Zebralette 3 Public Beta Announcement (Revision 15573)

[jtsterays]

Will the next patch for Zebralette be out this year? Really really want to use this in my projects. All I need is that optimization.

[Urs]

We're working like mad to have something to show for at NAMM in January. There won't be a new Zebralette before that.

However, most of what we do is related to Zebra 3. A lot of the things we do for Zebra 3 also have an effect back on Zebralette 3, e.g. improvements to the envelopes, CPU improvements and loads of bug fixes. We can only really publish a new version once we are *sure* that the features in Zebra 3 - and therefore Zebralette 3 - are finalised, since there have been a few unexpected changes.

If all goes well, what we have at NAMM should get us a great deal closer too that.

[Shiek927]

Looking forward to it, Urs! and the future of Zebra3!

[Fannon]

Looking forward to this! Will it be a demo for NAMM only or can we hope for an alpha/beta release along with it?

[Urs]

Looking forward to this! Will it be a demo for NAMM only or can we hope for an alpha/beta release along with it?

It won't be ready for any kind of release.

The UI is very much work in progress, there's a lot of back and forth between developers and designers. We have not done any developments with such major and complex changes in the past. There's going to be a lot more dynamic visual stuff happening than before. While we polish the technical side, UI elements undergo constant change.

Likewise, even though we have a pretty final set of base modules, there are still quite a few things missing that people would expect from Zebra. And even the pretty final modules still need some back and forth with sound designers to get the best parameter set and ranges.

That said, if I posted screenshots, it's look nearly finished. I just don't want to do that because I'd be posting here nonstop, and I still have a lot of work to do myself...

[Andreya_Autumn]

Guten Rutsch dann.

[pasha811]

Excited by Zebra 3. Are you willing to (if it makes sense) have a patch translator from Z2 to Z3?

Thanks!

[Hanz Meyzer]

@pasha811 No such thing will happen, both have very different architectures. Though since the presets are human readable, one could code such a Z2->Z3 converter somehow... A ton of work though Maybe not worth the work amount.

So are we seeing a new demo at NAMM, but not yet an alpha/beta version publicly? I assume this time Zebra 3, not Zebralette 3, correct?

[Fannon]

Even coding such a converter will be difficult or very limited, because the u-he presets have a binary section where OSC and MSEG curves, routing and more complicated information are stored. It looks like no-one except u-he knows how to parse and modify that (please correct me if I'm wrong. I would be interested in parsing this). This affects both Zebra 2 and very likely Zebra 3, too.

[Urs]

About a new version of Zebralette 3...

So all attention is on Zebra 3 atm. Some time before or after NAMM we'll test Zebralette 3 with all the changes and improvements made, and if there are not too many issues, we'll post another beta. We might even have a path to release. There will need to be updates to the UI though (a few new parameters...) and we'll have to assemble some information on how to adjust envelope times. Those have changed quite a bit during recent work on the envelopes for Zebra 3.

The biggest concern with Zebralette was CPU consumption, and that is a topic that was mostly settled recently, particularly for the MSEGs, wavetable engine, and certain OscFX. We have not yet been able to test the most promising optimisations on Windows or Linux though, nor did we test them on AMD machines. We might want to try some improvements on the additive engine, too, but I do not expect them to be as strong as those for the OscFX.

There's a huge potential for optimisation on Apple silicon, but I think that's a topic for a 3.x update as it certainly involves tedious low level coding of rather complex algorithms.

That said, I'm sure we'll show Zebralette 3 with a dark theme at NAMM. Also as an illustration where we might go with Zebra 3 in the coming weeks and months, when the workflow is done and UI can start to be polished.

[Urs]

Even coding such a converter will be difficult or very limited, because the u-he presets have a binary section where OSC and MSEG curves, routing and more complicated information are stored. It looks like no-one except u-he knows how to parse and modify that (please correct me if I'm wrong. I would be interested in parsing this). This affects both Zebra 2 and very likely Zebra 3, too.

That is correct.

And not just that. Many modules will have a totally different parameter set. Some modules are functionally merged, e.g. Zebra 2 "VCF" and "XMF" modules will be just "Filter" modules in Zebra 3, with updated and new algorithms. Some modules such as envelopes, LFOs, delay, chorus will be streamlined with more leverage from fewer parameters.

So while Zebra 3 is unmistakably built upon the concepts and designs of Zebra 2, they're just not even close in anything below the surface.

So it will only ever be possible to convert a small portion of presets from Zebra 2 to Zebra 3, regardless of how much knowledge there is. Not even we could do it, and we would be wasting months on this. And there would be no guarantee that whatever makes a Z2 preset good, would be preserved after the conversion. Many of those presets might as well sound worse in Zebra 3 even though Zebra 3 certainly has the capability to exceed Z2 in just about every sonic aspect.

But also, even if we could build a preset converter, we do not really want to do it. We think that Zebra 3 will open up worlds of sound way beyond Zebra 2. So we are afraid that porting the presets of Zebra 2 to Zebra 3 will have an adverse effect: It would discourage sound designers ("there are too many presets already!"). And if a great number of Zebra 2 preset banks were just re-released as Zebra 3 preset banks, what exactly is the point of it all?

Sure, it would be better for us to start with thousands and thousands of presets, but the effort was always about making things better, not keeping things the same. Hence, we decided to start over. And I'm sure things will go far beyond, quickly.

[terminus_one]

I know this point has been raised before, but given your last message, Urs, is it worth reconsidering a total rebrand for Zebra 3?

Zebra 2 (and HZ) is now "Zebra Legacy", which makes sense, and is a nice way to preserve the legacy of Zebra. But Zebra 3 could be a new flagship brand, as a total evolution of Zebra AND other technology improvements over the years (from your other products).

What are the benefits to sticking with "Zebra" as the branding / identity for Zebra 3?

I understand that doing a rebrand is not an easy job, and takes valuable resources. However, in this case, I believe it may give you a smoother transition and clearer conceptual framework to talk about this amazing new product.

[Hanz Meyzer]

What about "Last Synth You Need"? Or "Final Synth"? Ok, maybe some animals, like "Super Chameleon"? I also like Amiga game titles, e.g. "Turrican"... Or similar to a drug, "Morphium".

[Urs]

Hahaha, no, we won't go there.

It's Zebra 3.

[terminus_one]

Hahaha, no, we won't go there.

It's Zebra 3.

Fair enough. It was worth a (final) try