questions 4 urs/anyone

[dave dove]

hey

i noticed in another thread in the instruments forum:

(didn't I just post somewhere that I'd implemented Bazille's filter in Zebra?!? And didn't the oscillators have a "crisp" setting for those who don't get headaches ober 15kHz now?)

i've demoed zebra several times and love the features it offers
i even have a dinosaur crossgrade voucher
but never got on with the sound
i don't really notice until i try to put one of your synths into a mix
(and my mixing may well be crap too..)
but with all your synths i experience a sense of something missing
i don't know if this top end is the issue
but it is the only reason i haven't bought zebra2

is this "crisp" setting implemented in the demo?
how would i switch it on?
is this implemented in bazille?
i haven't had much time to mess with bazille yet
but as always with your synths i love the layout/feature set

looking forward

dave[/quote]

[hakey]

There's a 'renderer' option under the moreOSC tab which is supposed to do something (oversampling?), but, tbh, I can't hear any difference. You can choose between '0', '1' and '2'.

[Urs]

If you don't like the sound then it simply isn't for you. Zebra was foremost designed to complement my Virus A back then, which I found hilariously aggressive. I couldn't stand it anymore. Zebra delivered a much more organic and vintage sound, which is what I was after

However, throughout the years I've jumped through hoops to demonstrate to people that all if not most of the complaints are, well, merely subjective (blind A/B tests have shown that no significant number of people could distinguish Zebra from the synth they love).

People say the oscillators are not bright enough (they're capable to sound much brighter than the analogue ones I have). So now, in the latest beta there's a switch on the "more Osc" tab that lets you choose a "Renderer". At setting "1", the spectrum of the oscillators is then identical to those of the synths that are always used as examples for crisp oscillators.

People vent about envelopes. They hadn't seen the "vari slope" setting. This will in future be the default setting, with a moderately snappy slope.

However, even if all complaints were eradicated, "people who want to like it but just can't" will still not be able to like it - you might be the exception though, maybe

This is the panultimate truth I found out about over the years. And I'm happy with that. I hear Zebra pretty much everytime I go to the movies (not that I really hear it, but the chance is *very* high that the composer owns a license and uses it on a regular basis). On MTV I'd mostly hear Filterscape, but I've heard that Zebra is coming up there too. So something must be right about it, even though it doesn't fit the bill for everyone.

I suggest looking into FilterscapeVA for basses and Bazille for cut-through. These are totally different animals.

Cheers,

Urs

[dave dove]

hi urs

thanks for the reply
please don't think i'm complaining
it's your baby...
i'll have a good mess with bazille
and try filterscape
and have a look at this rendering option too

thanks again

dave

[mcnoone]

There are also ways you can use the osc spectral fx within the osc's.
Using "brilliance" or "expander" modes. You could try using a "shaper" module and experiment with that to get a brighter sound. In short, it is possible to get the osc's to get that brighter sound you need. You just need to experiment to find it.

I did some patches with Zebra that were too bright, and made my own ears bleed from the high end. I believe it can do any type of sound you want it to.
You just need to search for it.

[dave dove]

hi mcnoone

it's exactly that people say stuff like that that i keep coming back to it
it's certainly a very seductive sound
sometimes i think it may be my own mixing/programming skills
and that zebra's refinement may expose these shortcomings
the interface makes more sense each time i come back....

thanks all

dave

[GMusic]

Zebra is very versatile. The factory presets mostly sound to me 'soft' if you will. Not exactly what I look for in electronica.

But, check out the free banks (tons of em), namely the ones that describe themselves as for electronica related genres!

You will be amazed. Some PAD's I've heard, btw, sound just as good as absynth..and there aren't even any sample manipulation used in Zebra.


BTW: Can somebody show me where that new "bright" filter feature is in the More OSC? I don't see any switch there. using zebra 2.3.3

[bmrzycki]

BTW: Can somebody show me where that new "bright" filter feature is in the More OSC? I don't see any switch there. using zebra 2.3.3

You have to be running the latest 2.3.3 beta to find it.

Open Z2, choose "more OSCx" in the lower right hand corner there is a small box labeled "Renderer". 0 is the 2.3 default and 1,2 are the alternatives. It's the circled box in this screen cap:

[GMusic]

thanks. odd..i thought there was only one 2.3.3 beta and I am sure I am using it.

what else has changed from the first 2.3.3 beta?


I know I'm using the beta..collapsible folders.

[GMusic]

it was the skin. the unempty dark horse doesn't let me see that

[auricle]

Zebra is a beautifully versatile synth although Urs' design brief for it was always to make it 'sit in the mix' rather than jump out of the speakers and jab you in the ears with a sharpened pencil.

As long as you understand it's benefits as well as it's flaws I think that it's an essential tool for any computer musician's toolbox.