The Crumar DS-2 synthesizer from Cherry Audio accurately reproduces the unique digital/analog sound of the 1978 hardware synthesizer. This latest collaboration with our friends at Crumar Instruments not only captures the unique timbre and multitimbral capabilities of the original, but enhances them, offering an impressive combination of innovation and authenticity.
The original Crumar DS-2 featured a monophonic synthesizer engine combined with a 44-note fully polyphonic (paraphonic) section, creating a unique musical experience when used together. “DS” stood for “Digital Synthesizer,” and it was indeed an early hybrid synthesizer, featuring two digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs) as well as analog LFOs, VCFs, VCAs, and EGs. But these weren’t the DCOs we’d come to know in later polyphonic synthesizers. To avoid the tuning issues of traditional analog synthesizers, Crumar applied an advanced concept to the synthesizer section to create drift-free oscillators. However, the resulting waveforms were fully stepped, creating a rough timbre and wild harmonics.
The Poly section was paraphonic, with a single filter (with high- and low-pass controls) and its own VCA. It created unique sawtooth waves by combining down-splitting square waves with resistors and high-pass filtering. The cutoff, resonance, and modulation settings in the Synth section were also applied to the paraphonic polyfilter.
As a result, the DS-2’s timbres differ from both the smooth, polished sounds of most digital synthesizers and the warm, oily tones characteristic of classic analog models. Instead, the DS-2 possesses a sharp, harmonically incisive quality and a rugged character that sets it apart from the crowd.
