Wow, I don't even know what to say.
Since you mentioned Hydra and I had not tried it, I went to grab the demo since it is so cheap.
As much as I appreciate your feedback, all I can say is are you kidding me? This thing (Hydra) is in no way in the same league as Dune. I'm not sure if it's filter algorithms in Dune, the FX which are largely absent in Hydra or what. But, Hydra sounds like every beginner-level VST I've ever played around with, while Dune, the handling of every parameter, and most importantly of all the end result, is something that sonically I have not encountered in a VST, in fact once run through the DAW, it puts the Ti2 Desktop I used to have to shame in some ways, because I don't have to deal with latency or DSP limitations on the hardware. I have been able to get some of the most amazingly fat sounds out of this thing while utilizing 4% CPU on a Core i7!!
One possibility we could have about our difference in opinions might be in the type of music we produce. I am one that doesn't really follow trends, I still like the dutch trance sounds from artists like Markus Schultz, Armin Van Burin, Paul Van Dyk, etc in no particular order or exclusion. The big thing you used to get from a Virus or JP(roland) was the supersaw sound, run through blazingly responsive filters, which let you create a certain atmosphere with pads, plucks, swarmy-lfo-leads and basses that sound analog in the right places and VA in the right places at the same time.
This thing just fits the bill! Virus sounds great too, but having to bounce down tracks to deal with latency? ack.... This thing sounds as-good, is a lot easier to tweak than Virus Control, costs a fraction and no latency.
Sorry to seem flabbergasted but I was expecting a lot from Hydra, and it turns out to be something like Synth-1 (as opposed to Sylenth). Synth-1 was one of those synths that had the potential to sound good with enough effort, but the interface was so spartan and possibilities limited. With Dune it is so self contained with the unison possibilities (which are all important).
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