> plugins quick guide /  dune cm
PLUGINS QUICK GUIDE
Dune CM
Dune CM from Synapse Audio combines
classic subtractive analogue and FM
synthesis with a versatile modulation matrix and
powerful arpeggiator. Although the interface,
with its moody hues and swathes of knobs, may
appear intimidating, its one-function-per-knob
approach actually makes it a breeze to program.
The two main oscillators each feature a
whopping 72 choices of wave shape, and
combined use of the oscillators’ Fat controls, the
Unison mode and the Sub oscillator can result in
up to 120 oscillators sounding per note, leading
to some of the fattest sounds around.
4>OSC COMMON/FM
3>OSC 1 & 2 6>UNISON
2>LFOs
1> CENTRE PANEL
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DOWNLOAD
Get Dune CM and the rest of
the Plugins at
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The central, three-mode LCD panel makes it
easy to get to parameters that are important but
not necessarily needed all the time, including a
modulation matrix that features twelve slots for
creating links between modulation sources and
destinations. You also get a dedicated TECH INFO
modulation envelope, three powerful LFOs and PC: 32-bit VST instrument
five different filter types to play with. Mac: 32-bit AU/VST instrument
If you find yourself wanting even more Dune
in your tunes, check out the full version – it has Dune CM is based on the full
256 more presets, 64-bit support, 24 modulation version of Dune, available from
slots and built-in effects. Get your hands on it at www.synapse-audio.com
www.synapse-audio.com
5>OSC 3 8>OUTPUT
7>FILTER
9>ENVELOPES
 dune cm /  plugins quick guide  <

1>CENTRE PANEL Dune CM’s centre panel has
three selectable panes that
can be switched via the
tabs along the top of the
display. The Main pane is
where you’ll spend most time,
as this governs preset
selection and management.
Click the Patch arrow buttons
to scroll back and forth
through the currently selected
category. To browse a new
preset category, click the
Category field to reveal all
available options.
Dune CM has 128 patches
(as opposed to 384 in the full
version). These are all stored
in Bank A – Banks B and C
contain 256 empty slots to
save your own sounds into.
Clicking on the preset name
brings up a menu of all 128
patches in the selected bank.
Below the preset name is a
Patch Comments area with an
editable description of each
preset. Beneath this is the
Patch Settings area where
you can assign the preset to a
new Category and set the
preset’s maximum polyphony
by dragging on the number of
Voices. Below this, you can
also click and drag on the
numbers in the Global
Settings area to change the
synth’s pitch bend range.

Clicking on the Mod Matrix by entering an Amount value

1>12 tab reveals the first
twelve slots of the modulation
matrix, where you can map
up to twelve modulation
sources to twelve
destinations. This is where
you link controllers to
parameters in order to
modulate them, and it’s done
by clicking on a slot in the
table and selecting the
required item from a menu.
For instance, say you want
your keyboard controller’s
mod wheel to control vibrato.
Select LFO1*MW from the
Source list, choose the
required depth of the effect
up to 100, then choose Osc 1
Semi in the Destination
column. Now when you move
the mod wheel, it increases
the amount by which LFO1
modulates the pitch of
Oscillator 1, causing... vibrato!
The modulation matrix
allows either internal
parameters (such as LFOs and
envelopes) or MIDI controllers
(such as modwheels and
rotary encoders) to be used as
modulation sources, and you
can even target specific voices
within the sound by entering
the required number of voices
in the Voice column.

Dune CM’s arpeggiator is a makes each note longer or

powerful beast, with each
patch capable of retaining its
own arpeggiator sequence
and settings. Clicking the Arp
Pat button displays a grid of
up to 32 steps each one
containing step number,
note number and a third
value that relates to the
arpeggiator’s Dynamic mode.
The values can be changed
by dragging up and down
on them, and note values
can also be set to ‘tie’ over
shorter than the value
specified in Rate, while the
Swing parameter introduces
a swung feel to the rhythm
of the sequence. Enabling
Sync mode locks the
arpeggiator’s timing to your
project tempo, while the
Mode control selects
between the six available
modes: Chord, Duophonic,
Dynamic, Mod, Simple, One
Shot and Voice 2/4/6/8.
ID K s

from the previous note,

GU IC gin

allowing notes that are

longer than the value set
QU Plu

by the Rate parameter,

which essentially governs
E

the arpeggiator’s speed.

The Length parameter

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  > plugins quick guide /  dune cm

2>LFOs
Dune CM offers three LFOs (Low
Frequency Oscillators), all with
identical parameters. On the left
hand side of each LFO panel are
the waveform selector buttons
that let you set the LFO to
generate sawtooth, square, sine or
sample-and-hold waveforms. Next
up is the Rate knob that sets the
speed of the LFO in Hertz (every
knob in Dune CM displays its
current value in a small window
that appears beneath the control
Clicking the Reset button
enables the LFO waveform’s cycle
to be retriggered each time a new
note is played, while Fade-In
allows you to set the onset time of
the LFO’s effect – a bit like an
envelope’s Attack control.
The Skew control changes the
shape of the LFO’s waveform,
adjusting a sawtooth wave into a
convex or concave shape and
stretching out the pulse width of a
square wave. Skewed sine waves

6>SNARE 1
when adjusted), or in note value
units (1/4, 1/8 etc) if the LFO is set
to sync to the host DAW’s tempo.
Clicking Sync toggles between
these two modes of operation.
become triangle waves or
parabolic curves depending on the
knob’s position, while sample-and-
hold waveforms get significantly
smoothed out.

3>OSC 1 + 2
Oscillators 1 and 2 each have set of similar
controls mirrored around a central Osc Mix
knob that sets the balance between the two.
Each oscillator has a waveform selector that
allows you to select the classic sawtooth,
pulse/square and sine wave shapes. The SEL
button allows you to select a further 69
preset waveforms. You can tune each

4>OSC COMMON/FM
oscillator individually in semitones via the
Semi knob, or in cents with the Fine control.
The Fat control brings in a stack of seven
additional synthesised oscillators, detuning
them more as you turn the control up,
These controls are common to frequency of the other. Dune CM
thickening the sound. Finally, Sync locks the
oscillators 1 and 2. P/Width is a has three FM modes, selectable by
phase of Osc2 to that of Osc1, for that classic
pulse width control that sets the clicking the FM Mode menu. The
hard sync sound.
width of the pulses if either FM1 and FM2 knobs have different
oscillator is set to generate a functions depending on the
pulse/square wave. Setting it to 12 selected mode, but essentially
o’clock (50%) results in a square determine the depth of the effect.
wave. The Ring Modulation knob In order to hear the FM effect,
effectively multiplies the the Osc Mix control needs to be
waveforms of the two oscillators. turned up, since the effect
FM (Frequency Modulation) caused by the modulation is only
takes it further, allowing one audible from the output of
oscillator to modulate the oscillator 2.

5>OSC 3
Oscillator 3 is a sub oscillator, slaved to oscillator 1 at a fixed pitch
Pl ICK E

interval of one octave lower. It has its own waveform selector

QU ID

with sawtooth, square and triangle waveforms as options, and a

u

separate Level control for taming your bottom end.

gi
GU

This section also contains a white noise generator, with a

ns

Colour control that brightens the noise the higher you set it, and
its own Level control for blending the noise into the sound.

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 dune cm /  plugins quick guide  <

6>UNISON
This section allows you to seriously thicken the sound by stacking
together up to eight voices for each note.
The Voices knob sets the number of voices used for each note
played. Turning the knob up adds more voices to the stack, but this eats
into the synth’s global polyphony (set via the Voices setting in the Main
centre panel). If you have more than one voice dialled in, you can use

the Voice Solo buttons to solo each voice and hear them individually –
useful since it’s possible to apply modulation on a per-voice basis.
The Detune knob detunes each of the stacked voices more and more
as you turn up the control, while the Spread parameter widens the
stereo image of the sound by panning each voice separately according
to the number of voices in use.
7>FILTER
Dune CM features five basic filter types (Lowpass,
Highpass, Bandpass, Bandstop and Comb)
arranged into 18 preset combinations, all of which
can be accessed by clicking the popup menu.
Some of these are ‘dual’ modes, combining two
filters placed in series, and other modes place
distortion or saturation effects before the filter.
The Cutoff control sets the frequency at which

8>OUTPUT
The Output section controls the synth’s overall output
volume by means of the Volume knob, but this is also
where you switch the sound to monophonic mode (by
clicking the Mono button) or arpeggiated mode (by clicking
the Arp button).
In monophonic mode, only one note can be played at a
time, while arpeggiated mode enables the arpeggiator,
whose parameters are accessed in the third pane of the
central display panel. The amount of portamento (how the
pitch flows smoothly from note to note) can be adjusted
using the Glide control.
the filter operates, while the Resonance knob sets
the amount of resonance applied to the filter.
Envelope sets the amount of influence that the
filter envelope exerts over the cutoff frequency.
Turning up Key Track makes the filter open
out more the higher up the keyboard you
play, resulting in a brighter sound at the top end of
the keyboard.
Offset is reserved for use with the dual filter
and effect modes. It either allows you to adjust the
cutoff frequency of the second filter relative to the
first, or it increases the depth of the bitcrushing,
distortion or saturation effects.

9>ENVELOPES
The Envelope section contains three individual
ADSR envelopes, these being labelled Amplitude
(volume), Filter and Modulation Envelope. The latter is
a dedicated envelope designed to be used as a source
in the modulation matrix. This can be used to modulate
almost any parameter you like.
Although all the knobs return values as percentages,
the knobs actually affect the time it takes for the
envelope to reach its peak (Attack), drop down to a
sustained level (Decay) and fall away after the key is
released (Release). The level of the sustained phase is
set by the Sustain control.
The Amp envelope has two cheeky hidden
parameters that can be accessed via the modulation
matrix: Spike, which adds a percussive spike to the
sound’s attack portion, and Hold, which maintains the
maximum level for a specified period after the attack.

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