The oscillators are joined by a pair of sample-based noise generators, and two Phase Modulation oscillators for FM-style treatments and interestingly, you can also add up to three analogue-style and/or further PM oscillators via the effects section. While it may not have achieved anything like the acclaim or genre-defining historic significance of its seminal predecessor, NI’s quirky flagship synthesiser largely eschews the face-melting aggression of the original Massive for a more nuanced approach that actually makes it the more viable option for deep, filmic sound design.ĭespite a reduction to two wavetable oscillators from Massive’s three, Massive X actually increases the overall scope of the instrument with many more wavetables than its forebear – over 170, including ‘remasters’ of the most popular originals – and a doubling of the number of signal-mangling oscillator modes to ten. It’s still one of the finest synths around for generating ear-catching modular arps and percolations, widescreen pads, cone-rumbling basses, futuristic keys and retro-tinged sci-fi FX. Also worth mentioning are the awesome Oscillator FX, bringing various forms of spectral processing to bear and the effects grid, which enables flexible routing through 21 lively processors – EQ, delay, compression, reverb, chorus, etc.Įven after a decade and a half, Zebra 2’s stripes show no sign of fading. Modules are racked up in the left (Generators) and right (Modulators) panels as they’re added, while the bottom panel houses the oscillator wave editors (up to 16 per wavetable), multi-stage envelopes, arpeggiator controls and other editors.
The central grid/mixer lets you freely connect up a wide variety of modules, including wavetable and FM oscillators, noise generators, multimode and comb filters, ring modulators, distortions and mixers while the modulation matrix affords access to a similarly broad array of mod sources. So what makes Zebra 2 such an indispensable cinematic sound design tool? In a nutshell, supreme versatility and knockout sonics. Indeed, all the patches used in those two classics are available in Hans Zimmer and Howard Scarr’s add-on sound pack, The Dark Zebra, which also includes a Zimmer-customised version of the synth itself, ZebraHZ.
Launched in 2007, Urs Heckman’s timeless semi-modular was one of the original plugin ‘power synths’, and is particularly well suited to large-scale movie work, as most famously demonstrated by its pervasive presence in the soundtracks to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.