Zebra 3 - final beta Rev 21625 April 8th

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Hello,
I can read :
"Zebra 2 license owners (from before it became Zebra Legacy) can upgrade to Zebra 3 for 30€"

In this case...
How much will cost the update for those who got Zebra2 Legacy ?

Thanks.

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pdxindy wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 5:23 pm
mabian wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 5:10 pm LFO2 is now in the top row of the Mod Matrix slot, with mid row set to "none", bottom row "filter 1 resonance".
an "m" is still shown on the left of the knob, and that "m" cannot be drawn; I think the "m" should not be there where the mid row is "none".
This after setting the mid row to "Constant", then back to "none"; I believe it's a bug.
When you set 'Via' to constant and back to none in the Matrix, then LFO2 is no longer selected. Select LFO2 and the "m" will go away and the knob will return.

The "m" is to show there is modulation on the parameter when the source modulator is not selected.
Here on Linux, when setting back "via" from Constant to None, the first row remains LFO2.
The icon remains "m", and it cannot be dragged.

To get back to normal I have to remove and re-add the modulation...

- Mario

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Small thing on the manual:

it says "o explore the wide range of sounds available in Zebra 3, click on the [Presets] button top left, then select the Showcase folder.".

I'm not seeing a "Showcase" folder in the preset manager...

- Mario

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Joe-J wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 7:57 pm Hello,
I can read :
"Zebra 2 license owners (from before it became Zebra Legacy) can upgrade to Zebra 3 for 30€"

In this case...
How much will cost the update for those who got Zebra2 Legacy ?

Thanks.
from the Zebra Legacy release post (can't believe that was in 2022 already)

"As Zebra Legacy is such a bargain, we will not be offering a Zebra3 upgrade path from the new 99 € licenses."

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pdxindy wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 6:35 pm
Eluwei wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 6:10 pm
It's the amplitude scaling for each mode of vibration given in dB units, then the decay, is basically the 1/f calculation...
GainDB controls the Normalize knob.

So:
4 -40 0.5

means that with the Normalize knob all the way down, partial 4 is at -40 dB

That's what it seems like to me... so you can make some partials (with +GainDB values) invert with the Normalize knob. (partial gets louder with Normalize turned down)
I'm pretty sure the "GainDB" values are just the volume of each "mode" (a resonant filter) in decibels.

As for the normalize knob: The manual just says it "controls the balance between low and high frequency modes." It's basically just scaling the gain of each mode in such a way that low frequencies are attenuated less and high frequencies are attenuated more, both positively and negatively, so negative values "dampen" high frequencies and positive values "brighten" them.

Also, we should try not to confuse the "Decay" values in the modal profiles with the global "Decay" knob. The Decay values in the profiles control the decay of each individual mode. The global Decay is just a simple envelope.

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jsheaucsb wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 7:26 pm Just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of people requesting an option to have the old beta GUI as an option for the release version...
Pretty small chorus from where I'm standing 😀
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so do I neither

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I wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2026 12:13 pmBefore you ask for the old UI back, please spend a week with this one.
It's not been out a week, so...

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Sound Author wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 8:38 pm I'm pretty sure the "GainDB" values are just the volume of each "mode" (a resonant filter) in decibels.

As for the normalize knob: The manual just says it "controls the balance between low and high frequency modes." It's basically just scaling the gain of each mode in such a way that low frequencies are attenuated less and high frequencies are attenuated more, both positively and negatively, so negative values "dampen" high frequencies and positive values "brighten" them.
I just did a few more tests.

If all the partials in the CSV file are set to 0 dB, then the Normalize parameter does nothing.

If the partials in the CSV file alternate between '-' and '+' values, then when you lower the Normalize knob, the - partials will go down and the + partials will go up in level.

The possible range for the GainDB value is -59dB to 24dB. Anything lower than -59dB will disappear if Normalize is turned fully down.

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Oh, that's interesting. Welp,I guess I need to experiment more. Also, I think the manual should discuss modal profile parameters. People are gonna want to know about this stuff.

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Diva is my most used synth and I did some drones with zebralette so I'm getting my first zebra now. I hope I'll have fun going into the rabbit hole.

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Is there a future plan to expand the LFO to operate at full audio frequency range? Would open up a new world for sound.

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It would be nice to have a switch icon (as in the modulation matrix) next to the modulation activated through an empty slot. Because, as far as I understand, there is no possibility at this stage to disable the modulation running through an empty slot.
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jsheaucsb wrote: Sat Apr 11, 2026 7:26 pm Regardless, this is the most impressive sounding soft synth I have ever heard. Congrats!
Hear hear. The sweet spot in Z3 is huge. I get results worth saving every time I start from scratch. I love Z2 but Z3 seems more forgiving and generous. The sound is thicc and lush and the way the oscillators, envelopes and LFOs interact feels organic and full of character. It doesn't crap out or get skronky.

This has been worth the wait.

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johnnyberrygoode wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2026 3:56 am It would be nice to have a switch icon (as in the modulation matrix) next to the modulation activated through an empty slot. Because, as far as I understand, there is no possibility at this stage to disable the modulation running through an empty slot.
Or maybe a right click mute option... less clutter that way.

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Last edited by xx JPRacer xx on Sun Apr 12, 2026 8:29 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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