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Zebra2
User Guide
version 2.7

u-he Heckmann Audio GmbH BERLIN

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Contents

Introduction! 6

About Zebra2!_____________________________________________6
Installation and updates!__________________________________6
File locations! __________________________________________6
Online resources!_______________________________________6

Quick and Easy Tutorial! 7

User Interface ! 11

Basic Operation! __________________________________________11

Standard controls! _____________________________________11
Definable controls ()!__________________________________11
Buttons & switches! ____________________________________11
Modulator panels!______________________________________11
Context menus! _______________________________________11
Parameter locking!_____________________________________11
Upper Bar!_______________________________________________12
Synthesis Window! ________________________________________13
Generators pane!______________________________________13
Modulators pane!______________________________________13
Main grid!____________________________________________14
Patches Window! _________________________________________15
Folders pane!_________________________________________15
The MIDI Programs folder!_______________________________15
Patches pane! ________________________________________16
Patches functions! _____________________________________16
Patch formats! ________________________________________16
Performance Window!______________________________________17
Lower Bar and Lower Pane!_________________________________18

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!

Global Settings! 19

Generators! 21

OSC main panel!__________________________________________21

Switches! ____________________________________________21
Main controls!_________________________________________21
Phase/Sync sub-panel!__________________________________22
Osc FX sub-panel! _____________________________________23
List of spectral effects! __________________________________23
Mixer sub-panel!_______________________________________25
OSC Lower Panel!_________________________________________25
OSC Wave Editor!_________________________________________27
GeoMorph & SpectroMorph! _____________________________27
GeoBlend & SpectroBlend!_______________________________29
Zebralette! ___________________________________________30
FMO main panel!__________________________________________31
FMO lower panel! _________________________________________32
Noise! __________________________________________________33
VCF! ___________________________________________________34
Filter Types! __________________________________________34
XMF!___________________________________________________36
Switches! ____________________________________________36
Controls!_____________________________________________37
Comb!__________________________________________________38
Switches! ____________________________________________38
Main controls!_________________________________________39
Sound controls!________________________________________40
Output controls! _______________________________________40
SB! ____________________________________________________41
Shape!__________________________________________________41
Distortion! _______________________________________________42
Ring!___________________________________________________44
Mix!____________________________________________________44

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Modulators ! 45

List of Modulation Sources!__________________________________45

Modulation Matrix!_________________________________________46
ENV !___________________________________________________47
Switches! ____________________________________________47
Controls!_____________________________________________48
MSEG! _________________________________________________50
Controls!_____________________________________________50
Editor functions! _______________________________________51
LFO! ___________________________________________________52
GLFO!__________________________________________________54
MMap !__________________________________________________54
MMix! __________________________________________________56

Outputs and Effects! 57

The FX Grid!_____________________________________________58
Output controls! _______________________________________58
Modulating effect parameters! ____________________________59
ModFX!_________________________________________________59
Delay !__________________________________________________60
Rev! ___________________________________________________61
Comp!__________________________________________________62
EQ! ____________________________________________________63

Performance ! 64
Arpeggiator / Sequencer Programming!________________________64
Quick insight tutorial! ___________________________________64
Selectors!____________________________________________65
Step parameters! ______________________________________65
XY Pad Programming! _____________________________________67
Quick insight tutorial! ___________________________________67
Controls!_____________________________________________68

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!

MIDI Control! 69
MidiLearn and MidiUnLearn! _____________________________69
MIDI controllers!_______________________________________69

Some Interesting Tricks! 70

A motion viewer for modulators!___________________________70
A 64-stage MSEG! _____________________________________71
Modulation inverter! ____________________________________72
Absolute value!________________________________________72
Vibrato under control!___________________________________72

Zebrify! 73

Introduction!______________________________________________73
MIDI!___________________________________________________74
Input!___________________________________________________75
Input Mixer!___________________________________________75
Envelope Detector!_____________________________________75
Pitch Detector! ________________________________________77

ZRev! 78

Modulation Target Lists! 79

Generators!___________________________________________79
Voice!_______________________________________________83
Modulators!___________________________________________84
Effects! ______________________________________________86

Troubleshooting! 90
Random Notes!________________________________________90
Parameter Reset!______________________________________90

Glossary! 91

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! INTRODUCTION

Introduction
About Zebra2

Zebra2 is a wireless modular synthesizer. Designed for flexibility, ergonomy and low CPU
usage, it has also earned a reputation for consistently great sound quality. Zebra2 is the
right choice for composers and players who need an uncompromising workhorse synth
practically all parameters in Zebra2 are available as modulation targets.
Modules only appear if they are in use: Add an oscillator to the central patching grid and it
will appear on the left, use an LFO for any modulation and it will appear on the right. After
having gained a little insight into how this works, you should find programming sounds in
Zebra2 very fast and comfortable. Which in the end translates to... more fun!

Installation and updates

Go to the zebra2 page of the u-he website, download the appropriate installer for your sys-
tem (Mac or PC), double-click on the downloaded file and follow further instructions.
Important: The Dark Zebra owners should read the information in Zebra readme.rtf (in-
cluded in the download) first, as installing Zebra2 will overwrite early versions of ZebraHZ!

File locations
To uninstall, delete the plugin itself, then the associated files from the following directories.
Win Presets ...\VstPlugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Presets\Zebra2\
Preferences ...\VstPlugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Support\ (*.txt files)
Themes ...\VstPlugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Support\Themes
MSEG/OSC ...\VstPlugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Modules\
Mac Presets MacHD/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Zebra2/
Presets (user) [you]/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Zebra2/
Preferences [you]/Library/Application Support/u-he/com.u-he.Zebra2...
Resources MacHD/Library/Application Support/u-he/ (Zebra2/ and Themes/)
MSEG/OSC MacHD/Library/Application Support/u-he/Zebra2/Modules/
Note: The precise locations depend on your installation paths.

Online resources
For u-he news, product information, downloads, support etc., go to the u-he website
For a lively discussion about u-he products (including Zebra2), go to the u-he forum
For friendship and informal news, visit to our facebook page
For Zebra2 video tutorials and much more, go to our youtube channel
For thousands of u-he presets (commercial and free), go to PatchLib

The two most frequently asked questions are:

Q: Why does Zebra goes out of tune after about 15 minutes?
A: Zebras demo mode! Right-click on the data display and enter your registration code.
Q: Whenever I play the song or try to record, it resets [parameter] to [value]. Whys that?
A: You have an unwanted MIDI Learn. Right-click on the knob and UnLearn it.

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! INTRODUCTION

Quick and Easy Tutorial

Load Zebra2 into your preferred plugin host / sequencer / DAW. If youre not sure how to
do this, please refer to the documentation belonging to that application.

Click on the Patches button in Zebras upper bar. You will see a patch browser, with fold-
ers to the left and individual sounds to the right. Click on the OSC 1 tab to reveal the extra
parameters and Wave Editor for oscillator 1. The window should look like the image below
perhaps with more preset folders visible in the left pane...

overview of the Patches window, Local folder contracted

In the left pane, click on Local. This is the top level of Zebras patch directory, containing
20 or so demo patches plus a patch called initialize as well as all the other patch fold-
ers. The small square to the left expands and contracts the folder.

In the right panel, click on one of the patches and play your keyboard. In many hosts, you
can now switch patches using the up/down cursor keys on your computer keyboard. Sev-
eral of the presets make use of keyboard velocity, pitch bender, mod-wheel and aftertouch
you should try these out while auditioning patches. Some patches have names ending
with a +: these use the on-screen X/Y performance pads (click the Perform button).

Now that you know how to audition existing patches, its time to familiarize yourself with
the Zebra2 way of creating your own. Start by loading the last entry in the Local directory
(the one called Initialize), then click on the Synthesis button:

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! INTRODUCTION

Synthesis window of the initialize patch

Zebras main programming window! Only three modules are visible because initialize only
uses one oscillator (OSC1 in the left pane), one envelope and one LFO (both in the right
pane). Play your keyboard it sounds even simpler than it looks, but it is precisely this
simplicity that makes initialize a great starting point for designing your own patches.

Grab the green-highlighted square at the bottom of Zebras window (below the waveform
editor), and move it to the right while playing some notes. You will see (and hear) the
waveform turn from a saw into a square, then increasingly narrow pulse waves. Move it
to the far left to check out the fin wave (a kind of triangle), then go back to wave 5.

Click in the central grid immediately below OSC1 and select OSC2 from the list. Another
oscillator appears in the left pane. Turn the Detune knob in one of the oscillators up to
around 20.00, and play a few notes. Take the Vibrato knob of the other oscillator up to
around 30.00 to add a little more movement.

Now click below OSC2 and select VCF1 (a multimode filter) from the list. The default VCF
mode is LP Xcite. Click on that word and change it to LP Allround a more resonant low-
pass model.

Move the Cutoff knob while playing the keyboard (you have two hands, right?), then leave
it at about 75. Click on the unlabeled knob to the right of Res (resonance) and select Env2
from the list. That knob is now labeled Env2 turn it up to 70.00 and play the keyboard.

In Envelope 2 (did you notice when it appeared?), change the Attack to 20...

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! INTRODUCTION

view of the Synthesis window and Global panel after following the tutorial

Click on the Global button in the lower bar. The small grid in the center of the Global pane
is for adding and routing effect modules.

Click on the top-left cell and select Rev1 from the menu: Reverb parameters will appear in
a panel to the right, replacing whatever is already there. Add an EQ immediately below
[Rev1]: An EQ control panel will replace the reverb panel.

Click on the [EQ1] in the grid, and drag it upwards: It will swap places with [Rev1] the re-
verb effect will not be equalized now, only the pre-reverb dry signal. Experiment with all the
settings in those effects panels. To switch between effect panels, click on the correspond-
ing [cell] in the grid.

Now would be a good time to learn more about Zebras GUI see the next section...

If youre feeling slightly overconfident, however, you could start refining this extremely sim-
ple patch while looking up the appropriate information in the reference chapters. Note that
you can hold down SHIFT on your computer keyboard for finer control, and that right-
clicking often gives you access to several useful options.

Whenever you come up with an interesting sound, press the save button. Patches are
stored in the current folder, so you should always check which folder is currently selected
before saving patches.

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! INTRODUCTION

right-clicking in the Folders pane reveals these three functions

If you prefer to keep all your patches in one place, go to the Patches window, right-click
on the Local directory and select Create New Folder. Give it a suitable name (e.g. your
first name) and click on Apply. Select the new folder and save your patch. Otherwise
click on the User folder (Mac OSX) and save all your own creations there.

If you want to delete or move patches, select Reveal in Finder / Reveal in Explorer
from this context menu, do the deed then refresh the folder list. See also file locations.

A personal note: After a slow and slightly shaky start, I found programming Zebra2 a
thoroughly satisfying experience it does what I tell it, and it does that very well! Zebra2
has already given me more pleasure over a longer period of time than I dared hope
for... I must have clicked on that Save button 10,000 times already.

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! GUI

User Interface
Basic Operation

Standard controls
Values are adjusted via click-and-drag, often allowing finer resolution via the SHIFT key
on your computer keyboard. Note that many of the knobs are bipolar i.e. zero is in the
center so you can set negative values. Knobs can be reset to default values via double-
click. Tip for wheel-mouse owners: You dont even have to click on knobs and switches
to change values just mouseover and roll the wheel (use SHIFT for fine tuning).

Definable controls ()
Most of Zebras modules include user-definable modulation knobs, which
are only labeled after you have selected a source via right-click (left-click
also works, but I prefer consistency). The definable controls let you define
modulation that you can see immediately in each modules panel. The target
for a knob is usually the parameter to its immediate left. For instance, the
second knob from the left in the upper half of an oscillator panel modulates the wave
index (Wave), and the one between Tune and Detune modulates the Tune parameter.
The two filter models (VCF and XMF) are exceptions to the rule. By all appearances,
the two unlabeled knobs should affect Resonance in fact they both modulate Cutoff.

Once a modulation knob has been defined / labeled, it is not immediately

recognizable as such. When in doubt, right-click on the knob if the list of
mod sources appears, that knob is definable. After having programmed
Zebra2 for a while, you will get to know where all the definable knobs are,
and which parameters they modulate.

Buttons & switches

Most of the buttons are selectors i.e. they open drop-down menus. Like the knobs, most
of the switches also react to mouse wheels (particularly useful in the Arp/Seq panel).

Modulator panels
Generator panels appear when a cell in the grid is defined, modulator panels only ap-
pear when those modules are being used to modulate something. To take a quick peek
at an unused modulator, you will simply have to use it click on any definable knob
(...) and select that modulator from the dropdown list.

Context menus
Zebra2 uses the righthand mouse button to open context menus (Mac: ctrl+click is an
alternative. The context menus of most controls include MIDI-learn as well as Lock...

Parameter locking
A recent feature added to all u-he plugins, parameter locking lets you stop
the values of any controls from changing when you switch presets. Right-
click on a control and select Lock. To unlock again, right-click and untick
Locked.

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! GUI

Upper Bar

At the top of Zebras window you will see this bar:

upper bar, with the Patches button selected

The Perform, Synthesis and Patches buttons to the left of the upper bar are for selecting
Zebras three main windows.

The save button (the word save is part of the button, you dont have to click on the small
triangle) is for storing patches in the current directory so you should always remember to
select an appropriate folder before saving your patch.

The central Data Display serves three distinct purposes:

It shows the name of the currently selected

patch. Clicking on the triangles to the left
and right of the display steps through
patches. Clicking on the name will open a
drop-down list containing all the patches in the current directory a convenient method
of jumping to another patch without having to open the Patches window.
It shows the current edit parameter and its value. Watch the data display whenever you
need to set specific values. After about 2 seconds, it will revert to the patch name.
Right-clicking on the display lets you toggle between normal 2.5 (and later) and 2.3 com-
patibility modes (in which case 2.3 will appear in the righthand side of the display). If
youre editing a 2.3 preset, please note that this mode does not support the more recent
features and improvements. Note also that the sound can change when you switch over
to 2.5 (recommended anyway!), mainly due to the improved XMF module.

The small rectangle below the left edge of the display is a MIDI activity indicator.

The two curved arrow symbols call Zebra2s undo and redo func-
tions. The info (i) symbol opens a floating window displaying text
written by the author of the patch.

The eye symbol is for selecting GUI skin and size. This list also appears if you right-click
on any blank area in Zebra2 which can be handy if e.g. the largest (Cinematic) size is
too big for your monitor and you cant reach the button to change it back! On larger moni-
tors with high resolution, even the Cute size can be fine for performing on the X/Y pads.

At the time of writing, the only skin that supports all 2.7 features is Original

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! GUI

Synthesis Window
Click on the Synthesis button in the upper bar...

Areas of the Synthesis window

Generators pane
The lefthand part of the window contains control panels for each active module in the
main grid (see next page). Note that, because the arrangement of these panels is
strictly vertical, the generators pane will seldom reflect the patch structure as set up in
the grid. However, generator panels can be reordered by clicking on the dividing line
between them.

Modulators pane
The righthand part of the window contains all envelopes, LFOs, ModMappers and
ModMixers that are currently in use. Modulators are not defined in the grid, they auto-
matically appear as soon as they are used as modulation sources (or audio envelopes).
Modulators can also be reordered by clicking on the dividing lines between them.

If there are more modules than will fit in a pane, a slider will appear. Right-click in an
empty part of either pane to open a context menu offering auto scroll (the default setting
scrolls down to reveal the hidden panel) or selected on top (moves the hidden panel to
the top of the pane). Note that the two panes can have different settings.

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! GUI

Main grid
The center of the Synthesis window is a grid consisting of four vertical lanes. This grid
is used for patching generators together, whereby the signal flow is strictly from top to
bottom (well, maybe from side to side every now and again!)
To add a module, click on an empty cell and select from the list. Drag modules around
the grid, deactivate via double-click (or Mac: cmd+click, PC: ctrl+click), specify input
routing or remove the module via right-click. Clicking on a module will highlight the cor-
responding control panel in the generators pane.
IMPORTANT: Oscillators and noise generators (as well as FMOs in certain modes)
dont process audio, so when placed on top of one another in the same lane, the signals
are simply mixed together...

In this example, both OSC1 and OSC2 flow into XMF1 (a filter). The XMF1 output is
then mixed with (not processed by!) OSC3, and sent further down lane 1. OSC4 modu-
lates XMF1 cutoff, and OSC4 is also available as unprocessed signal in Lane 2.

Any module can be used to route signals

between lanes. To select the source (Input)
lane for a module, right-click on its [cell].
In this example, OSC1 is comb-filtered in
lane 1. Both OSC1 and Noise1 are filtered
by VCF1 in lane 2.
By the way: If Noise1 and VCF1 had been
just one cell further down lane 2, the Noise
module would have taken its input from
Comb1. Try it!

Note: For the sake of consistency and brevity, the names of modules as they appear in
the grid (which often differ from the titles of panels) are used throughout this manual.

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! GUI

Patches Window
To open Zebras browser, click on the Patches button in the upper bar:

Areas of the Patches window

Folders pane
The lefthand pane contains all folders within Zebras patch directory. To display the con-
tents of a folder, click on the name. A square symbol to the left of a folder means that it
contains at least one sub-folder: to view or hide sub-folders, click on this symbol.

The MIDI Programs folder

Local also contains a special folder called MIDI Programs, which is initially empty. If you
put a bunch of patches (up to 128) in there, they are all loaded (into a cache, for per-
formance reasons) when the first instance of Diva starts. Important: changes only take
affect after restarting the host software i.e. MIDI Program patches cannot be added, re-
moved or renamed on the fly!
Individual patches are selected via MIDI program change messages. As they are ac-
cessed in alphabetical order, it is a good idea to put a number at the beginning of each
name e.g. 000 rest-of-name to 127 rest-of-name or similar.
Banks: The MIDI Programs folder can contain up to 127 sub-folders (of 128 patches
each), and these are switchable via MIDI bank select messages 1-127. The MIDI bank
select message is CC#0 (Diva only interprets the MSB) send the Bank value, then a
Program Change message.

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! GUI

Patches pane
The righthand pane displays all patches in the currently selected folder. Note that the
root directory (Local) contains a representative selection of patches plus a template
called initialize.
To load a patch, click on the name. Note: After selecting a patch in this way, you should
be able to use the up/down cursor keys on your computer to step through all the others.

Patches functions
To refresh, create or reveal a folder in
your OS, right-click in the folders pane.
After using the Finder (Mac) or Explorer
(Windows) to manipulate a file, make
sure you refresh the folder list!

To mark patches as Favourite or Junk, select multi-

ple patches or reveal a patch in your Finder (Mac) or
Explorer (Win), right-click in the files pane. Junked
patches are made visible by selecting Show Junk.

Select All marks all patches within the current folder,

and Deselect cancels the selection. Use cmd+click
(Mac) or ctrl+click (Win) to select or deselect individ-
ual patches.

To move patches between folders, drag-drop from the

patches pane into a folder in the folders pane. You
might find it easier to use Finder / Explorer for this.

Patch formats
Below the main grid in the Patches window is a switch that specifies the format in which
patches will be saved. The default setting is u-hes proprietary .h2p. To save patches in
your plugin versions native format, select native. We recommend using .h2p because
it allows you to exchange patches directly between the various computer platforms
(Mac, PC) and plugin types (AU, VSTi, RTAS).
All .h2p files are editable text (except for a block of compressed data at the end). More
readable still is the .h2p extended format, which includes comments for each line. Why
not save a patch as .h2p extended, load into a text editor and have a look!
If save only active modules is switched on, inactive modules will not be saved with the
patch, so the resulting .h2p files are smaller.

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! GUI

Performance Window
Zebras performance window is opened by clicking on the Perform button in the upper bar.
The four X/Y pads can control up to 16 parameters each, all at the same time. By conven-
tion, all patches ending with a + character make use of X/Y pads...

Perform window, with an XY panel (XY2) selected

Click anywhere to jump to a new position find different variations of the sound
Click and drag to move smoothly for realtime performance
Double-click to reset to the center
Right-click for additional functions (MIDI-learn, X/Y presets)

For a details about how to program the X/Y pads go here.

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! GUI

Lower Bar and Lower Pane

The lower bar switches the contents of the lower pane (see the next page for an example):

Global
Output levels, the FX grid and FX panel, miscellaneous patch settings. Go there

OSC1, OSC2, OSC3, OSC4

Wave Editor, oscillator load/save, miscellaneous oscillator settings. Go there

FMO
Additional FM oscillator settings. Go there

MSEG
Multi-Stage Envelope Generators. Go there

XY
For programming the X/Y pads. Go there

Arp/Seq
For programming the arpeggiator / sequencer. Go there

Matrix
The modulation matrix. Go there

Note: The lower bar and lower pane remain active in all window modes.

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! GLOBAL

Global Settings
Click on the Global button in the lower bar:

lower pane with Global selected, including reverb panel

Note: Even if the FX grid is empty, the control panel belonging to the most recently used
effect will still appear on the right.

Voice Mode

Poly: normal polyphonic (see Voices parameter below).

Retrigger: monophonic, each new note triggers the envelopes.
Legato: monophonic, envelopes continue i.e. they are not retriggered until you leave a
space between consecutive notes. Enables more interesting musical phrasing.
Arpeggiator: polyphonic, triggers and pitch offsets etc. are defined in the Arp/Seq panel.
Duophonic: emulates an interesting feature of a few classic analogue synths. Most early
mono-synths had either low note (e.g. Moog and Roland) or high note priority (e.g. Ya-
maha and Korg). A few, notably the ARP Odyssey and OSC Oscar, offered both you
could actually play two notes at the same time wow!
In hindsight, duophony may have only been a small step towards the kind of polyphony
we expect today, but the quirky charm of its limitations makes it well worth emulating.
Zebras duophonic mode distributes modules like this: odd-numbered OSC, FMO,
Comb, VCF and XMF modules follow the lowest note, while even-numbered modules
follow the highest note. Glide rates (see Glide2 on the next page) can also differ, and
there is a even a KeyFol2 modulation source that includes the Glide2 offset.

Voices
To prevent audio glitches while running complex, CPU-intensive patches, you can re-
duce the maximum number of notes that Zebra2 will attempt to play at the same time.
As Zebra2 features intelligent voice allocation, the following are approximations:
Few: 4 notes
Medium: 8 notes
Many: 16 notes
Note: High Resolution oscillators and XMF filters are especially CPU intensive.

Voice Drift
When set to On, each new note is slightly detuned, emulating the imprecise pitch of
classic analogue oscillators. Switch this off for absolute precision.

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! GLOBAL

Microtuning
Zebra2 supports standard .TUN microtuning tables. Tuning tables are available online,
and most of them are free. Put .tun files into the following folder on your hard drive...
Win: C:\Program Files\vst plugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Tunefiles
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/u-he/Tunefiles
...or equivalent locations in accordance with your VST and Zebra2 installation paths.

Pitch Bend
Defines pitch bend range, from 0 to +/- 12 semitones.

Tune
Shifts the overall pitch within a range of +/- 24 semitones

Fine
Shifts the overall pitch within a range of +/- 50 cents.

Glide, Glide2
Glide or portamento is a smooth pitch transition between consecutive notes. Glide af-
fects the Key Follow modulator, so it is directly applied to all modules that include this
parameter (OSCs, FMOs, Combs, VCFs and XMFs).
Glide2 is a bipolar offset for even-numbered OSCs, FMOs, Combs, VCFs and XMFs.
The modulation source KeyFol2 is the same as KeyFol, but includes Glide2 offset.

Glide Mode
time: However far apart notes are, glide will take exactly the same amount of time.
rate: When notes are further apart, glide is proportionally slower.

Range
Full-range portamento in polyphonic synths is often an overkill effect, and therefore not
generally useful. The Range parameter addresses this problem: Lower values shift the
beginning of the slur closer to the target note great for sloppy intonation effects!

Smooth Attacks
Instantaneous attack times allow clicks at the start of each note to become audible. To
avoid this (quite natural) effect, switch Smooth Attacks on.

Swing Generator
In most synthesizers, swing is only applied to the timing of an arpeggiator or mini-
sequencer. In Zebra2, it also affects any synchronized LFOs. Set a rhythmic basis in the
popup menu and a swing factor using the knob. Trial-and-error is often the best strategy
here. Note that the indicator will stop flashing if swing is set to zero.

Bypass FX
Click on this button to deactivate all effects in the grid. A patch already drenched in ef-
fects can be difficult to edit methodically, and in such cases its a good idea to temporar-
ily dectivate them. Tip: I often catch myself forgetting to reactivate the effects so if all
your patches sound strangely lifeless today, check the status of Bypass FX!

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! GENERATORS

Generators
OSC main panel
To say that the Zebra2 oscillators are highly flexible is an almost laughable understate-
ment. They are so powerful that the Zebra2 package includes an extra instrument called
Zebralette (just one oscillator transplanted into a much simpler synth framework). The
Zebra2 OSC module looks like this:

oscillator panel, Mixer sub-panel selected

Switches
single / dual / quad / eleven
Selects single or stacked (2, 4 or 11) oscillators. The eleven mode could be called a su-
perwave (not a supersaw, hypersaw, terrorsaw etc.) because the stacking effect works
with any wave the oscillators can deliver.

Invert
Adds an upside-down copy of the waveform. Invert plus phase modulation sounds simi-
lar to classic PWM, as only the phase of the original wave is shifted around, while the
phase of the inverted copy remains fixed.

Sync
Activates oscillator-internal hard sync see the Sync parameter a few pages down.

Reset
Activates oscillator reset, which causes the oscillator to start at the same phase position
every time a note is played. See the Phase/PW parameter a few pages down.

Main controls
The upper half of the oscillator is home to a few controls that should be familiar to any syn-
thusiast:

upper half of the oscillator panel

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Wave
Position (index 116) in the waveset. Unlike the row of selectors below the wave editor,
this knob lets you set intermediate values. The next knob to the right is for wave modu-
lation (+/-16). How smoothly or precisely waves are interpolated depends on the oscilla-
tors Resolution setting.
The true center of the waveset is actually 8.5, and a modulation depth of 7.5 from a bi-
polar source is enough to reach both limits of the waveset: (8.5 - 7.5 = 1 and 8.5 + 7.5 =
16). The knob to the right is for wave index modulation right-click to select a source.

Tune
Oscillator pitch offset (+/- 48 semitones). Of course you can hold down SHIFT for even
finer control, but there is also a Detune knob to the right. The next knob to the right is for
Tune modulation (+/- 48 semitones). Right-click to select a source.

Detune
Detune actually has two slightly different meanings, depending on whether the oscillator
is stacked. In single mode, it is for fine tuning (+/- 50 cents). In Dual, Quad or Eleven
modes it does not lower or raise the overall pitch of the oscillator, but spreads detuning
equally. Of course you can still do normal fine tuning via Shift+Tune.

Vibrato
The amount of pitch modulation directly from LFO1 (0 100). The maximum depth here
is only +/- 50 cents for deeper vibrato, click on the definable control to the right of
the Tune knob, and select LFO1 from the list.

The oscillator panels in Zebra2 seem fairly harmless, but there is more under the hood
than meets the eye. Apart from all the parameters in the lower panel, the oscillator has
three switchable sub-panels, Phase/Sync, Osc FX and Mixer, which are selected via the
buttons to the left...

Phase/Sync sub-panel
To see this sub-panel, click on the Phase/Sync button:

lower half of the oscillator panel, Phase/Sync sub-panel

Phase/PW
Adjusts the phase of the oscillator (from 0 to 180, but you can modulate it up to 360).
Rapid phase modulation audibly affects pitch, but if the Invert switch (see above) is on,
the effect is similar to pulse width modulation (PWM).

Sync
Offset for the oscillator-internal hard-sync effect. This classic analogue sync adds a lot
of upper harmonics, and is probably why it was often used to imitate screaming guitar
sounds back in the shoulder-padded and hairsprayed 1980s...

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! GENERATORS

Osc FX sub-panel
To see this sub-panel, click on the Osc FX button.

lower half of the oscillator panel, Osc FX sub-panel

The oscillators can process the waveform via a pair of internal spectral effects routed in
series (left > right). To select an effect, click on the label. Adjust the value and/or modulate
to taste. The speed/smoothness of most spectral effects, when modulated, is highly de-
pendent on the value of oscillator Resolution.

List of spectral effects

Fundamental Adjusts the level of the fundamental. Range = -200% (inverted) to
+200%. At the central position, the fundamental is inaudible.

Odd for Even Even-numbered harmonics are cross-faded into odd harmonics. This
results in a more squarish waveform (square waves contain only odd
harmonics). With negative values, the opposite applies odd harmonics
become even harmonics.

Brilliance Boosts (positive) or attenuates (negative) higher harmonics, resulting in

brighter or darker waveforms.

Filter A combination of lowpass (negative values) and highpass (positive val-

ues) filters. Because in reality the filter code only manipulates ampli-
tudes, its slope is more than 100dB/octave.

Bandworks A combined bandpass (positive) and notch filter (negative).

Registerizer Boosts any octaves of the fundamental while attenuating all other har-
monics, often resulting in an organ-like sound.

Scrambler Similar to operator feedback in FM synthesizers: the phase of the wave-

form is modulated by the wave itself, creating many new overtones. If
you need dirty-sounding digital oscillators, this is the one.

Turbulence Periodically shuffles the harmonics at random. Even if not modulated,

the speed of this effect is dependent on the oscillator Resolution. Turbu-
lence is useful in SpectroBlend mode with only a few harmonics.

Expander Expands (or contracts when negative) the spectrum. Similar to brilliance
if the harmonics are distributed evenly.

Symmetry Contracts the waveform towards the beginning or end of its cycle. Often
sounds like pulse width modulation and for a square wave, thats pre-
cisely what it is!

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! GENERATORS

Phase Xfer A variant of PD (phase distortion) synthesis. The original waveform is

not output directly, but is used as the phase response of an extra sine
wave which you can hear when the value is zero.

Phase Root The original wave multiplies the phase response of the sine wave.

Trajector The original wave adds to the phase response of the sine wave. Like
phase modulation in FM synthesizers try Trajector on a pure sine.

Ripples Multiplies the waveform with a variable harmonic, resulting in quasi-

resonant sounds.

Formanzilla Multiplies the spectrum of the waveform with a variable harmonic, re-
sulting in formant-like spectra with several strong peaks and troughs.

Sync Mojo Simulates hard sync by contracting the time axis then writing the wave-
form back into wave memory.

Fractalz Like Sync Mojo, except that the already contracted wave is contracted
again etc.. This results in a fractal waveform with even more harmonics
than Sync Mojo. Fractal structures can be found in nature (try googling
the word fractal).

Exophase A classic 7-stage phaser is applied to the original wave. This effect is
equally useful for static coloration or resonant sweeps.

Scale The relative amplitudes of harmonics are scaled, either to the power of
2 (negative, softer) or 3 (positive, brighter). This results in finer resolu-
tion of quieter harmonics, and therefore more precise control over the
overtone structure.

Scatter Similar to the Scrambler effect (see above), but in this case the phase of
the waveform is modulated by itself squared (i.e. to the power of 2). An
FM triangle or square from a pure sine or absolute chaos from a saw-
tooth Scatter is flexible.

ChopLift Negative values raise an amplitude threshold below which all harmonics
are faded out (Chop). Positive values raise the levels of fainter harmon-
ics (Lift).

HyperComb Adds 3 copies of the original wave to the wavetable. For positive values
(only), the phases are randomly shifted, resulting in a subtle to dramatic
effect similar to chorus. Even when not modulated, positive HyperComb
is dependent on the value of oscillator Resolution.

PhaseDist Phase distortion, as in the 80s Casio CZ series of synthesizers. The

wave acts as a function for the phase of an inverse cosine. The amount
knob crossfades between no effect and full effect, so the most dramatic
uses of this effect involve modulating the Wave index.

Wrap Inverts parts of the wave that extend above or below a variable thresh-
old. The limits for multiple wrapping are greater with negative values.

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! GENERATORS

Mixer sub-panel
To see this sub-panel, click on the Mixer button...

Lower half of the oscillator panel. Mixer sub-panel

Pan
Panorama shifts the stereo position of oscillator output towards the left or right.

Volume
Oscillator output level. Tip: If you are sending this through a filter with plenty of Drive,
you should also experiment with oscillator Volume, or even try modulating Volume with
an envelope.

Width
If the oscillator is in dual, quad or eleven mode, this knob controls the stereo separation
of the stacked oscillators. Does nothing if the oscillator is in Single mode.

OSC Lower Panel

Center-stage in the oscillators lower panel is of course the mighty Wave Editor, but to its
left and right are several other important elements...

Oscillator Module Preset

This button is for loading / saving complete oscil-
lator templates. Left-click to select a preset from a
small browser window. Right-click to open a drop-
down menu instead. To store the oscillator, select
save oscillator settings from this menu.

Note that all modulation assignments (e.g. Wave modulated by LFO2) are oscillator set-
tings, but the settings in the modulation sources themselves are not. This means that an
oscillator preset might not sound the same as when you saved it for instance if the
original LFO2 was a 1/16 square wave but the current one is a 10s triangle.

Oscillator presets belong in the following locations:

Win: ...\VstPlugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Modules\Oscillator\
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/u-he/Zebra2/Modules/Oscillator/

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! GENERATORS

Key > Gain

For oscillator volume scaling according
to MIDI note. The horizontal axis is
MIDI note (see the keyboard graphic?),
the vertical axis is gain/volume. Note
that Key > Gain can be used to create
keyboard splits between oscillators...

Vel > Gain

For level scaling according to velocity.
The horizontal axis is MIDI velocity and
the vertical axis is gain. Note that this
feature can be used for velocity-
switching (as in this image) or velocity
cross-fades between oscillators.

Normalize
The output level of the generated wave is analysed (RMS), then low-level waves are
boosted so that the final level would be 0dB if Normalize were at 100%.
High normalization values are OK for boosting most low-level waves, but please keep
them lower on very spiky waves unless of course you enjoy blasting a lot of high fre-
quencies through your system!

Resolution
This parameter controls the interval (in time) between successive waveform calcula-
tions. This trick ensures that Zebra2 is still very CPU-efficient compared with other synthesiz-
ers that calculate their waveforms in realtime.
The range is from 4 seconds (at 1.00) to less than one millisecond (at 9.00). Theoreti-
cally, high resolution leads to more precise transitions at the cost of higher CPU load.

Low resolution can actually make transitions smoother (intermediates are interpolated),
but can also introduce other unwanted effects (e.g. during rapid pitch-modulation). For
most purposes, the default value of 5.00 is best.

Key Scale
MIDI note to oscillator pitch, centered around the note E2. Effectively a bipolar KeyFol
for the oscillators. Leave at 100.00 for semitone steps (a double-click takes you straight
to 100%).

Soft / Crisp
Affects how brilliant/sharp the oscillator is. Only switch to Crisp if you really need those
extra spikes and are not overly concerned about aliasing.

Waveform Mode
This button selects the basic mode for the current oscillator:
Geomorph, SpectroMorph, GeoBlend or SpectroBlend. All will
become clear in the next few pages...

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! GENERATORS

OSC Wave Editor

The Wave Editor is where you can create your own wavesforms. As the editor needs to
manage up to 16 different waves per Waveset, it includes a Wave Selector bar immedi-
ately below the main editing area:

the wave selector bar, wave 7 selected

The wave selector has (almost) the same function as the Wave knob in the oscillators
main panel if you adjust one, the other will move accordingly. Unlike the Wave knob,
however, the wave selector doesnt allow intermediate values (e.g. wave 1.5).

Several extra features make working with multiple waves very comfortable:

Mouse operations in the Wave Selector

rearrange
(Mac) alt + drag
(PC) ctrl + drag
morph (or blend)
(Mac) cmd + click on the desired target wave
(PC) alt + click on the desired target wave
duplicate
(Mac) alt + cmd + click on the desired target wave
(PC) ctrl+ alt + click on the desired target wave
context menu (right-click)
Morph, duplicate or exchange the right-clicked wave with the currently highlighted one.

GeoMorph & SpectroMorph

Although there are four oscillator modes, only two editing methods are required. This sec-
tion describes the two Morph waveform modes, and how to edit them...

GeoMorph

typical GeoMorph wave

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! GENERATORS

GeoMorph mode lets you draw waveforms by positioning up to 32 handles, and adjusting
the curvature of the lines between them. Note that the first and last handles cannot be de-
leted or moved horizontally they define the level at 0 phase. The minimum number of
handles is 4, and all waves in the waveset adopt the same total number.

SpectroMorph

typical SpectroMorph wave

Although it looks and feels like GeoMorph, SpectroMorph is a completely different animal!
It does not depict a waveform directly, but rather its spectrum. 1023 harmonics in the hori-
zontal axis are scaled logarithmically for a total range of about 10 octaves. In this mode, a
horizontal line spanning the width of the editor (i.e. all harmonics have equal levels) de-
scribes a bright saw wave. By the way, the example above is a bright saw (the upper hori-
zontal line) but with two rather wide troughs practically a dual band-reject filtered saw.

Mouse operations in GeoMorph and SpectroMorph modes

create or remove a handle
(Mac) cmd + right-click
(PC) alt + right-click
multiple selection
Click in the background and drag over one or more handles
Shift + click on a handle to add or remove it from the selection
To move all selected handles, click and drag one of them
adjust curvature (left, right)
(Mac) alt + drag, cmd + drag
(PC) ctrl + drag, alt + drag
Experimenting with the curvature is better than a (necessarily) long-winded explanation.
context menu (right-click in the editor window)
insert point..................... creates a new handle (appears in all waves in the waveset)
smooth............................. adjusts all curves in the selection for minimum spikes.
linear................................. straightens all curves in the selection
peaks................................ adjusts all curves in the selection for maximum spikes
distribute all................... adjusts the horizontal positions of all handles for equal spacing
line up selected............line up all handles with the leftmost / rightmost in the selection
clear.................................. resets all handles to minimum level
copy / paste................... transfers wavesets between oscillators (also between patches)

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! GENERATORS

GeoBlend & SpectroBlend

This section describes the two Blend waveform modes, and how to edit them...

GeoBlend

Typical GeoBlend wave

A single cycle is defined by 128 columns. GeoBlend is similar to GeoMorph in that it re-
flects the actual shape of the wave. However, when the morph function is used or the
wave index is modulated, waveforms are not morphed, they are blended. The main advan-
tage of GeoBlend over GeoMorph is that waveforms can be drawn freehand.

GeoMorph wavesets can be extracted from audio sources. A few third-party utilities are
available for this purpose try googling Wav2Zebra and Blueberry Thing.

SpectroBlend

Typical SpectroBlend wave

The spectrum is represented by 128 (bipolar) columns. Similar to SpectroMorph except

that it has fewer harmonics, and these are scaled linearly for a total range of six octaves.

The lower half is antiphase, so the same harmonic in adjacent waves (e.g. 1 and 2), but
with opposite phases, can cancel each other out (at exactly 1.50 in this example). This
cancellation effect can be put to good use see the oscillator preset Bells Flipper.

The main advantage of SpectroBlend over SpectroMorph is that you have total control
over individual harmonics, including polarity. Waves are not morphed in this mode, they
are blended.

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Mouse operations in GeoBlend and SpectroBlend modes

draw freehand
click + drag
draw a straight line
(Mac) alt + drag
(PC) ctrl + drag
reset sections to zero
(Mac) cmd + drag
(PC) alt + drag
context menu (right-click)
blur..........................softens transitions between columns
sharpen................ accentuates transitions between columns
maximize............. sets the highest column to maximum, scales the rest accordingly
copy/paste.......... transfers wavesets between oscillators (even between patches)

Zebralette
Making your own sounds in Zebralette (freeware!) is the best way to become a real Zebra2
oscillator expert, as there is zero risk of being distracted by all the other Zebra2 features.
Note that you can load Zebralette programmes into Zebra2. Zebralette comes bundled
with the Zebra2 package, but has its own separate manual...

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! GENERATORS

FMO main panel

FMO stands for Frequency Modulation Oscillator, and this module is indeed closely related
to the famous Yamaha DX7. Compare the Zebra2 preset HS DY7 Add Pad with the typical
DX7 e-piano sounds of the 1980s, which were often layered with analogue pads.

FMO module panel

Input Modes
The green-labeled switch lets you select one of five different input modes:
FM by input: The FMO is modulated by its input, and the FM knob controls input level.
FM self (+): The FMO modulates itself, producing a brighter tone approaching a saw-
tooth. Note that FM values above 50% start to produce interesting digital noise.
RM input: The FMO is ring-modulated with its input. No FM here!
Filtered FM: Like FM by Input mode, except that the FM knob opens a lowpass filter in-
stead of setting the input level (which is fixed at 100%). This results in a warmer tone.
FM self2 (+): Like FM Self (+) except that the input signal is the output squared. Great
for triangular / squarish tones, including a wonderfully pure shark-fin wave when the
FM depth is between 25 and 30.

Mono / Stereo
FMO can also be stereo click on the small blue circle(s). Only noticeable if the FMO is
detuned and the Width is non-zero. Unlike OSC modules (which are free-running unless
the Reset option is on), the phase of an FMO is always reset.

FM
Generally FM depth / input level see Input Modes above for details.

Tune
FMO pitch offset (+/- 48 semitones).

Vibrato
The amount of pitch modulation directly from LFO1 (0 100). The maximum depth here
is only +/- 50 cents. If you need very deep vibrato, click on the definable knob next to
Tune, select LFO1 from the list and set the amount to about 1.00.

Pan
Shifts the stereo position towards the left or right.

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Volume
Output level.

Detune
If the FMO is in mono mode, Detune lowers or raises the pitch by +/- 50 cents. In stereo
mode, this parameter is a detune spread it sharpens the left channel and flattens the
right channel. Normal fine tuning is still do-able via Shift+Tune, of course!

Width
Stereo spread when the FMO is in stereo mode.

FMO lower panel

Like the standard oscillators, the FMOs use the lower pane for additional parameters. Un-
like the standard oscillators, all four FMOs share the same panel:

key > gain

For FMO volume scaling according to
MIDI note. The horizontal axis is MIDI
note, the vertical axis is gain. Note that
this feature can be used to create key-
board splits between FMOs (and OSCs).

vel > gain

For level scaling according to velocity.
The horizontal axis is MIDI velocity and
the vertical axis is gain. Can be used for
velocity-switching or cross-fade between
FMOs.

key scale
MIDI note to FMO pitch, centered
around the note E2. Effectively a bipolar
KeyFol for the FMO modules. Set to
100.00 for normal semitone steps.

FM waveform select
Click on this unlabeled button to open a menu offering several alternatives to the stan-
dard pure sine FM.

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! GENERATORS

Noise
Noise has traditionally been used for percussive sounds, wind effects, explosions etc.. A
simple but very useful addition to the arsenal of generators in Zebra2.

Noise module panel

The green-labeled switch lets you select one of four different noise types...

Noise Mode
White is a random signal with equal power across the spectrum.
Pink is darker, higher frequencies are attenuated by 3dB / octave.
Digital is a square wave with random polarity, a very lo-fi sounding oscillator. Can be
played in tune if Filter1 is modulated by KeyFol, with amount = 64.00.
Crackles produces random impulses, like a Geiger counter or a worn-out record.

Mono / Stereo
Even the noise modules can be stereo click on the blue circle(s). See Width below.

Filter1 & Filter2

Noise has two integrated 6dB/octave filters. In White and Pink modes, Filter1 is a low-
pass and Filter2 is a highpass. In Digital mode, Filter1 is pitch and Filter2 adds more
irregularities. In Crackles mode, Filter1 is a lowpass and Filter2 reduces the probability
of impulses occuring.

Pan
Shifts the stereo position towards the left or right channels.

Volume
Noise output level.

Width
Controls stereo spread if the stereo switch is on. See Mono/Stereo above.

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! GENERATORS

VCF
VCF stands for Voltage Controlled Filter. Of course there are no high voltages in Zebra2
pushing and pulling electrons around, but most of Zebras VCF types are just as alive as
their analogue forbears. The VCF modules are more CPU-friendly than the XMF modules
(see 2 pages down).

VCF module panel

Cutoff
The Cutoff parameter determines the filters edge-frequency. Like all frequency parame-
ters in Zebra2, the scale is in semitones tuning cutoff in musical terms makes more
sense than the more scientific Hertz. Cutoff values correspond to standard MIDI note
numbers minus 12 (one octave), so 81.00 means a middle A (440Hz) before any modu-
lation.

Resonance
Resonance is an internal feedback loop that emphasizes the cutoff frequency. In some
filter types (e.g. EQ Peaking), this parameter is actually a Q-factor, the slope of a band
centered around the cutoff frequency.

KeyFol
The key-follow parameter controls the amount of cutoff modulation from MIDI note /
keyboard the higher the note, the higher the cutoff. At 100%, it follows semitones pre-
cisely. Note that the breakpoint (the key that doesnt change) in KeyFol is E2.

Drive / Gain
The Drive or Gain parameter of a filter usually adds some kind of distortion. In Zebras
filters this should be understood as a generic flavour parameter see the remarks in
the following list.

Filter Types
LP Xcite 24dB lowpass, with a frequency-dependent exciter as Drive, adding high
frequencies.

LP Allround CPU-friendly 24dB lowpass, with a strong resonance and smooth colora-
tion via Drive.

LP MidDrive Boosts mid-range frequencies via Drive, good for leads that can cut
through the mix.

LP OldDrive Adds even-numbered harmonics, for a vintage sound bordering on

cheesy!

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LP Formant Vocal filter type. Combines a non-resonant 12dB/octave lowpass with a

resonant formant stage. The Formant parameter replaces resonance,
and the vowel (Drive) parameter morphs through AEIOU. This
model is best for singing voices and vocoder-like pads. The modulation
target of the righthand definable knob is the Vowel parameter here.

LP Vintage CPU-friendly analogue-modeled transistor ladder with 24dB rolloff.

LP 12dB A 12dB version of LP Allround

LP 6dB A simple lowpass with a very shallow rolloff, non-resonant

BP RezBand A resonant 12dB bandpass model

BP QBand Another resonant bandpass, with a different character

HP 24dB Resonant 24dB highpass

HP 12dB 12dB version of the above

BR Notch 24dB band reject

EQ Peaking Peak / reject filter, like parametric mid on a mixing desk. Res controls
the slope of the peak. Gain has a range of -20dB (deep notch) to +24dB
(strong peak) EQ Peaking has little or no effect if Gain is set to 0.00.

EQ LoShelf Two shelving models, to complete the trio of parametric EQ filters. Like
EQ HiShelf in EQ Peaking, Gain attenuates or boosts the frequency range (low or
high), and the Res parameter controls the slope.

AP Phaser4 The two phasing models use 4 or 8 stage all-pass (AP) filters to gener-
AP Phaser8 ate typical phasing effects. Cutoff controls the center frequency, and Res
controls intensity. In the Phaser8 model, the Split parameter detunes the
8 stages. Tip: For plenty of whoosh at low resonance, mix an AP filter in
parallel (use another lane!) with the main signal, at the same level.

LP Vintage2 More CPU-intensive version of LP Vintage, capable of self-oscillation.

SR Decimate Not really a filter, this is a sample-rate reduction processor. The Cutoff
parameter controls rate, meaning it can be tuned harmonically (set Key-
Fol to 100). Neither Res nor Drive are used.

LP TN6SVF* TyrellN6s state variable lowpass

LP MS2035* Early version of Divas rev1 BITE lowpass

LP MS20SK* Early version of Divas rev2 BITE lowpass

* the final three filters were included by mistake in a previous version of Zebra2, and have
been reintroduced for compatibility reasons. Their CPU hit is at least twice that of the other
VCF filters. Note that because KeyFol does not center around E2 in these models (C-2
instead), raising the value of KeyFol will increase Cutoff significantly.

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! GENERATORS

XMF
The XMF (cross-modulation filter) module is an extremely flexible multimode filter featuring
self-oscillation, input level dependent distortion and audio-rate FM via its extra input. Note
that the XMF is considerably more CPU-intensive than the VCF.

XMF module panel

The XMF offers a choice of 15 filter types / combinations, but perhaps it isnt obvious that
you have two of these in stereo and with variable cutoffs. So if you ever need a 3-pole
allpass in parallel (or series) with a 2-pole bandreject / lowpass combination... no problem!
Cutoff, Resonance and Key Follow should already be familar, the other controls might
need a bit more explanation. Note that both the upper definable knobs modulate cutoff.
Distortion is highly dependent on the level of signals being fed into the filter. Input levels
affect the sound as much as Overload, so try oscillator volumes even as low as 10%!

Switches
The four buttons on the left are (from top to bottom): Type1, Routing, Type2, Character...

Type1
LP4, LP3, LP2, LP1........ Lowpass modes, 4 slopes (24, 18, 12 and 6 dB per octave).
Note that the 1-pole mode is also resonant.
HP3, HP2, HP1................. Highpass modes, three different slopes
BP4, BP2.............................. Bandpass, two different slopes.
BR2......................................... Bandreject, 2-pole only
AP3......................................... Allpass, 3-pole only
HP3LP, HP2LP.................. Combination of 3-pole or 2-pole highpass + 2-pole lowpass
BR2LP................................... Combination of 2-pole bandreject + 2-pole lowpass
AP3LP....................................Combination of 3-pole allpass + 2-pole lowpass.

Routing
Each XMF module has two stereo filters, which can be routed in four different ways:
single............... Standard mode. Actually two filters with stereo-splittable cutoff values for
spectacular panning effects try modulating Offset with an LFO.
serial................ Type1 filter is fed into the Type2 filter.
parallel............ Type1 and Type2 filters are output separately.
diffed............... The difference signal (Type1 minus Type2). Note that if the two types are
the same and there is zero offset, the result is total cancellation.
Type2
Same............... Type2 adopts the Type1 setting. For all other options, see the Type1 list.

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Character
The XMF filters include 5 options for the resonance/overload character. Note that output
volumes can vary depending on the Res and Overload values (see below).
XMF.................. Standard high-quality plenty of bite.
analogue........ Classic ladder filter overdrive warm / dark.
biased.............. Diode-like asymmetrical distortion, for more even-numbered harmonics.
eco.................... CPU-friendly version of analogue, lower quality Overload (see below).
folded............... Positive peaks that would otherwise clip are folded back down.
Note: Even if Overload is set to zero, this mode sounds rather different.

Controls
Cutoff
Cutoff determines the filters edge-frequency. Like all frequency parameters in Zebra2,
the scale is in semitones tuning cutoff in musical terms makes more sense than the
more scientific Hertz. Cutoff values correspond to standard MIDI note numbers minus
12 (one octave), so 81.00 means a middle A (440Hz) before any modulation.

Res
Resonance is an internal feedback loop that emphasizes the cutoff frequencies. High
resonance is very interesting in combination with Overload. Set Resonance to maxi-
mum, and the filter will self-oscillate (see Click below).

KeyFol
The depth of cutoff modulation from MIDI note / keyboard. At 100%, it follows semi-
tones. Note that the breakpoint (the key that doesnt change) in KeyFol is E2.

Overload
Pushes the filter too far! For interesting distortion effects and general oomph. Note that
high overload can amplify the signal a lot you might need to reduce the level else-
where e.g. the volume control of the lane you are using. See also Character above.

Offset
Splits the cutoff values of the two channels, in semitones (+/-48). Modulatable, great for
panning effects with the standard single routing, or for multiple resonances in serial,
parallel or diffed mode (see Routing on the previous page).

FilterFM
For audio-rate cutoff modulation from the XMFs second input. By default, the FM
source is the same as the input signal, but using a different FM source can be highly
rewarding: right-click on the [XMF] cell to change the sidechain input to another lane
and put something in that lane!

Click
Injects a short impulse into the filter at the start of each note. Turn up for harder attacks
or more instantaneous self-oscillation.

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! GENERATORS

Comb
Comb filters are based on ultra-short delay lines with a feedback pathway. Even if the input
is a very short impulse, the feedback loop can turn this into a slowly decaying tone. The
frequency response curve resembles a regular row of spikes hence the name.

Comb module panel

You can create envelope-driven polyphonic flangers, realistic plucked and bowed strings,
flutes, mallet and other percussion instruments, strange metallic ambiences... in fact a
whole bunch of acoustic sounds that would be very difficult or impossible using only first-
generation synthesizer modules.

Switches
Mode
Zebra2 has what you might call a multimode comb filter. Four delay lines are intercon-
nected in various ways, but always in stereo...

Comb: A simple stereo delay tuned to the played note. In this mode, neither Tone nor
Flavour have any effect.
Split Comb: Any input is summed to mono and fed to the first of two delays, which then
cross-feed each other. In this mode, Tone is the ratio between the delay times and Fla-
vour controls the amount of input signal fed (directly) into the second delay. The output
is completely split: the left channel is delay 1 and the right channel is delay 2.
Split Dual: The same as Split Comb except that input signal is not summed to mono.
Diff Comb: The same as Split Dual except that the second delay is an allpass filter. Es-
pecially good for strange, complex sounds. The Flavour parameter is the feedback of
the allpass filter. Non-harmonic frequencies can dominate the sound, so you have to
tune this one rather carefully.
Dissonant: A 4x4 feedback delay network, this mode always sounds metallic. The Tone
and Flavour parameters both affect delay time ratios (i.e. the pitches).
Cluster: Experimental mode. Left in for the moment, but very likely to be removed (or at
least modified) in future updates. Use at your own risk!
Blown: This mode uses a bandpass filter in the feedback path to accentuate harmonics
(modulate the Flavour parameter) rather than the fundamental. You can get very realis-
tic flutes and trumpets etc. but it does require careful tuning.

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! GENERATORS

Impulse
Zebras comb filter includes an internal impulse generator so it can be used without any
input signals from other modules. To select a waveform, click the button to the left of the
PreFill knob:

Noise.......... a short burst of white noise bright, different characteristics for each note
Saw............. one cycle of sawtooth full / warm
Square....... one cycle of square wave hollow / nasal

Main controls

Comb module panel - main controls

PreFill
The level of the internal impulse signal. See Impulse above.

Tune
The Comb filters basic pitch. The range is +/-24 semitones.

Detune
In Split Comb mode this is fine tuning. In all other modes it detunes the delays in both
directions.

Vibrato
The amount of pitch modulation directly from LFO1 (0 100). The maximum depth here
is only +/- 50 cents for deeper vibrato, click on the upper knob and select LFO1
from the list.

Input
Input level. Often redundant because all audio sources have output levels. However, the
Comb includes an unprocessed (Dry) output allowing low input and higher level
throughput at the same time. This would be possible using sidechains, but it doesnt
hurt to make things easier!

Damp
A 6dB lowpass filter in the feedback path simulates how the oscillation of e.g. a plucked
string is naturally dampened by various physical constraints.

Feedbk
Bipolar feedback level control. Negative values lower the pitch by an octave.

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! GENERATORS

Sound controls

Comb module panel - Sound sub-panel

Tone
The function of this parameter changes from mode to mode. Usually a ratio between
delay times. For details, see Mode on the previous page.

Flavour
The function of this parameter changes from mode to mode. Usually a level within one
or more feeback paths. For details, see Mode on the previous page.

Distort
Distortion adds harmonics into the feedback. Use with caution!

KeyScale
MIDI note to pitch, centered around the note E2. Effectively a bipolar KeyFol for the
comb. Leave at 100.00 for semitone steps (a double-click takes you straight to 100%).
For Flanger and resonator effects, set KeyScale to 0.00 and take the Tune value down.

Output controls

Comb module panel - Output sub-panel

Dry
Unprocessed throughput from whatever is fed into the Comb.

Vol
Comb output volume. If the output reaches zero via e.g. Vol modulation or simply turn-
ing down the Vol knob, the Dry signal suddenly goes to 100%. Whether this is a feature
or a bug, it can make interesting rhythms try modulating Vol from an LFO, and adjust-
ing the Vol knob.

Pan
Panorama shifts the stereo position of the processed signal towards the left or right.
Pan does not affect the position(s) of the Dry signal.

Width
Stereo separation of the processed signal. Does not affect the Dry signal.

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! GENERATORS

SB
The Sideband module is a stereo frequency shifter, the origins of which go back to the
early days of radio. Related to ring modulation in which two signals are multiplied, resulting
in two sidebands. The Sideband module can also lend the signal a metallic character, as
frequencies are shifted by a constant (e.g. 100Hz) instead of a factor (e.g. 2.00 times).
While the beating effect of mild oscillator detuning can become irritatingly fast when you
play higher up the keyboard, frequency shifting keeps this effect constant.

SideBand module panel

Range
The SB module offers 3 bipolar frequency range options, which all start at 0Hz (center):
10Hz - for relatively slow-moving cyclical effects e.g. stereo phasing.
200Hz - for low-frequency effects e.g. deep bells, rumbles... or even phone dial-tones
4kHz - for high-frequency or very wide range effects

Freq
Bipolar frequency shift. If set to positive values, the upper sideband is louder than the
lower one.

Offset
Bipolar offset between left and right channels. Great for stereo rotary effects Offset
can be used for a special kind of phasing that continually rises in the left channel, while
continually falling in the right channel. Check this out in headphones: Set the range to
10Hz, Freq to zero, Offset to only 2.00, Mix to 50 and feed it a medium dose of pink
noise.

Mix
Bipolar cross-fade between the original signal and the frequency-shifted signal. Nega-
tive values invert the processed signal. For maximum phasing effects, set to +/-50.

Shape
The Shapers are input level-dependent distortion units with a choice of 4 algorithms.

Shaper module panel

Modes
Shape: Classic waveshaper. The Depth parameter adds a DC bias before the shaper,
making the shaper asymmetrical (for even-numbered harmonics like tube distortion).
Note that DC bias can considerably reduce signal level.

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! GENERATORS

T-Drive: Frequency-dependent waveshaper, works like a transformer. Use small doses

to boost presence.
Crush: Bit-reduction via Depth knob. Neither Input nor HiOut are used in this mode.
Wedge: A high-order waveshaper with foldback function (loud signals can become si-
lent or even phase-inverted). The Depth parameter boosts the input signal, for locally
modulatable distortion amount. The beefiest mode placed after a resonant filter, it can
emulate acid basslines.

Depth
Controls distortion threshold (effectively a distortion amount control). Like a guitar ampli-
fier, every knob in this module affects the amount of distortion in some way or other!

Edge
Main tone control.

Input / Output
Attenuate / boost the input and output signals. Also affects tone...

HiOut
Attenuates / amplifies high frequencies the last tone control in this module!

Distortion

Distortion module panel

The distortion module creates traditional analogue-type saturation. If used in the FX Grid,
Dist can even mimic a complete guitar amp and speaker cabinet. The basic signal flow is:
input stage (gain) pre-tilt filter distortion post-tilt filter post filter output stage (gain)

Type
Tube class A: Simulates a complete tube preamplifier. Class-A is the 'traditional' type of
tube distortion, creating both odd and even harmonics by using a single tube and apply-
ing DC bias. Due to the asymmetry of the operational curve, Class A distortion sounds
relatively warm.
Tube class AB: Simulates a preamplifier with two tubes in a push-pull arrangement,
which leads to symmetrical distortion with no even-harmonic partials.
Tube 2 stages: Mimics a tube amplifier with two class-A stages in series. Like class A,
this also creates odd and even harmonics, but the results are richer and more dynamic.
This mode applies additional internal filtering and feedback for more sonic complexity.
At high gain settings you should hear more pronounced treble roll-off and more bass lift.
Hard clip: This mode simply chops off the top and bottom of the waveform.
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! GENERATORS

Rectify: Full-wave rectification. The negative half-wave becomes positive and the re-
sulting waveform is fed through a DC-blocking filter. Interesting note: A pure triangle
wave will be simply doubled in frequency, without altering the waveform.
Foldback: Also known as 'fold-over distortion', Foldback has similarities with a soft-
clipping stage. However, increasing the gain does not slam the signal against the ceil-
ing, but reduces the gain instead. Listen out for strange intermodulation artifacts!

Input
Sets the gain (in decibels) at the input.

Output
Sets the final output gain. Please note that this stage has a final (soft) clipping stage
which can create even more distortion when turned up too high!

Pre-Tilt
A combination of low and high-shelving EQ is applied to the input signal, and Pre-Tilt
makes the distortion frequency-dependent (at zero, the response remains flat). Nega-
tive Pre-Tilt strengthens the bass and dampens the treble, positive values strengthen
the treble and dampen the bass.

Center Freq
Combined low and high shelf frequency control.

Post-Tilt
Use this to balance the tone (in a similar manner to Pre-Tilt) after the distortion.

Post Filter
Dual-Band Shelf: This is a simple corrective EQ a low shelf at 100Hz and high shelf
at 10kHz. See Low and High.
Guitar Cab 4x12: This mode mimics the frequency response of the most popular vin-
tage speaker cabinet, producing its typical mid-range focused sound (including peaks
and dips caused by resonance within the cabinet as well as the effects of close miking).

Low and High

In Dual-Band Shelf mode, these knobs control the gains of the shelving filters. In Guitar
Cab mode they determine the amount of cabinet resonance (bass) and speaker 'edge'.

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! GENERATORS

Ring
Ring modulation is a variant of amplitude modulation (AM):
Two input signals are balanced so that they disappear com-
pletely, leaving only the sum and difference frequencies. The
frequencies are seldom harmonically related, so ring modu-
lation is often used for bell-like sounds. Use sine waves for
the purest results, but feel free to experiment with other
waveforms.
The ring modulators in Zebra2 dont require a panel, but they
do need two input signals. The image to the right is the re-
sult of right-clicking on the Ring1 cell. Here, SideChain 2 is
selected so that FMO1 is being ring modulated with FMO2
from lane 2.
The circuit originally used to implement this technique in
analogue devices had the shape of a ring, hence the name.
In todays digital world, ring modulation is quite easy to com-
pute: the two signals are simply multiplied.

Mix

Mix module panel

The Mixer module not only mixes two signals together, it is also handy for cross-fading (the
Mix parameter is available in the matrix as modulation target). Mixer modules can also
reduce the stereo width of the sidechain signal: Select the mode Pan Mono and take Mix
to maximum you will only hear the sidechain now, but the output is 100% mono.

Mixers can often be avoided. For instance, in

the lefthand image here, the Mix1 module was
added (as an afterthought) to send some unfil-
tered signal out of lane 2 for separate effects
processing. The arrangement in the righthand
image does exactly the same job.

Pan Mode
Pan mode has the following options: Bal L-R, Pan L-R, Bal R-L, Pan R-L and Pan Mono.
With the Pan knob set to the centre, the two Balance modes have 0dB of gain for both
channels only one channel is attenuated as the control is moved away from the centre
position. The Pan L-R and Pan R-L modes, however, mix one channel onto the other while
adhering to the Pan Law (google those two words!)

Pan
Shifts the stereo position towards the left or right.

Mix
The relative levels of the two inputs.
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! MODULATORS

Modulators
Modulation is what we use to turn static tones into interesting instruments or soundscapes.
Zebra2 lets you modulate practically any target parameter in the synth. As well as LFOs
and envelopes, the available modulators include some standard MIDI messages for exter-
nal control: pitchbend, mod-wheel (CC#01), polyphonic or channel aftertouch, expression
(CC#11), velocity and gate. Note that practically all the controls in Zebra2 can be auto-
mated, and that using the X/Y performance pads is the best way to control a bunch of pa-
rameters at once.

List of Modulation Sources

ModWhl modulation wheel, CC#01

PitchW pitch wheel / pitch bender

Breath breath control, CC#02

Xpress expression control, CC#11

LfoG(1,2) global LFOs

Gate note on/off

KeyFol note number with glide, center = E2

KeyFol2 note number with glide2 offset, center = E2

Velocity MIDI note velocity

ATouch channel or key (polyphonic) aftertouch whichever is received first

note: Atouch is sent through a lag processor, it is always smooth!

ArpMod arpeggiator modulation, upper

ArpMod2 arpeggiator modulation, lower

Env(1-4) standard envelopes

MSEG(1-4) Multi-Stage Envelope Generators

Lfo(1-4) voice LFOs

MMap(1,2) modulation mappers

MMix(1-4) modulation mixers

For a complete list of all modulation targets, go here.

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! MODULATORS

Modulation Matrix
All generator panels include definable knobs for setting up local modulation. The mod ma-
trix, on the other hand, is a switchboard where you can set up any kind of (non-audio rate)
modulation. The image below shows just three of the twelve available modulation slots...

Mod
Selects the primary modulator and sets its (bipolar) amount.

Via
Selects a secondary modulator and sets its (bipolar) amount. Via controls how much of
the primary modulator actually reaches its target. See the examples below.

Target
The parameter that will be modulated. the image here includes three examples: In the
upper slot, Aftertouch is negatively modulating
envelope 2 decay the harder you press, the
shorter it becomes. The lower slot is unused.
The middle slot in this example is more com-
plicated: Envelope 2 is modulating an oscilla-
tors detuning, at maximum level. However,
this level is being partially scaled by the
modulation wheel the amount of Env2 actu-
ally reaching its target will be less than maxi-
mum until the mod-wheel is all the way up.
If the Via value had been +100%, no amount
of Env2 would reach its target unless the
wheel was pushed at least a little bit...

Understood? If not, you should try e.g. modulating pitch (Tune) with LfoG1 via ModWhl.

Tips:

You should not head straight for the Matrix whenever you want to modulate something:
Most of the control panels include definable knobs which are already connected to their
most useful targets (note that the update rate is a bit faster than if you use the Matrix).

Realtime modulation e.g from aftertouch or the mod-wheel is more controllable if you dont
make a habit of setting amounts to maximum. Go for optimum instead!

Setting precise pitch intervals in the matrix can be tricky. For example, if you want to make
your mod-wheel take the pitch of an oscillator up an octave, dont set the amount to 12.00
you need to set 12.50 instead.

Why? Because the 96 semitone range (+/- 4 octaves) is mapped to +/-50 (100 steps)

12 semitones (octave)......... 100 / 96 x 12 = 12.50 (absolutely precise)

7 semitones (fifth).................. 100 / 96 x 7 = 07.29 (07.30 is fine)

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! MODULATORS

ENV
Whenever you load the Initialize patch, envelope 1 is immediately visible in the modulators
pane. Thats because in this patch, envelope 1 has been designated as the audio enve-
lope for all four lanes of the main grid:

ENV module in v-slope mode (Slope slider visible)

Although it looks like a fairly simple ADSR with just a few extras, the ENV module also has
a few tricks up its sleeve. It is syncable, loopable, and offers 2-stage attack or release.

Switches
Range
The smaller of the two switches sets the range of all time-based envelope stages:
8sX: Up to eight seconds. The knob scale is exponential (mid-position is 1 second)
16sX: Up to sixteen seconds. The knob scale is exponential (mid-position is 2 seconds)
10s: Up to ten seconds. The knob scale is linear, so 20.00 means 2 seconds etc.
1/4, 1/1, 4/1: Times are relative to song tempo (beat, bar, 4 bars). Knob scale is linear.

Shape
The larger of the two switches determines the curvature of all time-based envelope
stages:
quadric: Exponential curves. Attack is convex, Decay and Release are concave.
linear: Straight lines. Linear envelopes can sound unnatural.
v-slope: Exponential curvature via a slider: the far left position is extremely concave,
-50 is close to quadric, the center is linear, the far right is extremely convex.

Envelope stages including Delay or Init (see next page):

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! MODULATORS

Controls
(...) delay or initial level
The top lefthand knob is NOT for definable modulation, it is one of the following:
Delay: The Attack stage is delayed (see righthand image above)
Init: Attack stage starts at a level other than zero (see lefthand image above)

Attack
The time it takes for the envelope to rise from zero (or the Init value) to maximum

Decay
The time it takes to drop from maximum to the Sustain level

Sustain
The level after Decay. Normally remains at that position until the note is released.

The extra envelope stages below can be rather tricky. If you prefer to use standard ADSRs
only, simply ignore these options...

F/R (Fall / Rise time)

Negative values: either fall to zero, or fall/rise to the Sust2 level (if defined see below)
Positive values: either rise to maximum, or fall/rise to the Sust2 level

(...) additional stages or loops

This selects and controls one of the following additional envelope stages:
Sust2.......... A second Sustain level, after F/R
LoopA........ Loop back to Attack
LoopD........ Loop back to Decay
LoopS........ Loop back to Sustain
Rel(nn)...... Extra release stage (the nn numbers are percentages of maximum level)

Note: The diagrams below are simplifications. For example, Release (or Rel25/50/75/100)
can start at any point within the envelope, as it is initiated by a MIDI Note Off message.

Normal F/R behaviour, no Sust2 stage F/R behaviour when there is a Sust2 stage
(two possible Sust2 values are shown here)

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! MODULATORS

LoopA: Time to return from end of F/R LoopD: Time to return from end of F/R
(100 or zero) to zero (start of Attack). (100 or zero) to 100 (start of Decay)

LoopS: Time to return from end of F/R Rel25/50/75/100: Time to rise or fall from
(100 or zero) to Sustain level. Sustain to 25/50/75/100, followed by the
normal Release stage.

Release
The time it takes to drop to zero after a note is released. See also Rel(nn) above.

Vel
For dynamic envelopes keyboard velocity scales the envelopes output level.

Velocity Scale, Key Scale

To see another 14 controls, open the sub-panel by clicking on the small + symbol in the
top righthand corner of the panel:

ENV module, with scaling sub-panel open

These are velocity and key follow scaling controls for each parameter in the upper
panel. For instance, setting a positive value for the Velocity Scale knob below Release
will make the release time longer the harder you play. Setting a negative Key Scale for
Release will shorten the release times of higher notes etc. etc..

Tip: For unusual envelope shapes, try setting extreme Slope values in v-slope mode.

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! MODULATORS

MSEG
The Multi Stage Envelope Generator is a complex modulation source offering total control
of the shape as well as continuous control over the timing. Click on MSEG in the lower bar:

left half of the MSEG panel, with MSEG1 selected

Many different uses for MSEGs can be found in the factory presets. If you find shapes you
would like to use elsewhere, simply save them as Presets (see below). The following ex-
amples are all from the Two Point Five folder of the factory patches:
Rhythms..........................Twangle
Pitches............................. Seven of Eight
Complex attack............ Drums of Mordor+
Combinations................I am Zebra
Snappy envelopes..... How Money More Times
Regular chaos.............. Combotor

Controls
MSEG Selector
Below the edit window are four MSEG buttons used for switching between the MSEGs.

Preset
Like the oscillators, individual MSEGs can be loaded and saved. Click on the button to
load, right-click to select from a drop-down menu or save to the current folder. The
module presets are in the following locations:
Win: ...\VstPlugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Modules\MSEG\
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/u-he/Zebra2/Modules/MSEG/

TimeUnit
Selects the unit that will correspond to integer steps in the editors time-line. Note that
the timing can always be shifted by setting non-zero Attack, Loop or Release values.
sixteenth / quarters / note: Note lengths, synchronized to song tempo
seconds: Absolute time, non-synchronized

Trigger
poly: standard polyphonic
single: only retriggers after all notes are released (useful for e.g. organ percussion)
mono: standard monophonic

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! MODULATORS

Velocity
For dynamic envelopes velocity scales the level of MSEG output.

Attack
Slows down / speeds up everything before the loop.

Loop
Slows down / speeds up the loop.

Release
Slows down / speeds up everything after the loop.

Editor functions
Switches

Above the MSEG1 selector button are three small icons. From left to right, these are:
Single......... moves individual handles, the other handles remain fixed
Shift.............moves individual handles, all following handles also move
Draw........... moves multiple handles vertically click on a handle and draw
Note that handles jump to the nearest unit snap and value snap positions
(see Context Menu below).

Create New Handle (max. = 33)

Mac............. cmd + click on the background
PC................alt + click on the background

Curvature
To adjust line curvature, click on a line and drag it away. S-curves are also possible:
Again, hands-on experience is better than a long-winded explanation here.

Zoom & Scroll

To zoom in or out, click on the background and drag up / down. For optimum zoom,
double-click. To scroll to invisible sections of the envelope, click and drag left / right.

Context Menu (right-click in the background)

copy / paste............. clipboard functions
half size......................shortens the envelope
double size............... lengthens the envelope
upside down............ inverts the envelope
unit snap.................... horizontally restricts new input to 3, 4, 6 or 8 steps per unit
value snap................ vertically restricts new input to 12, 24, 36, 48 or 15 levels
quantise to snap.... quantizes all handles to the nearest step (see unit snap)
unit spacing..............distributes all handles to successive units
even spacing........... evenly distributes all handles between the leftmost and rightmost
pointer.........................resolution of the position indicator reverts to Course by default
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! MODULATORS

Context Menu (right-click on a handle)

The Remove Point (min. = 2), Loop Start and Loop End functions are self-explanatory.
To make a loop of zero length (you might need this from time to time), simply delete the
handle that is currently set as loop end. Note that MSEGs can continue looping during
the release phase (of standard envelopes) if the loop end is set to the very last point.

LFO
Alongside envelopes, low frequency oscillators represent THE classic modulators for vi-
brato or any cyclic movement e.g. a slowly drifting tonal change. Once again, the LFOs in
Zebra2 have more under the hood than meets the eye:

LFO set to sine wave, quasi free-running

This module is called a voice (or polyphonic) LFO because, unlike the GLFO, it is instan-
tiated per voice every note you play gets its own LFO. The main advantage over the
GLFO is that different notes in a chord can have different amplitudes, phases and rates.

In all OSC, FM and Comb modules, Vibrato is permanently connected to LFO 1. When-
ever you want to set up traditional vibrato control via mod-wheel, click on the knob next to
Amp, set it to ModWhl and turn it all the way up... and turn up the Vibrato levels!

Waveforms
sine......................... pure sine wave
triangle.................. pure triangle wave
saw up.................. rising saw (ramp)
saw down............ falling saw
sqr lo-hi................ square wave, restarted at the lower level
sqr hi-lo................ square wave, restarted at the higher level
rand hold..............random steps
rand glide............ random curves
user........................ definable steps or lines see User mode on the next page

Sync
Range / nominal rate options (to the left of the label):
0.1s, 1s, 10s...... absolute time, three ranges
1/64 8/1............ sync to song tempo, includes dotted and triplets, up to eight bars
Retrigger options (to the right of the label):
free: the LFO starts at a random position within its wave every time a note is played
gate: the LFO always starts at the same position in its wave (see Phase below)

Slew
off can produce clicks, fast and slow smooth out any sharp transitions.

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! MODULATORS

Amp
Amplitude i.e. output level of the LFO. For typical vibrato via modulation wheel, click
on the definable knob and select ModWhl as modulation source. Note that the definable
control (...) scales the existing Amp value, it does not add to it.

Rate
LFO rate. This bipolar control scales the value set by the Sync parameter.

Phase
Sets the phase (i.e. the position within its cycle) at which the LFO will be restarted every
time a note is played. This parameter is meaningless if Restart is set to free.

Delay
Actually the LFO fade-in time. Typically used for delayed vibrato.

User mode

LFO in user mode, 16 steps

The Sync value is the length of each step, so the length of one LFO cycle in this example
is 16 x 1/16th = 1 bar in 4/4 time.

LFO in user mode, 9 lines

Right-click in the edit window for the following functions:

copy/paste.......... for transferring user-mode waveforms, especially between patches

randomize........... add a random offset (+/-) to existing values
soften.................... reduce jumps in the wave
normalize............. maximize the largest value, then scale all others accordingly
straighten............ draw a straight line between the first and last values
reset....................... zero all values
quantize 424... quantize existing values to different grids. 12 is good for semitones.

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! MODULATORS

GLFO
The global LFO looks simpler than the standard LFO the Delay and definable modulation
knobs are missing. However, the main difference is that the GLFO does not retrigger per
voice. See above (LFO) for the list of waveforms and user mode options.

GLFO module, sine wave, synced to beats but not retriggered

Sync
Range / LFO rate. The list of synced values includes dotted and triplet note lengths.
0.1s, 1s, 10s...... absolute time, three ranges scaled via Rate
1/64 8/1............ sync to song tempo, up to eight bars

Trigger
off, each bar...32 bars: The GLFO is automatically restarted after a defined number of
bars. Future versions of Zebra2 may include gate-retriggering (as in the standard LFO
module).

Slew
off can produce clicks, fast and slow effectively smooth sharp transitions.

Amp
Amplitude i.e. output level of the GLFO.

Rate
GLFO speed. This bipolar control scales the value set by the Sync parameter.

Phase
Sets the phase (i.e. the position within its cycle) at which the GLFO will be restarted ac-
cording to the value of Trigger.

MMap

Zebras modulation mapper is a

general purpose table of 128 indi-
vidual values. The MMap modules
can be used for countless different
tasks e.g. tuning the tone of indi-
vidual notes on the keyboard, as in
this example...

modulation map used in the Ligetimat+ preset

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! MODULATORS

...or for emulating round-robin ef-

fects. Old polyphonic synths had a
limited number of voice circuits,
and the tuning of e.g. pitch and
cutoff was also fixed (via trimmers)
for each one. This example simu-
lates six of those trimmers...

modulation map used in the Poppington preset

...or for altering the law of a modu-

lation source. The example here
affects aftertouch response: After-
touch has no effect until you press
the keys hard enough to reach the
point where the curve starts as-
cending. The curve is concave for
a better feel.
modulation map used in e.g. the Seed preset

Mode
The larger of the two buttons selects the basic mode. Note that the two Map modes
wont do anything if you havent defined a Modulator.
Key......................... the 128 possible MIDI notes (nobody owns a keyboard that long)
Map Smooth...... the 128 modulator values, interpolated for smooth transitions
Map Quantize....the 128 modulator values. Allows sudden transitions
Alternate.............. a stepper new notes increment the map index

Modulator
The smaller button selects a modulator (LFO, envelope, whatever) to be mapped in ei-
ther of the two Map modes. In Key or Alternate mode, this setting is ignored.

Context Menu
Right-click in the MMap editor for the following functions:
copy/paste.......... for transferring maps, especially between patches
randomize........... add a random offset (+/-) to existing values
soften.................... reduce jumps
normalize............. maximize the largest value, then scale all others accordingly
straighten............ draw a straight line between the first and last values
reset....................... zero all values
quantize 424... quantize existing values to different grids. 12 is good for semitones
2128.................... set / reduce the number of values used (see the middle image above)

Zoom
Click on the + button to open the map in a large floating window. This is especially use-
ful whenever you need better horizontal precision while selecting points. In the (Key
mode) example below, horizontal precision isnt a problem because points can be se-
lected by playing MIDI notes (and are magnetic enough).

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! MODULATORS

the Ligetimat+ key map, zoomed

There is only one drawing function in the ModMapper: Cmd+click (Mac) or ctrl+click
(PC) resets values. Modulation mappers are so useful that future versions of Zebra2
may include more ModMapper drawing functions, e.g. for straight lines and curves.

MMix
Zebras Modulation Mixer processes up to 3 modulation sources in one of three ways...

the MMix panel

Mode
sum modulations: All modulation sources and the constant are simply added together.
This mode can save you a lot of work (and Matrix slots) if you e.g. want to modulate
several parameters at the same time from the same bunch of modulators.
scale sum by const: The same as sum modulations, except that Const scales the out-
put instead of adding to it.
fade 1/2 by 3xC: Mod3 cross-fades between Mod1 and Mod2, Const scales the Mod3
amount.

Mod1, Mod2, Mod3

Select modulators to be mixed.

Const
Adds to the output (sum modulations), scales the output (scale sum by constant) or
scales the amount of Mod3 (fade 1/2 by 3xC). Note that Const itself can be modulated
in realtime as it is available as modulation target!

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! OUTPUTS + FX

Outputs and Effects

Immediately below the main grid are four connected panels, one for each lane. This is
where you can adjust pan positions, volumes, amp envelopes and where you route sig-
nals to lanes in the FX grid.

main grid

fx bus select, mute

pan
pan modulation

amp envelope

volume

volume modulation

the four lane outputs, lane2 is muted

FX Bus Select
Where to route the signal from each lane:
main............ to the left lane of the FX grid
bus1............ to the center lane of the FX grid
bus2............ to the right lane of the FX grid

Mute
A handy mute button for each lane of the grid. In the image above, lane 2 is muted.

Pan, Mod
Lane pan and its definable modulation knob. The pan here is an offset to any pan in the
generator modules. Right-click on the Pan knob to change its mode to Bal (balance).

Amp Envelope
Selects which envelope will be used for the lane...
env(n).........envelopes 1 to 4.
gate............. a slightly smoothed on/off whenever a note is played/released

Vol, Mod
Lane volume and its definable modulation knob. Note that modulation here scales the
volume from 0% through 100% (center) to 200%. In the example above, the mod wheel
fades out lane 1.

Tip: To crossfade two lanes, use a ModMapper as inverter see page 72

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! OUTPUTS + FX

The FX Grid
Whenever you select Global in the lower bar, you will see the FX Grid in the middle of the
lower pane. The principle is the same as the main grid, but with effect modules.

To add a new module, click on an empty cell. Double-click a module to switch it on/off.
Right-click to select input(s) or remove the module.

Five of the FX module types are actually the same as the processing generators: Shape,
Mix, Ring, VCF, SB. The other five are only available in the FX grid: ModFX, Delay, Rev,
Comp and EQ.

FX Grid with example routing

Output controls
Bypass FX
Click on this button (it turns red) to temporarily deactivate all effects in the grid. Note
that the Bypass FX switch is a truly global parameter you wont hear any effects in any
of your patches on any day of the week until you deactivate this again.

Output
This knob determines the overall volume. It takes the sum of the Master, Return1 and
Return2 signals. Output is one of the few parameters in Zebra2 that cannot be modu-
lated by envelopes, LFOs etc.. Of course it will still react to MIDI-learned controllers or
automation data.

Master
Output level for the lefthand lane.

Return1 and Return2

The output levels for the center and righthand lanes.

Send1 and Send2

Both Send1 and Send2 take whatever is coming into the master lane, and route this
unprocessed signal to the Return1 and Return2 lanes respectively. In the image above,
Send2 is feeding the SB3 module. The amount (about 50% in the example) can be
faded out completely via mod-wheel (Send2s definable knob). You might have to read
this paragraph again...

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! OUTPUTS + FX

Modulating effect parameters

Zebra lets you use any modulation source in the Matrix to modulate global parameters like
reverb size or delay feedback. However, many of the available modulators are per-voice
e.g. envelopes and LFOs. To avoid conflict, global modules constantly update their modu-
lation input to the value provided by the latest voice (i.e. the last note played).

ModFX
Analogue purists may shudder at the mention of built-in chorus (which suggests a lack of
beef in other departments), but we believe no synthesizer should be without one:

ModFX panel, Chorus mode, equalizer On

Mode
Chorus: chorus / flanger using short delay lines
Phorus: chorus / flanger using allpass filters
Phaser: classic phaser unit

Center
Nominal delay time / allpass cutoff, i.e. before modulation.

Speed
The rate of the ModFX modules own LFO (from 0.1Hz to 1Hz).

Depth
Amount of LFO modulation.

Feedbk
Bipolar feedback control for flanger type resonances especially at extreme values.

Mix
Balance between dry and wet signal.

Stereo
LFO phase offset between the two stereo channels.
Note that 50% is often more stereo than 100%.

Quad
The volume of an additional chorus effect, with independant LFO.

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! OUTPUTS + FX

Q-Phase
Modulation LFO phase offset (see Stereo above) for the Quad effect.

Equalizer
This unique feature can e.g. preserve the stereo image of bass frequencies via low cut,
while at the same time making the chorus effect sound less harsh via high cut.
EQ: switches ModFX equalization on/off
LowFreq: low crossover frequency
HiFreq: high crossover frequency
Boost: cut/boost controls for the two frequencie ranges

Delay
The delay module in Zebra2 is (as you should already have begun to suspect) rather flexi-
ble. It has four delay lines, each with time scaling and pan controls. Two flavours of feed-
back with inserted low and highpass filters can run at the same time, feeding each other...

Delay module in stereo 2 mode (ping-pong regeneration via x-back)

Mix
Cross-fades between the dry and wet signal

Mode
stereo 2...........stereo delay, uses delay 1 and 2 only
multitap 4....... all four delays in parallel
dubby 2+2..... like two instances of stereo 2 in series
serial 2............ ping-pong delay, uses delay 1 and 2 only

Feedback & X-back

Normal regeneration, cross-regeneration.
In multitap mode, X-back is 1>2, 2>3, 3>4, 4>1.

Lowpass & Hipass

Simple filters in the feeback paths for changing the tonal quality of successive repeats.

Timing, Ratio & Pan

The button above each Ratio and Pan knob sets either a synchronized value (1/64th to
1/1 triplet) or absolute time (1 second). The Ratio knob scales this from 0% (4 samples
long) to 200%. Pan is of course the stereo position of each delay line.

Tip: Try using small amounts of random GLFO to modulate one or two of the delay Ratios

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! OUTPUTS + FX

Rev
Place your Zebra2 sounds in wide open spaces or long dark tunnels... with Reverb:

Reverb panel, Reverb mode

The reverb panel has 3 rows of controls: The top row is for mixing dry and wet signals. The
middle row features the usual set of reverb parameters. The bottom row has a similar set
for the so-called Diffusor diffusion adds more reflections, increasing the reverb density.

Mode
Reverb is Zebras standard digital reverb model
Metalverb sounds more artificial, but is also wider

Dry / Wet
Two separate controls for the dry and wet signal levels. Why? Firstly, theres room in the
panel, and secondly, modulating individual levels instead of cross-fading dry/wet is more
flexible.

PreDelay
A delay before the reverb. Especially good for retaining the closeness of the dry signal.

Range, D-Range
Reverb/Diffusion length i.e. delay times, from extremely short to rather long! Together,
the Range and Feedback parameters shape the impression of room size.

Feedback, D-Feedb
How much of the reverb signal is fed back into the reverb input. If Range and Feedback
are set to maximum and Damp is at zero, the reverb will carry on almost indefinitely.

Damp
Simple low pass filter in the feedback loop. Emulates the damping effects of carpets,
curtains, wood etc.. Makes a space warmer, more real.

D-Mix
The amount of diffusion in the reverb signal.

Speed, D-Speed
The rates of the LFOs modulating Range and Feedback / D-Range and D-Feedb.

Modulation, D-Mod
The levels of the LFOs modulating Range and Feedback / D-Range and D-Feedb.

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! OUTPUTS + FX

Comp
This is Zebras updated compressor module, which now features two high-quality modes.
If youre much more familiar with synthesizers than with compressors, think of it as an in-
verted envelope follower modulating the volume i.e. an automatic volume attenuator. Audio
engineers use compressors for a wide variety of tasks google compressor .

compressor, smooth mode

Mode
eco: original lo-fi version, with low CPU-hit.
smooth: smooth compression, the best choice for most sounds.
strong: very powerful compression, best for bold percussive sounds.

Attack
The time it takes the compressor to fully work after the threshold has been reached. At-
tack can affect brightness very fast values cause the compressor to reduce gain im-
mediately, which can dull the attack of the original sound. When set to zero, Attack is
only one sample in length.

Release
Recovery time i.e. the time the compressor takes to return to unity gain after the input
signal has fallen below the threshold. Very short Release can distort low-frequency in-
put, overly long Release can clamp the sound down and not release enough before the
next attack arrives. When set to zero, Release is only one sample in length.

Thresh
Threshold sets the level above which compression will be applied, and below which
compression will be released so lower values will result in more compression than
higher values.

Comp
Sets the amount of compression. Think of this as a dry/wet crossfade.

Input
Adjusts the input level before the signal reaches the compressor.

Output
Adjusts the output level to compensate for any loss/gain during compression.

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! OUTPUTS + FX

EQ
This module is a 4-band parametric equalizer. Drag the handles to set frequency and gain. Right-
click on a handle and drag vertically to adjust the Q (width/slope) of the band. Right-click in the
background for basic editing functions: copy, paste, clear (flatten).

Equalizer module, bass+treble boost, dip around 1.5 kHz

Apart from compression, equalization is the audio engineers Swiss-army knife used to
ensure that tracks work well together in the context of the song.
In Zebra2, they are very useful for tweaking the final timbral character of a patch make it
generally brighter or duller, boost or cut certain frequencies...

Note that all twelve parameters (frequency, gain, slope) of the EQ

are available in the Matrix as modulation targets. The highlighted en-
try in the list here is actually the green handle (2):

Handle 1 = LowShelf
Handle 2 = Mid1
Handle 3 = Mid2
Handle 4 = HiShelf
Example: To use the EQ arrangement in the above image as a
swept band reject filter (which sounds a bit like phasing), you need
to modulate handle number 3 so the target is Freq Mid2.

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! PERFORMANCE

Performance
Arpeggiator / Sequencer Programming

Arpeggiator settings used in the patch How Money More Times

If you would like to experiment with an existing arpeggio, load e.g. How Money More
Times from the Lupins folder and play with all the settings. Or follow this little tutorial...

Quick insight tutorial

1. Click on Patches in the upper bar and load the Initialize patch from the Local folder.
2. Click below the OSC1 cell and add VCF1. The Synthesis window automatically opens.
3. Take VCF1 Cutoff down to minimum, click on a (...) knob in the VCF and select Env1
4. Set Env1 in the VCF to about 110, the Sustain (in Envelope 1) to minimum and Re-
lease to 50
5. Click on the Global/FX tab in the lower bar. Set Voice Mode parameter to arpeggiator.
6. Play a low note. Click on Tune in the Global/FX panel and select < 12.
7. Change OSC1 mode to dual, and Detune it to taste.
8. Play a low note and adjust VCF1 Resonance to about 10 (or higher if you prefer).
9. We should now have a simple bass arpeggio, so click on the Arp/Seq tab in the lower
bar to open the arpeggiator...
10. Change Steps to 4. Change Transp of the 3rd step to 1, 4th step to 7. Play a note...
11. Change the leftmost triangle to a different icon... why is this an 8-note sequence now?
Experiment see what happens if you change one or two of the other triangles.
12. Play a chord... Change the first four Voices to 6 (use your mouse wheel to do this)
13. Play a high chord. If it distorts, turn down the volume in Lane 1.
14. Click on the remaining (...) knob in the VCF and select ArpMod. Set it to +20. In the
right half of the arpeggiator panel, set the leftmost four sliders to different values.

Now try adjusting all Lengths, Gates etc.. Then add reverb and SB3, perhaps?

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! PERFORMANCE

Selectors
The block of buttons on the left...

Arp Sync
1/64 1/1 trip: The duration of the default semiquaver step. See Length below.

Arp Order
Incoming notes are ordered within a note buffer in one of two ways. Note: The buffer is
then played back in the direction set by the Arp Loop parameter (see below).
by note............ notes are reordered according to MIDI note number
as played....... the original order in which notes were played is retained

Arp Loop
Determines the direction in which the note buffer is played back. See Arp Order.
f ==> forwards
b <== backwards
fb <=> forwards / backwards
bf >=< backwards / forwards
Note: Arp Loop does not affect the direction in which the arpeggiator runs (which is al-
ways forwards!) or the transposition of notes (see Transp on the next page).

Oct
0, 1 or 2 times: This switch sets how often the octave is shifted up after all notes in the
buffer have been played back.

Steps
The number of steps used for the arpeggio. Note that a 3-step arpeggio (for instance)
can create a 15-note sequence (or even 24 in fb or bf loop mode!) if you set Oct to 2
and play a 5 note chord.

Slide
When the Slide switch is on, any Glide set in the Global/FX panel will only be applied to
connected notes (see Gate below).

Step parameters
Step
Sets which note in the buffer is played at this step.
next: play the next note
same: repeat the same note
first: play the first note (see Arp Order above)
last: play the last note (see Arp Order above)

Tip: Set all used Steps to last for typical monophonic arpeggios.

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! PERFORMANCE

Length
Step lengths are defined as multiples of the Arp Sync value:
1x
2x
3x
4x

Gate
As arpeggiators automatically play / release notes, the gate times need to be defined:
0, 1 ,2, 3, 4..........from very short to almost the length of ArpSync
5 (arrow).............. connected to the next step (see also Slide above)
The step following a 5 will not be retriggered (unless it uses more than one Voice).

Voices
The maximum number of notes that can be played at once per step.

Transp
Pitches may already be jumping about, but on top of this movement, the individual steps
can be transposed +/- 12 semitones using the small keyboard buttons. Unpredictability
is therefore to be expected!

Arp Mod, Arp Md2

The entire right half of the Arp/Seq panel comprises two rows of bipolar sliders which
can be used to modulate any targets (e.g. VCF cutoff and Glide rate) in step with the
arpeggiator. The corresponding sources are ArpMod1 and ArpMod2.

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! PERFORMANCE

XY Pad Programming
Click on the XY tab in the lower bar...

XY programming panel

Programming the XY pads may seem daunting at first, but it really is quite easy espe-
cially if you follow this little hands-on tutorial... then experiment:

Quick insight tutorial

1. Click on Patches in the upper bar and load the Initialize patch
2. Click on Synthesis and add a VCF below OSC1. Note that Cutoff knob is at maximum.
Right-click on the Cutoff knob and select assign to / X3.
3. Click on XY in the lower bar, then on the XY3 tab to the left of the panel
4. Click on Perform, move the handle around the XY3 pad while playing a note. Watch
whats happening below.
5. Click on the upper right none and select Filter1 / Cutoff from the menu
6. Play a note and move around the XY3 pad again. Only the lower half affects cutoff...
7. ...so grab the righthand multicolored bar and move it to the center.
8. Hold down a note and try out the XY3 pad again. Positive Y values also affect cutoff
now because you have just turned down the filters cutoff knob. Open the Synthe-
sis window and see for yourself... then go back to the Perform window.
9. Double-click twice on that multicolored bar to set minimum/maximum to the extremes.
10. Double-click on XY3 above the pad, and change the text to PITCH + CUTOFF.
Double-click where it says xy3 not assigned below the pad, and change the text to
X = Pitch (new line) Y = Cutoff.
11. Try assigning XY4 to other targets e.g. filter resonance and oscillator vibrato. This time,
drag the little triangles around instead of double-clicking on the colored bar. You can
assign up to 8 targets per axis of each pad, but you will only see targets for existing
modules of course you could add a few more modules to the patch...

XY1 programming panel, X (left) and Y (right) programming areas

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! PERFORMANCE

Controls
XY1XY4 Selectors

The four buttons at the top lefthand corner of the panel select the XY pad to be edited.

X and Y knobs

These knobs are directly linked to the X/Y pads

in the Perform window: moving a knob will also
move (X=horizontally, Y=vertically) the handle in
the corresponding pad. And vice versa.
The individual X and Y knobs come in very
handy as single-axis pads while the Synthesis
window is open. Also best for MIDI-learning XY
pads (for remote control / automation).

Target Selectors and Range Controls

The main area of the XY programming panel is divided into two blocks the left half is
for the X-axis (of the selected pad see XY1XY4 Selectors above), while the right half
is for the Y-axis.

target selector range bar and range markers

The 16 Target Selectors (set to none by default) open a nested menu containing every-
thing that can be modulated in the current patch more targets appear as modules are
added to the grids.
Targets in the Matrix can also be selected fom the Synthesis window or effect panels by
right-clicking on a knob and choosing assign to / (X1...Y4) from the context menu.
To the right of each Target Selector is another field. As soon as a target is selected, a
brightly-colored Range Bar appears, representing the full range of the target parameter.
Important: The current value is always in the center of the area (you will see a faint ver-
tical line there), so sliding the Range Bar to the left or right actually adjusts that value.
Go to the Synthesis window and watch the corresponding knob move as you slide the
Range Bar (and vice versa adjust that knob and watch the Range Bar move).
The two triangular Range Markers set the minimum and maximum values. Note that
you can invert the range by setting the upper marker to the left and the lower one to the
right. Double-clicking on a Range Bar switches between three preset ranges: normal full
range, inverted full range and zero range (at the current value). A handy little function!

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! MIDI CONTROL

MIDI Control
MidiLearn and MidiUnLearn
Zebra can be remote-controlled / automated via MIDI messages from a hardware con-
troller unit or from your sequencer program. Right-click any knob to open a menu con-
taining MidiLearn and MidiUnLearn. Currently undergoing a major redesign, the extra
functionality described below should be considered beta.

MIDI controllers

Zebras expanded MidiLearn function lets you define how

parameters will react to MIDI continuous controller (CC)
messages. Before you use MidiLearn, right-click on the
data display and select the MIDI Controllers entry from the
top of the list.
MIDI remote control is channel sensitive: This means
that you can map up to 16 channels of any CC except
ModWheel, BankSelect, Hold or AllNotesOff which adds
up to more than 1,900 mappable controllers!

The options are:

none practically MidiLearn Off, prevents accidental MIDI learns

normal full range (standard)
integer whole numbers only
fine between nearest integers, in 0.01 steps
octaves 32 to 2 without changing fine tune
semitone semitones/cents between octaves
fineSelected like fine, but controls the most recently selected element. Switch the
mode to fineSelected and MidiLearn the knob/slider you would like to
use as a general-purpose fine controller. It doesnt matter which on-
screen knob you right-click to do this.

(The seven page options are not yet implemented, and should be ignored for now)

The last four determine the type of controller. If in doubt, try Continuous 7-bit:

Encoder 127 unipolar encoders

Encoder 64 bipolar encoders
Continuous 7bit 7-bit MIDI CC (standard)
Continuous 14bit 14-bit MIDI CC

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! TRICKS

Some Interesting Tricks

This section only includes tricks that need more than a little thinking outside the box. Im
sure a few more will be discovered in time, Zebra2 certainly has enough fire-power...

A motion viewer for modulators

Thanks to Brian Rzycki for this interesting tip...

Load the initialize patch, then assign a ModMapper as modulation source for something.
The target doesnt matter for this experiment, because the amount will be left at zero. I
chose oscillator Pan:

A ModMapper will appear in the modulators pane:

Click on Alternate and change it to Map Smooth. Select LFO1 as the Modulator (its unfor-
tunate that we cant select MMix here!)

Click on + to expand the map, set the leftmost and rightmost values to maximum, right-
click and select straighten. The map should now look like this:

Play a note and slow down the LFO a bit (this trick only works well if the modulator is rela-
tively slow). Works fine with envelopes or MIDI input such as aftertouch.

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! TRICKS

A 64-stage MSEG
If you really need more handles that the 33 available in each MSEG, you can use two or
more of them in series...

MSEG1 (modulating oscillator pitch) already uses up 28 handles:

Just for fun, lets invert that same pattern and copy/paste it into MSEG2:

Take the last two handles down to zero, extend the first (zero) step of MSEG1 to the ze-
roed bit of MSEG2, extend the last handle of MSEG2 to the end of MSEG1... you should
end up with something like this (its the principle that counts):

Were looking at MSEG2 here, but you should be able to see a faint MSEG1 in the right
half of the image. All you need to do then is use a mod mixer (MMix) e.g. to modulate
OSC1 Tune, put both the MSEGs into that mod mixer and crank up Const to maximum...

I cant find any example patches that make use of this trick perhaps 33 really is enough!

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! TRICKS

Modulation inverter
Now and again it can be useful to be able to invert
unipolar modulation sources, e.g. to cross-fade be-
tween two lanes of the main grid:

Alternatively, a Mix module can cross-fade between

two signals, and the individual oscillator volumes
could simply be cross-faded in this particular exam-
ple, but the solution here is interesting because it
also converts unipolar to bipolar and allows for non-
linear curves.

Absolute value

A minus times a minus is a plus! This example always outputs positive pitchwheel values.

Vibrato under control

When the mod-wheel is at minimum, output is all ATouch, and when at maximum, output is
all ModWhl. It always adds up to 100%.

Especially Prog-Rock keyboard wizards will understand the reason for this one. It lets you
add vibrato using either mod-wheel or aftertouch (or any mixture of the two) in the same
patch, without letting vibrato get too deep. So you can take a solo using the mod-wheel,
then get back to playing two keyboards at once using aftertouch instead.

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! ZEBRIFY

Zebrify
Introduction
The effects version of Zebra2. Zebrify includes several features that transcend what you
normally expect from an insert effect, for instance audio oscillators with carefully pro-
grammed pitch-detection, Zebrify can be used as a powerful guitar synthesizer. Like the
effects section in Zebra2, Zebrify is strictly monophonic i.e. single-voice.

Zebrifys Synthesis window, showing generator and effect modules in a single grid

Zebrify uses the main patching grid for all modules. It has fewer generators than Zebra2...

VCF (4) Shape (2) XMF (2) Delay (2) EQ (2)

FMO (2) Mix (2) SB (2) Rev (1) OSC (2)

Comb (2) Ring (1) ModFX (2) Comp (2) Noise (2)

...but has four additional modulation sources:

EnvFol1 Pitchness Essness Transient

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! ZEBRIFY

MIDI
Click on the Midi tab in Zebrifys lower bar to open this panel:

Zebrifys MIDI panel, with KeySource menu

Together with the Pitch Detector (see a few pages down), this panel is mainly concerned
with Zebrifys own monophonic version of KeyFol, the key-follow modulation source.

Note: Many DAWs (e.g. Cubase and Reaper) directly route MIDI from source plugins into
insert effects. Some use more complicated methods in Logic, load Zebrify as "AU midi-
controlled effect", then read up about signal routing and MIDI in the manuals!

Glide
Smooths KeyFol when KeySource is set to MIDI.

KeySource
Determines how Zebrify derives its note data i.e. KeyFol and envelope gate.
MIDI: KeyFol uses incoming MIDI notes with last note priority, like in Zebra2s effects
section. Note: Envelopes and MSEGs can only be triggered in this mode.
Input: Detects the fundamental pitch, KeyFol is a continuous variable.
In Qtz: Detects the fundamental pitch, KeyFol is quantized to the nearest semitone.

Output
Zebrifys main output level control.

Keyboard
Displays derived notes or MIDI notes (see KeySource above). Notes derived from input
signals with ambiguous pitch content (e.g. chords) can cause key to jump around.
The keyboard can also be used to trigger/gate envelopes and MSEGs, in case your se-
quencer is incapable of routing MIDI data to effect plugins.

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! ZEBRIFY

Input
Click on the Input tab in the lower bar. The input pane contains three panels: Input Mixer,
Envelope Detector and Pitch Detector...

Input Mixer
Zebrifys grid has four lanes, and each has its own input...

Zebrifys Input Mixer panel

Input1 ... Input4

Input levels. Input1 goes to the lefthand lane of the grid, Input2 to the next lane etc..

Input selectors
Stereo, left, right or mono-sum for each input. For instance, setting Input1 to left and
Input2 to right lets you split the two channels of a stereo signal between lanes 1 and 2.

Envelope Detector
The Envelope Detector continuously analyses the input signal level and outputs the modu-
lation source EnvFol1 (envelope follow). EnvFol1 can then be used to control targets that
would typically be modulated by a standard envelope e.g. the output level of a lane in the
grid. Note that envelope detection is independent of the Input Mixer settings.

Zebrifys Envelope Detector panel

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! ZEBRIFY

Mode
Follow: EnvFol1 is an envelope follower i.e. it is proportional to input signal level
AR Env: EnvFol1 is a simple Attack-Release envelope triggered at the Threshold

Curve
linear: EnvFol1 is linear best option for modulating levels e.g. lane volumes
exponential: EnvFol1 is exponential for modulating frequencies e.g. filter cutoff

FilterType
Zebrifys envelope detector includes an input filter so it can be set up to react to certain
frequencies only. See Filter below.
signal: No filter
bandpass: Isolate a particular frequency
lowpass: Isolate low frequencies e.g. bass drum
highpass: Isolate high frequencies e.g. hi-hat

Attn (attenuation)
Gain control for the envelope detector only, independent of Input Mixer levels. See also
Thresh below.

Attack
Rise time after the signal level has reached the threshold (see Thresh below).

Release
Fall time after the signal level drops below the threshold.

Smooth
Smooths both Attack and Release.

Filter
Cutoff frequency of the envelope detectors input filter see FilterType above.

VU
Input level display.

Thresh (threshold)
This slider (!) adjusts the level at which the envelope follower is on. Use together with
the Attn parameter (see above).

Level
Realtime display of EnvFol1 output.

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! ZEBRIFY

Pitch Detector
Input signals with a strong fundamental frequency can be used to control the pitch of Ze-
brifys oscillators. Patch up your own guitar synthesizer or voice-controlled Theremin. The
pitch detector can output four different modulation sources at the same time:
Transient, Essness, Pitchness and KeyFol.

Zebrifys Pitch Detector panel

Mode
percussive: for strong attack signals: acoustic guitar, tuned percussion etc.
voiced: for breathy / noisy signals: vocals, flutes etc.
clear: for mostly pure signals: monophonic synth lines etc.
Source
Input selector for pitch detection stereo, left, right or monosum.
Sense (Input)
The main input gain for all parts of the Pitch Detector, with an indicator that lights up
whenever the signal is strong enough for pitch detection.
Sense (Transient)
This threshold determines the level at which transients (short-lived jumps in volume) will
be recognized as such. The output of this section is the Transient modulation source...
Decay
Controls how quickly Transient decays to zero.
Sense (Ess)
Ess frequency cutoff, from 4 to 8 kHz (esses are sibilants, high-frequency noises with
little or no pitch content). The output of this section is the Essness modulation source.
Transient > Ess
Adds detected transients to the Ess modulation source.
Sense (Pitchness)
Pitchness is effectively the opposite of Ess(ness) i.e. it reacts to pitched signals. Set low
values for meticulous but relatively slow pitch detection, and higher values for signals
with clear pitch content. The output of this section is the Pitchness modulation source,
practically a smooth gate that opens as long as pitch is detected.
HiNote, LowNote
Limits pitch detection to a range of notes (standard MIDI note numbers).

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! ZREV

ZRev
Despite its austere appearance, ZRev is the mother of non-convolution reverb units. It is a
tool for hand-tuning delay coefficients in feedback delay and allpass networks. Exactly how
it works is a well-kept secret to quote Urs Heckmann:

Before tweaking any knob on Zrev one should use google on the following terms: comb
allpass filter, feedback delay network, jot householder matrix, and finally schroeder moorer
reverb.

Assuming you didnt just spend hours searching those words, the following might help: The
left section is a feedback delay network with damping, the right section is two cascades of
nested allpass filters with adjustable feedback for each set.

ZRev is a challenge. If enough people try enough different coefficients for a long enough
time, somebody might just stumble upon a great-sounding set. The ZRev challenge should
not be seen as a chimps on typewriters scenario in theory, ZRev is capable of emulat-
ing any artificial reverb, and its up to you to work out the best strategy! However...

The relative values affect the room quality the more irregular, the better. Some claim that
prime numbers or other special ratios are necessary, but so far the best tactic still appears
to be simple trial-and-error. If you believe you have a set of values that produces almost
no metallic ringing, please contact [email protected].

Although ZRev itself has no Save button, you can save your settings in the native format of
the host application there should be a Save button somewhere at the top of the window.

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Modulation Target Lists

Generators
Modules and target names are in alphabetical order, knob names are in bold, modulation
amount means the degree to which another modulator affects its target.

Comb
Damp Damp

DampModDepth (...) Damp modulation amount

Detune Detune

Distortion Distortion

Dry Dry

FBModDepth (...) Feedback modulation amount

Feedback Feedbk

Flavour Flavour

FlavourMod (...) Flavour modulation amount

Input Input

InputMod (...) Input modulation amount

key scale KeyScale

Pan Pan

PanModDepth (...) Pan modulation amount

PreFill PreFill

Tone Tone

ToneMod (...) Tone modulation amount

Tune Tune in semitones

TuneModDepth (...) Tune modulation amount

Vibrato Vibrato

Volume Volume

VolumeModDepth (...) Volume modulation amount

Width Width

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

FMO
Detune Detune

FM Depth FM input

FM ModDepth (...) FM modulation amount

key scale KeyScale (lower panel)

Pan Pan

PanModDepth (...) Pan modulation amount

Tune Tune in semitones

TuneModDepth (...) Tune modulation amount

Vibrato Vibrato

Volume Volume

VolumeModDepth (...) Volume modulation amount

Width Width

Mix (ChannelMix)
Mix Mix

Pan Pan

PanMod Depth (...) Pan modulation amount

Noise
F1 ModDepth (..) Lowpass modulation amount

F2 ModDepth (..) Highpass modulation amount

Filter1 Filter1 (Lowpass)

Filter2 Filter2 (Highpass)

Pan Pan

PanModDepth (...) Pan modulation amount

Volume Volume

VolumeModDepth (...) Volume modulation amount

Width Width

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

OSC
Detune Detune

key scale key scale (lower panel)

Normalize Normalize (lower panel)

Pan Pan

PanModDepth (...) Pan modulation amount

Phase Phase

PhaseModDepth (...) Phase modulation amount

Poly Width Width

Resolution Resolution (lower panel)

SFX(n)ModDepth (...) spectral effect modulation amount

SpectraFX(n) Val selected spectral effect

SyncModDepth (...) Sync modulation amount

SyncTune Sync

Tune Tune in semitones

TuneModDepth (...) Tune modulation amount

Vibrato Vibrato

Volume Volume

VolumeModDepth (...) Volume modulation amount

WarpModDepth (...) Wave modulation amount

WaveWarp Wave index

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Shape
D_modDepth (...) Depth modulation amount

Depth Depth

Edge Edge

Edge ModDepth (...) Edge modulation amount

HiOut HiOut

Input Input

Output Output

VCF
Cutoff Cutoff

Drive Drive / Vowel / Split

Gain Gain

KeyFollow KeyFol

ModDepth(1,2) (...) Cutoff modulation amount 1, 2

Resonance Res

XMF
Bias (visible but not implemented)

Click Click

Cutoff Cutoff

FilterFM FilterFM

Freq mod(1,2) (...) Cutoff modulation amount 1, 2

FreqOffMod (...) Offset modulation amount

FreqOffset Offset

KeyFollow KeyFol

Overload Overload

Resonance Res

XFMmod (...) FilterFM modulation amount

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Voice

Voice Circuit
Arp Step Mod nn (visible but not implemented)

FineTuneCents (visible but not implemented)

Portamento Glide

Portamento2 Glide2

PortaRange Range

Voice Mix
Mod Depth(1-4) (...) Mod modulation depth (Vol) main grid

Pan Mod Dpt(1-4) (...) Mod modulation depth (Pan) main grid

Pan(1-4) Pan(1-4) main grid

Send1 Send1 FX grid

Send2 Send2 FX grid

SendDepth1 (...) Send1 modulation amount FX grid

SendDepth2 (...) Send2 modulation amount FX grid

Volume(1-4) Vol(1-4) main grid

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Modulators

Envelopes
Init (...) Initial level before the Attack stage

Attack Attack

Decay Decay

Sustain Sustain level

Fall/Rise F/R

Sustain2 (...) Sust2 level (if Sust2 is active)

Release Release

Velocity Vel

Vel2I Velocity Scale initial level amount (if Init is active)

Vel2A Velocity Scale to Attack amount

Vel2D Velocity Scale to Decay amount

Vel2S Velocity Scale to Sustain amount

Vel2FR Velocity Scale to F/R amount

Vel2S2 Velocity Scale to Sust2 amount (if Sust2 is active)

Vel2R Velocity Scale to Release amount

Key2I Key Scale to initial level amount (if Init is active)

Key2A Key Scale to Attack amount

Key2D Key Scale to Decay amount

Key2S Key Scale to Sustain amount

Key2FR Key Scale to F/R amount

KeyS2 Key Scale to Sust2 amount (if Sust2 is active)

Key2R Key Scale to release amount

Slope Slope (if the envelope is in v-slope mode)

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

GLFO (LfoG)
Amplitude Amp

Phase Phase

Rate Rate

LFO
Amplitude Amp

Delay Delay

DepthMod Dpt1 (...) Amp modulation amount

FreqMod Dpt (...) Rate modulation amount

Phase Phase

Rate Rate

MMix
Constant Constant

MSEGs
Velocity Velocity amount

Attack Attack time

Loop Loop time

Release Release time

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Effects

Comp
Attack Attack

Compression Comp

Input Input

Output Output

Release Release

Threshold Thresh

EQ
Freq HiShelf (4) horizontal position

Freq LowShelf (1) horizontal position

Freq Mid1 (2) horizontal position

Freq Mid2 (3) horizontal position

Gain HiShelf (4) vertical position

Gain LowShelf (1) vertical position

Gain Mid1 (2) vertical position

Gain Mid2 (3) vertical position

Q HiShelf (4) slope

Q LowShelf (1) slope

Q Mid1 (2) slope

Q Mid2 (3) slope

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Delay
Drive (unused)

Feedback Feedback

Hipass Hipass

Lowpass Lowpass

Mix Mix

Pan1 ... Pan4 Pan1 ... Pan4

Ratio1 ... Ratio4 Ratio1 ... Ratio 4

X-Back X-back

Mix (ChannelMix)
Mix Mix

Pan Pan

PanMod Depth (...) Pan modulation amount

ModFX
Center Center

Depth Depth

Feedback Feedbk

HiCut Freq HiFreq

High Boost dB Boost (high)

Low Boost dB Boost (low)

LowCut Freq LowFreq

Mix Mix

Q1, Q2 (unused)

Quad Quad

QuadPhase Q-Phase

Speed Speed

Stereo Stereo

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Reverb
Damp Damp

Diff Feedback D-Feedb

Diff Mix D-Mix

Diff Mod D-Mod

Diff Range D-Range

Diff Speed D-Speed

Dry Dry

Feedback Feedback

Modulation Modulation

PreDelay PreDelay

Range Range

Speed Speed

Wet Wet

SB
FModDepth (...) Freq modulation amount

Frequency Freq

Mix Mix

MModDepth (...) Mix modulation amount

Offset Offset

OModDepth (...) Offset modulation amount

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! MOD TARGET LISTS

Shape
D_modDepth (...) Depth modulation amount

Depth Depth

Edge Edge

Edge ModDepth (...) Edge modulation amount

HiOut HiOut

Input Input

Output Output

VCF
Cutoff Cutoff

Drive Drive / Vowel / Split

Gain Gain

KeyFollow KeyFol

ModDepth1 (...) Cutoff modulation amount 1

ModDepth2 (...) Cutoff modulation amount 2

Resonance Res

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! TROUBLESHOOTING

Troubleshooting
Random Notes
Problem
Zebra goes out of tune after about 15 minutes.
Solution
Thats Zebras demo-mode restriction!

Parameter Reset
Problem
I'm on [computer platform and OS version] using [DAW]. I load Zebra2 into a project,
and whenever I play the song or try to record, it resets [parameter] to [value].
Solution
That sounds like an accidental MIDI learn. A controller has somehow been assigned to
that parameter, and restarting the song resets all controllers. Simply right click on the
knob and select "MIDI Unlearn".
Note: MIDI Learn assignments are global for all patches in all instances of Zebra2, and
are stored at the following locations (you might like to put an alias on your desktop!):
Win ...\VstPlugins\u-he\Zebra2.data\Support\com.u-he.Zebra2.midimap.txt
Mac ~/Library/Application Support/u-he/com.u-he.Zebra2.midimap.txt

... and of course theres our online support at www.u-he.com

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! GLOSSARY

Glossary
A
ACE (u-he product) Any Cable Everywhere wireless modular synthesizer
ADSR Traditional envelope generator with 4 stages: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release
aftertouch The most common term for either channel pressure or key pressure from
a MIDI keyboard. The latter is polyphonic, but rarely transmitted by the hardware
allpass (filter) Only affects the phase of the input signal, not the frequency content
amplitude The level of a signal
analogue (of a synthesizer) Popular term for non-digital
antiphase Upside-down signal (i.e. phase-shift of 180 / 50.00%)
attack (ADSR) Usually the first stage of an envelope, where the level rises from zero
to maximum. In Zebra2s envelopes, the attack stage can be preceded by a delay, or a
non-zero initial level can be set
attenuate To reduce the level of a signal

B
bandpass (BP filter) Allows frequencies close to the cutoff point to pass through while
attenuating higher and lower frequencies
bandreject (BR filter) Allows all frequencies to pass through except those which are
close to the cutoff point. Often called a notch filter
bazille PD-based modular synth currently in development (alpha) as member of...
berlin modular future u-he synth trio, expected to include an expanded version of
ACE, Bazille and a third model yet to be decided upon
bipolar (modulator) Can output both positive and negative values, for instance pitch-
bend or LFO. See unipolar
blend (as opposed to morph) In Zebra: The levels of harmonics are crossfaded
BPM Beats Per Minute = standard representation of song tempo

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! GLOSSARY

C
channel pressure see aftertouch
cell In Zebra: a single position within one of the grids, can be assigned a module
cent One-hundredth of a semitone
comb (filter) Resonant delay based filter/oscillator
cutoff (of a filter) The frequency that defines where (within the audio spectrum) the
input signal will start to be attenuated or boosted. See resonance

D
daft eric rigby Infamous 19th-century Welsh cellist
decay (ADSR)
default Setting or value assigned as a sensible starting point. Double-clicking on
Zebra2 knobs will set appropriate defaults
delay Two meanings in Zebra2: 1) an effect module 2) an envelope phase
DIVA (u-he product) virtual analogue synth with choice of oscillator and filter models
duophonic (synthesizer) Can play only two notes at the same time, defined by the
lowest and highest notes received

E
envelope generator (modulator) Contour for levels, tone etc.

F
filter-FM Audio rate frequency modulation of filter cutoff
Filterscape (u-he product) Popular dual-filter plugin suite, with complex modulation
FM Frequency modulation
FMO Frequency modulation oscillator
frequency Speed of a cyclic system (in cycles per second = Hertz). Can be translated
into e.g. the absolute pitch of an oscillator or the BPM of a song.
FX Abbreviation for effects

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! GLOSSARY

G
glide Smooth pitch transition between consecutive notes
global (parameter) In Zebra2: patch-wide parameter, not per-voice
grid In Zebra: Matrix of cells used for patching / routing signals

H
highpass (filter) Allows frequencies above the cutoff point to pass through while at-
tenuating low frequencies
handle (Zebra2 GUI object) Any small object used for editing e.g. the pips in EQs

I
index Position within a 1-dimensional array (e.g. a waveset)
initialize In Zebra: A very simple patch suitable as a template for new creations
instantiate To create an object (e.g. an LFO) from its class (e.g. the LFO parameters)

J
junk In Zebra: A patch marked as unwanted but not yet deleted

K
key follow (modulator) In Zebra: MIDI note with Glide
key pressure see aftertouch

L
legato No space between consecutive notes, not retriggered
LFO Low Frequency Oscillator (usually remains below the audible range)
lowpass (filter) Allows frequencies below the cutoff point to pass through while attenu-
ating higher frequencies.

M
microtuning Fine-tuning per note, usually to break away from equal temperament
mode (of a system) A particular way of working, selected from multiple options
MIDI-learn Assigning MIDI controllers to parameters by sending controller data
mod-wheel Modulation wheel. Multi-purpose left-hand controller on a MIDI keyboard
modulation Controlling a parameter (from a modulator)

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! GLOSSARY

modulation matrix Panel used for connecting modulation sources to targets

modulator Any control source used for modulation
module Patchable unit within a modular synthesizer
monophonic Able to deliver only one voice / signal at a time
More Feedback Machine (u-he product) A complex 4-way delay plugin
morph Smooth interpolation between defined states
MSEG Multi-Stage Envelope Generator. Complex envelope with up to 32 curves

N
normalize To make consistent. In Zebra: to balance levels of waves within a waveset

O
oscillator Pitched tone generator
overload (of a filter) Distortion effect produced when the input level is too high

PQ
parameter Variable factor within a system
pane In Zebra: subdivision of a window
panel In Zebra: block of controls for an individual module / section
paraphonic Polyphonic oscillators but monophonic filters / envelopes
patch Zebras preferred term for preset, program, sound etc.. The word preset goes
against Zebras DIY philosophy, program and sound are too nondescript
per-voice Non-global, instantiated for each note
phase A particular position within a cycle (OSC or LFO). Often expressed as angles,
Phase values in Zebra are percentages of a complete cycle
polarity (of a signal) normal or inverted state
polyphonic Able to deliver more than one voice / signal at the same time
portamento Glide

R
release (ADSR)
resolution In Zebra oscillators: interval between successive waveform calculations
rolloff filter slope
Rumblence:Zoyd (u-he product) Legacy semimodular synthesizer, freeware

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! GLOSSARY

S
scale (to scale) multiply, as opposed to add/subtract
signal A time-variant value, usually audio-rate
slew Smoothing of control signals (e.g. portamento / glide is slewed pitch)
sub-panel switchable area of a panel (different controls appear)
sustain (ADSR)

T
threshold A value above or below which an action commences
Triple Cheese (u-he product) Free comb-filter based freeware synthesizer
TyrellN6 (u-he product) Free virtual analogue synthesizer

U
Uhbik (u-he product) A collection of high-quality effect plugins
unipolar (of a modulator) Can only output positive values

V
VA virtual analogue digital emulation of classic subtractive synthesis
velocity (modulator) How fast a key is struck

W
wave In Zebra: a single waveform within a waveset...
waveset In Zebra: the set of all 16 waves in an oscillator

XYZ
ZebraCM (u-he product) Non-modular magware synthesizer related to Zebra2
Zoyd see Rumblence:Zoyd

The End
Many thanks to u-he forum members for ideas and proof-reading
Howard Scarr 2010

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