U-he - Zebra 3

U-he's flagship synth, rebuilt from scratch.

Zebra 3 is not an update to Zebra 2. It's a complete ground-up rewrite with new oscillator engines, new filters, new architecture, and a new interface. The modular concept is still there but everything underneath has changed.

Five synthesis engines in one plugin: wavetable, additive, FM, modal physical modelling, and vector. You can layer all of them in a single patch. Over 1,200 factory presets included as a starting point, and a demo is available from u-he before you buy.

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Oscillators

Wavetable Engine

Spline-based wavetable oscillators with a unified editor. Draw freehand curves, edit harmonic amplitudes, and morph between shapes. Up to 16-voice unison. Each oscillator has two serial FX slots with 20 processes available including spectral decay, sync, and phase remapping.

Additive Engine

Same oscillators, different render mode. Switch to additive and you get up to 1024 sine partials, including inharmonic configurations. The oscillator draws the same spline shape but renders it additively rather than as a wavetable.

FM Oscillators

Four FM oscillators arranged as modulator and carrier pairs. Each accepts any rack signal as a third operator, so you can build FM algorithms without a fixed topology. A Vector mixer lets you blend and move between four FM sources on an XY grid.

Modal Resonators and Physical Modelling

Modal resonators and comb filters with full control over feedback and damping. Combine with Noise and Exciter modules to model the resonance behaviour of physical objects. Drive a marimba profile with a shaped noise burst or a pluck excitation and route the result anywhere in the rack.

Vector and Scan Mixers

Blend up to four sources with an XY pad that can be looped, or scan through them sequentially. Works as a synthesis engine in its own right or as a mixing layer on top of anything else in the rack.

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Filters

13 filter models including Ladder, Cascade, SVF, and several original u-he designs. Each model supports up to 12 responses - LP, HP, BP and more at 6, 12, 18, and 24 dB/Oct. Selected from a 2D palette rather than a dropdown, which makes auditioning combinations much faster. Comb filter in reverb mode is also available. Over 105 filter responses in total.

 

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Modulation

• 8-slot modulation matrix, drag-and-drop assignment
• Four MSEGs usable as custom LFOs, with shape morphing between modulation patterns
• Mappers that work as step sequencers or freely drawable transfer curves
• Mod Math modules for combining and transforming modulation signals
• Pitch, gate, and trigger signals available as first-class modulation sources
• Ring modulators, distortions, and wavefolders per voice

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Effects

• Global effects grid: delays, multitap delay, reverbs, compressors, EQ, resonator
• Per-voice send amounts to the global effects grid
• Polyphonic EQ and resonator available per voice

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Interface

Adaptive layout — modules only appear in the patch when you add them, organised via drag and drop. The Generator Rack replaces the fixed module grid from Zebra 2. Cleaner to navigate on smaller patches, still deep when you need it to be.

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Upgrade Paths

• Zebra 2 owners (licence purchased before 1 November 2022): upgrade to Zebra 3 for €30 via My Licenses
• Zebra 2 + The Dark Zebra owners: free upgrade
• Zebra Legacy owners: no crossgrade path currently available

Note: Zebra 2 patches are not compatible with Zebra 3. Keep Zebra 2 installed alongside it if you have existing projects.

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System Requirements

Mac OS X 10.10 or newer

Windows 7 or newer

Linux (glibc 2.28 or newer)

Zebra 3 is not a standalone product — it requires host software and is compatible with nearly all DAWs.

• 1 GB RAM minimum, more recommended
• 1000 x 600 or larger display
• Modern CPU required — Windows/Linux: Intel Nehalem or newer, AMD Bulldozer or newer / Mac: Intel Nehalem or newer, Apple M1 or newer
• Note: CPU usage is approximately 2x that of Zebra 2

Formats

macOS: CLAP, AUv2, VST3, AAX — 64-bit only
Windows: CLAP, VST3, AAX — 64-bit only
Linux: CLAP, VST3 — 64-bit only

*AAX requires Pro Tools 10.3.7 or later

MPE, microtuning, and MTS-ESP (realtime tuning) all supported.

Try the fully featured demo here