u-he

zircon · Post by **zircon** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:38 pm

I've been testing the XMF filter and am still learning how to use it... I don't feel quite comfortable with it just yet. However I'll be spending a lot of time with it and I'd like to have numerous patches that use it if I do a followup bank (depending on how people are digging this one).

Beardedone · Post by **Beardedone** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:46 pm

Beardedone wrote:
I have freaked of several keyboard players I know so bad with Zebra2 - they felt like idiots for not knowing about Zebra before I did.

that reminded me of those horrible 30 minute "Bedazzler Plus"-type commercial presentations
----

Don't know that one. Is that a TV thing?

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:34 pm

zircon wrote:Hey, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of very deep, well-designed patches in the factory bank. But from my perspective, here we have a synth that sounds AWESOME - even for more basic VA/FM stuff - but seems to lack more traditional sounds like the ones here. You might ask, "Well, if you want traditional sounds, why not use another synth? Zebra 2 is so powerful, isn't that a waste?"

My answer... because Zebra 2 sounds better, that's why! Seriously, lots of my other soft synths are collecting dust, even if I can produce the same subtractive/FM patches on them. Plus, Z2 is modular, so if you like a more basic patch and want to add on to it, it's really easy.

yes, and more such basic (but desired by many) presets are useful for people who do not do much preset making.

Zebra sounds fantastic!

Beardedone · Post by **Beardedone** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:44 pm

For the record I need defined presets since I am useless at fathoming complex machines like Zebra 2 to any level that can yeild a desired result. Using eXT preset generator nort withstanding but it is unpredictable.

loopdon · Post by **loopdon** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:53 pm

goddamn it, those sounds sound tasty. if you are planning to sell the i would definitely advertise them over at tranceaddict.com in the studio section. i don't really like benassi but that is such a good representation of the sound. with my limited knowledge about synths i must say those oscs surely sound delicious.

pdxindy · Post by **pdxindy** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:03 pm

Beardedone wrote:For the record I need defined presets since I am useless at fathoming complex machines like Zebra 2 to any level that can yeild a desired result. Using eXT preset generator nort withstanding but it is unpredictable.

Noted in the record...

mayan · Post by **mayan** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:24 pm

can't wait to get the set, zircon! thanks for the heads up.

twolegstoneworks · Post by **twolegstoneworks** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:36 pm

I gotta say that demo sounds awfully "cliché".. where's the extention of the z2 library? heck I did this tech/house remix with basicly a few tweaks to the factory presets. It's rockin hard already as it is! If you want to sell something, it should be worth buying. Oh and I'm in a grumpy mood, so never mind me...

http://vibrants.scene.org/cosmic_sandwi ... remix).mp3

Tronam · Post by **Tronam** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:18 pm

metal wrote:I gotta say that demo sounds awfully "cliché".. where's the extention of the z2 library? heck I did this tech/house remix with basicly a few tweaks to the factory presets. It's rockin hard already as it is! If you want to sell something, it should be worth buying. Oh and I'm in a grumpy mood, so never mind me...

http://vibrants.scene.org/cosmic_sandwi ... remix).mp3

Good stuff, Metal! But, don't begrudge folks who are looking for more popular/familiar types of sounds. Z2 is big enough to give everyone some love.

zircon · Post by **zircon** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:24 pm

Metal; that is a cool tune, but not quite the type of sounds that I'm offering. I agree that Z2's factory bank covers a great deal of ground in many styles, including some subsets of electronica, just not a select few that I personally enjoy. Also, the demo is indeed kind of cliche & cheesy. Sure! But take a listen to most demos for popular dance synths (or presets), such as Firebird, the Vengeance Sound banks, Vanguard, Nexus, etc. I was trying to more or less follow the 'format' of most demos. If you go to iTunes and search for "Impulse Prime" (my second album) you'll find I actually write breaks/downtempo more than anything else...

@Everyone: Thanks for your interest! As soon as the bank is properly optimized you should be able to pick it up. I'll be sure to let you all know immediately when that happens.

Edit: OH MAN... I just figured out how to properly do gating... this is going to be fun.

twolegstoneworks · Post by **twolegstoneworks** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:56 pm

Zircon, like I said, I've been on the shady side of myself today, so I should be mindfull of what I write

I guess I'm just a bit fed up with those popular dance sounds, that are basicly do-able with any decent synth, and those demo tracks you mention yourself are good examples.. but from a commercial perspective I understand your approach completely. There's probably a lot more customer-potential in the popular-dance/trance genre than in the more underground electronic genres. I guess that what I would wish for was, that if there was a commercial library for z2, it should stand out from the usual bread'n'butter dance sounds and be something worth paying the extra money for over any user-shared presets. That said, $15 is a fair price, so I'll probably buy it anyway! And while I'm at it, I should remember to thank you for the presets that you actually have shared with us!! I plan on sharing some of my own presets when there's a decent amount worth sharing.

Sorry for any inapropriate ranting.

Cheers.

zircon · Post by **zircon** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:34 am

It's cool. Maybe Eric Persing will grace u-he with some presets someday. Now THAT would be cool!

BTW a couple links;

http://zirconstudios.com/ArtofZen.mp3 <- the general kind of music I typically write for fun (breakbeat w/ various other elements)

http://www.zirconstudios.com/z2nexus.mp3 <- hi reFX!

Tronam · Post by **Tronam** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:51 am

metal wrote:I gotta say that demo sounds awfully "cliché".. where's the extention of the z2 library? heck I did this tech/house remix with basicly a few tweaks to the factory presets. It's rockin hard already as it is! If you want to sell something, it should be worth buying. Oh and I'm in a grumpy mood, so never mind me...

http://vibrants.scene.org/cosmic_sandwi ... remix).mp3

I have listened to this tune many times now; thanks again for sharing it. It has a housey synth jazz-funk quality about it that reminds me of some of the tracker mods back in the Amiga days. Nuke (Martin Iveson) might have written something like this.

twolegstoneworks · Post by **twolegstoneworks** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:01 am

Tronam wrote:I have listened to this tune many times now; thanks again for sharing it. It has a housey synth jazz-funk quality about it that reminds me of some of the tracker mods back in the Amiga days. Nuke (Martin Iveson) might have written something like this.

Thanks

Well, I was there along with Nuke - and even before Nuke. I started making computermusic on the C64 in 1987, and used trackers on amiga (1989-1992) and pc (1992-). Actually that synthy jazz funk is what the musicians in Vibrants have always been best known for in the "scene".

Now back on topic

Cheers.

Howard · Post by **Howard** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 3:18 pm

bodan wrote:i'm not impressed....
zebra is much more powerful than these presets show

Why not convince us by posting just a few of your sounds? Zircon's demo showed that Zebra is very capable of classic "dance" sounds - what's your speciality?

u-he

KVR Audio

Dance/Electronic Zebra 2 Preset Bank - available NOW!