Zebra 3 Public Beta Revision 20399

[Touch The Universe]

Can someone give some tips to making this more cpu efficient on windows in fl studio.

First half of this video is about improving CPU as part of the sound design process:

viewtopic.php?t=626333

I wonder if I should filling out a bug report or somthing. I can't play a chord at times with just a harmonic oscilator - no detune etc on an i9 pc flstudio. On my m1 I have never ran close to hearing any spikes no matter how complex the patch gets.

So, maybe the second half of that video if for you as well. Certain i9 CPUs have efficiency cores. If your host (or the OS) runs Zebra 3 on an efficiency core, you can easily go into CPU issues. You can test this with the method shown in the video, by forcing whatever to run Z3 on a performance core. If the CPU usage for the oscillator changes greatly with overall CPU consumption, you need to think about host, driver, OS whatsoever - but we can not do anything about it.

Understood, thank you. I'll try Studio One in that case and see how it goes pc wise.

Can I create my own csv files via an LLM with instructions? Any useful info or prompt to feed it by chance? I would imagine I would need to feed it instructions to create an analyzer that analyzes wav files and then converts into a csv. I might actually be able to do that in terminal itself with ffmeg and other Python scripts. Is that it?

[Touch The Universe]

Where can I learn more about the Exciter module thing? I can't find a Z3 manual and nothing's popping up on YouTube videos. What am I supposed to do with that thing? It has transience but can I link it with different modules to do different things?

You list Pigments in your signature. Pigments has a similar feature.

Got it. Amazingly useful combining it with modal. Very interesting granular type of fx if going wild.

[Urs]

By csv files you mean the Modal Profiles?

I do not know how well LLMs do with that. We have spent quite an effort (humans) to provide the really nice profiles we included, sometimes started off with analysis tools, then refined and improved by hand. Some profiles are based on maths, which is something LLMs aren't exactly good at. So yeah, dunno.

We would love to eventually publish some tool chains we use, but our current focus is Zebra. Whatever we do, if we do it, if it's doable at all even, needs to wait until well after Zebra 3 is finished.

[audiojunkie]

@Urs, do you remember when we talked about wavetables a while ago, and I was thinking about trying to make instruments out of wavetables, and you said that it couldn't be done? (It was a while ago, so it's fine if you don't remember). I just saw something here, and I wanted to bring it up with you and discuss it.

I saw the following video about the new Ultra Audio Ultra Synthesizer. This is exactly what I was asking for--the ability to do this in a synth. Is there any way to do this in Zebra 3? I know the GUI and everything is completely different, but what I'm referring to, is how a musical instrument can be made out of some wavetables, and played like a normal acoustic / real instrument. What are your thoughts on this?

[audiojunkie]

I'm asking about this, because I've always bought your synths and I think they are awesome. However, this time I'm a bit nervous that this one may be a bit too advance for my abilities. Also, this Ultra Synthesizer seems to be able to do what I always wanted to be able to do. I'm hoping you're going to tell me that this can be done on Zebra 3 as well. What are your thoughts?

[Touch The Universe]

By csv files you mean the Modal Profiles?

I do not know how well LLMs do with that. We have spent quite an effort (humans) to provide the really nice profiles we included, sometimes started off with analysis tools, then refined and improved by hand. Some profiles are based on maths, which is something LLMs aren't exactly good at. So yeah, dunno.

We would love to eventually publish some tool chains we use, but our current focus is Zebra. Whatever we do, if we do it, if it's doable at all even, needs to wait until well after Zebra 3 is finished.

Throw 10 of the csv's to an llm, analyze. Generate more according to the rules and the default "sine". Spitting out stuff, though still deciding if its worthwhile

[JoeLowery215]

@Urs, do you remember when we talked about wavetables a while ago, and I was thinking about trying to make instruments out of wavetables, and you said that it couldn't be done? (It was a while ago, so it's fine if you don't remember). I just saw something here, and I wanted to bring it up with you and discuss it.

I saw the following video about the new Ultra Audio Ultra Synthesizer. This is exactly what I was asking for--the ability to do this in a synth. Is there any way to do this in Zebra 3? I know the GUI and everything is completely different, but what I'm referring to, is how a musical instrument can be made out of some wavetables, and played like a normal acoustic / real instrument. What are your thoughts on this?

Just use Serum then. I’ve finally understood and had a revelation that Z3 is a totally different instrument

Before Serum 2 I actually took a marimba and sliced out each single cycle, cut it at zero crossing, and sliced together a wavetable in Serum. Sounded pretty good.

But Serum 2 does it automatically now.

[JoeLowery215]

I'm asking about this, because I've always bought your synths and I think they are awesome. However, this time I'm a bit nervous that this one may be a bit too advance for my abilities. Also, this Ultra Synthesizer seems to be able to do what I always wanted to be able to do. I'm hoping you're going to tell me that this can be done on Zebra 3 as well. What are your thoughts?

Yea just watched the video, Serum 2 does this

[audiojunkie]

I'm asking about this, because I've always bought your synths and I think they are awesome. However, this time I'm a bit nervous that this one may be a bit too advance for my abilities. Also, this Ultra Synthesizer seems to be able to do what I always wanted to be able to do. I'm hoping you're going to tell me that this can be done on Zebra 3 as well. What are your thoughts?

Yea just watched the video, Serum 2 does this

Yeah, but I don't WANT to buy Serum. I WANT to buy Zebra 3. I WANT to be told that this can be done by Zebra 3. Sell me on it!!!

[JoeLowery215]

I'm asking about this, because I've always bought your synths and I think they are awesome. However, this time I'm a bit nervous that this one may be a bit too advance for my abilities. Also, this Ultra Synthesizer seems to be able to do what I always wanted to be able to do. I'm hoping you're going to tell me that this can be done on Zebra 3 as well. What are your thoughts?

Yea just watched the video, Serum 2 does this

Yeah, but I don't WANT to buy Serum. I WANT to buy Zebra 3. I WANT to be told that this can be done by Zebra 3. Sell me on it!!!

Haha I mean, if you can important single cycle waveforms, and then stitch them together, then sure.

But use the right tool for the right job!

[Touch The Universe]

By csv files you mean the Modal Profiles?

I do not know how well LLMs do with that. We have spent quite an effort (humans) to provide the really nice profiles we included, sometimes started off with analysis tools, then refined and improved by hand. Some profiles are based on maths, which is something LLMs aren't exactly good at. So yeah, dunno.

We would love to eventually publish some tool chains we use, but our current focus is Zebra. Whatever we do, if we do it, if it's doable at all even, needs to wait until well after Zebra 3 is finished.

Throw 10 of the csv's to an llm, analyze. Generate more according to the rules and the default "sine". Spitting out stuff, though still deciding if its worthwhile

It is worthwhile Don't bother with try to make them sound vocalish - fails flat. But just generate random harmonic and enharmonic and there is variety there, trigger by white noise is best to hear the differences.

[Urs]

I'm hoping you're going to tell me that this can be done on Zebra 3 as well.

This can't be done in Zebra 3.

What are your thoughts?

My thoughts:

Someone made wavetable synthesis indistinguishable from sampling, and they also made impressive videos with it? Why didn't the makers of Autotune do this 20 years ago?

Does that make my life miserable now? - Will people insist that all of our synths must do the same? Like they already do with Serum? Like they used to do with Virus, Sylenth and whatnot before?

Do these developers get tormented with Zebra 3 videos in their forums?

What is the point of it, really? Is it my job to analyse other synthesizers in order to tell people how Zebra differs from them? Do I have to try to like those synths?

I don't know. It tires. I don't mind having a bit of a conversation, it may include other synths, but gosh, be reasonable. I'm not spending my days watching dozens of videos of other synths. That's not where I am at this stage of development/life.

One point of our extensive public beta test is expectation management. People can look at Zebra 3 and try it for free. Everything is available for discovery. It does not do everything. Of course not. What it does, is in front of you and can be explored. What it doesn't do, is not in there, won't be in there anytime soon, maybe (probably?) never will be. Can't say yet, don't know.

[Touch The Universe]

Just wishing urs some encouragment. There are a kaledoscope of sounds I'm getting from this no wavetable can do. Truly a stunning one of a kind gem.

[audiojunkie]

I'm hoping you're going to tell me that this can be done on Zebra 3 as well.

This can't be done in Zebra 3.

What are your thoughts?

My thoughts:

Someone made wavetable synthesis indistinguishable from sampling, and they also made impressive videos with it? Why didn't the makers of Autotune do this 20 years ago?

Does that make my life miserable now? - Will people insist that all of our synths must do the same? Like they already do with Serum? Like they used to do with Virus, Sylenth and whatnot before?

Do these developers get tormented with Zebra 3 videos in their forums?

What is the point of it, really? Is it my job to analyse other synthesizers in order to tell people how Zebra differs from them? Do I have to try to like those synths?

I don't know. It tires. I don't mind having a bit of a conversation, it may include other synths, but gosh, be reasonable. I'm not spending my days watching dozens of videos of other synths. That's not where I am at this stage of development/life.

One point of our extensive public beta test is expectation management. People can look at Zebra 3 and try it for free. Everything is available for discovery. It does not do everything. Of course not. What it does, is in front of you and can be explored. What it doesn't do, is not in there, won't be in there anytime soon, maybe (probably?) never will be. Can't say yet, don't know.

Wow.

[Touch The Universe]

Try to think about it from urs perspective. At the same time, people often feel genuine excitement and encouragement-driven passion for the Synth, and comparing it with other synths is simply a natural thing to do. It shouldn’t be seen as only comparing this to that, or as something that results solely from deep passion for the Synthitself. Rather, it’s about connecting that passion to other areas we enjoy—like synthesizers, an abundance of synth features, and shared interests—coming together as a joyful, thoughtful, and passionate discussion.

My previous mention of Thore wasn’t meant to represent the core of my interest or feelings about this synth. It was simply one way I chose to express that interest, through a single question, in one moment of time.

Stepping back a bit, any comparison to other synths is really just the tip of the iceberg to my interest of z3. I could have expressed that with a,b,c etc. . It’s somewhat arbitrary and not the most important part of why I’m interested. My interest is primarily in the synthesizer itself and the work behind it, not in ranking or measuring it against others.