Plugin comparison
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
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Contenders
Synth / Synapse Audio
DUNE 3 is Synapse Audio's software synthesizer combining virtual analog, wavetable and FM synthesis with a dual-oscillator-stack architecture.
FM8 is Native Instruments' digital FM synthesizer with eight operators and a modern interface, the successor to FM7.
Score verdict
On the Dubspot Score, DUNE 3 comes out ahead (8.6). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
| Signal | DUNE 3 | FM8 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | — | $99.00 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.6 | 8.4 |
| Formats | VST2, VST3, Audio Unit (AU), AAX | Standalone, VST, VST3, AU (macOS only), AAX |
| Synthesis types | Virtual analog (VA), wavetable, and FM synthesis | — |
| Oscillator architecture | Two oscillator stacks with 32 oscillators each, plus a third oscillator; up to 520 oscillators per note with 8x unison | — |
| Filters | Dual multimode filters with insert effects | — |
| Effects | Two master FX busses with 9 high-quality effects each | 12 built-in high-quality effects |
| Modulation | Four graphical envelopes (MSEG), three LFOs, and a dual arpeggiator with MIDI file import | — |
| Presets | More than 1000 patches; patch-compatible with DUNE 2 | Over 1,200 presets |
| Synthesis | — | FM (frequency modulation) synthesis |
| Operators | — | 8 operators, freely combinable in algorithms |
| Platforms | — | Windows (64-bit) and macOS (64-bit) |
| Plugin formats | — | VST, VST3, AAX (Win); VST, VST3, AU, AAX (Mac) |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.