Zebra 3 Public Beta 3 Revision 20977

[loctune]

Newbie question: is there a reason to place a hard limit on the number of geneators one can use in a single Zebra 3 instance? I am sure with the 4 osc/4 fmo/2 noise modular design people can do wonders, but I personally don't think it would hurt anything if we can get more.

[Urs]

Newbie question: is there a reason to place a hard limit on the number of geneators one can use in a single Zebra 3 instance?

It’s mainly a technical/design decision, not an arbitrary creative restriction. Zebra 3 uses a fixed set of pre-created generators/modules so DAW automation and parameter IDs stay stable, old projects remain compatible as the synth evolves, and we avoid the headaches of creating modules dynamically in real time. It also makes the instrument much easier to maintain and debug. So the limit is mostly about reliability and compatibility.

I am sure with the 4 osc/4 fmo/2 noise modular design people can do wonders, but I personally don't think it would hurt anything if we can get more.

I do believe that sound design quality does not get significantly better once there are "more of each", simply because it will be harder to trace down what's doing what. "More of everything" works well for layer-based synths which have a smaller base set of modules. But in Zebra's concept, I think it's neither necessary nor desirable. Besides, many modules can take over tasks of others, if needed (e.g. there are 16 LFOs).

[stippenstoh]

I would even argue that "more" is more often than not the enemy of "better".

[The Sound Of Merlin]

Urs, as a "beta tester" I wish it was easier to make things start clicky. I noticed the Attack on the envelopes have a .10ms limit. They should be able to go down to 0. For instance, I'm trying to replicate the CR-78 cymbal and it's impossible without a click at the start on the white noise.

From the user guide:

Faster attacks
Although setting the attack to zero can still create clicks, especially with pure tones, it is not
extremely fast by default. For maximum click, set V1 to init and turn the knob up to maximum.

Thanks, I've tried that and it still doesn't produce a click with noise. Does it work for you?

Maybe you want to try an Exciter module on a different lane? If you've got a spare one that is. The Exciter produces a very fast and clicky click.

[Ah_Dziz]

You could also try adding a second envelope to give you a massive and extremely short transient on each note on. White noise isn't a good candidate for getting a "pop" from an amplitude discontinuity because of its random nature. I'd just slap a sine wave blip there if I was trying for the old cr78 cymbal.

[pdxindy]

I am sure with the 4 osc/4 fmo/2 noise modular design people can do wonders, but I personally don't think it would hurt anything if we can get more.

Besides the 4 Osc's, the 4 FMO's and the 2 Noise generators, there are also 2 Exciters, 2 Modal modules and 4 Comb modules. I guarantee that by the time you use all of those, you will have crushed your cpu

[JoeLowery215]

You could also try adding a second envelope to give you a massive and extremely short transient on each note on. White noise isn't a good candidate for getting a "pop" from an amplitude discontinuity because of its random nature. I'd just slap a sine wave blip there if I was trying for the old cr78 cymbal.

Yea true that's a good point. Probably what I should have done. I also used the exciter but it's reallllly loud and turning it down...essentially and obviously get's rid of the click.

[jrgillam]

Newbie question: is there a reason to place a hard limit on the number of geneators one can use in a single Zebra 3 instance?

It’s mainly a technical/design decision, not an arbitrary creative restriction. Zebra 3 uses a fixed set of pre-created generators/modules so DAW automation and parameter IDs stay stable, old projects remain compatible as the synth evolves, and we avoid the headaches of creating modules dynamically in real time. It also makes the instrument much easier to maintain and debug. So the limit is mostly about reliability and compatibility.

I am sure with the 4 osc/4 fmo/2 noise modular design people can do wonders, but I personally don't think it would hurt anything if we can get more.

I do believe that sound design quality does not get significantly better once there are "more of each", simply because it will be harder to trace down what's doing what. "More of everything" works well for layer-based synths which have a smaller base set of modules. But in Zebra's concept, I think it's neither necessary nor desirable. Besides, many modules can take over tasks of others, if needed (e.g. there are 16 LFOs).

The filters are where I seem to be the most prone to running out of a module, would love to get a few more. The XMFs in Zebra2 are fantastic and also seemed to bridge the gap between too few filters and enough for a complex patch using multiple lanes, I would love to get a more up-to-date take on those down the line! Thanks for all the hard work Urs.

[johnnyberrygoode]

Thanks for the great synthesizer. Where can I find or buy modal profiles? Will the list of existing profiles be updated in future versions?

[Urs]

Thanks for the great synthesizer. Where can I find or buy modal profiles? Will the list of existing profiles be updated in future versions?

We deliberately made it extensible so that more profiles can be added.

We have seen several people work on their own profiles already, but we are also contemplating to write some documentation and possibly even publish some tools.

[jasperdunn]

Thanks, I've tried that and it still doesn't produce a click with noise. Does it work for you?

Ahh okay, I didn't realise you were talking about fast noise clicks, yeah maybe an exciter is what you want.

[mibolux]

I have lots of crashes lately when I quit Live12. I get a spinning wheel, both in Release and Beta, from about begin of March, and I am looking to find the problem. As I updated Zebra3 around that time I am susicious it could be a candidate, or maybe the new licensing system. Live12 seems unable to unload the plugins. Ok, MacOs 26.3.1 came also around that date, and as I have 642 vst3 plugins (I use only vst3 in Liv12) it is very frustrating as I spent the last week opening and Force Quit.

Any help or idea would be great

mibo

[benmason]

Also to the shopping list, Chorus/ Flanger Noise parameter should be visible for analogue mode, really annoying when I've got to use a math module to get rid of it.

[Lyhrus]

Sorry if this (admittedly very basic) preset storing feature has been discussed already (moreover as it's handled the same way in all u-he products): can we either have both a Save and a Save as ... routine – or if not, it would be great if the preset number would not be counted upwards automatically (e.g. from preset_01 to preset_02) as this forces us to take an additional step to simply overwrite the current preset_01.

[tasmaniandevil]

it would be great if the preset number would not be counted upwards automatically (e.g. from preset_01 to preset_02) as this forces us to take an additional step to simply overwrite the current preset_01.

You can change this in the preferences. Just set Auto Versioning to off.