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really been thinkin about getting one, does anyone who has it believe its worth it? tell me your favorite perks about it , ect..

Hi

I own a Virus TI Snow, which is basically the same synth with less voices. Normally I use it for pads, FX and Arps.
Forget about the TI (total integration). The syncronization is a big scam which can kill your workflow completely, depending on your PC/Mac.
Don't get me wrong, the Virus is an amazing sounding synth if you don't use its TI concept. Connect it via MIDI and use the good sounding analog outs instead the unsteady USB connection.

Cheers

JD

dopee

I ended up selling it and keeping my virus c.
The TI had lots of new features, but I didn't use any of them. I played with the atomizer for a few days, then never messed with it again.

I'll probably get a TI desktop again in the future once prices are down considerably, but I couldn't justify keeping it at its current price when I was much happier using my virus c/indigo2.

I too never bothered with the USB/Integration. It was buggy. I've heard they fixed a lot of the bugs since, but meh. So I guess I would say depending on what exactly you're looking for, you could easily be happy with one of the older models until the prices come down.

I prefer hands on programming, but if you want to use software to program it there's quite a few choices for VST interfaces.

i also have a ti snow. the atomizer i've never used, have plenty of plugins for this kind of glitching - and i don't need to do it live.

and whattt??!?!?! you all don't like the TI (you know, the whole point of the new TI line)? first of all, if you were having a problem - you should have read the manual, which tells you the exact asio settings to use to get the best results. i have mine plugged into my desktop at all times, and it's EXACTLY like using a plugin - seriously, it's the exact same as using massive or operator for me. also, you never have to save a patch, just save the set - and all the virus will recall those settings whenever you load it up, again, exactly like using a vst plug.

on that note, i love my snow (my baby). it's extremely smooth virtual analog - with amazing filters. they have tons of waveforms to play with wavetable and graintable settings, or just use the virus a-c VA waveforms, which always sound amazing.

on that note, you really have to decide if it's worth it to YOU. it's not going to turn you into a pro all the sudden, but there is something special about ANY access virus. if you don't want to use it as if it were a vst, then get an a-c.

Well, it wasn't an issue of reading the manual, I've owned Virus synths for many years and they have all been very similar. The TI was notoriously buggy when it was released. Access have a bit of a habit of releasing stuff with bugs. They do address the issues though, I did mention most of the major bugs seem to have been worked out since. And yes, you're right it's pretty much like using a plugin, which is why I wasn't interested in the TI feature. For me the reason to get hardware synths is to get away from computers, so integrating it isn't what I was interested in. The standalone synth itself was amazing of course, but still similar to the C besides the new features which someone may or may not use. That's why I mentioned it depends on what he wants to do.

A while back I was really intent on getting a TI desktop... but I was going to wait until they dropped in price and then the interest slowly faded. One still may be in my future, what kind of major bugs did you have with it? Were they really a dealbreaker?

I bought a TI this year, i'm still undecided as to whether it was a good buy or not. On the plus side, it sounds nice, is very well made and good fun to use. When using the virus to generate sound, my cpu is on 0%. So i can put the virus on multi mode and have it playing 3-4 parts with 0 cpu use.

But some things are annoying - for example you can't detune oscillators by a set amount of cents, you need to detune osc 2 from osc 1. To get simple effects can be time consuming and tricky, such as tremelo. I'd need to assign lfo's in the mod matrix for tremelo. Some of the lfo's retrigger, some don't. Some can be assigned to this parameter but not that parameter. Some values are in %, some are in a value between -64 and +64 or something like that. You can't type in values in the interface, there is also no drag and drop style stuff. So if you're used to massive, the VC interface sucks as its a bit dated compared to vst's. And its definitely not the easiest synth to program, i find myself constantly hunting through menus trying to modulate something. I suppose that i'll get used to it in time. Oh and the manual really sucks. On the plus side, there's a ton of support online, nothing you can't find out with a bit of searching.

The virus control is almost like a vst. You have to export in real time, as there is no such thing as a quick bounce with hardware. Apart from that, it acts just like a vst except you have the added bonus of a load of hardware controls on the virus. The version of the software i'm using runs 100% fine, no bugs. I had a few kinks that i worked out when installing, apart from that no problems.

On the one hand, its great fun and addictive. On the other hand, i'm thinking that software can do almost anything now, and i'm not sure if the virus is worth the 2k when put in perspective. Nothing in software can do exactly what the virus does, but plenty of vst's can do equally a good job of making crazy sounds and good music.

Coolschmid wrote:A while back I was really intent on getting a TI desktop... but I was going to wait until they dropped in price and then the interest slowly faded. One still may be in my future, what kind of major bugs did you have with it? Were they really a dealbreaker?

Not a deal breaker in themselves, but it was that mixed with already owning a virus c, access to a virus a, and the TI's high price tag. I certainly didn't want to sell the rock solid indigo2 workhorse.

.Most of the bugs seemed to stem from USB. There was crashing, sync problems, odd random changes to sounds, audio dropouts and blasts of noise. It seemed better when using it without USB or just using USB purely for sound editing and a traditional MIDI/TRS connection for sync and audio.


Keep in mind that there has been several OS updates since then so a lot is no doubt fixed. I have heard there are still some kinks that vary from user to user depending on DAW and setup. Access is a great company and still rolling out updates.

Check http://www.infekted.org for more issues and fixes. A few Access people post there too, or used to anyway.

I have a TI desktop which I was lucky enough to buy off a friend for about half the normal price. TI integration works fine (tho I've had problems in the past but the latest drivers work fine) I use it all the time via USB, infact I tend to program using the VST/AU interface and a mouse rather than actually use the knobs which of course is fucking stupid and a sin but I'm use to tweaking VSTs rather than real knobs so its difficult to brake this habit. The quality of the sounds is great but a little difficult to program. Not sure its worth the full price tag but if you found a good deal second hand would be worth it.

I Wanna use it as both a vst and hardware, i want automation integration, and to be able to make new sounds and see what im doing on my screen and on my hardware, with that said, which is better suited for my needs?

Promise One wrote:I have a TI desktop which I was lucky enough to buy off a friend for about half the normal price. TI integration works fine (tho I've had problems in the past but the latest drivers work fine) I use it all the time via USB, infact I tend to program using the VST/AU interface and a mouse rather than actually use the knobs which of course is fucking stupid and a sin but I'm use to tweaking VSTs rather than real knobs so its difficult to brake this habit. The quality of the sounds is great but a little difficult to program. Not sure its worth the full price tag but if you found a good deal second hand would be worth it.

tune in your sig is dope, did you use virus for any sounds in there?

Rebel wrote:

Promise One wrote:I have a TI desktop which I was lucky enough to buy off a friend for about half the normal price. TI integration works fine (tho I've had problems in the past but the latest drivers work fine) I use it all the time via USB, infact I tend to program using the VST/AU interface and a mouse rather than actually use the knobs which of course is fucking stupid and a sin but I'm use to tweaking VSTs rather than real knobs so its difficult to brake this habit. The quality of the sounds is great but a little difficult to program. Not sure its worth the full price tag but if you found a good deal second hand would be worth it.

tune in your sig is dope, did you use virus for any sounds in there?

Cheers, not for that track as its a remix so most of the sounds were stems apart from stuff I added. All my other releases feature it, usually growling, dirty sounds and pads mainly.

Rebel wrote:I Wanna use it as both a vst and hardware, i want automation integration, and to be able to make new sounds and see what im doing on my screen and on my hardware, with that said, which is better suited for my needs?

Well it pretty much does all of that, automation will record as normal in any DAW. You can see what's happening on the screen but I find seeing everything on the VST easier as you can see far more all at once.

bassinine wrote:i also have a ti snow. the atomizer i've never used, have plenty of plugins for this kind of glitching - and i don't need to do it live.

and whattt??!?!?! you all don't like the TI (you know, the whole point of the new TI line)? first of all, if you were having a problem - you should have read the manual, which tells you the exact asio settings to use to get the best results. i have mine plugged into my desktop at all times, and it's EXACTLY like using a plugin - seriously, it's the exact same as using massive or operator for me. also, you never have to save a patch, just save the set - and all the virus will recall those settings whenever you load it up, again, exactly like using a vst plug.

on that note, i love my snow (my baby). it's extremely smooth virtual analog - with amazing filters. they have tons of waveforms to play with wavetable and graintable settings, or just use the virus a-c VA waveforms, which always sound amazing.

on that note, you really have to decide if it's worth it to YOU. it's not going to turn you into a pro all the sudden, but there is something special about ANY access virus. if you don't want to use it as if it were a vst, then get an a-c.

With that being said, would you rather own a Desktop or are you happy with your Snow?

My mother inlaw bought me one as a present last year.I had a virus c and got the ti when it came out but sold both to buy other stuff.I can honestly say when i had my c and my first ti i didn't know a lot about synthesis so couldn't really get the sort of sound i was after.Now though i am hooked,it is a beast of a synth and does sound amazing.I have the keyboard version now and find it integrates with logic really well.In my opinion it's worth adding to any setup but is a bit pricey.If i was to have bought it myself i would have definitely got the desktop version because the keyboard is huge.
Best feature for me so far is being able to use the arpeggiator to modulate filters,pitch....etc
Hours of fun.It is pricey but worth it if your going to use it heavily.

lloydy wrote:My mother inlaw bought me one as a present last year.I had a virus c and got the ti when it came out but sold both to buy other stuff.I can honestly say when i had my c and my first ti i didn't know a lot about synthesis so couldn't really get the sort of sound i was after.Now though i am hooked,it is a beast of a synth and does sound amazing.I have the keyboard version now and find it integrates with logic really well.In my opinion it's worth adding to any setup but is a bit pricey.If i was to have bought it myself i would have definitely got the desktop version because the keyboard is huge.
Best feature for me so far is being able to use the arpeggiator to modulate filters,pitch....etc
Hours of fun.It is pricey but worth it if your going to use it heavily.

Have you heard of the Virus TI Snow? It's even smaller than the desktop and you control it with your DAW/MIDI keyboard.

BassQemistry wrote:

lloydy wrote:My mother inlaw bought me one as a present last year.I had a virus c and got the ti when it came out but sold both to buy other stuff.I can honestly say when i had my c and my first ti i didn't know a lot about synthesis so couldn't really get the sort of sound i was after.Now though i am hooked,it is a beast of a synth and does sound amazing.I have the keyboard version now and find it integrates with logic really well.In my opinion it's worth adding to any setup but is a bit pricey.If i was to have bought it myself i would have definitely got the desktop version because the keyboard is huge.
Best feature for me so far is being able to use the arpeggiator to modulate filters,pitch....etc
Hours of fun.It is pricey but worth it if your going to use it heavily.

Have you heard of the Virus TI Snow? It's even smaller than the desktop and you control it with your DAW/MIDI keyboard.

Same with the keyboard version.All the ti range are the same just different sizes.

I used to have a Virus TI Snow, but like so many hardware synths I sold it because it wasn't as good as Omnisphere!
The famous hyper-saw was the most disappointing aspect of my Virus experience. The effects are very good, but that's not enough

I wouldn't recommend buying a Virus under any circumstances (but then again I bought mine against the recommendations of a previous Virus-owner!)

Here is a list of every synth I've ever owned:
MicroKorg (original)
MicroKorg XL (not XL+)
Korg Radias
Korg R3
Korg MicroSampler
Access Virus TI Snow
Nord Electro 3 73
Nord Lead 2 (not X)
Roland Sonic Cell
Novation Bass Station
Novation Xiosynth 49
Novation Ultranova
Novation A-Station
KorgElectribe EA-1 mk2
Korg Electribe ER-1 mk2
Korg Triton LE61
Korg X5DR
Korg X5
Korg X5Dr

Total integration is worth every euros. Just plug usb and you are ready to go and it sounds great. Buy a second hand one not new.

How hard is it to get an original bass sound out of a virus ?

From what iv seen and heard they seem a lot better to use for trance, dance etc, but a lot bass music producers use them too, right ?