Cherry Audio Launches the Crumar DS-2 Synthesizer
- Noise Harmony
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
The original Crumar DS-2 is the kind of synthesizer you hear about in forum threads at 2 AM. Built in Italy in 1978, roughly 700 units were ever made. Most of the surviving ones have at least one broken section. Finding a working DS-2 on the used market is a gamble, and not a cheap one. Cherry Audio just made that problem disappear. Their new Crumar DS-2 plugin ($59, available now) recreates the original hardware and adds a long list of features the 1978 version could never have had. If you're shopping for synth plugins right now, this one deserves a spot on the shortlist.
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The original Crumar DS-2: an Italian oddball from 1978
The DS-2 stood out in the late '70s because it wasn't fully analog. "DS" stood for Digital Synthesizer, and it used two Digitally Controlled Oscillators (DCOs, oscillators stabilized by digital circuitry to prevent tuning drift). That made it more stable in pitch than pure VCO designs, but it also gave the waveforms a distinct stair-stepped shape. The result was a gritty, harmonically rich character that didn't sound like a Moog or a Prophet. Modern plugins like u-he DIVA chase that vintage analog warmth on purpose, but the DS-2 stumbled into its own thing by going digital early.
The instrument combined a monophonic synth section with a 44-voice paraphonic poly section (paraphonic meaning all voices share one filter and one envelope). You could play leads on the mono side and string pads on the poly side at the same time. Sun Ra used one. So did The Cardigans. If you've seen Behringer Poly D, the DS-2 lived in a similar mono synth world, just with a wildly different engine under the hood. The 4-pole lowpass filter had a Moog-like character that worked well for bass and percussive sounds, with fast envelopes that could snap into shape quickly.
Reliability was the catch. The DS-2 is considered one of the most fragile vintage synths out there. DCO failures and dead poly sections were common, and finding replacement parts for a 1978 Italian synth is exactly as difficult as it sounds.
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How Cherry Audio expanded the Crumar DS-2
Cherry Audio's version keeps the stair-stepped DCO character and the mono-plus-poly architecture, then expands everything else.
The mono synth section now supports Unison and Multi-voice modes with adjustable polyphony (4, 8, or 16 voices). Three LFOs replace the original's two, each with delay, sync, retrigger, and one-shot capabilities. A five-part LFO Mixer routes modulation to six assignable destinations with 33 options each. The envelopes are DADSR (adding an initial Delay stage before the usual Attack-Decay-Sustain-Release) with velocity sensitivity and looping. If you want a primer on how digital waveform generation works, we covered the fundamentals in a separate post.
The poly section jumps to 32-note full polyphony with its own VCA release control. You can split the keyboard between the two sections or layer them.
Cherry Audio also added three independent effects chains (one for Synth, one for Poly, one global) with 20 effects including BBD Flanger, Ring Modulator, Lo-Fi, Tape Echo, and their Lushverb reverb. A dynamic arpeggiator covers both sections with pattern modes like Arp, Leap, Order, and Random, plus swing and chance parameters. Four assignable touch control slots support both channel and polyphonic aftertouch.
Over 300 presets come included, organized into 14 categories. This is Cherry Audio's second Crumar collaboration following the Crumar Spirit plugin released in 2025.
Pricing, formats, and the bundle deal
The Crumar DS-2 costs $59 and runs on macOS (10.13+, native Apple Silicon) and Windows (7+) as AU, VST, VST3, AAX, or standalone. A free 30-day trial is available on Cherry Audio's website, so you can test the full plugin before buying. It’s also available from Plugin Boutique.
Cherry Audio also offers a Deep Space preset pack (100 additional presets focused on modulation routing and layered sounds) for $9.99.
Through April 13, 2026, the DS-2 is part of Cherry Audio's Build Your Own Bundle promotion: pick 3 plugins for $99 (normally $119) or pick 6 for $149 (normally $169). If you've had your eye on other Cherry Audio instruments, that's a solid window to stack up.
Tim Shoebridge recorded a deep-dive introduction video covering the DS-2's features and sound design potential.
More sound demos and documentation are available on Cherry Audio's product page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cherry Audio Crumar DS-2 based on?
The plugin recreates the 1978 Crumar DS-2, an Italian synthesizer that combined a monophonic synth with a paraphonic poly section using Digitally Controlled Oscillators. Only around 700 units were ever produced, making the original extremely rare and difficult to find in working condition. Cherry Audio modeled the stair-stepped DCO character and filter, then added modern features like expanded polyphony, extra LFOs, effects chains, and a full arpeggiator.
How much does the Cherry Audio Crumar DS-2 cost?
The Crumar DS-2 is priced at $59. An optional Deep Space preset pack with 100 additional sounds costs $9.99. Through April 13, 2026, Cherry Audio is running a Build Your Own Bundle promotion where you can pick 3 plugins for $99 or 6 for $149.
Can I try the Crumar DS-2 plugin for free before buying?
Yes. Cherry Audio offers a free 30-day trial of the full plugin with no feature restrictions. Download it from cherryaudio.com.
What plugin formats does the Cherry Audio Crumar DS-2 support?
The DS-2 runs as AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone on macOS 10.13+ (with native Apple Silicon support) and Windows 7+. Cherry Audio recommends a quad-core CPU with 8 GB of RAM for best performance.
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