Zebra EN

Zebra V2
- User Manual -
Document Version: 1.0

Zebra V2 - User Manual
Contents
1. Overview...................................................................................................2
1.1. Installation & Updates..............................................................................4
1.2. Preset Management.................................................................................5
1.3. User Interface........................................................................................7
2. Audio Modules............................................................................................10
2.1. Combs................................................................................................11
2.2. Filters................................................................................................13
2.3. FMOs.................................................................................................17
2.4. Noise.................................................................................................18
2.5. Oscillators...........................................................................................19
2.6. Other.................................................................................................26
2.7. Shapers..............................................................................................27
2.8. XMF - Cross Modulation Filter....................................................................28
3. Modulation Sources......................................................................................29
3.1. Envelopes............................................................................................29
3.2. LFOs..................................................................................................32
3.3. ModMatrix...........................................................................................34
3.4. ModMixer............................................................................................35
3.5. MultiStage EGs......................................................................................36
4. Effects.....................................................................................................40
4.1. Compressor..........................................................................................41
4.2. Delays................................................................................................42
4.3. Equalizer............................................................................................43
4.4. ModFX................................................................................................44
4.5. Reverb...............................................................................................45
5. XY Controls...............................................................................................46
6. Voices......................................................................................................49
6.1. Arpeggiator..........................................................................................50
6.2. Global/FX...........................................................................................52
7. Informations..............................................................................................53
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Zebra V2 - User Manual 1. Overview
1. Overview
Welcome to the world of Zebra 2.0!
What is Zebra?
In a short sentence, Zebra is a virtual synthesizer plugin. Among thousands of these plugins
available today, Zebra stands out for several reasons. It’s not an ordinary virtual synthesizer.
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Philosophy
Zebra is meant to be the most flexible yet easy to use synthesizer one can think of. The idea
behind this is offering a vast amount of options and capability while hiding all the complexity
that’s behind it. Zebra presents you with as much complexity as you need for a particular
sound, but not more. It’s layout is arranged so that nothing gets in your way, unless you
explicitely want it.
Zebra is a wireless modular synthesizer. You can choose from lots of different types of
synthesis and sound manipulation, and you can mix them up in yet unprecedent ways. For
instance, you can easily combine additive synthesis with phase distortion and frequency
modulation. Or you can recreate the structure of your favourite analogue synthesizer. All this
is done in an intuitive drag-and-drop fashion, without cluttering the user interface with
cables and what not. Instead, Zebra always stays tidy, behaved and accessible.
In terms of sound and quality, Zebra does hardly ever offer a compromise. All digital
algorithms are optimized for both speed and sound quality, but if there was to be made a
decision for just one of these, it was always made in favour of sound quality. Nevertheless,
for each cpu hungry functionality there’s always a lighter alternative.
Fact is, if you’re experienced with synthesizers you’ll hardly need to look into this manual.
The majority of things are self explanatory, even though there might be a hidden gem here
and there.
Enjoy,
Urs Heckmann
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1.1. Installation & Updates
Installation is easy. Just grab the latest version from the server:
www.zebrasynth.com/index.php?item=downloads
They contain installers. Just doubleclick the installer and follow the instructions. Please read
the README file for further information that may be specific to the most up to date version.
Updates
Updates are just as easy as fresh installs: You download the latest version and simply install
over your current.
Uninstall
u-he software does not write into the Windows Registry nor does it create hidden files or
modify anything on your system.
To uninstall you just have to delete the plugin files and whatever files are associated with the
plugin (patches, preferences etc.).
Associated Files
On Windows, all files associated with Zebra2 can be found here:

Preset files: C:\Program Files\u-he\Presets\Zebra2\
Preferences etc.: C:\Program Files\u-he\Support\com.u-he.Zebra2.*.txt
On MacOS X, all files associated with Zebra2 can be found here:

Preset files: ~/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Zebra2/
Preferences etc.: ~/Library/Application Support/u-he/com.u-he.Zebra2.*.*
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1.2. Preset Management
Access the preset pane by clicking the preset tab in the top left corner.
Preset folders Mac

There are two different preset locations:
Global
MacintoshHD/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Zebra2/
User
~user/Library/Audio/Presets/u-he/Zebra2/
Preset folders PC
C:\program files\u-he\Presets\Zebra2\
The preset window is layed out in two columns. The left column shows the folder structure
and the right column shows the presets in the selected folder.
To group presets you have to manually create folders using the Finder (Mac) or the Explorer
(Windows) in the path’ described above. You can not create folders from within Zebra2!
Loading Presets
Directly loading a preset:

In the preset pane to click on a preset name to load it.
Alternatively you can click the big value display at the top to get a pop up list of all presets in
the current directory. This way you can quickly load presets without going to the presets tab.
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Step through:
Use the arrows to the left and right of the display to skip to the next/previous preset of the
currently selected folder. Once you reached the last preset of a folder Zebra2 will
automatically load the first preset of the following folder. This way you can quickly audition
all of the available presets.
Saving presets
Presets are saved in the currently selected folder. Clicking save will open a dialog box asking
the name you would like to use for the currently audible preset. If there is a preset by the
same name in the current folder you have the options to either
• backup the old preset and save the new one
• don’t save the preset, so you can go back into the preset pane and navigate to a
different folder
• overwrite that preset file.
Preset types
By default presets are stored in the native preset format according to the type of plugin. That
means, the VST version will save .fxp while the Audio Unit saves .aupreset.
There’s also a proprietary preset format that all newer u-he plugins understand: .h2p - you
can turn this on for preset storage below the Grid on the preset page.
Presets saved in .h2p-format are text editable. That means, you can open them in a text
editor and have all the settings written down like in a configuration file. If you chose “.h2p
extended” you get a lot of extra information in the text that clearly shows which line works
for which purpose.
Why setting up another preset format? - Simple: First of all, it makes patches interchangable
between VST on Windows and Audio Units. Then, all new u-he plugins consist of a Virtual
Machine that enables scripting inside of presets. It’s not yet really visible, but the possibilities
are vast! - You’ll see it when the documentation and examples are set up, in a hopefully not-
too-distant future.
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1.3. User Interface
Zebras UI is divided into three sections.
The top section provides access to the main control panes. There is a save button here that
will save the current patch to the currently selected preset folder (see chapter presets). This
section also contains the display that either shows the name of the currently loaded preset,
or the currently edited paramter value. There are two arrows left and right of the display to
quickly load the next/previous preset
The middle section shows the control pane selected by the tab:
The XY-controls pane. In thie view you can quickly modulate a sound by dragging one of the
four handels in the modulation pads. Double clicking the area below an XY-pad opens a text
input field. Enter a description of the paramteres modulated by the X and Y axis. Press the
“Esc” key to leave the input field. Please refer to the chapter “5 XY Controls” for details on
how to use these.
The synthesis pane contains the the sound generation rack, the modular playground (aka
“the grid”) and the rack containing the basic modulations such as ADSR envelopes and LFOs.
For a detailed description of the grid, it’s modules and how to use it see the chapter “2.
Audio modules”.
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The Voice mix

This sections controls the levels and pannings of the individual channel as well as modulations
for these parameters. See the chapter “5 Voices” for detailed description of these controls.
The ModMatrix
At the bottom of the voice mix you can select the ModMatrix tab. For indepth discussion see
the chapter “3 Modulation Sources”.
The preset pane is used to load presets and navigate through the folders containing Zebras
presets.
The sound generation rack

The controls for each module are displayed in this rack. For a complete explanation of the
modules please the chapter “2 Audio modules”.
Modules can be rearranged in this rack by clicking the top edge to move the clicked module
up or the bottom edge to move the module down.
Right-clicking brings up a popup menu with the option to either highlighting a module that is
clicked in the grid or the option of having the clicked module always at the top of the rack.
The envelope and LFO rack

The contros for the ADSR envelopes and LFOs are displayed in this rack. For a complete
explanation of these please consult the chapter “3 Modulation Sources”.
As with the sound generation rack you can rearrange the modules by clicking on the top edge
to move the clicked module up, or the bottom edge to move the module down.
Right-clicking opens up a popup menu with the option to either highlighting a module that is
clicked in the grid or the option of having the clicked module always at the top of the rack.
The ModMatrix
The ModMatrix is below the grid. Click on ModMatrix to display the controls. For a complete
desctiption of the ModMatrix consult the chapter “ModMatrix” in “3 Modulation Sources”
There are no special controls or options in this pane.
The bottom section of the interface contains the following control panes:
Effects
The effects pane contains global controls as well as the controls for the effects. The controls
for polyphony, pitch bend, portamento are to the left, the global mixer is in the middle and
to the right you can find the controls for the effects.
Please read the section “4 Effects” for a more detailed description of the effects.
The global mixer contains another grid where you can enable/disable several modules.
Clicking on an module will show its controls to the right.
Click on an empty slot to add a new module.
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Doubleclick or command-click (Mac) / Ctrl-click (PC) to switch a module on/off.

Right-click to select the modules input or remove it from the grid.
Zebra2 features one master channel and two aux channels. Use the send to set the level going
into the aux channel. This level can be modulated using the knob next to it. Use return to
adjust the level of the aux channel going back into the mix.
Output controls the overall output level of Zebra2.
more OSC 1 through OSC 4

Use these tabs to set the waveform for each of the oscillators. For a detailed description
please see chapter “Oscillators” in “2 Audio Modules”
MultiStage EG
Use this tab to adjust Zebras MultiStage Envelope Generator. See the chapter “MultiStage EG”
in “3 Modulation Sources” for detailed description on how to use these.
XY assign
The XY assign tab is used to set the modulation targets and ranges for the performance pads.
See chapter “XY Controls” for detailed description on how to use these.
Knobs
There are two types of knobs in Zebra2:
• Knobs that have positive and negative values - you can recognize these knobs by the
line at 12 o’clock.
• Knobs with only positive values - you can recognize these by the line at 7:30
Click-draggin up or down changes the value of the knob. For finer value adjustments press
and hold shift before click-dragging.
If there are three dots beneath a knob it means that the knob doesn’t have a parameter
assigned yet. The first time you click on an unassigned knob a popup menu appears that lets
you select a parameter.
Right-click on a knob that already has a parameter assigned to change that assignement to a
different paramter.
The status display displays the value of the last edited knob. This display generally displays
values according to the modulation target, so if the target of a knob is the waveforms it will
range from 1 to 16, for tune from -48 to 48 etc.
Popup menus
Right-clicking generally opens a popup menu providing advanced functions for modules, points
in the waveforms and knob paraemters. These are described in detail in the corresponding
sections. Throughout this manual these will be referred to as “right-click”
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Zebra V2 - User Manual 2. Audio Modules
2. Audio Modules
Zebra2 features a wide range of audio modules to create an incredibly broad spectrum of
sounds. In this chapter we’ll show you what they are and how to use these. Some of these
concepts have never been realized before in a synthesizer so it will take some getting used.
The Grid
The grid is used to switch on/off modules used for synthesis. The modules and their
chraracteristics are discussed below in detail in the chapter “audio modules”.
The grid contains four channels. The regular signal flow on each channel is from top to
bottom. This can be changed by choosing a different inputs for a module. You can always see
the signal flow by following the thin white line.
Click on an empty slot to choose a module from the context menu.
Doubleclick on a module to turn it on or off.
Right-click a module to choose its input from the context menu. This lets you fundamentally
change the signal flow. By choosing “input 1″ for a module that is currently active on channel
2 the sound that was previously generated on channel 2 is no longer audible. See preset
“Signal flow ex 1″.
Drag modules to rearrange their order. If you drag to an empty slot, the module will simply
reside on that slot. When dragged on a currently active slot the modules position is
exchanged.
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2.1. Combs
The comb filters are basically very short delays that operate at audio rate, i.e. only a couple
of samples or milliseconds. If you just feed a short noise/impulse into such a delay and add
some feedback you will get a tone much like an oscillator.
Zebra’s comb filters offer several modes. Up to 4 such short delays work together, in various
circuits and always stereo. You can build envelope driven Flangers, plucked strings, flutes,
percussions, bowed strings, metallic sounds, weird sounds, strange stuff and generally a
whole range of sounds not possible in a typical synthesizer.
Tuning
The parameters in the first row are pretty much the same as the ones found in the oscillators.
Tune ranges from -48 to +48 semitones, modulateable via the modulation knob next to it.
Detune changes the microtuning of the stereo signal. Vibrato assigns LFO1 to modulate tuning
by +/- 1 semitone. Keyscale determines how the comb filters pitch reacts to the note played.
At 100 it is standard semitone per note.
Sound
Feedback controls the delay feedback. A Comb filter is a delay so this controls the amount of
filtering.
The damp parameter is a lowpass filter of 6 db/octave that works on the feedback path.
The tone parameters function changes from mode to mode, see below for details. Normally
this determines the ratio of several cascaded delays.
Distortion adds harmonics into the feedback. Use with caution.
Material
PreFill feeds white noise into the comb. This parameter is useful when synthesizing plucked
strings.
Input controls the amount of signal from the channel i.e. noise, osc, etc. into the comb.
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The flavour parameter like the tone parameter depends on the mode of the comb, see below
for details. Typically this controls injection of the channels signal somewhere in between
several comb stages/cascaded delays.
Mix
The dry knob sets the level of the passed through signal of the channel as it was before going
into the comb.
The volume sets the volume of the combs output, the dry signal is not affected. Pan controls
the panning of the signal. In split dual mode, width pans the two signals to the left and right
channel.
Modes
• Comb
This is simple stereo delay, tuned to the played note. The tone and flavour parameters
have no effect in this mode.
• Split Comb
In this mode 2 delays feed into each other. The input is summed. The tone paramter
controls the legnth ratios of the delays. The flavour parameter inserts xxx the input
signal directly into the second delay. Outputs of each delay are left and right.
• Split Dual
In this mode 2 stereo delays feed into each other like with the split comb. The
difference is, that in this case there is true stereo operation.
• Diff Comb
Works just like the split dual mode but in this mode the second delay is an allpass
filter. This resulst in weird dissonant sounds. The flavour parameter controls the
feedback of the allpass filter. The dissonant frequencies can dominate the fundamental
frequency, thus you may have to tune this one accordingly.
• Dissonant
This mode creates a 4 x 4 Feedback Delay Network. This will always sound metallic and
dissonant. Tone and flavour determine the ratios of each delay line. It is inpossible to
create any “nomal” sounds in this mode.
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2.2. Filters
Zebra’s Filters work straight forward like analogue filters, based on Cutoff, Resonance and
Overdrive parameters. However, some are special.
There are 4 filters available for each voice, as selected in the Grid.
Cutoff
The Cutoff parameter determines the edge frequency at which the filter operates. Like all
frequency parameters in Zebra, this is determined in Semitones, which in a musical sense
correspond to Midi Note Numbers (one octave below that, actually). - hence, if the Cutoff is
set to 81.00, the Cutoff frequency is that of a center a, which is 440Hz. - This can be used to
tune the filters in a musical sense, rather than prompting you with scientific or physical
means.
Resonance
The resonance determines the internal feedback of the filter, which is the emphasis the filter
adds to its cutoff frequency. In most cases (depending on filter type), the resonance can be
set to values that invoce self oscillation of the filter.
It is used as q-factor for certain filter types (i.e. peaking) to determine a frequency range
around the cutoff/center frequency.
Drive (not all types)

Commonly, the drive parameter of a filter adds some smut and distortion to the sound,
usually making it fatter. Zebra’s filters however use the overdrive more in a flavourish way,
which leads to more musical qualities than just plain thickening. The actual effect is
explained with the filter types below.
Modulations
Up to two modulation sources can be routed directly to the filter cutoff. In filter types like
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“LP Formant”, the second modulation source targets one of the other parameters.
KeyFollow
This parameter adds the actual note played by the voice to its filter frequency, meaning the
higher the note, the higher the cutoff frequency. - If key follow is set to 100%, cutoff is 12
and resonance cause self oscillation, you can perfectly play the filter with your keyboard, in
correct tune!
Gain (not all types)

The gain parameter in vcf3 and vcf4 is used on some filter types (i.e. shelving, peaking) to
specify an amount of boost ot cut for a certain frequency range, as determined by cutoff and
q.
Filter Types explained:
• LP eXiter
This is a 24dB lowpass filter with a saturation stage that actually acts like a frequency
dependent exciter. On high drive values, the saturation stage adds a lot of even and
odd harmonics to the signal, which results in a boost of high frequencies, and a very
rich sound.
• LP allround
This is a very cpu friendly 24dB lowpass filter, much like one can find in other virtual
synthesizers. The drive parameter has only little effect here, but is useful to colour the
sound.
• LP midDrive
The midDrive variant mainly boosts midband frequencies with the drive parameter,
which is good for strong lead sounds that ought to jump out of the mix.
• LP oldDrive
The oldDrive filter is a lowpass that mainly adds even harmonics to the spectrum,
which gives it a vintage sound, that often can be cheesy, like old tape recordings.
• LP formants
This filter is very special. It combines a non-resonant 12dB lowpass filter with a
vocoder-like resonant formant stage. Here, the resonance parameter controls the
depth of the formant stage, while the Drive parameter lets you morph between 5 vocal
formants: A-E-I-O-U - This filter is suited for “singing” lead sounds and vintage vocoder
like pads.
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• Lowpass 12dB
This is a 12dB resonant version of the Lowpass Allround, but without the internal
overdrive stage.
• Lowpass 6dB
This is a very simple lowpass filter with a very flat rolloff. It is non-resonant, hence the
resonance knob shows no value.
• BP rezBand
This is a resonant 12dB bandpass filter.
• Bandpass Q
This is a resonant bandpass filter with a slightly different sound than the previous
bandpass.
• HP highpass
This is a resonant 24 dB highpass filter.
• Highpass 12dB
This is a 12dB version of the highpass filter.
• BR Notch
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This is a 24dB band reject notch filter type
• Peaking
The peaking filter uses the res / q parameter to determine the steepness of the
frequency peak at the cutoff. It ranges from a very narrow peak (q = 0.00) to a range
of 4 octaves (q = 100.00). The gain parameter ranges from -20dB (gain = 0.00) to +24dB
(gain = 100.00). If gain is set to 50.00, this filter has little to no effect.
• Phaser4 / Phaser8
The 2 phasing filters utilize 4 or 8 stages of allpass filters respectively to create the
typical sonic experience of phasing effects. Cutoff and resonance are typically used to
determine the center frequency of the phasing effect, and their intensity.
For Phaser8, the gain parameter is used to detune the frequencies of the 8 stages
which allows for interesting flavours of phasing.
• LoShelf / HiShelf
The shelving filter types can be used to emphasize or cut parts of the spectrum, much
like you’re used to from equalizers.
Likewise peaking filter, the gain paramater is used to determine the boost or cut of the
high / low frequency range, while the resonance filter is used to influence the slope or
steepness of the frequency rolloff.
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2.3. FMOs
Zebra2 features 4 frequency modulation oscillators (FMO). The FMOs are very basic oscillators
generating simple sine waves. But unlike the complex oscs they can be modulated at audio
rate in different ways (see “Modes” below). FMOs can operate mono or stereo, but not quad.
Choose this by clicking on the mono button left of the tune knob.
Tuning
Use the tune knob to adjust the fundamental of the FMOs. The range for the tune is -48 to
+48 semitones. Use the tune modulation to modulate this fundamental. Vibrato assigns LFO1
to modulate tuning by +/- 1 semitone. Keyscale determines how the comb filters pitch reacts
to the note played. At 100 it is the standard semitone per note.
Some of the FMO’s Modes replace the signal on their channel, just like filters do. Some add to
the channel, like oscillators do.
Modes
• FM by Input
Takes the input signal to frequency modulate (FM) its sine wave. This is much like a
carrier in FM synthesis, but the modulating signal can be anything, as determined by
the modular structure in the Grid.
• FM by self (+)
Takes its own output to frequency modulate its sine wave. This is much like FM
feedback. At modulation depths > 50% this will start to generate plenty of aliasing until
only white noise is produced (100%). Because this mode is kinda “self contained”, it
will *add* to the channel rather than replace it.
• RM Input
This mode ringmodulates the sine wave produced by the FMO with the signal previously
created on the channel the FMO resides at the moment.
• FM Filtered
The FilteredFM lowpasses the input signal instead of attenuating it by depth. In this
case the FM knob is just the cutoff of a lowpass filter while the actual FM Depth is
100%. The result is a smoother sounding FM that automatically scales down for high
frequencies, thus produces less artifacts like aliasing, but it can also not be as brilliant
as normal FM. It’s better suited for the subtle stuff.
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• FM self 2 (+)
Takes its own output squared to frequency modulate its sine wave. While the ordinary
feedback creates a sawtooth-like waveform, this one creates a square-like wave.
2.4. Noise
There are 4 different kinds of noise that you can choose from:
• White Noise
Random signal with a flat power spectral density.
• Pink Noise
Noise with the volume of the higher frequencies gradually reduced by 3db/octave.
In both the pink noise and white noise setting, Zebra2 has a 6dB low pass and a 6db
high pass filter to adjust the sound of the noise.
• Digital Noise
• Crackles
The noise modules can be used either mono or stereo. In stereo mode the width controls the
spread of the two channels. Use pan to set the stereo position of the modules output and
volume to adjust its level. Both pan and volume can be modulated directly from within the
module using the usual knob/popup menu (see “Knobs” in “User Interface”).
There are two filters built into the noise module. In white noise and pink noise mode Filter 1
is a lowpass and Filter 2 a highpass in the other modes Filter 1 controls the pitch and Filter 2
controls the amount of noise. Both filters have direct modulators using the usual knob/popup
menu(see “Knobs” in “User Interface”).
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2.5. Oscillators
Zebra’s oscillators are pretty powerful beasts. As these introduce new forms of synthesis it is
a good idea to read this section even if you understand how a basic oscillator works.
Oscillator module
The oscillator module contains control over the tuning, mix, effects and phase of the
oscillator. The module is collapsable to save space in the rack. When collapsed the controls
for mix, effects and phase are not accessible. Clicking on any of those tabs in the module will
expand the module again to show those.
Oscillator presets
In Zebra2 it is possible to create presets for the oscillators themselves to speed up the
process of creating sounds. Click the box “default” in the oscillator modul to bring up a file
selector and choose the preset. Currently there are no oscillator presets included, but these
will start to appear in future updates and will also be available from the Zebra2 download
page.
Please be aware that if you have setup modulations (like WaveWarp modulated by an LFO),
the modulation source and the modulation amount will be saved but the settings of the
modulation source will not be saved with the oscillator preset. That’s why recalling a preset
may not sound 100% the way it was, when it was saved.
To save your own oscillator setup ctrl-click or right-click the box “default” to bring up the
Zebra2 save dialog.
The module presets are located in these folders:
Mac:
Local:
MacHD/Library/Application Supper/u-he/Zebra2/Modules/Oscillator/
User:
~/Library/Application Supper/u-he/Zebra2/Modules/Oscillator/
Windows:
C:\Program Files\u-he\Zebra2\Modules\Oscillator\
Tuning
Each oscillator can be tuned in a range of -48 to +48 semitones, in steps of 1 Cent. So, if the
tune display reads “7.24″, the oscillator is tuned 7 semitones up, plus 24 Cents. Tune has a
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direct modulation source. Without needing to go through the Modulation Matrix, you can
directly set a modulator. The tune modulation controls the oscillator’s tuning modulation in a
range of -48 to +48 semitones. Vibrato assigns LFO1 to modulate tuning by +/- 1 semitone.
Keyscale determines how the comb filters pitch reacts to the note played. At 100 it is
standard semitone per note.
Mix
This oscillator tab controls the output of the sound.
The volume knob controls the output volume of each oscillator.
In addition to the volume there is a volume modulator ready to use, set the modulator source
from the mod pop-up menu and the modulation value with the mod knob.
Choose the unison mode from the pop-up menu, the options are single, dual and quad. The
width knob determines the position in the stereo panorama.
Set the pan with the pan knob. This can be modulated by choosing a modulator from the pop-
up menu and setting the modulation amount on the knob.
Waveform
The waveform editor is the core of Zebra2s synthesis. This is where you can draw waveforms
or additive spectral shapes. There are 4 different modes you can choose from using the
Waveform parameter to the right of the drawing area.
There is a keyscale keyboard pictogram in this area that allows you to control the volume
accross the keyboard. This is useful if you’ve programmed a sound that has a high peak as a
result of a resonating filter around a particular pitch area. With this you can lower the
volume for that area. Of course there are other applications, like split sounds where the
lower registers are used for a bass sound and the upper register for leads or pads.
Below the keyscale is a velocity scale controller use this to exclude or scale certain key
velocities. For example if you want one oscialltor to sound when played softly and one for
loud playing. The lines and dots represent the highest velocity the OSC reacts to. In other
words this works like a velocity filter: it filters out all notes played above the set velocity.
• GeoMorph:
Choose this mode to draw a waveform using up to 32 points. The first and last point are
identical to insure smooth cycling.
Editing options:
Click: select a point (green)
Shift + Click: adds/removes points from selection
Drag: freely moves points
Drag across several points: selects by drawing a rectangel.
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Alt or command (Mac), Ctrl or Alt (PC) + drag: change the slope to the left (right
respectively)
Right-click on one selected point: opens a context menu to remove a point or to
change it’s slope.
Right-click with several points selected: access a context menu to apply functions to
the selected points.
Right-click in empty area: add point or apply functions to the whole waveform.
Ctrl + command + click (Mac), alt + right click (PC) in empty area: add point.
• SpectroMorph:
Looks and feels like GeoMorph but is a completely different animal.
In this mode the display doesn’t show a waveform but an additive spectrum consisting
of 1023 harmonics. The harmonics are logarithmically distributed accross 10 octaves.
The lowest 10th of the display controls the fundamental, the next 10th the first two
harmonics etc until there are 511 harmonics in the right 10th. The highest point is
always set to zero.
The volume is also scaled logarithmically.
A horizontal line creates a sawtooth.
All the controls are the same as before.
• GeoBlend:
Draw a waveform using 128 evenly distributed points.

Option-drag (Mac), ctrl-drag (PC) draws a straight line.
Command-drag (Mac), alt-drag (PC) resets the points.
Right-click: opens a context menu with options to blur, sharpen or maximize the
wavefrom.
• SpectroBlend:
Identical to SpectroMorph except the waveform spectrum consists of 128 harmonics
that are scaled linearly both in frequency and amplitude. In this mode you have direct
control over the harmonicx even though it’s more complex to adjust specific harmonics
than in the Morph modes.
The waveform selector is located below the waveform editor.

This is where you choose one of the 16 waveforms to edit. The currently selected waveform is
colored differently.
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Option-drag (Mac), ctrl-drag (PC): use to rearrange the waveforms.

Command-click (Mac), alt-click (PC) on a non-selected waveform will result in the waveforms
morphing from the selected to the command-clicked waveform. This way you can quickly
create a whole set of waveforms to edit later.
Option-command-click (Mac), ctrl-alt-click (PC) on an unselected waveform copies the
currently selected waveform to the clicked one.
Right-click brings up a context menu to exchange, copy or morph waveforms. Basically the
same options as above.
Blend < -> Morph

Zebra2 synthesis consists of two different wavetable synthesis principles: GeoMorph and
GeoBlend. Geo just stands for geometry regarding the wavefrom display. Additionally there
are two kinds of additive synthesis: SpectroMorph and SpectroBlend that can be used to
create a waveform.
GeoMorph and SpectroMorph both create sound using Beziercurves, known from graphic and
3d software. If you have created a waveform set (or load the preset Doc waveform morph)
and turn the wavewarp parameter on the left the waveform display will split. Zebra2
smoothly interpolates between two waveforms resulting in soft transitions between the
waveforms, hence the term “morph”.
The blend modes on the other hand consist of fixed points and the steps between the
waveforms are only morphed according to their content and contain their original forms like
in traditional wavetable synthesis or vector synthesis.
WaveWarp und Resolution

This dynamic form of synthesis is very CPU intensive, as you may have guessed. After all, the
waveforms can be morphed smoothly using the wavewarp paramter.
It is all the more surprising that Zebra2 is still very CPU efficient compared to other
synthesizers that calculate their waveforms in realtime. This is achieved using a simple trick:
the waveforms aren’t constantly being calculated but at certain intervals. So in effect Zebra2
is a kind of granular synthesizer that uses the grains resulting from the just discussed
synthesis.
The resolution paramter determines the length of the intervals between calculations. Higher
resolution results in more exact (and faster) transitions from waveform to waveform.
The range of the resolution is between 4 seconds and less than one millisecond. Extreme
settings can either significantly increase CPU use (at values closer to 9) or can introduce
artifacts such as aliasing (at values lower than 4) with fast pitch modulation.
As a general rule: for faster modulations and more intense pitch modulation the resolution
should be at higher values.
- 22 -
Phase
The phase tab allows you to add an inverted version of the current waveform to the signal.
Turn up the phase knob to determine the phase of the inverted wave. A sawtooth waveform
with an added inverted sawtooth will result in a pulse waveform.
The Sync button activates the oscillators hard sync feature. The oscillator can now be
detuned up to 3 octaves relative to its base frequency, while its phase is periodically reset at
the base frequency. This effect adds a lot of harmonics and is very great when sweeping the
sync offset frequency (Sync parameter) - it’s much like the typical “synthesizer guitar” effect
of analogue synthesizers. The main difference here is, while analogue synthesizers needed
two oscillators to accomplish this, Zebra does it within each single oscillator.
FX Section
The FX section is another highlight of Zebra2s oscillators!

You can apply 2 FX containing 17 effects algorithms to the generated waveform. There are
vast possibilities ranging from crude to very subtle depending not only on the effect but also
the waveform.
These effects are calculated right into the waveform. For this reason the resolution
parameter is essential for the speed and precision of the result. Higher resolution allows for
faster effects modulation. Values of 7-8 should be sufficient for most uses.
In addition to these effects there is a normalize parameter. This works almost like a third
effect. Normalize analyzes the level of the generated waveform (not the peak level but the
RMS). At 100% normalize will output at 0dB. This is very desirable for some patches to make
up for wide amplitudes. However, this can also lead to very loud output in the higher
frequencies. Fortunately this is controllable.
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• Fundamental:
Adjusts the fundamental sine wave of the sound at pitch played. Ranges from -200%
(inverted) to +200% (boost)
• Odd for Even:

Shifts the volume of even harmonics towards uneven harmonics for positive values
resulting in more pulse like waveforms, because a pulse wave only contains uneven
harmonics.
For negative values the even harmonics become more apparent resulting in a softer
more nasal sounds.
• Brilliance:
Boosts or reduces the higher harmonics resulting in brighter or darker sounds.
• Filter:
Behaves like a low pass filter for negative values and a high pass filter for positive
values. This filter works on the spectral level and filters at more than 100dB per
oactave. It doesn’t feature a resonance parameter but still sounds very wet.
• Bandworks:
This is a spectral bandpass filter for positive values and a bandreject filter (notch) for
negative values.
• Registerizer:
Boosts the harmonics that are octaves to the fundamental. This produces an organ-like
character
• Scrambler:
This effect is similar to the selfmodulating oscillators of FM-synthesizers: the phase of
the waveform is being modulated by itself. This creates sounds with lots of harmonics
that can really scream. For warmer sound you woud use it without modulating it. If you
like dirty sounds, this is where you get them.
• Turbulence:
Turbulence shuffles the hamronics randomly. This effect is highly dependable on the
resolution parameter. It can sound very lively but also very sharp.
• Expander:
Expands or contracts the spectrum. This may sound similar to brilliance if the
harmonics are distributed evenly. But try the expander on a spectrum like this:
- 24 -
• Symmetrie:
Squeezes the waveform towards the beginning or the end of the waveform. Sounds like
pulse width modulation and with a square wave that’s exactly what it is.
• Phase Xfer, Phase Root und Trajector

In these modes a sine wave is influenced by the waveform.
Phase Xfer creates a sine wave and adds the waveform that is being ringmodulated by
another sine wave to the phase.
Phase Root multiplase the phase of the sine wave with the waveform.
Trajector adds the waveform to the phase of the sine wave.
All of these can sound very subtle or very noticable. Because of mechanism of each one
of them these can sound like the phase distortion synthesizers from the 80s.
• Ripples:
Multiplies the waveform with a sine wave consisting of a variable amount of vibrations.
Results in sort of resonant sounds.
• Formanzilla:
Multiplies the spectrum of the waveform with a sine wave consisting of a variable
amount of vibrations. Results in nasal sounds.
• Sync Mojo:
Simulates hardsync right in the waveform by contracting the time axis and repeatadly
writing the waveform back into the wave memory.
• Fractalz:
Similar to Sync Mojo contracts the waveform and repeats it, however the repetitions
are included in the following waveforms resulting in a fractale waveform containing
even more harmonics than hardsync.
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2.6. Other
Channel Mixers
There are 4 channel mixers available in both the synthesis grid and 3 in the effects grid. Their
function is pretty much the same.
Right-clicking on a channel mixer in the grid opens a popup menu to set the mixers input. As
with all modules discussed so far, the mixer has input 1 - 4, representing channels 1 -4. In
addition to that it has side-chain input 1 - 4 also representing the channels. Once input and
side-chain are set and there is signal in these channels, the channel mixer adds these two
signals. Visually this is represented by two lines going into the channel mixer instead of the
usual one.
Channel mixers can also be used to control the stereo width of a single channel: set it to “pan
mono” and set the side-chain to the same channel as the input. Now the mix parameter
controls the ratio of dry (still stereo) and wet (mono) portions. Of course this also works in
the effects grid.
Regarding channel mixers and the mix section below the Grid: If a ChannelMix can be avoided
by using the main mixer, use the main mixer!
Ringmodulators
Right-clicking on a ringmodulator in the grid opens a popup menu to set the ringmodulators
input and side-chain input (see above). Instead of adding these two signals the ringmodulator
nultiplies the signals, this creates the usual ringmodulated sound. The ringmodulator
therefore does not have an interface.
- 26 -
2.7. Shapers
The shapers are basically distortion units, but of course, as you would expect from u-he
software with a little twist.
The shapers are available in both the synthesis grid and the effetcs grid.
There are four different kinds of distortion for you to choose from using the pop-up menu on
the left where it says Shape in the screenshot. Not Shaper1, that is the name of the module.
The shapers have 5 controls two of which are modulateable.
The depth parameter controls the amount of distortion. This can be modulating by selecting a
modulation source from the popup-menu of the knob next to the depth knob.
Edge will control the type of overtones created, the higher you set this parameter the higher
the resulting overtones will sound.
Input and Output control the amount of signal going into the distortion and the level of the
signal after applying the distortion.
HiOut is a special feature not found in regular distortion devices. It amplifies the level of the
resulting overtones creating a very rich sound.
Description of the different shape modes:
• Shape
This type of distortion will add subtle overtones to the signal.
• T-Drive
This mode has a deeper characterisitc. Of course you can balance this by turing up the
HiOut
• Crush
Crush works like a bit-reduction distortion.
• Wedge
Wedge is the mode that emphasizes the lower frequencies more than the other modes.
Use this if you need to get that low-end distortion sound.
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2.8. XMF - Cross Modulation Filter
The two XMFs where introduced with Zebra V2.1 - it’s an extremely powerful filter module
that does a lot of analogue stuff, including input dependent distortion and FilterFM. Plus, it’s
self-oscillating even without any input signal!
The usage is very straight forward, it has the typical Cutoff and Resonance controls along with
5 Filter Types: 4 Pole Lowpass & Bandpass, 2 Pole Bandpass, Highpass and Bandreject. (More
to be added in subsequent updates)
As it’s a stereo filter, it basically processes both stereo sides independently. Fortunately these
two filters can be detuned without hitting the cpu much more, so there’s now a modulatable
Offset control that detunes left vs. right in semitones. That makes for nice panning effects.
FilterFM lets one modulate the Cutoff frequency by a side chained audio signal. It takes any
signal from any module that sits before it in the Grid, but typical usage would be routing an
oscillator into the XMF’s side chain.
The Click parameter lets one inject a short impulse into the filter when a note is pressed.
This makes for harder attacks and for faster build-up when using self oscillation.
To control the amount of distortion, the first way to go is always to adjust the level of the
audio that goes into the filter. Don’t be afraid to set oscillator volumes to less than 10%. This
makes for warm & clean sounds. If you need some coloration, move up the Bias parameter
which controls the asymmetry of the distortion and adds more even harmonics. But if you
need it phat, simply use the Overload knob - just make sure you turn down your speaker’s
volume before you do that!
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Zebra V2 - User Manual 3. Modulation Sources
3. Modulation Sources
Zebra2 has many modulation possibilities to help you create dynamic, lively and wild sounds.
Direct Routing vs. Free Routing

Direct Routing means, you assign a modulator source (mod source) to a knob directly from
popup menus in each module. The modulator knobs are usually smaller than the parameter
knobs. If no mod source is assigned you see three dots below the mod knob, if a modulator is
already assigned the abbreviated name is displayed below the knob. All parameters that one
would typically modulate have a modulation knob.
To assign a different modulation source from the one currently selected, just right-click (ctrl-
click) the modulation knob for the popup menu with all sources.
You can also mix several modulators for any target by using the Modulation Mixers that mix up
to 3 modulators and a constant value.
If a knob does not have a modulation knob attached, it’s probably controlling a parameter
that is not a typical modulation target. However, this is where Free Routing comes in: Almost
any knob can be set up as a modulation target in the Modulation Matrix, even those knobs in
the effects section.
3.1. Envelopes
Zebra2 features 4 very advanced ADSR envelopes.

The envelopes can work in several different ways:
• regular ADSR envelope
• ADSR with additional fall or rise parameter
• looped envelope with the looped section user assignable
The envelope is basically controlled by 4 main parameters (attack, decay, sustain and
release), recognizable by the bigger knob size and 4 secondary parameters.
There are two options controlling the time base of the envelopes: a popup menu that lets you
set the basic time base and a popup menu to set this time base to be either “Quadric”,
“Linear” or a custom slope (V-Slope).
- 29 -
Quadric - equal to an exponential slope

Linear - the knobs adjust the duration linear to the selected time base
V-Slope - with this is selected you will get an additional slider in the envelope pane
that lets you adjust the slope of the curve from ultra-exponential (very snappy!) at
-100.00 via linear to ultra-logarithmic (opposite of snappy) at +100.00. This is much
like the slow/fast curvature of the MultiStage. A slope of -50 is more or less equivalent
to the quadric mode and what you would expect from an exponential envelope.
The time base of the envelopes is either based on seconds or on a relative of the hosts
tempo:
8sX - up to 8 seconds, exponentially scaled, mid position is 1 second.
16sX - up to 16 seconds, like above
10s - up to 10 seconds, linearly scaled. A value of 20.00 is equivalent to 2 seconds etc.
1/4 - at 100.00, the envelop stage has the length of a quarter note. At 25.00 it’s only a
sixteenth etc.
1/1 - whole notes
4/1 - four bars
Regular ADSR envelope

If none of the options below is used the envelopes work as regular ADSR envelopes.
Attack - adjusts the time it takes for the level to reach its maximum.
Decay - adjusts the time until reaching the sustain level.
Sustain - adjusts the sustained level while a note is being held.
Release - adjusts the time until reaching 0 after realeasing a note.
Zebra2 features more options to control the progression of the envelopes.
Pre attack
Select a pre attack option from a popup menu by right-clicking on the knob. The available
options are:
None - the envelope behaves just as a regular ADSR envelope.
Init - this sets the initial value for the envelope before going in the attack phase. This
way the sustain can be lower than the attack.
Delay - sets a general delay for an envelope. Useful for example to keep on of the
channels come in later.
MIDI learn - assignes the received MIDI controller to this knob. See MIDI learn.
Post sustain
Several options are available to control what happens to the envelope level after reaching the
sustain level.
There are basically two knobs controlling these options.
- 30 -
The Fall/Rise adjusts the time for the level to reach the minimun or maximum level.
Right-click on the knob next to the Fall/Rise knob brings up a popup menu to choose from
these options:
Sust2 - the end level of the Fall/Rise stage
LoopA - the time to fade to zero before going back to Attack
LoopD - the time to fade to full scale before going back to Decay
LoopS - time to sustain level, then into Fall/Rise again
Rel25 - after key is lifted, time to go to 25% before going into Release
Rel50 to Rel100 - same as above, but with the respective value.
Envelope modulation
The envelopes are scalable either using velocity or key range to influence their value.
There is a global velocity scale available in the general envelope module.
Click on the “+” to expand the envelope module to reveal more options for the velocity or
key range to influence the progression of the envelope.
Velocity scale and key scale are also available for each of the seven parameters of the
envelope to create incredibly dynamic and lively sounds depending on the playing style.
- 31 -
3.2. LFOs
Zebra2 features 2 global LFOs and 4 voice LFOs. The modules for these become available in
the right rack as soon as you assign one as a modulator source.
Common parameters:
All LFOs have a popup menu to choose their waveform. These waveforms are available:
• Sine - a sine wave
• Triangle - a triangle wave
• Saw up - a sawtooth waveform starting from the low point
• Saw down - a sawtooth waveform starting for the high point
• Square hi-lo - a pulse waveform starting with the high point
• Sqaure lo-hi - a pulse waveform starting with the low point
• Random hold - randon values in steps.
• Random glide - random values gliding from one to the next.
• User - a user defined waveform
Choosing the user waveform from the lfo popup menu opens another multi-stage envelope
type editor.
Here you can create custom shapes for your LFO.

Every dot represents one step. The speed of the LFOs is determined by value set in the sync
popup.
The user LFO waveform can either run as steps or lines going from point to point.
You choose any number of points from 2 to 32.
All LFOs run in sync with the hosts tempo. The tempo of each LFO is set by choosing from a
popup menu. The available ranges are
• note values from 1/1 (whole notes) to 1/64 (sixty-fourth notes)
• dotted note values from dotted 1/1 (dotted whole notes) to dotted 1/32 (dotted
thirty-second notes)
- 32 -
• triplet note values from 1/1 triplets (whole note triplets) to 1/32 triplets (thirty-
second note triplets)
• 2 to 8 whole measures. As one measure is equal to a whole note it is grouped
with the note values.
Within these values you can adjust the speed of the LFO using the rate parameter. At 100
(default center value) the speed is the selected speed, for higher values the speed increases
up to 200 % (a 1/4 note will become an 1/8 note). For lower values it slows down, such that
at 50% it’s half the rate. The LFO stops at a rate of 0%.
All LFOs feature a knob to adjust the amplitude of the LFO.
You can adjust the phase of the LFOs by shifting the waveform of the LFO by one cycle.
Global LFOs
The global LFOs have the option to be retriggered every measure or on multiples of a measure
up to 32 measures.
Voice LFOs
The voice LFOs have a lot more options.
The voice LFOs can either run free or in gate mode. In gate mode the LFOs waveform starts
every time you hit a key. In free mode the LFOs value is the current position in the waveform.
The amplitude and rate of the voice LFOs can be modulated. Choose a modulator from the
respective popup menu and set the modulation value.
The voice LFOs also feature a delay parameter that slowly fades in the amplitude of the LFO.
- 33 -
3.3. ModMatrix
Use the ModMatrix to set up Modulation sources and targets in addition to the many
modulations that can be set up within each of the modules. There are four separate
modulations available. Additionally the ModMatrix features a “via” parameter that allows you
to modulate the modulation intensity. This is a very dynamic and powerful feature.
Choose the modulation target from the target popup menu. This menu only shows the
modules that are currently activated in the grid.
Choose the modulator by right-clicking on the mod knob next to the target. Use the knob to
set the modulation amount.
The via parameter is available to set a secondary modulator that changes the amount of the
primary modulator.
- 34 -
3.4. ModMixer
Modulation Mixer
There are 4 Modulation Mixer modules (MMix1 - MMix4). As their name suggests, they mix
several modulation sources into a more complex modulation. This is useful when a modulation
target shall be modulated by more than just a single modulation source.
To accesss a modulation mixer you have to assign it to a knob as a modulation source (MMix1
for example).
Each ModMixer takes up to 3 modulation sources, and a constant parameter. These can be
mixed in various ways:
• sum modulations
In this mode the three modulation sources and the constant value are simply summed
into a single modulation signal.
• scale sum by const
Here the three modulation sources are summed, while the constant value scales the
overall amplitude of the resulting modulation signal.
• fade 1/2 by 3xC
This mode is a bit more complex but allows for really nice modulations: On the output
modulation you have only modulation sources 1 and 2. They are mixed relatively to
each other, controlled by modulation source 3 and the constant value.
As an example for latter mode, you can use an LFO (source 1) and an envelope (source 2) to
- 35 -
control a filter cutoff frequency (i.e. MMix1 assigned to Filter1 Cutoff). Assigning the
ModWheel on slot 3, you can smoothly fade between the envelope and the lfo for cutoff
modulation by turning the modwheel. That means, if the ModWheel is in its minimum
position, the cutoff is only affected by the LFO. The more you turn it up, the more envelope
comes into play. In the maximum position, the cutoff is only affected by the envelope and not
by the LFO! - But of course, you can use any modulator in any place, and you can modulate
any modulation target!
3.5. MultiStage EGs
There are 4 Multistage Envelope Generators available in Zebra2. Access the MSEG editor by
clicking “MultiStage EG” in the bottom section of the interface. Select the MSEG you would
like to edit from the four tabs at the bottom of the MSEG editor. Once you have assigned
more than one MSEG as a modulation source the MSEG editor displays the currently editable
MSEG as a white line and the other MSEGs as shaded red lines for your reference.
Multistage EG presets
In Zebra2 it is possible to create presets for the multistages to speed up the process of
creating sounds. Click the box “default” in the MultiStage EG modul to bring up a file selector
and choose the preset. Currently there are no multistage presets included, but these will
start to appear in future updates and will also be available from the Zebra2 download page.
To save your own multistage setup ctrl-click or right-click the box “default” to bring up the
Zebra2 save dialog.
The module presets are located in these folders:
Mac:
Local:
MacHD/Library/Application Supper/u-he/Zebra2/Modules/MSEG/
User:
~/Library/Application Supper/u-he/Zebra2/Modules/MSEG/
An MSEG is basically a complex envelope with up to 32 segments. Instead of the regular
sustain you can loop through several segments. Every segment has it’s own slope.
The units on top represent quarter notes at the tempo of the host application.
The most important feature are the points that can be dragged to adjust for time (unit) and
value. Depending on how you would like to see the MSEG there are 3 modes available to help
you create the sound you want.
- 36 -
• Independent draw:
This moves the point without influencing the adjacent points. Of course you can’t drag
past the adjacent points.
• With time draw:

This mode is best used to achieve regular envelopes. By moving a point all the points
that come after that one move also.
• Fixed time draw:

All points are horizontally fixed. You can only move the points up and down to change
their value. By click-draging across several points all points passed will snap to the
value of the mouse’ position. Very useful for creating rhythmic structure sort of like in
a step sequencer.
Add/remove points
Use command-click (Mac), alt-click (PC) in the empty space of the MSEG editor pane to insert
another point into the envelope. If you click on an existing point it will be erased. Keeping
this modifier pressed and dragging across several points will erase them.
Drawing
Option-drag (Mac), xxx-drag (PC) on a point allows you to freely draw an envelope.
Context menu on point

Right-click on a point to get the context menu that lets you set that point as the loop
start/end point or remove the point.
Context menu in the editor pane

Right-click in an empty area of the MSEG editor to get a context menu with the following
options:
• Half size
the MSEG runs at double time
• Double size
the MSEG runs at half time
• Upside down
inverts the amplitude of the envelope.
- 37 -
• Unit snap
determines whether the points snap to the time units and also the resolution of the
snap. These are rhythmical values: triplets, sixteenth, sixteenth note triplets and
thirtysecond notes.
• Value snap
several modes that control the vertical snap values of the points. For example if the
MSEG is modulating the pitch of the oscillator you can set the snap to 24 to create
tonal arpeggios using the MSEG.
• Quantize to snap
snaps all points to the currently selected unit/value snap setting.
• Unit spacing
distributes all points to the quarter notes (vertically)
• Even spacing
distributes all points evenly throughout the overall length of the envelope.
• Pointer off/coarse/fine
the MSEG visually displays its current position with a vertical line moving left to right
for the last played note. Because of the complex curve calculations involved this can
be turned off or set to coarse to conserve CPU power. On a fast computer you may as
well leave it set to fine.
Slope
Click-drag on the curve itself instead of a point lets you change the slope.Vertical dragging
results in parabolical slopes. Horizontal dragging produces S-curves.
Click without drag resets the segment to a straight line.
Hint: sometimes vertical and horizontal values may be superimposed so that the curve jumps
back and forth between parabolical and s-curve. Simple click the segment and it will revert to
a straight line and you can continue editing.
Loop Region
The loop start and end point are red to quickly distinguish them from the regular points.
The envelope will jump back to the loop start point if the note is held longer than past the
loop end point.
If loop start and loop end ar the same point that value will be held until the note is released.
If there is no more point after the loop end point the loop will be passed through during the
release phase.
- 38 -
At the top of the MSEG editor pane you can see the looped region. You can drag the loop start
and end point here also instead of designating a point using the context menu (see above).
Zoom and navigate

Click-dragg in an empty space in the MSEG editor pane to zoom in or out by dragging
vertically or navigate left or right by dragging horizontally.
Double clicking in the MSEG editor pane completely zooms out so you can see the complete
envelope.
- 39 -
Zebra V2 - User Manual 4. Effects
4. Effects
There are several effects available in Zebra2 to apply to the sound after it is generated in the
synthesis grid. These effects have their own modular playground: the effects grid.
These are the effects available:
• 2 ModFX, these can be a chorus, a flanger or a phorus
• 2 Delays
• 1 Reverb
• 2 Waveshapers
• 1 Ringmodulator
• 2 Compressors
• 2 four-banded parameteric equalizers
These modules are discussed further down in this chapter. The waveshapers and the
ringmodulator are the same as the ones discussed in the chapter “Audio modules”.
The effects grid

The effects grid basically works like the synthesis grid:
Click on an empty slot to add a new module.
Doubleclick to switch a module on/off.
Right-click to select the modules input or remove it from the grid.
The effects mixer consists of a stereo master channel and two stereo bus channels. The
amount of signal going into one of the busses is controlled by the send knob while the amount
of signal going into the final output is controlled by the return knob. This has a couple of
advantages:
• you can set up an effects channel and either route all of the generated sound through
the effects or
• you can set up one of the channels of the synthesis grid to output directly to a bus and
apply effects to that channel only.
Of course you can also have a combination of the two options, sending one channel directly
into a bus and also send the master channel to that bus.
As the sends can be modulated you can dynamically alter the amount of affected signal over
the duration of the sound. This gives you great flexibility and is one of the many reasons that
make Zebra2 such a powerful tool for a broad range of sounds.
When using effects on a bus channel it is advisable to turn the mix parameter in the effect
itself to wet only. This is of course up to your taste and sound vision. If you don’t the dry
signal is going to be proportianally louder.
Modulating FX parameters
Zebra has a very rare feature in that you can use the modulation matrix to modulate effects
parameters such as reverb size or delay feedback from any modulation source. This is a bit
- 40 -
tricky because some modulators exist for each voice, such as envelopes, while effects
modules are global (not per voice). Hence there’s a conflict when multiple voices are being
played. In that case it’s always the newest voice (the last note played) that takes over control
of global modulations.
4.1. Compressor
There are two compressor units available in the global mixer matrix. Click on an empty slot in
the global mixer matrix and select a compressor module from the menu.
Input and output control the signal level before and after compression.
Use the threshold set the level above which compression is going to be applied.
Compression sets the amount of compression. Instead of the usual ratios compression works in
percentages of the signal level. So setting it to 50% would result in a ratio of 1 : half of
infiniti. :-)
Control the speed of the compressor using the attack and release parameter. When set to
zero the time is one sample.
- 41 -
4.2. Delays
The delay features 4 delay lines that are used differently depending on what mode you
activate.
The controls
Set the level of the delay using the mix parameter.
Feedback and X-back
This controls the regular feedback and the cross feedback respectively.
You can filter the signal going into the delay using the lowpass and highpass filters.
Use the sync pop-up menu to set the note value of the delay line. The ratio knob seamlessly
scales the sync from 0% to 200% of the sync value.
For example:
Delay time = 1/4
Ratio 50 : 1/8
Ratio 75 : dotted 1/8
Ratio 25 : 1/16
Ratio 0 : minimum of 4 samples
The Pan knob sets the delayed signal in the stereo panorama.
The modes
• Stereo 2
Only delay lines 1 + 2 are used in this mode. This is a regular stereo delay.
• Multitap 4
Consisting of 4 delay lines. The cross feedback is 1->2, 2->3, 3->4, 4->1. This is kind of
a circular structure and good for delays that “walk around”
• Dubby 2+2
The signal goes into delays 1 & 2 first. Then everything goes into 3 & 4. This way you
can build delays that have a sort of “pre delay” which can be shorter or longer than
the resulting feed.
- 42 -
4.3. Equalizer
In the effects matrix you have the option to add a 4 band parametric EQ.
Drag the balls of the EQ to set the frequency and the amount by which it is amplified or
reduced.
Using right-click you can adjust the width of each of the bands. Using this on the lowest and
highest band you can turn this from shelving EQs (default) to HiPass or LoPass respectively.
Right-clicking empty space of the EQ brings up a menu where you can perform basic editing
functions like copy/paste EQ settings or reset the EQ to the default values (flat).
- 43 -
4.4. ModFX
These are the ModFX available in Zebra2:

Chorus - a chorus/flanger
Phorus - a chorus/flanger built from allpass delay lines. Feedback has to be turned on.
Phaser - a phaser
Depending on the center value this is either a chorus (25%) or at higher values (75%) a flanger.
Speed controls the speed of the effect (from 0.001Hz to 1 Hz).
Depth controls the delay time modulation (phasing filter frequency modulation) around the
center value.
Stereo sets the phase offset of the modulation for the left and right side.
Feedback turns the chorus into a flanger.
Mix sets the amount of the effected signal to be mixed with the dry signal.
The next section is what makes these effects unique.
There are four parameters that deal with EQing:
Low Cut Freq / Boost
Hi Cut Freq / Boost
The signal that’s going through the effect can be limited by HiCut and LowCut EQs. This
preserves the stereo imaging of bass frequencies (LowCut) and makes the chorus sound less
harsh & digital (HiCut). But it can also be used to create *that certain sound*. The signal
attenuation is fixed at -24 dB.
To preserve the high- and low-freq spectrum of the input material, the dry signal is
automagically boosted according to the Mix position to automatically compensate for the loss.
As the Dry signal is EQed anyway, there are two Boost parameters. These can additionally EQ
the Dry signal +/- 12 dB.
Quad and QuadPhase.

This effect thickens the sound by subtly adding warmth to the signal. Quad is the depth,
while QuadPhase controls the tone.
In a certain way, the Quad stage can be thought of as a secondary chorus.
- 44 -
4.5. Reverb
Zebra2 comes with a reverb effect to open up those wide spaces for your sound design.
The reverb can function in a two of different modes, Reverb and Metalverb. While Reverb
sounds like a typical digital reverb, Metalverb provides for more artificial and wider sounds.
Unlike most other modules the reverb doesn’t have a mix parameter but rather two separate
knobs for the level of the dry and wet signals.
The reverb in Zebra2s has two basic elements: the reverberator and the diffusor.
The reverberator
Range and feedback both control the size of the emulated space. Damp is basically a lowpass
filter. As with any reverb changes in the way the reflections happen makes a room seem more
“real”. Use the modulation knob to increase the modulation amount for the range and the
speed knob to adjust the rate.
The diffusor
The diffusor adds more reflections to the sound. Use the D-Range und D-Feedback parameters
to adjust the reflected frequencies and the feedback for them. You can adjust the level of
the diffusor by setting the D-Mix. The diffusor can also modulate its values, use the D-Speed
to set the rate of the modulations and D-Mod to adjust the amount.
- 45 -
Zebra V2 - User Manual 5. XY Controls
5. XY Controls
The XY controls are powerful tools to tweak the preset without actually changing its original
settings.
You can morph through whole landscapes, galaxies or freak-out modulations from an ordinary,
boring sound. Once you’ve had enough of the craziness, you simply put the XYs to the center
and you’re back to the original value.
The XYs offer vast flexibility, but in order to make use of them you have to set them up. This
isn’t the easiest part of programming Zebra, but the benefits are well worth the effort.
For each axis of an XY control you can assign up to 8 out of 100+ parameters that are XYable
in Zebra. Hence, one XY control can morph up to 16 parameters.
Better yet, each axis is centered around the mid point of the XY field. That makes two
directions for each axis, positive and negative (up and down for Y axis, right and left for X
axis). You can scale the amount of influence for each direction separately.
Examine this picture and load the preset “DM djm OBX Synth Modeler” from the preset folder
“Synth”.
All four XY-pads are assigned to modulate certain parameters. We will discuss pad 1 (in this
example set up to modulate the oscillators), pad 2 (in this example set up to control the
filters) and pad 3. I think after that you will understand how the principle works.
There are 8 knobs to the left of the bottom part of the window. These reflect the X and Y
positions of the balls in the four XY-pads. You can use these to make sure you only modulate
in one direction or to reset only one of the directions by double clicking one of the knobs.
Above the knobs are four tabs that will switch the display that represents the setup of the
actual XY-pairs: XY1 through XY4 representing the four XY-pads.
- 46 -
Let’s examine XY pad 1 first.

The X-axis in this case modulates the WaveWarp parameter (see Oscillators) of both Oscillator
1 and Oscillator 2.
Note please, that the white triangles above and below all of the modulator range represent
the maximum and minimum amount for each direction. The triangle with the tip down
corresponds to axis movement to the right (X-axis) and up (Y-axis), while the triangle with the
tip up corresponds to axis movement to the left (X-axis) and down (Y-axis). Together these
two determine the range of the modulation. This way one axis can modulate completely
unrelated parameters. Examine the Y-axis of this example and how movement above the
middle modulates the Detune parameter while movement below the middle line influences
ENV3 decay time and OSC2 tune.
The Y-axis setup in this example is a little more interesting to study because it shows the
influence of the range definition using the triangles on direction and modulation.
Let’s examine XY pad 2
This is a pretty simple setup that shows the concept very clearly.
X-axis controls the cutoff of VCF1 while the Y-axis controls the resonance of VCF1
The value of a parameter that is set in the respective module and stored with the preset is
always in the middle and represented by the white line in the modulator assignement section
(bottom mid to right of the XY assign pane).
The colored bar shows the maximum modulation range of a parameter. If the colord section
only goes to the right, the parameter is already at its lowest possible setting. This way, as
soon as you picked a parameter from the parameter selection box you will immediately see
its modulation range. Very handy.
The current value of a parameter is always in the center of the XY assign control!
- 47 -
Let’s examine pad 3
The X-axis in this example modulates the attacks and releases of both ENV 1 and ENV 2.
The Y-axis modulates the decay time and sustain level of both ENV 1 and ENV 2.
Some programming tips

• Start preset design with all XYs set to center / zero until you have your desired sound
• Assign and set XYs separately. Set all XYs to zero, except the axis you are working on.
Set that axis to the maximum negative value first, edit negative influences (lower
handles), then set it to maximum positive position (top or right) and edit positive
influence.
• You can set up different things for both direction of the axis. Just set the lower handle
to center for some parameters (no effect, i.e. dragging down). Same for the upper
handle, for the other parameters you wish to control. This way you can achieve very
different effects from the same XY!
• Avoid cross influences. Of course, you can have multiple XYs controlling the Filter. But
then you have a complex scenario of different influence factors. In some settings, you
might even not hear anything or have strange side effects that can barely be
identified. Often, less is more and this especially true of Zebra’s XY controls. Make sure
your settings don’t interact too much, so the XYs are actually a means of controlling
your sound, not just a way of creating random hassle.
• Name your XYs. Double-click the text above and below the XY-pads to open a window
with textfields and type some useful descriptions and names for your XY setup.
Once you’ve got the hang of them, the XYs are very easy to work with and a powerful tool
for creating music!
- 48 -
Zebra V2 - User Manual 6. Voices
6. Voices
The Voice mix
The voice mix is at the bottom of the grid. You can route the signal of each channel either to
the master channel of the global section or to one of the busses by choosing from the popup
menu below each channel. Next to the output popup is a mute button to temporarily mute
the channels output.
Below the output popup you can control the pan of that channels output. This knob can either
function as a pan parameter or a balance parameter, right-click to switch between pan and
balance.
You can also set up a modulation for the pan by choosing a modulation source from the popup
menu below the pan mod knob and adjusting the modulation value using the pan mod knob.
The following popup menu sets the volume envelope. You can choose any of the ADSR
envelopes or set it to gate. In gate mode there will be sound only if a MIDI note is being
played.
The volume knob is used to set the channels volume. In addition to the modulation by the
envelopes you can set up another volume modulation here by choosing a modulation source
from the popup menu and setting the modulation value with the mod knob.
- 49 -
6.1. Arpeggiator
The arpeggiator in Zebra2 is very powerful and you should think of it more like a small step
sequencer.
Turn on the arpeggiator by setting the mode to arpeggiator in the Global/FX section
To the left of the arpeggiator tab you will fine the global controls of the arp.
Arp Sync sets the basic speed of the arpeggiator. Note that the 16th note of the length
parameter (see further down) is the note value of the Arp Sync setting.
The Arp Order parameter changes between two behaviours for choosing notes. In “note”
mode the lowest played not is considered the first note. In “as played” mode the note
received first is considered the first note.
Arp Loop determines the direction of the arpeggio loop. You can either permute the notes in
following directions (example patter using a chord in a minor, a-c-e)
• F –> this loops from first note to last (a-c-e-a-c-e…)
• B –> reverses the loop, plays from last note to first (e-c-a-e-c-a…)
• FB < -> plays forward then backward (a-c-e-c-a-c-e-c…)
• BF >-< play backward then forward (e-c-a-c-e-c-a...)
Note: The Arp loop parameter refers to the progression within the notes that are held, i.e. a
chord. It does not refer to the step control sequence which always moves forward!
The Oct selector sets the range of the arpeggio. You can choose between
• 0 all notes played at the pitch they were originally played
• 1 original pitch plus one octave
• 2 original pitch plus two octaves
The Steps pop-up menu sets the amount of notes the arpeggio plays before jumping back to
the beginning. This can be between 1 and 16.
If the Porta, the portamento switch is turned on, then portamento will only happen on the
notes that are actually played legato (see the gate parameter further down ). The amount
portamento is set in the Global/FX section.
The Step selection row shows a couple of triangles resembling play buttons. These are also
pop-up menus and their function can be changed to the following:
- 50 -
• > or next –> the next note of the pressed notes is played
• “ or same –> plays the same note as the one preceding it
• |< or first –> plays the first note as explained for Arp Order
• >| or last –> plays the last note as explained for Arp Order
Length - this is the row with the note value selection and lets you set the note duration for
each step. The pop-up menu contains numbers from 1 to 4 that correspond to these values.
The note duration is relative to the Arp Sync as follows:
• 1 - 16th –> this is the Arp Sync value
• 2 - 8th –> this is twice the Apr Sync value
• 3 - dotted 8th –> one and a half times the Arp Sync value
• 4 - quarter –> 4 times the Arp Sync value
If you set the Arp Sync to 16th notes then the length parameter represents the correct note
values. That way it’s easy to understand what’s going on if the Arp Sync is set to anything
other than 16th notes. As is often the case with music, it sounds way more complex describing
it than it is once you used it.
The Gate row sets the length of the note. The values go from 0 to 5, with 0 being very short
(but it is played) and 5 being legato into the next note. For legato the envelopes will not be
retriggered. There is one exception though: if the next step plays more voices (see next
paragraph) the envelope will be retriggered.
Voices sets the number of notes that are played per step. 1 plays only the first note , 2 plays
the first and second note and so on. This way you can have single note and chords mixed and
matched in the arpeggio.
The Transp selection row with the little keyboard pictograms sets the transposition of the
step relative to the played note. The played note in this case is the one that the arpeggiator
would play at that step so it is also interdependent with the setting of the Step parameter.
Again, the best thing is to try it out using a very simple setup and playing an interval.
The arpeggiator also features two modulators that you can think of as step sequences and
that can be assigned to modulate anything that can be modulated. They run at the speed of
the Arp Sync and just drag each step up or down to create a positive or negative value.
- 51 -
6.2. Global/FX
The Global/FX section sets, you guessed it, global paramter for the patch.
Use the Voices pop-up menu to set the amount of voices Zebra2 will play. The options are
few, medium and many. Due to Zebra2’s intelligent voice allocation it makes no sense to set
this to an actual number because sometimes it may be useful in a section that requires 4
notes to have one note hang over a bit. But you can generally control the amount of CPU
Zebra2 uses with this menu
Use mode pop-up menu to set the polyphony mode of Zebra2.
• Poly - Zebra2 will play chords up to the amount of voices set by the voice paramter
• Retrigger - will start the envelopes with every new note
• Legato - will continue the envelopes as long as the notes are played legato
• Arpeggiator - turns on the arpeggiator mode. Click the link to learn more about the
arpeggiator.
Us the pop-up menus under PitchBend to set the range of the pitch bend. This can be set
differently for PitchBend up and down. So you coul pitchbend 7 steps upwards but only 2
steps downwards.
You can toggle the attack behaviour with the Attack Smoothing switch. With attack
smoothing enabled some sounds may not sound as aggressive as desired, in this case try
switching it off.
Zebra2’s portamento settings are divided into two parameters. The portamento that
determines the length of the portamento and the range. Currently Zebra2 is one of the few
synth (if not the only one at the moment) that will allow you to set the portamento range.
This is very useful for adding little glides into the notes that don’t cover the whole range
between two intervals played.
Use the tune pop-up menu to choose the basic transposition and register of Zebra2 and the
fine tune to fine tune 50 cent up or down.
Zebra2 allows you to use tuning tables. Turn on the use of tuning tables by clicking on the on/
off switch above the Voice Tuning Table. Click in the box “default scale” above the the voice
tuning table to open up a browser and select the desired tuning. Currently Zebra does not
ship with tuning files, but as soon as the user area is up there will be a place to exchange
tuning files as well.
The Swing parameter applies to anything that is based on a note value. Set the desired note
length from the pop-up menu and use the knob to set the swing percentage. This paramter
affects the LFOs, the multistages (MSEG) and the groove of the arpeggiator.
- 52 -
Zebra V2 - User Manual 7. Informations
7. Informations
This manual has been layed out by Mario Bianchi aka mabian, using OpenOffice 2.3.1.
Contents have been fetched and reformatted from the Zebra 2.2. online manual available at
the web address
http://www.u-he.com/zebra/manual/
as of Feb, 19, 2008.
You can write an email for support requests at:

urs@u-he.com
In case of problems or for bug reports, suggestions and comments, feel free to check out the
user forum at
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=31
- 53 -

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Zebra V2

Document Version: 1.0

1.1. Installation & Updates

On Windows, all files associated with Zebra2 can be found here:

On MacOS X, all files associated with Zebra2 can be found here:

1.2. Preset Management

Preset folders Mac

Directly loading a preset:

1.3. User Interface

Zebras UI is divided into three sections.

The Voice mix

The sound generation rack

The envelope and LFO rack

Doubleclick or command-click (Mac) / Ctrl-click (PC) to switch a module on/off.

more OSC 1 through OSC 4

Drive (not all types)

Gain (not all types)

Filter Types explained:

This is a resonant 12dB bandpass filter.

This is a resonant 24 dB highpass filter.

This is a 24dB band reject notch filter type

Draw a waveform using 128 evenly distributed points.

The waveform selector is located below the waveform editor.

Option-drag (Mac), ctrl-drag (PC): use to rearrange the waveforms.

Blend < -> Morph

WaveWarp und Resolution

The FX section is another highlight of Zebra2s oscillators!

• Odd for Even:

• Phase Xfer, Phase Root und Trajector

2.8. XMF - Cross Modulation Filter

Direct Routing vs. Free Routing

Zebra2 features 4 very advanced ADSR envelopes.

Quadric - equal to an exponential slope

Regular ADSR envelope

Here you can create custom shapes for your LFO.

• scale sum by const

• fade 1/2 by 3xC

3.5. MultiStage EGs

• With time draw:

• Fixed time draw:

Context menu on point

Context menu in the editor pane

Zoom and navigate

The effects grid

These are the ModFX available in Zebra2:

Quad and QuadPhase.

Let’s examine XY pad 1 first.

Let’s examine XY pad 2

Let’s examine pad 3

Some programming tips

The Voice mix

You can write an email for support requests at:

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