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Zebra Legacy (Zebra2)

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Stan Navi wrote:Wow! Why so many hate to S-synths?
Not hate from my side, just also no burning desire to take example from them. And getting tired of hearing how great it would be to turn Zebra into one of them.

I've been over this discussion 13 years ago, when Zebra went from S-synth to modular.

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kgdrum wrote:From a long time synth user ,myself not really a true synth programmer but I have ears......what I love about U-he synths is the SOUND!!. :tu: :love: :clap:
I've played with synth players(back in the day) that worked with Herbie,Michael Jackson etc......
For me few soft synths really have that SOUND!!
I have most if not all of of U-he's synths a couple from XILS & the Waldorf Largo, these give me that real feeling of a synth,I have tons of others(none of the S synths,lol) & most are gathering virtual dust because they generally don't grab me like Zebra/HZ,Diva,Repro 1 and Bazille and a couple of others.
For me I hope Urs,Howard and the U-he team continue to do whatever they want to do,I expect a good synth to take time to learn,understand and master,for me it's all about the SOUND!!
I don't want these gems dumbed down.
Team U-he rock on! :clap: :love: :tu:
Thank you! - I'm fairly sure the S-synths sound very nice though... there's definitely nothing wrong with them in that respect.

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i suspect part of what makes your synths grab me is the filters and some type of magic U-he dust you use. ;-)
2012 Mac Pro,3.46 Ghz,12 core 96g ,Mojave,RME, DP11.01, Logic 10.51,RME UCX, Great River ME-1NV, a few microphones,Spectrasonics, U-he Komplete12U & way too many VI's,Synths & FX galore!, UAD,Mimic Pro/SD3,Focal Twin 6 monitors, Shunyata ....

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Stan Navi wrote:Wow! Why so many hate to S-synths?
I think every synth has it's own place. I like the S-synths for it's immediacy. I like Zebra for its endless posibilities in sound design. From my little experience i can't get fast results from Zebra 2 in EDM music, which i can get from S-synths (i am speaking making from scratch, not presets using), but for film, sound design, great pads, scapes, basses, keys - it is no brainer.

But i understand that everybody expect the one allrounder to make every possible sound in the world. :phones:
I don't hate them... What you are calling hate is simply some people not all that interested in them and a bit of push back cause lots of people push them up as examples to follow. All 3 of them sound good and are easy to get basic sounds in. If they suit someone, then please use them.

I agree with what kgdrum said. I expect a synth to take time to learn and become fluent with. I appreciate synths that are different and so require extra learning. I think Bazille is an extraordinary synth. I would far rather have it than any of the S-synths. It certainly takes some learning.

It is good that there is a diversity of different synths available for different people and interests. For me, u-he really hits the sweet spot of complexity, wide sonic landscape and ease of use.

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kgdrum wrote:i suspect part of what makes your synths grab me is the filters and some type of magic U-he dust you use. ;-)
Plus the modmappers! That's a freakin genius module! 8)

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Urs wrote:
Stan Navi wrote:Wow! Why so many hate to S-synths?
Not hate from my side, just also no burning desire to take example from them. And getting tired of hearing how great it would be to turn Zebra into one of them.

I've been over this discussion 13 years ago, when Zebra went from S-synth to modular.
I think beacause all that people want to have 1 allrounder, that can do it all instead of 20 other synths.

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What is a "S-synth"?

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Top post in the previous page (145)
rsp
sound sculptist

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Well, there are examples, but no explanation what it is exactly. This is the first time in almost a decade of reading synth magazines, internet sites, forums, and what not that i read this term. Maybe Urs just invented it. :P

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That's exactly what happened. :D

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chk071 wrote:Maybe Urs just invented it.
I did. It's a way to refer to a bunch of synthesizers that have names starting with S, without using their names directly.

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People want templates within Zebra. So something like the Presswerk concept...you have the core Presswerk which is the fully-featured compressor, and then you have the few other compressors each with their own UI and a more limited and targeted set of parameters. Do the same thing in Zebra3 - so you have the fully featured synth, but then you also have a few cut-down versions each with a more targeted & limited focus each with their own UI's. This would unlock the power of Zebra for a lot of people without overwhelming them...Zebra is pretty huge and I think it overwhelms a lot of people...they give up or complain instead. :hihi:

I know that 'template' is essentially just a kind of preset with it's own little UI...still I think this kind of idea could be fun. It does not alter the core structure of Zebra - it would just be an added superstructure - just like Presswerk.

You could make an S-synth template in Zebra like this with fixed velocity & aftertouch & filter pressure and a fixed modulation path. This might even be fun to do as a kind of serious joke.....seriously! :clown: :ud: :P
:hyper: M O N O S Y N T H S F O R E V E R :hyper:

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Isn't that what presets are for? You find one that uses a Zebra function you want to use, you examine how it does it, and recreate that part in your own patch. No? Yes? Maybe?

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Urs wrote:
chk071 wrote:Maybe Urs just invented it.
I did. It's a way to refer to a bunch of synthesizers that have names starting with S, without using their names directly.
Ah... stupid me, could have realized that from the post on top of page 145. :)

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Urs wrote:I think I understand now. This is what we need to copy from the S-synths:
  • Remove reasonable preset management. We always thought that S-synths are usually geared towards people who rely on presets. And they are. However, if preset management is very easy, people quickly realize overlap between sound banks or single categories. But if preset navigation is tedious (e.g. via drop down menu), people go through presets slower and thus have the impression of much wider variety. They're also urged to appreciate any single preset more since skipping isn't all that easy.
  • Avoid Velocity and Aftertouch in factory bank. Obviously there's a lot of frustration when sounds are overly expressive. Users will not only be intimidated by the giant feature set and complicated UI, but foremost by the nerve-wrecking task of quantizing not only note timing but also Velocity. And filter pressure info out alltogether.
  • Tab modulations away. It goes without saying, if some obscure modulation path isn't visible, it won't be followed. It's best to keep hazardous modulation features away from the user by adding a sensible selection of tabs to the interface which prevent users from utilizing modulations in one tab to address targets in another. This way we don't ever need to visualize what is going on, simply also because there isn't anything going on to begin with!
We have a plan! :tu:
Wow Urs knows the formula. Is this an announcement? This is shocking and wonderful! u-He is finally making an S-synth! Can't wait!

What will it be called? Maybe u-He Sexy Snake?

Or just S-Synth. :tu:
:hyper: M O N O S Y N T H S F O R E V E R :hyper:

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