# Diva, Zebra 2 or Dark Zebra?



## DivingInSpace

Hi everyone. I have been eyeing the U-he synths for quite a while, but because of how rarely they go on sale, I haven't been able to convince myself to spend that kind of money on a new synth. After having worked a fair bit over the summer, and moved to a cheaper apartment recently, I might just be able to afford it with the 25% coupon and everything. 

I have toned it down to three possibilities after playing around with some demoes: Diva, Zebra or Zebra+ Dark Zebra. I have mostly been playing around with Diva, Repro and Zebra demoes and found them all great, but Repro lacking compared to the two others. The sound demo of Dark Zebra sounds awesome too, but is pretty damned expensive (imo). 

I already have a bunch of synths of cause, including the stock Logic Pro synths, my go to synth Serum, Synthmaster One + 2.9 and the ones included in komplete 11, but none of them actually seems to come close to either of the two U-he synths.

I really like Diva's analog feel, it is sooo nice and would be perfect for the occasional synthwave track I write, but Zebra and Dark Zebra sounds really great for cinematic purposes, with price being the downside. Also, the fact that Dark Zebra, a soundest and a couple of filters, cost $100 sounds pretty crazy to me. Is it really worth it, and does it make that much of a difference? What are the pro's and cones of each, and which one is your personal favorite? 

How do I decide? Please send help.


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## Alex Niedt

DivingInSpace said:


> Also, the fact that Dark Zebra, a soundest and a couple of filters, cost $100 sounds pretty crazy to me.


It's worth the $100 to be able to study Zimmer's sound design.


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## sostenuto

Also, afaik …. Zebra2 + Dark Zebra now gets you Zebra3 Update at no cost. This was still valid within last 24 hrs.


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## D Halgren

Alex Niedt said:


> It's worth the $100 to be able to study Zimmer's sound design.


And Howard


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## DivingInSpace

Alex Niedt said:


> It's worth the $100 to be able to study Zimmer's sound design.



That is a great point, I didn't think about it that way!



sostenuto said:


> Also, afaik …. Zebra2 + Dark Zebra now gets you Zebra3 Update at no cost. This was still valid within last 24 hrs.



That doesn't sound half bad actually.

I am starting to consider biting the bullet and maybe even get all three, depending on how everything looks in a August, but that might just be me going crazy from listening to the demoes for the unfinished's soundsets for all three.


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## SoNowWhat?

Well, my 2c worth, if I had to choose just the one from those listed I’d get Z2. Can always add Dark Zebra later ($99 iirc). Z2 sounds amazing and is extremely capable even without the Diva filters of DZ. My feeling is Z2 is more flexible than Diva, that’s why I’d go that way. However you already have several synths and maybe Diva offers something really different to what you already have? 

Diva is special though. Such lovey sounds. I only have the demo at the moment but I was testing it out again a couple of days ago and it’s glorious. That voucher is burning a hole in my pocket. ...

Not sure if you’ve checked the impact of both options on your CPU/RAM? 

Can I also make a suggestion while you’re demoing. Get some free soundsets from third parties and test them out in both options (Z2 and Diva). 
U-he have some on their website but also take a look at @TheUnfinished, @hollo (hollow sounds) and @Jaap (triple spiral audio) who have some free sample sets to try out.


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## Shad0wLandsUK

DivingInSpace said:


> That is a great point, I didn't think about it that way!
> 
> 
> 
> That doesn't sound half bad actually.
> 
> I am starting to consider biting the bullet and maybe even get all three, depending on how everything looks in a August, but that might just be me going crazy from listening to the demoes for the unfinished's soundsets for all three.


Listening to @TheUnfinished demos should have a disclaimer with it 
WARNING: Purchasing required products inevitable after listening...

He does some awesome soundsets, so much so, that I don't really have anyone else's


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## Shad0wLandsUK

SoNowWhat? said:


> Well, my 2c worth, if I had to choose just the one from those listed I’d get Z2. Can always add Dark Zebra later ($99 iirc). Z2 sounds amazing and is extremely capable even without the Diva filters of DZ. My feeling is Z2 is more flexible than Diva, that’s why I’d go that way. However you already have several synths and maybe Diva offers something really different to what you already have?
> 
> Diva is special though. Such lovey sounds. I only have the demo at the moment but I was testing it out again a couple of days ago and it’s glorious. That voucher is burning a hole in my pocket. ...
> 
> Not sure if you’ve checked the impact of both options on your CPU/RAM?
> 
> Can I also make a suggestion while you’re demoing. Get some free soundsets from third parties and test them out in both options (Z2 and Diva).
> U-he have some on their website but also take a look at @TheUnfinished, @hollo (hollow sounds) and @Jaap (triple spiral audio) who have some free sample sets to try out.


Ahh those DIVA filters 
Like melted butter on salmon crumpets with cream cheese (I think)...


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## SoNowWhat?

Shad0wLandsUK said:


> Ahh those DIVA filters
> Like melted butter on salmon crumpets with cream cheese (I think)...


haha. Not quite how I'd put it but there's definitely crumpet and butter...


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## SoNowWhat?

DivingInSpace said:


> That is a great point, I didn't think about it that way!
> 
> 
> 
> That doesn't sound half bad actually.
> 
> I am starting to consider biting the bullet and maybe even get all three, depending on how everything looks in a August, but that might just be me going crazy from listening to the demoes for the unfinished's soundsets for all three.


I should have paid more attention to the thread and I would see that you are already looking at Matt's sound sets. Good o. Most (?all) of the Z2 sound sets and some of the Diva ones have tasters to download and see what works best for your needs.


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## DivingInSpace

SoNowWhat? said:


> However you already have several synths and maybe Diva offers something really different to what you already have?
> 
> Diva is special though. Such lovey sounds. I only have the demo at the moment but I was testing it out again a couple of days ago and it’s glorious. That voucher is burning a hole in my pocket. ...



Yeah, i feel like the analog sound is something i am missing, and i really dig character of Diva! The CPU/RAM footprint seems to be manageable for my MacBook Pro. Zebra does seem really cool too though, and just the fact that there is so many well designed presets to reverse engineer could be a great factor for me to learn the more cinematic side of sounddesign though!



SoNowWhat? said:


> I should have paid more attention to the thread and I would see that you are already looking at Matt's sound sets. Good o. Most (?all) of the Z2 sound sets and some of the Diva ones have tasters to download and see what works best for your needs.



I don't have any of the above mentioned synths, but have listened to some of the Unfinished's soundsets to hear what the different synths are capable of, so don't worry you got it right the first time haha.


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## Jaap

Matt his work for Zebra 2 and Diva really show what is capable with that synth and also you should check out the stuff from Pulsesetter, they really did some amazing things with Zebra, going a completely different way and making really great complex stuff with loads of richness.



And that is the beauty of Zebra 2 and the Dark Zebra, it can lead you to so many paths, whether it is ambient or EDM, cinematic or even nature sounding as you check out in Fred Nongat his demo for a new Zebra set



And also did something less cinematic a while ago



But then again Diva is also great and amazing, but much more pure analog fun!


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## Mr Mindcrime

Is the 25% off sale still valid and if so, how does one obtain the coupon code ? (my apologies for what's probably a dumb question).


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## DivingInSpace

Mr Mindcrime said:


> Is the 25% off sale still valid and if so, how does one obtain the coupon code ? (my apologies for what's probably a dumb question).



It is valid until the end of August, and the coupon was sent to their newsletter subscribers. You might still be able to grab one from someone who doesn't need it though, check out this thread: https://vi-control.net/community/threads/u-he-promo-codes.73533/#post-4259582


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## oxo

in the past i hesitated for a long time to buy zebra2. i thought the concept was good, but the factory sounds of the demo version did not fit my sound world. it was not until zebraHZ/dark zebra was released that i decided to buy zebra2 because the sound hit my taste. that's how i found out how extremely versatile zebra2 is, and how many musical genres you can cover with it. it is the most versatile synth of u-he.
diva is wonderful. more versatile than repro. diva does better analog sounds than zebra in some areas. ...but with a limited budget, one should consider whether these differences is worth sacrificing more flexibility. how many times will you hear in a full mix the difference between an analog pad, horn, etc. from zebra and diva? .....of course, if you have the money, it is best to own both.


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## Jaap

Mr Mindcrime said:


> Is the 25% off sale still valid and if so, how does one obtain the coupon code ? (my apologies for what's probably a dumb question).



Mine was not used in the end, so feel free to sent a PM if you want to use my code.


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## sostenuto

oxo said:


> in the past i hesitated for a long time to buy zebra2. i thought the concept was good, but the factory sounds of the demo version did not fit my sound world. it was not until zebraHZ/dark zebra was released that i decided to buy zebra2 because the sound hit my taste. that's how i found out how extremely versatile zebra2 is, and how many musical genres you can cover with it. it is the most versatile synth of u-he.
> diva is wonderful. more versatile than repro. diva does better analog sounds than zebra in some areas. ...but with a limited budget, one should consider whether these differences is worth sacrificing more flexibility. how many times will you hear in a full mix the difference between an analog pad, horn, etc. from zebra and diva? .....of course, if you have the money, it is best to own both.



Naïve 'synth' question and truly trying to understand. If I move ahead with Zebra2 & Dark Zebra ( with the oft stated Diva filters ), what are other salient Diva details which encourage its purchase as well ?


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## SoNowWhat?

DivingInSpace said:


> Yeah, i feel like the analog sound is something i am missing, and i really dig character of Diva! The CPU/RAM footprint seems to be manageable for my MacBook Pro. Zebra does seem really cool too though, and just the fact that there is so many well designed presets to reverse engineer could be a great factor for me to learn the more cinematic side of sounddesign though!
> 
> 
> 
> I don't have any of the above mentioned synths, but have listened to some of the Unfinished's soundsets to hear what the different synths are capable of, so don't worry you got it right the first time haha.


I thought you were using demo versions of Zebra (Z2) and Diva? If so, you can still use the small test sets from 3rd parties to explore further capabilities. However, iirc Zebra demo does this crazy thing where it messes with the pitch of notes after a while. Makes it difficult to test like that. Im not sure if the demo still does that. As others have said though Z2 is very versatile and can cover many genres and can get very complex. It’s wonderful.


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## SoNowWhat?

sostenuto said:


> Naïve 'synth' question and truly trying to understand. If I move ahead with Zebra2 & Dark Zebra ( with the oft stated Diva filters ), what are other salient Diva details which encourage its purchase as well ?


For me, it’s the sound of Diva that makes it special. Z2 has greater capabilities as a synth and also sounds beautiful. Try the demos if you haven’t already as sound is so very subjective.


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## oxo

sostenuto said:


> Naïve 'synth' question and truly trying to understand. If I move ahead with Zebra2 & Dark Zebra ( with the oft stated Diva filters ), what are other salient Diva details which encourage its purchase as well ?



the concept of zebra is that of an extremely versatile synth. in addition, it can sound pretty analog. diva's concept is to exactly emulate the modules of different old analog synths. you can then combine these. the focus is therefore different for both.


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## sostenuto

SoNowWhat? said:


> For me, it’s the sound of Diva that makes it special. ****



Comprende ! However, I had thought Diva Filters would have had major effect on DZ sound. Clearly there are other key factors. 
Yes … Demos make sense, although_ it gets tougher each year to sort sound subtleties _…


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## DivingInSpace

SoNowWhat? said:


> I thought you were using demo versions of Zebra (Z2) and Diva? If so, you can still use the small test sets from 3rd parties to explore further capabilities. However, iirc Zebra demo does this crazy thing where it messes with the pitch of notes after a while. Makes it difficult to test like that. Im not sure if the demo still does that. As others have said though Z2 is very versatile and can cover many genres and can get very complex. It’s wonderful.


Oh, sorry i misunderstood you. Yeah, i am using the demo versions, so will definitely check out the test sets for sure! I am thinking about reverse engineering some presets later tonight to get a better feel of both


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## kriskrause

I bought Zebra/HZ and Diva at the same time, so I have always used them concurrently. 

I also use the synths the OP already has. I think Diva fills more of a gap. Reaktor is extremely versatile as it is so if you have to choose just one, and analog-style sound is your goal, I’d go with Diva first.


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## Garry

I've never really considered synth sounds (always focussed more on sample libraries), but this thread made me take a look at u-he, and then I reached Dark Zebra, and wow! Very cool!

I'm not sure I'm ready to jump in yet, but might download the demos and start to learn. I already have synths in Komplete Ultimate 11 (Massive, FM8, Monark, Kontour, Flesh, Razor, Absynth, Reaktor, Form) - but I've never used any of these and don't really know where to start, so my question is: (i) is there one of these you'd recommend that is an easy introduction but sounds good, and (ii) is it a night and day difference between these and Zebra synths? Most of the Komplete sample libraries I don't use anymore (with rare exceptions) because I have better bespoke alternatives, so would the difference between the Komplete synths be like going from the orchestral sounds in Komplete factory to Spitfire? Is it that kind of difference we're talking?


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## Jaap

Garry said:


> I've never really considered synth sounds (always focussed more on sample libraries), but this thread made me take a look at u-he, and then I reached Dark Zebra, and wow! Very cool!
> 
> I'm not sure I'm ready to jump in yet, but might download the demos and start to learn. I already have synths in Komplete Ultimate 11 (Massive, FM8, Monark, Kontour, Flesh, Razor, Absynth, Reaktor, Form) - but I've never used any of these and don't really know where to start, so my question is: (i) is there one of these you'd recommend that is an easy introduction but sounds good, and (ii) is it a night and day difference between these and Zebra synths? Most of the Komplete sample libraries I don't use anymore (with rare exceptions) because I have better bespoke alternatives, so would the difference between the Komplete synths be like going from the orchestral sounds in Komplete factory to Spitfire? Is it that kind of difference we're talking?



The NI stuff is really good and up to par and some extremely creative things there like Form, Prism, Reaktor and of course the golden generation of NI with Massive, FM8 and Absynth. But the U-he synths are classics on its own. Bit like comparing the Beatles with the Rolling Stones. I would say start experimenting a bit with them. There are good presets in the NI ones, good enough to get a good idea, turn on all the knobs you can find and see if you get hooked and if it works for you and in your work


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## kriskrause

Garry said:


> I've never really considered synth sounds (always focussed more on sample libraries), but this thread made me take a look at u-he, and then I reached Dark Zebra, and wow! Very cool!
> 
> I'm not sure I'm ready to jump in yet, but might download the demos and start to learn. I already have synths in Komplete Ultimate 11 (Massive, FM8, Monark, Kontour, Flesh, Razor, Absynth, Reaktor, Form) - but I've never used any of these and don't really know where to start, so my question is: (i) is there one of these you'd recommend that is an easy introduction but sounds good, and (ii) is it a night and day difference between these and Zebra synths? Most of the Komplete sample libraries I don't use anymore (with rare exceptions) because I have better bespoke alternatives, so would the difference between the Komplete synths be like going from the orchestral sounds in Komplete factory to Spitfire? Is it that kind of difference we're talking?


So I love the u-he synths. I own almost all of them. But I have had great success with using Reaktor and Massive with Spitfire libraries too. The difference in what you can get from the NI synths and U-he will depend, in large part, on what kind of synth sound you’re after.

Have you looked into the Reaktor community synths? There are some real gems in there and they’re free.

Definitely download the u-he demos. They were a major factor in getting me to buy all the u-he synths I own. But do explore your NI synths. They’re very good and I still use them in addition to my other synths.


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## Garry

Great feedback, thanks guys - will look into this, based on your recommendations. Beatles vs Rolling Stones makes sense. If you'd have said Beatles vs Bieber, I'd have been back on the u-he website!

Great - this opens up a whole new avenue of music exploration. Thanks, great thread.


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## Jaap

Garry said:


> Bieber



The only right Biber here  (who composed amazingly stunning pieces btw, but totally nothting to do with a synth thread, but always when I see the name of Bieber, I want to listen to Biber haha)


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## Parsifal666

I'm tempted to say if you could only have one get Diva (you will never regret getting that synth, trust me on this it's sensational)...but if you can get Zebra and Dark together, do that as soon as possible.

Then go for online courses in Zebra like ADSR (they're the road I took and I learned a frickin ' ton, probably other places I don't know about as well). The more you learn how to use all three of those instruments, the more amazed you'll be at the rewards, which are ongoing.


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## DivingInSpace

Parsifal666 said:


> I'm tempted to say if you could only have one get Diva (you will never regret getting that synth, trust me on this it's sensational)...but if you can get Zebra and Dark together, do that as soon as possible.
> 
> Then go for online courses in Zebra like ADSR (they're the road I took and I learned a frickin ' ton, probably other places I don't know about as well). The more you learn how to use all three of those instruments, the more amazed you'll be at the rewards, which are ongoing.



I might actually have the money for both, but it all depends on the next paycheck. I think That after this thread, and playing a lot around with the demoes, Diva has taken the lead as my priority! There really is something about that analog sound that I dig hard.


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## Parsifal666

DivingInSpace said:


> I might actually have the money for both, but it all depends on the next paycheck. I think That after this thread, and playing a lot around with the demoes, Diva has taken the lead as my priority! There really is something about that analog sound that I dig hard.



Diva is just sooo good, I'll always have it. But the Zebra HZ combo is a monster imo. 

You can't go wrong getting _*any *_of them, put it that way. Other great synths are WaveMapper, Sytrus, Harmor, XILS IV, Sylenth, Massive.

Reaktor is one of the best synths I own, but I rarely use it.


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## Geoff Grace

Parsifal666 said:


> Reaktor is one of the best synths I own, but I rarely use it.


There's the challenge: to not only get something good, but something good that you'll use. That's not always easy to know in advance.

The only softsynth I use as much as Diva is Omnisphere 2. Both were excellent investments!

(I also rarely use Reaktor, but I agree—great synth.)

Best,

Geoff


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## SoNowWhat?

Jaap said:


> The NI stuff is really good and up to par and some extremely creative things there like Form, Prism, Reaktor and of course the golden generation of NI with Massive, FM8 and Absynth. But the U-he synths are classics on its own. Bit like comparing the Beatles with the Rolling Stones. I would say start experimenting a bit with them. There are good presets in the NI ones, good enough to get a good idea, turn on all the knobs you can find and see if you get hooked and if it works for you and in your work


Reaktor is amazingly flexible/powerful but not always approachable. Having said that I have developed a liking for Prism. Reaktor is one of those things I have on my system and one day will dig in properly. 

Should I also drop in the VCV open source (free) rack modular here too?
https://vcvrack.com/
Some modules are paid but many are free.


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## Parsifal666

Rounds can be a lot of fun to program imo; one does have to get a healthy eyeful of the manual for that one, though.

Anyhoo, as mind bogglingly full of potential as Reaktor is (not to mention how good Monark is, period), I wouldn't trade any of the three synths mentioned in the topic for it. Diva could be seen as both an overall better and far more flexible Monark. The latter does have a handful of presets and features to die for, though...


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## SoNowWhat?

Parsifal666 said:


> Rounds can be a lot of fun to program imo; one does have to get a healthy eyeful of the manual for that one, though.
> 
> Anyhoo, as mind bogglingly full of potential as Reaktor is (not to mention how good Monark is, period), I wouldn't trade any of the three synths mentioned in the topic for it. Diva could be seen as both an overall better and far more flexible Monark. The latter does have a handful of presets and features to die for, though...


I wouldn’t trade any of my U-he synths (no Diva here yet) for anything. Even the free ones are great.


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## Parsifal666

SoNowWhat? said:


> I wouldn’t trade any of my U-he synths (no Diva here yet) for anything. Even the free ones are great.



I get the feeling you know I'll agree with you lol!


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## musicisum

I am currently also tempted by one these by U-he. And all the demos I could hear from them just sound superb. Did they implement lots of internal EQs or how did they achieve that? 

Lots of useful feedback here, I will definitely pick one for the start up, and then getting the other ones later.


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## kriskrause

Parsifal666 said:


> Rounds can be a lot of fun to program imo; one does have to get a healthy eyeful of the manual for that one, though.
> 
> Anyhoo, as mind bogglingly full of potential as Reaktor is (not to mention how good Monark is, period), I wouldn't trade any of the three synths mentioned in the topic for it. Diva could be seen as both an overall better and far more flexible Monark. The latter does have a handful of presets and features to die for, though...


Rounds is great. I also like Kontour, Razor, and Form. And again, I'm a huge fan of the Reaktor Community synths. 

I wouldn't not buy u-he's synths because I own Reaktor. In fact, I bought almost every synth u-he has released when I had Reaktor first. But for people posting that they have Reaktor, and haven't explored it too much, they definitely should get to know it!


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## Parsifal666

kriskrause said:


> Rounds is great. I also like Kontour, Razor, and Form. And again, I'm a huge fan of the Reaktor Community synths.
> 
> I wouldn't not buy u-he's synths because I own Reaktor. In fact, I bought almost every synth u-he has released when I had Reaktor first. But for people posting that they have Reaktor, and haven't explored it too much, they definitely should get to know it!



There is a ton of useful content there. It's just that I learned how to program synths on Zebra and XILS IV, so I spend the overwhelming majority of my music making time with them, along with Diva, Nave. A little Wavemapper/'generator.


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## DivingInSpace

I just wanted to know you all that because of a good last month (financially) and a good on to come, I ended up getting all three. Just jamming out with Diva right now and really enjoying the lack of demo noise, + I realized that Howard Scarr has presets included in it which is really awesome! I will be activating Zebra and downloading Dark Zebra in a moment, and I just can't wait!


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## Jaap

DivingInSpace said:


> I just wanted to know you all that because of a good last month (financially) and a good on to come, I ended up getting all three. Just jamming out with Diva right now and really enjoying the lack of demo noise, + I realized that Howard Scarr has presets included in it which is really awesome! I will be activating Zebra and downloading Dark Zebra in a moment, and I just can't wait!



Oh that joyful moment! Enjoy that sonic journey ahead of you!


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## kriskrause

DivingInSpace said:


> I just wanted to know you all that because of a good last month (financially) and a good on to come, I ended up getting all three. Just jamming out with Diva right now and really enjoying the lack of demo noise, + I realized that Howard Scarr has presets included in it which is really awesome! I will be activating Zebra and downloading Dark Zebra in a moment, and I just can't wait!


I think you'll be very happy with that choice. Enjoy!


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## DivingInSpace

Thanks a lot guys! It was a lot of money, but it hink it will be worth it! I have never played with a synth with so many actually good and usable factory presets as Diva, and I can't wait to start creating my own when I start to get the hang of it!


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## Øivind

Someone has probably already mentioned this but
https://www.luftrum.com/
and
http://www.theunfinished.co.uk/
make some incredible soundsets for Diva.


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## sostenuto

Totally innocent / naïve question please.  
What are the main features in Diva, which combo of Zebra2 & Dark Zebra cannot accomplish ?? 
When I read that Dar Zebra Has Diva filters, I thought I would be in great shape just going with Z2/Dk Z.


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## DivingInSpace

sostenuto said:


> Totally innocent / naïve question please.
> What are the main features in Diva, which combo of Zebra2 & Dark Zebra cannot accomplish ??
> When I read that Dar Zebra Has Diva filters, I thought I would be in great shape just going with Z2/Dk Z.



I actually read a thread of this earlier, and mostly people spoke about the sonic quality of Diva which is hard, of not impossible, to achieve in Zebra/other VST's. There is more to how the synths sound than just the filters


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## Jaap

The way I see the difference between Zebra and Diva is that Zebra (and the HZ version) is a sort of empty room, you have to decorate and think of all the things yourself, this gives a tremendous freedom, it has all the functions to go fully digital, go FM, wavetables, etc.
Diva is more like an already partly furnished house with all kinds of basic analog synths setups. Though I don't know the technical differences, the Diva filters and probably the dsp used is much more authentic and deeper then with Zebra (probably to make it more efficient overal, but just a guess here). Diva might "limit" you right from the start, but thus gives you also a clear sonic palette to explore and this palette is just pure analog and very rich. Something that in the end Zebra can also do to some extend, but with much more effort and it still "lacks" a bit the depth in my opinion that Diva can reach.


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## sostenuto

Jaap said:


> The way I see the difference between Zebra and Diva is that Zebra (and the HZ version) is a sort of empty room, you have to decorate ******
> Diva is more like an already partly furnished house with all kinds of basic analog synths setups. ****
> Diva might "limit" you right from the start, but thus gives you also a clear sonic palette to explore and this palette is just pure analog and very rich.



Very cool Reply …. @ Jaap !! It definitely helps define key differences floating in my head for some time. I'm guessing capable Z2 /DkZ users can get quite close to Diva for many needs, and perhaps not, for some. 

I'm a long-time Omni2 /Trilian /StylusRMX ….. NI_K11U ….. ( Repro-1 /5 ) user and highly respectful of u-he.
Big decision to add Diva or Zebra2.
Good to see the extended discussion here. 

Good luck with Heroes !!
THX!


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## Jaap

sostenuto said:


> Very cool Reply …. @ Jaap !! It definitely helps define key differences floating in my head for some time. I'm guessing capable Z2 /DkZ users can get quite close to Diva for many needs, and perhaps not, for some.
> 
> I'm a long-time Omni2 /Trilian /StylusRMX ….. NI_K11U ….. ( Repro-1 /5 ) user and highly respectful of u-he.
> Big decision to add Diva or Zebra2.
> Good to see the extended discussion here.
> 
> Good luck with Heroes !!
> THX!



You're welcome and many thanks!


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## Geoff Grace

Also, I believe that the Diva filter in Dark Zebra still doesn't have the multicore support that Diva has. As it takes a lot of processing power to achieve that analog sound, this can be a pretty serious handicap. Here's what Urs Heckmann wrote about it back in 2014:



Urs said:


> The ModMatrix in Zebra and Multicore are mutually exclusive (which is why ACE, Bazille and Diva have no ModMatrix). The ModMatrix requires a thread-safe voice management.
> 
> I've tried to wrap my head around this, but the effort and performance penalities to work around this are very high.


Best,

Geoff


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## AKMusic

Alex Niedt said:


> It's worth the $100 to be able to study Zimmer's sound design.



Hans Zimmer didn't do any of the sound design. Howard Scarr did it all. Here's a letter from Hans Zimmer asking Urs Heckmann (Uhe CEO) for a sound designer:


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