u-he has released version 2.2 of Zebra, the virtual synthesizer plug-in featuring subtractive and additive synthesis with a powerful modulation engine and a built-in effects section.

u-he Zebra 2.0

Developer Urs Heckmann writes:

This list is probably not comprehensive, but as a result of a major overhaul of the u-he plugin engine and of a lot of effort put into improving the user experience

Changes in v2.2

  • factory presets were replaced with all new bank by Howard Scarr.
  • it’s now compatible to MacOS X 10.5 Leopard.
  • presets load way faster.
  • user interface opens almost instantly.
  • a “compact install” for Muse Receptor compatibility was added to Windows installer.
  • a factory bank of oscillator module presets was added (also by Howard Scarr).
  • gui consistency was improved (i.e. renamed some parameters, too long texts get shortened to fit).
  • that infamous MSEG bug is fixed (single trigger MSEG may have caused deadlock).
  • the Preset Manager remembers name & location of loaded patch, saved with song.
  • the editor window opens in the state where you last closed it (doesn’t/can’t save with song though).
  • global parameters such as FX Returns are available in modulation matrix.
  • smoother ModWheel, Breath Controller, Expression and PitchBend.
  • speaking of PitchBend, ranges can be set to 0 now to free the Wheel for other tasks.
  • MidiLearn now requires a conscious decision for a menu entry – preventing users from accidentally Teaching a parameter.
  • Preset scripting was improved so that 3rd party waveform converters are fully supported (still no decent documentation for scripting though).
  • a bug in the reverb diffusion on SSE2 machines got wiped out – if that changes your sound, set “D-Feedb” to 0.00.
  • the Preset Manager can now be used to create new folders and refresh the directory listing (right/ctrl-click).
  • .h2p is now default patch format – set to native to save patches for use within host applications (usually not necessary).
  • text rendering quality on Windows was improved.
  • there’s no more need for Microsoft Runtime Libraries on Windows (finally!).
  • one can now import patches made with the Computer Music edition of Zebra aka ZebraCM.
  • number of voices can be set to 0 in an Arpeggiator step, making this step a “skip”.
  • and more…

Zebra 2 is available for Windows and Mac OSX (AU/VST) and costs $199 USD.

More information: u-he / Zebra 2