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Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:48 pm
by ReplayAddicts
I need some recommendations as to which VST I should buy. Please help!

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:55 pm
by schullermusik
They're very different synths (I own all three.) Zebra can do anything, provided you learn how to use it - very light on CPU for most things as well. I never got in to FM synthesis. Massive is cool, but all three carry a learning curve. If you're a preset person, Massive will have the largest library of available third party patch banks, by far.

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:29 am
by yur2die4
I've only used uhe's freeware, but in my experience, midi mapping is really fun. I think this obsession may be unique to me. I enjoy using blue hand control, but in times where that was a bitch, I'd just flat out midi learn within a vst. Massive lets you make custom midi maps, but if I am not mistaken, you need to recall them every time you load a fresh instance?? Correct me if I am wrong. With uhe stuff, it seems like it just remembers them. For how I work, it is pretty damn effective.

Is Zebra the same in this fashion?

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:44 am
by jlgrimes
ReplayAddicts wrote:I need some recommendations as to which VST I should buy. Please help!
I haven't used zebra but both Massive and FM8 are good synths. Both are complex but Massive IMO is more user friendly.

Massive is probably more contemporary edgy with some unique filters and modulation system.

Fm8 works almost backwards from a traditional subtractive synth.

There are great tutorials for both synths but Massive probably have a little more.


I'd vote Massive if you have very few synths.

If u are drowning with VAs, FM8 would be my second pick.

I think Zebra is modular which I have never really got into.

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:11 am
by outsidesys
The latest roundup from MusicRadar: http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/ ... day-262145

Massive, FM8, and Zebra are listed, which can give you an idea of how they compare to each other, and to many others.

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:55 am
by think2x
Zebra 2 is the most underrated VST of all time, in my humble opinion. Barely anyone ever mentions it but it is so tremendously powerful, yet simple and intuitive at the same time. The overall idea behind the UI is genius. You can make it be as simple and as complex as you want it to be. Honestly though, I wish they provided more comprehensive resources on how to use all of the modules. The modules are very deep and can be extremely complex--but again, only if you desire that level of complexity. I wish more people used it and there were more beginner friendly tuts out there for it. The NI stuff is a lot better in this area.

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:23 am
by UncleAge
@OP: Why these three?

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:40 am
by tone61
And which VSTs do you have already?

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:54 am
by ReplayAddicts
tone61 wrote:And which VSTs do you have already?
I have none, but I am looking to buy one of them, which is why I asked the question

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:54 am
by deva
Which synth you buy also depends on what your needs are and what sort of sounds you like and what synths you already have. Without knowing any of that, here are my own thoughts.

I have all 3 but Zebra is the one I use all the time. It is my favorite.

Of the 3, Zebra is the most versatile and covers the widest range of sounds. In Zebra you can draw or import your own waveforms. You can create your own wavetables. You can do additive, FM, and some physical modeling with the comb modules which are far and away the best in a softsynth today. Zebra's semi modular design and huge toolset means you can structure a sound in ways neither of the other two you mention can match. Zebra has a simple serial #, is really solid and the EULA allows multiple installs as long as it is just you using it. There are many free and commercial soundsets for Zebra which cover a wide range of music styles. The Zebra demo loads and saves presets so you can really work with it before deciding. Zebra also has ongoing development so new tech finds its way into it. In the time I have had it, it has had 2-3 paid upgrades worth of new features and presets added, but at no additional cost. Best synth investment I have made.

If you most want hard aggressive sounds, Massive is the better choice in that area. The Gui is excellent.

FM8, I'd rather have Zebra for many FM sounds. For example, classic DX style FM sounds I think Zebra sounds better

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:02 am
by ReplayAddicts
UncleAge wrote:@OP: Why these three?
If you have any other recommendations that you feel would be better than these, please tell me! I would be happy to do some more research on the topic since I am just beginning to produce music.

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 5:56 am
by K1D1M35N
Sylenth is worth a try, espcially if you'r looking for sounds used on today's dance floors.

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:42 pm
by mbakirov
my selection is tubeohm alpha-ray.
it is easy to understand on the screens how the filter is moving and affected by stuff like LFO or envelope.

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:57 pm
by Evengy
@replayaddicts

do you have live suite or standard? whats with your sounddesign skills? if you have suite i recommend to use operator and/or analog to learn sounddesign and add zebra 2 sooner or later!

Re: Massive vs FM8 vs Zebra 2?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:43 pm
by UncleAge
ReplayAddicts wrote:
UncleAge wrote:@OP: Why these three?
If you have any other recommendations that you feel would be better than these, please tell me! I would be happy to do some more research on the topic since I am just beginning to produce music.
I would have preferred to make recommendations based on your likes/needs rather than just stating a favorite synth. It's pretty easy to make a good argument for buying any one of those three. I've owned each of them at some time or another.

With that said... Since you are new and you are still in research mode (which is a good thing) I would think that having a well rounded synth would be a plus. Out of the bunch listed I would take a long look at Zebra first. Out of the bunch not listed I'd take a long look at Predator. And if I had the suite version of Live I'd spend some extended hours with Operator before I bought anything.

Also, I'll offer this advice... Learn all your tools inside and out. A lot of the plugins look tasty. However, after you learn a bit of sound design and what you need as an artist, you come to realize that you quite often can reach your goals with just a few tools.

And don't overlook the free stuff! Stuff like Zebralette, Synth1, CM versions of a bunch of synths and more... That list is huge and it will allow you to look into various forms of synthesis for free.