If you had to choose one: DIVA or Zebra?

[Nice2b]

Hey guys!
Hey Urs if you're reading this. Congratulations for the fantastic synthesizers!

I've been demoing both DIVA and Zebra over the last few days and simply can't decide which one to get first.
I currently only use Synth1, and want to upgrade. I've only used subtractive synthesis since I started producing and while I wouldn't call myself a master of it, there are not much things left to discover for me.
Don't get me wrong, I think DIVA has the most beautiful sound I've ever heard of any synthesizer, but in its core, even if you can dive deep into it, it's a subtractive synthesizer and I feel I have discovered most of the range of subtractive synthesis. All the nice characteristic modules, the voice mapping section, the superb effects and the snappy envelopes of DIVA can't really make up for that.
I love plucky chords, snappy basslines, warm pads, and 80s sounds, but I've been getting so much of that lately that I want more than that.

tl;dr:

I produce Deep House and would like these sounds, which I can't do a 100 % with just subtractive sythesis:
- a nice organ
- electric keys
- deep basslines with some FM
- stabs with interesting timbres

DIVA:
+ awesome sound (I really think you're #1 with this. The filter alone is just fantastic. It's the first synth where I actually like turning the resonance knob.)
+ beautiful interface
+ (currently) a lot cheaper than Zebra
0 pretty heavy on the CPU (my early 2011 MacbookPro 13,3" gets hot & loud even on draft mode). but gets me to freeze more, which is usually better for getting things done
- limited sound range (it's a subtractive synth after all, no offence!)

Zebra:
+ huge sound range
+ pretty easy on the CPU
0 don't like the UI so much yet, but maybe I just have to get used to it
- does the sounds DIVA can do slightly worse IMO (if you would hear the difference in the mix is a whole other question...)

Hell, if I had the money, I would buy both right away. But mastering one of those beasts at a time is probably the better idea anyway.
What would you recommend me?

Thanks in advance!

[CPCompany]

Hey guys!
Hey Urs if you're reading this. Congratulations for the fantastic synthesizers!

I've been demoing both DIVA and Zebra over the last few days and simply can't decide which one to get first.
I currently only use Synth1, and want to upgrade. I've only used subtractive synthesis since I started producing and while I wouldn't call myself a master of it, there are not much things left to discover for me.
Don't get me wrong, I think DIVA has the most beautiful sound I've ever heard of any synthesizer, but in its core, even if you can dive deep into it, it's a subtractive synthesizer and I feel I have discovered most of the range of subtractive synthesis. All the nice characteristic modules, the voice mapping section, the superb effects and the snappy envelopes of DIVA can't really make up for that.
I love plucky chords, snappy basslines, warm pads, and 80s sounds, but I've been getting so much of that lately that I want more than that.

tl;dr:

I produce Deep House and would like these sounds, which I can't do a 100 % with just subtractive sythesis:
- a nice organ
- electric keys
- deep basslines with some FM
- stabs with interesting timbres

DIVA:
+ awesome sound (I really think you're #1 with this. The filter alone is just fantastic. It's the first synth where I actually like turning the resonance knob.)
+ beautiful interface
+ (currently) a lot cheaper than Zebra
0 pretty heavy on the CPU (my early 2011 MacbookPro 13,3" gets hot & loud even on draft mode). but gets me to freeze more, which is usually better for getting things done
- limited sound range (it's a subtractive synth after all, no offence!)

Zebra:
+ huge sound range
+ pretty easy on the CPU
0 don't like the UI so much yet, but maybe I just have to get used to it
- does the sounds DIVA can do slightly worse IMO (if you would hear the difference in the mix is a whole other question...)

Hell, if I had the money, I would buy both right away. But mastering one of those beasts at a time is probably the better idea anyway.
What would you recommend me?

Thanks in advance!

Persist with it, seriously. I demoed quite a few synths and found the UI really hard going at first because it was so different to all the others I had tried.
I basically bought Zebra (even though I didnt quite get the hang of it at the time) cos it sounded great and I knew I could get the help I wanted from the community on here. It was a good decision and after a lot of practice/tutorial watching I started to feel at ease.

I own Diva and Zebra and at the moment I am using Diva for bass and Zebra for pads/leads and quirky effects.

[liquidsound]

You may have gone quite a distance in subtractive synthesis as you stated but it's not just a matter of having explored that area, and I don't think it's over yet, but the quality of the sound of DIVA is more than the synthesis type it offers. I own Zebra, ACE and DIVA and for about a week I've been gone and nurtured by her sound. In fact I'm going back to many of my tracks and use DIVA over other VST in many instances. the problem so far is that DIVA is more like a Praymantis; after making love to my laptop, she kills it!

[Bronto Scorpio]

If I had to choose I'd choose Zebra without even thinking. Don't get me wrong! I really like Diva! But Zebra is sooooo much more flexible. It can do almost everything! The "What would happen if I......?" part of Zebra is bigger, and that's exactly the kind of thing I like to do.
Zebra still surprises me every day, even after years

Cheers
Dennis

[deastman]

I've been struggling with the same decision as Nice2b. In my case, I already have more synths than I could use in a lifetime, both in hardware and software. I already have real hardware analog polysynths, a large eurorack modular, everything Native Instruments makes, and on and on and on...

Partly for this reason, I've resisted buying Zebra for a long time, even though I really, really want it. Diva has caught my attention due to its great sound, even though I already own similar hardware synths. I've been thinking about buying Diva before the price goes up, but I know that I'll still want Zebra.

I guess my question would be, how much of the innovations developed for Diva will find their way into future releases of Zebra?

[ariston]

Thank the heavens we don't really have to choose between them.

Seriously, Diva has captured almost all of my synth attention these past few weeks, and I can't get enough of her. But just yesterday, I saddled up the ol' Zebra and was in love all over again (old love never rusts, as we say in Germany). Like Dennis said, its range is astounding. If you're only getting one and are looking for something beyond subtractive land, then you've already answered your own question. Zebra is also a good investment: Urs has already stated that some of Diva's good stuff will make its way into Zebra, so it was and will be a growing synth for quite some time.

Re: the UI - once I got into it (took a few days), I actually found other synths lacking.



But, if you've got the money....

...Zebra and Diva together is like the one-two knock-out punch of synthesis.

[mcnoone]

What would you recommend me?

Well really it comes down to you demoing them and see which one you think is best for you.
Judging from the sound types you listed though. I would say get Diva first.
It's structure is easier to understand for most, who aren't use to modular systems.
It's easy to make good sounds for it.
I'd choose Zebra, as I like the freedom of being able to make complex or simple sounds, and other types of sounds that Diva can't do.
More types of synthesis, and routing modulation ability.
It works for me.

Maybe do some good sounds with Diva, then enter some patches in a Diva patch competition, so you can win Zebra.

In the end, just choose what works good for you, and don't pay to much mind to others opinions.

[Nice2b]

Thanks for the replies!

Persist with it, seriously. I demoed quite a few synths and found the UI really hard going at first because it was so different to all the others I had tried.
I basically bought Zebra (even though I didnt quite get the hang of it at the time) cos it sounded great and I knew I could get the help I wanted from the community on here. It was a good decision and after a lot of practice/tutorial watching I started to feel at ease.

I own Diva and Zebra and at the moment I am using Diva for bass and Zebra for pads/leads and quirky effects.

It's not that the UI isn't practical or suited to the task, but after playing with those sexy big DIVA knobs, Zebra looks like her ugly sister
While realistic-looking knobs wouldn't really look good on Zebra (it's too complex for that), I think someone could come up with something neater.

the problem so far is that DIVA is more like a Praymantis; after making love to my laptop, she kills it!

haha, it's funny because it's true!

If I had to choose I'd choose Zebra without even thinking. Don't get me wrong! I really like Diva! But Zebra is sooooo much more flexible. It can do almost everything! The "What would happen if I......?" part of Zebra is bigger, and that's exactly the kind of thing I like to do.
Zebra still surprises me every day, even after years

Cheers
Dennis

Wow, that's convincing. I love the "what would happen if…" parts in sounddesign! Not much of a preset guy, I always start from scratch and like to experiment with weird routings, LFOs and stuff. Although I do have my fun in the modifications tab in DIVA, there's a whole other level in Zebra for that kind of stuff.

I've been struggling with the same decision as Nice2b. In my case, I already have more synths than I could use in a lifetime, both in hardware and software. I already have real hardware analog polysynths, a large eurorack modular, everything Native Instruments makes, and on and on and on...

Don' you sometimes feel that stripping down your setup would make you more productive? I think owning Komplete alone would drive me crazy. I'd rather master 1 or 2 synths and get things done with them. But I'm a poor student, maybe that will change if I get some money

I've been thinking about buying Diva before the price goes up, but I know that I'll still want Zebra.

That's what will happen to me I guess...

Thank the heavens we don't really have to choose between them.

Seriously, Diva has captured almost all of my synth attention these past few weeks, and I can't get enough of her.

She's really one of a kind. It's just so much fun to touch her, and the end result always sounds good.

But, if you've got the money....

...Zebra and Diva together is like the one-two knock-out punch of synthesis.

If I had the money, I'd buy all the U-he stuff at once and wouldn't bother you guys here

What would you recommend me?

Judging from the sound types you listed though. I would say get Diva first.
It's structure is easier to understand for most, who aren't use to modular systems.
It's easy to make good sounds for it.

It's not so easy to get good results for the following sounds with a subtractive synthesizer:

- a nice organ
- electric keys
- deep basslines with some FM
- stabs with interesting timbres

For example the organ. I could use a sine wave, unison mode and detune the voices in DIVA to simulate the drawbars, but I'd still need the key click and a short "blip" at the beginning of the note. This sound would be much easier to make in Zebra, and it would sound more realistic/better as well.


I see it coming, it's inevitable that I buy both of them...

[4damind]

Diva is very limited compared to Zebra. The main goal is more to have a simulation of some vintage hardware. Because Diva needs a lot of resources it's for many only usable with decent settings (draft mode, not too long release times etc) or when render/freeze as quick as possible.
This are a lot limitations so for the "daily usage" it's IMO not the best synth. I'm not the biggest fan of Zebra but for most stuff it's a better choice than Diva. IMO Diva is more for some vintage sounds like a nice bass, some distinct leads... I use it only for Mono/Legato sounds like bass/leads and not for pads or stuff.

[Fritze]

If I had to choose I'd choose Zebra without even thinking. Don't get me wrong! I really like Diva! But Zebra is sooooo much more flexible. It can do almost everything! The "What would happen if I......?" part of Zebra is bigger, and that's exactly the kind of thing I like to do.
Zebra still surprises me every day, even after years

Cheers
Dennis

Wow, that's convincing. I love the "what would happen if…" parts in sounddesign! Not much of a preset guy, I always start from scratch and like to experiment with weird routings, LFOs and stuff. Although I do have my fun in the modifications tab in DIVA, there's a whole other level in Zebra for that kind of stuff.

What would you recommend me?

Judging from the sound types you listed though. I would say get Diva first.
It's structure is easier to understand for most, who aren't use to modular systems.
It's easy to make good sounds for it.

It's not so easy to get good results for the following sounds with a subtractive synthesizer:

- a nice organ
- electric keys
- deep basslines with some FM
- stabs with interesting timbres

For example the organ. I could use a sine wave, unison mode and detune the voices in DIVA to simulate the drawbars, but I'd still need the key click and a short "blip" at the beginning of the note. This sound would be much easier to make in Zebra, and it would sound more realistic/better as well.


I see it coming, it's inevitable that I buy both of them...

Right so. Start with Zebra. From these quotes it seems to be the better FIRST choice.

[aaron aardvark]

This is subjective, but overall I like Zebra better, but Zebra would be harder to program yourself. Fortunately, there are lots of nice Zebra patches on the internet for free.

[jupiter8]

Zebra2 can do so much with just one oscillator it's mind boggling.I usually get stuck with just one oscillator doing tons of crazy stuff and forget there's so much more. If anything it's almost to much fun stuff in there. It's a true lifetime to master synth, not that it's hard to learn there's just so much erm... stuff.

I think Z2 is the best synth ever made,period. But a good compromise could be Diva and one of the free simpler Z2 derivates ("just" one oscillator)
http://www.u-he.com/cms/zebralette
I believe there's a Zebra2CM version as well.

But then again Urs says parts of Diva will make into Zebra2 so there's that.

BTW i don't get what people has against the GUI,i think it's brilliant.What more could one ask for ? Prettier maybe but to dismiss it just because it isn't pretty is just silly. It's about as good as it gets.

[FarleyCZ]

The "What would happen if I......?" part of Zebra is bigger, and that's exactly the kind of thing I like to do.

Absolutely same here!

[deastman]

I just thought I'd post an update here, having finally made my decision.

First, I downloaded the Diva demo version, but didn't get around to installing it.

I watched all the Zebra mini-tutorial videos on the YouTube channel, and was very impressed- both with Zebra and with Howard's sound design skills. I then downloaded the Zebra demo, installed it, and started playing around. It has some seriously awesome capabilities. As Jupiter8 noted above, you can get lost for hours with just one oscillator. I particularly enjoy the spectral morphing types of sounds, at which it excels. After testing for a little while, I had pretty much made up my mind to buy Zebra. I can't believe I avoided demoing this instrument for so long!

Just for grins, I went back and installed Diva and fired it up. I was instantly blown away by the full, rich sound. I'm no stranger to real analog polysynths, and as I continued to play with it, I found myself glancing around the studio, trying to decide which keyboard to sell first. That's right, Andromeda, I'm looking at you!

So, the truth is, I want both Zebra and Diva. I went ahead and bought Diva now before the price goes up, but I also expect to add Zebra to my collection in the near future. I'm seriously impressed with U-he. Nice work!

[ariston]

So, the truth is, I want both Zebra and Diva. I went ahead and bought Diva now before the price goes up, but I also expect to add Zebra to my collection in the near future. I'm seriously impressed with U-he. Nice work!

I don't mean to say "I told you so", but...



...I told you so!