Zebra 3 Public Beta 2 Revision 20552

[PieBerger]

Can someone explain to me where the wavetables are? Normally a wavetable oscillator has a library of wavetables but I seem unable to find this. Even reading the manual didn't help. Is it not there?

Beta 2 has a small collection of Osc presets which combine wavetables and mod assignments. Click on the arrow in the top left of the module to bring up the drop down menu. More Osc (and other module) presets are expected in the full 3.0 release.

[chlorinemist]

Can someone explain to me where the wavetables are? Normally a wavetable oscillator has a library of wavetables but I seem unable to find this. Even reading the manual didn't help. Is it not there?

Beta 2 has a small collection of Osc presets which combine wavetables and mod assignments. Click on the arrow in the top left of the module to bring up the drop down menu. More Osc (and other module) presets are expected in the full 3.0 release.

I see two presets there. "Default - 6 Shapes" and "Saw - Triangle". Is that what you are referring to when you say "small collection"? Or is there more that I'm overlooking?

[chlorinemist]

I notice the visualization in the Oscillator editor does not display changes to "curve morph" parameter as you adjust it. Would be a nice feature I'd think. I'm a bit surprised how unlike Ableton Wavetable/Serum/Hive's interfaces Zebra3's implementation of Wavetable synthesis seems to be. I'm guessing this is because the focus was heavily on creating advanced tools for creating your own wavetables from scratch, but it feels like a lot of the simplicity and convenience of a more traditional wavetable synth is not there.

I do of course think overall this is a marvelous upgrade for Zebra but the wavetable implementation has had me scratching my head a bit overall. Having the tools to build my own wavetables on the fly is great of course but browsing through a library of well visualized wavetables seems essential to me as well. Maybe the full library of Osc presets in the final release will mostly resolve this though

[Urs]

It simply is not Wavetable Synthesis as in Hive or others. Zebra 3's Oscillator is to Hive's what Illustrator is to Photoshop. Vector based vs. pixel based, spline based vs. wavetable based. One can export wavetables from Zebra's editors (mainly because we also have Hive), and one of the renderers eventually uses the same playback mechanism as Hive for a single cycle waveform (which is technically the correct term for "Wavetable"), but this is where the analogy ends.

[PieBerger]

Can someone explain to me where the wavetables are? Normally a wavetable oscillator has a library of wavetables but I seem unable to find this. Even reading the manual didn't help. Is it not there?

Beta 2 has a small collection of Osc presets which combine wavetables and mod assignments. Click on the arrow in the top left of the module to bring up the drop down menu. More Osc (and other module) presets are expected in the full 3.0 release.

I see two presets there. "Default - 6 Shapes" and "Saw - Triangle". Is that what you are referring to when you say "small collection"? Or is there more that I'm overlooking?

You need to update to Beta 2, download link is on page 1 of this thread. The no. presets will increase to 10 and 'Default - 6 Shapes' will be replaced by --INIT--

[NAD]

Can someone explain to me where the wavetables are? Normally a wavetable oscillator has a library of wavetables but I seem unable to find this. Even reading the manual didn't help. Is it not there?

It's not really a wavetable oscillator even though they do share some similarities. Wavetable synths such as Serum typically work sort of (but not exactly) like a sampler, using an audio file (e.g. WAV) that stores a string of single-cycle waveforms. Zebra's oscillators on the other hand use "curves" that are sort of (but not exactly) like vector graphics. That being said, you can save the oscillator settings separately from the global preset, and that will include the "curve set" (i.e. all the curves on the timeline and how they morph from one to the next). The latest beta (rev 20552) includes several such oscillator presets which can be accessed by clicking the arrow in the top left of the oscillator module. You can also save oscillators from any of the included (global) presets to use in your own sounds. But also try editing the curves and making your own curve sets, it's fun!

Edit: I gotta remember to refresh before posting! Sorry for the redundant answer...

[chlorinemist]

It simply is not Wavetable Synthesis as in Hive or others. Zebra 3's Oscillator is to Hive's what Illustrator is to Photoshop. Vector based vs. pixel based, spline based vs. wavetable based. One can export wavetables from Zebra's editors (mainly because we also have Hive), and one of the renderers eventually uses the same playback mechanism as Hive for a single cycle waveform (which is technically the correct term for "Wavetable"), but this is where the analogy ends.

Could perhaps call it the "Vector" mode rather than "Wavetable", to help prevent users from expecting it to be a Hive style module. Tbh it seems like it would be really cool to have a Hive type oscillator module in Z3. And Diva style analog modules. I'm sure that is far off as a possibility right now but perhaps someday

[PieBerger]

It simply is not Wavetable Synthesis as in Hive or others. Zebra 3's Oscillator is to Hive's what Illustrator is to Photoshop. Vector based vs. pixel based, spline based vs. wavetable based. One can export wavetables from Zebra's editors (mainly because we also have Hive), and one of the renderers eventually uses the same playback mechanism as Hive for a single cycle waveform (which is technically the correct term for "Wavetable"), but this is where the analogy ends.

Could perhaps call it the "Vector" mode rather than "Wavetable", to help prevent users from expecting it to be a Hive style module. Tbh it seems like it would be really cool to have a Hive type oscillator module in Z3. And Diva style analog modules. I'm sure that is far off as a possibility right now but perhaps someday

Vector synthesis is already a thing too (which you can do in Z3 btw, by feeding multiple Osc into the 4-1 mixer in scan mode), so renaming it to Vector mode would be equally 'confusing'. Most people understand that wavetable synthesis means morphing through one or more different waveforms and Zebra3 (and Zebra2) can do this, albeit in a different way to Hive/Serum, with these more modern synths being different again from older synths like Massive or the original PPG/Waldorf synths.

I wouldn't be opposed to a Hive style Osc type in Zebra though and probably it will come in a future point release, only if to shut everyone up who keeps asking for one

[chlorinemist]

It simply is not Wavetable Synthesis as in Hive or others. Zebra 3's Oscillator is to Hive's what Illustrator is to Photoshop. Vector based vs. pixel based, spline based vs. wavetable based. One can export wavetables from Zebra's editors (mainly because we also have Hive), and one of the renderers eventually uses the same playback mechanism as Hive for a single cycle waveform (which is technically the correct term for "Wavetable"), but this is where the analogy ends.

Could perhaps call it the "Vector" mode rather than "Wavetable", to help prevent users from expecting it to be a Hive style module. Tbh it seems like it would be really cool to have a Hive type oscillator module in Z3. And Diva style analog modules. I'm sure that is far off as a possibility right now but perhaps someday

Vector synthesis is already a thing too (which you can do in Z3 btw, by feeding multiple Osc into the 4-1 mixer in scan mode), so renaming it to Vector mode would be equally 'confusing'. Most people understand that wavetable synthesis means morphing through one or more different waveforms and Zebra3 (and Zebra2) can do this, albeit in a different way to Hive/Serum, with these more modern synths being different again from older synths like Massive or the original PPG/Waldorf synths.

I wouldn't be opposed to a Hive style Osc type in Zebra though and probably it will come in a future point release, only if to shut everyone up who keeps asking for one

To be honest I struggle to understand why this innovative form of synthesis cannot be implemented with the visual feedback of a typical wavetable synth... I'm sure there's a good reason but I don't comprehend what it is. With the curve morph parameter are we doing something other than scrolling through a range of predictable waveshapes which can be represented visually with an oscilloscope-style window?

[Urs]

The typical visual feedback of wavetable synths is not my cup of tea... and falls short of what it promises to accomplish here... the real fun in Zebra is the combination with oscillator effects. It's too dynamic to be represented with some kind of 3D candy mountains.

[PieBerger]

It simply is not Wavetable Synthesis as in Hive or others. Zebra 3's Oscillator is to Hive's what Illustrator is to Photoshop. Vector based vs. pixel based, spline based vs. wavetable based. One can export wavetables from Zebra's editors (mainly because we also have Hive), and one of the renderers eventually uses the same playback mechanism as Hive for a single cycle waveform (which is technically the correct term for "Wavetable"), but this is where the analogy ends.

Could perhaps call it the "Vector" mode rather than "Wavetable", to help prevent users from expecting it to be a Hive style module. Tbh it seems like it would be really cool to have a Hive type oscillator module in Z3. And Diva style analog modules. I'm sure that is far off as a possibility right now but perhaps someday

Vector synthesis is already a thing too (which you can do in Z3 btw, by feeding multiple Osc into the 4-1 mixer in scan mode), so renaming it to Vector mode would be equally 'confusing'. Most people understand that wavetable synthesis means morphing through one or more different waveforms and Zebra3 (and Zebra2) can do this, albeit in a different way to Hive/Serum, with these more modern synths being different again from older synths like Massive or the original PPG/Waldorf synths.

I wouldn't be opposed to a Hive style Osc type in Zebra though and probably it will come in a future point release, only if to shut everyone up who keeps asking for one

To be honest I struggle to understand why this innovative form of synthesis cannot be implemented with the visual feedback of a typical wavetable synth... I'm sure there's a good reason but I don't comprehend what it is. With the curve morph parameter are we doing something other than scrolling through a range of predictable waveshapes which can be represented visually with an oscilloscope-style window?

You can already view the waveform readout in realtime, with or without Osc FX and there's also a built-in scope that can monitor the audio output. What else do you need to see exactly?

[chlorinemist]

You can already view the waveform readout in realtime, with or without Osc FX and there's also a built-in scope that can monitor the audio output. What else do you need to see exactly?

Can you explain how? I'd love to know and don't currently.

[PieBerger]

You can already view the waveform readout in realtime, with or without Osc FX and there's also a built-in scope that can monitor the audio output. What else do you need to see exactly?

Can you explain how? I'd love to know and don't currently.

No problem

You need to be viewing the Osc in either the full editor mode (click on the pencil icon) or you need to be on the relevant Osc tab. If you play and hold a note and then adjust the Curve Morph knob you should see a red line readout of the wavetable. Assuming you have the 6 shapes default loaded it should morph between a double saw and narrow pulse. To the *right of the graph you'll see 'Plot Domain' with a box that says 'Time', click on this to change to Frequency and you'll see each frame in an FFT-style readout instead. Underneath you'll see 4 icons; Sine, FX, 1 and 2, these are allow you to switch between pre and post FX readouts and to see which frames are being morphed between when relevant OscFX are loaded. For example, if you load Formant into slot 1 and Dual Wave into slot 2, switch both to Source: Curves and then select icon 1 and 2 in turn, you should see the graph morphing through the (audible) curve set as you move their morph knobs around.

[chlorinemist]

Thanks!

[midi_transmission]

I really like the context menu!

For the hover effect for modulation, it's a fantastic concept. However, right now it feels overly bold with the full rectangle in a very visible color.

Maybe a toggle for the hover as a button? For exploring existing presets it's awesome, but when I create own patched where I know what I've done it's kicking me a bit out of the flow.

Let's start with, you can switch it off if you want to (right-click + Target Finder)...

We'll be using it ourselves a lot, check out how people go and come up with refinements over time.

Works for me. I just didn't see it.