Alternative to Z3ta+ 2?

From the Cakewalk store re Z3ta+ 2:
 
Windows XP, Windows Vista 32/64-bit, and Windows 7 32/64-bit (VST2).
Mac OSX 10.6.8 or later (VST3 and Audio Units).

I would check out U-He Hive for techno sounds.  It's still available for download as a free public beta, so it's worth checking out.  Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but it's worth a shot since there are no demo limitations.  BTW, I wouldn't judge it by the factory presets that come with the beta, as it's got a lot of non-techno sounds in it at the moment.  The release version will definitely have a lot of modern and/or techno sounds.

Serum. Hands down one of the best synths I've used.
https://www.xferrecords.com/products/serum/
 
Serum walkthrough by Skippy (PlugInGuru):
https://www.youtube.com/w...amp;v=TYhnSuuVqBE#t=34

When I saw this thread I was thinking SynthMaster might fit the bill.  I've been using z3ta+ since beta testing version 1 and love it, but I'm kind of new to SynthMaster, so I was a bit hesitant to say anything.  My first impression is that it would be great for the type of music you are describing, and definitely something I like having in my kit.  I'm more of a rock and metal guitarist, but I like throwing in the types of sounds you are describing now and then.

exbehave
Unfortunately that's no longer true. There's a bug with the product registration that prevents anyone with an up-to-date OS on their Mac from installing the software. When I contacted customer service, I was told that I can either restore my Mac to an earlier version (and lose months of progress), or I can get a refund. They are, however, still selling the product knowing that it doesn't work. (Don't get me started...)
 
Anyway, I'm looking for something comparable now.

That's very naughty of them. Tut tut, CW !
 
Have you checked out the range of synths from tone 2....  https://tone2.com/html/synthesizers.html
 
Demos available for all. Bit pricey if you end up wanting them all though.

Sylenth1
 
Lennar bundles this with '32 Lives' which is a bridge tool required for running the current version on a 64-bit Mac OS (native 64-bit support for Mac OS is in the works apparently).

Splat
Try NI Monark, reaktor, absynth, and even fm8.
Great sounds although arp functionality is almost non existent (apart from reaktor).

If you are using that and massive it's pretty much all you need. My big recommendation is to get away from the presets, groove3 tutorials help a lot.

For best value reaktor wins hands down,the number of free synths bundled to download is mind boggling. Of course these are all available as part of a bundle.

Monark is fantastic although as a monophonic synth I wouldn't consider it a good replacement for Z3TA+2. Being a straight ahead Moog emulation it's also lacking in many of the features which make sound shaping so convenient in other synths, like synced LFO's, semitone oscillator tuning etc.

I would definitely go with Massive as a Z3TA+2 replacement. It has excellent routing and modulation features.

One of the things that make Z3ta unique is the wave shaping capabilities; version 2 of Z3ta allowed the wave shapers to be modulation targets.  The closest thing I know of lives in Zebra (now at version 2.5 with a new release promised at some unspecified point in the future).  Zebra has something similar to Z3ta's wave shapers, but it also has much, much more going for it.  Zebra is a top-five-favorites synth of *many* musicians.  I'm not saying it sounds a lot like Z3ta (actually much better, IMO), but it has some similar synthesis capabilities.

I wouldn't say I'm an expert with Massive but I do know how to build sounds from scratch. There's a certain kind of saw timbre in Z3ta (found in a preset called "Teccnoe") that, for the life of me, I can't figure out how to emulate with anything else, including Massive. It's very sharp and buzzy. I could list a dozen adjectives and I don't think it would matter unless you've heard it. I'm particularly fond of this timbre and I use variations of it in almost anything that involves synthesis.
 
I'm using Serum right now to try and recreate the timbre. I have to say, if you haven't tried Serum yet, it's pretty fun to play with. I'm already addicted to editing the wavetables and I'm getting close to the Z3ta sound I'm looking for. Still haven't perfected it yet though. I think this is the closest I've come yet.

exbehave
I wouldn't say I'm an expert with Massive but I do know how to build sounds from scratch. There's a certain kind of saw timbre in Z3ta (found in a preset called "Teccnoe") that, for the life of me, I can't figure out how to emulate with anything else, including Massive. It's very sharp and buzzy. I could list a dozen adjectives and I don't think it would matter unless you've heard it. I'm particularly fond of this timbre and I use variations of it in almost anything that involves synthesis.
 
I'm using Serum right now to try and recreate the timbre. I have to say, if you haven't tried Serum yet, it's pretty fun to play with. I'm already addicted to editing the wavetables and I'm getting close to the Z3ta sound I'm looking for. Still haven't perfected it yet though. I think this is the closest I've come yet.

I think I know what you are talking about . This quality of z3eta is sometimes used as a knock on it. I suspect the difference may lie in the waveforms. See if it is possible to import the wave cycle used in z3ta to massive. It may bring you closer to the sound.

There's news. A fix is coming next week, as written by Cakewalk's president to a CW forum member:

"Our marketing team will be sending out a message about this today, but I wanted to reply to you directly about the Z3TA+2 Mac issue.

We apologize that it has taken so long to get something out to you guys. We are working on a fix and it should be available to you early April (next week).

Thanks for your patience and continued support.

Best regards,

Michael Hoover
President
Cakewalk"

You might want to check out Spectral by LinPlug, it has some of the same tonal qualities I found attractive in Z3ta+ 2
http://www.linplug.com/spectral.html