is there something Zebra can't do ?

[robisme]

I was wondering : at the moment, I'm telling myself that I'd better deepen my knowledge of Zebra before looking for another synth. Like, everything is possible in Zebra.
Is there something Diva, Bazille, Hive or Repro do Zebra 2 doesn't or Zebra 3 won't ? Apart from very subtle realism with analog synths type of sound ? Is there some sort of sounds that are impossible to create with Zebra ? (like, for exemple, "Diva doesn't have comb filter and can't produce realistic string or pipe sounds").
I a nutshell, should I buy another u-he synth to cover almost every field ? I'm not particularly attracted by the full modularity of Bazille, but it has such a reputation that I may want to use it, if only it had very important things Zebra could never do, for exemple. I'm not particularly interested in EDM music, so Hive doesn't appeal to me that much, and given Zebra 3 will have wavetable, but maybe it has some very interesting workflow I should'nt miss.

You coul'd answer me "just try them". I do, but I mostly only browse presets, don't really know where to start, which are the settings and tweaks that are absolutely fantastic, and I keep telling myself "Zebra sure has to be able to do that kind of sound if I know it more."

Thanks for experienced feedback.

[Dencheg]

If I started from scratch, I would stick to learning and using my first synth as much as possible, till facing real limitations (and than would try to overcome them with what you have). And Zebra 2 (HZ) is perfect for that. You can make a lot of music with it.

[pocvecem]

Spending more time with and learning Zebra is always very rewarding. Zebra is one of two soft synths i have installed. The second one is DIVA btw.

I find DIVA is a very good companion as you cannot e.g. fm/crossmod two saw waves in Zebra like in DIVA's dual oscillator. Also filter fm in DIVA sounds much smoother.
Not that Zebra couldn't make decent analog type sounds but in DIVA everything sounds a bit smoother and there's more "analoginess".

What I miss in both though is a dedicated sample-and-hold module. (cough cough *hint* cough )

[Dalle]

Thanks for experienced feedback.

Well feedback is one thing Zebra doesn’t do. Or audio rate modulation (apart from in some selected places). Bazille for example does those.

[bartok2112]

Besides wavetables, Hive has the shape sequencer and function generators, plus you can record your sequence.

[Tj Shredder]

It can’t brew my tea… (Just as a starting point…; - )

[Jules1204]

Yes, we all seem to want something we haven't got already but we never have enough toys to play with!
The infamous Jean Michelle Jarre said in an interview:
"Don't keep looking for the latest plug, there will always be something new !
Take one synth and only use that for a long time. Just get to know it thoroughly and it will become like a part of you and the creative process".....etc.

I am inclined to agree. a few years ago I focused my attention on the mighty G Force Minimonsta and after a couple of months I had written many original presets that sounded as freaky as a modular setup

[exmatproton]

I am not sure if it always about what a synth can or cannot do. Some synths just work quicker, smoother or are more fun to work with. If i feel like spending an afternoon twiddling knobs i'll open Reaktor, Falcon or Zebra2 for instance. If i need some quick score/arrangement, i'll open Diva, Hive or Phaseplant. I never use presets, so it often boils down to what i need/want to do.

[yellowmix]

I mostly only browse presets, don't really know where to start, which are the settings and tweaks that are absolutely fantastic, and I keep telling myself "Zebra sure has to be able to do that kind of sound if I know it more."

What are your goals? Are you trying to make a living with music ASAP or do you have time or somewhere in-between? Do you have the desire to learn how to program presets? Does this override the desire to make music or at least balance it? It's okay to use presets and never learn how to program a synth if your priorities are elsewhere. There's only so much time in the world for each of us.

It sounds like you already have Zebra, are you asking if it's a good synth to learn on and eventually leverage to realize your ideas? If that is the case, then it's one of the best synths to learn on since it offers many synthesis concepts in a modular way (that is: optional), and a wealth of patches to examine and reverse-engineer. The factory and other presets are proof of what can be done with it. Surely you have browsed them?

With that said, you need to be auto-didactic, at least to the extent you can find basic educational resources and apply it to this synth. I'm not going to minimize what this involves. There is math in terms of combining and processing signals. You can learn by rote/by ear but if you do not understand the fundamental principles it will be harder to use these tools with intent. But plenty of people have learned enough to get to a point where experimenting can result in interesting results. Every artist eventually tries to do what has not been done before.

If you find Zebra difficult, then you can find basic educational resources that use a free, simpler synth to communicate concepts until you can bridge yourself to Zebra. So if you do, indeed, want to learn how to program a synth, do you want pointers to beginner resources?

[Lbdunequest]

Zebra cant do agressive clean bass growls.
Zebra cant use wavetables like in serum or hive you can do.

[robisme]

Thanks for your answers.
I'm confirmed that Zebra should certainly do everyghing I need. Given Z3 will also have wavetable, it's a long term view.
When I was making a living with music, I was on windows, using Omnisphere, mostly using presets. Now it's only a passion, and I'm on Linux. Zebra is great, and I also create patches. This week, I tried Bazille, Diva and Hive. I'm not confy with them when it comes go tweaking. So I'll definitly stick to Zebra, and looking forward to discovering v3.
Cheers.