The tyrant with three voices,
two filters, and 174 ways
to make them move.
Zorba carries the warmth and soul of classic analog machines but isn't boxed in by their original architecture. Three oscillators with waveforms that morph from saw to pulse to triangle to sine. Two independent multimode filters that can run in parallel, follow each other, or chain together. An arpeggiator with a five-step accent system that drifts in and out of phase with your chord. Be a Juno on your first patch, a Jupiter on your second, and something neither could dream of on your third.
3
Oscillators
2
Filters · 4 Modes
3
Envelopes
2
LFOs
174
Mod Routes
5-Step
Accent System
01 · Interface
The interactive panel
Hover any control
Click the VCO tabs (1, 2, 3), VCF tabs (1, 2), EG tabs (1, 2, 3), and LFO tabs (1, 2) to swap between voice states. Zorba's panel updates the same way the real plugin does. Hover any knob, button, or switch to see what it does. Click to pin the description.
State
Category
Name
Sub
Desc
Tip Click the VCO, VCF, EG, and LFO state buttons above to swap panels exactly the way the plugin does. The interactive panel reflects the actual layout. Same tabs, same controls, same routing.
Tap any control on the panel above to see details.
Be a Juno on your first patch, a Jupiter on your second, and something neither could dream of on your third.
02 · Architecture
Signal flow & filter routing
Three parallel paths
A sound in Zorba starts at the oscillators and travels through the filters to the VCA. There are three parallel paths that meet at the voice amplifier. And the way the two filters talk to each other is what opens up Zorba's most interesting territory.
VCF1 → VCF2 Mode
Path 1
Oscillators (VCO1 + VCO2 + VCO3) → VCF1 with its own pan → VCA
Path 2
Oscillators → VCF2 with its own pan → VCA
Path 3
Noise generator (HPF + LPF + Pan) → VCA · always independent, never passes through VCF1/2
Mode · OFF
Filters fully independent. Use this for two different sound layers. VCO1 through low-pass VCF1 and VCO2 through band-pass VCF2 for a formant lead.
03 · First Patch
Six steps to a playable sound
From silence to song
The first patch you load is already playable. Zorba's defaults are pre-wired. But here's the order of decisions to think through if you're building from scratch, or shaping an existing patch into something new.
1
Source
Pick the oscillators
Start with VCO1 as the main voice. Choose Range, Tune, and Wave morph. Add VCO2 for chorus thickness (detune by ±0.004) or as an FM modulator. Bring in VCO3 only when you need sub.
2
Routing
Decide split or parallel
Send each VCO to VCF1, VCF2, both, or split (one to each filter). Split routing with filter pan ±0.35 gives you about 5× more stereo width than parallel. The default for pads, strings, ensembles.
3
Tone
Shape the filter
Set the filter mode and cutoff. Add EG2 Amount for envelope-driven brightness. 5–10% for warm, 15–25% for obvious sweeps, 30%+ for aggressive. Push resonance into Zone 2 for singing tones.
4
Time
Carve the envelopes
EG1 for volume shape (attack/release define the feel). EG2 for filter motion (independent decay). Assign EG3 in the Mod Matrix to whatever the other two can't reach. FM depth, wave morph, noise level.
5
Motion
Add LFO movement
LFO1 is your vibrato (always MONO, pre-routed to VCO1 Tune with Mod Wheel as intensity). LFO2 for chorus. Set MONO, ~0.5 Hz, route to VCO2 Tune and VCF Pan in opposite directions. Remember: Depth must be above zero.
6
Touch
Connect performance
Mod Wheel, Aftertouch, Velocity, and Arp Accent are all routable. Try Aftertouch → VCF Cutoff + LFO Rate + FM Amount at once. A single press delivers a complex musical change. Add reverb to taste.
04 · Voice
Oscillators · the source
Where every sound begins
Most classic synths gave you one or two waveforms selected by a switch. Zorba's continuous wave morph on VCO1 and VCO2 slides between four shapes. Somewhere between saw and pulse there's a tone that's neither, and it belongs to Zorba.
VCO 1 & VCO 2 · primary voices
Workhorses
The two main oscillators. They share the same continuously morphable waveform, independent tuning, dual filter routing, and can frequency-modulate each other. VCO1 hosts the FM Mode switch and Amount; VCO2 adds Hard Sync, Phase Trigger, and Key-Off for fixed-pitch modulation duty.
HYBRID ZONE 0.50–0.60. Bright odd-harmonic territory unique to Zorba
RANGE 32′ / 16′ / 8′ / 4′ / 2′ (organ pipe footage, lower number = higher pitch)
TUNE ±12 semitones; tiny values for chorus detune, semitones for intervals
Tip Route EG3 to VCO Wave with a negative amount. The note starts close to sine and opens into richer harmonics as the envelope decays. A reverse-brightness effect no filter can produce.
VCO 3 · sub oscillator
Independent voice
VCO3's primary job is to reinforce the low end. Its 64′ range reaches an octave below what VCO1 or VCO2 can produce. Fully independent: its own Tune knob (±12 semitones), its own VCF1/VCF2 routing switches, its own Trigger button. Four fixed waveforms (Saw, Square, Triangle, Sine), no morph, no PW.
RANGE 64′ / 32′ / 16′ / 8′ / 4′. Five positions, no OFF (use Gain at −40 dB or routing switches off to mute)
TUNE ±12 semitones, fully independent. Unison sub (0), perfect fifth (+7), or detuned chorus partner
ROUTING own VCF1/VCF2 switches. Split routing for stereo width or send through both filters
SUB ROLE Sine or Triangle at 32′ around −18 dB for low-end reinforcement
ORGAN ROLE Sine at 8′ or 4′ to add Hammond-style upper partials
Noise generator
Fourth source
A separate engine with its own HPF, LPF (each with resonance), Pan, and Level. Bypasses both main filters entirely. Push the resonance to 0.85–0.95 and the filters select a pitched band out of broadband noise. Turning hiss into a tunable instrument.
Sentinel Noise Level at −90 dB disables the engine entirely. Mod Matrix routes can't bring it back. For EG3-only audibility, leave Level at −40 dB.
FM · frequency modulation
VCO2 → VCO1
VCO2 vibrates fast enough at audio rates to shift VCO1's pitch hundreds of times per second. New harmonics appear that neither oscillator produces alone. Bells, electric pianos, brass edge, metallic textures, all without samples or wavetables.
LIN Linear FM. Clean, harmonic sidebands; usable range 2–6 on the GUI
X-MOD Cross-Modulation. Exponential, beating, aggressive, the JP-8 sound
VCO2 GAIN doesn't affect FM depth. Only the FM Amount knob does
PURE MODULATOR Turn both VCO2 routing switches OFF for clean FM bell tones
Aliasing FM produces harmonics far above the audio range. Run sessions at 96 kHz for clean FM patches across the full keyboard.
05 · Tone
Filters · the color envelope
Two filters · four modes
Both filters are based on the 904-F State Variable Filter design and share the same controls. Each can run independently, follow the other's cutoff, or chain into the other's input. The cutoff uses a non-linear taper modeled after Moog hardware: actual cutoff ≈ knob value × 1.421.
Filter modes
Per filter
LP · 24 dB/oct warm pads, basses, classic leads
BP vocal formants, nasal mids, wah-style tones
HP · 24 dB/oct thin leads sitting above a mix
NOTCH phaser-like effects, broad timbral scooping
Linking modes
VCF1 → VCF2
OFF Independent. Two parallel layers (LP + BP for formants, etc.)
FOLLOW VCF2 cutoff tracks VCF1. One gesture moves both at fixed spacing
SERIES VCF1 → VCF2 audio chain. LP→HP for bandpass with separate cutoffs
Note In SERIES mode VCF1's Pan is grayed out (signal centers into VCF2). The Noise path is always independent.
EG2 · the color envelope
Hardwired to both
Each filter has its own EG2 Amount knob. The immediate, fast way to shape filter motion without going through the Mod Matrix. The Sustain stage decides whether the filter holds bright on a sustained note or closes back down even while you keep holding.
5–10% gentle warming, barely noticeable but alive
15–25% obvious sweep. Pluck, brass stab
30%+ aggressive. Acid bass, dramatic patches
Resonance · four zones of character
Zorba's resonance feedback runs through a transformer saturation stage modeled on classic analog behavior. Turning resonance up takes the filter through four distinct regions, each with its own sound. And Zone 4 produces a death-and-rebirth motion no other synth makes.
Clean
Sing
Saturation
Black Hole
1 Clean
0–44%
Gentle emphasis at the cutoff. Normal filter behavior. For most patches, stay here or in early Zone 2.
2 Self-oscillation
44–56%
The filter sings a pure sine tone at the cutoff. Singing leads, sine-lead hybrids, breathy whistle tones.
3 Saturation
56–89%
Transformer drives into thick, aggressive character. Like an MS-10 screaming filter. Acid bass, screaming leads. Pitch sag of 1+ octave at peak.
4 Black Hole
90%+
Signal momentarily disappears as the transformer locks up, then rebounds in a death-and-rebirth arc. Pads, drones, FX. A texture only Zorba produces.
06 · Movement
Envelopes & LFOs
Three envelopes · two LFOs
Three envelopes split the work: EG1 shapes volume, EG2 shapes brightness, EG3 reaches anywhere else through the Mod Matrix. Two LFOs add slow movement. LFO1 for unison vibrato, LFO2 for per-voice scatter and chorus.
EG 1 · volume
Hardwired → VCA
Shapes how loud the note is over time. Every change to EG1 changes the basic feel. Pluck vs swell, percussive vs sustained, piano vs pad. The envelope you hear most directly.
PLUCK fast attack, moderate decay, low sustain
BRASS 30–80 ms attack, high sustain
PAD 100–300 ms attack, high sustain, long release
EG 2 · color
Hardwired → both VCFs
Shapes brightness over time. Independent of EG1. You can have a flat-volume note that gets progressively darker (long EG2 decay to zero sustain), or a soft attack that's bright and then fades into a dark sustain.
EACH FILTER has its own EG2 Amount knob (separate for VCF1 / VCF2)
SUSTAIN = 0 filter closes during held notes (plucks, stabs)
SUSTAIN HIGH filter stays bright as long as you hold (pads)
EG 3 · wildcard
20 Mod Matrix targets
The free envelope. Not hardwired to anything. Assign in the Mod Matrix to FM depth, pulse width, noise level, oscillator pitch, waveform morph, secondary filter envelope, LFO depth/rate, and more.
EG3 → NOISE LEVEL click and breath transients on plucks
EG3 → FM AMOUNT bells with metallic bloom that cleans up
EG3 → VCO WAVE waveform evolution over a note's life
EG3 → VCF RES Black Hole pad with slow decay
LFO 1 · always MONO
Primary vibrato
Single global instance. Every voice receives the same LFO motion at the same time. Pre-routed to VCO1 Tune with Mod Wheel as intensity. Push the wheel for vibrato that builds.
RATE 0.01–30 Hz free-run, or 30 sync divisions
SHAPE Triangle · Sine · Square · Sample & Hold
DELAY 0–5 s fade-in for natural vibrato build-up
LFO 2 · POLY by default
MONO toggle
Each voice gets its own LFO instance with independent phase. The organic per-voice scatter that gives pads their alive feel. Set MONO for chorus, ensemble, and breathing patches where you want all voices moving as one.
JUNO-60 CHORUS I MONO, ~0.51 Hz, ~9 cents pitch mod
JUNO-60 CHORUS II MONO, ~0.86 Hz, ~11 cents
JP-8 CHORUS I MONO, ~1.3 Hz, ~27 cents
JP-8 CHORUS II MONO, ~2.11 Hz, ~41 cents
Important LFO Depth knob must be above zero for any Mod Matrix route from that LFO to take effect. Even 0.01 is enough. But zero silences the entire LFO output.
Tremolo & Vibrato For tremolo (amplitude pulse), route an LFO to VCA Out. One slot, all oscillators move together. For vibrato (pitch wobble), route an LFO to Master Tune. One slot instead of three separate VCO Tune routes, all oscillators in perfect unison.
Arpeggiator · 5-step accent
Polymetric magic
The accent pattern loops independently of your chord. Hold a 4-note chord with 3 accent steps and the pattern takes 12 notes to repeat. The groove keeps shifting, producing motion you didn't program. Default accent target is VCF Cutoff (rhythmic brightness), but it's routable to 14 destinations.
ACCENT TARGETS VCF Cutoff/Res, FM Amount, VCO Gain (sidechain pump), Noise Level (hi-hat-style burst)
WORKS WHEN ARP IS OFF the accent still fires on every played note
07 · Modulation
The matrix · 174 routes
10 sources · 38 unique targets
Click any source to see its targets. Stars mark the default routings. The routes pre-wired so the first patch you load already feels playable. Multiple sources can target the same parameter; their contributions sum. There are no slot limits.
Star marks Zorba's default pre-wired routings. Already active on the first patch.
Zorba's tyrant is the part that says: bring me three oscillators, two filters, and 174 routes, and I'll give you back a single instrument that sounds like your hand on the wheel.
08 · Patches
Sound design recipes
Ten starting points
Use these as the first move in a sound-design session, not as finished patches. Every one of them rewards tweaking. The recipes here are condensed; the user guide has full step-by-step versions.
01
Warm Analog Pad
breathing · stereo · juno-flavored
VCO1 Saw 8′ · VCO2 Pulse, detune +0.008
SPLIT VCO1→VCF1, VCO2→VCF2, pan ±0.35
LFO2 MONO 0.51 Hz → VCO2 Tune + VCO2 PWM
ETHER noise at −28 dB for air
EG1 ~100 ms attack, high sustain, ~800 ms release
EG2 medium attack, low amount (0.10–0.15)
02
80s Brass
jupiter-style stab
VCO1 + VCO2 Saw, unison, detune +0.004
FM Linear, Amount ~3 for metallic edge
EG2 fast attack, strong cutoff amount, sustain 0
EG1 fast attack, high sustain
ROUTE Aftertouch → VCF Cutoff for swells
03
Bell FM Tone
electric piano · clean carrier
VCO1 Sine (carrier)
VCO2 Sine, Key-Off ON (fixed modulator)
FM Linear, Amount 3–6
EG1 fast attack, medium decay, low sustain
ROUTE EG3 → FM Amount, fast attack/decay (bloom)
96 kHz session rate to avoid FM aliasing
04
Minimal Techno Arp
polymetric · evolving
Lead-type patch (VCO1 Saw, LP filter, fast EG1)
ARP ON, Up direction, sync 1/16
ACCENT 3 steps · pattern FULL / OFF / HALF
ROUTE Accent → FM Amount for metallic pulses
Hold a 4-note chord for polymetric drift
05
Ensemble Strings
lush · stereo · BBD haze
VCO1 Saw · VCO2 Pulse, detune +0.008
SPLIT routing, pan ±0.35
LFO2 MONO 0.51 Hz (Chorus I), depth ~0.68
ETHER noise −28 dB, HPF 400, LPF 8 kHz
EG1 ~100 ms attack, ~800 ms release
EG2 gentle, low amount (0.08–0.12)
06
Classic Sub Bass
deep · focused · monophonic
VCO1 Pulse (width ~0.5)
VCO3 Sine, 32′, gain −18 dB
VCF LP, low cutoff (~400–600 Hz)
VOICE Mono mode
GLIDE Legato + Rate type, moderate time
07
Vocal Formant Pad
choir · vowel · linked filters
Both VCOs: Pulse waveform
VCF1 → VCF2 FOLLOW mode
Both filters Band-Pass, resonance 35–50 (mid-Zone 1)
Hold the modifier and click or hover a supported knob to send it momentarily to a reference value. Knob turns gray; release returns it. A fast A/B tool. Hold to hear "without," release to hear "with."
Mac⌘+⌥WindowsCtrl+Alt
KnobBypassEffect
VCO1 Gain−40 dBMutes VCO1
VCO2 Gain−40 dBMutes VCO2 (kills FM if VCO2 is modulator)
VCO3 Gain−40 dBMutes the sub oscillator
Noise Level−90 dBMutes the noise generator
VCA OUT0 dBUnity. Useful for level matching
Plate Decay0% (OFF)Bypasses the reverb circuit entirely
Noise HPF Res0.71Returns to flat (no resonant peak)
Noise LPF Res0.71Returns to flat (no resonant peak)
Panel Copy Shortcuts
Right-click directly on the panel's title (the bold name at the top of the panel, like "VCO," "LFO," "EG") and choose "Copy from [other panel]" to mirror all settings in one action. Right-clicking on the knobs themselves does nothing. The fast way to match VCO1 → VCO2 for unison, or duplicate envelope shapes between EG1 / EG2 / EG3.
Zorba ships with factory presets organized into categories. You can save your own patches into the same browser, organize them with folders, and back everything up by copying files. The Preset Manager toolbar at the top of the plugin gives you all the actions you need.
Preset Manager. Hover any element
New Folder
Save
Save As
Rename
Delete
Close
★ Favorites
▾ Presets
Folder A
Folder B
Folder C
Folder D
Folder E
Folder F
★Preset 01
☆Preset 02
★Preset 03
☆Preset 04
Hover any element above for description…
Factory vs user presets
When installing an update, the installer will overwrite factory presets unless you deselect the Install Presets option during installation. Your own user presets are never affected by updates. To protect any modifications you have made to factory presets, save them with new names using Save As in the preset browser before updating.
Backing up presets
Presets are stored as files on your computer and can be backed up by copying them to any location. They live alongside the user guide:
You can organize, rename, or create folders and subfolders directly in the file system, and all changes will appear automatically in the Preset Manager.
Tip The preset browser captures keyboard focus while open, which means the spacebar will not pass through to your DAW transport. To audition presets in context, start playback in your DAW first, then open the preset browser and navigate. Playback continues uninterrupted while you browse.
— 10 · Pro Tools
Pro Tools preset management
two settings to configure
Pro Tools handles plugin preset management differently from most other DAWs. To ensure Zorba's internal preset system works seamlessly with Pro Tools' own preset management, configure these two settings once. Both are accessed from the Preset drop-down menu in Zorba's header bar inside Pro Tools.
1
Set plugin default behavior
Open the Preset drop-down menu, then navigate to Settings Preferences ➜ Set Plug-In Default to ➜ User Setting. This ensures that Zorba recalls your most recent or user-defined settings instead of reverting to the factory default every time the plugin is inserted.
2
Save presets to session folder
Open the Preset menu again and go to Settings Preferences ➜ Save Plug-In Settings to ➜ Session Folder. This stores all custom Zorba settings inside the current Pro Tools session folder rather than the global root settings directory. Useful when collaborating or moving sessions between systems, since your settings travel with the session.
— 11 · Uninstall
Uninstalling Zorba
manual file removal
Zorba does not include an automated uninstaller. To fully remove it, delete the plugin files from the appropriate plug-in directories for your platform. The Shared folder also holds the user guide and presets. Delete that last if you want to keep your custom patches.
Windows
VST3:C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Pulsar Modular
Locate the Zorba.vst3 folder and delete it.
AAX:C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\Pulsar Modular
Locate the Zorba.aaxplugin folder and delete it.
Shared:C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pulsar Modular
Locate the Zorba folder and delete it. This folder contains the user guide and presets. If no other folders exist under Pulsar Modular, this can be deleted as well.
macOS
AU:/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
Locate the Zorba.component file and delete it.
VST3:/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Pulsar Modular
Locate the Zorba.vst3 file and delete it.
AAX:/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/Pulsar Modular
Locate the Zorba.aaxplugin folder and delete it.
Shared:/Users/Shared/Pulsar Modular
Locate the Zorba folder and delete it. This folder contains the user guide and presets. If no other folders exist under Pulsar Modular, this can be deleted as well.