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Cherry Audio Crumar Spirit: Revered Italian Monosynth Revived
Cherry Audio has released Crumar Spirit, a faithful virtual revival of the elusive 1983 analog monosynth originally co-designed by Bob Moog and his collaborators. This once-hidden gem reappears as a plugin with expanded creative potential and modern polish, available for $59.
Historic Roots, Expanded Capabilities
The original Crumar Spirit was a boutique synth crafted during a synthetic transition era—rare, idiosyncratic, and designed with visionaries like Moog, Jim Scott, and Tom Rhea. Cherry Audio’s version preserves its distinct dual signal paths: one feeding the filter and envelope, the other carrying ring modulation and noise through a separate “Shaper Y” engine. These parallel paths remain the synth’s defining feature, offsetting its architecture from other monosynths of the period.
Enhanced Sound Design
Crumar Spirit extends its analog lineage with fully unlocked polyphony—choose unison, cycle, or multi-voice modes across up to 16 voices, each with per-note variation. The modulation section now includes a four-slot Matrix Z system, giving access to 25 sources and 45 destinations across Mod-X and Shaper-Y. The arpeggiator is enhanced with swing, chance, and humanized feel. Cherry Audio has also added studio-grade dual-effect chains and expressive controls like velocity and polyphonic aftertouch.
Filters & Signal Flow
The synth’s dual-filter architecture shines in the plugin. The Upper low-pass and Lower multimode filters include high-pass, bandpass, overdrive, and a fixed formant option that imbues vocal coloration—sweeping melodies take on organic, near-vocal textures when tracked by key. Meanwhile, oscillator B can decouple into independent fixed frequencies, enabling drone, audio-rate LFO, or modulation-rich layers.
Presets & Workflow
The plugin ships with over 430 professionally crafted presets traversing bass, keys, pads, arps, and experimental textures—plus optional Spectres Pack for deeper sound palette. The organized panel layout and modulation mapping ensure that even complex setups feel accessible and visually intuitive.
Why Crumar Spirit Matters
Cherry Audio’s Crumar Spirit is more than a historical tribute—it’s a bold, expressive synthesizer that expands on its original complexity. Its dual path signal flow, rich modulation architecture, and arpeggiator nuances make it ideal for composers exploring evolving textures or dramatic tonal sculpting. At a smart price point, it offers DAW users a rare analog character that’s both playable and adventurous.
