Review: Cakewalk Z3TA+2 Synthesizer Plugin

Cakewalk Z3TA+2 Review

Are you a big fan of virtual instruments? If yes, then today you are lucky. Z3TA+2 is a virtual synthesizer that was created by the company Cakewalk. Z3TA+2 is one of the most popular plug-ins, and most likely you’ve heard of it. It is indispensable in certain music genres.

At the moment, Z3TA+2 ranks as the 38th in the best virtual instruments top. You might say that being the 38th isn’t really such a success. Believe me that it is a real performance, ranking so high on a market where there are hundreds or thousands of similar products.

There are free VSTs and premium VSTs, and the competition takes place between the premium ones.

Next, I’ll present you the main features of Z3TA+2 synth plugin, what includes and what you can do with it.

Z3TA’s Design

The way a VST looks is fundamental. The design of this plug-in is very modern and attractive. Z3TA+2’s GUI is very polished, and it fits in my FL Studio interface like a glove.

Oscillators

Z3TA has 6 oscillators, a feature that gives a lot of possibilities for sound design and synthesis. Imagine what you could do with so many of them (most VSTs have just 3 or 4 oscillators).

I know a handful of tools that have 4 oscillators. The cool fact is that the oscillators interact with each other, thus being an ingenious method of synthesis. The oscillators are the most important parts of a VST synth plugin because all the sounds and sound libraries are generated by these oscillators.

Volume Envelope

Even the oldest synthesizers have those volume parameters. Some synthesizers represent these parameters as a percentage. In those you can, for example, set the decay at 50%. What does that mean? It’s not specific enough for an advanced user.

These parameters should be expressed as seconds, and Z3TA+2 allows you to set them this way. This is a huge advantage as a sound-designer!

The Volume Control Envelope is very flexible. Here are the Master Envelope parameters of this plug-in: Delay, Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release.

Filters

There are different tools for filtering, but most synths have their own parameters for doing it.

Here are Z3TA’s filter parameters: CutOff, Resonance, Panning and Level.

The 2 filters can be synced. When you modify the first one using the sync option you also change the second one.

LFOs

LFO stands for Low-Frequency Oscillator

You have 6 LFOs at your disposal. By using them, you can modulate the sound in any way you want to.

64 Polyphony

The number of polyphonies represents the amount of sounds that can be generated simultaneously. Cakewalk Z3TA+2 can generate 64 sounds simultaneously. The number of possible outcomes from that is awesome.

Arpeggiator/Sequencer

I like embedded sequencers. The sequencer is a segment of a melodic line. In Z3ta you can create such segments of melodic line.

Effects

Z3TA+2 effects: Reverb, Delay, Distortion, Compressor and EQ Simulator.

Presets

I believe that you’ve made a pretty good impression of Z3TA+2, but can you use it if it has no sounds? Definitely not!

Z3TA+2 synth already comes with many included presets, but if you need new sounds, you can do some searching on the Internet. Those who create these presets are often generous and give them freely to those who are looking for new sounds for synths. After a fast search, I’ve found a lot of free presets. Just search on Google or YouTube for “free Z3TA presets” or “Z3TA+2 Presets download”.

These presets can be saved and imported in the .fxp file format.

If you will spend a lot of time, then you will learn a lot by experimenting. You should focus on the sound construction to create your own original sounds. You can use Z3ta to create awesome sounds.

You might be asking yourself what is the purpose of this VST? Why was it created? Here is what you can use it for:

Music production/Sound-engineering: This is the primary purpose of this product. Z3TA is a virtual tool dedicated for music production.
Movie soundtracks: Do you work in cinematography? You can use Z3TAto create your own soundtracks. It has a lot of features.
Gaming sound effects: Game creators need sound effects. In order to create these effects, they need the right tool.
Just for Fun: Maybe you are one of the producers that want to have fun with the sound. You are not a music producers and you don’t want to know technical details.

System Requirements

All synthesizers require some resources to run. You don’t need to worry though because Z3TA+2 plugin doesn’t have high requirements.

Here are the Windows requirements:

Windows XP (SP3), Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo or newer
Memory: Minimum 1 GB RAM
Disk space: 200MB
Formats: VST, Standalone Version (32 or 64Bit)

You should have more RAM though. 1GB is not enough and you also need a stronger processor to make sure that the VST runs smoothly.

Test Z3TA+2

If you’ve read so far then this VST has surely gotten your attention. You can try Z3TA+2 trial for 30 days.

The download process is very easy: just fill a form in which they ask you for your name, your e-mail address, and the country of origin.

Soon after you will receive an e-mail from Cakewalk containing 2 links: a download link for Windows and one for Mac. Install it in your PC, test it and see what it’s capable of.

The trial lasts 30 days. Enough time to test all it’s functions.

Do you want more? You can buy Z3TA+2 from the official Cakewalk site.

[author title=”Author” image=”https://www.producerspot.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/music-sensation-avatar.jpg”]Maryan – Blogger at Music Sensation / www.themusicsensation.com[/author]