8.4Great
Chromaphone 3 is a two-voice acoustic object synthesizer using physically modeled acoustic resonators by Applied Acoustics Systems.
Plugin comparison
Chromaphone 3 vs Arturia Jup-8 V
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
8.3Great
Software emulation of the Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer with component-level analog modeling and added modern sound design features.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, Chromaphone 3 comes out ahead (8.4). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Chromaphone 3 | Arturia Jup-8 V |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | $149 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.4 | 8.3 |
| Formats | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX Native, NKS, Standalone | Standalone, VST, VST3, Audio Unit (AU), AAX, NKS |
| Synthesis | Two-voice multitimbral, based on physically modeled acoustic resonators | — |
| Resonator types | Eight: beam, marimba, open tubes, closed tubes, string, drumhead, plate, membrane | — |
| Factory library | 1,090+ presets (421 new plus 676 remastered Chromaphone 2 sounds) | — |
| Effects | Reverb, delay, distortion, phaser, chorus, flanger, filters, equalizer, compressor, guitar amplifier, tremolo across three independent racks | 3 configurable effect slots (11 effects available) |
| Tuning | Supports Scala scale file format and reference note frequency tuning for microtonal music | — |
| RAM | Less than 256 MB per instance | — |
| Polyphony | — | Up to 16 voices |
| Oscillators | — | 2 VCOs per voice |
| Factory presets | — | Over 300 |
| Modulation | — | 2 x ADSR envelopes, 3 LFOs |
| Sequencers | — | 2 x 32-step (Notes and Modulation) |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.