Yep, Audio no longer works and I have not loaded the plugin for a while now, cannot comment if editor still works. I bought the Mystery Islands editor which since v2 is actually quite nice, but even there I mainly use the hardware to program sounds and only the librarian on the software. Also it might be that USB MIDI will no longer work because it needs a driver…
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I really want a ti2 but it’s bugging me that the software is no longer supported. Is everything 100 percent accessible from the hardware?
It’s also difficult to stomach the US price of $2915 when the software doesn’t work… Damn. I was so excited to get one too!
What a bummer. Besides the sound, the integration was the real reason I was looking at a TI2. It’s crazy to me that in that regard it was kind of the only product of its kind. You’d think DAW integration would be a big priority for hardware developers post 2010s. In a lot of ways I feel like gear now is a step backwards. Who knows though, with CPU tech going the way it is, maybe there just won’t be a need for an external multitimbral powerhouse anymore.
Everything except user pattern editing of the Arpeggiator.
The mystery island editor lets you do that though. It’s actually a very good and reliable replacement for the TI software. It does everything just as well except the audio interface part obviously.
The good thing about the TI though is ultimately don’t really need a lot of outputs. You have EQ and almost every type of high quality FX you could want independently on each part.
I still think it’s worth it without the TI software and using a 3rd party editor/librarian.
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Someone on gearspace is posting details of their virus emulator - apparently it’s running virus c Roms and generating audio.
It’s early days but seems promising as it’s emulating the cpu used in many synths.
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I posted this “tutorial” a while back about how I setup the Mystery Island editor to have individual tracks and automation for the Virus TI in Ableton Live. This is something that you couldn’t do with the TI software. In many ways I think it’s better than the TI plugin (besides audio of course).
OS X dependent for 16 separate parts due to the lack of MIDI port sharing on Windows.
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I’ll had the Kodamo Essence to that list. FM synth with high Specs.
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Of 3 friends that have or had Virus TIs, and me, none of us ended up using the audio interface/TI VST side of the device on a consistent basis. There were too many glitches and problems with audio over USB, depending on the computer’s USB chipset, etc.
As you mention the TI has so much sound sculpting capability (including “admin” stuff like EQ, etc.) per part, that combined with 3 sets of stereo outputs and SPDIF, the hardware more than makes up for the “loss” of the audio streaming via USB.
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I felt the same way about the audio and TI side. Sometimes it would magically be reliable and then an OS update would make it unreliable. Then it would be okay again and then unreliable. I decided it wasn’t worth using anyway either. All I really needed was a way to easily manage patches/banks and do some Automation from the DAW. 3rd party editors were way more reliable in my experience vs. the TI software.
I always wondered why Access never let you have the option to just use the MIDI side of the TI plugin. It was alway a all or nothing approach (there were workarounds but it was finicky to set up and not very well documented).
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What is fascinating to me is that the audio side was class compliant, but not the MIDI side. Maybe because the VST/TI side of the equation needed a special driver on the MIDI side?
In any case, I love my Polar, I feel lucky to own it, and I doubt I will ever part with it even though it has spent the last 5-6 years in and out of storage. Dang babies.
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I tried it out on an old device, but I am using the Virus TI2 as every other synth, over MIDI and Audio.
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Don’t ever sell it! Every time it has cross my mind I just start making stuff with it and I’m always like “what the hell was I thinking”. I’m considering engraving a “Do not sell you idiot” label somewhere on my Virus lol
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I should do the same thing, because it DOES occur to me from time to time given that it lies unused more often than not. But then I remember the COST and the fact that when I do use it, it feels like coming home. Never felt that way about any instrument (except maybe my trumpet, which I started playing in fourth grade lol).
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Haha, I played Trumpet too in Jazz band all through middle school from about 4th grade!
I have only two instruments I feel like that about as well. My Virus, and my Analog Rytm MKII. I could see everything else leaving except those 2 instruments.
And the build quality is just fantastic, everything about it… I love the Virus… own a TI61 , TI2 Polar and a KB… and will sell none of them
edit:Ever 
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Yeah, the pickup modes work well and this little bright white led comes on when you reach the original value of the preset.
Quick pic in the dark, not quite as eye melting as it looks.
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Most complete synth ever made probably.
Just use it like any other synth guys: midi and audio. It’s got lots of tricks under its sleeves.
A sound design powerhouse.
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Thanks @depuratumba and @Airyck !
One more question, can I route 2 mono synths to FXs and out ?
I read a couple of forums and it seems like it but I’m not sure.
I think for more advanced users the ti, and hilariously, the blofeld with its excellent mod matrix are the most amazing single synths in totally different price brackets.
even if you are using a pc having the ability to simultaneously play all of the parts with different patches mean essentially in one box you have basically ten synths. With zero latency or gpu use.
If you have a producer level pc station then it doesn’t matter as much but the fact that these synths were made over ten years ago is mind blowing. If you set up all the tracks through ableton and save the template then you have at the touch of the button ten synths ready to be set up multitrack awesomeness.
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You can select Left, Right or L+R as Input for a Patch. So it should be no problem to have 2 Mono-Synths have 2 different Effect-Chains (taking up 2 parts). I run my 303 Clone through my Virus using only One Input and the result is a nicely distorted Sound with Stereo Delay and Reverb.
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