u-he

jcolyer0620 · Post by **jcolyer0620** » Fri Dec 19, 2025 11:00 pm

it would be super cool if the macro controls in Zebra 3 showed up as a plug-in parameter in the DAW so that those controls could be externally automated. I use Bitwig and the modulation capabilities in it + Zebra 3 would be crazy good.

Urs · Post by **Urs** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 11:01 am

jcolyer0620 wrote: Fri Dec 19, 2025 11:00 pm it would be super cool if the macro controls in Zebra 3 showed up as a plug-in parameter in the DAW so that those controls could be externally automated. I use Bitwig and the modulation capabilities in it + Zebra 3 would be crazy good.

We're working on that... (well, after the holidays and all)

Fannon · Post by **Fannon** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 1:20 pm

I guess that also implies that the macro knob positions are saved with the preset and therefore reset with a preset load?
That one is causing me quite some issues - you change Crtl A-D to something in one preset, switch preset and it might do totally unexpected things there. So you first have to reset everything down to 0 to hear the preset like originally intended (?)

Urs · Post by **Urs** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 1:28 pm

As I said, we're working on it. I have no idea how it ends up to be.

That said, this is how it was worked in Hive, when XY1 is set to Ctrl A/B. Haven't heard of any complaints here, so I think this might just work the same.

Fannon · Post by **Fannon** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 2:08 pm

Thanks!

Maybe it's an expectation thing: The Ctrl A/B in previous u-he synths were clearly only for MIDI CC messages and you could wire them up via options. But then you also had the macros which worked like macros in other synths: Exposed controls, automatable and value is stored with preset.

By merging this Ctrl behavior with the Macros, I think most people would expect they work like Macros, not like the Ctrl MIDI inputs. That's at least my impression (also from reading some other comments in the forum)

Urs · Post by **Urs** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 2:17 pm

My impression is that many people use them mutually. So they want macros for hosts that don't focus on MIDI, and they want MIDI when their workflow is based on MIDI.

Much of how we proceed from here will rely on how big the overlap of both groups is, and whether or not we can make any of this optional.

(Are venn diagrams still a thing?)

Fannon · Post by **Fannon** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 2:23 pm

So the people that want to use MIDI, couldn't they just MIDI map the macros?

Urs · Post by **Urs** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 3:23 pm

Fannon wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 2:23 pm So the people that want to use MIDI, couldn't they just MIDI map the macros?

Like so many things... devil and details.

MIDI has a higher resolution in all formats than parameter changes. MIDI is pretty much a control rate affair whereas parameters are smoothed to avoid zippering.

ffx · Post by **ffx** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 8:48 pm

Yes, please. Macro controls should be also addresable via normal vst/plugin parameters, as all the other synths.

bhinton · Post by **bhinton** » Sat Dec 20, 2025 11:13 pm

Request for clarification regarding midi/automation resolution:

1. I assume midi resolution being higher means strictly when a 14 bit control source is used?
2. I found controlling XY in Z2 via remapped pitchbend (the Michigan Synthworks XVI-M) seemed to provide much higher resolution than midi control, especially with slow / subtle changes. Is automation resolution partly host-dependent? (I do live control via remapping external controls to params via Relearn in Reaper - maybe this explains getting righer res via automation?)

Urs · Post by **Urs** » Sun Dec 21, 2025 11:50 am

By resolution I mean temporal resolution. MIDI can be nearly sample accurate in our plug-ins, while automation is smoothed and thus not very timing accurate.

Fannon · Post by **Fannon** » Tue Dec 30, 2025 9:23 am

This feels like a bug to me: Even when I dial CTRL A to 0 and also the MIDI CC that I used to 0 too, the effect of assigning CTRL A as a modulation source and increasing its modulation range still has an impact on the sound.

In the scope it looks like CTRL A is on 0 level, but it still affects the modulation target. When I change CTRL A level, it also affects the modulation target.

I'll attach a very simple patch, where CTRL A modulates the LFO Amplitude that modulates the OSC 1 Tune.

Howard · Post by **Howard** » Wed Dec 31, 2025 10:59 am

Fannon wrote: Tue Dec 30, 2025 9:23 am In the scope it looks like CTRL A is on 0 level, but it still affects the modulation target. When I change CTRL A level, it also affects the modulation target.

Not here. I hear no difference. Are you on Windows or Mac or Linux?

Howard · Post by **Howard** » Wed Dec 31, 2025 11:06 am

(ignore - double post)

Fannon · Post by **Fannon** » Wed Dec 31, 2025 1:06 pm

Windows 11, Bitwig 6 + CLAP.

I tried it again and couldn't replicate it anymore. Very strange. Maybe a fluke or some weird MIDI controller interaction?

Thanks that you looked into it!

u-he

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