Zebra 3 Public Beta 2 Revision 20552

[M32]

I recently had a session attempting realistic string synthesis, and it clicked with both the noise and comb filter, using modulation to the noise shape parameters to emulate a realistic bowing behaviour, with the little uneven snags of the string, it sounds so real. Impressive, i could even program in sforzando, emulate bow speed & pressure changes...

I do keep running out of mod slots. 32 is great, but i find myself hunting for free slots, using modmaths or even mixer/utilities/modules just to have more level/pan etc control slots.

Absolutely loving the mappers, you can draw in modulation intensity patterns for the macro controls, so if one parameter scales linearly with say modwheel, others will reach the max at halfway and return to zero. Or control a parameter like the FM ratio or clusters in absolute divisions or fixed steps only...The flexibillity is endless. worth looking into if you are in need of more macro's. (And a modmath can also be used as a kind of macro btw)

And my favourite new trick: bell like pluck, layer with a sine and the 'Twinkle' modulation into Textureverb, the most gorgeous sparkle machine.

[jtsterays]

Could you guys add a 85% zoom option for us 1080p people? 80 is a bit too small and 90 is slightly too big.

We're changing the UI form factor for a few pixels wider and a few pixels shorter. And bigger fonts.

That's great to know. Also can we expect an alternate skin when that happens? The current alien pallette wears off to me quite fast.

[NAD]

I recently had a session attempting realistic string synthesis, [...]

[...] bell like pluck, layer with a sine and the 'Twinkle' modulation into Textureverb, the most gorgeous sparkle machine.

Would you mind sharing those please?

[exmatproton]

didn't find this one in the 'known issues list'

When modulating a parameter (knob) the modulation indicator will still show when the modulation has been removed.

Whoops..will put it in the bugs thread

[tasmaniandevil]

The voices get stuck periodically.

Can you contact our support so we can gather some more details, like your audio settings and specific ways to reproduce the issue?

[Matty686]

Mseg envelopes and mappers do not have init presets like oscillators do I don't know if you are working on giving them some but they are definitely necessary. if init presets are not available it can make it hard to keep things clean.

[Urs]

Yes, working on them.

[Matty686]

thanks I think everything should have an init preset I poked around and found them missing on filters also

[JoeLowery215]

I've noticed that Osc FX Sync behaves differently from what I'm used to with other synths (hard sync). For example in the RetroSynth plugin built into Logic, the sync sounds smooth and balanced, whereas using sync on the same sounding saw wave in Zebra 3 loses bass and brings in audible artefacts as the waveform changes throughout the sync, it doesn't sound bad, just different, and I'm wondering what makes Zebra's oscillator effects different in this regard to other synths?

Will Zebra support the more traditional hard sync feature?

Haven’t heard the Logic synth but Z3, sync sounds perfectly fine to me.

[Urs]

People have been pretty happy with Hive's wavetable based sync, and the one in Z3 using the OscFX should sound the same if not better. I'd be surprised if there was anything wrong with it.

Of course it's only ever the synced oscillator. In a classic setup you'd probably have the main oscillator audible as well, which you can mimic easily in Z3, but you an also detune it a bit for a wider and more vibrant sound, even if that is less realistic.

[JoeLowery215]

I can see we have Symmetry, are we going to get a Bend oscillator effect too?

That's easy! Just use the guides and Rephase:

Screenshot 2026-01-26 at 6.39.40 PM.png

[SamDi]

Also here's an argument for 8 instead of 4 macro knobs:

…


But if you design your own sound, ime some of the best patches are ones that are built around the song, where you have a bunch of automations for various parameters that change overtime throughout the track, instead of letting the modulations do all the work, think virtual instruments libraries like strings where you have CCs for dynamics, expression, vibrato, attack types, release time, legato types/speed, etc... Each knobs have simple assignment, but when all are automated, it's way more expressive than 1 single macro knob.

…

That's why I think 8 is better, sometimes I just want knob 1 to be cutoff, maybe 2 is decay time, so at softer section it's a pluck but at bigger section it's a sustained sound and so on.

Yeah, and the other argument ist, that 8 is the magic number. Each DAW has 8 Quick Controls, Remote Controls, Macro Controls, however it‘s called. Each MIDI controller mostly has like 8 MIDI-cc faders or knobs. So the 8 faders of each MIDI controller are perfectly map-able to 8 macro controls of the DAW, which are perfectly map-able to the 8 macros of each synth - well, if it supports 8 of them.

In opposite I never understand why I should wanna map CCs directly on the synth. It‘s an anachronism. The DAW should be the hub.

[Funky40]

Mac -> vs. Crash report:

Which file to make a crash report ?

utilities / console / crash report......."that file" ?

otherwise do i need to get some instructions please.
Zebra3 vs. crashing GigPerformer when open/close the GUI a few times (CC mapped to a HW control)

Thanks !

[Urs]

Mac -> vs. Crash report:

Which file to make a crash report ?

utilities / console / crash report......."that file" ?

otherwise do i need to get some instructions please.
Zebra3 vs. crashing GigPerformer when open/close the GUI a few times (CC mapped to a HW control)

Thanks !

simply mail to support at u-he dot com

[Funky40]

Ok, thank you !