Bruno said this is "Fantastisch!"

[MBTC]

Fuck me. It seems like each generation of soft synths is just taking things to the next level. I might actually buy this one.

Load up the demo and tell me if I'm wrong? The Virus I used to have in my setup did not sound this good nor was as easy to configure.

Run the audio through a compressor plugin in your DAW to give the presets some beef and let me know what you think.

http://www.kvraudio.com/db/dune_by_synapse_audio

[MBTC]

Wow, not one person tried this demo?

I'm really interested in hearing what other people think of the overall sound to me. Not kidding here, like a Virus in a $139 plugin!!

Only thing is, I noticed the demo does not let me start with a default (init) patch and build up from there, unless I'm just overlooking it. This is one of the first things I do on a synth because crafting from the ground up (even very simplistic patch like bass sound or supersaw pad) really helps me compare the quality against others.

It is saying a lot that, to my ears, I am more impressed with this as an instrument than I was with my Ti2 Desktop. I know all the knobs and lights are nice, but just talking sound quality here.

Would a few of you guys be so kind as to try this one out and let me know how you think it compares to your Virus? I do not currently have a Virus to compare side by side, and would really value your opinion.

[Roby31]

I tried it and to my ears it looks and sounds like it's just a revisited version of Hydra. It sounds a bit better than its predecessors (Junglist, Hydra) and it might have a few more features but it's in no way a revolution and still doesn't sound as good as, for example, Sylenth1 IMHO. The filters are better than what Lenner Digital's synth has to offer and there are more features so I think it would be a better choice, but the overall timbre of Sylenth1 is what I prefer for traditional VA.
All in all, Dune sounds good and sounds like a good synth. Some of its limitations aren't really easy to ignore, for example the modulation matrix is quite limited for such a recent software and that I really can't excuse - the synth could be a lot greater and it fails miserably at that, it's more or less the same synth that Hydra was.
Side by side with the Virus, I prefer Access' instrument, even recreating the same patches.

Now a couple of things:

1) The INIT patch is the last factory preset in the demo

2) If you like it you should use it whether other people like it more or less than the Virus. It has to be YOUR instrument to have fun with and to make music with

[MBTC]

Thanks for the comprehensive feedback, very much appreciated. I think Sylenth1 is a great synth too, it's just that to my ears (and for the types of sounds I prefer), this one seems to provide a much simpler path to producing over-the-top good sounds (and that's saying a lot since Sylenth1 was dead easy to program). There were certain categories of sounds I just couldn't seem to create right in Sylenth1... Some of the presets were great, but some things were odd about it, like phaser characteristic seemed to have a profile signature sound you couldn't escape (not flexible enough), and some other things seemed odd. Most importantly, if you had a mix that was not quite perfect, Sylenth1 did not seem to want to cut through with its sounds as much, and Dune does? Reminds me very much of the Virus which was always prominent in the mix.

I do find the mod matrix a little bit limiting as you said, it does not feel as flexible as something like Zebra2, but despite my love for Zebra2 this thing just seems to sound better, and I mean by orders of magnitude.

I have not yet purchased it, but I almost surely will. It just seems to be a factory for good patches, at least with my programming style. I love the UI. At $139 I can't go wrong.

Thanks for the comment about the INIT patch as well, I figured that one out a little later as I browsed banks.

Updated side note: I had never tried Hyrda so it's hard for me to comment there.

[MBTC]

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).

[Roby31]

What I meant it's that this sounds like a very good update to Hydra, not the same plug-in. It clearly shows the difference of 7 years in experience. Sorry that I did not make it clear enough. Dune is much better than it for sound quality and I'd recommend it over its descent to everybody, even though Hydra is still used in some of the music you noted in your post
I just expected "more" synthesis and even better quality and felt disappointed. I'd like software to not have the limitations found in hardware and it kills the deal for me.

For example, the "FAT" mode, while sounding very good has no control whatsoever over itself, just a knob. It goes too full when it's all the way up and it's too empty when it's halfway or so. Would it be hard to have at least control over BOTH density and detune like in the Virus? Given it's all x86 software? I don't think so. That disappointed me. The filters are good and better than Sylenth 1's in my opinion, still not the sound I like the most (think Waldorf filters) but they're very ok. The oscillators sound ok in their own and the actual PWM is nicely done. I like the RM as well. I don't like its FM features - too limited for a software, they don't sound really good IMHO and filter FM is a mock of the real deal (again, Waldorf comes to mind). The concept itself could be expanded a whole lot and instead, it seems they've re-done their old plug-in with new graphics and improved generation engine, with no other stuff. It's that thing that bugs me. Software has the possibilities to be way better than it is and better than most hardware equipment but somehow developers only go to a certain place and make boring plug-ins. Sylenth 1 itself is another example of it IMHO, with its absurd absence of actual pulsewidth selection / modulation.

Sorry for my rant but this way I probably explained my POW better.


Also, the "big thing" of the Virus in my way of seeing things is that it's a hell of a synth. I don't care for Dream Trance, just like I don't care for this latest trends about electro-pop-rnb-fidget-whatever (basically 90% of the electronic and pop music) - I care for sounds, and the Virus itself gives me a lot. An Alesis ION would give me a lot. My Micro Q gives me a lot and I'd really love to have the QK or at least the Blofeld keys. Those are quite creative tools, who don't do the same supersaw hundreds of times.

Software, on the other hand, SHOULD give me a lot and most of the times it fails to do so. All I get is plug-ins with fixed architecture that look outdated compared to synths made 10, 15 years ago. They every time sound better but the soul and functionality isn't quite there. This was the case with Dune. I'll probably buy it anyways, but it didn't live up to my expectations.