Don't dismiss "older" synths (f.e. Zebra 2)

[Teksonik]

No, people will buy Zebra 3 because it's better than the twenty year old Zebra 2.

That is opinion, not fact. And people will buy that because they assume it's true, not because they know it. PS it may very well be so, but it's not a given.

Ok I'm done with you. No sense talking to a brick wall. Zebra 3 has not been released so there can be no "facts" about how it's going to sound.

But anyone with at least a partially functioning prefrontal cortex can posit that based on what we know about Zebralette 3, Zebra 3 will be a superior instrument to Zebra 2.

Sure some may buy it just because it has the U-he logo but serious users will demo Zebra 3 before purchase and they will make their decision based on how it sounds not just because "its new". To think otherwise is simply an assumption and opinion on your part and an insult to their intelligence.

If you can't see that then any further discussion is futile. Enjoy the past. The rest of us will embrace the future which is where all progress will occur.

[Alexander_D]

No, people will buy Zebra 3 because it's better than the twenty year old Zebra 2.

That is opinion, not fact. And people will buy that because they assume it's true, not because they know it. PS it may very well be so, but it's not a given.

Ok I'm done with you. No sense talking to a brick wall. Zebra 3 has not been released so there can be no "facts" about how it's going to sound.

But anyone with at least a partially functioning prefrontal cortex can posit that based on what we know about Zebralette 3, Zebra 3 will be a superior instrument to Zebra 2.

Sure some may buy it just because it has the U-he logo but serious users will demo Zebra 3 before purchase and they will make their decision based on how it sounds not just because "its new". To think otherwise is simply an assumption and opinion on your part and an insult to their intelligence.

If you can't see that then any further discussion is futile. Enjoy the past. The rest of us will embrace the future which is where all progress will occur.

Yes, but we still need to wait Zebra 3... end of this year or the next year.

[replicant X]

The GForce OB-1 has been on the market for over a year now, and it still sounds great.

[dune_rave]

Older synths.....
I may sell my Albino3...
Because Icarus or Avenger or ... beats it.
But i dont plan to sell korg m1 or wavestate.
Depends what you have...

[Effectsworks]

I didn't leave my old synths they left me when the developers stopped updating them or they quite the business.

[mixyguy2]

Ok I'm done with you. No sense talking to a brick wall.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.

Zebra 3 has not been released so there can be no "facts" about how it's going to sound.

LOL - wait, you have already assured us it will sound much better than Zebra 2. So which is it, Mr brick wall?

But anyone with at least a partially functioning prefrontal cortex

As that appears to exclude you, I'm done with this. Enjoy your pretzel logic and "new equals better" mindset.

[glokraw]

There are two factors when it comes to synths.

A third factor is the huge number of 'newbies', to whom all synths they have never heard, are 'new'. For these people, Zebra Legacy is as new as anything that just popped up on a website, except the number and range of free community contributed sounds is vast, as are the many pro commercial preset collections.

Same goes for hardware, the same newbies may have no clue about what differs between a Virus, a Triton, and an SY99, so each is new as far as their experience goes.

And for guitars, most people that are not pros, and are buying guitar gear, maybe have heard a handful of amps, but are basically deer-in-the-headlights when confronted with full featured modeling hardware or software solutions, with a plethora of great gear listings, most of which are meaningless to the clueless. These are tough times to be young and starting various learning curves.
Hold on to your wallets and plastic Learn before you spend!

[_leras]

Jump ahead to today and that $50 Teisco Del Rey is now selling for $500!! Did it magically become ten times better....hell no.

Err... A lot of that is just inflation.

[Teksonik]

There are two factors when it comes to synths.

A third factor is the huge number of 'newbies', to whom all synths they have never heard, are 'new'. For these people, Zebra Legacy is as new as anything that just popped up on a website,

That's not a factor of the synth that's a factor of the user base.

Again, how a synth sounds and how a synth sounds compared to the competition are the real factors.

Someone new could call up the very first softsynth ever released and it would be new to them. That has nothing to do with how that synth sounds compared to the current available competition.

Zebra 2 is not as new as anything that just popped up. Those "newbies" will discover that when they demo more recently released synths.

As I've said many times before Zebra 2 is still a fantastic synth but it's just not as fantastic as some of the other more recently released synths in my collection which is why it rarely gets used these days.

Again there is no doubt in my mind based on the time I've spent with the new Zebralette that Zebra 3 will be a far superior synth to Zebra 2.

That's called progress and thankfully it has existed since the birth of the softsynth.

I suppose we're nearing the point where "retro softsynth" fanaticism is going to become a thing just as it did with retro hardware synths. "Nothing sounds as good as softsynths from 2002 maaaaan" and so on.

[CapnLockheed]

Jump ahead to today and that $50 Teisco Del Rey is now selling for $500!! Did it magically become ten times better....hell no.

Err... A lot of that is just inflation.

Err.....bullsh#t.

SOME of that may be inflation. But that's what's happened with VINTAGE gear in less than ten years. Show me a a ten year old Squier that's selling for TEN TIMES it's original price. Same holds true with some vintage stompboxes and amps. By your logic, cheap ten year old Chinese pedals should be selling for over $100....they're not. But more desirable pedals, like Green Russian Big Muffs, Mu-trons, and especially vintage '60's fuzz pedals are going for ridiculous money. That's NOT inflation. That's demand and scarcity. Also, every time some rockstar becomes known for using a particular piece of gear....like Dan Auerbach and Green Russian Muffs. Even more recently Mk.gee
re-popularized the Roland VG-8EX causing the market price to increase ten-fold overnight. That is CLEARLY not inflation.

[seafire]

Again, how a synth sounds and how a synth sounds compared to the competition are the real factors.

Well, in the case of Zebra, its been out for over 20 years, but it's been updated many, many times. It hasn't remained stagnant. It's also a very complex and capable synth. The quality certainly isn't in question is it? I'm wondering how far away you see it, and in what areas, from 'the competition' ?

[glokraw]

If a company like U-he can hold on to great in-house sound designers, and attract great 3rd party sound designers, while increasing coding capabilities and upgrading their plugins, the lack of new titles and packaging isn't going to be a huge issue.

I suspect that someone who loves sound design, and last releasesd some U-he or competing-product soundset 5 or more years ago, has gained enough knowledge and skill in the interim, that they could create a new soundset that would be popular.

As an aside, I would love to see U-he release a multi-effects tool with great midi support, to rival Guitar Rig and other such beasts.

[Teksonik]

Again, how a synth sounds and how a synth sounds compared to the competition are the real factors.

Well, in the case of Zebra, its been out for over 20 years, but it's been updated many, many times. It hasn't remained stagnant. It's also a very complex and capable synth. The quality certainly isn't in question is it? I'm wondering how far away you see it, and in what areas, from 'the competition' ?

Has it though? Don't confuse updates with major upgrades (I'm not counting Zebra HZ which is a separate synth). Zebra 3 will be a major upgrade if all that's been teased about it so far about it turns out to be true....and if it's ever released.

During those 20 years the competition has certainly evolved.

I won't discuss the competition since that will simply start yet another silly "this versus that" argument. For me there isn't one thing that Zebra does better than some of the other synths in my collection despite the fact that I still think it's a fantastic synth. I have other options that are far more "complex and capable synths". There is good, then there is better. Of course good and better are both subjective.

Anyway my main point was to push back against the nonsense that people only buy new synths because they're new, not because they're better. That's an insult to people's intelligence and assumes no one ever demos synths before they buy them.

[Michael L]

I have mostly old synths because they are better and still different from most new ones, eg Alchemy, Iris, Rhino, Crystal, Helix, Tassman, sometimes Wusik and Z3ta.
Often a simpler UI is more productive.
Lately, a few new ones like Dawesome & Plasmonic have come out that are also distinctive in their own way.
I find the difference is due to the personality of the developer.
Also, I notice that many old synth presets are more wild and outrageous than new presets. New synth presets tend to be tame and designed to fit politely in the mix.
Again, the personalities of the sound designers come out, eg the banks for Alchemy & Rhino, the Tassman user preset encyclopedia, Simon's Iris subscriptions, Vera's Wusikstation awesomeness, everything by Tim C
When a market is new it encourages lots of experimentation, as in early days of rock and jazz; as it matures, people learn what sells so things become overall more conservative
Yet, innovators still shine through!

[seafire]

Anyway my main point was to push back against the nonsense that people only buy new synths because they're new, not because they're better. That's an insult to people's intelligence and assumes no one ever demos synths before they buy them.

Some people do though. You only have to look around here to see people asking 'which is better' when both have demo versions. Some people are stupid, and do buy just because it's new, or they fall for the marketing guff instead of actually learning/trying suff first.


Anyway, it's all about personal choice, and a pointless discussion really.