Synapse DUNE 2 User manual

User’s Manual

Copyright c Synapse Audio Software 2014.
All rights reserved.
Concept and Manual: Richard Hoffmann
Graphic Design: Marcin Lezak
Programming: Richard Hoffmann, Marcin Lezak
Sound Design: See Appendix
All technical specifications in the product described in this manual are subject to change without notice. The document may not be
changed, particularly copyright notices may not be removed or changed. VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies
GmbH. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners, and do not imply owner’s endorsement of this product, or guarantee
full compliance with owner’s standards.

Contents
1 Introduction 5
1.1 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 New features in Dune 2 . . . . . . . . . 7
1.4.1 Oscillators . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.4.2 Filter............... 7
1.4.3 Graphical Envelopes . . . . . . 8
1.4.4 Unison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.5 Arpeggiator . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.6 Master Effects . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4.7 Patch Management . . . . . . . 8
1.4.8 Audio-Rate Modulation . . . . 9
1.4.9 Multi-threaded processing . . . 9
2 Basic Operation 10
2.1 Overview................. 10
2.2 Controlling parameters . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 MIDI Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.4 Adjusting Polyphony . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation Wheel . . 12
3 The Center Screen 13
3.1 Main................... 13
3.2 Settings ................. 15
3.3 Mod Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.4 Arpeggiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4 Sound Parameters 22
4.1 Patch Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.2 Oscillators 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.2.1 Common parameters . . . . . . 24
4.2.2 Synthesis types . . . . . . . . . 25
4.3 Oscillator 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.4 Noise Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.5 Ring Modulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.6 Mixer .................. 29
4.7 Filter Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.7.1 Filter Parameters . . . . . . . . 29
4.7.2 Filter Models . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.7.3 Filter Effect . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4.7.4 Filter Envelope . . . . . . . . . 36
4.8 Amplitude Envelope . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.9 Unison Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.10 Voice Edit/Common . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.11Master.................. 40
4.12MSEGs ................. 41
4.13LFOs................... 43
4.14 Effect Bus 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.14.1 Distortion . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.14.2 EQ1............... 47
4.14.3 EQ2............... 48
3 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

4.14.4 Phaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.14.5 Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.14.6 Delay 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.14.7 Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4.14.8 Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5 Modulation Matrix 57
5.1 The differential unison engine (DUNE) 58
5.2 List of Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5.3 List of Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5.3.1 Common . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
5.3.2 Oscillator 1, 2, 3 . . . . . . . . 63
5.3.3 Ring mod/Noise . . . . . . . . . 65
5.3.4 Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5.3.5 Amplifier . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
5.3.6 MSEG.............. 67
5.3.7 LFO ............... 67
5.3.8 Mod Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . 68
5.3.9 FX Bus 1+2 . . . . . . . . . . . 68
6 MIDI Reference 70
7 Optimizing performance 72
7.1 Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . 72
7.2 Optimizing patch settings . . . . . . . 72
7.2.1 Polyphony . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
7.2.2 Modulation Rate . . . . . . . . 72
7.2.3 Patch structure . . . . . . . . . 73
8 Troubleshooting 74
8.1 Notes click when pressing or releasing a
key.................... 74
8.2 Patches do not recall . . . . . . . . . . 74
8.3 Parameters change unexpectedly . . . . 74
8.4 The sound is distorted . . . . . . . . . 74
8.5 MIDI messages are not received . . . . 75
8.6 The CPU usage is very high . . . . . . 75
9 Legal Information 76
9.1 Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
9.2 End User License Agreement (EULA) . 76
Appendix 78
4 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1 Introduction
Thank you for choosing Dune 2!
Dune 2 is an advanced polyphonic synthesizer
VST/AU plugin, designed for creating music on a com-
puter, or playing live on stage.
The design goal was to develop a synthesizer which
offers yet higher sound quality and more flexibility
than its predecessor, Dune 1. Fast vector processing as
well as support for multiple processor cores allow the
plugin to run with a moderate CPU load on modern
systems.
Dune 2 was tested by music producers to guarantee
its ambitious design goals were met. It comes with
high quality sounds, created by experienced sound de-
signers.
1.1 Installation
Important note for Dune 1 users: Dune 2 is a
new synthesizer which is not compatible with Dune 1
in any way. Both run fine in parallel, there is no need
to uninstall Dune 1 prior to installing Dune 2.
Installation PC
Unzip "Dune20win.zip" and run SETUP.EXE to com-
mence with the installation process. The installer will
guide you through the necessary steps. You will be
asked to select the location of your VstPlugins direc-
tory. Make sure to choose the correct directory for
your host software. Refer to your host software’s man-
ual if you are unsure about where the host software’s
VstPlugins directory is located. The plugin file "Dune
2.DLL" and the manual will be placed in the chosen
directory. Presets, MIDI files and wavetables will be
placed in your user documents directory (Synapse Au-
dio/Dune 2). The next time you start your host soft-
ware, Dune 2 will appear in the VST instrument list.
If you use a 64-bit host such as Orion 64, be sure
to provide the proper VstPlugins path for the 64-bit
edition of Dune 2.
Installation Mac
Download and open the file named "dune20mac.dmg".
Afterwards, double-click on the installer icon to be-
gin the installation process. The installer will guide
you through the necessary steps. The next time you
start your host software, Dune 2 will appear in the
AU and/or VST instrument list, depending on which
format your host software supports.
5 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1.2 Compatibility
Dune 2 should run on any VST or AU-compatible host
and comes with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
If you encounter any compatibility issues with
your host software, do not hesitate to contact us
([email protected]).
1.3 System Requirements
In order to maximize sound quality, Dune 2 employs
complex DSP algorithms that are rather CPU de-
manding. Optimized SSE-2 vector processing, as well
as support for multiple processor cores allow Dune 2 to
perform very well despite its high complexity, however.
To achieve such performance, a modern computer is
required:
•Macs require OS X 10.6 or later, and should be
equipped with a 2 GHz quad core processor or
better. PPC processors are not supported.
•PCs require Windows XP or later, and should
be equipped with a 2 GHz quad core CPU or
better. Most importantly, Windows must be op-
timized for realtime audio, in order to maximize
the benefits of Dune 2’s multi-threaded engine.
Too many software packages or services running
in the background can severely degrade perfor-
mance.
Furthermore, it is important to choose a good audio
buffer size. We recommend to use between 128 and
512 samples (at 44.1 / 48 kHz sample rate). On most
systems, this should give the ideal balance between
low-latency, realtime feel and CPU performance. Note
that using less than 128 sample buffers will disable
multi-threaded processing, as the thread synchronisa-
tion overhead becomes significant.
The memory requirement of Dune 2 is approxi-
mately 50 mb per instance, plus some memory shared
by all instances. If you plan to run many Dune 2
instances, your system should be equipped with suffi-
cient memory.
6 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1.4 New features in Dune 2
This section provides an overview of the most impor-
tant changes since Dune 1 — new users can skip this
section.
Since Dune 2 is a new synthesizer rewritten from
scratch, there is many changes compared to Dune 1.
What both synthesizers have in common, however, is
the differential unison engine (hence, "DUNE") with
its unique modulation system. If you are familiar with
this system, making the transition to Dune 2 should
be relatively easy.
1.4.1 Oscillators
•Oscillators 1+2 now both form oscillator
stacks with up to 32 oscillators each (previously,
there was only a "Fat" mode which used 7 fixed
oscillators). Each oscillator stack can be set to
use Virtual-Analog (VA), Wavetable or FM syn-
thesis. The oscillator stacks operate in stereo
and offer detune and pan spread.
•Oscillator 3 is no longer a sub oscillator, but
can use arbitrary semi and fine tuning, for in-
creased flexibility.
•Wavetable Synthesis now allows to set arbi-
trary positions within the wavetable, for exam-
ple in between two waveforms. Modulating the
wavetable position is now much smoother than
previously (in fact perfectly smooth when choos-
ing a proper modulation source, such as a trian-
gular or sinusoidal LFO).
•FM Synthesis offers classic 3-operator fre-
quency modulation. In contrast to Dune 1, us-
ing FM does not compromise the ability to use
the full oscillator stacks. This means when both
oscillator stacks are set to 32 oscillators in FM
mode and all 8 unison voices are enabled, Dune 2
will render 1536 FM operators per key press
(64x8x3 operators). At maximum polyphony,
this is 24576 FM operators running simultane-
ously!
•The Noise Generator operates in stereo with
adjustable stereo width, and offers lowpass as
well as highpass filters for increased versatility.
1.4.2 Filter
•Zero-Delay Feedback Filters: Dune 2 in-
troduces zero-delay feedback filters, which more
closely mimic the behavior of analog hardware.
A drive parameter allows to adjust the satura-
tion characteristic (important when using strong
resonance). Most filters can reach self-oscillation
and have proper resonant tuning.
7 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

•Filter Effect: Some filter modes in Dune 1
offered extra gimmicks, such as a distortion or
bitcrush effect. Dune 2 offers a separate filter ef-
fect section with a variety of such effects as well
as auxiliary filters. The filter effect section can
be applied pre- or post-filter.
1.4.3 Graphical Envelopes
Dune 2 introduces four multiple segment envelope gen-
erators (MSEG). MSEGs can be used to draw pre-
cise custom envelopes, or they can be used in loop
mode tempo sync’ed to the host, which allows to cre-
ate rhythmic effects such as the well-known "trance
gate" effect.
1.4.4 Unison
One of the most important changes in Dune 2 is the
ability to edit all 8 unison voices directly, turning Dune
into a multi-part synthesizer. This allows to stack
completely different sounds, using different synthesis
models (VA, FM, Wavetable), a different filter, etc.
1.4.5 Arpeggiator
The arpeggiator now offers the classic up/down/random
modes known from many synthesizers, and works bet-
ter when playing live via a MIDI keyboard. The step
sequencer adds a slide feature and allows to import
MIDI files. Polyphonic sequences can be played back
as well.
1.4.6 Master Effects
The new version of Dune features two master effect
busses, each containing 9 effects rather than 6. The
new effects offer higher quality and more parame-
ters than previously. Individual unison voices can be
routed to either effect bus or both.
1.4.7 Patch Management
The patch management in Dune 2 is now entirely
based on files and folders. Each patch is a single
file (FXP), folders represent banks and categories.
When launching Dune 2, all available banks will be
scanned automatically. This greatly simplifies using
third party content, as it is no longer necessary to ex-
plicitly load banks. Sound design becomes easier, as
the file-based system allows to duplicate, remove, and
rename patches, and to sort them in arbitrary cate-
gories. Additional functions like Initialize and Revert
Patch speed up the workflow.
8 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

1.4.8 Audio-Rate Modulation
The new engine can be set to audio-rate modulation
mode, allowing all synthesizer parameters (except the
master effects) to be modulated at audio-rate. Audio-
rate modulation is very CPU-intensive, but allows to
develop new sounds with rapid modulations previously
not possible.
1.4.9 Multi-threaded processing
Most DSP algorithms employed in Dune 2 are a magni-
tude more complex than previously, in order to achieve
a yet higher sound quality. This also means a much
higher computational load, at least in theory. In prac-
tice the optimized SSE vector code, as well as the
multi-threaded engine lower the processor load sub-
stantially. On modern, optimized quad-core or better
systems, Dune 2 can even outperform Dune 1 in some
cases.
9 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

2 Basic Operation
2.1 Overview
The Dune 2 interface can be divided into four parts
(see fig. 2.1).
•The center screen (A) hosts the patch manage-
ment, global and patch settings, the modulation
matrix and the arpeggiator. The center screen is
covered in chapter 3.
•The right side (B) contains the master section
with global volume and the polyphony setting,
as well as the unison voice controls. In contrast
to its predecessor, Dune 2 allows to directly edit
the eight unison voices, either all at once or in-
dividually. This makes Dune 2 a multi-part syn-
thesizer which facilitates synthesizing more com-
plex sounds.
•The gray switch buttons (C) toggle the bottom
view between the keyboard, effect busses, LFOs,
and four graphical envelopes (MSEG).
•The remaining knobs and sliders (D) are Dune’s
main sound parameters: The oscillator stacks,
mixer, filters, and ADSR envelopes. The lay-
out roughly follows classic synthesizers, with the
oscillators on the left, followed by the filter in
the middle and the envelopes on the right. Each
unison voice has its own set of sound parameters.
All sound parameters are covered in chapter 4.
Figure 2.1: Interface overview.
10 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

2.2 Controlling parameters
Knobs, faders, and numerical displays are controlled
by left-clicking on them, then dragging the mouse up
or down in vertical direction (see fig. 2.2).
Hold down Shift while turning knobs to slow down
the movement, in order to set precise values. Use
Ctrl+Click to set knobs to their default position.
Figure 2.2: Controlling parameters.
The mouse wheel is a very useful tool to speed up
your workflow, and works on almost every parameter.
Use the mouse wheel on numerical displays to increase
or decrease the current value. Use the mouse wheel on
drop-down lists, to select the previous or next param-
eter in the list. Knobs and faders can be fine tuned
using the mouse wheel, in the graphical envelope edi-
tors it zooms the view.
2.3 MIDI Learn
Right-click on a parameter then choose "Learn" to link
it to a particular MIDI controller. Afterwards, turn
any knob or fader on your MIDI gear to link it to
that parameter. Unlink controllers by right-clicking
on a parameter then choosing "Forget". Note that
without any assignments, Dune 2 uses a default MIDI
controller map (see chapter 6).
2.4 Adjusting Polyphony
Dune 2 allows you to play multiple notes at the same
time. The "Polyphony" drop-down menu in the mas-
ter section on the right adjusts the number of notes
that can be played simultaneously.
Each note you play triggers one or more unison
voices (the number of active voices are displayed in
the MAIN section of the center screen). Since each
voice costs processor time, it is a good idea to limit
the polyphony as much as possible.
When choosing Mono or Legato, only one note can
be played at a time. Legato allows to smoothly go from
one note to another without retriggering the envelopes.
11 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

This can be useful for bass and lead sounds, particu-
larly in combination with the glide knob. It creates a
unique playing feel and sound which can be better for
monophonic lines. Using mono or legato modes also
results in the smallest CPU usage possible.
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 polyphony
parameter at times.
2.5 Pitch Bend and Modulation
Wheel
At the bottom left of the user interface, the pitch
bend and modulation wheels are located. The pitch
bend wheel is used to temporarily shift the pitch up-
or downwards. When released, it automatically snaps
back to center position. The modulation wheel typi-
cally controls vibrato type effects, but can be used to
modify other sound parameters as well. It remains in
whatever position it was set to.
12 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

3 The Center Screen
This chapter explains all parameters inside the center
screen. The center screen hosts the patch manage-
ment, global settings, patch settings, the modulation
matrix and the arpeggiator.
3.1 Main
Selecting a patch
Each musical sound that you can play is called a Patch.
A patch is selected by clicking on the patch name in
the center screen:
Alternatively click on the left/right arrow buttons to
go to the previous/next patch inside the current bank.
Dune 2 comes with 300 patches, sorted into cate-
gories like Bass, Lead, Pads, Special FX etc. The de-
fault bank shown is "Showcase", a collection of some of
our favorite patches. Click on Soundbank to choose
a different bank/category.
Soundbanks and Patches are stored in the following
directory:
•Mac OS X:
Music/Synapse Audio/Dune 2/Soundbanks
•Windows:
User/Documents/Synapse Audio/Dune 2/Sound-
banks
Each patch is a single Cubase .FXP file, a common
format for storing patches. Any directory within the
Soundbanks directory represents a bank. Thus you
can easily organize your patches and banks within the
Soundbanks directory.
Below the patch name, the patch description section
gives some information about the currently selected
patch, for example what the modulation wheel does
to the sound, or whether the patch is intended for a
particular tempo.
Important note for Dune 1 users:
Dune 2 keeps the active patch in memory, not the en-
tire bank. Always save patches you edit, switching to
a different patch will lose your edits!
13 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

Patch menu
The patch menu is invoked by clicking on "Patch":
•Load Patch loads a particular patch from disk.
This can be useful to browse patches outside of
Dune’s Soundbanks folder. Most of the time,
however, you should store patches in your Sound-
banks folder, in order to be able to browse a
whole bank quickly.
•Save Patch allows you to save the current patch
to disk. Always save your changes before switch-
ing to a different patch or closing your host ap-
plication, otherwise you will lose your changes.
Of course you can also simply save the project in
your host sequencer, this will automatically save
the active patch as well.
Any patch that has been modified is marked with
an asterisk (*), after saving the patch, the aster-
isk is removed.
•Copy FX 1/2 copies all effect bus 1/2 param-
eters into the clipboard, in order to apply them
to a different patch or to a different Dune 2 in-
stance.
•Paste FX 1/2 pastes all effect parameters from
the clipboard into effect bus 1/2.
•Initialize Patch resets the current patch to de-
fault settings. When designing new patches from
scratch, it is useful to start with a "minimal"
patch, i.e. a patch with an empty modulation
matrix, all effects turned off, etc., which is what
the Initialize Patch function does. Note that
your current patch will be lost, so be sure to
save it first if necessary.
•Revert Patch allows you to restore the current
patch from disk, in case you are unhappy with
changes made to the patch.
14 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

Multithreading
Dune 2 can take advantage of up to six processor cores
for synthesizing sounds. Enabling multithreading is
strongly recommended in most cases, as it can sub-
stantially reduce the CPU usage. Refer to chapter 7
for more details on how to optimize performance.
Skin
Click on Skin to choose between the different skins
available. Note that skins are located in the following
directory:
•Mac OS X:
Music/Synapse Audio/Dune 2/Skins
•Windows:
User/Documents/Synapse Audio/Dune 2/Skins
Since all skins come with all necessary bitmap files
as well as a Configuration file defining the skin, you
can create your own skins as well. The easiest way to
get started is to simply duplicate one of the existing
subfolders, then start to modify its files.
Midi Smoothing
Incoming Pitch bend, Modulation wheel and After-
touch messages can be smoothed. Strong smoothing
is useful in a setup where the MIDI hardware and/or
host sequencer sends too few messages, thus causing a
steppy response. The downside of smoothing is latency
and lower accuracy on rapid movements. By default,
only a little smoothing is applied, which should work
best in most setups.
For special applications, smoothing can be turned
off entirely. This is useful if you want to e.g. automate
one or more parameters via the modulation wheel and
an instantaneous response without any latency is re-
quired.
3.2 Settings
This tab controls various patch settings such as veloc-
ity, pitch bend and the modulation rate.
Velocity
Each MIDI note transmits a velocity value, which can
be connected to any sound parameter using the mod-
ulation matrix. Since velocity is often used to control
the volume or brightness of a sound, the velocity sec-
tion allows for a few common direct connections.
•Volume adjusts how much velocity affects the
volume of a patch. Set to zero, velocity has no
15 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

effect on volume. Positive values cause higher ve-
locities to increase volume, negative values invert
the effect — higher velocities decrease volume.
•Pan adjusts how much velocity affects the stereo
position. Set to zero, velocity has no effect on
pan. Positive values move the sound to the right
as velocity increases, negative values do the op-
posite.
•Filter adjusts how much velocity affects the fil-
ter cutoff. Set to zero, velocity has no effect on
the filter. Positive values cause higher velocities
to increase filter cutoff, negative values invert the
effect.
•Env Amount adjusts how much velocity affects
the envelope amount. Set to zero, velocity has
no effect on the filter envelope amount. Positive
values cause higher velocities to increase enve-
lope amount, negative values invert the effect.
Velocity Curve
Using the velocity curve setting, you can change the
effect the MIDI Velocity has on the selected patch. To
change the velocity curve, left-click on the curve, then
drag the mouse up or down in vertical direction.
By default, all MIDI velocity values control the des-
tination in a linear manner (1:1). For example, an
incoming velocity value of 80 has twice the effect com-
pared to a velocity of 40. By setting the curve param-
eter, you can change this 1:1 mapping to a nonlinear
behavior. A value of zero corresponds to the default,
linear scale.
0
Velocity
Magnitude
+100
-100
Figure 3.1: MIDI velocity curve.
The curve parameters is useful to fine tune the ve-
locity response towards your personal playing style, as
well as to your MIDI keyboard.
Pitch Bend
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.
Click on the numbers and drag the mouse up or
down to increase/decrease the pitch bend range.
16 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

If a MIDI keyboard is hooked up to your computer,
turning the physical pitch bend or modulation wheel
should turn the same wheel in Dune automatically. If
this is not the case, then the required MIDI informa-
tion is not transmitted to the plugin, and you should
refer to your host software’s manual to address the
issue.
Modulation rate
The modulation rate determines how frequently the
modulation matrix is evaluated.
•Normal rate is almost always sufficient, and the
best choice for most sounds.
•Fast and Very fast rates are useful when you
use rapid LFO modulations (>100 Hz), or when
you use MSEGs with very fast envelopes.
•Audio Rate mode processes the entire synth en-
gine sample by sample. This allows to e.g. use
oscillators as modulation sources and modulate
any (!) sound parameter with them accurately.
Note that audio rate modulation is very CPU-
intensive and should be only used when really needed.
Also note that a higher modulation rate does not equal
better sound — if you cannot hear a difference, do not
use a higher modulation rate, this will just waste pre-
cious CPU cycles.
Plugin Kb
This control allows you to set the key range the graphic
keyboard at the bottom responds to. By default, the
graphic keyboard uses the C2-C6 range.
Sync
All LFOs and MSEGs have an option to slave them
to the host tempo, a feature very useful for rhythmic
effects. DUNE 2 offers two ways to sync LFOs and
MSEGs to the host sequencer:
•Internal Tempo-synced LFOs and MSEGs are
retriggered whenever a note is played.
•Host Tempo-synced LFOs and MSEGs are
slaved to the host’s current transport position.
Both modes will use the host tempo in BPM as a
reference. The difference between both modes is ap-
parent during sequencing, however. Host Sync is use-
ful if you sequence a number of notes, while a slow,
tempo-synced LFO or MSEG modulates the entire se-
quence. Internal mode should be used whenever each
individual note played is to be modulated.
Note that some hosts may not support host sync
correctly. In this case, use internal mode.
17 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

3.3 Mod Matrix
The modulation matrix is accessed by clicking on the
Mod Matrix button (see fig. 3.2). The purpose of
a modulation matrix is to connect MIDI controllers,
LFOs, and envelopes with Dune’s sound parameters.
In a nutshell, the modulation matrix is largely respon-
sible for making sounds come alive.
Figure 3.2: The modulation matrix.
Click anywhere in the source column to choose the
modulation source, and anywhere in the destination
column to select the sound parameter to modulate. In
the amount column, click and drag vertically to change
the modulation amount for a specific slot. In the exam-
ple above (fig. 3.2), LFO-1 modulates the amplitude
with an amount of 100%, giving a tremolo effect.
The voice column on the right allows to limit the
modulation to specific unison voices. By default, all
voices are modulated, the column is empty ("—").
To get the most out of the modulation matrix, it is
required to first understand how LFOs and envelopes
work, and what the sound parameters do. Hence, the
modulation matrix with all its source and destination
parameters is described more thoroughly in chapter 5,
after the sound parameter chapter.
18 DUNE 2 User’s Manual

3.4 Arpeggiator
An arpeggiator (short: ARP) is a module that gener-
ates melodic or rhythmic patterns from one or more
keys pressed. This is achieved with the help of a lit-
tle step sequencer containing note length, velocity and
pitch information. For additional flexibility, standard
MIDI files can be loaded as well. The arpeggiator is
enabled or disabled using the ARP switch in the voice
edit section, individually per unison voice. The arpeg-
giator parameters are accessed by choosing ARP in the
center screen (see fig. 3.3).
Figure 3.3: Arpeggiator screen.
Type
The arpeggiator can use either the built-in step se-
quencer or midi files as a basis, which can be chosen
using the TYPE popup field in the top left of the mon-
itor.
In Step Sequencer mode, monophonic patterns of
up to 32 steps can be programmed directly within
Dune. Click on buttons 1-8, 9-16, 17-24 or 25-32 to
edit eight steps simultaneously.
Each step has three parameters, note, velocity, and
tie. A nonzero note value transposes a step up or
down by the given number of semitones, e.g. +12
corresponds to one octave up. The velocity value is
transmitted to the modulation matrix, where it can
be used as a modulation source ("Arp Velocity") in
order to change the volume or timbre of each step.
The tie button glues two steps, which allows to either
slide from one note to another seamlessly, or to sim-
ply increase its length. A rest can be programmed by
turning down the note value all the way down, until
three dashes ("—") appear.
The Midi mode allows to use standard MIDI files
as a basis. The files should contain only a single track,
and they should be monophonic. An exception is when
the "Playback" mode is chosen, in this mode poly-
phonic MIDI files can be played back too.
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Arpeggiator Modes
The arpeggiator module in Dune comprises 9 different
modes described below.
•Up mode successively triggers notes for all keys
currently pressed, from the lowest to the highest
note, then repeats the sequence starting with the
lowest note again.
•Down mode does the same, but in reverse order.
•Up/Down mode triggers all keys pressed from
the lowest to the highest note, then back.
•Down/Up works like Up/Down, except in re-
verse order.
•Alt Up is an alternative to Up mode, employing
a different pattern when moving up.
•Alt Down mode is identical to Alt Up, except
it operates in reverse order.
•Random mode traverses through all keys
pressed, in random order.
•Chord mode chops up a chord into a rhythmic
pattern, according to what is programmed in the
step sequencer or MIDI file.
•Playback mode simply plays back the sequencer
notes (or MIDI file), transposed according to
the current MIDI key pressed. Pressing more
than one key simultaneously has no effect in this
mode. Playback mode is the only mode that al-
lows to play back polyphonic MIDI files.
•Dynamic mode plays back a monophonic se-
quence similar to Playback mode. Dynamic
mode allows the performer to change the se-
quence in realtime, however, by pressing more
than one key at a time. Which notes are changed
is programmed using velocity. Velocities between
0 and 31 do not change a note, while velocities
between 32 and 63 affect the second key pressed,
velocities between 64 and 95 the third, and veloc-
ities above 96 the fourth. A simple application
of the Dynamic mode is to let the user turn a se-
quence written in minor to a sequence in major,
or vice versa.
•Silent is a special mode in which the arpeggia-
tor does not trigger any notes. The purpose of
this mode is to use the arpeggiator exclusively
for modulation, by choosing "Arp Note", "Arp
Velocity" or both as a source in the modulation
matrix.
20 DUNE 2 User’s Manual