yet more effects or to simulate the behavior of old analog hard-
interesting variations. ware, by employing a very slow and subtle modulation.
The three LFOs are controlled by the sections la-
belled LFO 1, LFO 2 and LFO 3 on the left side of the RATE
user interface. Assigning destinations to LFOs and ad-
justing the modulation depth is performed in the mod- By default, LFOs run at a constant rate specified in
ulation matrix, which is covered in the fourth chapter Hz, independent of the MIDI note played. Typical set-
of this manual. tings are between 3-6 Hz for vibrato or tremolo effects.

When the SYNC switch is enabled, the rate is speci- from the S+H noise generator. Turned fully left, the
fied in units of the current song tempo, such as quar- knob has no effect while turned to the right, the S+H
ters, eights or sixteenths notes, with either their stan- signal is softened the most.
dard durations, or in triplet (T) or dotted (*) form.
Examples:
Sawtooth Pulse
• 1/4 specifies the duration of a quarter note.
• 1/8+ sets the modulation rate to a dotted eight

25% 50% 75%
note.
• 1/16T sets the modulation rate to a sixteenth

Figure 3.12: The SKEW parameter.
triplet.
• 1/1 sets the modulation rate to span one bar. FADE-IN

• 2/1 sets the modulation rate to span two bars. Usually modulations start immediately when a key is
pressed and last for the entire duration of the sound.
Sometimes, however, the modulation can be objection-
SKEW
able in the early attack stage of the sound. To pre-
The SKEW knob is used to change the shape of the serve the transients, the fade-in parameter can be used
LFO waveforms. It can be used on all LFO waveforms. to gradually increase the modulation from zero to its
Using SKEW, the sawtooth can be tweaked into an maximum value, for a duration specified in seconds.
exponential shape using values above 50%, and into a
logarithmic shape using lower values (see fig. 3.12). If
RESET
the pulse shape is chosen, SKEW controls the pulse
width, with 50% corresponding to a square wave. The Instead of the one-shot mode, LFOs 2+3 offer a
sine wave can be changed towards either a parabolic RESET switch. When disabled, it causes the LFO
or triangular shape. When S+H noise is selected, this to run continously, independent of whether any keys
parameter serves to soften the abrupt signal coming are pressed. When enabled, the LFO is reset each

time a key is pressed, starting from zero phase. This VEL
means that the modulation will always sound exactly
the same. The notes generated by the arpeggiator need a veloc-
ity, which can either be the velocity of the MIDI key
pressed, or the velocity specified in the arpeggiator
3.13 Arpeggiator pattern. The VEL control blends seamlessly between
both options, the leftmost setting corresponding to the
An arpeggiator (short: ARP) is a module that gen- velocity of the MIDI key pressed and the rightmost us-
erates melodic or rhythmical patterns from incoming ing the pattern velocities only.
MIDI notes. The pattern employed is programmable
per patch and contains a note list controlling the se-
quence as well as extra information that can be used to LENGTH
alter other properties of the sound, such as its volume
or timbre. The ARP module is enabled or disabled The notes generated by the arpeggiator usually have a
using the ARP ON switch in the OUTPUT section. length of a single step, followed by a break of the same
The arpeggiator parameters as well as its pattern are duration. Using the LENGTH control, the duration of
accessed by choosing ARP PAT in the center screen. the notes can be increased or decreased. Turned to the
The following sections describe the key parameters to left, the notes get a staccato feel, while the opposite
control the ARP module, which are located right be- direction yields smoother sounding sequences.
low the pattern data.
RATE SWING
Adjusts the tempo in which the arpeggiator generates This control shuffles the position of every other 16th
sequences from incoming MIDI notes. When SYNC is note, ahead or backwards by the specified amount.
enabled, the tempo is slaved to the host sequencer and This parameter can be used to obtain a typical swing
can be specified in musical intervals such as 8th note, feel with a setting of +50% and above. In the arpeggia-
16th notes, dotted notes (*), triplets (T) etc. When tor pattern, the shuffled notes are located at positions
SYNC is disabled, the rate is specified in Hz. 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27 and 31.

Arpeggiator Modes tions of basic playback of fixed sequences only trans-
posed up- or down. The outcome of the dynamic mode
The arpeggiator module in Dune comprises five modes depends on two factors: how many keys are pressed
described below. simultaneously by the user, and how the underlying
arpeggiator pattern is programmed. If just one key is
CHORD pressed, the dynamic mode is identical to the simple
mode, playing back the programmed sequence trans-
In this mode, if one or more keys are held down si- posed according to the MIDI note of that key. If two or
multaneously, the sound will be rhythmically varied more keys are pressed simultaneously, the programmed
according to the sequence programmed in the arpeg- sequence is transposed according to the lowest MIDI
giator pattern. Note that the pitch information con- key. The second, third etc. keys then override indi-
tained in the arpeggiator pattern is not used in this vidual notes of the sequence, allowing the musician to
mode. create a wealth of new melodies from very basic pat-
terns.
DUOPHONIC The notes to override are specified in the arpeggia-
tor pattern. In the pattern, the second column next to
In duophonic mode, the arpeggiator plays back a fixed each MIDI note allows to set either no override (—), in
sequence of up to two notes simultaneously. Those which case that note behaves just like it would in Sim-
notes are sequenced using the two columns in the ple mode, or it is set to 2nd, 3rd, 4th... corresponding
arpeggiator pattern. The sequence is transposed ac- to the second, third, fourth etc MIDI key held down,
cording to the key you press. Pressing multiple keys counting from the leftmost key.
has no effect in this mode, only the lowest key will be
used.
MOD
DYNAMIC In this mode, the arpeggiator does not create any audi-
ble sequence. It is actively sending note and velocity
This arpeggiator mode is a new development available information to the modulation core, however, which
exclusively in Dune. It is designed to assist the mu- allows you to use the arpeggiator unit as a pure mod-
sician in a creative manner and overcome the limita- ulation source. This can be useful for a variety of ef-

fects common in electronic music, such as rhythmically 3.14 Effects
varying the timbre or volume of a patch.
Dune offers six effects units to further enhance the
sound. All of them may be used simultaneously, and
each unit offers several sub-types to further increase its
SIMPLE versatility. It is important to note that the effects are
global, that is all voices are first summed and then pro-
When in simple mode, the arpeggiator will play back cessed by the effect section.The effects are processed
a pre-programmed sequence when hitting a single key. from left to right in the order they appear, i.e. distor-
The sequence is automatically transposed according tion is applied first and reverb last. Despite the global
to the MIDI note of that key. Pressing multiple keys nature of the effect section, it is worth pointing out
simultaneously has no effect in this mode. that each voice can have its own effect depth, ranging
from completely dry to fully wet.
ONE-SHOT 3.14.1 Distortion

Same as SIMPLE, except that the sequence plays only A distortion effect amplifies the signal in a nonlin-
once and stops afterwards. ear manner, creating new overtones and thus a rather
harsh sound. A total of seven different types may be
chosen:
VOICE 2/4/6/8
TYPE
Identical to SIMPLE mode, except that the arpeggia-
tor only fires the even-numbered voices. The odd- • LP+Crunch is a distortion effect with a low-
numbered voices are not affected by the arpeggiator pass filter in series. The low-pass filter is used to
and play normally. This is useful for athmospheric roll off higher frequencies. High frequencies may
textures or soundscapes with one sustained note ac- be objectionable when applying a lot of distor-
companied by an arpeggiated sequence. tion.

• HP+Crunch is a distortion effect with a high- • LP+Clip clips the signal at positive polarity.
pass filter in series. The high-pass filter is used to Use the drive knob to control the amount of clip-
roll off lower frequencies, which can be useful in ping. The low-pass filter in series with the clip-
combination with low AMOUNT settings. The per can be used to roll off higher frequencies.
effect is then similar to that of an Exciter, which
adds high frequencies to a signal to increase its
brightness and presence. COLOR
• LP+Toxic and HP+Toxic work in the same This controls the low-pass or high-pass filter’s cutoff
manner as the Crunch programs, but employ a frequency in Hz.
different distortion model taken from the Toxic
synthesizer plugin.
DRIVE
• LP+Valve and HP+Valve work in the same
Adjusts the gain applied to the signal when entering
manner as the Crunch programs, but use a more
the nonlinear distortion stage. Higher settings cause
subtle, asymmetric distortion curve known from
more distortion.
valve amplifiers.
• LP Only is a low-pass filter without any distor-

tion applied. This can be useful to reduce the
AMOUNT
overall brightness of the sound. Blends between the dry and processed signal. For
a guitar-type distortion effect, set this parameter to
• HP Only is a high-pass filter without any dis- 100%. Use lower settings for more subtle effects.
tortion applied. This can be useful to either re-
move unwanted low frequency content in the in-
audible range (e.g. below 10 Hz), or to roll off the 3.14.2 EQ-1
bass for sounds where too many low frequencies
are undesirable (for instance percussive or lead An EQ is used to boost or attenuate a certain fre-
sounds). quency range. It features three basic types:

TYPE Magnitude (dB)
Amount (+)
• Peaking amplifies or attenuates the region
0 dB
around the chosen frequency. Amount (-)
Frequency
Magnitude (dB)
Cutoff frequency
Amount (+)
0 dB
Amount (-)
Frequency FREQ
Peak frequency
Sets the frequency where the EQ operates.
• Lo Shelf amplifies or attenuates frequencies be- Q

low the chosen frequency. Adjusts the steepness of the EQ. Only relevant for the
Peaking type. Q settings below 1 create broad peaks,
Magnitude (dB) while higher settings create narrow peaks.
Amount (+)
0 dB
Magnitude (dB)
Amount (-) Q=1
Frequency
Cutoff frequency 0 dB
Frequency
• Hi Shelf amplifies or attenuates frequencies Peak frequency

above the chosen frequency.

GAIN the delay time is continuously varied. The time-
delayed copy can be added or subtracted from
Specifies how much to attenuate or boost the chosen the dry signal, each option resulting in a differ-
frequency. At center position (0 dB) the signal is not ent sound.
affected.
• Chorus I/II A chorus effect is obtained in the
3.14.3 EQ-2 same way as a flanger, but uses much longer de-
lay times. This creates the impression of multi-
This section is identical to EQ-1. It allows further pro- ple voices playing simultaneously. The effect is
cessing of a different frequency region if required. For similar to stacking several voices per note and
example, you could roll off low frequencies using EQ-1 detuning them.
and boost high frequencies using EQ-2.
RATE
3.14.4 Chorus, Flanger, Phaser
Sets the modulation rate of the sweeping effect in Hz.
The fourth effect module can be switched between
Phaser, Flanger and Chorus types. Those effects are
created by summing a signal with a modified copy of FREQ
itself, resulting in a sweeping effect of adjustable rate.
Sets the center frequency for the Phaser when selected.
For the Chorus/Flanger types, this parameters speci-
• Phaser (4, 6, 8) A phaser modifies a signal
fies the frequency range to include. Usually this should
with a series of filters and then mixes it with the
be set to 100% to include the entire frequency spec-
dry signal. The cutoff frequency of the filters is
trum.
continuously varied. The number of filter stages
can be set to 4, 6 or 8, each resulting in a differ-
ent timbre. FEEDBACK
• Flanger +/- Summing a signal with a time- The output of the effect can be fed back to its input
delayed copy of itself creates a flanging effect, if with this control, creating a resonant sweep.

DEPTH • Multi-Tap uses several delay units to create a
complex echo pattern.
This parameter sets the modulation depth. Set to zero,
the resulting effect will be static and does not change • Diffuse is similar to Simple, except that each
over time. At higher settings, the sweeping effect will echo gets increasingly diffused.
start to become audible.
COLOR
AMOUNT
The echoes can be processed by a 6 dB/oct lowpass or
Blends between the dry and processed signals. highpass filter, making each subsequent echo darker or
brighter than the previous one. Negative values cor-
respond to darker echoes, positive values to brighter
3.14.5 Delay echoes, at zero the echo timbre remains identical.
A delay effect produces a series of echoes. The dura-
tion of the echoes is always locked to the host tempo F-BACK
in order to guarantee a musically useful result. A total
of nine delay programs are available. The feedback parameter allows you to adjust how of-
ten the echoes are repeated. The percentage specifies
the level change from one echo to the next, so 100%
TYPE creates an infinite series of echoes, 50% cuts the level
• Simple creates a series of echoes centered in the of each subsequent echo in half etc.
stereo field.
RATE L/R
• Ping-Pong creates echoes alternating between
the left and right channels. The delay time can be specified independently for the
left and right channels. It is always locked to the
• PP 75, PP 50, PP 25 and PP 12 are iden- host tempo and is thus specified in quarters, eights,
tical to Ping-Pong, except that the stereo image sixteenths etc., optionally in triplet (T) or dotted (*)
is reduced towards the center. form. Examples:

• 1/4 specifies an echo duration of a quarter note. • Hall simulates a hall including early reflections.
Reverb time should be set to 3-5 seconds.
• 1/8+ sets the duration to a dotted eighth note.
• Cathedral simulates the reverb pattern of a
• 1/16T sets the duration to a sixteenth triplet. large cathedral including early reflections. Re-
• 1/1 sets the duration to span an entire bar. verb time should be set to 5 seconds or more.
Note that the reverb programs computing early re-
AMOUNT flections also create a realistic echo buildup pattern,
going from a sparse distribution of early echoes to an
Blends between the dry and processed signal. increasingly dense pattern. Thus they are more CPU
demanding than the two diffuse types.
3.14.6 Reverb
A reverb effect is used to create the illusion of a sound PREDELAY
being played back in a spatial environment such as a Adjusts the onset of the reverberated signal. When set
living room, hall or cathedral. Five types are offered to zero, the reverberated signal commences almost im-
in Dune: mediately. Higher settings delay the signal, which can
be useful to change the perception of the room size.
TYPE This is particularly important for the Diffuse reverb
types, which do not model early reflections.
• Diffuse-1 is a reverb type creating diffuse
echoes. It does not emulate a specific room size.
DAMP
• Diffuse-2 is a variation of Diffuse-1, which con-
sumes less CPU and can be used whenever per- Using the DAMP paramter, the simulated room’s wall
formance is an issue. materials can be adjusted. Higher settings correspond
to reflective walls, lower settings to very absorbent
• Room simulates a real room including early re- ones. The reflection is frequency-dependent: The
flections. Reverb time should be set to 1 second higher the Damp setting, the less higher frequencies
or less if an authentic effect is desired. are contained in the processed signal.

DECAY
Sets the reverb time in seconds.
LOW CUT
The low-cut filter in the reverb effect can be used to
remove unwanted low frequencies from the processed
signal. This is useful for sounds containing strong bass
frequencies, such as bass drums etc. Note that the dry
signal is not affected by this, only the reverberated
signal.
AMOUNT
Blends between the dry and processed signals.

The modulation matrix in Dune is located in the center
of the interface, and accessed by clicking on either of
4 Modulation Matrix the Mod Matrix buttons. Up to 24 source/destination
combinations are possible per patch.
Most importantly, the sources comprise the LFOs.
One of the biggest strength of subtractive synthesizers The ability to link a LFO to any sound parameter
is their ease of use. The pitch, timbre and volume of a makes the traditional LFO destination parameter ob-
sound and its progression over time can be controlled solete and offers far greater flexibility. Classic desti-
in a simple and straightforward way. The simplicity is nation parameters include Pitch (to obtain a vibrato
achieved by employing a fixed structure with a limited effect), Volume (to obtain a tremolo effect) as well as
set of parameters, however. Filter Cutoff. Further sources include the envelopes,
In order to create more complex patches, modern in particular the modulation envelope. The modula-
synthesizers offer a modulation matrix, where you can tion envelope is not linked to a particular parameter
choose from a set of sources and link them to almost by default. Thus, like the LFOs, it must be assigned to
any sound parameter. a destination in the modulation matrix. Useful desti-
nations for the modulation envelope include pitch and
FM Amount for FM patches.
The modulation matrix is also used to assign MIDI
controllers to sound parameters. The modulation
wheel or expression pedal, for instance, can be cho-
sen as a source and linked to any destination parame-
ter. The effect of note velocity is also controlled from
within the modulation matrix. While typically linked
to volume, it can be easily set to affect the filter cutoff
frequency or other sound parameters.
Advanced users will appreciate the ability of the
modulation matrix to modulate itself, by choosing any
of the 24 modulation slots as a destination.

4.1 The differential unison rameter. Likewise, changing the timbre from dark to
bright is as simple as adjusting the cutoff parameter,
engine (DUNE) changing the pitch as easy as adjusting the oscillator
tuning, etc.
Despite the flexibility introduced by the modulation Such relative parameter changes are realized by the
matrix, the sound design abilities of subtractive syn- new differential unison engine (DUNE), which over-
thesizers are still limited by their architecture. For comes the aforementioned limitations of current sub-
instance, nice sounds can be obtained by combining a tractive synthesizers. To understand this approach,
short, percussive element and a longer, sustained el- the Unison concept must be briefly revisited first.
ement. The percussive element shapes the transient Traditionally, unison on synthesizers means "playing
of the sound, while the sustained element shapes its all voices simultaneously". In unison mode, a classic
body. To obtain such sounds, the classic approach synthesizer with 8 voices simply fires all 8 voices simul-
employed by music producers or sound designers is to taneously when pressing a key. The different voices
stack different sounds. This can be a very tedious and are slightly detuned, which provides a chorus type ef-
time-consuming process. It is especially problematic fect and thus an overall fat sound, when playing a
for kick and bass sounds containing low frequencies, note. Unfortunately, firing all voices at once means
where the exact phase relation of different parts can that polyphonic play is no longer possible, as all avail-
make or break a sound. Perhaps the biggest issue with able voices are in use. Hence, modern synthesizers use
stacking sounds, however, is the lack of common con- a more sophisticated unison mode, which allows to set
trols. Even if sounds are stacked within the same an arbitrary number of unison voices that is only a
synth (provided that it offers a multi-part or multi- subset of the total number of available voices. For ex-
layer mode), the sound parameters are almost always ample, a synthesizer with a maximum of 32 voices may
separated. This is fine if two sounds have vastly dif- offer the option to trigger 4 unison voices simultane-
ferent properties, i.e. most sound parameters differ. ously. This still allows playing 8 notes at the same
In many cases, however, stacking two sounds with few time (32 / 4 = 8). Another feature that is very com-
parameter changes is sufficient to obtain interesting, mon in today’s synthesizers is the ability to specify an
new sounds. To use the example above, changing a arbitrary detuning and stereo spreading of all unison
percussive sound to a sustained one or vice versa may voices. A synthesizer which employs 2 unison voices
be as trivial as modifying the amplitude sustain pa- may detune both and spread them to the left and right

side of the stereo panorama, which creates a very spa- As a result, only those voices will be modulated. To
cious effect. The Synapse Audio WASP is such a syn- experiment with and understand the unison engine, try
thesizer. the example above (or something similar) on the Init
The idea behind Dune is to make the power of the Patch (#128). Make sure that the number of unison
unison mode accessible to sound designers. Why re- voices is set to at least three. The number of unison
strict the unison mode to just detuning or panorama voices can be set from the Unison panel, located above
changes? In Dune, any sound parameter can be the modulation matrix. Use the SOLO switches in the
changed in unison mode, relative to the basic param- same panel to toggle between individual unison voices
eter settings. This is accomplished by the modulation and see how the modulation affects them.
matrix. Apart from the classic source, amount and Restricting the LFO modulations to individual
destination parameters, Dune adds the "Voice" param- voices may give interesting results, but you may won-
eter, which allows to restrict the modulation to one or der how this helps in solving the sound design issues
more unison voices. This concept is best explained by mentioned earlier. How is it possible to adjust sound
a simple example matrix: parameters per voice? The following example will
demonstrate this, and conclude the introduction of the
differential unison engine:
In this example, we have assigned all three LFOs

to three different destinations: Filter Cutoff, Pan
(Panorama) and Volume. In the first row, the Voice Here we modulate two parameters, filter cutoff and fil-
field is left blank, which simply means to apply the ter resonance. The modulations are set to affect the
modulation to all unison voices in use. If the number second unison voice. As a source, we chose "Const",
of unison voices is set to e.g. five voices, then the fil- which means constant. The result of those modula-
ter cutoff will be modulated in the same manner for tions is to simply adjust the two filter parameters rel-
all five voices. The second and third column, set to ative to the knob settings. For example, if the Cutoff
modulate the volume and panorama, are restricted to knob is set to 50%, the second voice will have a cutoff
affect the second and third unison voice, respectively. setting corresponding to 100% (50% + 50%).

4.2 List of Sources PWheel
The following section lists all available modulation The MIDI pitch wheel data. Note that the pitch bend
sources with a brief explanation. All sources, whether wheel always changes the pitch up or down dependent
it is MIDI data or synth parameters, are converted to on the Bend up/down setting in the main panel. Set
the same range, which is [0,+1] for unipolar and [-1,+1] both to zero if you wish to use the pitch wheel exclu-
for bipolar sources. The LFOs, pitch bend wheel, note sively for a different purpose.
number and the Random modifier are bipolar sources,
all other sources are unipolar. ATouch
The current value of a source is multiplied with the
amount value [-100 to +100] in the same modulation Quality MIDI keyboards not only transmit velocity,
slot. The result of the multiplication is then added to but send pressure information as well. This parameter
the selected destination parameter. is called Aftertouch. In contrast to velocity, the af-
tertouch information is sent permanently and for the
entire keyboard, not per key. It is transmitted for as
Velocity long as any key(s) are being pressed. Note that there
The MIDI Note-On velocity information, which is is a few keyboards which support sending pressure in-
transmitted once at the instant a key is pressed. The formation per key. This is called polyphonic after-
harder a key is hit, the higher the transmitted value. touch. While polyphonic aftertouch is supported by
the MIDI standard, such keyboards are very rare and
never found wide usage. Hence, polyphonic aftertouch
Note # is not supported.
The MIDI Note number, using E4 (=64) as the cen-
ter. Higher keys than the center key transmit positive
Const
values, lower keys negative values.
This source simply sends a constant value of 1. Hence,
the amount setting is directly added to the destina-
MWheel
tion parameter. This can be useful for a wide range of
The MIDI modulation wheel data (controller #01). tasks, for instance to offset a parameter for a specific

unison voice or to set parameters only available in the Breath
modulation matrix.
MIDI Breath controller (#02).
Random Foot
Sets a random value whenever a voice is triggered. MIDI Foot controller (#04).
Very useful with pan as a destination, or to add subtle
pitch modulations simulating the behavior of acous-
Expr
tic instruments or vintage analog synthesizers (both
of which have a slightly inconsistent pitch each time a MIDI Expression controller (#11).
note is played).
LFO-1
Arp Note Current value of LFO-1.
The note information sent from the arpeggiator. This
is a special purpose parameter, which should be used LFO-2
in combination with Pitch Semi as a destination and
Current value of LFO-2.
with the Arp Mode set to "Modulation". This will
result in direct pitch changes within a voice, an effect
common in old computers such as the C64. The re- LFO-3
sulting sound is different from the regular arpeggiator,
Current value of LFO-3.
which constantly triggers and releases voices.
LFO*MW
Arp Vel
The value of LFO-1, LFO-2 or LFO-3 multiplied by
The velocity information sent from the arpeggiator. the modulation wheel data. Use this to create vibrato
This can be used to modulate any parameter rhythmi- or tremolo effects with the depth controlled by the
cally, and sync’ed to the host tempo if desired. modulation wheel.

LFO*AT 4.3 List of Destinations
The value of LFO-1, LFO-2 or LFO-3 multiplied by the
The destinations of the modulation matrix comprise
aftertouch data. Useful to create vibrato type effects
exclusively sound parameters, most of which have been
when applying pressure on the keyboard.
explained in detail in chapter 3. Thus, the description
of the destinations will mainly focus on typical ap-
plications and how they can be used in the context of
Voice # the differential unison engine. Also note that the value
ranges used in the modulation matrix can differ from
The unison voice number counting from zero, i.e. the the ranges of the front panel knobs. Therefor, the pa-
first unison voice sends 0, the second voice sends 1, rameter description will additionally explain the exact
the third 2, and so on. This source can be useful to meaning of the AMOUNT value in the context of
quickly set a parameter of each unison voice to a dif- that parameter.
ferent value.
Mod Env Osc 1/2 Semi
Current value of the modulation envelope. The tuning of the first/second oscillator in semitones.
An amount value of +1 corresponds to one semitone,
+12 transposes the oscillator one octave up, -12 trans-
Filter Env poses one octave down etc.
In the context of the differential unison engine,
Current value of the filter envelope. choosing Osc Semi as a destination allows you to spec-
ify arbitrary tunings for each voice. For example, if
you long for a fourth or fifth oscillator having a dif-
Amp Env ferent pitch than the first three oscillators, you could
simply increase the number of unison voices and set
Current value of the amplitude envelope. the oscillator pitch of that voice only.

Osc 1/2 Fine plished by using CONST as a source and restricting
the modulation to a particular voice.
The fine tuning of the first and second oscillator in
cents. Cents are a fraction of a semitone (+50 equals
half a semitone, +100 a full semitone). Modulate this Osc 1/2 Phase
parameter using a LFO as a source in order to obtain This parameter sets the absolute starting phase of the
vibrato effects. For strong vibratos spanning a larger first/second oscillator whenever a note is triggered. As
pitch range, use Osc 1/2 Semi as a destination instead. a consequence, this switches off the default free-run
The modulation can be restricted to specific voices if mode of that specific oscillator. Set to zero, the speci-
desired. For example, you could have a static, low- fied oscillators starts at zero phase. An amount of +50
pitched sine wave on the first voice and a vibrating corresponds to a +180 degree phase shift, an amount
sawtooth on the second. of +100 to +360 degrees, etc.
While the human hearing is largely insensitive to
Osc 1/2 Fat the starting phase of a single oscillator, the relative
phase difference between both oscillators can matter
The FAT parameter of the first and second oscillator. in some cases, for example when both oscillators share
The value range is identical to the front panel knobs. the exact same frequency.
Osc 1/2 Wave Osc 1/2 KeyTrk

When using the wavetables, this parameter allows you This parameter sets the key tracking of the 1st/2nd os-
to set the waveform number relative to the one se- cillator and is only available in the modulation matrix.
lected on the graphical interface. An amount of -1 An amount of +100 corresponds to the regular key
switches to the previous waveform, an amount of +1 tracking, where each MIDI key number corresponds to
to the next etc. Waveforms can be switched on the fly one semitone. By changing this parameter to values
for classic wavetable synthesis. The transition is im- other than +100, you can either realize strange tun-
mediate, however, and thus may cause clicks. A more ings or turn off key tracking entirely by setting KeyTrk
important application, perhaps, is to select different to 0. This is often done for drum sounds, which have
waveforms for different voices. This can be accom- no defined pitch.

Osc 2 OneShot Pulse Width
Sets the second oscillator to "one shot" mode when Sets the pulse width for both oscillators, if the pulse
amount is >0. In one shot mode, the oscillator plays waveform is selected for either the 1st or 2nd oscillator.
only a single cycle of the waveform, which can be use-
ful to shape the transient of a sound.
Noise Level
Adjusts the noise level parameter relative to the front
Osc 3 Level panel knob, using the same value range.
Adjusts the level of oscillator 3. The value range cor-
responds to the front panel knob. Noise Colour
Adjusts the noise colour parameter relative to the front
Osc 3 Phase panel knob, using the same value range.
Sets the absolute starting phase of oscillator 3. Zero

means the oscillators starts at zero phase, an amount Ring Mod
of +50 corresponds to a +180 degree phase shift, an Adjusts the amount of ring modulation relative to the
amount of +100 to +360 degrees etc. front panel knob, using the same value range.
Osc Mix FM 1
Sets the mix between the 1st and 2nd oscillator. This FM Amount 1. The meaning of the parameter depends
is a very important destination in the modulation on the selected FM mode (see chapter 3).
matrix, as it allows you to realize dynamic timbre
changes. In the context of the differential unison en-
FM 2
gine, choosing this parameter as a destination adds
another degree of flexibility, as you can restrict the FM Amount 2. The meaning of the parameter depends
modulation to a specific unison voice. on the selected FM mode (see chapter 3).

FM Depth Refer to the table below, which lists the abbreviated
filter names used in the modulation matrix.
Controls the overall amount of frequency modulation
from no modulation (0%) to full modulation (100%). Filter Type Matrix Name
This affects FM on a global level, including any mod- Lowpass 12dB LP12
ulation performed on the FM 1 and FM 2 parameters. Lowpass 24dB LP24
By default, FM Depth is 100%. Lowering this value LP Ladder 12dB LP12b
can be useful if the default FM effect is too extreme.
LP Ladder 24dB LP24b
LP24 -> LP12 LP>LP
Mod Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release BP12 -> LP12 BP>LP
BS12 -> LP12 BS>LP
Adjusts the modulation envelope parameters relative HP12 -> LP12 HP>LP
to whatever is set on the front panel. This allows Comb -> LP24 Comb>LP
you to specify different modulation envelopes for dif- LP12+Dist LP+Dist
ferent voices or to dynamically vary those parameters LP12+Bitcrush LP+Bitc
for each note. LP12+Follow LP+Folw
LP24+Saturation LP+Sat
LP/BP/HP Sweep LP/BP/HP
Filter Cutoff
LP12/LP12 Split LP/LP
Adjusts the filter cutoff frequency relative to the front BP12/LP12 Split BP/LP
panel knob and using the same value range. BS12/LP12 Split BS/LP
HP12/LP12 Split HP/LP
Filter Type
Allows you to set the filter type, which is useful to Filter Env Amt
specify different filters for different voices. For exam-
ple, you could have one voice processed by a lowpass Adjusts the filter envelope amount relative to the front
filter, and another voice processed by a bandpass filter. panel knob, using the same value range.

Filter Reso Spike Hard
Adjusts the filter resonance relative to the front panel This parameter introduces a short spike into the am-
knob, using the same value range. plitude envelope (see chapter 3) and is only available
in the modulation matrix.
Filter Offset Spike Soft

Adjusts the filter offset parameter relative to the front This parameter introduces a short spike into the am-
panel knob, using the same value range. The meaning plitude envelope (see chapter 3) and is only available
of this parameter depends on the filter type chosen as in the modulation matrix.
explained in chapter 3.
Amp Hold
Filter KeyTrk This parameter delays the onset of the decay stage
Sets the key tracking for the filter, which specifies how (see chapter 3) and is only available in the modulation
much the cutoff frequency changes according to which matrix.
MIDI note number a voice is playing. The parameter
works in the same manner as the front panel knob, Amp Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release
however you may specify negative values, too. Neg-
Adjusts the amplitude envelope parameters relative to
ative values cause low keys to have a higher cutoff
whatever is set on the front panel. This allows you
frequency than high keys.
to specify different amplitude envelopes for different
voices or to dynamically vary those parameters for
Filter Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release each note.
Adjusts the filter envelope parameters relative to

Breath, MWheel and Velocity Curve
whatever is set on the front panel. This allows you
to specify different filter envelopes for different voices Using the curve parameters, you can change the ef-
or to dynamically vary those parameters for each note. fect the MIDI controllers Breath, Modulation wheel

and Velocity have on the destination. By default, all LFO as a source is not possible or if you want to mod-
MIDI controller values control the destination in a lin- ulate the amplitude of LFO-1 using LFO-2 or LFO-3.
ear manner (1:1). For example, an incoming modula- Note that setting LFO-1 -> Pitch Semi is the same as
tion wheel value of 80 has twice the effect which 40 setting Const -> LFO1*Semi.
has. By setting the curve parameter, you can change
this 1:1 mapping to a nonlinear behavior. A value of
LFO1*Fine
zero corresponds to the default mapping. When the
curve parameter is set to extreme positions (+/- 100), The tuning in cents, multiplied with the current value
the resulting mapping causes the MIDI controller to of LFO-1.
work almost like a switch.
LFO1*Pulse Width
-100
Adjusts the pulse width of both oscillators, multiplied
Magnitude
0 with the current value of LFO-1.
+100
LFO2*Cutoff
Breath / Mod Wheel / Velocity
The filter cutoff parameter, multiplied with the cur-
rent value of LFO-2.
Figure 4.1: MIDI Controller curves.
Useful applications for the curve parameters include LFO2*Env
fine tuning the response of MIDI hardware controllers
(especially breath controllers) as well as improving the The filter envelope parameter, multiplied with the cur-
"feel" of a modulation wheel or velocity sweep. rent value of LFO-2.
LFO1*Semi LFO2*FXDly
The tuning in semitones, multiplied with the current Changes the duration of the delay effect, relative to
value of LFO-1. Use this destination whenever using a the knob setting, and multiplied by LFO-2. Note that

all effects are global, hence some care must be taken knob were set fully clockwise, setting an amount of
when modulating the delay length. When RESET is -100 would yield the minimum rate.
enabled for LFO-2 and a patch is played polyphonic,
clicks may occur.
LFO 1/2/3 Phase
This resets the specified LFO whenever a new note
LFO3*Amp
is triggered. This is equivalent to enabling the LFO’s
The overall amplitude, multiplied with the current RESET switch, except that you can specify the LFO’s
value of LFO-3. starting phase accurately. An amount value of +50
corresponds to a +180 degree phase shift.
LFO3*Pan
MM Amount 1-24
The overall panorama position, multiplied with the
current value of LFO-3. The MM Amount destinations allow you to change the
modulation amount of any modulation slot. This fea-
ture can be useful to build complex modulations. For
LFO3*Comb
instance, if LFO 1 modulates the noise level using MM
When the Comb->LP24 filter type is selected, this des- slot 1, then you could have LFO 2 modulate that slot
tination modulates the comb filter’s delay according to by choosing LFO 2 as a source, and MM Amount 1 as
LFO-3, otherwise it has no effect. Technically, modu- a destination.
lating the comb filter delay time is the same principle Another useful application is to make modulations
employed by a flanger effect. dependent on a MIDI controller, e.g. you program a
modulation envelope and wish to have the modulation
depth controllable by the modulation wheel. In that
LFO 1/2/3 Rate
case you would choose Mod Wheel as a source and the
Changes the rate of the specified LFO. The amount MM slot(s) containing the modulation envelope as a
values correspond to the knob setting, so if the LFO destination.
Rate knob is set to zero, an amount of +100 would You may also have one MM slot modulate another
set the LFO to maximum speed. If the LFO Rate MM slot, which in turn modulates another MM slot

etc. For such modulations to work properly, you must are clamped at +18 dB, which corresponds to a gain
ensure that the MM Amount numbers occur in ascend- factor of 8.
ing order.
Volume
FX Dry/Wet
The overall volume. Modulate this parameter using
This parameter allows you to set the depth of the en- one of the three LFO’s as a source in order to obtain
tire effect chain. You can specify the dry/wet effect tremolo effects.
mix for each voice or voice combinations separately, if
desired. Another possible application is to modulate
Pan
the effect depth with an LFO or envelope.
The overall panorama. Modulate this parameter using
one of the three LFO’s as a source in order to move
Detune
the sound in the stereo field.
Adjusts the unison detune parameter relative to the
front panel knob, and using the same value range.
Pitch Semi
The coarse tuning of the first, second and third oscilla-
Pan Spread
tor combined. An amount value of +1 corresponds to
Adjusts the unison spread parameter relative to the one semitone, so +12 transposes both oscillators one
front panel knob, and using the same value range. octave up, -12 one octave down etc. Note that the
third oscillator is always slaved to the first. Thus, un-
less you restrict this parameter to a particular unison
Level (dB)
voice, the entire sound will be pitched up or down.
Allows you to adjust the level in decibels, which is use- In the context of the differential unison engine,
ful to attenuate or boost individual voices. Be careful choosing Pitch Semi as a destination allows you to
when using positive values, as the gain can be very specify arbitrary tunings for each voice. For exam-
high. To protect your hearing as well as speakers in ple, you could transpose the first voice one octave up
case of improper use of this parameter, positive values or build entire chords with this parameter, each voice

representing a particular chord note. You will find that
some of the factory patches employ this technique.
Pitch Fine
The fine tuning of the first, second and third oscillator
combined. Modulate this parameter using a LFO as a
source in order to obtain vibrato effects.

Dune Parameter CC # MIDI Ctrl Name
Unison
Voices 51
5 MIDI Reference Detune 53
Pan Spread 54
Oscillators
Osc 1 Waveform 30
Most knobs and buttons on the front panel can be
remote controlled via MIDI. Dune’s default controller Osc 1 Fat 102
assignments follow common conventions and the MIDI Osc 1 Semi 77 Sound Controller 8
standard as much as possible. The number of sound Osc 1 Fine 24
parameters Dune offers, however, is higher than the Osc 2 Waveform 31
amount of available MIDI controllers. Most effect pa- Osc 2 Fat 103
rameters and large parts of the modulation matrix are Osc 2 Semi 78 Sound Controller 9
thus not assigned to any MIDI controller. Osc 2 Fine 34
Osc 3 Level 107
To override the default MIDI assignment, right-
Osc 3 Waveform 108
click on a knob and select "MIDI Learn", then
Osc Mix 8 Balance
move your hardware controller knob. To remove
Osc Sync 35
an assignment, choose "MIDI Forget". Once you
close Dune, the changes will be made persistent Noise Level 109
and apply to any future instance of Dune. Noise Color 110
FM Amount 1 70 Sound Controller 1
FM Amount 2 106
Dune Parameter CC # MIDI Ctrl Name
Ring Modulation 71 Sound Controller 2
Common
Pulse Width 79 Sound Controller 10
Modulation Wheel 1 Modulation Wheel
Arpeggiator
Glide 5 Portamento Time
Arp On 47
Sustain Pedal 64 Sustain Pedal
Arp Rate 50
Bank Select 0, 32 Bank Select
Arp Note Length 52
Volume 111

Dune Parameter CC # MIDI Ctrl Name Dune Parameter CC # MIDI Ctrl Name
LFOs Filter Cutoff 74 Brightness
LFO 1 Rate 14 Filter Reso 42
LFO 1 Waveform 15 Filter Env Amt 43
LFO 1 Sync 16 Filter Key Track 46
LFO 1 Skew 17 Amp Envelope
LFO 1 Fade In 18 Amp Attack 73 Attack Time
LFO 2 Rate 19 Amp Decay 36
LFO 2 Waveform 20 Amp Sustain 37
LFO 2 Sync 21 Amp Release 72 Release Time
LFO 2 Skew 22 Effects
LFO 2 Fade In 23 EQ 1 Gain 89
LFO 3 Rate 80 EQ 2 Gain 90
LFO 3 Waveform 81 Reverb Amount 91 Effect 1 Depth
LFO 3 Sync 82 Delay Amount 92 Effect 2 Depth
LFO 3 Skew 83 Phaser/Chor Amount 93 Effect 3 Depth
LFO 3 Fade In 84 Distortion Amount 94 Effect 4 Depth
Mod Envelope Mod Matrix
Mod Attack 26 MM Amount 1 112
Mod Decay 27 MM Amount 2 113
Mod Sustain 28 MM Amount 3 114
Mod Release 29 MM Amount 4 115
Filter MM Amount 5 116
Filter Attack 38 MM Amount 6 117
Filter Decay 39 MM Amount 7 118
Filter Sustain 40 MM Amount 8 119
Filter Release 41

Grant of license
6 Legal Information You are granted a personal, non-exclusive, non-

transferable and limited license to install and use the
Software for the purposes set forth herein. Unless you
have purchased additional licenses, you may only in-
6.1 Trademarks stall and use a single copy of the Software on a com-
puter, and/or move the software to another computer,
VST is a trademark of Steinberg Soft- und Hardware provided that you are the only individual using the
GmbH. All other trademarks and trade names are the software. If you are an entity, you may appoint one
properties of their respective owners, and do not imply individual within your organization to have the right
owner’s endorsement of this product, or guarantee full to use the Software under the terms of this License
compliance with owner’s standards. Agreement. This software, including all of it’s compo-
nents and any additional files included with the distri-
bution, is protected by copyright law and international
6.2 End User License Agreement copyright treaties. The total number of copies of the
(EULA) software used by you, may not exceed the number of
licensed copies paid for by you, except that you may
By installing, copying, or otherwise using this soft- make one copy of the software solely for archival or
ware or any files provided with it, you agree to be backup purposes. The term of this license is perpetual,
bound by all of the terms and conditions of this li- unless terminated under the conditions provided in the
cense agreement. If you are not the original purchaser License Agreement. Except as provided in the agree-
of the Software, or if you do not agree with the License ment, you receive no rights to transfer, rent, lease,
Agreement, you must promptly remove the software lend, copy, modify, market, transmit or reverse engi-
from your computer, and cease any and all use of it. If neer the software, any component hereof, or any file
you are accepting the License Agreement on behalf of provided with the distribution. The software, and any
an other legal entity, the use of the terms "you" and files included with the distribution, including sampled
"your" in the License Agreement shall refer to such sounds, presets and demonstration songs, is licensed
entity. but not sold to you, for use in music production. If

you have purchased this software as an upgrade from software, and shall destroy all copies hereof, and shall
a previous version, this constitutes a single licensed not be entitled to any claims or refunds.
product, to be used under the terms of this License
Agreement.
Disclaimer
The software, any component hereof, and any files dis-
tributed with the software, is provided "as is", and
there is no warranty of any kind, either express or im-
plied - including, but not limited to, the implied war-
ranties of merchantibility and fitness for any particular
purpose. The risk as to the quality and performance
of the program is with you, and the licensor will not be
held responsible for any damage or loss, to your per-
son or property, as incidential or consequential result
of installing or using this software.
Termination
Your license to use the software is effective from the
date you agree to the terms and conditions of this Li-
cense Agreement. You license is automatically termi-
nated if you fail to comply with the limitations de-
scribed in the License Agreement, and no notice shall
be required from the licensor to effectuate such termi-
nation. Upon termination of this License Agreement
for any reason, you shall make no further use of the

Appendix
Sound Design Reference
The last two characters of every patch name are the
author’s initials. The following table lists all sound
designers who contributed patches to Dune, and a
website where you can learn more about their work.
Ab. Author Name Email or Website

DG David Goodwin kriminal@ntlworld.com
EDT Ed Ten Eyck http://www.edtaudio.com
IW Ingo Weidner ingo_weidner@web.de
LE Lance Emmerich lance.emmerich@gmail.com
MH Mark Holt http://flavors.me/markholtuk
MK Michael Kastrup http://www.xsynth.com
PK Piet Kaempfer www.protonica.de
RH Richard Hoffmann www.synapse-audio.com
RL Rob Lee www.basslinerecords.com
If you wish to contribute patches or banks to future

versions of DUNE, do not hesitate to contact us.

DUNE Manual

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

DUNE Manual

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

DUNE Manual

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is the manual about?

What is the manual about?

What are the basic operations covered in the manual?

What are the basic operations covered in the manual?

Advanced Subtractive Software Synthesizer

Concept: Richard Hoffmann and David Goodwin

3 DUNE User’s Manual

4 DUNE User’s Manual

• Apple Logic Studio

• Image Line FL Studio

• Synapse Audio Orion

1.3 System Requirements

• Apple computers require an iMac running OS X

5 DUNE User’s Manual

6 DUNE User’s Manual

7 DUNE User’s Manual

Click on the number and drag the mouse up or down to

8 DUNE User’s Manual

9 DUNE User’s Manual

OSC 1-3 Filter Amp Effects

Mod Env Filter Env Amp Env

Figure 3.1: Structure of a Dune patch.

10 DUNE User’s Manual

Sine Triangle SEMI

The two controls labelled SEMI adjust the tuning of

11 DUNE User’s Manual

12 DUNE User’s Manual

13 DUNE User’s Manual

14 DUNE User’s Manual

Perhaps the most important filter parameter is the Cutoff frequency

• A band-stop (BS) filter rejects frequencies

15 DUNE User’s Manual

The five filters described above form the basic filters

16 DUNE User’s Manual

17 DUNE User’s Manual

18 DUNE User’s Manual

19 DUNE User’s Manual

This is a special purpose filter model, which consists LP12/LP12 Split

LP24+Saturation OSC 1 Low-pass filter

20 DUNE User’s Manual

21 DUNE User’s Manual

22 DUNE User’s Manual

23 DUNE User’s Manual

This parameter specifies the sustain level that is

Attack Decay Release

24 DUNE User’s Manual

25 DUNE User’s Manual

Using oscillators, the filter unit and envelopes, it is

26 DUNE User’s Manual

• 1/4 specifies the duration of a quarter note.

• 1/8+ sets the modulation rate to a dotted eight

• 1/16T sets the modulation rate to a sixteenth

• 1/1 sets the modulation rate to span one bar. FADE-IN

27 DUNE User’s Manual

28 DUNE User’s Manual

29 DUNE User’s Manual

ONE-SHOT 3.14.1 Distortion

30 DUNE User’s Manual

• LP Only is a low-pass filter without any distor-

31 DUNE User’s Manual