At last, u-he has launched Zebra 3

Berlin-based synth and effects company u-he has launched Zebra 3, a modular-style synth plugin “a very long time in the making”.

“Rebuilt from scratch”, the latest iteration of u-he’s Zebra synth features an adaptive interface – with modules only appearing when added to a patch via drag and drop – plus a new unified spline editor for oscillator waveforms and MSEG curves with geometric morphing.

With this editor, waveforms can be manipulated from Bézier curves to create intricate details within either classic wavetable or Zebra 3’s additive engine. The latter flaunts 1024 partials for extreme micro detailing. Plus, the oscillators then have two effects slots that come preloaded with 20 different options, including spectral decay, sync, and phase remapping.

Zebra 3’s filter bank features 13 models, including Ladder, Cascade, and SVF. All 13 can have 12 responses, such as low pass, high pass, and band pass applied to them.

Zebra 3 brings updates to the FM oscillators as well. Similar to the vector-based spline editor for wavetable synthesis, the FM oscillators have a Vector mixing module that enables users to alternate between four sound sources that can be moved around an X/Y grid.

One brand new feature is how the combination of the modal resonator and comb filter modules works off the exciter module to create the organic properties of physical objects.

“Zebra 3 has arrived! Building on everything we learned from Zebra2, it adds powerful new modules and pushes Zebra’s renowned workflow even further,” U-He writes on YouTube. “We also overhauled the user interface during beta, making it more streamlined and user-friendly. Dive in, explore, and experiment!”

Zebra 3 is available now for €249. For more info, head to u-he.

Harry Levin is a freelance journalist with credits in SPIN, Billboard, MusicTech, Grammy.com, Los Angeles Magazine, and more. His musical journey began 20 years ago with a Led Zeppelin CD. He played jazz trombone through college, produced large-scale electronic music events, and now spends his professional time writing and editing.