Free!
Zebralette 3 is a single oscillator plucked from the mothership and embedded within a minimal synth environment: ADSR envelope, MSEG, two LFOs, mod matrix, delay and reverb effects. Like its predecessor, Zebralette 3 is freeware.
Zebralette 3 in the spotlight!
- A fully featured spectral oscillator with morphing, shaping and FX options
- Two oscillator FX blocks including filter, formant, phase distortion and spectral decay
- Flexible MSEG editor for drawing dynamic, animated modulation curves
- Clean and intuitive interface suitable for beginners and sound designers alike
- Advanced modulation matrix with modifiers and freely assignable routing
- Global delay and reverb effect
- Wavetable and additive renderers for two distinct synthesis flavours
- Precise waveform editing with spline curves, Bézier handles, freehand drawing and warping
- Two versatile LFOs with multiple shapes and tempo sync
- ADSR envelope generator with velocity control
- Smooth host automation and MIDI learn for all major controls
Sights and Sounds
Screenshots
Demo Tracks
Oddvar – Stripes : A deep house track with only sounds from Zebralette 3.
Hyboid – Rowlf’s Daydream : A smooth ride through the realms of fluffy jazz rock. All sounds by Zebralette 3.
The main view
Envelope
The classic envelope generator with adjustable attack, decay, sustain and release stages. All stages can be automated via the modulation matrix and your DAW. Velocity sensitivity ensures patches respond dynamically to your playing.
Mod Matrix
The modulation matrix provides a clear overview of all routings in the six slots. Assign any source to any destination, apply modifiers such as quantization, sample & hold or slew, and fine-tune modulation depth with precision. You can even modulate the mod depth of another slot with any mod source. A compact yet powerful hub for creative sound design!
Two LFOs
Zebralette 3 includes two fully featured LFOs with multiple waveforms, tempo sync and phase control. Use them for subtle movement, rhythmic modulation or controlled randomness. Each LFO can modulate several parameters simultaneously.
Effects section
A built-in effects section adds a delay and a reverb to enhance your patches. The delay is syncable to the host tempo and can generate regular stereo or ping-pong delays. The reverb is capable of short ambiences and huge halls. Great for adding polish, space or extra character “in the box”.
The waveform editor
Editing tools
The waveform editor provides direct control over your oscillator shape.
Choose from several editing tools:
- Scale moves and stretches a selection of points vertically, horizontally or both.
- Multiply creates clones of a selection, positioned to the left or right.
- Warp skews a selection by clicking and dragging.
- Rotate shifts the phase of the entire curve or selection.
Spline-based editing
A technique normally associated with vector graphics. We have taken it to a new level. Spline editing introduces smooth, curved transitions between points. It lets you create expressive bends, waves and transitions without the sharp edges of point-based editing. A valuable tool for building organic, evolving shapes that respond beautifully to modulation!
Plot domain
The orange trace in the background can represent either the realtime waveform (oscilloscope-style) or the amplitudes of frequencies across the spectrum (spectrum-analyzer-style). When morphing curves, Time mode shows exactly what happens at waveform level, while oscillator effects often shine when viewed in Frequency mode.
Oscillator source
The curves can be interpreted in two fundamentally different ways: Curve Geometry uses the curve to create a conventional waveform (x-axis represents time, y-axis represents amplitude). With Curve Spectrum, the curve represents the harmonic spectrum: up to 1024 harmonics are scaled logarithmically for a range of about 10 octaves (x-axis represents frequency, y-axis represents amplitude). In other words: you can draw your own waveform, or draw your own spectrum, depending on which mode you are using.
Oscillator effects
Two serial FX blocks apply post-processing to the oscillator, including spectral, warping, windowing and animation effects. For example, the Spectral Decay lets different harmonics decay at different rates: use this for natural-sounding plucked strings, or go all crazy and create truly spaced-out soundscapes! These effects operate at the oscillator level, before the global effects, shaping timbre at the source.
The MSEG editor
Curve Editing
The Multi-Segment Envelope Generator is extremely flexible. Create up to seven MSEGs and morph between them. Use the same versatile editing tools as in the OSC editor to draw envelopes, modulation shapes or even sequencer-like patterns using the grid. Add, remove or reposition breakpoints, adjust curvature or snap to the grid. Each MSEG can be looped using freely adjustable loop points.
Curve set position
Up to seven different MSEG curves can be created and distributed along the horizontal timeline. Edit one curve while another is active, and morph between them for anything from subtle variations to radical transformations. Perfect for stretching or compressing modulation shapes without redrawing them.
Spline editor
Edit MSEG points using the same sophisticated spline tools. Spline curves allow smooth, flowing modulation — ideal for pads, sweeps and expressive transitions. Adjust Bézier handles to refine the motion, from gentle arcs to sharply accelerating shapes.
The grid
The MSEG editor supports snapping to X or Y gridlines — or both. Use X-grid subdivisions to create rhythmic patterns such as ratchets or triplets. Set the Y-grid to 12 or 24 and route the MSEG to oscillator pitch to turn it into a precise step sequencer.