U-HE Zebra 3 Alpha Prototype Developments

[kmonkey]

You mean, I have to write "in my opinion" in every single post in a discussion forum.

Check your own post history and see if you've done that.

No you don't. That's clear. But I am not letting you slide with this one

Read again what you wrote and what I wrote - from your context. Emphasize context.

Or... if you want to act smart and actually be smart then answer your own paradox:

So having more options automatically makes a synth inferior or comparable to a Serum? Fascinating. Please, enlighten me—how does less creative control somehow result in better sound?

Where’s the magic number? How many options are just right before a synth becomes ‘too much’ for the poor user to handle? Please, share your wisdom.

If a synth with "millions" of options doesn’t sound better or yield better results, could it be that the real limitation isn’t the synth… but the person using it?

Or the problem isn’t having tons of sound design possibilities—it’s just that some people don’t know what to do with them. Are you one of them? Oh, are you? Then just say so that way instead of portraying the upcoming product problematic.

[briefcasemanx]

You mean, I have to write "in my opinion" in every single post in a discussion forum.

Check your own post history and see if you've done that.

No you don't. That's clear. But I am not letting you slide with this one

Read again what you wrote and what I wrote - from your context. Emphasize context.

Or... if you want to act smart and actually be smart then answer your own paradox:

So having more options automatically makes a synth inferior or comparable to a Serum? Fascinating. Please, enlighten me—how does less creative control somehow result in better sound?

Where’s the magic number? How many options are just right before a synth becomes ‘too much’ for the poor user to handle? Please, share your wisdom.

If a synth with "millions" of options doesn’t sound better or yield better results, could it be that the real limitation isn’t the synth… but the person using it?

Or the problem isn’t having tons of sound design possibilities—it’s just that some people don’t know what to do with them. Are you one of them? Oh, are you? Then just say so that way instead of portraying the upcoming product problematic.

What on earth are you talking about?

I never said having more options automatically makes a synth inferior or that less creative control results in better sound. I never said that too many options becomes too much for the user to handle. I never said that having tons of sound design possibilities is a problem.

You're entire post is a you getting upset at a series of strawmen constructed of your own weird assumptions. I don't know how to respond when you're putting words in my mouth—words that I do not at all agree with.

I think it is you that needs to re-read. This time do not make assumptions about my thoughts or intent. If this is impossible I'd suggest a Logic 101 course.

[pdxindy]

The Osc in Zebralette 3 is easily the most capable and sophisticated Osc I have ever used, and that includes all the eurorack osc's I have.

A single Z3 Osc has a vast sonic palette and a very high sound quality.

It is not designed for sweet spots though, even if it's easy to get to them when knowing what to do. I have seen people on YouTube though who apparently had less of a clue, who dialled in some random harshness and thus found the sound quality lacking - apparently without having any doubt that they should be hearing bliss, and thus we must have done something wrong. That's the downside of limitlessness, someone else somewhere will find something to bicker about.

As you mentioned later, Oscillator presets will be helpful.

In the current alpha state, it takes too much time to make a sine wave. But of course the important point there is 'alpha'. It's a prototype missing stuff (like Osc presets).

I particularly like the new Zebra Osc because it requires some learning/skill, but then is surgical.

For example, I have a waveform I like the sound of. But it is just a bit too much at a certain mid frequency. In most synths, I'm then adding a filter, maybe a notch or BP and trying to adjust the sound to taste. Hmm... not quite right cause it affects the high end too much. Then I add a second filter or an EQ to bring back the high end. But now the whole thing doesn't sound right one octave up. Now I spend a lot of time tweaking various controls that all interact and sometimes I end up satisfied and other times not.

With the Z3 Osc, I can easily adjust that in the Osc directly. So yes, it's not all sweet spots, but with some skill, it is faster and more precise to find the sweet spot I want.

[nilhartman]

Z3's oscillator has a steep learning curve but is so, so, so rewarding once you're getting used to it.
The only things I miss in current form is a) phase parameter (Map-O-Matic is awesome and can do loads more than phase rotation, but can be overkill for simple tasks) and 2) a way to switch from curve to spectrum *editing* independently from curve/spectrum source. It'd make Osc adjustements (just like pxdindy wrote above) easier.
And even then, it shows my own limited skill more than anything else. This thing is a masterpiece.

[Urs]

In the current alpha state, it takes too much time to make a sine wave.

Hehehe, I need 3 seconds to do it (set Curve Morph to 100, click triangle, right-click -> Sine-O-Matic)

But yeah, I'm sure a combo of waveform presets and/or right-click->Preset Waves->Sine might do the trick.

Many obvious omissions right now are things we want to implement when all else is done, e.g. see if Osc/Wavefrom presets do the trick or if we need dedicated preset shapes.

Also, our focus is on the sound engine first, so we can begin sound design in a few months, then polish user experience (and fix benign bugs) while the factory library emerges.

[pdxindy]

In the current alpha state, it takes too much time to make a sine wave.

Hehehe, I need 3 seconds to do it (set Curve Morph to 100, click triangle, right-click -> Sine-O-Matic)

I forgot about Sine-O-Matic!

[briefcasemanx]

I think the Zebralette series of synths are a great way to introduce people to Zebra while toning down the complexity (because its a single oscillator). Releasing Zebralette before the full blown version is a very good idea.