The Sound Board

60% off bundle. 50% off others. Tempting.

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/s ... 0/#c955927

Dagnammit. One by one u-he has pulled me in. I held off Diva for ages thinking I really had it covered, but I'm very glad I jumped. Now I'm wondering if the same is true for Zebra / Dark Zebra. I'm such an analogue lover its not so much my territory, and I haven't really loved it from my brief playing around with the demo, but I suspect if I gave it more time and attention I'd find out why everyone adores it.

I will not buy another compressor, I will not buy another compressor, I will not buy...

Yes you will, because Presswerk has Sascha Eversmeier's magic DSP touch.

Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Dec 17, 2020 8:57 amNow I'm wondering if the same is true for Zebra / Dark Zebra.

IT ABSOLUTELY IS!

BTW if you get Z2/TDZ, you get Zebra 3 for free whenever it is released...

kpc wrote: ↑Dec 17, 2020 7:14 am 60% off bundle. 50% off others. Tempting.

Indeed!

At the risk of sounding ungrateful, Bazille was next on my list of their synthesizers, although Hive was not far behind. I already have Zebra/Dark Zebra, Diva and Repro, the later is amazing!

I may succumb, since I've yet to manage to buy any of their plugins on sale<G>... and that is not a complaint, I've gotten a ton and a half of fun, and use, out of them.

Mostly I had reserved some "spare" cash for Cinematic Studio Woodwinds, but maybe it is "first come first bought"?

I also have Twangstrom, Colour Copy, and Satin, all of which are fantastic. Oddly I am not tempted by Presswerk, I have enough compressors<G>.

Hive is really cool... I am really tempted!

Bill - Bazille's the only one I mildly regret. It sounds amazing, but holy cow it was totally impenetrable to me. I couldn't even perform basic tweaks. You're much more modular savvy than me though, so you will undoubtedly get on with it better than I did!

EvilDragon wrote: ↑Dec 17, 2020 10:40 am BTW if you get Z2/TDZ, you get Zebra 3 for free whenever it is released...

No later than 2035 is my guess

Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Dec 17, 2020 1:10 pm Bill - Bazille's the only one I mildly regret. It sounds amazing, but holy cow it was totally impenetrable to me. I couldn't even perform basic tweaks. You're much more modular savvy than me though, so you will undoubtedly get on with it better than I did!

I don't know - you are making me just a little bit nervous... I picked up the trial versions for Bazille and Hive - we'll see what we see.

I'm going for Satin and Zebra or Diva. Please weigh in.

Finally going to pick up Repro and Satin! Then it's probably going to take me a week until I give in and pick up Zebra or Diva too...

wst3 wrote: ↑Dec 17, 2020 1:45 pm

Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Dec 17, 2020 1:10 pm Bill - Bazille's the only one I mildly regret. It sounds amazing, but holy cow it was totally impenetrable to me. I couldn't even perform basic tweaks. You're much more modular savvy than me though, so you will undoubtedly get on with it better than I did!

I don't know - you are making me just a little bit nervous... I picked up the trial versions for Bazille and Hive - we'll see what we see.

I only just realised Bazille isn't in this sale, so might save you one difficult decision! Apparently only NKS products can be in the sale.

Lawrence wrote: ↑Dec 17, 2020 9:56 pm I'm going for Satin and Zebra or Diva. Please weigh in.

Satin is wonderful! I use it mostly for flanging and delay, and it was worth the purchase just for those features! It also does a nice job with tape emulation, but I still prefer the Studer and Ampex models from UA. Not by a lot, but since I have the DSP horsepower to run them I do. You can not go wrong with Satin. Use it on a mix and it can add just the right touch - or you can overdo it for effect<G>.

Zebra vs Diva - man that is an incredibly difficult choice! And I don't think there is a poor choice, they are both fantastic tools.

If you are interested in creating your own sounds I think you will find Diva a little more accessible. It is an awful lot like most of the dinosaurs we grew up with. And the sound is gorgeous! Really rich!

If you are more interested in new and interesting sounds, and you are ok with using presets for a while then Zebra wins. I compare it to Camel Audio Alchemy, it is a collection of sound making/shaping tools that will keep you busy, and entertained for a very long time, even if you never stray from the factory presets. The sound is gorgeous, but then I've come to expect that from u-He.

Creating new sounds from scratch remains a bit of a puzzle for me (in fairness I haven't spent that much time trying), but starting with a preset and making it "my own" has become almost second nature. Almost!

If you already have models of analog synthesizers that you really like then I'd suggest Zebra for all the "new" sounds it can create. If you have Alchemy, but are weak in the analog model category then I'd pick Diva. It you are equally equipped in both categories then I'd probably go for Zebra just because it is different, and unless you are a Logic user Alchemy will eventually stop working.

Caveat - I have not used Alchemy on a Mac, so I have to assume it is essentially the same program I have, with some new features I suppose.

Bill, don’t hate me, but Alchemy in Logic has improved significantly from the Camel Audio days.

Sorry Jay, it's nothing personal you know, but I think I have to hate on you for at least several minutes, I will try to schedule it for later today<G>

Satin : the exemples with former Alphaville frontman on the u-he site is, well... I cannot hear any noticeable differences. My bad...

Hive 2 is great but much more complex than the 1st iteration. But girl, those basses... Compared to Pigments I’ve tested at the same time months ago, it’s a whole level up soundwise.

Do I guess I’ll jump on HZ Zimbra and Hive 2.

I still have mixed feelings with Zebra : fun to program (except this awful arpegietor) but not so enamoured with the overall sound. Clarity ? Digital ? I made a short track years ago with an official soundset and a electronica musician friend of mine who didn’t know anything about Zebra told me it sounded 90’sWorkstation . He did like my demo of an Omni soundest from the same era, both from the unfinished. Weird.

Bazille me like and can be fun to tweak. But too bad one cannot see where a cable-cord is plugged to with a simple cursor roll-over : one has to follow the lead to its destination. So it’s PITA to learn anything from the presets. Some other brands do it so it’s not impossible to implement. Mentionned it on KVR but never had any reaction from U-He. So total bummer for me. I’ld rather have a matrix than virtual cables with no destination label when flown-over in or out. Or am I missing something ???

(I’ld so much like to have Alchemy...)