Getting Started

Welcome to the Crumar DS-2, Cherry Audio’s revival of a wonderfully odd Italian synth from 1978. Never heard of it? Don't worry. You're not alone.

The DS-2 isn’t one of those era-defining classics with presets you’ve heard on radio staples and retro playlists. Not even close. This is the kind of forgotten, half-mythical synth you discover by accident on a forum thread populated by sleep-deprived gear archaeologists. Get the picture? You see a blurry photo, someone posts a clip, and you think, “What is that thing?” Then you find a proper demo and realize the answer is… it’s trouble.

Not the “my DAW crashed” kind of trouble, mind you. The kind that makes you start rationalizing why you need it and how you’re going to find it. It's the kind of white whale instrument that synth nerds obsess over and argue about for no other reason than it exists, it’s rare, and it doesn't sound like anything tidy, modern, or even remotely approved of by the internet.

And honestly, in many ways, it’s our favorite kind of synth. Cherry Audio lives for these moments, when some overlooked machine from a back corner of synth history turns out to have a voice that’s still weirdly relevant, inspiring, and capable of making tracks feel like they have a story. Sure, we love the big, famous instruments too, but the real thrill is rescuing the underdogs, the oddballs, the “wait, they actually built this?” designs that never got their proper due. Then we give them modern muscle, better manners, and enough creative options that you can take their original character somewhere new. DS-2 is exactly that kind of treasure: rare, eccentric, and ready to be used for something better than online arguments. 

Why It Sounded Odd and Why That's a Good Thing.

The original Crumar DS-2 featured a monophonic synth engine alongside a 44-note fully polyphonic companion engine. This unique combination created a distinctive musical experience when both engines were used together. The unusual split personality of the instrument is a significant reason why it still stands out today.

The original DS-2 didn’t get overlooked because it was bland. It got overlooked because of historical timing and because it didn’t fit in. It arrived with “digital” on the label, but not the sparkly kind of digital that came later. Its Synth section produced tiny stair-stepped waveforms, with no interest in smoothing its edges. That’s why the tone feels jagged, harmonically edgy, and a little feral.

One of DS-2's neat party tricks is pulse-width modulation (PWM) that doesn’t glide, but hops. Instead of a smooth sweep, the pulse width shifts in little steps, which means slow modulation can feel like a pattern rather than a sweep. If you’ve ever wished your PWM movement had more character, DS-2 is your best new bad friend.

Paraphonic Poly

The Poly section is the other half of the story. It’s paraphonic, with a divide-down, saw-like flavor that can go from soft-string nostalgia to buzzy edge depending on how you shape it. And it doesn’t just sit behind the Synth section like a well-behaved pad generator. It has its own personality, and it’s capable of stealing the scene if you let it, especially with a bit of secret sauce we've added in the form of its dedicated 5-slot effects chain.

An Old Soul with New Tricks

And true to form, Cherry Audio preserves all that eccentric DS-2 character, then does what Cherry does best: makes the weird, rare, underappreciated stuff playable again, then hands you a bigger toolkit. You get modern enhancements, more voices in the Synth section, expanded modulation, performance tools, splits and layers, and loads of effects. In other words, you get the fun parts of owning a strange vintage synth, without the less-fun parts of owning a strange vintage synth.

Technical Assistance
Cherry Audio's unique online store and automatic updating should make installation and operation a smooth experience, but if you run into any issues or have questions, you can discuss issues online at the Cherry Audio forums.

... or you can communicate directly with one of our surly and grumpy outgoing and friendly tech support staff at:

https://cherryaudio.kayako.com/