I have recently released my third soundset Crime Fundamentals 3 for u-he Zebra - this time exclusively for Zebra HZ - and a question came to mind that I wanted to go further into:
Now that Zebra 3 is out - is Zebra 2 / Zebra HZ still relevant?
I didn't really have the time to dive into Zebra 3 as I still heavily worked with Zebra HZ in my own music and while finishing Crime Fundamentals 3. I am sure Zebra 3 is a brilliant synth and has all the bells and whistles. But I can still give an answer to the question above: Yes, absolutely!!! But… let me explain.
A quick word on the question itself
The question contains an implication that can be misleading. To me, it isn't about comparing newer synths – Zebra 3, or Arturia Pigments, or Xfer Serum 2 – to Zebra 2 / HZ to decide which one is "better" or fancier or more capable. Does Zebra 2 still hold up to the sound design capabilities of these newer synths? I can't say for sure, maybe not - (although I think it still has some tricks up its sleeve) but that's not really my point.
There's a more complex answer
Zebra 3 (released April 2026) is a completely new product, redesigned from scratch. In this process, u-he decided to drop patch compatibility between Zebra 2 and Zebra 3. While I totally understand that they had to cut loose old code to achieve something genuinely new it is also very unfortunate that it turned out like this. Zebra 2 / Zebra HZ now stands on its own: like an old master who now stands in the second row. It even has been placed in the Zebra Legacy Collection on the u-he website since late 2022.
So why do I think that these older Zebra versions are still relevant - and will be for at least a decade to come? Well, it comes down to workflow and investment. What do I mean?
First, what makes Zebra special?
For me, it's two things. First, the modular approach: you have a huge collection of modules and modulators to grab from if you want them – but they only clutter the GUI when you're actually using them, and stay hidden when you're not. Second, and most importantly, the lanes in the signal flow. You can build one sound in one lane and up to three more in the others, then combine them – or take the signal from one lane and add something odd in a second lane to make the whole thing richer and more interesting. That's a way of working I haven't found anywhere else in quite the same form - and I'm happy to continue that workflow in Zebra 3.
Rock solid
The original Zebra came out back in 2003, Zebra 2 in 2007, and Hans Zimmer's special version, Zebra HZ, in 2012. That's some serious lifespan for a piece of software and by now it's rock solid. I am not aware of any showstopping bugs. Not saying that Zebra 3 is buggy at all, just that Zebra 2 is battle-tested, which matters a lot when you work professionally. It just lets you do the work. Also, u-he still ships maintenance updates for the Legacy version – native Apple Silicon support, and CLAP as recently as September 2024. u-he has publicly committed to maintaining Zebra Legacy for many years to come - so "legacy" doesn't mean "abandoned."
Fun fact: I started using Zebra in 2008 and the person who first told me about it was Hans Zimmer himself, in his Santa Monica Studio, during an interview we did for my composing partner Philipp's book and KEYS magazine. It was an impressive demonstration, and I've used Zebra 2 in every project since.
CPU friendly
Zebra 2 was built for the computers of its time, so for modern CPUs it's hardly heavy lifting. Of course, one instance of Zebra 3 against one instance of Zebra 2 won't make much of a difference. But can you run 100+ instances of Zebra 3 in a professional composing template? I have not tried - but with Zebra, you sure can.
Fast browsing
There is nothing more frustrating than load times, and with Zebra 2 browsing presets is a breeze. They load almost instantly - click, boom! Keeping the flow!
Knowledge
There are tons of tutorials online for Zebra and Zebra HZ. I'd single out the Zebra HZ Master Course by Jon Audio, available for free on YouTube. It's genuinely in-depth. This synth is incredibly well explored and documented. Also, u-he's own 114-page user guide is a modern classic and full of valuable knowledge about synthesizer sound design.
Presets
I don't know why, but Zebra 2 sort of lives in the film scoring world unlike any other synth I know - and there are tons of free and commercial presets out there for film composers. Go to the free and commercial patch library to find links for tons of great presets. Check out The Unfinished (whose sounds have saved my ass more than once), Sonic Underworld, Kiff Audio, Triple Spiral Audio, ZenSound, Very Loud Indeed, Spektralisk, or my own whatabaudio – to name just a few.
You probably won't find a bigger offering for any other software synth out there if you're a film composer, especially since Zebra and Zebra HZ have been sort of a cultural signature and influence since The Dark Knight - which is exactly why Zebra HZ, the special version built for Hans Zimmer, is also known as The Dark Zebra. You even get the actual sounds used in the movie in the Zebra Legacy bundle, imagine that!!!!
Your Investment
If you've used Zebra for years, like me, you've made a real investment – the time you put in to actually learn this darn thing - and of course the money spent on presets and soundsets, building templates around them, shaping your own musical voice. All of that now lives in Zebra 2 / Zebra HZ, because those presets don't carry over to Zebra 3.
u-he has a fair upgrade policy too: if you owned a Zebra 2 license before the Legacy cutoff (November 1st, 2022), you have an upgrade path to Zebra 3 – free if you also owned The Dark Zebra, otherwise you can upgrade for $30 (now in euros). For more reliable information check your My Licenses page for your options. (Keep in mind: Zebra Legacy bought after the cutoff doesn't qualify – but that's fine I guess.)
Sessions that still open years later
I found that by using only a small set of very reliable plugins in my sessions, I have significantly improved my ability to open old sessions (I have to point out that Spectrasonics Omnisphere is probably the best software ever made in this regard. Even the newer versions stay compatible with older sessions!). In film and TV, this matters more than people think: a director can come back two years later asking for a change, and you need that cue to open exactly as it was. Since Zebra 2 / HZ won't be developed further, your sessions will keep opening the same way from now on.
Conclusion
For all the reasons above, I think Zebra 2 / HZ will stay relevant for years to come. That said – I'm not telling you to start with Zebra 2 today if you haven't already used it. If you're new, you're probably better off getting Zebra 3 and start learning and working with that, since it will be the future of Zebra from now on.
Professionals will keep working with both versions. Zebra 3 for new sonic worlds and everything it will bring to the table from now on, and Zebra 2 / HZ to keep our familiar workflow, our templates, back catalogue of sessions, and years of preset investment alive. A next whatabaudio soundset will most likely be for Zebra 3 – looking forward to seeing what's possible there. Or will it? ;-)
If you want to check out my latest Zebra HZ soundset, head over to Crime Fundamentals 3 – there's also a bundle of all three volumes.
Love to hear your thoughts on this!
Andreas