Albino vs Gladiator vs Surge vs Zebra

[pdxindy]

Kk on weekend.
Is it actually gonna change anything? Just don't want to spend my time on fail-fail situation.

Beware saying "sounds digital" when fans of U-he's Zebra are around. You could get killed for it. I'm not joking.

Don't be so dramatic! You are making a big claim, so back it up, that is all.

Actual synth comparisons are fun and educational. In the U-he forum a while back, Arksun posted about something he did not care for with Zebra, posted some examples, some other examples were posted, some discussion happened, and the result was that Zebra was improved according to Arksuns suggestion.

It was a fruitful and enjoyable discussion. Without actual sound examples, such discussions as this usually devolve into nothing but vague assertion of opinions. If there is some desirable quality or character in some synth, direct comparisons of audio examples will reveal it and everyone gains.

[pdxindy]

http://www.dsisynth.com/audio/mopho_dem ... o-rock.mp3

That... fur.. wool...or something.

I know what you mean, I'm working on that.

I don't think it's difficult though. I have worked on that song for only 30 minutes, including the bass and "guitar" sound from scratch. I'll keep an ear on it.

This is fun! Dance for me synth man!

It is fun!! Helps sort out fact from fiction. I find it educational and it is a good exercise to really listen and understand what someone is talking about.

For me, this is KVR at its best!

[zerocrossing]

For me, this is KVR at its best!

I know, and no one's been called a c*nt yet! Are we evolving?

[ZenPunkHippy]

It is fun!! Helps sort out fact from fiction. I find it educational and it is a good exercise to really listen and understand what someone is talking about.

For me, this is KVR at its best!

Absolutely spot on ... it is great to see a proper discussion taking place, separating the facts from the nonsense

That is because of the pots, not because of the instability. They go out of tune just by looking at the tune knobs

is that a bug or a feature? It really annoys the hell out of me, so much that I hardly turn them on these days ...

Peace,
Andy.

[Urs]

That is because of the pots, not because of the instability. They go out of tune just by looking at the tune knobs

is that a bug or a feature? It really annoys the hell out of me, so much that I hardly turn them on these days ...

Peace,
Andy.

Seriosuly. I wanted the first demo song for Uhbik be produced with all analogue gear, and Uhbiks (of course). So I went recording sequence after sequence with the modular. And sequence after sequence I had to patch out the oscillators, route them through Logic's "Tuner" and almost get muscle spasm while trying to create "tune". What a drag...

Sheesh, some people like E Froese and J-M Jarre must have spent a good quarter of their precious studio time just tuning oscillators.

[Urs]

Very interesting! I guessed only 50% of it right (Which is equivalent to the odds of a random selection really). 5 is a pleasant surprise, anything esle I could have gone either way about. 6 is the sound I'd ideally like to be able to hear out of Zebra. That's the type that I don't think it really gets too close too. But I think asking that of any synth (to be able to replicate any sound) is a lot to ask.

True. Funnily, I bought the Analogue Systems filter (example 6) upon Andy's (D-Cam, Glue, Guru) suggestion and while it's really great sounding, it's the analogue filter I like the least out of the ones I have (the competition is strong though). It's a 24dB State Variable, but when coding Runciter I made sure it would be as different as possible

Id' love to check out those patches Urs, especially 2 and mostly 5. I'd love to see the 'tricks' myself in Zebra.

They're pretty lost unfortunately. I worked with a single instance, tweaking it, the recording. But I havn't save patches... just like I didn't do with the analogue gear...

I'm contemplating to do another tutorial video with stuff like that though...

[Echo Voodoo]

I'm contemplating to do another tutorial video with stuff like that though...

That would be great.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I'm contemplating to do another tutorial video with stuff like that though...

Great idea! Not only would they helpful to Zebra users, but I think you're tutorials will pay off for you as well. Youtube videos can really wet the appetite for people considering purchasing a new soft synth.


By the way, your industrial rock tune is very cool, and exactly the kind of sounds that would be great to see in tutorials and zebra presets as well!

[david.beholder]

Don't be so dramatic! You are making a big claim, so back it up, that is all.

Actual synth comparisons are fun and educational. In the U-he forum a while back, Arksun posted about something he did not care for with Zebra, posted some examples, some other examples were posted, some discussion happened, and the result was that Zebra was improved according to Arksuns suggestion.

It was a fruitful and enjoyable discussion. Without actual sound examples, such discussions as this usually devolve into nothing but vague assertion of opinions. If there is some desirable quality or character in some synth, direct comparisons of audio examples will reveal it and everyone gains.

Since i'm not employed by Urs and not a fanbase, not planning to buy -- i have no interest in improvement of Z. I barely see a field of discussion. It's not U-he forum, right?

Even more. I think my statements affect sales numbers and/or coolness of Z ownership. That's why Urs and fanbase are here attcking me. Nоt because of actual sound or user experience, that I have/had.

Don't you see it?

I definitely not going to back it up. It sounds "digital". I'm sure Urs is pretty good develeport to make it sound "analogue" out of box. The problem is, I already passed choice stage.

[elxsound]

@david.beholder... uhh, you feeling okay, buddy?

I think you missed the point. This is a pretty cool discussion.

Everyone's got their own views here. I'm not a fan of Sylenth1, even though I tried so hard to like it. There's a huge fanbase here too for that, but that's just how it goes. State your opinions and roll with the punches, but right now I don't see any verbal punches... just a discussion.

[elxsound]

1 6 8 Clearly analogue (eek!). I think I can hear the Zebra digital filter saturation in examples 3 and 7. 5 is the Little Phatty. and 2 and 4 are the modulars.

How did I do? Im taking a bit of a punt...as I dont even know how many of each synth are used...

Well, hmmm. I think I'll unveil this one:

1. LiveWire
2. Z2 XMF
3. Moog
4. Cwejman
5. Z2 Vintage2
6. Analog Systems
7. Z2 XMF
8. Z2 XMF

It's pretty clear once you know it.

I had to use some tricks though, as we needed mono output I could detune a single XMF (cutoff offset) and mix to mono afterwards. I also modulated an envelope against itself in a ModMixer to make it snappier than exponential. Oh, last but not least it's always a nifty trick to use the filter envelope in negative polarity on the vca. This way one can compensate for the "bass boost" that some synths exhibit at low filter cutoff.

Here's the link for those who hadn't heard it:

http://www.u-he.com/music/SomeBass.wav

Urs

So, what's up with 9-13?

I'm not best suited for guessing these, but am intrigued at the answers.

[david.beholder]

@david.beholder... uhh, you feeling okay, buddy?

I think you missed the point. This is a pretty cool discussion.

Everyone's got their own views here. I'm not a fan of Sylenth1, even though I tried so hard to like it. There's a huge fanbase here too for that, but that's just how it goes. State your opinions and roll with the punches, but right now I don't see any verbal punches... just a discussion.

I'm completely ok, thanks doc 36.6. I see punches a bit. For example it would be different thread if Howard ask what do I feel digital in sound. Did he? No

[Echo Voodoo]

That's why Urs and fanbase are here attcking me.

Howard made a statement and was challenged to back it up with an example. He did. Urs made some statements and then backed them up with examples to demonstrate his point.

You made statements and were asked to back them up and you... claim persecution?

Oh well...

[Sascha Franck]

Fwiw, I really don't get all that analog hype at all.
Yes, I grew up when acts using analog stuff were big (Pink Floyd and the likes). Yes, I am a guitar player who happens to love analog amps in quite some situations.
But whenever I need some "dirt", "grit" or whatever, I surely find some ways of adding them more or less easily. Having said that, I defenitely prefer a "neutral" sound to start with. And digital is perfect for that neutral sound.
Heck, I have quite some analog guitar equipment and I'm also able to record it properly, should I need to. Yet, just recently I recorded a bunch of guitars for some folks (for some supposedly commercial releases, whatever that means, but at least I got paid for it...) and it's been all virtual amp sims that I've been using. The dudes were pretty happy about the "tone", though - and they're rather experienced producers, musicians and guitar sound lovers.
I hate to say it, but it's all about what *you* make of it. And Zebra certainly offers a whole lot of options to make something out of it.
I also hate to say that in the hands of the right person, just about anything will sound fine. And well, IMHO, "analog" character doesn't only come from the sound source but from the player as well. Skip some quantizing and there's your analog character. But of course, these days people are often quantizing stuff by 100%, expecting things to sound analog nonetheless. But when you think about it, all the famous analog sounds people are using as role models have usually been recorded straight to tape, without any sequencing and quantizing. And yes, there's a HUGE difference between a chord that has some natural/human delay between its individual voices and something that has been fully quantized.
Very often, the "real" analog is in your hands, nowhere else.

- Sascha

[thespecialist]

Proof? There is no proof, just your claims. You have not posted your sylenth version of the same preset as Howard copied. Please post a sylenth version. I would be interested to hear how it sounds analogue.

Kk on weekend.
Is it actually gonna change anything? Just don't want to spend my time on fail-fail situation.

Original: http://www.unease.se/juno.htm
Zebra version by howard: http://www.box.net/shared/36zm5027x5
Sylenth1: http://www.box.net/shared/6fklzl7gxf