This will probably seem like an odd comparison but here goes.

I recently bought Arturia's Minimoog V. Instantly, I'm in love. This instrument completely nails a lot of the sounds that I'd been previously trying to recreate with non-analog synths. So, I want more.

However, Zebra II looks very appealing because it looks like I'll be able create almost all the sounds I want in the one package. I will be able to make digital style dubstep sounds, ambient sound scapes and so on, but it also seems to have analog emulation. Zebra II has a lot of stuff that the Arturia package won't have.

The question is, does Zebra's analog emulation come close to Arturia's TAE technology? If you wanted analog sound, would you settle for Zebra II? Or, would you go out and buy Arturia's Complete?

I've been playing synth for 35 years. I wouldn't settle for Arturia, which is aging tech (I own 4 Arturias). I'd go for Zebra, which is imo the best VA there is. In terms of generic analog emulation, it's one of the very few VAs that has an authentic analog attack. In terms of sonic quality, it has a stellar reputation that to my ears is completely deserved. I think it's the best synth of any kind ever made. If you put in a few hours to learn the interface (rtfm) it will reward you.

Zebra has a neutral character and a variety of tools to work with which makes it great to recreate a variety of different ...characters.


Gave the Zebra Minimoog emulation a try, here's the patch:
http://www.box.net/shared/tp7qmyx4f260a4x29lao
You'll need Zebra 2.5.2 or higher...

More about the emulation here: http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=330955

Zebra is capable of very analog sounds. And very digital sounds. And heavily modulated and very dynamic sounds. It inherently sounds good and is so darn overbuilt with options and modulation slots that the range of capabilities are crazy. The design is amazing in that it holds so much depth without being overwhelming to use - at least after you use it a bit.

I'm working on a track with an acid lead right now. I tried doing the 303 type lead in Sylenth first because it has some 303 patches handy. Sounded ok but lacked real depth and variety. So I scanned through my Zebra patches, found something kind of 303ish, started adding some modulations and ended up with something wwwaaayyyy better than what Sylenth was serving up. I'm just using Sylenth as an example of a plug that is considered to sound analog.

As for straight emulations, you might be interested in the new, soon to be released u-he synth Diva. It is a sort of meta emulation that will allow you to mix and match parts from 4 classic synths. Here the main thread on it -

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=302792&postday s=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Definitely Zebra! Zebra can do everything from great analog emulations to digital emulations (Some of Michael Kastrups D-50 patches are awesome!) and completely unique sounds you won't get out of any other synth.
And there are A LOT of great free and commercial presets available

Cheers
Dennis

IMO Zebra does not sound analog. Like most VA synths it can emulate general analog characteristics but it still falls short when it comes to sounding like the real thing. I have never liked the Arturia stuff at all, but the closest thing to analog by far would be the Xils products, which are also developed by an ex Arturia employee. From the couple of audio demos that were recently posted by Urs, the new DIVA synth sounds like it may actually be a u-he product that I think sounds analog. Really looking forward to it. I would hold off making a decision until that one is available to try.
Last edited by djanthonyw on Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

U-HE *OWNS* us, dude. We be HUGE fans.

Yeah I feel kind of goofy pumping it up so much, but I like it A Lot.

Yep! Sometimes I feel like a really annoying spam guy but REALLY like Zebra that much and I want people to know how awesome it is. I hope I don't annoy people to much

Same thing for ValhallaRoom. Zebra and VRoom are simply the best two pieces of software I ever bought

Cheers
Dennis

The most analog sounding software synth in my book is Loomer Aspect http://www.loomer.co.uk/aspect.htm

He wanted a comparison between two synths. Should we have talked about a different synth instead?

OK, let's talk about Arturia. I think it's accurate to state that among musicians very familiar with Arturia and other more modern VAs, that Arturia's technology is generally considered to be significantly behind the times, particularly with regard to sound quality.

Buy Zebra 2 and ACE, both from U-He. If I were only allowed to keep one plugin synth it would be Zebra 2.

(although I'd try to sneak Absynth back in when you weren't looking)

Zebra for sure... not only is it great, but it keeps getting better

Zebra is way more capable.