Helpful ReplyU-He Zebra 2 or Diva

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StuH
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2017/02/21 14:15:57 (permalink)

U-He Zebra 2 or Diva

Which one would you get?
Right now the Zebra looks pretty darn good to me.

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dmbaer
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/21 18:10:35 (permalink)
If you want some reasonable responses to this question, you will need to provide much more information about what your musical goals are.  These are both excellent synths, but very, very different.  There's no way anyone could answer your question without a lot more information about what it is you're looking for in an instrument.
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bitflipper
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/21 18:30:25 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby StuH 2017/02/21 21:25:03
Depends on whether you're specifically after a classic synth sound a la Moog Modular or a general-purpose do-all synth. Diva nails the former, while Zebra is a Swiss Army Knife. Another difference is Diva is a heavy CPU muncher while Zebra is extremely efficient, allowing many instances even on a modest machine. Zebra is also due for a major update this year, and the upgrade cost is reportedly going to be very low ($39 IIRC).
 
Hive is another u-He synth that's been extremely well-received. I have no experience with it, though. The demos sound very nice, but it seems redundant alongside Zebra.


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Chandler
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/21 21:03:37 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby StuH 2017/02/21 21:19:04
I'd go with Zebra unless you really want a vintage analog sound. If you do want that, or want really nice super saws go with Diva. They are both high quality synths, but their aims are different.

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#4
StuH
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/21 21:13:07 (permalink)
I will expand.
I am becoming very interested in synth programming and am a bit enthused with the modular concept of Zebra.  It appears intuitive and not as complex as Reaktor 6. I feel like I am in a Quantum Mechanics course when trying to use Reaktor blocks.
 I am also looking for dreamy , atmospheric sounds.
 
I hear lots of praise for Diva and see it comes highly rated in top soft-synth  categories. Just unsure which one I should purchase

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Vastman
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/21 22:53:29 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby StuH 2017/02/21 23:11:17
They're both lovely... Zebra is awesome... BUT you really should buy the Hans Zimmer version upgrade, Dark Zebra, which gets you much improved Diva filters, many other goodies including 400 HZ designed patches...
 
For the extra hundred dollars you get a huge amount and it gets you Zebra 3 for FREE when it comes out... It will NOT be compatible with Z2 so you're getting the best of all worlds: the mindboggling flexibility of Zebra, the filters of Diva, and the genius of Hans, not to mention the free Z3... it's a no brainer. 
post edited by Vastman - 2017/02/21 23:31:05

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AllanH
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/22 00:15:00 (permalink)
Let me just add my own experience: Diva is by far the best analog emulation I've ever used. If you're interested in creating the Moog or Juno sound (and quite a few others), this is the one to get. Nothing else I've found has the breath and accuracy of analog emulation.
 
I would also suggest you look at UVI Falcon as a possible instrument. I have Falcon, and find it excellent as well. I do not have Zebra II (yet), so no comments.

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StuH
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/22 01:32:42 (permalink)
Thanks for the heads up for Falcon. 
Looks very impressive,  and this majorly complicates things.
I am on a quest for a new toy.

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pwalpwal
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/22 07:34:33 (permalink)
zebra is the more versatile, a real do-anything powerhouse/workhorse, whereas diva is an uber-analog emulation
 
actually, you should just get both

just a sec

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bitflipper
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/22 08:41:09 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby rtucker55 2017/02/27 14:44:51
StuH
... I am also looking for dreamy , atmospheric sounds.

Zebra does this well. If you want to learn how to program them yourself, invest in one or more of Joseph Hollo's great patch libraries (Padsheaven 1-3) and pick them apart. That's how I learned to program Zebra.
 
Just to throw another monkeywrench into the works, somebody has to say it: the ultimate dreamy synthesizer is Omnisphere. Just sayin'.
 


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Fleer
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/22 13:03:09 (permalink)
Yay. Someone said it.

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abacab
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/22 13:57:50 (permalink)
Get the demo versions of both and play around with them. 
 
I think that Diva is the best virtual analog emulation I have ever heard.
 
I think that Zebra is off-the-charts amazing, and can probably create just about any synth sound you could need.  They even give away a free one oscillator version called Zebralette, that is a decent synth in it's own right!
 
If I need to buy another synth, it will be Zebra.  They have a dinosaur discount of $50 if you send in a picture of your vintage gear

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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/24 04:35:44 (permalink)
Just get both. Buy one first and then save up for the other. Then get that. You'll love them both.
 
And yes, Omnishpere is the best for dreamy unheard of stuff ;)

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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/25 07:49:35 (permalink)
Couldn't do without either of these synths, if you buy one you will probably end up buying the other anyway :)

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StuH
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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/02/27 01:19:01 (permalink)
Well thank you all so much for the replies. Zebra it will be
..........next Omnisphere .......... then Diva ................. then Falcon
......Flutes of Fire to top it off 

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Re: U-He Zebra 2 or Diva 2017/03/05 23:55:08 (permalink)
personally i would go with zebra. i love the semi modular approach with zebra and it can do far more than diva. however you will never get a sound out of zebra quite the same as you can with diva.
diva is possibly my favourite VA synth ever, but zebra can do so much more
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