I’m torn between the two at the moment. The look and size of the Hydrasynth appeals to me a lot but the Virus Ti has more of everything
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i think for the price, the blofeld is a great alternative to the virus. not as powerful but very very deep and multitimbral. at one point i was really adamant about wanting a multitimbral synth. virus, nord rack, and novation nova desktop were my top picks but out of price range/unavailable so i settled with the blofeld. what i learned from that is that “multi-timbral” itself isn’t enough- you have to have a really good implementation of it or else it becomes a headache IMO.
novation nova desktop seems pretty slept on. 16 voice polyphony, 6 part multitimbral, 42 simultaneous effects, many filter types, deep modulation possibilities etc. they can be found for around $500 if you keep an eye out, they’re not super available but definitely pop up from time to time
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True
I had the blofeld first and it totally did NOT resonate with me. I didn’t liked the sound that much, I hated the Menudiving and I totally not get how a software based synth in 2021 is still not able to sync Reverb and Delay to incoming clock without heavy glitches in sound.
On top of that: The FX in the Blofeld are worse than all others I tried and you are more limited in combinations then on the Octatrack.
Sure, it is very much cheaper, but it is definitely not an alternative, if you want the Virus sound and the usability.
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As other’s have said here, there isn’t much that’s going to be 16 part multitimbral. I’ve never used 16 parts on my Virus though. I maybe use 1 or 2 (4 tops) and use other things for different flavors.
Anything that gives you a wide variety of oscillators and multiple filters would be a good alternative. I think the main thing was that there wasn’t anything that could match the “Quality” of the sound of the virus in digital form in the past. The FX are probably one of the most stand out things about the Virus. Some high quality external FX with one of the synth’s below could have you pretty set.
Options:
Kyra
Iridium/Quantum
MM2
Novation Summit
more, I’m sure but I’m a bit scattered from being sick
Older novation stuff like
Supernova 1 or 2
Nova desktop
Ultimately if you’re looking for an alternative to the Virus you should just get the Virus.
I have one but I still like using other synths because it keeps me interested and having fun.
It’s still in production for now until the chips they use to make them run out.
Even then, there are so many out there you should still be able to get one for years to come.
None of the above have Virus’ warmth, poliphony and multi timbrality… so not so many options really.
Kyra has 128 voice polyphony and is 8 parts multitimbral. Warmth is subjective.
Get a Virus
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Totally agree. I checked both @Thomamn and went for a Ti. Soundwise miles ahead, more solid. The Hydra sounded a bit washed, like an mp3 file. Also controll and programming wise the virus clicked more.
Integration with a DAW is absolutely 
flawless IMHO.
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For me the 2 off the MM2 is only enough because of the Octagrack, 8 would be enough tho. Nord also has some nice multitimbral synth from the Same decade
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Maybe this should start to include some of your favorite tips and tricks you find useful with the Virus.
I’ll add one:
Control of the exp/log shape of decay and attack in the envelopes.
AKA: get extremely snappy envelopes instead of the fairly flat feeling standard Virus envelopes.
Similar effect as something like the Lag modulation used on envelopes in the U-he synths (for you modern kidos).
It’s as simple as assigning the envelope to it’s own decay and attack (or release) parameters in the mod matrix. Sliding the decay slider to the right bends the the shape more logarithmic and the left more exponential.
Schhhnaaappppaaayyy!
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Hi all, I haven’t read the entire thread but this synth got me interested. On question.
How is it for playing it live, meaning tweaking knobs and just get lost in sounds, shape the ADSR, filter, FM, effects … ?
Most of the video I see on youtube are people playing preset. What’s your experience ?
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Check out some of Parandroids virus vids, he’s a bit of a wizard on the ti
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Thanks @Adelock ! That’s what I wanted to see 
This machinbe sounds so good, really.
I’m just a bit worry about managing and tweaking 3-4 parts with non-infinite encoders. This is really efficient on Elektron machines.
you can set them to work in pick up mode = no value jumps.
Someone mentioned that TI integration no longer works with newer versions of macOS, does this include the TI2? How do the editing options available compare? Do they basically keep all the functionality but just in an unofficial capacity? Shame because I only recently found this out and have been looking at getting a TI2 for years.
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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