Zebra 3 Public Beta Revision 20399

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Edit: whoops wrong place, this is for Zebralette 3!
Edit 2: Is the same in Zebra 3 as well :)

Just noticed that the automation text for "Delta Direction" in both "OSC FX" is a bit wonky:
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aMUSEd wrote: Sun Jan 04, 2026 10:14 am
Fannon wrote: Sun Jan 04, 2026 6:56 am Very likely (I hope). Urs is thinking about how to handle that best.

Depending on DAW, you can help yourself with some tricks. See NAD and my posts on page 77, viewtopic.php?p=9179209#p9179209

Just updated it slightly for Bitwig: Z3 Controls
Thanks but not working for me - I presume you made this with the beta?

Would have been nice to use along with my Zebra 3 remote controls

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tqdekjeb ... vf1ug&dl=0
Yes, I created it with the Beta and didn't think about it. But it's actually very simple, should work with almost any older Bitwig version, too. I'll post the grid patch, should be easy to re-create in a few minutes.
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Find my (music) related software projects here: github.com/Fannon

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This post is intended to help with common questions that have come up repeatedly in this thread. It is unofficial, summarized, and not authoritative. Urs, if it’s not accurate/useful, feel free to use your mod powers to remove it. Or if you want to take it over, modify it, and make it a sticky or something, that works too. Most people won't read the whole thread before asking questions (understandable, not a criticism) so I thought this might be helpful.

Zebra 3 Public Beta (Rev 20399) — Unofficial FAQ
Compiled from recurring user questions and summarized replies from the thread.

General / Status

Q: Is the GUI final?
A: No. The current build is a public beta. The main "Zebra-style" layout is fixed, but colors, fonts, and some parameter/UI details may still change during the beta.

Q: How can all modulations in a patch be viewed at once?
A: A single global “modulation overview” UI is not available yet. A global overview concept has been discussed as something being experimented with internally, with improvements expected over time. The current workflow includes helpers such as focusing/soloing selected sets of modules, but modulation inspection can still require some manual hunting. So expect improvements, but don't expect lots of animations and moving orbs like some other synths.

Q: What is the empty space above the lanes/grid used for?
A: Selection Groups. Selecting multiple modules allows focus on a subset of the patch; a “+” can appear to create groups for quick selection. This is described as a core workflow feature.

Q: What is the safest way to use the beta?
A: A master limiter is recommended (unexpected glitches can occur). Frequent saving is also recommended (rare crashes are still possible).

Q: Will there be another beta?
A: There will be at least one more beta / release candidate ahead of final release.

Q: Is there an FX version / Audio Input?
A: Not yet, but it's being looked into.

Q: Will a Constant Modulator be added?
A: Yes. In an upcoming version.

Controls A–D (Performance controls) / Automation

Q: Can Controls A–D be controlled from hardware now?
A: Yes. MIDI CC can be assigned to Controls A–D for realtime control, and recorded/editable as MIDI automation in the MIDI clip/track.

Q: Will Controls A–D be automatable / exposed as host parameters (not only MIDI CC)?
A: Host-parameter automation has been presented as the likely direction. A quoted reply in-thread: “We’ll probably just make them automatable…”
Practical takeaway: Controls A–D can be driven via MIDI CC now; host-parameter automation has been implied as a future step, but not presented as completed yet.

Performance / CPU / Multi-core / MPE

Q: Is Zebra 3 heavier on CPU than Zebra 2?
A: Yes. A typical Zebra 3 module has been described as often using ~2x the CPU of a Zebra 2 module. Some new filters are described as being in a “Diva-level” CPU ballpark. Care is recommended when stacking many heavyweight modules in high-polyphony patches.

Q: Is multicore support available yet?
A: Not yet (listed as “No multicore support yet”).

Q: What does the Burner module do?
A:It's for performance testing. See the dedicated thread in the U-he forum for more information on why it exists and how to use it.

Q: Is MPE support available yet?
A: Not yet (listed as “No MPE support yet”).

Q: Is Release Velocity supported?
A: Not yet.

Sampling / Presets / Editing

Q: Can Zebralette 3 presets be loaded in Zebra 3?
A: A preset adapter is planned, but described as still work in progress.

Q: Is sample import ready?
A: Sample import is marked as experimental; glitches are expected. Improvements have been indicated as forthcoming.

Q: How reliable are undo/redo and other editing tools?
A: Undo/redo is explicitly described as not fully reliable yet. The curve editor is also described as having quirks and small bugs.

Filters / Levels

Q: Filter types can vary a lot in loudness. Are filters normalized? Will there be normalization?
A: Filters have been described as normalized at Cutoff fully open with Resonance at 0, but different designs behave very differently. Attempts to equalize levels across all filters can create undesirable behavior, and self-oscillation can become extremely loud even when overall output drops.

Known issues (recurring)

Q: Why can the GUI feel slow on Windows?
A: Improving GUI performance on Windows has been framed as a longer-term effort (discussed as a 2026-ish project).

Q: Any other quick “heads up” items?
A: The first post’s Known Issues list is the best starting point (includes sample import being experimental, no MPE/multicore yet, undo/redo not fully reliable yet, rare crashes, and various platform-specific quirks).

Workflow requests (common asks + thread summaries)

Q: Will XY pads come back?
A: Possibly, but if implemented, the expectation stated in-thread is no more than 2. Support across a large factory library was described as a significant effort, and multiple XY pads were described as being difficult to utilize/maintain in prior versions.

Q: Will the arp/sequencer come back?
A: It has been described as on a ToDo list for a later update (mentioned as 3.1 or 3.2), with details TBD. In the meantime, Mod Mappers and the Pitch page can cover some related workflows.

Licensing / Pricing (as stated in the thread’s first post)

Q: What upgrade / pricing options have been mentioned?
A:
  • Free upgrade eligibility has been described for owners of both Zebra 2 + The Dark Zebra (from before they became Zebra Legacy).
  • Zebra 2 (pre–Zebra Legacy) owners can upgrade for 30€.
  • During beta, new purchases have been offered at an introductory 179€ price (noted as 70€ off 249€).
User Guide

Q: Where is the user guide?
A: The comprehensive guide is accessible by clicking the u-he logo in the GUI. Reading it is recommended before filing bug reports.
Last edited by Funkybot's Evil Twin on Thu Jan 08, 2026 3:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Excellent.
Maybe Urs can clean it up if he thinks it needs cleaning up a bit and stick it in the first or second post.

rsp
sound sculptist

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UI Request: When an LFO is in bipolar mode, could the green line on the knobs be drawn like so:
Screenshot 2026-01-04 at 12.12.55 PM.png
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zvenx wrote: Sun Jan 04, 2026 3:18 pm Excellent.
Maybe Urs can clean it up if he thinks it needs cleaning up a bit and stick it in the first or second post.

rsp
I've been thinking with these extremely long threads they should probably auto-lock after x number of posts (say 50 pages), and end with a LLM/user created summary of what was discussed. It becomes unreasonable to suggest people have followed it all the way through otherwise (although a lot of us have - including me).

You could just then read the first and last post of each historic thread, and it'd roll over to a new one. This has ventured more into forum design rather than sound design however...

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1 wish; an added 'sync mode' (same behavior as the LFO's) for the MSEG's.

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@ mod matrix

not sure if it hasn't already been wished (i did a thread search though) ....:

wish for mod matrix:
i'd love to be able to copy/paste/save/load those small modulation modules

ctrl-click/rightclick woukd be cool for a dropdown if gui realestate is a concern
an additional option-drag copy would even be more cooler :-)

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exmatproton wrote: Sun Jan 04, 2026 11:33 pm 1 wish; an added 'sync mode' (same behavior as the LFO's) for the MSEG's.
They have single trigger, if you need to sync them across voices...

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muki wrote: Mon Jan 05, 2026 12:15 am i'd love to be able to copy/paste/save/load those small modulation modules
Yep, that is missing. We have it in Hive, not sure why we haven't got it in Z3 yet.

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Urs wrote: Mon Jan 05, 2026 4:16 am Yep, that is missing. We have it in Hive, not sure why we haven't got it in Z3 yet.
:tu:

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Urs wrote: Mon Jan 05, 2026 4:15 am
exmatproton wrote: Sun Jan 04, 2026 11:33 pm 1 wish; an added 'sync mode' (same behavior as the LFO's) for the MSEG's.
They have single trigger, if you need to sync them across voices...
that is not what i mean. I mean, what i would like to see is when i play notes the MSEG just keeps running, without retriggering. A sync mode, like with the LFO's.

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I'm loving the comb filter, would be great to have it in the FX section too for reverb/resonator effects. Modal resonator too.

Also, since the manual mentions filters responding to DC, maybe the ability add offset in the Utility module?

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A smooth amount for the Mapper would be helpful. "Map smooth" does exist, but higher smoothing as an option/knob would be welcome. My case is Mode = LFO (so as a clock for the mapper).

You can always double, triple the steps and /2 or /3 the rate, but that's much more work.

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You can run it through ModMath and use that as a Slew Limiter...

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