The interface of Zebra 2 does not do its sound justice.

[dabb]

u-he: Why not do a tutorial, either in flash or just YouTube video, where you demonstrate how to set up some basic patches with your bizarro interface?

yes this would be superb.........

herectic 2

aka rsp

1+

Dabb

[mellotronaut]

I like Zebra's interface. It's well thought and structured and fits well to the complexity of the synth. Twin 2 will be a great product too, for sure, but not a bit as complex as Zebra 2. So it's much easier to implement all the mouse-moves for mod-routing.

m

Strudel to the heretics? No, i love Strudel!

[ZenPunkHippy]

FWIW, I use Zebra almost every day and I love the interface. It might be "plain" compared to some synths, but it's very very focussed, and perfectly functional (which I suspect is one of Urs design goals). I never feel distracted using Zebra, except by the output

Sure a couple of minor things bug me, but it's the most functional of the synths I use on a regular basis.

For those who "don't get it" ... what do you want to know? (genuine question here!! - maybe some of us can help ...)

Peace,
Andy.

[hakey]

Yeah, I agree with Zen and mello, for straight out functionality, simplicity, work flow efficiency etc. it's pretty damn good. And, considering the potential for creating some very complex patches, it's really not that difficult to work out how to put together, say, a basic 2 osc > filter patch. I managed it without looking at the manual and I'm no rocking horse scientist.

Perhaps it isn't exactly a feast for the eyes and adding wooden side cheeks and some rack handles would most likely make it loof pretty f**king cool and make it sound more organic/hardwarish too, or for something really nice to look at how about a button which, when pressed, shows a picture of your choice - maybe some kittens sleeping in a cosy basket, or photo of Jenny Agutter?

[Urs]

You mean something like this?



Urs

[elxsound]

Yeah, I agree with Zen and mello, for straight out functionality, simplicity, work flow efficiency etc. it's pretty damn good. And, considering the potential for creating some very complex patches, it's really not that difficult to work out how to put together, say, a basic 2 osc > filter patch. I managed it without looking at the manual and I'm no rocking horse scientist.

Perhaps it isn't exactly a feast for the eyes and adding wooden side cheeks and some rack handles would most likely make it loof pretty f**king cool and make it sound more organic/hardwarish too, or for something really nice to look at how about a button which, when pressed, shows a picture of your choice - maybe some kittens sleeping in a cosy basket, or photo of Jenny Agutter?

I still don't understand this obsession of trying to make software look like hardware...

Wooden side cheeks and rack handles?? Really?? What would be the point of rack handles on software be? Even on a touch screen, you still can't use the handles... so, uhmmmm please help me understand.


Edit...

Actually hakey... re-reading it looks like you're being sarcastic. Were you or do you really want to see kittens sleeping in a cosy basket on your synth??

[PaulSC]

Kittenz +1

[kodama]

I think Z2 is beautiful and I love how it's just enough different from other synths to give you a different feeling.


Maybe just some better skinning documentation is all that is really needed?

[elxsound]

well, I find the twinII interface rather messy, lot's of dragging and clicking for connecting modulation. Cool looks but mostly a gimmick for me.
In Z² I just right click, select what to modulate, adjust the mod depth and done. Simple and I see directly what is modulating what.

A bigger spectral editor however would make me happier
//L

Gimmick?

Don't worry, I understand that everyone has different preferences for workflows, but I find Fabfilter's approach to be very functional.

@Urs, I like the look of your interfaces (zebra, MFMv2 and Filtescape). For MFMv2 and Filterscape, I sometimes feel there are just too many buttons, but always thought of it as... "that's the whole point." As for Zebra, I always liked the interface and how you can add modules as you build your patch. To me its a very cool idea and highly flexible... which is why it was probably deserving of being mentioned as #1 in that countdown on your site. ...anyways, just my 2cents.

[elxsound]

Kittenz +1

I guess why not... Olga has a rubber duck.

[Baz_Masterplan]

You mean something like this?



Urs

Great stuff. This really helps a lot.

A tutorial starting from an init patch to create a traditional brass or pad or bass would be great also for future vids.

Cheers and welcome back from the holz

[hakey]

Wooden side cheeks and rack handles?? Really?? What would be the point of rack handles on software be? Even on a touch screen, you still can't use the handles... so, uhmmmm please help me understand.

Sorry, I don't get it either (but there's plenty of vsts that have em - I think it's something to do with the analogs)

Edit...

Actually hakey... re-reading it looks like you're being sarcastic. Were you or do you really want to see kittens sleeping in a cosy basket on your synth??

Actually, I'm starting to lean towards kittenz playing with wool. Well, kittenz or a naked Agutter (tastefuly naked, that is).

[billstei]

You mean something like this?



Urs

I liked watching that a lot. Hard to hear you talking sometimes, but you already know that. Practical voice design says more about the synth than any manual ever could.

"blubbery thing" lol

Bill

[elxsound]

Actually, I'm starting to lean towards kittenz playing with wool. Well, kittenz or a naked Agutter (tastefuly naked, that is).

Jenny Agutter? ...sorry I had to do a google search. Never heard of her before.

[zerocrossing]

Just spoil them with innovative aesthetic intuitive interfaces with commonly used terms for devices and patches.

I'll stick my big ol' UI Designer nose in here (physically big too) and say that if there's one thing I've learned in all my born days is that when designing a UI you should not look "outside the box" if there's a perfectly good answer "in" it. Virtual patch cable? Why not? If the visual shortcut means instant understanding to the user and can be done in a way that's not confusing, then have at it. Someone in the Twin2 thread made a remark that Twin 2's just using something that KarmaFX has been doing. Yes, they sure are. Thank god. KarmaFX Synth Modular is the best UI of any modular synth software I've come across so far.

In fact, it reminds me of some software I use when I'm doing a complex web site or game UI:

http://www.xmind.net/

Now, I'll gush nonstop on how much I love Zebra 2. It's probably my favorite synth, but mostly I use it as a preset player because figuring out the simplest thing in it is super confusing. MFM2 makes my head hurt just looking at it. I've been using music software and hardware since the early 80s, so it's not like I don't understand synthesis or basic audio paths, but the U-He stuff. Eeeh. Can't grok it.

I'll put in a +1 for a series of video tutorials on patch design. Hell, I'd pay extra. I'm sure I could figure it out on my own, but I don't have that kind of time.