U-he Zebra 3, the long-awaited successor of the Zebra 2 modular Synthesizer plugin is now ready for test in public beta
The day many have been eagerly awaiting has finally arrived. U-he has released Zebra 3 modular Synthesizer plugin as a public beta today. The synth that has been in development for 11 years, according to Urs Heckmann.
Anyone can participate in the beta testing, even those who don’t yet have a license.
U-he Zebra 3 Public Beta
Zebra 3 is based on the same modular Synthesizer concept as Zebra 2, but is an entirely new plugin.
Every algorithm, parameter set, feature, down to UI workflows, has been written anew from the ground up, surpassing what Zebra 2 can do, sound, or feel like, says U-he. But some of that comes at a price, warn the developers.
A Zebra 3 module will commonly use about twice the CPU of a Zebra 2 module. The improvements are vast, though.
Zebra 3 is currently far from finished. It’s the first day of the public beta phase as I write this. There are crashes, unfinished features, and other issues. However, you can already discover all the new features that have been teased for a long time.
This includes the all-new spline-based wavetable oscillator, the physical modeling oscillator, vector synthesis, new filters, and much more. A selection of 300 demo presets is included, showcasing the latest features. More presets will be added during the beta phase.
Oh, and there is no arpeggiator and sequencer built in yet. They wait for the official feedback and first feedback before implementing these features.
Available For Pre-Order
Alongside the first public beta, u-he also announced the official price and opened pre-orders for Zebra 3 at a discounted rate.
During the beta phase, everyone can purchase a license at the introductory price of 179€ instead of 249€. This also the price for owners of Zebra Legacy because they write:
note, this is 70€ off from 249€, so this is better than anything we’d be able to offer owners of Zebra Legacy):
Zebra 2 license owners (from before it became Zebra Legacy) can upgrade to Zebra 3 for 30€. Just also head over to our My Licenses page; your license email contains a link. For owners of both Zebra 2 and The Dark Zebra, the upgrade is free.
You can download the public beta from the KVR Audio Forum with a license card, allowing you to beta-test it without owning a full version.
Absynth 6 and Zebra 3 in one week. Now that’s what you call a Synthesizer plugin Christmas. Happy testing!
Update from May 15, 2025
Zebra 3 has been in development for many years. At NAMM 2025, Urs Heckmann first demonstrated the alpha version. Four months have passed since the show, and the plugin has made significant progress in development.
At Superbooth 2025, Urs from U-he showed me the current status of Zebra 3, including the new GUI and newly implemented features. The developers are targeting an official release by the end of the year, although this is not yet certain.
Before then, there will be a public beta where sounds will be designed and additional features implemented. What hasn’t been announced yet is the price.
According to Urs, they’re aiming for 279€ with a lower introductory price.. There’s also supposed to be a small discount for U-he Zebra 2 Legacy buyers.
Update from January 2025
NAMM 2025: U-he has unveiled Zebra 3, the long-awaited third generation of its modular Synthesizer plugin; it’s now in alpha.
NAMM booths with software on them attract fewer visitors. But it is certainly different here. Urs Heckmann from U-he has been working on the new Zebra synthesizer for many years.
Last year, we got the Zebralette 3, a phenomenal free Synthesizer plugin featuring the new Zebra 3 oscillator. At NAMM 2025, U-he will showcase Zebra 3 in the alpha version for the first time.
U-he Zebra 3 Alpha Version
The picture is not a Fata Morgana. It is U-he Zebra 3. Urs Heckmann is showing off his new flagship Synthesizer plugin without making a big announcement.
In the pictures, we see a completely redesigned UI for Zebra 3. It is much more modern and colorful than that of Zebra 2. It even reminds me a bit of the design of Plugmon, the designer who creates gorgeous alternative skins for U-he plugins.
According to Urs, Zebra 3 is a complete rewrite. Nothing is carried over from the previous version. This is also why Zebra 2 patches will not be compatible with Zebra 3. This is also due to the consolidation of various Zebra 2 modules.
New Oscillators
The big highlight of Zebra 3 will be the all-new additive/wavetable oscillator that we have known since Zebralette 3. It uses the same super-powerful spline-based oscillator technology with guide curves, oscillator effects, and more than 150 tools.
An exciting sound source will be the modal synthesis oscillator (mallet, resonator, etc.), which introduces physical modeling synthesis in the U-he modular synth. There will also be plenty of filters. Urs answered in this article:
Some filter models of Zebra 2 are updated to more modern technology, but none of the Diva filters in ZebraHZ will make it into Zebra 3. Instead, some new models with similar characteristics are planned.
Then, you can find a new way to interact with the oscillators’ pitches. Urs Heckmann has designed a dedicated page where you can customize the settings for up to four pitches down to the last detail. Each source can have a custom modulation, quantizer, and more.
This allows you to create patches where two keys can trigger different events. Also new is a fascinating 4-in-1 mixer module that will enable you to sum signals. That’s not all that it can do. You can also work with vector synthesis and arrange the signals like in a vector synth.
Version 3 will also include new features for the famous modulation mappers. Another lovely addition will be the texture module in the multi-FX section. According to Urs, its ambient texture generator loosely inspired Mutable Instruments Clouds.
U-he Zebra 3 is now in early alpha, and they estimate it will be released at the end of the year.
More information will follow here: U-he
Looking forward to this. u-he is a great company and I love their plugins.
“For example, the Zebra 3 filter module will include all the Zebra 2 and HZ filter models.” is actually not true. Some filter models of Zebra 2 are updated to more modern technology, but none of the Diva filters in ZebraHZ will make it into Zebra 3. Instead, some new models with similar characteristics are planned.
thanks Urs! 🙂
Great work. Looks really good so far!
Urs, you are doing a great job! I’m eagerly waiting for this all-new your workhorse synth, to replace it for my old Zebra 2.9.3.
Oh wow this does look interesting. Keep on going U-he!
If uHe announce Zebra3 as “The last Synthesizer you will need” I think that this is true:) Everything I read and saw at Superbooth and in this video is massive amount on features and new capabilities. And combining all that will take decades to play this synth to the end 😉
What a cool philosophy.
Not sure it will be a product for me necessarily, but I salute the approach.
They ll do well with it