# Do I need Zebra 2 if I have Omnisphere?



## easyrider (Nov 1, 2020)

Just wondering what people’s thoughts were on Zebra 2 if you already have Omnisphere...

Thanks !


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## sostenuto (Nov 1, 2020)

Hoping to enjoy truly informative discussion !! 
Omni (v2.6 now) since early days, and still much to learn. Huge set of 3rd Pty expansions. 
Demo'd Zebra 2 and often tempted. Personal thoughts are not '_one is/is not better_', but hesitating to commit serious learning time/effort ... while diverting from Omni2. 
No right answer while watching with interest.


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## pmountford (Nov 1, 2020)

Both are so well regarded on this forum and with good reason. Having owned both for many years I wouldn't want to do without either. Both have their own sound and are my top 2 synths (let's not mention Diva...). Omnisphere deffo gets more use here because it is just such a workhorse. I know, I know, all I've done is muddy the water...


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## Dewdman42 (Nov 1, 2020)

both are great and very different. As to whether you need either one is entirely up to you.


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## sostenuto (Nov 1, 2020)

pmountford said:


> Both are so well regarded on this forum and with good reason. Having owned both for many years I wouldn't want to do without either. Both have their own sound and are my top 2 synths (let's not mention Diva...). Omnisphere deffo gets more use here because it is just such a workhorse. I know, I know, all I've done is muddy the water...



Ha ! Water fairly muddy already.  

Diva has long been tempting; lately Hive 2 continues improvement. 
Great to have such terrific choices !


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## kevinh (Nov 1, 2020)

Do you need zebra 2? No, definitely not. But you need zebra 3 what ever it might be


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## JonS (Nov 1, 2020)

easyrider said:


> Just wondering what people’s thoughts were on Zebra 2 if you already have Omnisphere...
> 
> Thanks !


if you are a working composer making good money then get Zebra 2, if you are not then don't get it.


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## wst3 (Nov 2, 2020)

They are two very different tools, and I really wouldn't want to give up either one (or Diva). The other must have - for me - is Camel Audio Alchemy, which reached its end of life for Windows a while ago, and yet it still works. I admit I'm a little hesitant to spend too much time with it, since at some point it will probably cease to work. But for now these four make up the core of my synthesis world.

I still love emulations, but lately I've been using those four more. Hmmm... time to revisit emulations?


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## peladio (Nov 2, 2020)

You don't need it as Omnisphere covers almost everything, especially if you add libraries from top devs like MIDIssonance, Luftrum or Unfinished..however, it's a great synth that has aged remarkably well and has its specific workflow and very versatile sound..I can highly recommend it


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## AdamKmusic (Nov 2, 2020)

Funny cause I basically exclusively use Zebra / ZebraHZ & have wondered do I need Omnisphere?


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## chimuelo (Nov 2, 2020)

First rule of soft synth spending.

Why just own one when you can have both for twice the price.


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## RonOrchComp (Nov 2, 2020)

YES!


Omni is great, but so is Zebra. Don't forget all of the great 3rd-party presets you can get. TheUnfinished's work is invaluable, IMHO.



chimuelo said:


> First rule of soft synth spending.
> 
> Why just own one when you can have both for twice the price.



HA!


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## rnieto (Nov 2, 2020)

Both are great and very different beasts. Omnisphere is a hybrid synth and Zebra is a "wireless" modular synth, but both of them sound amazing.

Like it's been mentioned above, there are an insane amount of awesome 3rd party sound sets available for each, so get them both if you can.


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## tc9000 (Nov 2, 2020)

For the longest time I was on a journey to find a certain pad sound that just BOOOOM would nuke my central nervous system. I... I can't really explain what a quixotic, ridiculous journey this was, but needless to say, heavy sacrifces were made and a number of synths (and preset libraries) were involved. Eventually I hit a Cm7 chord on a certain Zebra Unfinished pad preset and... yeah... the journey was over and I had arrived. Thank god for Unfinished because that guy saved my marriage with a patch.

An entirely seperate and parallel journey grew from a deep gnawing in my soul that could only be filled with a number of Vangelis / Blade Runner-esque patches. Once again, a heavy toll was exacted upon my soul, marriage, and bank account... and then I stumbled into the dawn light of a certain Luftrum Omnisphere library that... well, yeah Luftrum closed that loop for me.

I guess I just wanted to say these are both incredible synths (yes - thats what these are to me - just synths. Synths like I dreamt of when I was a kid with an MS20) but what makes them so special is the artists creating patches for them - these humans like Luftrum and Unfinished are what makes these incredible soft machines so incredible. And what lures them is the great labour and effort of the often unsung teams at companies like u-he and spectrasonics. And behind all that, is, I suspect, the quixotic, ridiculous, inspired journeys of the individual mavericks that conceived these incredible synths.

But yeah - to answer your question: yeah for sure get zebra too!


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## mscp (Nov 3, 2020)

easyrider said:


> Just wondering what people’s thoughts were on Zebra 2 if you already have Omnisphere...
> 
> Thanks !



Depends. Can you program everything you need on Omnisphere, or do you have ideas that you can't pull off in it?


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## sostenuto (Nov 3, 2020)

Some helpful answers, but can benefit more from capable Users of both great synths who can offer their personal impressions of _ capabilities_ or functionality which Zebra 2 or Omni 2 do exclusively, or far better._

Sound is a personal issue, with so many aspects .... especially age, ear issues, preferences.

Filter quality is often mentioned, but usually defer to truly knowledgeable sources. 

As Omni User (for looong time) I simply have not yet sorted clear reasons to add Zebra 2, yet it is top of respected list.

If Zebra had been chosen intially, then same questions would exist re. Omni 2. 

Personal decision will not be resolved by asking what cannot be done with Omni 2.6, since this level of capability is not truly known. OTH, this is not personal requirement to add Zebra 2. Only need valid list of its salient strengths, by comparison.


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## easyrider (Nov 3, 2020)

Phil81 said:


> Depends. Can you program everything you need on Omnisphere, or do you have ideas that you can't pull off in it?



I was thinking that the Dark Zebra would be good to add to my setup...


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## sostenuto (Nov 3, 2020)

easyrider said:


> I was thinking that the Dark Zebra would be good to add to my setup...



Back to more focused time with Zebra 2 Demo and hoping something notable will eventually become clear. Soooo much more to explore and learn with Omni v2.6 tho ......

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_Hate that there is no Demo, but Creator noted 14-day Full refund policy. _









Elysium


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## j_kranz (Nov 3, 2020)

They are indeed both fantastic and worthy of being in any composer's arsenal. Personally I tend to think of Omni as more of a broad strokes brush, and Zebra a finer point one... I'm sure others have different ideas of these but that's what I tend to think. Sample manipulation in Omnisphere is so much fun, whereas the variety of modulation in Zebra is unmatched IMO. They each have their strengths, and like others have said, I couldn't imagine being without either one!

Long story short, neither of these tools will ever be on the infamous list of "I regret buying that/never use it"!


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## sostenuto (Nov 3, 2020)

j_kranz said:


> They are indeed both fantastic and worthy of being in any composer's arsenal. Personally I tend to think of Omni as more of a broad strokes brush, and Zebra a finer point one... I'm sure others have different ideas of these but that's what I tend to think. Sample manipulation in Omnisphere is so much fun, whereas the variety of modulation in Zebra is unmatched IMO. They each have their strengths, and like others have said, I couldn't imagine being without either one!
> 
> Long story short, neither of these tools will ever be on the infamous list of "I regret buying that/never use it"!



Appreciate your 'variety of modulation in Zebra' emphasis. These important tidbits continue to enhance and grow my list of relevant details !


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## mscp (Nov 3, 2020)

easyrider said:


> I was thinking that the Dark Zebra would be good to add to my setup...



Why exactly?


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## nglez (Nov 4, 2020)

Both are great, I consider Omnisphere to be more of an "all rounder" with an insane amount of presets out of the box, and you can use your own samples. If I only could pick a single synth VST it certainly would be Omnisphere. Zebra is a wavetable synthesizer, and it is absolutely amazing as well. I feel like you can't really compare the 2 as they are 2 different instruments that fill different needs and are based on a different paradigm. Yes, there is overlap and you can achieve similar sounds in both, but they are very different at the core. I would trial Zebra and see if it inspiring and quickly gets you to the sound you have in your head. For. e.g personally I find Omnisphere totally overwhelming with all the presets and soundsources, I usually like to use Zebra more when I program patches. But then sometimes, I just need "_that_ bass sound/lead etc" and I can find it in Omnisphere quickly.


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## Anami (Nov 16, 2020)

When learning producing I started with omnisphere. I think most comes down to personal preference and workflow. Sometimes when learning a new synth or form of synthesis I discovered I could do the same with omnisphere. The lay-out does impact workflow in a big way. I don't have zebra but do have diva and repro. Oh and what about other wavetable synths like serum or pigments? (both not for me) Im demoing phase plant from kilohearts and Im loving it! It's so intuitive. It just works for my brain. Highly recommend it.


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## chimuelo (Nov 16, 2020)

You will need Keyscape and Trilian when getting Omnisphere.
Fabulous sounding additions and if these all work on one core I’m super impressed.

I’m using tons of polyphony and haven’t bothered checking Task Manager or other core monitoring apps. Too busy relishing in the band in my IEMs...


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