Your opinion about Zebra 2

[4damind]

I don't like Zebra 2. From the sound, the interface and the features its IMO a bit dated.
In the best lists, e.g. on Musicradar, Synthmaster is the No.1... It's also a synth with a semi-modular concept, so you can compare it to Zebra.

[starflakeprj]

I don't like Zebra 2. From the sound, the interface and the features its IMO a bit dated.
In the best lists, e.g. on Musicradar, Synthmaster is the No.1... It's also a synth with a semi-modular concept, so you can compare it to Zebra.

Even though SynthMaster 2 has a lot of features, won't even compare it to Zebra 2. To be SynthMaster is the one having an outdated interface. SynthMaster does a lot of things right though, but when it comes to pads and ambient textures, I have never heard a sound from SynthMaster that is even close to what I've heard from Zebra 2.

...and yes, I own them both, but haven't done any extensive programming though. But listening to the factory presets and expansions, SynthMaster is nowhere near IMO. But taking the price into the calculations, we might have a close winner since SynthMaster 2 is very aggressively priced based on it's features.

Anyway, like anything else, everything is subjective.

[4damind]

Comparing presets is always difficult. Howard has programmed a lot of sounds for Hans Zimmer and Zebra... and Howard's sound is more old school
With Synthmaster it's more the younger EDM or Trance people and you can hear that in the presets. If Howard were to program presets for Synthmaster, they would probably sound the same or even better than with Zebra.
Apart from that, I think many people prefer Dune for pads or ambient sounds....

[Effectsworks]

it's great!

[gentleclockdivider]

Zebra is one of the few softsynths that houses so many synthesis options and gives a perfect balance between usability and complexitiy .
It has an unique range of oscillator effecs that need to be understand correctly to get the potential out of them , this is in combination with the different osc.modes .
Some osc effects like phase distortion ( casio cz style ) has to be set to full effect ( the full effect amount = cosine ) and you modulate the wavetable (geomorph is best suited for this ) which acts as the phasor reading (distorting) the cosine , for this the resolution parameter need to be set to full effect .
It's litlle things like these that make you a zebra master
Sure not everyhting is roses , no real oscilator sync (it's synced to the osc's internal frequency ) but dune 3 doesn't have that either and nobody complains about that
There is no modulation between osc's possible except ringmod and the dedicated Fm osc's
The filters are o.k , there are three amazing zdf filters ( tyrell and ms 20 mode in vcf ) and the xmf filters sound relativelye good and are verry flexible .
Upgrade to Zebra Hz and you have the amazing diva filters .
It's a powerhouse of a synth that needs dedication , just like other monsters like tranzistow etc...
Currently at 150 euro ( zebra +hz ) , this is an amazing deal
There is little bit more to zebra then just animating wavetables and supersaws .

[Buckster]

I have Zebra 2 but considering HZ struggling at how much of limitation the filter being mono is

I was surprised to read they are also in Diva as it sounds so stereo I guess the panning processing etc

I love Zebra 2 but find it hard to get my head round

I'll probably buy Diva/Hive 2 and HZ I already own Zebra 2 and Repro 1/5

The thing I love about Uhe synths which is huge credit to them is how musical they are to play feel much more like "instruments" than other synths same feeling I get playing Pianoteq Vs sample based pianos

[Urs]

It might have gone unnoticed, but Howie has completely refurbished Zebra's factory library in the past almost two years. One can now use the XYs to drag each sound from one sweet spot to another, reaching lots of extremes. Each preset feels like auditioning a whole folder of presets now. If one doesn't try this, they miss out. Same with The Dark Zebra, and soon also with Zebratron - which to me is the epitome of what's possible with synthesis.

[Urs]

I have Zebra 2 but considering HZ struggling at how much of limitation the filter being mono is

I was surprised to read they are also in Diva as it sounds so stereo I guess the panning processing etc

My stance on stereo signal paths and filter character is that the more character a filter has, the less it is suited for stereo operation. That IMHO is particularly true for filter settings with high resonance, where the resonance (or even self oscillation) itself becomes disjointed between left and right side and thus forms an awkward stereo image.

It's not difficult to make a stereo signal path in ZebraHZ though, using 2 Mix modules and two Diva filters. After all, you've got 4 HP and 4 LPs...

[gentleclockdivider]

I have Zebra 2 but considering HZ struggling at how much of limitation the filter being mono is

I was surprised to read they are also in Diva as it sounds so stereo I guess the panning processing etc

I love Zebra 2 but find it hard to get my head round

I'll probably buy Diva/Hive 2 and HZ I already own Zebra 2 and Repro 1/5

The thing I love about Uhe synths which is huge credit to them is how musical they are to play feel much more like "instruments" than other synths same feeling I get playing Pianoteq Vs sample based pianos

Yes the diva filters are mono , so detuned osc's or hard panned left/right osc's into a (single ) diva filter will be mono .
It is what it is , but for emulating oldies like juno's , moog etc.. this doesn't really matter.
I never updated because of the lack of filter fm in the diva filters , but eventually jumped on the deal becasue they do really sound marvelous
Go for it

[starflakeprj]

Comparing presets is always difficult. Howard has programmed a lot of sounds for Hans Zimmer and Zebra... and Howard's sound is more old school
With Synthmaster it's more the younger EDM or Trance people and you can hear that in the presets. If Howard were to program presets for Synthmaster, they would probably sound the same or even better than with Zebra.
Apart from that, I think many people prefer Dune for pads or ambient sounds....

Aiyn Zahev has done sounds for both of them, and I think the ones for Zebra 2 is much better than the ones for SynthMaster 2. He is the only one I know about who has done sounds for both. To be honest I don't think his SynthMaster 2 sounds are any good at all, but his DUNE sounds are amazing.

I want to like SynthMaster 2 more, because its feature set is amazing, but I guess there always have to be a "second place" I think I will give it some care during the Christmas holiday, as I haven't really used it much at all since 2016 (the annual SynthMaster contest).

But tbh, even though I think u-he synths are great sounding synths, those are not either the ones i reach for first case.

[telecode]

Shouldn't this thread be about Zebra3 at this point in spacetime?

This!! ^^ I would like to hear more about Z3. Thats one of the main reasons I bought into this.

[GRUMP]

They have hit the point calling it a workhorse. Not the right pony for red skins in the great planes, but probably very useful for all those gold diggers out there. Rather earthy than celestial, but a great counterpart in so far.

[pdxindy]

I don't like Zebra 2. From the sound, the interface and the features its IMO a bit dated.
In the best lists, e.g. on Musicradar, Synthmaster is the No.1... It's also a synth with a semi-modular concept, so you can compare it to Zebra.

I own both... Zebra is far better in my opinion. Sounds better, better design, more stable, better browser, better midi support, better GUI

[Igro]

Shouldn't this thread be about Zebra3 at this point in spacetime?

This!! ^^ I would like to hear more about Z3. Thats one of the main reasons I bought into this.

Because it doesn't even exist.

[chk071]

I don't like Zebra 2. From the sound, the interface and the features its IMO a bit dated.
In the best lists, e.g. on Musicradar, Synthmaster is the No.1... It's also a synth with a semi-modular concept, so you can compare it to Zebra.

I own both... Zebra is far better in my opinion. Sounds better, better design, more stable, better browser, better midi support, better GUI

If I had to choose between those two... Zebra all the way. And Zebra isn't even my fav, sound wise.