I have set up five or six instances of Zebra 2, armed them all with their more CPU demanding presets and played concurrently. So inspiring is the whole experience of discovering Zebra2 that the manual(which has been critised by some) works, quite rightly, more as a great reference point as you venture through this sonic jungle(Zebra - get it?) It even allows you several versions so you can change the size of the image. It's hard not to marvel at the programme's architecture. The UI is stunning, never leaving you confused with aspects you don't need and keeping everything you do need nearby. The multi stage envelope generator and user definable LFOs can set the sound moving both rhythmically and organically long before engaging the arpeggiator/sequencer and oscillators have their own effects long before reaching the very well equiped effects stage. This flexibility is down to a confounding number of ways to generate and manipulate countless wave forms. All with a vibrancy that would embarrass synths costing three time the price. Very persuasive sting and keyboard sounds sit along side swirling nightmares, ethereal choirs and pumping trance beats. Following that, the range of sounds prompted me to retire several synths in that arsenal straight away. The online library of thousands of presets that have built up over a short space of time is a clear indication of how inspiring the instrument is to players of all standards.īrightness, depth and clarity of sound were the first things that struck me as better than any other synth in my arsenal. After ten days with Zebra two I am completely obsessed with oscillators, X/Y pads, comb filters, VCFs and so, so much more. Partly because my relationship with them was simply "find a preset that's close and (perhaps) tweak it". I would recommend it to any who likes an expansive view on synthesis and likes to deviate from the traditional analoge style subtractive synthesis only.I have never written nor cared to write a review about a synth before. I paid $199 which is average for a current soft synth and so far I am into it. I do enjoy the time I spend with this synth and the sound quality is great, again, on par with Synthmaster and Sylenth. I will say that, with all the options, you can really create some massive sounding movements filled with swirly pads, percussion lines, and arpeggiations from the most outlandish wave forms straight from your brain, which can be extremely pleasing, but get ready to spend some time on it. I am sure the more I use it the better my workflow will become, but as it stands, I only take it out when I have the time to dedicate. There are just so many options that it can feel a little daunting at times. This is one of those synths that it can take a long time to create patches with. What I mean is I don't use this as my "get a quick think, fuzzy lead in there" or something else needed quickly and efficiently. What I really like and actually dislike about this synthesis is it's insane amount of options. You also get a very sophisticated arpeggiator and sequencer, a modulation matrix, a standard set of effects, and a ton of presets to get you started. First off you get a 4 Oscillators in which you can apply a bunch of different wave presets (standard square, saw.etc to random sillyness like Wet Eel and Fizzle riously) as well as the ability to fully customize each to create your own with the built in editor. The synth itself is loaded with all sorts of options. With the heavy presence of Computer Touch Tablets these days, having these X/Y boxes come in very handy. Another cool thing about this synth is the "Perform" section where it starts you off with 4 midi "learn-able" X/Y boxes. Essentially lots of options using little space. They also set up the GUI similar to how Native Instruments Battery works where in the bottom, you have "tabs" that when selected show only the specific parameters of that tab. Even though the synth offers a ton of options and tweakable parameters, they did a guide job of organization. The configuration of the synth is very well thought out. The sound is quite "natural" sounding, meaning it sounds more like a Virtual Hardware Synth than a Soft Synth and doesn't have that lack of body or warmth found in some soft synths. I hold Zebra 2 in the same ranks as Synthmaster 2.5, and Sylenth. The recent batch of "Flagship" soft synths have really been sounding great. The Zebra 2 performs very well in both DAW's without any hiccups. So far I have had zero compatibility issues. I run this synth on a Macbook Pro (10.6.8) with an RME Fireface 800 in both Ableton 8 and Logic 9.
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