Improvements!

[MitchK1989]

Yeah, after a sober second thought, adding sampling into zebra would probably be lame (especially compared to making an actual u-he sampler) but a rompler type module that included a bunch of short transient and loop samples and interesting things to do with them (wavesequencing, formant shifting, etc. etc. etc.) would be awesome, and in keeping with zebra's current abilities and tendencies I think.

I'll second the request for more MSEG options and whatnot... Overall, you could probably add more synthesis options (a mind boggling amount even) in the amount of time it would take to do a full on sampler osc in zebra... Hell, you could probably make a separate sampler plugin.

Anyway, I probably shouldn't be listened to at all since I don't yet own zebra (uhbik stole away my zebra money, plus I've owned filterscape for awhile now) but zebra is DEFINITELY on the "to buy as soon as I have the spare cash" list.

[Vectorman]

Given how well Uhbik demonstrated what you can do with GUI design when you really cut loose, Urs, the propsect of a serious skin/GUI reworking done by you sounds very interesting indeed. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

[Urs]

You'll see... it's neither groundbreaking nor earth shattering. Everything basically works just like it did (yes also the Arp...). But something dragged here, something else moved there, a bit more contrast here and a bit of understatement there... makes quite a difference. That said, I'm only half way through.

More soon!

[xh3rv]

Granular sounds in Zebra really are a little bit possible as things sit now, as far as I know. To my ears the distinctively granular sound comes from:

a) comb-y resonances @ 20-200-ish HZ - this is 5-100 milliseconds of spacing between delays. Note that a Zebra LFO set to .1 ms is a great place to start for setting up this kind of thing, the rate can be bumped up or down on the 'rate' knob and also modulated.

b1) clouding or not-so-smooth modulations in waveforms. While this happens naturally when scrubbing audio samples, there are a million ways to modulate waveforms in Zebra or automate parameters slowly enough for good, evolving swaths of grains along a few parameters (like filter cutoff, waveform, noise, any OSC fx). Reverbs and delays are almost critically necessary here.

b2) Tricky ways of modulating grains - Sideband/frequency shifters, ModFX (fx grid), work. Another couple of options are Reverb range and delay ratio modulation - I think these both ptich shift.

Undoubtedly there are more things out there.

[raikard233]

Granular sounds in Zebra really are a little bit possible as things sit now, as far as I know. To my ears the distinctively granular sound comes from:

a) comb-y resonances @ 20-200-ish HZ - this is 5-100 milliseconds of spacing between delays. Note that a Zebra LFO set to .1 ms is a great place to start for setting up this kind of thing, the rate can be bumped up or down on the 'rate' knob and also modulated.

b1) clouding or not-so-smooth modulations in waveforms. While this happens naturally when scrubbing audio samples, there are a million ways to modulate waveforms in Zebra or automate parameters slowly enough for good, evolving swaths of grains along a few parameters (like filter cutoff, waveform, noise, any OSC fx). Reverbs and delays are almost critically necessary here.

b2) Tricky ways of modulating grains - Sideband/frequency shifters, ModFX (fx grid), work. Another couple of options are Reverb range and delay ratio modulation - I think these both ptich shift.

Undoubtedly there are more things out there.

Can you attach to this 2 or 3 patches to show it better?
Could be useful and simply to learn!

Thanks!

[Howard]

once you add that, it's inevitable that some users will also start asking to be able to import their own waveforms too, which might be the point where you'd have to draw the line

If Zebra4 (e.g.) could load just one sample of any length, then let you take single cycles (for Zebra's wavetables) as well as short snippets (one-shot, with attack and decay relative to the length of the snippet) out of that wave - I think that would make a lot of sense.

[Vectorman]

If Zebra4 (e.g.) could load just one sample of any length, then let you take single cycles (for Zebra's wavetables) as well as short snippets (one-shot, with attack and decay relative to the length of the snippet) out of that wave - I think that would make a lot of sense.

That almost sounds a little bit like the venerable PPG Waveterm, Howard, where you could not only play back full samples but also extract periods out of a sample and then put those into a wavetable. Actually, whenever I sat around thinking about what I would like a Korg Wavestation MKII to have, the ability to import samples and then extract attack transients or sustained segments out of them was one of the things that flitted through my mind (well, that and much better filters than the lackluster one in the original Wavestation, though obviously Zebra already has great filters).

One thing I do like about sampled attack transients is that they can sometimes take on an interesting character when transposed to different pitches and be used in different contexts. I used to like to make percussive comping sounds on the Wavestation, for example, by using the bass attack transients or percussion samples and playing them away from their original pitch blended with other waves. Being able to shape those transients with Zebra's filters, combine them with Zebra's other synthesis capabilities, and run it all through such an elaborate signal path, some interesting hybrid sounds could result.

I gather such notions are far off in the future (perhaps Zebra4, as you say, LOL), but it doesn't hurt to kick around ideas.

[xh3rv]

Can you attach to this 2 or 3 patches to show it better?
Could be useful and simply to learn!

Thanks!

Sure, hope this is useful. XYs 1-3 show a few different ways to use really fast LFOs (.1s rate, with rate mod on Y). XY 4 uses 1/16th delays with rate mod which can get into grainy frequencies. It might be clearest to start with XYs 1-3 at their minimum X and Y values (i.e. bottom left corner) this is an unmodded or very slightly modded sound.

XH Grain Tricks - Fileden

Also, another reverb after Zebra would get towards a 'cloudy'/diffuse sound that is pretty nice for harsh, grainy stuff.

Zebrify can do massively cool stuff along these lines (pitch-tracking, noise-tracking) but trying to save a patch crashes me

[e] To be clear this isn't canonical granular synthesis but I do think it's a few tricks that get some of the stranger aesthetics of grains, fundamentally utilizing the same concepts.

[raikard233]

Can you attach to this 2 or 3 patches to show it better?
Could be useful and simply to learn!

Thanks!

Sure, hope this is useful. XYs 1-3 show a few different ways to use really fast LFOs (.1s rate, with rate mod on Y). XY 4 uses 1/16th delays with rate mod which can get into grainy frequencies. It might be clearest to start with XYs 1-3 at their minimum X and Y values (i.e. bottom left corner) this is an unmodded or very slightly modded sound.

XH Grain Tricks - Fileden

Also, another reverb after Zebra would get towards a 'cloudy'/diffuse sound that is pretty nice for harsh, grainy stuff.

Zebrify can do massively cool stuff along these lines (pitch-tracking, noise-tracking) but trying to save a patch crashes me

[e] To be clear this isn't canonical granular synthesis but I do think it's a few tricks that get some of the stranger aesthetics of grains, fundamentally utilizing the same concepts.

Really nice and useful!
Thank you so much, i will try with the pitch-tracking/noise-tracking myself!

[symplectiq]

I've just realised that Zebra has no predelay on reverb. It could be nice to have that.

[xh3rv]

I've just realised that Zebra has no predelay on reverb. It could be nice to have that.

I could be wrong, I think ZRev also does well in that way, like these verbs are efficient in that they don't do noisy, resonant reflective bits that make sense for some things but not always. I might be reading too much into things but it seems like a sensible choice for non-percussive stuff, great for pads, great for leaving enough room for subtle modulations to be heard.

[aurelius roq]

Mr. Heckman,

When using certain effects in Cubase I hear a "pop" in audio when automating a bypass within the track.

I hear it while monitoring and after mixdown.

So now I must automate wet/dry to dry to avoid this.

Thanks

[twolegstoneworks]

Just downloaded the new 2.3.2 beta. It works fine in Cubase 4.5, but in Renoise, both the final 2.0 and the 2.1 beta, Zebra sounds are distorted. Sounds like a suffering buffer-setting in the audiodevice, except if I load any other vst the sound is perfect... this is on Vista64.

sound example (default preset): http://www.vibrants.dk/download/metal/zebrabug.mp3

[chicken muffin]

man! where the heck is this zebrify! i got the 2.3.2 beta but cant find zebrify for love nor money

[red37]

Inside your main u-he folder (That is within 'Programs' on your primary drive. It may be c:\ Programs\u-he for instance) there is several sub-folders contained. For example i have one in there also named u-he which contains all the .dll files for the plugins. One of THOSE .dll files will be named Zebrify.

Hope thats a bit clearer.