ZEBRA 3: "Player" Version

[kalqlate]

Prospects for a Player - Presets and Editable Macros Performance Page - Version

The iterative benefits of a player version: 1) greatly expanded user base for presets, 2) massive sales of "Zebra 3 Play" that will dwarf sales of Zebra 3 many times over, 3) vastly expanded market for presets, 4) which will encourage more sound design and more sales of the full Zebra 3 to sound designers and those who want to dabble in sound design.

The New "Performance" Page

The "Performance" Page, present in both the Full and Play versions: One page that has perhaps 8 macro buttons, one or two X/Y pads (or one cube) with some cool real-time display of waveforms, etc., maybe a few sliders, switches, whatever it takes to present a simplified page to which the sound designer can map multiple significant underlying parameters of their presets to each X/Y or cube corner, macros, sliders, switches. Perhaps a customizable background gradient or image per preset.

For even further simplicity, U-he could declare certain controls on the performance page will have fixed assignments, and the rest will have default, sound-designer-modifiable assignments, thus making all presets immediately compatible and usable with the new Performance page, without any extra effort from the sound designer. But if the sound designer so chooses, they can reassign the modifiable assignments to taste. One or more randomizers would be welcome on this page.

Zebra 3 Play

A lower cost version priced attractively ($99 to $150) for those who only want to invest in the sounds of Zebra 3, without access to the full sound design capabilities. Zebra 3 Play IS Zebra 3, just with the presentation locked to the Performance page. U-he might even consider a Presets Market place either on their site and/or embedded in both versions as a way to encourage more sales of Zebra 3 Play, which would encourage more sales of Preset Packs, which would incentivize the creation of more Preset Packs, which would encourage more sales of the full Zebra 3.

I've watched many YouTube sound design demos for Zebra 3 and have explored and experimented with it myself. Cool but cumbersome. For many, unapproachable. For some, desirable but financially out of reach with features they have no desire to explore - they're only interested in the sounds.

Zebralette 3 sounds amazing, but Zebra 3 will be so much more so.

What does everyone want... lots of growth and amazing results and use of Zebra 3.

To give Zebra 3 its maximum exposure and use, it must look to the far broader market beyond sound designers and think... it's the sound that makes it great. That's what everyone wants - the unique sounds that only Zebra 3 can make.

The cost and complexity of Zebra 3 make it a no-go for the vast majority of would-be users.

A Performance page and lower-cost, functionally-restricted Zebra 3 Play version would solve this and be a win for everyone.

Thoughts?

EDIT:

MSEGs and LFOs

Of course, assignable MSEGs and LFOs on the Performance page.

Preset Layering Across the Keyboard

Visualize this facility similar to how you see it in Heavyocity Gravity 2 and other preset layering samplers like Soundbox... just the keyboard layering section.

Also at the bottom of but detached from the Performance section, a keyboard section where two or more presets with customizable volume crossovers can be configured across the keyboard, and it would include global settings and macros that would control all layers the same. This would also entail that the Performance section allow switching to adjust the per preset Performance macros of each layer. Added complexity, both internally and presentation-wise, but preset layering within the instrument would be a great performance feature. This preset layering would actually exist within all presets. By default, each preset would assign itself [Self] as the only layer with default settings. Sound designers and users could then create new LAYERED presets by adding one or more presets to the current one, adjusting keyboard ranges and volume crossovers to taste, then saving as a new preset. Haha... things could get complicated, so presets with layers already defined would simply dump their payload of presets and layers into the one currently being configured when they are selected to add to the current preset. That way, you don't have to deal with a convoluted hierarchy of layers .

[ToneCarver]

Yes, please. 100%

[Urs]

Maybe let us finish Zebra 3 first before we start such discussion...?

[kalqlate]

Oh, I'm certainly not knocking Zebra 3, it's current state, or what it is currently slated to be - it's a masterful piece of innovative engineering. The desire is to simply present now how it might eventually evolve to having even more exposure and benefit to sound designers, musicians, producers, creators. Thanks for all you do!

[bhinton]

Are there really that many users who don't create their own patches at all? This is not at all to knock the many wonderful presets and preset creators (u-he and independent), and I get that lots and maybe even most people use presets in their finished work or in performance. But Zebra is such a tweakers-experimenters-and-sound-explorers paradise, and it seems to me that's at least 90% of the whole point and appeal of it. Maybe as an "experimental" composer my sense of how many folks use it that way is just distorted.

[zvenx]

I would be shocked if the vast majority of users don't use presets.

rsp

[audiojunkie]

ALL Sound Designers and ALL Preset Users: Please Implore a Performance Page & Presets Only Version.........

Zebra 3 already does almost all of this. The only thing it doesn't do is hide the synth functionality (which isn't really necessary). Buy it now, and it will be cheaper.

[pdxindy]

The cost and complexity of Zebra 3 make it a no-go for the vast majority of would-be users.

You state that as if it's a fact.

[CrystalWizard]

Please implore U-he to continue working on Zebra 3 to complete it as planned.

2) massive sales of "Zebra 3 Play" that will dwarf sales of Zebra 3 many times over, 3) vastly expanded market for presets, 4) which will encourage more sound design and more sales of the full Zebra 3 to sound designers and those who want to dabble in sound design.

I'm not U-he, but, it's never been my impression that "massive sales" were the goal. I think "those who want to dabble in sound design" are a big section the target market.

For even further simplicity, ...

Zebra doesn't need further simplicity imo, it's a synth designed for synth lovers.

To give Zebra 3 its maximum exposure and use, it must look to the far broader market beyond sound designers and think... it's the sound that makes it great. That's what everyone wants - the unique sounds that only Zebra 3 can make.

"The sound" is not what everyone wants. I'm maybe the exception, but, I'm not just interested in the sound, i'm interested in the flexibility, the ability to create new sounds. Maybe U-he wants to explore those options in the future but for now i hope they concentrate their resources on "the growth of Zebra." Those suggestions seem like "the dumbing down and commodification" of Zebra, like a marketing driven approach.

I'm just "an old man //yelling at// gazing at clouds."

[pdxindy]

Zebra doesn't need further simplicity imo, it's a synth designed for synth lovers.

Plus it's easy enough to use Zebra 3 as a preset synth if that's what someone wants.

[CrystalWizard]

Zebra doesn't need further simplicity imo, it's a synth designed for synth lovers.

Plus it's easy enough to use Zebra 3 as a preset synth if that's what someone wants.

True, i had meant to put that in my comment. What is stopping anyone? The only point i see in the OP is the issue of price. U-he puts a lot of thought and work (value) into Zebra.

[Seafire Mk2]

The cost and complexity of Zebra 3 make it a no-go for the vast majority of would-be users.

You state that as if it's a fact.

You could argue that it is a fact, as there are always more 'would be' users than actual users.

Anyway, the whole idea seems ridiculous to me, and an insult to uhe.

As someone already said, any synth can be a preset player, you don't need to tweak a single knob.

If its about money, save up. Make an effort.

[kalqlate]

With respect to U-he's wishes, this will be the only reply to all of the above, or any subsequent posts by others, I will engage with. You are free to consider it however you please.

I'm sure the goal for everyone is that Zebra 3 live its best life, in whatever form that comes, and that U-he earn the accolades and success their insightfulness, inventiveness, and hard work deserve.

First up, through my production company, I purchased the Zebra 3 beta at least two weeks before posting the original comment above. Though I own prior releases of Zebra, my acquisition date disqualified me from any discounts, so I paid the full beta price. I believe in and am extremely excited about the product. There are few if any competitors to Zebra 3. I am also a happy owner of several other U-he products.

Therefore, the suggestions in my original comment were not for my sake, but - with empathy for others and a desire that U-he meet with deserved overwhelming success - that this decades-in-the-making product finds its way into the hands of as many as possible.

Secondly, for those who are amenable to academic and industry research rather than opinion, here is a bit of investigation on the research pertinent to this topic by Gemini Pro via Google AI Mode in response to the following query:

Limiting the discussion to virtual instruments, in the DAW-based music production ecosystem, what is an estimate of the number of producers / music creators who prefer adjusting preset macros rather than fully designing their own sound and effect presets? (Do not include sample usage or sample platforms in your research. Focus only on how virtual instruments are used: preset macro tweaking vs deep sound design. And please avoid anecdotal accounts, preferring surveys, academic, and industry reports instead.)

Gemini Pro Query Response via Google AI Mode

(Edited to fix/renew the above shared AI link. It seems Google may expire shared AI links unexpectedly.)

[Dirtgrain]

Yeah, I don't a shit about a play version. Maybe just call on some who would care to do the imploring--instead of all users.

[kalqlate]

Last, last comment:

Thanks. The title is quite a bit much, so I'll change that. But you're right, in your world, it is all about you - you don't want or need a play version. Beautiful!

For others, who are more interested in how a player version can benefit a synth ecosystem, perform this query:

"Research the market penetration of macro-tweakable-only 'player' versions of complex virtual synths vs the fully-editable versions, and how do 'player' versions benefit the respective preset markets and the benefit in sales of the fully-editable versions to pro sound designers creating preset packs."