Access Virus Ti desktop - still relevant?

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

Hey folks,

Just looking for some advice, especially those with experience using the Access Virus TI desktop model please.

I have been in love with the sound of these synths since I first got into drum and bass in the mid 90s by artists like Roni Size.

One came up in mint condition in my area for $1500CDN and I am thinking seriously of buying it. I am just not sure I need this version or just the Virus C which would be much cheaper. This unit is in mint shape and the owner is an older gentleman that seems very nice to deal with.

Right now I mostly make reggae influenced bass music from dub to dubstep to halftime and jungle.

My current setup is the grey trinity - so I don’t really need this unit - but would be using it for pads, drones, and leads.

What do you guys and gals think?

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Access virus TI to Octatrack (Any advice/Protips)?
#2

I will never let my Virus Polar go because it is one of the best synths I’ve ever had the fortune to own.

The front panel is excellent. It’s one of the few synths I’ve been able to come back to after sometimes years away and still just “get.” IMO it sounds awesome and is extremely powerful. I’ve had years of experience with it and sometimes feel like I’ve yet to scratch the surface of what you can do with it.

I have used the TI aspect in the past, but I don’t know how stable it is nowadays, etc. I always preferred using it “old school” - analog outs and front panel style.

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#3

Thanks for the quick reply - I too would be using it as just hardware and then recording into my DAW through a mixer if I need to make it into a track.

I guess I’m not sure if I need the TI version over the B or the C which do not have the audio over USB thing which I do not need.

Is the difference HUGE between the TI and the other models - I realize that there are way more voices and some better effects - but the price is almost double here in Canada for a used TI ($1500) over a used C ($800).

#4

I have the desktop version and it’s simply amazing. I use it mainly for lush pads. The supersaw wave is incredible.
Good basses too if you don’t crank the filter resonance too much, in which case the filter sounds too digital imo; this is no prob with pads because you don’t really need a resonant filter in most cases.
You have literally hundreds of free patches at your disposal.
It’s hard to get wrong with the virus.
Good luck :slight_smile:

#5

I bought a 61 key Ti2 after many years of lusting after them and loved the sound immediately.
Swapped to the desktop version to save space - it’s definitely a keeper for me.

#6

I’m waiting to take delivery of a brand new polar tomorrow. It’s still relevant to me

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#7

It’s not a perfect machine, but still one of my main work-horses in the studio.

Just wish that it were possible to easily edit the patches via the editor, without using the audio streaming Ti mode.

I’d like to sequence it via the MIDI port and edit patches on my Mac, but if the USB cable is connected, the MIDI input is disabled. :frowning:

Minor point - I never really liked the glide/porta on Virus. Never really sounded quite right, compared to say - Supernova2.

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#8

I have a desktop snow…

Still takes me to school after 10 years of owning it…

It is amazing and i could not do without it…and yes RELEVANT today…

Excellent pads, growling vowel basses, arpeggiated glitched loops. Supper saw leads…

It says Virtual Analogue which is dumb because its not even close…but is a thing of its own…and shines at what that thing is…

You would still need an actual analogue if you wanted those sounds…

I would get a TI a hundred times over…

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#9

Also i dont have an ot but have a A4mkii and ARmkii, with a DT instead of the OT…

The virus will cover so much territory that your grey trinity doesnt cover…and sits in a totally different space.

And versitile, it can get aggressive and angry as hell having you bang your head with your fist in the air… then go to the most luscious heart melting pad…

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#10

The Snow is probably my favourite hardware synth and I prefer the form factor of the Snow over the other Virus TIs.

The TI aspect works perfectly, for me, inside Win 10 and if you use a computer at all I would be surprised if you did not use this functionality as it is an excellent browser, librarian and editor as well as offering 3 channel audio over USB.

It can be used as an audio interface but I think it is always better to use a dedicated audio interface.

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#11

Ah dude sorry to keep on…keepin on

For dub it has a tape delay sim in the fx and a lush reverb that i made some o.k. dubby stuff with a decade ago…

Just re read your initial and wanted to say that the non stock subtractive waves (oscs) that the TIs have compared to the A B or C make a huge difference to the pallet. A B and C are more beefier but trying more for the same territory as your A4 osc wise… there is more diversity with the TIs with the wave tables etc its just a whole new sonic landscape once you can fm a standard subtractive osc with a mangled digital wavetable…

Im going to have a chamomile tea and calm down… :rofl:

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#12

I hate to be that person, but you should look for a review from when the Virus TI line was released. I would be surprised if some reviewers, like in Sound in Sound, for example, didn’t give an overview of the differences.

#13

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/access-virus-ti

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#14

Seeing as this is an active and kinda relevant thread, I’ll ask here instead of starting a new thread -

Is the virus snow ti a fair trade for a Rytm mk1?

Forgetting that one is a synth, the other a drum machine, one is digital dsp, one is analog and samples.

#15

Check out the editor from Mystery Island Music.

#16

Do you currently have the Snow or RYTM?

Price wise probably a reasonable swap although for a couple of hundred pounds more you can get a desktop Ti2, maybe worth considering.

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#17

As someone already said - the tape delay plus the other effects you can route either side of it is just beautiful and so effortless to control with precision (or not). Probably a good choice for your chosen genres plus the fact you can route external machines into that fx path too.

#18

I’ve tried it. Don’t really get on wit it I’m afraid. Also doesn’t seem to cope very well with libraries stored in files on the host computer.

…and like I say, if you’re using that, you can’t sequence via MIDI, since the MIDI input is disabled.

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#19

I have the Rytm.

I’ve always fancied the Snow, although I suspect its getting a little long in the tooth these days. I do like the fx mangling and the unashamedly digital sound it has.

The module of one of the keys versions might be a better option (mainly for space) . I see you’ve recently got a module in your set up for the same reason!

#20

Yep, I’ve got an SL MK3 and Keystep but also sequence from the Digitone (plus Live on the PC) so I didn’t really need the huge 61 key version.
I was really trying to condense my gear down to one desk and the 16 channels my Mackie Onyx mixing desk has. That sends all channels straight in to Live via Firewire so it’s all nice and neat now.

:slight_smile:

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