DUNE Manual

Advanced Subtractive Software Synthesizer
Users Manual
c Synapse Audio Software 2011.

Copyright
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 owners endorsement of this product, or guarantee
full compliance with owners standards.
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
3.10
3.11
3.12
3.13
3.14
Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.2 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.3 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . .
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2 Basic Operation
2.1 Selecting a patch . . . . . . . . . .
2.2 Choosing a category . . . . . . . .
2.3 Playing a patch . . . . . . . . . . .
2.4 Loading/Saving patches and banks
2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheel
2.6 Setting the number of voices . . . .
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3 Sound Parameters
3.1 Patch Structure . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2 Oscillators . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.2.1 Oscillator 1+2 . . . . . . . .
3.2.2 Oscillator 3 . . . . . . . . .
3.3 Noise Generator . . . . . . . . . . .
3.4 Common oscillator controls . . . .
3.4.1 Pulse Width . . . . . . . . .
3.4.2 Ring Modulation (RM) . . .
3.4.3 Frequency Modulation (FM)
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Filter Controls . . . . . . . . .
Filter Models . . . . . . . . . .
Unison Section . . . . . . . . .
Output Section . . . . . . . . .
Modulation Envelope . . . . . .
Filter Envelope . . . . . . . . .
Amplitude Envelope . . . . . .
LFOs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Arpeggiator . . . . . . . . . . .
Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3.14.1 Distortion . . . . . . . .
3.14.2 EQ-1 . . . . . . . . . . .
3.14.3 EQ-2 . . . . . . . . . . .
3.14.4 Chorus, Flanger, Phaser
3.14.5 Delay . . . . . . . . . .
3.14.6 Reverb . . . . . . . . . .
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4 Modulation Matrix
4.1 The differential unison engine (DUNE)
4.2 List of Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4.3 List of Destinations . . . . . . . . . . .
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5 MIDI Reference
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6 Legal Information
6.1 Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6.2 End User License Agreement (EULA) .
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Appendix
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DUNE Users Manual
sure to choose the correct directory for your host software. Refer to your host softwares manual if you are
unsure about where the host softwares VstPlugins directory is located. The plugin file "Dune.DLL" and
the manual and presets will be placed in the chosen
directory. The next time you start your host software
Dune will appear in the VST instrument list.
If you use a 64-bit host such as Orion 64, be sure to
install the 64-bit edition of Dune and choose the VstPlugins directory of your 64-bit host. Choosing the
wrong version will either cause the plugin to not appear in your host, or cause a serious performance drop.
1 Introduction
Dune is a next-generation software synthesizer plugin
designed for creating music on a computer. It was developed with the highest possible audio quality in mind
and offers exceptional flexibility. The latter is achieved
by its modulation system, the new differential unison
engine (DUNE) hence the name. Despite the complexity of the synthesizer, the highly optimized code
allows Dune to run even on older computers. On current hardware, many instances can be run in parallel,
making Dune the perfect everyday studio workhorse.
Dune was tested by professional music producers
to guarantee its ambitious design goals were met. It
comes with high quality sounds, mostly created by professional sound designers.
Installation Mac
Dune comes with a dedicated installer application. Download and open the file named "Dune Installer.dmg". Afterwards, double-click on the installer
icon to begin the installation process. The installer
will guide you through the necessary steps. The plugin files will be placed in the proper directories automatically. In contrast to the PC version you do not
need to select any directories manually, as the plugin
directories are identical for every Mac. The next time
you start your host software Dune will appear in the
AU and/or VST instrument list, depending on which
format your host software supports.
1.1 Installation
Installation PC
Unzip Dune and run SETUP.EXE to commence with
the installation process. The installer will guide you
through the necessary steps. You will be asked to select the location of your VstPlugins directory. Make
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1.2 Compatibility
PCs require Windows XP or later and a singlecore CPU with 2 GHz or better or alternatively
a multi-core processor with 1 GHz or better.
Dune should run on any VST or AU-compatible host.

If you encounter any compatibility issues with your
host software, do not hesitate to contact us. Dune has
been tested under the following hosts:
The memory requirement is approximately 15 mb per

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 requirements.
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.
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order to find a suitable one for your music as quickly

as possible. Click on "Show All" and pick a category
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
the category setting.
If you create new patches, you may want to define
the category for your patch. This can be done in the
patch settings area.
2 Basic Operation
2.1 Selecting a patch
Each musical sound that you can play is called a Patch.
Dune comes with three sound banks, each bank contains 128 patches. The last patch in bank C is the Init
Patch, which sets all sound parameters to default values. 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,
playing notes on the keyboard should depress the same
keys in Dune (provided they are in the 61-key range
shown). If this is not the case, then the required MIDI
information is not transmitted to the plugin, and you
should refer to your host softwares manual to address
the issue.
2.2 Choosing a category

By default, all patches are shown in Dunes patch
browser. Sometimes it can be desirable, however, to
list only patches falling into a specific category. For
example, you may wish to only list the bass sounds in
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2.4 Loading/Saving patches and

banks
bend wheel is used to temporarily shift the pitch upor downwards. When released, it automatically snaps
back to center position. The modulation wheel typically controls vibrato type effects, but can be used to
modify other sound parameters as well. It remains in
whatever position it was set to.
The Bend up/down parameters specify by how many
semitones a sound is pitch shifted up or down, when
the pitch bend wheel is turned all the way up or down.
When you load or save a project from your host sequencer, Dune will automatically recall all settings for
the last active patch. Sometimes, however, you may
wish to send patches to a friend or use them in a different host sequencer.
You can load and save individual patches by clicking 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
format.
Click on the numbers and drag the mouse up or down

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 information is not transmitted to the plugin, and you should
refer to your host softwares manual to address the
issue.
2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation

Wheel
2.6 Setting the number of voices

Each key that you press triggers one or more voices.
A voice comprises everything that is needed to synthesize a tone. The DUNE technology allows to stack
At the bottom left of the user interface, the pitch

bend and modulation wheels are located. The pitch
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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.
DUNE Users Manual
or more periodic waveforms. The resulting signal is

typically very bright. To further refine the timbre, the
signal is processed by the filter block, which attenuates frequencies specified by the user; usually, high
frequencies are removed. Hence, this type of synthesis is commonly called "subtractive". The final block
controls the volume of the signal.
3 Sound Parameters
This section describes how a Dune patch is constructed, the operation of all front panel knobs and
switches, the effect section and the arpeggiator.
On their own, the three basic building blocks synthesize a completely static sound. This is in contrast
to acoustic sounds, where pitch, timbre and volume
change over time. In order to obtain this possibility in
a synthesizer, so called envelopes are used to add dynamic variation to a sound. The most important envelope is the amplitude envelope ("Amp Env"), which
is essential to fade in and fade out notes and thus to
make a synthesizer playable like a real instrument in
the first place. Also important is the filter envelope
("Filter Env"), which dynamically controls the brightness and thus the timbre of a sound over time. The
modulation envelope ("Mod Env") can be freely assigned to any sound parameter, and is typically used
to change the pitch progression.
3.1 Patch Structure

The structure of a Dune patch is shown in fig. 3.1.
The block diagram shows the basic working principle
of the entire synthesizer without taking into account
the modulation matrix (which will be covered in detail
in chapter 4).
Whenever a MIDI note is played, one or more voices
are triggered to synthesize that note. Each voice has
the exact same structure shown, but may use different
parameters. The voices are summed and fed into the
effects unit to further refine the sound with equalization, delay, reverb etc.
Each voice comprises three major building blocks,
an oscillator block ("OSC 1-3"), a filter block ("Filter") and a volume control block ("Amp"). The blocks
emulate the three basic properties of a sound: Pitch,
Timbre and Volume. The oscillator block controls the
pitch and basic timbre of a sound by generating one
While envelopes nicely control the overall progression of a sound, it is sometimes desirable to add periodic modulations. Such modulations can mimic vibrato or tremolo effects known from acoustic instruments, and can be added by using one or more of the
low frequency modulation ("LFO") blocks.
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LFO-1
LFO-2
LFO-3
Periodically
modulate the
sound
Periodically
modulate the
sound
Periodically
modulate the
sound
OSC 1-3
Filter
Amp
Timbre and
Pitch control
Brightness
control
Volume
control
Mod Env
Filter Env
Amp Env
Adjust any
parameter
over time
Adjust the
brightness
over time
Adjust the
volume
over time
Effects
+
Distortion, EQ,
Phaser, Delay,
Reverb
Voice #1
Voice #2
Voice #3
...
Figure 3.1: Structure of a Dune patch.

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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 synthesizers (the most common waveforms are illustrated in
fig. 3.2). Dune offers three oscillators and a separate
noise generator. This corresponds to how many traditional synthesizers work. In Dune, however, it is easily
possible to instantiate a multitude of its oscillators in
parallel - up to 120 per key. This allows to obtain
thick pad, bass or lead sounds impossible with traditional gear. Dunes oscillator controls can be found in
the sections labelled OSC 1, OSC 2, OSC 3, NOISE,
COMMON and FM in the top area of the user interface.
Sawtooth
Waveform
An oscillator can create different waveform shapes.
The LED buttons in the sections labelled OSC 1 and
OSC 2 allow choosing between the classic sawtooth,
pulse and sine/triangle shapes. Furthermore, a waveform from a table containing 69 additional shapes may
be selected. The last 10 waveform shapes are special
waveforms containing chords or click sounds. The latter are useful when only a single cycle is triggered.
This can help form the transient of a sound, particularly good for percussive sounds.
Switching oscillators from regular periodic playback
to one-shot mode is accomplished via the modulation
matrix (see chapter 4).
Pulse
50%
Sine
SEMI
Triangle
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 obtained by using the modulation matrix, if required.
This will be covered in chapter 4.
Figure 3.2: Basic oscillator waveforms.
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FINE
counter-clockwise towards "1", only the first oscillator

will be audible, turned fully to the right "2", only the
second. At center position, both are summed at equal
level. Apart from setting the mix level, another important application of this control is to automate it via the
modulation matrix. By varying the mix level between
both oscillators, it is possible to create a changing timbre of the sound. For example, a sound could start
with a sawtooth that fades smoothly to a sine, or constantly switches between both for the entire duration
of the sound.
This parameter adjusts the fine tuning of Oscillator 1

and 2 in cents. A value of +/- 100% corresponds to
half a semitone. Fine tuning is typically used to create
a beating between both oscillators.
FAT
When this parameter is at zero (knob turned fully
counter-clockwise), the oscillators act like those found
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 simultaneously. The tuning increasingly diverges as the knob
is turned clockwise, controlling the thickness of the
sound. If FAT is enabled for both oscillators, a total
of 14 oscillators will be audible per voice. Combined
with the sub oscillator (described below) and Unison
mode, up to 120 oscillators can be fired per key, allowing very rich patches that few synthesizers are capable
of generating.
The FAT mode works on any chosen waveform, not
just the classic sawtooth, square and triangle shapes.
OSC SYNC
When enabling Oscillator Sync, the second oscillator
is reset whenever the first oscillator has completed one
waveform cycle. This leads to interesting new waveform shapes for the second oscillator. When choosing
sawtooth or pulse and sweeping the 2nd oscillators
frequency without changing the pitch of the 1st oscillator, the classic sync sweep sound is achieved. When
choosing the sine, the reset effect often leads to waveforms resembling a sawtooth, but sounding softer.
In Dune, all waveform shapes including the wavetables can be synced. Note that the FAT knob has no
meaning for the 2nd oscillator when SYNC is enabled.
This is because the detuning effect is only possible with
oscillators that are in free run mode. Of course FAT
can still be used on the 1st oscillator.
OSC MIX
The OSC MIX knob blends seamlessly between the
level of the first and second oscillator. Turned fully
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3.2.2 Oscillator 3
brighter timbre is produced when turning the knob to

the right. This is often useful, as the bass frequencies
contained in white noise are often objectionable.
The third oscillator is controlled by the OSC 3 section.

It is slaved to oscillator 1 and tuned precisely one octave 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 adjusts the level of the sub-oscillator. Set to zero, the
oscillator is inaudible.
3.4 Common oscillator controls

3.4.1 Pulse Width
Located in the COMMON section below OSC 1, the
pulse width knob adjusts the duty cycle of the pulse
waveform for oscillator 1 and 2 (see fig. 3.3). The default is 50%, corresponding to a square wave. Note
that this parameter has no effect if waveform shapes
other than pulse are selected.
3.3 Noise Generator

With the exception of the attack shapes, all three oscillators described so far generate perfectly periodic
waveforms with a certain pitch. Sometimes it is useful,
however, to spice up a sound with a random element
that has no fixed pitch. This can be useful to synthesize 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 frequencies equally. Two knobs located in the NOISE section 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
25%
50%
75%
Figure 3.3: Pulse Width.
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DUNE Users Manual
3.4.2 Ring Modulation (RM)
3.4.3 Frequency Modulation (FM)
A further interesting effect that can be applied to oscillators 1 and 2 is to multiply them with each other.
This can be seen as one oscillator modulating the other
in its amplitude (see fig. 3.4). The effect depth can be
controlled using the RING MOD knob. Set to zero,
the ring modulator output is inaudible.
Mathematically, the result of this process is that
the sums and differences of both signals frequencies
are generated. If the oscillators are detuned, this will
typically lead to inharmonic, metallic sounds.
Apart from simply multiplying two oscillator signals,

it is also possible to let one oscillator control the frequency of another oscillator. This synthesis principle
is known as Frequency Modulation (FM). The typically fast pace of the modulation generates a lot of
overtones in the oscillator being modulated. This results in new waveforms, and gets particularly interesting when dynamically varying the amount of frequency
modulation.
Dune offers three FM modes. In the first mode
called "1->2 fbk", oscillator 1 is the modulation source
while oscillator 2 is the destination. The amount of
frequency modulation, that is how strongly the second
oscillator is affected by the first, is determined by the
FM 1 knob. The FM result is audible at the output of
oscillator 2, so OSC MIX should typically be turned
fully clockwise. As an extra effect, the FM result can
be fed back into its input using the FM 2 knob.
In the second mode called "1->2 dual", once more
the first oscillator modulates the second (controlled
by FM 1), but additionally the second oscillator further modulates a copy of itself (controlled by FM 2).
Again, the FM result is audible at the output of oscillator 2, so OSC MIX should be turned fully clockwise.
The third FM mode is "Filter FM", which is completely different from the former two modes. Filter FM
means that the filter cutoff frequency is modulated by
1
0
-1
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
0
-1
0
1
0
-1
0
Time (s)
Figure 3.4: Ring modulating two sinusodials with frequencies 2 Hz and 50 Hz.
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DUNE Users Manual
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 osccilators results in a dull timbre. Many natural instruments like a flute or piano feature a short, bright
transient behavior, and then decay to a more steady,
darker timbre. This behavior can be modelled by using a time-varying filter. The filter section is located
in the top right area of the user interface, its controls
are described below.
A band-pass (BP) filter damps frequencies

around the cutoff frequency. As a result, bass
and treble get attenuated.
Magnitude
CUTOFF
Frequency
Perhaps the most important filter parameter is the

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

around the cutoff frequency and passes everything else.
For low-pass (LP) filter types, frequencies above

the cutoff frequency are damped:
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DUNE Users Manual
Magnitude
Magnitude
Cutoff frequency
Frequency
Frequency
Cutoff frequency
The five filters described above form the basic filters

encountered in most synthesizers. The low-pass filter is the most common, as it fully preserves the bass
frequencies and allows the natural progression from a
bright to a dark timbre when being modulated. For
this reason, all other filter types have an optional lowpass filter operating in series with them in order to
increase their versatility.
To modulate the cutoff frequency and produce a dynamically changing timbre, the LFOs and filter envelope can be used. Both options will be discussed later
in this chapter.
A high-pass (HP) filter attenuates all frequencies

below the cutoff frequency and passes the higher
frequencies unchanged.
Magnitude
Frequency
Cutoff frequency
RESO
If the output of a filter is fed back to its input, resonance occurs, which is a sinusodial oscillation near the
cutoff frequency (see fig. 3.5). The RESO knob controls the depth of this effect. At lower settings, resonance can be used to add presence to a sound. Using
higher settings, the sinusodial oscillation gets strong
When a comb filter is chosen, the frequency spectrum looks like a comb with a series of regularyspaced spikes in it. The cutoff knob adjusts the
spacing of the spikes.
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DUNE Users Manual
enough to use the filter in a similar fashion as an oscillator. This property can be useful to create special
effect sounds such as laser guns, electronic bass drums
etc.
In rare cases, you may also want to set the envelope

amount to a negative value. This can be helpful to
create sounds which become bright when releasing a
key. A negative envelope amount can be set using the
modulation matrix, with the envelope amount knob
set to zero.
Magnitude
Resonance
Frequency
KEY TRACK
Cutoff frequency
The key track parameter determines how much the

cutoff frequency is affected by the MIDI key note. Set
to zero, all notes share the very same cutoff frequency
as specified by the CUTOFF parameter. Nonzero
values move the cutoff according to the key pressed,
with higher keys corresponding to higher cutoff frequencies. At low settings, this parameter is useful to
create subtle timbre variations when different notes are
played. At higher settings, key tracking can be used
to simulate the properties of acoustic instruments that
have a varying timbre dependent on the note played.
Figure 3.5: Response of a resonant low-pass filter.
ENV
This knob controls how much the filter envelope (described later in this chapter) affects the cutoff frequency. Set to zero, the filter envelope has no effect
on the cutoff frequency. At 100%, the envelope spans
the entire cutoff range from the minimum to the maximum 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
timbre which is a bright start followed by a darker
sustain stage, a property shared by many acoustic instruments. Note that when a dual filter is used, the
filter envelope affects both filters simultaneously.
OFFSET
The meaning of this knob depends on the chosen filter,
and is thus discussed separately for each filter type in
the following section.
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3.6 Filter Models
LP Ladder 12/24 dB
Two more low-pass filters with 12 and 24 dB attenuation, respectively. This type was painstakenly modelled after the filters of legendary analog hardware
synthesizers, which employed a transistor ladder structure. This filter combines a great sound with authentic
behavior of cutoff frequency movements as well as response to resonance. Thus it requires more CPU than
the two previous low-pass filter models.
By clicking on the list box in the filter section, one of

16 different filter models can be chosen.
Lowpass 12 dB
The first filter is a low-pass type, thus attenuating frequencies above the cutoff frequency. The slope of attenuation is 12 dB per octave, which is relatively soft.
Additionally the CPU usage of this filter type is very
low, making it an excellent choice for a wide range of
sounds. The OFFSET knob has no effect on this filter
model.
LP24 -> LP12

This model consists of a combination of two low-pass
filters in series, as illustrated in fig. 3.6. The first lowpass has a slope of 24 dB while the second is a 12 dB
type, yielding a total attenuation of 36 dB per octave.
Using the OFFSET knob, the cutoff frequency of the
second 12 dB filter can be adjusted relative to the main
cutoff frequency.
Lowpass 24 dB
This type is identical to the first filter, but features
a slope twice as steep. Starting from the cutoff frequency, each octave upwards is attenuated by 24 dB
instead of 12 dB. This creates a much stronger filtering effect than the previous filter model. If the cutoff
frequency is set to 1000 Hz, for instance, it means that
frequencies at 4000 Hz will be attenuated by roughly
48 dB and thus become practically inaudible. Note
that the 24 dB filter model needs slightly more CPU
than the 12 dB type. The OFFSET knob has no meaning in this filter mode.
OSC
Signal
Low-pass filter
#1
Low-pass filter
#2
Adjust cutoff using
OFFSET knob
Figure 3.6: Two low-pass filters chained in series.
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DUNE Users Manual
BP12 -> LP12
more frequencies and thus creating a brighter timbre.

Moved to the left, the cutoff frequency of the low-pass
decreases resulting in darker sounds.
This dual filter structure consists of a 12 dB bandpass followed by a 12 dB low-pass filter. Once more,
OFFSET adjusts the low-pass filters cutoff frequency.
LP12+Dist
A low-pass filter preceded by a distortion effect. The
distortion effect models the typical characteristic of
analog semiconductors. The OFFSET knob controls
the gain level of the signal before being fed into the
effect. Note that at center position, some distortion is
already audible. Turn the knob to the right to increase
the gain and thus the distortion, turn it to the left to
decrease the effect.
This filter model can be used to either add some
spice to sounds by using negative gain settings resulting in only a subtle effect, or to create very harsh
sounds by turning OFFSET fully clockwise. As the
distortion effect is processed before the low-pass filter, the effect of the distortion is most audible at high
cutoff frequencies.
BS12 -> LP12

Same as the previous model, but with a band-stop filter instead of a band-pass.
HP12 -> LP12

Same as the previous model, but using a high-pass filter. Note that in this model, the low-pass filter can be
turned off completely by setting OFFSET to the maximum value. This may be useful in scenarios where a
pure high-pass filtering effect is desired.
Comb -> LP24

This type is a dual filter comprising a comb filter followed by a low-pass filter in series. While both filters
respond to all controls in the same manner, a cutoff
frequency offset for the low-pass filter can be specified by using the OFFSET knob. When this knob is
centered, the low-pass and comb filter share the same
cutoff frequency. Moved to the right, the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter is shifted upwards, passing
LP12+Bitcrush
Similar to the LP+Dist filter, a low-pass filter is preceded by a distortion effect. Here, the distortion is not
achieved by a virtual analog model but by simple bit
reduction of the signal coming from the oscillators, resulting in harsh quantization noise. The OFFSET con19
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LP/BP/HP Sweep
trol sets the number of bits used, with higher settings

corresponding to fewer bits and thus more distortion.
This multimode filter sweeps from lowpass over bandpass to a highpass type, according to the OFFSET
knob. The middle position yields a bandpass response.
LP12+Follow
LP12/LP12 Split
This is a special purpose filter model, which consists

of an ordinary low-pass filter followed by a key tracked
high-pass filter. The key tracking for the high-pass filter is independent of the KEY TRACKING parameter
in the filter section, it is configured automatically so
that the cutoff frequency corresponds exactly to the
MIDI note played. The effect of this is to weaken the
fundamental frequency, useful to resemble thin stringtype sounds such as an acoustic guitar string. The
depth of the high-pass effect can be adjusted using the
OFFSET knob.
The four split filter modes, starting with LP/LP, work

fundamentally different from the series filters. Rather
than processing the fully mixed signal from the oscillators, in the split modes the oscillator signals are
processed separately by two filters in parallel. In the
LP/LP configuration, oscillator 1 is routed through
the first low-pass while oscillators 2+3, as well as the
noise signal, are processed by the second low-pass. The
OFFSET parameter adjusts the cutoff frequency of the
second low-pass filter.
LP24+Saturation
A low-pass filter based on the LP ladder model with
a saturation effect in series. The OFFSET knob controls the amount of saturation. The effect is more
subtle than the LP12+Dist model, it can substantially
enhance the feel and overall character of a sound, however.
OSC 1
Low-pass filter
#1
OSC 2+3+N
Low-pass filter
#2
Figure 3.7: Split model using two low-pass filters.
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BP12/LP12 Split
mon change is to slightly detune the stacked voices, resulting in thick bass, lead or pad sounds. Another frequently used technique is to spread the stacked voices
in the stereo field, making the sound more spatial.
Note that the Differential Unison Engine (DUNE) described in chapter 4 allows to modify any parameter
of stacked voices in a simple fashion, taking the unison
concept to an entirely new level.
The basic unison parameters can be found in the
UNISON section located below the oscillators.
This configuration is identical to LP/LP, except that

the first filter is a band-pass type. This means oscillator 1 will be routed through a band-pass filter while
the remaining oscillators plus noise are processed by
the low-pass. Again, OFFSET allows to adjust the
cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter relative to the
main cutoff frequency.
BS12/LP12 Split
Same as the previous model, but with a band-stop filter instead of a band-pass.
VOICES
This knob controls the number of voices to use for each
note played. Note that the global polyphony is reduced
by this setting. When using four voices per note, the
global polyphony will be reduced by a factor of four.
Make sure to increase the polyphony if necessary (see
chapter 2).
HP12/LP12 Split
Same as the previous model, but employing a highpass filter.
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 common being to create the illusion of many instruments
of the same type playing simultaneously (e.g. a string
section).
To obtain an audible change, the instanced voices
must differ in one or more parameters. The most com-
This parameter detunes the unison voices. Higher settings correspond to more variation, a minimum of two
voices is necessary to create an audible change. The
detuning is always centered around the note pitch.
When playing e.g. A4 (440 Hz) and detuning two
voices by 1 Hz, the two pitches would be 339 Hz and
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MONO
441 Hz, thus still creating the sensation of a 440 Hz

note.
When enabled, only one note can be played at a time.

This can be useful for bass and lead sounds, particularly in combination with GLIDE. It creates a unique
playing feel and sound which can be better for monophonic lines.
SPREAD
Spreads the unison voices in the stereo field. A minimum of two voices must be dialed in using the VOICES
knob to create an audible effect. At maximum position, the voices will be fully spread in the stereo field
in the case of using two voices, one voice will be
hard left and the other one hard right. In case of three
voices, one voice will be hard left, one dead center and
one hard right, etc.
GLIDE
When nonzero, this parameter causes each note to
smoothly adjust its pitch from the previous note to
the new one. Higher settings correspond to a slower,
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 soloed. Pressing solo
on the 4th voice of a 3-voice patch will thus lead to
silence.
Sets the overall volume of the entire synthesizer.
3.9 Modulation Envelope

An envelope is used to model the progression of timbre,
volume or pitch of a sound, from start to finish. An
envelope is triggered whenever a key is hit. The modulation envelope can be assigned to almost any sound
parameter via the modulation matrix. All envelopes
3.8 Output Section

The OUTPUT section contains basic performance parameters and allows to set the global volume.
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in Dune can be described by four stages called Attack,

Decay, Sustain and Release (ADSR), see fig. 3.8.
lower level, the sustain level. The DECAY control

specifies the duration of the decay stage, i.e. how long
it takes to fall back to the sustain level. The slope of
the decay stage is logarithmic.
Level
SUSTAIN
Sustain
Attack
Decay
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.
Release
RELEASE
Key pressed
The final release stage is triggered whenever a key is

released. The RELEASE parameter specifies the duration it takes the envelope to hit zero. The slope of
the release stage is logarithmic like the decay stage.
Key released
Figure 3.8: The modulation envelope.
ATTACK
3.10 Filter Envelope
The ATTACK parameter specifies the duration it

takes for the envelope to reach its maximum value.
When set to zero, the envelope immediately starts at
the peak value. The slope of the attack stage is linear.
The filter envelope modulates the filter cutoff frequency and thus the timbre of the sound. Many sounds
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
the ENV knob in the filter section. The filter envelope
has the same shape as the modulation envelope (see
fig. 3.9).
DECAY
After reaching the peak, the decay stage commences.
During the decay stage, the envelope falls back to a
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SUSTAIN
Level
Sustain
Attack
Decay

Time
Release
RELEASE
Key pressed
Key released

released. The RELEASE parameter specifies the duration it takes the envelope to hit zero. Note that
when SUSTAIN is set to zero, the RELEASE parameter may have no effect if the envelope has previously
reached zero already.
Figure 3.9: The filter envelope.
ATTACK
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.
During the decay stage, the envelope falls back to a
lower level, the sustain level. The DECAY control
specifies the duration of the decay stage, i.e. how long
it takes to fall back to the sustain level.
Located below the Filter envelope, the amplitude envelope controls the progression of the volume of a sound
(see fig. 3.10). It works in the same manner as the
filter and modulation envelopes, but offers two extra
parameters, SPIKE and HOLD.
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HOLD
Level
Spike
Sustain
Attack
Hold
Decay
HOLD specifies a duration in milliseconds in which the

peak level is maintained, before the decay stage commences. This parameter can be useful to obtain more
punch when modelling percussive sounds, which often
decay quickly. HOLD is exclusively accessed from the
modulation matrix.
Time
Release
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


takes for the amplitude envelope to go from zero to
its maximum level.
RELEASE
SPIKE HARD/SOFT

released. The RELEASE parameter specifies the duration it takes the envelope to hit zero. Note that
when SUSTAIN is set to zero, the RELEASE parameter may have no effect if the envelope has previously
reached zero already.
Using this parameter, a spike can be added during the

attack stage, to give a sound more bite during the
transient stage. Two types are available, a hard and
a soft spike. Both parameters are accessed via the
modulation matrix (see chapter 4).
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3.12 LFOs
Sawtooth
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 percussive sounds this is enough to get good results, but
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.
Sine
This is where LFOs (low frequency oscillators) come

into play. LFOs work just like ordinary oscillators,
generating a periodic signal using similar waveforms
(see fig. 3.11). They are inaudible, however, and their
only purpose is to continually change one or more aspects of the sound. The most typical applications are
modulating the volume, cutoff or pitch, resulting in
a vibrato or tremolo effect. Dunes three LFOs are
much more capable than that, however, as almost any
parameter discussed so far can be used as a modulation destination. Additionally, LFOs can modulate
each other in volume or frequency to obtain yet more
interesting variations.
Pulse
Noise
Figure 3.11: Basic LFO waveforms.
Shape
Use the four LEDs to select one of the four waveform
shapes depicted in fig. 3.11. Sawtooth, Pulse and Sine
are periodic waveforms, the fourth shape is S+H Noise
(Sample-and-Hold Noise). S+H Noise is a signal with
random, abrupt changes. It can be used for special
effects or to simulate the behavior of old analog hardware, by employing a very slow and subtle modulation.
The three LFOs are controlled by the sections labelled LFO 1, LFO 2 and LFO 3 on the left side of the
user interface. Assigning destinations to LFOs and adjusting the modulation depth is performed in the modulation matrix, which is covered in the fourth chapter
of this manual.
RATE
By default, LFOs run at a constant rate specified in
Hz, independent of the MIDI note played. Typical settings are between 3-6 Hz for vibrato or tremolo effects.
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When the SYNC switch is enabled, the rate is specified in units of the current song tempo, such as quarters, eights or sixteenths notes, with either their standard durations, or in triplet (T) or dotted (*) form.
Examples:
from the S+H noise generator. Turned fully left, the

knob has no effect while turned to the right, the S+H
signal is softened the most.
Sawtooth
Pulse
1/4 specifies the duration of a quarter note.

1/8+ sets the modulation rate to a dotted eight
note.
25%
1/16T sets the modulation rate to a sixteenth

triplet.
50%
75%
Figure 3.12: The SKEW parameter.
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 objectionable in the early attack stage of the sound. To preserve the transients, the fade-in parameter can be used
to gradually increase the modulation from zero to its
maximum value, for a duration specified in seconds.
SKEW
The SKEW knob is used to change the shape of the
LFO waveforms. It can be used on all LFO waveforms.
Using SKEW, the sawtooth can be tweaked into an
exponential shape using values above 50%, and into a
logarithmic shape using lower values (see fig. 3.12). If
the pulse shape is chosen, SKEW controls the pulse
width, with 50% corresponding to a square wave. The
sine wave can be changed towards either a parabolic
or triangular shape. When S+H noise is selected, this
parameter serves to soften the abrupt signal coming
RESET
Instead of the one-shot mode, LFOs 2+3 offer a
RESET switch. When disabled, it causes the LFO
to run continously, independent of whether any keys
are pressed. When enabled, the LFO is reset each
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VEL
time a key is pressed, starting from zero phase. This

means that the modulation will always sound exactly
the same.
The notes generated by the arpeggiator need a velocity, which can either be the velocity of the MIDI key
pressed, or the velocity specified in the arpeggiator
pattern. The VEL control blends seamlessly between
both options, the leftmost setting corresponding to the
velocity of the MIDI key pressed and the rightmost using the pattern velocities only.
3.13 Arpeggiator
An arpeggiator (short: ARP) is a module that generates melodic or rhythmical patterns from incoming
MIDI notes. The pattern employed is programmable
per patch and contains a note list controlling the sequence as well as extra information that can be used to
alter other properties of the sound, such as its volume
or timbre. The ARP module is enabled or disabled
using the ARP ON switch in the OUTPUT section.
The arpeggiator parameters as well as its pattern are
accessed by choosing ARP PAT in the center screen.
The following sections describe the key parameters to
control the ARP module, which are located right below the pattern data.
LENGTH
The notes generated by the arpeggiator usually have a
length of a single step, followed by a break of the same
duration. Using the LENGTH control, the duration of
the notes can be increased or decreased. Turned to the
left, the notes get a staccato feel, while the opposite
direction yields smoother sounding sequences.
RATE
SWING
Adjusts the tempo in which the arpeggiator generates

sequences from incoming MIDI notes. When SYNC is
enabled, the tempo is slaved to the host sequencer and
can be specified in musical intervals such as 8th note,
16th notes, dotted notes (*), triplets (T) etc. When
SYNC is disabled, the rate is specified in Hz.
This control shuffles the position of every other 16th

note, ahead or backwards by the specified amount.
This parameter can be used to obtain a typical swing
feel with a setting of +50% and above. In the arpeggiator pattern, the shuffled notes are located at positions
3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27 and 31.
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Arpeggiator Modes
tions of basic playback of fixed sequences only transposed up- or down. The outcome of the dynamic mode
depends on two factors: how many keys are pressed
simultaneously by the user, and how the underlying
arpeggiator pattern is programmed. If just one key is
pressed, the dynamic mode is identical to the simple
mode, playing back the programmed sequence transposed according to the MIDI note of that key. If two or
more keys are pressed simultaneously, the programmed
sequence is transposed according to the lowest MIDI
key. The second, third etc. keys then override individual notes of the sequence, allowing the musician to
create a wealth of new melodies from very basic patterns.
The notes to override are specified in the arpeggiator pattern. In the pattern, the second column next to
each MIDI note allows to set either no override (), in
which case that note behaves just like it would in Simple mode, or it is set to 2nd, 3rd, 4th... corresponding
to the second, third, fourth etc MIDI key held down,
counting from the leftmost key.
The arpeggiator module in Dune comprises five modes

described below.
CHORD
In this mode, if one or more keys are held down simultaneously, the sound will be rhythmically varied
according to the sequence programmed in the arpeggiator pattern. Note that the pitch information contained in the arpeggiator pattern is not used in this
mode.
DUOPHONIC
In duophonic mode, the arpeggiator plays back a fixed
sequence of up to two notes simultaneously. Those
notes are sequenced using the two columns in the
arpeggiator pattern. The sequence is transposed according to the key you press. Pressing multiple keys
has no effect in this mode, only the lowest key will be
used.
MOD
In this mode, the arpeggiator does not create any audible sequence. It is actively sending note and velocity
information to the modulation core, however, which
allows you to use the arpeggiator unit as a pure modulation source. This can be useful for a variety of ef-
DYNAMIC
This arpeggiator mode is a new development available
exclusively in Dune. It is designed to assist the musician in a creative manner and overcome the limita29
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3.14 Effects
fects common in electronic music, such as rhythmically

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 versatility. It is important to note that the effects
are global, that is all voices are first summed and then
processed by the effect section. Despite the global nature of the effect section, it is worth pointing out that
each voice can have its own effect depth, ranging from
completely dry to fully wet.
The effects are processed from left to right in the order they appear. By default, the distortion is applied
first and reverb last. You can modify the effect order,
however, by dragging the individual sections. When
you click on an effect label (e.g. "Delay") a red border
will appear. Keep the mouse button pressed, and move
the section into any spot you like. Note that changing
the effect order is not necessarily audible. The most
significant change occurs usually when moving an active Distortion section to a different position.
SIMPLE
When in simple mode, the arpeggiator will play back
a pre-programmed sequence when hitting a single key.
The sequence is automatically transposed according
to the MIDI note of that key. Pressing multiple keys
simultaneously has no effect in this mode.
ONE-SHOT
Same as SIMPLE, except that the sequence plays only
once and stops afterwards.
VOICE 2/4/6/8
Identical to SIMPLE mode, except that the arpeggiator only fires the even-numbered voices. The oddnumbered voices are not affected by the arpeggiator
and play normally. This is useful for athmospheric
textures or soundscapes with one sustained note accompanied by an arpeggiated sequence.
3.14.1 Distortion
A distortion effect amplifies the signal in a nonlinear manner, creating new overtones and thus a rather
harsh sound. A total of seven different types may be
chosen:
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TYPE
HP Only is a high-pass filter without any distortion applied. This can be useful to either remove unwanted low frequency content in the inaudible range (e.g. below 10 Hz), or to roll off the
bass for sounds where too many low frequencies
are undesirable (for instance percussive or lead
sounds).
LP+Crunch is a distortion effect with a lowpass filter in series. The low-pass filter is used to
roll off higher frequencies. High frequencies may
be objectionable when applying a lot of distortion.
HP+Crunch is a distortion effect with a highpass filter in series. The high-pass filter is used to
roll off lower frequencies, which can be useful in
combination with low AMOUNT settings. The
effect is then similar to that of an Exciter, which
adds high frequencies to a signal to increase its
brightness and presence.
LP+Clip clips the signal at positive polarity.

Use the drive knob to control the amount of clipping. The low-pass filter in series with the clipper can be used to roll off higher frequencies.
COLOR
This controls the low-pass or high-pass filters cutoff
frequency in Hz.
LP+Toxic and HP+Toxic work in the same

manner as the Crunch programs, but employ a
different distortion model taken from the Toxic
synthesizer plugin.
DRIVE
Adjusts the gain applied to the signal when entering
the nonlinear distortion stage. Higher settings cause
more distortion.
LP+Valve and HP+Valve work in the same

manner as the Crunch programs, but use a more
subtle, asymmetric distortion curve known from
valve amplifiers.
AMOUNT
LP Only is a low-pass filter without any distortion applied. This can be useful to reduce the
overall brightness of the sound.
Blends between the dry and processed signal. For

a guitar-type distortion effect, set this parameter to
100%. Use lower settings for more subtle effects.
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3.14.2 EQ-1
Hi Shelf amplifies or attenuates frequencies

above the chosen frequency.
An EQ is used to boost or attenuate a certain frequency range. It features three basic types:
Magnitude (dB)
Amount (+)
TYPE
0 dB
Amount (-)
Peaking amplifies or attenuates the region

around the chosen frequency.
Frequency
Cutoff frequency
Magnitude (dB)
Amount (+)
FREQ
0 dB
Amount (-)
Sets the frequency where the EQ operates.

Frequency
Peak frequency
Adjusts the steepness of the EQ. Only relevant for the

Peaking type. Q settings below 1 create broad peaks,
while higher settings create narrow peaks.
Lo Shelf amplifies or attenuates frequencies below the chosen frequency.
Magnitude (dB)
Magnitude (dB)
Q=1
Amount (+)
0 dB
0 dB
Amount (-)
Frequency
Frequency
Peak frequency
Cutoff frequency
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GAIN
the delay time is continuously varied. The timedelayed copy can be added or subtracted from
the dry signal, each option resulting in a different sound.
Specifies how much to attenuate or boost the chosen

frequency. At center position (0 dB) the signal is not
affected.
Chorus I/II A chorus effect is obtained in the

same way as a flanger, but uses much longer delay times. This creates the impression of multiple voices playing simultaneously. The effect is
similar to stacking several voices per note and
detuning them.
3.14.3 EQ-2
This section is identical to EQ-1. It allows further processing of a different frequency region if required. For
example, you could roll off low frequencies using EQ-1
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
itself, resulting in a sweeping effect of adjustable rate.
FREQ
Sets the center frequency for the Phaser when selected.
For the Chorus/Flanger types, this parameters specifies the frequency range to include. Usually this should
be set to 100% to include the entire frequency spectrum.
Phaser (4, 6, 8) A phaser modifies a signal

with a series of filters and then mixes it with the
dry signal. The cutoff frequency of the filters is
continuously varied. The number of filter stages
can be set to 4, 6 or 8, each resulting in a different timbre.
FEEDBACK
Flanger +/- Summing a signal with a timedelayed copy of itself creates a flanging effect, if
The output of the effect can be fed back to its input

with this control, creating a resonant sweep.
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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
over time. At higher settings, the sweeping effect will
start to become audible.
Diffuse is similar to Simple, except that each

echo gets increasingly diffused.
COLOR
AMOUNT
The echoes can be processed by a 6 dB/oct lowpass or

highpass filter, making each subsequent echo darker or
brighter than the previous one. Negative values correspond to darker echoes, positive values to brighter
echoes, at zero the echo timbre remains identical.
Blends between the dry and processed signals.
3.14.5 Delay
A delay effect produces a series of echoes. The duration of the echoes is always locked to the host tempo
in order to guarantee a musically useful result. A total
of nine delay programs are available.
F-BACK
The feedback parameter allows you to adjust how often the echoes are repeated. The percentage specifies
the level change from one echo to the next, so 100%
creates an infinite series of echoes, 50% cuts the level
of each subsequent echo in half etc.
TYPE
Simple creates a series of echoes centered in the
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
host tempo and is thus specified in quarters, eights,
sixteenths etc., optionally in triplet (T) or dotted (*)
form. Examples:
PP 75, PP 50, PP 25 and PP 12 are identical to Ping-Pong, except that the stereo image
is reduced towards the center.
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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

large cathedral including early reflections. Reverb time should be set to 5 seconds or more.
1/16T sets the duration to a sixteenth triplet.

1/1 sets the duration to span an entire bar.
Note that the reverb programs computing early reflections also create a realistic echo buildup pattern,
going from a sparse distribution of early echoes to an
increasingly dense pattern. Thus they are more CPU
demanding than the two diffuse types.
AMOUNT
Blends between the dry and processed signal.
3.14.6 Reverb
PREDELAY
A reverb effect is used to create the illusion of a sound

being played back in a spatial environment such as a
living room, hall or cathedral. Five types are offered
in Dune:
Adjusts the onset of the reverberated signal. When set

to zero, the reverberated signal commences almost immediately. Higher settings delay the signal, which can
be useful to change the perception of the room size.
This is particularly important for the Diffuse reverb
types, which do not model early reflections.
TYPE
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 consumes less CPU and can be used whenever performance is an issue.
Using the DAMP paramter, the simulated rooms wall

materials can be adjusted. Higher settings correspond
to reflective walls, lower settings to very absorbent
ones. The reflection is frequency-dependent: The
higher the Damp setting, the less higher frequencies
are contained in the processed signal.
Room simulates a real room including early reflections. Reverb time should be set to 1 second
or less if an authentic effect is desired.
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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.
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The modulation matrix in Dune is located in the center

of the interface, and accessed by clicking on either of
the Mod Matrix buttons. Up to 24 source/destination
combinations are possible per patch.
4 Modulation Matrix
Most importantly, the sources comprise the LFOs.

The ability to link a LFO to any sound parameter
makes the traditional LFO destination parameter obsolete and offers far greater flexibility. Classic destination parameters include Pitch (to obtain a vibrato
effect), Volume (to obtain a tremolo effect) as well as
Filter Cutoff. Further sources include the envelopes,
in particular the modulation envelope. The modulation envelope is not linked to a particular parameter
by default. Thus, like the LFOs, it must be assigned to
a destination in the modulation matrix. Useful destinations for the modulation envelope include pitch and
FM Amount for FM patches.
One of the biggest strength of subtractive synthesizers

is their ease of use. The pitch, timbre and volume of a
sound and its progression over time can be controlled
in a simple and straightforward way. The simplicity is
achieved by employing a fixed structure with a limited
set of parameters, however.
In order to create more complex patches, modern
synthesizers offer a modulation matrix, where you can
choose from a set of sources and link them to almost
any sound parameter.
The modulation matrix is also used to assign MIDI

controllers to sound parameters. The modulation
wheel or expression pedal, for instance, can be chosen as a source and linked to any destination parameter. 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.
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4.1 The differential unison

engine (DUNE)
rameter. Likewise, changing the timbre from dark to

bright is as simple as adjusting the cutoff parameter,
changing the pitch as easy as adjusting the oscillator
tuning, etc.
Such relative parameter changes are realized by the
new differential unison engine (DUNE), which overcomes the aforementioned limitations of current subtractive synthesizers. To understand this approach,
the Unison concept must be briefly revisited first.
Traditionally, unison on synthesizers means "playing
all voices simultaneously". In unison mode, a classic
synthesizer with 8 voices simply fires all 8 voices simultaneously when pressing a key. The different voices
are slightly detuned, which provides a chorus type effect and thus an overall fat sound, when playing a
note. Unfortunately, firing all voices at once means
that polyphonic play is no longer possible, as all available voices are in use. Hence, modern synthesizers use
a more sophisticated unison mode, which allows to set
an arbitrary number of unison voices that is only a
subset of the total number of available voices. For example, a synthesizer with a maximum of 32 voices may
offer the option to trigger 4 unison voices simultaneously. This still allows playing 8 notes at the same
time (32 / 4 = 8). Another feature that is very common in todays synthesizers is the ability to specify an
arbitrary detuning and stereo spreading of all unison
voices. A synthesizer which employs 2 unison voices
may detune both and spread them to the left and right
Despite the flexibility introduced by the modulation

matrix, the sound design abilities of subtractive synthesizers are still limited by their architecture. For
instance, nice sounds can be obtained by combining a
short, percussive element and a longer, sustained element. The percussive element shapes the transient
of the sound, while the sustained element shapes its
body. To obtain such sounds, the classic approach
employed by music producers or sound designers is to
stack different sounds. This can be a very tedious and
time-consuming process. It is especially problematic
for kick and bass sounds containing low frequencies,
where the exact phase relation of different parts can
make or break a sound. Perhaps the biggest issue with
stacking sounds, however, is the lack of common controls. Even if sounds are stacked within the same
synth (provided that it offers a multi-part or multilayer mode), the sound parameters are almost always
separated. This is fine if two sounds have vastly different properties, i.e. most sound parameters differ.
In many cases, however, stacking two sounds with few
parameter changes is sufficient to obtain interesting,
new sounds. To use the example above, changing a
percussive sound to a sustained one or vice versa may
be as trivial as modifying the amplitude sustain pa38
DUNE Users Manual
side of the stereo panorama, which creates a very spacious effect. The Synapse Audio WASP is such a synthesizer.
The idea behind Dune is to make the power of the
unison mode accessible to sound designers. Why restrict the unison mode to just detuning or panorama
changes? In Dune, any sound parameter can be
changed in unison mode, relative to the basic parameter settings. This is accomplished by the modulation
matrix. Apart from the classic source, amount and
destination parameters, Dune adds the "Voice" parameter, which allows to restrict the modulation to one or
more unison voices. This concept is best explained by
a simple example matrix:
As a result, only those voices will be modulated. To

experiment with and understand the unison engine, try
the example above (or something similar) on the Init
Patch (#128). Make sure that the number of unison
voices is set to at least three. The number of unison
voices can be set from the Unison panel, located above
the modulation matrix. Use the SOLO switches in the
same panel to toggle between individual unison voices
and see how the modulation affects them.
Restricting the LFO modulations to individual
voices may give interesting results, but you may wonder how this helps in solving the sound design issues
mentioned earlier. How is it possible to adjust sound
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
field is left blank, which simply means to apply the
modulation to all unison voices in use. If the number
of unison voices is set to e.g. five voices, then the filter cutoff will be modulated in the same manner for
all five voices. The second and third column, set to
modulate the volume and panorama, are restricted to
affect the second and third unison voice, respectively.
Here we modulate two parameters, filter cutoff and filter resonance. The modulations are set to affect the
second unison voice. As a source, we chose "Const",
which means constant. The result of those modulations is to simply adjust the two filter parameters relative to the knob settings. For example, if the Cutoff
knob is set to 50%, the second voice will have a cutoff
setting corresponding to 100% (50% + 50%).
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DUNE Users Manual
4.2 List of Sources
PWheel
The following section lists all available modulation

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

the amount setting is directly added to the destination parameter. This can be useful for a wide range of
tasks, for instance to offset a parameter for a specific
The MIDI modulation wheel data (controller #01).

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DUNE Users Manual
unison voice or to set parameters only available in the

modulation matrix.
Breath
Random
Foot
Sets a random value whenever a voice is triggered.

Very useful with pan as a destination, or to add subtle
pitch modulations simulating the behavior of acoustic instruments or vintage analog synthesizers (both
of which have a slightly inconsistent pitch each time a
note is played).
MIDI Foot controller (#04).
MIDI Breath controller (#02).
Expr
MIDI Expression controller (#11).
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
in combination with Pitch Semi as a destination and
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 resulting sound is different from the regular arpeggiator,
which constantly triggers and releases voices.
LFO-2
LFO-3
LFO*MW
Arp Vel
The value of LFO-1, LFO-2 or LFO-3 multiplied by

the modulation wheel data. Use this to create vibrato
or tremolo effects with the depth controlled by the
modulation wheel.
The velocity information sent from the arpeggiator.

This can be used to modulate any parameter rhythmically, and synced to the host tempo if desired.
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DUNE Users Manual
4.3 List of Destinations
LFO*AT
The value of LFO-1, LFO-2 or LFO-3 multiplied by the
aftertouch data. Useful to create vibrato type effects
when applying pressure on the keyboard.
The destinations of the modulation matrix comprise

exclusively sound parameters, most of which have been
explained in detail in chapter 3. Thus, the description
of the destinations will mainly focus on typical applications and how they can be used in the context of
the differential unison engine. Also note that the value
ranges used in the modulation matrix can differ from
the ranges of the front panel knobs. Therefor, the parameter description will additionally explain the exact
meaning of the AMOUNT value in the context of
that parameter.
Voice #
The unison voice number counting from zero, i.e. the
first unison voice sends 0, the second voice sends 1,
the third 2, and so on. This source can be useful to
quickly set a parameter of each unison voice to a different 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 transposes one octave down etc.
In the context of the differential unison engine,
choosing Osc Semi as a destination allows you to specify arbitrary tunings for each voice. For example, if
you long for a fourth or fifth oscillator having a different pitch than the first three oscillators, you could
simply increase the number of unison voices and set
the oscillator pitch of that voice only.
Filter Env
Current value of the filter envelope.
Amp Env
Current value of the amplitude envelope.
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DUNE Users Manual
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
parameter using a LFO as a source in order to obtain
vibrato effects. For strong vibratos spanning a larger
pitch range, use Osc 1/2 Semi as a destination instead.
The modulation can be restricted to specific voices if
desired. For example, you could have a static, lowpitched sine wave on the first voice and a vibrating
sawtooth on the second.
Osc 1/2 Phase
The FAT parameter of the first and second oscillator.

The value range is identical to the front panel knobs.
This parameter sets the absolute starting phase of the

first/second oscillator whenever a note is triggered. As
a consequence, this switches off the default free-run
mode of that specific oscillator. Set to zero, the specified oscillators starts at zero phase. An amount of +50
corresponds to a +180 degree phase shift, an amount
of +100 to +360 degrees, etc.
While the human hearing is largely insensitive to
the starting phase of a single oscillator, the relative
phase difference between both oscillators can matter
in some cases, for example when both oscillators share
the exact same frequency.
Osc 1/2 Wave
Osc 1/2 KeyTrk
When using the wavetables, this parameter allows you

to set the waveform number relative to the one selected on the graphical interface. An amount of -1
switches to the previous waveform, an amount of +1
to the next etc. Waveforms can be switched on the fly
for classic wavetable synthesis. The transition is immediate, however, and thus may cause clicks. A more
important application, perhaps, is to select different
waveforms for different voices. This can be accom-
This parameter sets the key tracking of the 1st/2nd oscillator and is only available in the modulation matrix.
An amount of +100 corresponds to the regular key
tracking, where each MIDI key number corresponds to
one semitone. By changing this parameter to values
other than +100, you can either realize strange tunings or turn off key tracking entirely by setting KeyTrk
to 0. This is often done for drum sounds, which have
no defined pitch.
Osc 1/2 Fat
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DUNE Users Manual
Osc 2 OneShot
Pulse Width
Sets the second oscillator to "one shot" mode when

amount is >0. In one shot mode, the oscillator plays
only a single cycle of the waveform, which can be useful to shape the transient of a sound.
Sets the pulse width for both oscillators, if the pulse

waveform is selected for either the 1st or 2nd oscillator.
Noise Level
Osc 3 Level
Adjusts the noise level parameter relative to the front

panel knob, using the same value range.
Adjusts the level of oscillator 3. The value range corresponds to the front panel knob.
Noise Colour
Osc 3 Phase
Adjusts the noise colour parameter relative to the front

Sets the absolute starting phase of oscillator 3. Zero

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

on the selected FM mode (see chapter 3).
FM 2
FM Amount 2. The meaning of the parameter depends
on the selected FM mode (see chapter 3).
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DUNE Users Manual
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%).
This affects FM on a global level, including any modulation performed on the FM 1 and FM 2 parameters.
By default, FM Depth is 100%. Lowering this value
can be useful if the default FM effect is too extreme.
Filter Type
Lowpass 12dB
Lowpass 24dB
LP Ladder 12dB
LP Ladder 24dB
LP24 -> LP12
BP12 -> LP12
BS12 -> LP12
HP12 -> LP12
Comb -> LP24
LP12+Dist
LP12+Bitcrush
LP12+Follow
LP24+Saturation
LP/BP/HP Sweep
LP12/LP12 Split
BP12/LP12 Split
BS12/LP12 Split
HP12/LP12 Split
Mod Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release

Adjusts the modulation envelope parameters relative
to whatever is set on the front panel. This allows
you to specify different modulation envelopes for different voices or to dynamically vary those parameters
for each note.
Filter Cutoff
Adjusts the filter cutoff frequency relative to the front
panel knob and using the same value range.
Matrix Name
LP12
LP24
LP12b
LP24b
LP>LP
BP>LP
BS>LP
HP>LP
Comb>LP
LP+Dist
LP+Bitc
LP+Folw
LP+Sat
LP/BP/HP
LP/LP
BP/LP
BS/LP
HP/LP
Filter Type
Filter Env Amt
Allows you to set the filter type, which is useful to

specify different filters for different voices. For example, you could have one voice processed by a lowpass
filter, and another voice processed by a bandpass filter.
Adjusts the filter envelope amount relative to the front

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DUNE Users Manual
Filter Reso
Spike Hard
Adjusts the filter resonance relative to the front panel

knob, using the same value range.
This parameter introduces a short spike into the amplitude 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

panel knob, using the same value range. The meaning
of this parameter depends on the filter type chosen as
explained in chapter 3.
This parameter introduces a short spike into the amplitude envelope (see chapter 3) and is only available
in the modulation matrix.
Amp Hold
Filter KeyTrk
This parameter delays the onset of the decay stage

(see chapter 3) and is only available in the modulation
matrix.
Sets the key tracking for the filter, which specifies how
much the cutoff frequency changes according to which
MIDI note number a voice is playing. The parameter
works in the same manner as the front panel knob,
however you may specify negative values, too. Negative values cause low keys to have a higher cutoff
frequency than high keys.
Amp Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release

Adjusts the amplitude envelope parameters relative to
whatever is set on the front panel. This allows you
to specify different amplitude envelopes for different
voices or to dynamically vary those parameters for
each note.
Filter Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release

Adjusts the filter envelope parameters relative to
whatever is set on the front panel. This allows you
to specify different filter envelopes for different voices
or to dynamically vary those parameters for each note.
Breath, MWheel and Velocity Curve

Using the curve parameters, you can change the effect the MIDI controllers Breath, Modulation wheel
46
DUNE Users Manual
and Velocity have on the destination. By default, all

MIDI controller values control the destination in a linear manner (1:1). For example, an incoming modulation wheel value of 80 has twice the effect which 40
has. By setting the curve parameter, you can change
this 1:1 mapping to a nonlinear behavior. A value of
zero corresponds to the default mapping. When the
curve parameter is set to extreme positions (+/- 100),
the resulting mapping causes the MIDI controller to
work almost like a switch.
LFO as a source is not possible or if you want to modulate the amplitude of LFO-1 using LFO-2 or LFO-3.
Note that setting LFO-1 -> Pitch Semi is the same as
setting Const -> LFO1*Semi.
LFO1*Fine
The tuning in cents, multiplied with the current value
of LFO-1.
LFO1*Pulse Width
Magnitude
-100
Adjusts the pulse width of both oscillators, multiplied

with the current value of LFO-1.
0
+100
LFO2*Cutoff
Breath / Mod Wheel / Velocity
The filter cutoff parameter, multiplied with the current value of LFO-2.
Figure 4.1: MIDI Controller curves.

Useful applications for the curve parameters include
fine tuning the response of MIDI hardware controllers
(especially breath controllers) as well as improving the
"feel" of a modulation wheel or velocity sweep.
LFO2*Env
LFO1*Semi
LFO2*FXDly
The tuning in semitones, multiplied with the current

value of LFO-1. Use this destination whenever using a
Changes the duration of the delay effect, relative to

the knob setting, and multiplied by LFO-2. Note that
The filter envelope parameter, multiplied with the current value of LFO-2.
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DUNE Users Manual
all effects are global, hence some care must be taken

when modulating the delay length. When RESET is
enabled for LFO-2 and a patch is played polyphonic,
clicks may occur.
knob were set fully clockwise, setting an amount of

-100 would yield the minimum rate.
LFO3*Amp
This resets the specified LFO whenever a new note

is triggered. This is equivalent to enabling the LFOs
RESET switch, except that you can specify the LFOs
starting phase accurately. An amount value of +50
corresponds to a +180 degree phase shift.
LFO 1/2/3 Phase
The overall amplitude, multiplied with the current

value of LFO-3.
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 feature can be useful to build complex modulations. For
instance, if LFO 1 modulates the noise level using MM
slot 1, then you could have LFO 2 modulate that slot
by choosing LFO 2 as a source, and MM Amount 1 as
a destination.
Another useful application is to make modulations
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
case you would choose Mod Wheel as a source and the
MM slot(s) containing the modulation envelope as a
destination.
You may also have one MM slot modulate another
MM slot, which in turn modulates another MM slot
LFO3*Comb
When the Comb->LP24 filter type is selected, this destination modulates the comb filters delay according to
LFO-3, otherwise it has no effect. Technically, modulating the comb filter delay time is the same principle
employed by a flanger effect.
LFO 1/2/3 Rate

Changes the rate of the specified LFO. The amount
values correspond to the knob setting, so if the LFO
Rate knob is set to zero, an amount of +100 would
set the LFO to maximum speed. If the LFO Rate
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DUNE Users Manual
etc. For such modulations to work properly, you must

ensure that the MM Amount numbers occur in ascending order.
are clamped at +18 dB, which corresponds to a gain

factor of 8.
Volume
FX Dry/Wet
The overall volume. Modulate this parameter using

one of the three LFOs as a source in order to obtain
tremolo effects.
This parameter allows you to set the depth of the entire effect chain. You can specify the dry/wet effect
mix for each voice or voice combinations separately, if
desired. Another possible application is to modulate
the effect depth with an LFO or envelope.
Pan
The overall panorama. Modulate this parameter using
one of the three LFOs as a source in order to move
the sound in the stereo field.
Detune
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 oscillator combined. An amount value of +1 corresponds to
one semitone, so +12 transposes both oscillators one
octave up, -12 one octave down etc. Note that the
third oscillator is always slaved to the first. Thus, unless you restrict this parameter to a particular unison
voice, the entire sound will be pitched up or down.
In the context of the differential unison engine,
choosing Pitch Semi as a destination allows you to
specify arbitrary tunings for each voice. For example, you could transpose the first voice one octave up
or build entire chords with this parameter, each voice
Pan Spread
Adjusts the unison spread parameter relative to the
front panel knob, and using the same value range.
Level (dB)
Allows you to adjust the level in decibels, which is useful to attenuate or boost individual voices. Be careful
when using positive values, as the gain can be very
high. To protect your hearing as well as speakers in
case of improper use of this parameter, positive values
49
DUNE Users Manual
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.
50
DUNE Users Manual
Dune Parameter CC # MIDI Ctrl Name

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

LFOs
LFO 1 Rate
14
LFO 1 Waveform
15
LFO 1 Sync
16
LFO 1 Skew
17
LFO 1 Fade In
18
LFO 2 Rate
19
LFO 2 Waveform
20
LFO 2 Sync
21
LFO 2 Skew
22
LFO 2 Fade In
23
LFO 3 Rate
80
LFO 3 Waveform
81
LFO 3 Sync
82
LFO 3 Skew
83
LFO 3 Fade In
84
Mod Envelope
Mod Attack
26
Mod Decay
27
Mod Sustain
28
Mod Release
29
Filter
Filter Attack
38
Filter Decay
39
Filter Sustain
40
Filter Release
41
Dune Parameter
Filter Cutoff
Filter Reso
Filter Env Amt
Filter Key Track
Amp Envelope
Amp Attack
Amp Decay
Amp Sustain
Amp Release
Effects
EQ 1 Gain
EQ 2 Gain
Reverb Amount
Delay Amount
Phaser/Chor Amount
Distortion Amount
Mod Matrix
MM Amount 1
MM Amount 2
MM Amount 3
MM Amount 4
MM Amount 5
MM Amount 6
MM Amount 7
MM Amount 8
52
CC # MIDI Ctrl Name

74
Brightness
42
43
46
73
36
37
72
Attack Time
Release Time
89
90
91
92
93
94
Effect
Effect
Effect
Effect
1
2
3
4
Depth
Depth
Depth
Depth
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
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DUNE Users Manual
Grant of license
6 Legal Information
You are granted a personal, non-exclusive, nontransferable and limited license to install and use the
Software for the purposes set forth herein. Unless you
have purchased additional licenses, you may only install and use a single copy of the Software on a computer, and/or move the software to another computer,
provided that you are the only individual using the
software. If you are an entity, you may appoint one
individual within your organization to have the right
to use the Software under the terms of this License
Agreement. This software, including all of its components and any additional files included with the distribution, is protected by copyright law and international
copyright treaties. The total number of copies of the
software used by you, may not exceed the number of
licensed copies paid for by you, except that you may
make one copy of the software solely for archival or
backup purposes. The term of this license is perpetual,
unless terminated under the conditions provided in the
License Agreement. Except as provided in the agreement, you receive no rights to transfer, rent, lease,
lend, copy, modify, market, transmit or reverse engineer the software, any component hereof, or any file
provided with the distribution. The software, and any
files included with the distribution, including sampled
sounds, presets and demonstration songs, is licensed
but not sold to you, for use in music production. If
6.1 Trademarks
VST is a trademark of Steinberg Soft- und Hardware
GmbH. All other trademarks and trade names are the
properties of their respective owners, and do not imply
owners endorsement of this product, or guarantee full
compliance with owners standards.
6.2 End User License Agreement

(EULA)
By installing, copying, or otherwise using this software or any files provided with it, you agree to be
bound by all of the terms and conditions of this license agreement. If you are not the original purchaser
of the Software, or if you do not agree with the License
Agreement, you must promptly remove the software
from your computer, and cease any and all use of it. If
you are accepting the License Agreement on behalf of
an other legal entity, the use of the terms "you" and
"your" in the License Agreement shall refer to such
entity.
53
DUNE Users Manual
you have purchased this software as an upgrade from

a previous version, this constitutes a single licensed
product, to be used under the terms of this License
Agreement.
software, and shall destroy all copies hereof, and shall

not be entitled to any claims or refunds.
Disclaimer
The software, any component hereof, and any files distributed with the software, is provided "as is", and
there is no warranty of any kind, either express or implied - including, but not limited to, the implied warranties 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 person 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 License Agreement. You license is automatically terminated if you fail to comply with the limitations described in the License Agreement, and no notice shall
be required from the licensor to effectuate such termination. Upon termination of this License Agreement
for any reason, you shall make no further use of the
54
DUNE Users Manual
Appendix
Sound Design Reference
The last two characters of every patch name are the
authors 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.
DG
EDT
IW
LE
MH
MK
PK
RH
RL
Author Name
David Goodwin
Ed Ten Eyck
Ingo Weidner
Lance Emmerich
Mark Holt
Michael Kastrup
Piet Kaempfer
Richard Hoffmann
Rob Lee
Email or Website
kriminal@ntlworld.com
http://www.edtaudio.com
ingo_weidner@web.de
lance.emmerich@gmail.com
http://flavors.me/markholtuk
http://www.xsynth.com
www.protonica.de
www.synapse-audio.com
www.basslinerecords.com
If you wish to contribute patches or banks to future

versions of DUNE, do not hesitate to contact us.
55
DUNE Users Manual

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Advanced Subtractive Software Synthesizer

c Synapse Audio Software 2011.

DUNE Users Manual

DUNE Users Manual

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

The memory requirement is approximately 15 mb per

1.3 System Requirements

DUNE Users Manual

order to find a suitable one for your music as quickly

2.3 Playing a patch

2.2 Choosing a category

DUNE Users Manual

2.4 Loading/Saving patches and

Click on the numbers and drag the mouse up or down

2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation

2.6 Setting the number of voices

At the bottom left of the user interface, the pitch

DUNE Users Manual

up to 8 voices per note played, where each voice may

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

DUNE Users Manual

or more periodic waveforms. The resulting signal is

3.1 Patch Structure

DUNE Users Manual

Figure 3.1: Structure of a Dune patch.

DUNE Users Manual

3.2.1 Oscillator 1+2

An oscillator generates a periodic waveform and forms

The two controls labelled SEMI adjust the tuning of

Figure 3.2: Basic oscillator waveforms.

DUNE Users Manual

counter-clockwise towards "1", only the first oscillator

This parameter adjusts the fine tuning of Oscillator 1

DUNE Users Manual

brighter timbre is produced when turning the knob to

The third oscillator is controlled by the OSC 3 section.

3.4 Common oscillator controls

3.3 Noise Generator

Figure 3.3: Pulse Width.

DUNE Users Manual

3.4.2 Ring Modulation (RM)

3.4.3 Frequency Modulation (FM)

Apart from simply multiplying two oscillator signals,

DUNE Users Manual

an oscillator. In DUNE, FM 1 controls how much the

3.5 Filter Controls

A band-pass (BP) filter damps frequencies

Perhaps the most important filter parameter is the

A band-stop (BS) filter rejects frequencies

For low-pass (LP) filter types, frequencies above

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The five filters described above form the basic filters

A high-pass (HP) filter attenuates all frequencies

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In rare cases, you may also want to set the envelope

The key track parameter determines how much the

Figure 3.5: Response of a resonant low-pass filter.

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3.6 Filter Models

By clicking on the list box in the filter section, one of

LP24 -> LP12

Figure 3.6: Two low-pass filters chained in series.

DUNE Users Manual

BP12 -> LP12