Zebra 3 Public Beta Revision 20399

[ThoughtExperiment]

....
I have both and for one, 3 simply sounds better, you may have noticed too if you tried the beta before commenting.

And there you have it in a nutshell. I know I have lots to learn in order to make the most of of Z3, but just going on the presets, it does sound better. Z2 was and is great, I've used it in every track I've made, but Z3 seems more characterful somehow. I guess it's the filters, even the less CPU-mashing ones:)
To my mind, everything else is gravy....very delicious gravy...

[PieBerger]

I'm trying to find a video that shows what Zebra is better suited for than other VST synthesizers.
It's surprising, but there are tons of videos online about how to use various Zebra3 functions or tweak vector splines without any goal. But I just don't get why, what's the purpose.
Especially since twisting vectors is way more complicated than regular wavetables.
Can someone recommend interesting videos specifically for Zebra3 that show modern synth presets creation (not orchestral emulations) similar or better to Serum, Vital, Pigments, Phaseplant etc, making it clear what advantages vectors has here? Not just nerdy stuff but goal oriented?
Technically, a titanic multi-year effort has been put into it, but in terms of marketing, I still can't understand what Zebra3 is positioned for compared to Zebra2. Even though I've scoured the entire internet and watched Urs and Alchemy videos and tweak Zebralette

You can download the beta and use it for free, without limitation until April/May so why don't you figure out what it's best at for yourself? If none of the features interest or excite, you can save the $ and disk space, no problem

[PieBerger]

He does have a point though, On the surface, the spline osc looks ordinary - just another wavetable with some extra draw tools, that also lost the ability to draw additive partial "pillars". Dash Glitch doesnt even know the advantages of it. You guys need to make it more clear about the main pros: really fast & easy to make complex waveforms, smooth as hell morphing and just overall superior sounding, especially the extreme high freq stuff.

On the surface a well done rump looks the same as rare fillet, but when you bite into it the experience is quite different. If users aren't naturally intrigued by the oscillators in Zebra, be that the highly-optimised hand-drawing tools and or the OscFX, it's probably not the synth for them and that's OK, they can continue using synths with features/workflow that does interest/is useful to them.

[Urs]

Also, this is a beta. We have not done any marketing at all, apart from announcing that there is a beta. We don't even have a website for it yet.

I get that it is unusual in our segment to do public beta testing, but it is also not unheard of either.

Maybe people should view this as a "soft opening" or "test drive".

We certainly also view it as "expectation management": It is easier to explain away and react on issues by saying "hey, it's a beta", and then the obvious ones will be fixed in the final product. That's a way of urging criticism to be constructive. And on the things we can't fix (no arps...) we can set the stage and test our messaging.

[Synthosynthony]

I'm trying to find a video that shows what Zebra is better suited for than other VST synthesizers.
It's surprising, but there are tons of videos online about how to use various Zebra3 functions or tweak vector splines without any goal. But I just don't get why, what's the purpose.
....

Are those supposed to be real questions? Because to me it kinda sounds like you registered only to vent off.
Maybe I'm wrong, so: spline curves are just a different workflow, some may prefer it over wavetables, others won't. If you don't (and you clearly don't), why bother watching hours of YT videos to change your mind?

I still can't understand what Zebra3 is positioned for compared to Zebra2.

I have both and for one, 3 simply sounds better, you may have noticed too if you tried the beta before commenting.

The question was asked because in our community, where many are well-versed in synthesis, prefer Bitwig over Ableton, closely follow new releases, and love u-he plugins, there's still no clear understanding of exactly how to use Zebra3—what user cases will be most effective. It's always important to understand where you need a quick sound for a specific track, where use a VST as a lab for experiments without rushing anywhere, or where creating a preset bank for a specific genre.

Dash Glitch was mentioned absolutely correctly. Even those users who are deeply knowledgeable in synthesis and can popularize complex things haven't fully mastered Z3 yet. So I took the risk to ask questions and am very glad that Urs responded. I'm definitely looking forward to more tutorials specifically from Urs, because watching the creator see his own product is a huge pleasure.

For me, splines still look complicated and innovative, so the approach "FROM the result TO the way of working on a preset" seems like an important element in mastering the tool.

And I'm definitely not ready to say that Zebra 2 "sounds worse." Remarkable synth with its own character and a long history. Which, by the way, hasn't ended, considering the huge number of banks that will remain as legacy.

[jtsterays]

You can check these articles out, the zebralette section: viewtopic.php?t=625534

[stippenstoh]

The question was asked because in our community, where many are well-versed in synthesis, prefer Bitwig over Ableton, closely follow new releases, and love u-he plugins, there's still no clear understanding of exactly how to use Zebra3—what user cases will be most effective. It's always important to understand where you need a quick sound for a specific track, where use a VST as a lab for experiments without rushing anywhere, or where creating a preset bank for a specific genre.

Dash Glitch was mentioned absolutely correctly. Even those users who are deeply knowledgeable in synthesis and can popularize complex things haven't fully mastered Z3 yet. So I took the risk to ask questions and am very glad that Urs responded. I'm definitely looking forward to more tutorials specifically from Urs, because watching the creator see his own product is a huge pleasure.
...

Your initial post was not about how to use Zebra3 at all, you basically asked for external proof why it even exists because you couldn't find any on YouTube.

You seem to know Zebra2 so you should be aware of Zebra's approach and as others have mentioned, U-He provide the beta for free for you to test it and see if it fits your shoe.

[PieBerger]

Dash Glitch was mentioned absolutely correctly. Even those users who are deeply knowledgeable in synthesis and can popularize complex things haven't fully mastered Z3 yet.

It's a complex synth that's only been publicly available for a month, no one has a mastered it yet...

[jtsterays]

My Dash Glitch example was about how he didnt know the perks of vector/spline system because there's no detailed info about it except the japanese article I linked. We're not talking about mastering the whole synth (right?)

[The Sound Of Merlin]

The biggest paradigm shift of our time, in my view, is Zebra 3. Things I previously thought impossible are now within reach, right in front of me. The power of this new synth lies not only in the fact that you can create any tone or sound, but in the flexibility its modulators provide to capture the essence of virtually any instrument. Wherever I fail with Zebra 3 is precisely where I still have a great deal to learn. This synth, at the very least, gives me the confidence that anything imaginable is possible. That brings reassurance.

[jtsterays]

In the OscFX, Posterize or Twinkles that have the Trigger Src. If I assign it to MSEG for example, it shows the mini MSEG on the right, but if I change to another OscFX mode that doesnt have trigger src, the mini MSEG is still there. It should be hidden right imo.

[Synthosynthony]

Your initial post was not about how to use Zebra3 at all, you basically asked for external proof why it even exists because you couldn't find any on YouTube.

You seem to know Zebra2 so you should be aware of Zebra's approach and as others have mentioned, U-He provide the beta for free for you to test it and see if it fits your shoe.

No, that's just your understanding of my post. I was talking about the fact that I still can't figure out how to use vectors and what I can get from it. The concept of creating a waveform this way in a vacuum, without a goal, is still abstract to me, and it would be interesting to see videos on what the advantage is of creating waves this way (beyond the quality of transforming one shape into another thanks to vector graphics).

I've seen a lot about Zebralette—I have it—and I see the convenience of drawing with a pencil. But I don't understand how to apply it or why I need to draw.

For example, I can explain why granular synthesis is needed and why, say, it's great to have control over each granule. I can understand what spectral synthesis is for. But in my explanation, I would suggest first listening to a specific sound example and then, based on it, understanding technologically how such a sound was achieved.
My original post wasn't about "why does this even exist" in a negative sense, but "help me figure it out—are there videos from the final timbre to the drawing?" From the assembled puzzle to its pieces.

[NAD]

Judging from some of the videos some people hastily made when the beta came out: Zebra 3 does not fit into the "quick bite" side of the Youtube/Tiktok economy, where there is some urgency to be "first to show & tell".

Lol, most of the videos I've seen so far about Zebra 3 (other than your own) make me want to yell "Read the f**king manual!" at the screen

Some of these "content creators" are in such a rush to put out "tutorials" that end up being at best pretty useless, I just don't get it...

[jtsterays]

Your initial post was not about how to use Zebra3 at all, you basically asked for external proof why it even exists because you couldn't find any on YouTube.

You seem to know Zebra2 so you should be aware of Zebra's approach and as others have mentioned, U-He provide the beta for free for you to test it and see if it fits your shoe.

No, that's just your understanding of my post. I was talking about the fact that I still can't figure out how to use vectors and what I can get from it. The concept of creating a waveform this way in a vacuum, without a goal, is still abstract to me, and it would be interesting to see videos on what the advantage is of creating waves this way (beyond the quality of transforming one shape into another thanks to vector graphics).

I've seen a lot about Zebralette—I have it—and I see the convenience of drawing with a pencil. But I don't understand how to apply it or why I need to draw.

For example, I can explain why granular synthesis is needed and why, say, it's great to have control over each granule. I can understand what spectral synthesis is for. But in my explanation, I would suggest first listening to a specific sound example and then, based on it, understanding technologically how such a sound was achieved.
My original post wasn't about "why does this even exist" in a negative sense, but "help me figure it out—are there videos from the final timbre to the drawing?" From the assembled puzzle to its pieces.

Oh so actually, you're not familiar with making your own waveform by drawing it, is that right? If that's the case then I understand the confusion here.

[ThoughtExperiment]

Judging from some of the videos some people hastily made when the beta came out: Zebra 3 does not fit into the "quick bite" side of the Youtube/Tiktok economy, where there is some urgency to be "first to show & tell".

Lol, most of the videos I've seen so far about Zebra 3 (other than your own) make me want to yell "Read the f**king manual!" at the screen

Some of these "content creators" are in such a rush to put out "tutorials" that end up being at best pretty useless, I just don't get it...

Agreed While Z3 is still in Beta, the only tutorials which are worth watching are those by Urs himself, and maybe the alpha testers/preset designers (the video by Marula Music is pretty good IMO).