Review: Black & White for Zebra 2 by Triple Spiral Audio

Triple Spiral Audio once again gives us a thematic sound library, this time for U-He’s modular synthesizer, Zebra 2. The “White” library provides a neoclassical set of sounds which I would categorize as Impressionist while the “Black” library delves more into the mysterious, avant-garde contemporary which I categorize Abstract and Surreal. There is a wide array of presets from which to choose from that allow you to dive into either realm or, perhaps, combine the 2 and produce a palette of colors that speaks a unique language.

Jump to the Videos of Black & White for Zebra 2 by Triple Spiral Audio

Jump to the Demos of Black & White for Zebra 2 by Triple Spiral Audio

Review: Black & White for Zebra 2 by Triple Spiral Audio

Black & White for Zebra 2 sells for from Triple Spiral Audio

Thoughts

One day, Jaap Visser, who is the developer behind the Triple Spiral Audio libraries, will get some sleep. Maybe someday, I will get some sleep. His sound packages, whether for Omnisphere 2, Falcon, Zebra 2 or Iris 2, are extremely addictive and inspirational. Frankly, I don’t know how he manages to find time and keep up but, somehow, he finds a way. Not only does he give you 2 new packages for Zebra 2 but he also goes out of his way to create 128 individual and creative patches for each one…I’m not even going to mention the HZ Dark Zebra doppelgangers which doubles that number. Oops. I just did!

Unlike his recent exploits for Falcon and Omnisphere, Zebra, in a lot of ways, is a different kind of beast. There are no samples to import, it’s pure synthesis; it’s modular synthesis without the patch cables. Zebra is not an easy synthesizer to master, hell, the user manual is 100 pages long and it is not aimed at the novice. What U-he has done, however, is to logically design & map the synth out into sections which makes understanding it that much easier. I’m not going to spend a lot of time writing a white paper on the product as it would become a novel. What I’ll show is an example of a preset and give an overview on what is happening within the synth.

The best way to approach Zebra is to break it into parts. Like Falcon, it is tabular in nature. The 3 main parts of Zebra are 1) the preset browser, 2) the performer which contain the 4 X-Y pads, and 3) the synthesizer, itself. The browser is pretty straightforward…you take the preset folder such as “White” and you copy it into your Zebra preset folder…quite simple actually. When you launch Zebra 2, voila!! there is the folder with your presets broken down by category. One quick trick to note…if you have a library you use quite often, edit the folder name to include a blank space as a prefix…this will move the folder at or near the top of your view. Last thing on this, if the developer is doing due diligence, a description of the preset will be found on the right side of the page. In this case, the KEY, “Imitation Game” is described as a dreamy key with the Modwheel opening up the filter…take my word for it, it is dreamy!!

Triple Audio – Zebra Presets

If you have upgraded to the latest version of Zebra 2 (V 2.8, REV 7422) you will notice a few changes. One that is rather obvious is that you can now change the skin on the interface. From a personal standpoint, I favor the Dot 8 look as it is pleasing to the eye and it gives you a much better look at the X-Y PADS. It is now much easier to see all the macro assignments on one page and to even make new assignments, as well. For the most part, the White & Black libraries use basic modulations on the PADS. You will definitely want to experiment with these macros a lot more. To add a modulation to an axis, all you have to do is “click, drag & drop” though, a word of advice, you’ll want to do this from the Synthesis page as you have limited options on the Perform page. I’m not quite sure why U-he set it up this way.

Triple Spiral Audio Perform Page

Time to move on to the heart of Zebra…the Synthesis Page. The Page is broken down into 3 areas (and this is where U-he has made it logical, even for novices): 1) Generators and Filters…simply, this is where you place all your oscillation and filtering. Each oscillator can have up to 16 distinct wavetables which you can either design yourself or load from the factory settings. You can settle in on one or MIDI assign the “Wave” knob so you can sweep through the available patterns. In addition to 4 standard oscillators, you can also utilize Noise Oscillation and FM Oscillation.

With regards to filters, there are generally 2 types with Zebra…the Voltage Control Filter (VCF) or XMF (Cross Modulation Filter) which is a multimode filter that can self-oscillate. The XMF can be CPU intensive so, if you’re still using an older processor proceed with a little bit caution; 2) Signal Path or, as I call them, “raceways”. Here, you lay out the way you want your sound to travel (think flowchart) and which filters you want processing your oscillators. One thing to note, an oscillator cannot process a filter so, if one follows a filter in the signal flow, the filtered sound will travel in parallel with the subsequent oscillated sound; 3) the Modulators…here you’ll have your Envelopes and your LFOs. What is great about the LFO’s is that there is also an option to design your own.

Triple Spiral Audio Synthesis Page

Based on what we covered, the preset, “Imitation Game” utilizes Oscillator 1 and Oscillator 2. Each has a distinct signal path with filter VCF1 affecting OSC1 and VCF2 and Shaper affecting OSC2 (Shaper is a type of frequency distortion). If you follow the signal path to its end path, Envelope one is assigned to the OSC1 path and Envelope 2 is assigned to the OSC2 path. Additionally, LFO1 is assigned to OSC2 and LFOG1 (a global LFO) modulates the entire sound. So, where are the effects? The effects section is on the bottom of the page. If you check the Global Tab you will find an EQ, a delay and a reverb assigned to the patch. The EQ is extremely easy to use and is invaluable if you want to alter the sound of the patch. I find it especially useful when employing Bass Leads when I want to deepen the sound or add a little bit of punch.

The White library offers brighter sounds with an assortment of extremely useful KEYs, PADs, ARP/Sequences and Bells. On the flip side, the Black edition is more of sound designers type of library with its darker approach and avant-garde soundscapes.

The White library, as you may have guessed, offers a brighter sound than its counterpart, Black. With the White library, you get an assortment of extremely useful KEYs, PADs, ARP/Sequences and Bells. When Jaap points out Debussy as an influence, you can get a good idea where he wants to direct the sounds in the library. If he was trying to achieve a neo-classical, modernist sound, he succeeds quite well. The KEYs have such an ethereal quality that you can get lost in playing, especially when you couple this with a slow evolving Sequence or a complimentary PAD. As someone who likes to get caught up in the dreamy side of ambience but without sounding overly new-agey, this truly fits the bill.

On the flip side, the Black edition is more of sound designers type of library with its darker approach and avant-garde soundscapes. In a lot of ways, though separate thought processes have gone into the makeup of these libraries, they can complement one another…where there is dark, there is light…what is above is below as the ancient kabbalists would say. So, whether you want to admire a Monet while channeling your inner Erik Satie or whether you want to get lost in a Dali dreamscape composing an Art Zoyd-esque movement, both the White and the Black will provide you the tools to do so.

White for Zebra 2 sells for €19.95. Both Zebra 2 / Zebra HZ sells for €34.95. Black for Zebra 2 sells for €19.95 Euro. Both Zebra 2 / Zebra HZ sells for €34.95

White & Black for Zebra 2 (as a bundle) sells for €34.95 Euro. White and Black for Zebra 2 / Zebra HZ sells for €59.95 Euro.

Black & White for Zebra 2 sells for from Triple Spiral Audio

Facts

White and Black for Zebra 2 each contains 128 patches and downloads as 4.3 and 4.4 MB, respectively, and requires Zebra 2, Version 2.8.
White and Black for Zebra HZ each contains 128 patches and downloads as 4.7 and 4.8 MB, respectively, and requires Zebra HZ.
Categories for White include: ARPs, Basses, Chords, Chord Sequences, FX, Keys, Leads, PADS, Percussion, Pulses, Soundscapes and Sequences. The HZ version utilizes the Diva filters, as well.
Categories for Black include: ARPs, Basses, Bass Loops, FX, Keys, Leads, PADS, Percussion, Pulses, Soundscapes, and Sequences. The HZ version utilizes the Diva filters, as well.

Black & White for Zebra 2 sells for from Triple Spiral Audio

Demos of Black & White for Zebra 2 by Triple Spiral Audio

Videos of Black & White for Zebra 2 by Triple Spiral Audio