Crumar DS-2

Name: Crumar DS-2
Price: 29 USD
Author: Cherry Audio

by Cherry Audio · Synth · Crumar DS-2 mono/poly synth emulation

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A recreation of the 1978 Crumar DS-2, an Italian synth with digitally controlled oscillators, a mono synth section and a polyphonic section.

It adds 12 and 24 dB filter modes, three LFOs, an arpeggiator, 20 effects in three chains and over 300 presets, for $59.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Bass, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Pop, Rock & Indie.

Keywords: polyphonic, arpeggiator, hardware emulation, vintage, 70s, leads, monophonic, preset-driven, analog, oversampling, 80s, basses, BBD, heavy, hybrid, paraphonic, resizable UI, sound design, subtractive, textures.

What it does

Crumar DS-2 is Cherry Audio's recreation of the 1978 Italian hybrid synth, with digitally controlled oscillators feeding an analog-style signal path ("Digital Control, Analog Soul"). It keeps the original's separate Synth and Poly sections and expands both.

Oscillators: two DCOs with stair-stepped sawtooth, triangle, square and pulse waves; OSC 2 in the Synth section adds a stepped sine, and oscillator sync is new.
Synth section: monophonic with last or high note priority, a Unison mode with voice cycling, panning and tuning, and a Multi mode with 4, 8 or 16 voices.
Poly section: fully polyphonic with up to 32 notes, where the original was paraphonic; play the two sections layered or split across the keyboard.
Filter and envelopes: a 12 dB 2-pole or the original 24 dB 4-pole filter with high- and low-pass knobs, polarity and key follow; DADSR envelopes with velocity and looping.
LFOs: three LFOs (the original had two) with ramp, triangle, sine, square, sample and hold and staircase waves, per-LFO delay, sync, retrigger and one-shot, plus an LFO Mixer with six destinations.
Performance: four Touch Control slots for channel and polyphonic aftertouch, mod wheel, assignable bend range, and an arpeggiator with Arp, Leap, Order and Random modes plus swing, chance and feel.
Effects and presets: three effect chains (Synth, Poly and global) drawing on 20 effects, from BBD Flanger and Tape Echo to Lushverb and DCO Chorus; over 300 presets in 14 categories.
Extras: resizable interface, user-adjustable oversampling, and full MIDI learn and DAW automation.

A free 30-day demo is available.

Source: Cherry Audio product page

When to use it

Crumar DS-2 is the pick for a rough, grainy vintage-digital character that few plugins model. Compared with u-he Diva, it has a narrower, more specific sound, but its split Synth and Poly sections let you play a lead over chords in one patch. Unlike Arturia Mini V, it is polyphonic in both sections and adds an arpeggiator. It is also far cheaper than Diva, and lighter in scope than Serum 2 or Vital, which suit modern wavetable design better.

Best for: vintage leads, basses, edgy polyphonic textures and layered lead-plus-chord patches.
Genres: electronic, synthwave, pop and progressive rock.
Look elsewhere if: you want a classic, widely known analog sound; Diva or Arturia Mini V are more familiar.
Tip: turn the global effects off when browsing presets to hear the dry DS-2 tone, and keep oversampling at 1x or 2x to save CPU.

What producers say

Reviewers find it a characterful, good-value revival that improves on the original, with CPU use and effect-heavy presets the main reservations.

Sound On Sound (Gordon Reid, July 2026) welcomed the added waveform, sync, 12 dB filter mode and wider modulation, and suggested the DS-2 "could be better than the original".
Synth Anatomy called the tone "rough, grainy, edgy, and unique" and praised the multi-voice mode; its verdict was "A must-have? No, but nice to have".
Criticisms: Synth Anatomy found CPU use high at 4x oversampling, many presets "too cluttered with effects", and each effect's modulator fixed to one parameter.

Where to buy

AudioDeluxe: $29 (regular $59)
Cherry Audio: $59
PluginFox: $59

Tutorials and reviews

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