Take a nostalgic journey with Sugar & Spice – a performance soundset comprising over 260 presets plus many XY variations. Drawing inspiration from the iconic stage keyboards and synths of the 80s and 90s, this collection blends classic charm with modern flexibility. While focussing on nuanced response to velocity and aftertouch for the seasoned keyboardist, Sugar & Spice also offers more dramatic morphing via the XY Pads – you will find over 100 examples in the XY Showcase folders.

Sugar & Spice unfolds in two parts: Sugar by the multi-talented Michael Cavallo, and Spice by u-he’s own Howard Scarr. The combined effort infuses this soundset with a wider variety of sonic flavours, tying into a tradition started by the Hive Science soundsets and continued in Metaphorium.

Oddvar - Spaceride

Founded in 2001 by industrial designer and synthesizer fan Urs Heckmann as a one-man show, the Berlin-based audio software company u-he has since evolved into a tightly knit team of employees, active associates and 3rd-party contractors – with ambitious plans.

Known primarily for Zebra2 and Diva, u-he has released several other successful products over the years, and has contributed freeware plug-ins to popular music technology magazines. Despite their underlying complexity, u-he synths and effects are widely acclaimed for their ease of use.

The u-he team has been exploring new technologies for vastly improved analogue synth and delay emulation, as well as various "physical modelling" approaches to acoustic instruments and effects. All valuable groundwork for the Zebra3 project and other spin-off products - watch this space!
Especially well known for the Zebra2 and Diva software synthesizers, u-he has developed several other successful products over the last decade, and regularly contributes freeware to popular magazines (available as download or on cover discs).

Despite their underlying complexity, u-he synths and effects are widely acclaimed for their ease of use. This is often attributed to Urs Heckmann's background as industrial designer. Heckmann sees the seemingly unconventional decision to start an audio software company as a direct result of his equal love for industrial design and for synthesizers.

Most recently, u-he has been exploring concepts for analogue synthesizers, and the first results can be heard in the software synths ACE / Bazille (audio-rate modulation paths) as well as Diva, Presswerk and Satin (accurate simulation of electronic circuitry). Hive is u-he's first foray into the world of low CPU dance-oriented synths.