Zebra 3 Public Beta (final beta)

[Urs]

What about an option to "render fx into wavetable", so it would take the output and fill it into the wavetable, disregarding any automation?

Hmmm... what would the purpose be? Just to save CPU or to stack more FX?

What if the per-module modulations would be also visible in the matrix? This would give the following benefits:

- Better overview about what actually is happening
- Being able to use modulation curves for there, too. Maybe this would already make it possible to have a log<->exp-curved env?

How do I use a constant (knob value) as a source in the mod matrix?

So the discussion of direct modulations vs. ModMatrix is a bit of a surprise to me, as this is what we have always had in several synths, and I do not recall it ever being discussed as much as in the past few days.

Direct modulations are super high resolution modulations at a quarter of the sample rate. We add them only "where it counts", and wherever modulation is typical. So Curve Morph has it for being typical, FM Depths have them because it counts, Filter Cutoff for both.

Direct modulations also save space. But they do not have any modifiers, because that would cost extremely much CPU due to the high resolution.

The ModMatrix is a very good general purpose modulation system. It's more flexible than direct modulations, and it costs very little CPU. To achieve this it runs at a control rate with a granularity of about 800 Hz for a sample rate of 44.1 kHz.

For me, the ModMatrix has always been secondary to direct modulations. The main problem IMHO was always that it was tabbed away, as it is in Zebra 2 and in Hive.

So the current design with singular slots is done so we can dynamically show Matrix slots in the context of the module chosen in the bottom tab. I think that works well, even if it might seem weird that some of those racks represent targets, others sources and others both.

What I do not want is a spreadsheet view like Serum has. At least not as the main view of the matrix. I'm fine with it if it is an option, but I am at this point not certain as to how much work we'd need to spend on it.

Integrating direct modulations with the ModMatrix is something we'd think about as an option. As I said, they save space, and they also - at leats for me - save sanity because the number of slots on the ModMatrix would probably double. It would get pretty messy IMHO.

[ThoughtExperiment]

On the topic of performance meter, after the meter gave it's suggestions, could you make it so we can just click on a suggestion text and have Z3 apply it automatically? Would save a bit of time.

I would love to post the emoji...

This suggestion made laugh out loud because while I totally get it, my first thought was "gosh, when is anything ever enough?".

But that's also because firstly we haven't even gone through all modules to gather possible suggestions, and thus haven't tested how useful they'd be, and secondly, adding such a one-click setup requires quite a bit of development. More than one might think. We have already done something similar with the MPE setup in other plug-ins, but in this case it would need to be something to switch back and forth, to see if the patch still works. On top of also being somehow dynamic UI layout based on DSP data... not really anything our UI framework is has templates for...

I will put it on the eternal ToDo List, but can't make any promises...

There's another reason why I don't think it's a good idea to implement the suggestions automagically (IMO). For instance, implementing the top suggestion might alter the character of the sound too much, whereas implementing a couple of the lesser suggestions might reduce CPU usage sufficiently without noticeably altering the sound. One of those occasions where AI is still lagging behind good old human judgement

By the way, I have to remark: a built-in performance monitor!!! You really do think of everything:)

[sQeetz]

Maybe a dumb question, but why can't the knobs Control A, B, C, D from the 'perform' tab be MIDI assignable? When clicking the cogwheel up-right one can assign stuff to controllers, but you can't with those... which are basically what you want to have assigned to a controller?

[Urs]

Maybe a dumb question, but why can't the knobs Control A, B, C, D from the 'perform' tab be MIDI assignable? When clicking the cogwheel up-right one can assign stuff to controllers, but you can't with those... which are basically what you want to have assigned to a controller?

They *are* MIDI Control Changes, or at least, that's what the knobs represent. You assign Control ABCD per instance on the MIDI Assign page (cogwheel, top right) and you can set a preference for new instances.

The knobs are there as an extension to the ModWheel and PitchWheel on the other side of the keyboard. Unfortunately they don't have visual feedback yet for the actual MIDI Controllers.

We hope to conceptually melt them with macros, as macros, MIDI controllers and expressions typically have a lot of overlap. It simply would save everyone a lot of hassle if one could just set these up once, and they'd work for macro based workflows as well as for MIDI based ones or high level expression based ones.

[jtsterays]

On the topic of performance meter, after the meter gave it's suggestions, could you make it so we can just click on a suggestion text and have Z3 apply it automatically? Would save a bit of time.

I would love to post the emoji...

This suggestion made laugh out loud because while I totally get it, my first thought was "gosh, when is anything ever enough?".

But that's also because firstly we haven't even gone through all modules to gather possible suggestions, and thus haven't tested how useful they'd be, and secondly, adding such a one-click setup requires quite a bit of development. More than one might think. We have already done something similar with the MPE setup in other plug-ins, but in this case it would need to be something to switch back and forth, to see if the patch still works. On top of also being somehow dynamic UI layout based on DSP data... not really anything our UI framework is has templates for...

I will put it on the eternal ToDo List, but can't make any promises...

There's another reason why I don't think it's a good idea to implement the suggestions automagically (IMO). For instance, implementing the top suggestion might alter the character of the sound too much, whereas implementing a couple of the lesser suggestions might reduce CPU usage sufficiently without noticeably altering the sound. One of those occasions where AI is still lagging behind good old human judgement

By the way, I have to remark: a built-in performance monitor!!! You really do think of everything:)

The idea is that you can click each suggestions separately, and have an option revert back to before - A/B to hear the sonic changes. Not related to AI at all.

[sQeetz]

I use Ableton Live with a Push controller and it doesn't know what the f* MIDI is... so all u-he plugins need to be nested within a group with a MIDI CC Control plugin in between in order for those nice assignable controls to be accessible. But why?

[Urs]

I use Ableton Live and all u-he plugins need to be nested within a group with a MIDI CC Control plugin in between in order for those nice assignable controls to be accessible. But why?

Really? I'm not so familiar with Live, but that sound somewhat clumsy?

[sQeetz]

It probalby is. But like already said: those encoders do not know MIDI
But I can make them control everything MIDI Learn offers on Zebra. Except Control A-D which are not assignable

[koalaboy]

It's not hard to add a CC Control device in Live, and the Group can be saved so it's not really an ongoing pain.
However, I would agree that it would be nice if those 4 controls could *optionally* be available as parameters instead, as it's odd to have to deal with them differently.

I do understand how they are seen as 'similar' to PB and ModWheel and it fits a more analogue approach, but at the same time they're useful 'built in' macros that could be nice as parameters - assuming there is 'space'.

[aMUSEd]

It probalby is. But like already said: those encoders do not know MIDI
But I can make them control everything MIDI Learn offers on Zebra. Except Control A-D which are not assignable

They are MIDI assignable

Screenshot 2025-12-14 at 12.57.00.png

If you're using the configure panel in Live that is host automation not MIDI - they don't seem to have host automation IDs

[sQeetz]

They are MIDI assignable

Screenshot 2025-12-14 at 12.57.00.png

If you're using the configure panel in Live that is host automation not MIDI - they don't seem to have host automation IDs

Thanks, but no. I't not that easy. The Push controller does not send MIDI CC.
Without Nesting a CC Control before an u-he plugin, you cannot control Control A-D
With a traditional MIDI controller you can probably change the CC Value of any particular encoder to fit u-he's scheme. Not so on Push... Like already said, that thing does not know MIDI

koalaboy has it right: it does not work without additional plugs

[Urs]

Ah, please report this to Ableton. We've made several attempts to get the to make Push more usable for plug-ins, but I think it needs feature requests from actual users to get them to listen up.

[sQeetz]

Thanks Urs! Will do

[aMUSEd]

They are MIDI assignable

Screenshot 2025-12-14 at 12.57.00.png

If you're using the configure panel in Live that is host automation not MIDI - they don't seem to have host automation IDs

Thanks, but no. I't not that easy. The Push controller does not send MIDI CC.
Without Nesting a CC Control before an u-he plugin, you cannot control Control A-D
With a traditional MIDI controller you can probably change the CC Value of any particular encoder to fit u-he's scheme. Not so on Push... Like already said, that thing does not know MIDI

koalaboy has it right: it does not work without additional plugs

Ah OK I didn't realise you meant they are not assignable using Push (I presume Push is tapping into host automation like NI Kontrol keyboards do) - but that is not the same as saying they are not MIDI assignable

[sQeetz]

Ah OK I didn't realise you meant they are not assignable using Push (I presume Push is tapping into host automation like NI Kontrol keyboards do) - but that is not the same as saying they are not MIDI assignable

Exactly.. they are endless knobs assignable to anything. So not restrictedto MIDI's 0...127 values. Which is nice....