I’ve never used a Virus B but the layout looks pretty much the same as the TI with the exception of a few more controls for the LFO & effects. I would say you’ll find the TI the same but with more options.
Personally I find it really intuitive & enjoyable to program so maybe you should either persevere and learn it more or accept it’s not the interface for you. Hopefully the 1st option, because they’re great synths!
A good thing to do is to clear a bank and fill it with init presets, which means you can always start with a clean slate. I really wish the TI had an ‘init’ button but it doesn’t and so spending a bit of time making a blank bank is essential for me. It’s easy to do in the plug-in on the TI, on the B I guess you’ll have to do it by saving to each slot manually.
In terms of the TI, it’s fantastic, the effects alone make it which are per channel, and you can use one channel as an FX unit via the audio ins. I love the TI.
Thanks so much for the info! I’m definitely keeping it forever (or upgrading) so I’m committed to learning to program the Virus one way or another!
Actually dedicating a bank to init patches is something I’ve wanted to for ages, though the process of achieving that seems rather laborious - copying and pasting an init patch to all 128 slots of a bank or using the Mystery Islands editor to achieve the same thing with the mouse and keyboard.
I’ve been routing an Erica DB-01 into the Virus and using the effects, then routing that into the Digitakt 1.30 for yet more delay and reverb. Sounds wicked!
I started programming my own multi patches but didn’t get much out of it as none of the sounds were my own. Need to deep dive into it some more!
Sorry couldn’t post a video hope this helps, will post instructions later for seq/multimode for multitimbral midi control.
VIRUS SINGLE MODE
Octatrack
Select [Midi] button located under headphone vol knob
Select track #1
Double tap [SRC] button this will take you to midi setup page
Knob A will change midi channel number
Knob B will select bank
Knob C will change program( preset patch on virus)
*** When you select Chan, bank, or prog you must push knob down or press [yes] to lock in your selection ****
Octatrack Bank 0 = Virus RAM-A
Bank 1 = Virus RAM-B
Bank 2 = Virus RAM-C
Bank 3 = Virus RAM-D
Bank 4-29 = Virus ROM - (A-Z) ROM T-Z are empty ROMS
Virus
Press [config] button found to left of LCD under [TAP] button.
Press [CONFIG] button until you see MIDI 1/3 page make sure global Channel is set to 01 by using [Value 1] knob.
Press [EXIT] you can now changes Chan, Bank, Prog from the Octarack
It’s the same behavior, just use different midi channels for each track & send the bank/prog number.
Personally I use sequencer mode rather than multi. It’s much simpler than Multitimbral mode and so means you set everything via midi such as cc7 and cc10 for volume and pan. The channels are always fixed to the same part number, so part 1 = midi channel 1 etc… It means you don’t have to worry about saving anything beyond actual presets on the virus and the controller device can set it up as part of its project (which in my case is an MPC).
Multi Mode allows more complex setups like layering parts to the same midi channel and saving pan and levels, but the multi must be saved and recalled.
Will post later today, not sure which is easier sequencer or multi mode but @Kosmology makes a good point about the simplicity sequencer mode. I prefer multimode for the exact reasons he stated
Will post later today unless @Kosmology would be so kind to post the steps for sequencer/multimode
Well I haven’t used multi mode for many years tbh, as for Sequencer Mode you just press Multi and Single buttons at the same time and that’s it. There are no settings at all. You just send data to the 16 midi channels.
One interesting thing about multi-mode is that the first 16 Multi’s store copies of the sounds as opposed to references to the stored single presets. Meaning that if you change sounds within the multi it doesn’t change the preset you loaded or vice versa. The rest just store references though like most other music gear, so changing the original preset will also change it in the multi.
Someone made a USB MIDI driver for Catalina. I compiled it with Xcode. I’ll drop the compiled driver here and come back with more info soon when I have time.
Basically, let’s you use USB MIDI (TI audio still won’t work AFAIK)
Hi All, I am enjoying reading this thread I have the Ti2 Darkstar, running on my imac with Big Sur using the Mystery islands software as a plug in within Logic pro X via a Roland UM One mk2 for midi. I can record audio in single mode but have no idea how to record in multi mode as would like to be able to edit my work too. With the Mystery islands software I can edit, play my patches and record in Logic but cannot bounce audio files. I have seen in the Mystery islands manual Audio isn’t supported, so how do you guys get around recording your work? Sorry if this is a silly question as I love my Darkstar and would dearly love to be able to utilise it’s potential in my workflow. Thanks in advance. Tara
I have a peak & a hydrasynth desktop and would sell both of them before selling the TI. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of them, but the virus is a much more versatile synth, being multitimbral and the various oscillator modes, plus the effects are superb and a channel can be set aside as an FX send. I’ve had 3 over the years, and have always come back to it.
Yeah the Hydra Keyboard would possibly change the balance for me, PAT is a very nice feature. The hydra engine is great and easy & fun to program, but I find the FX are a bit of a letdown compared to the TI or the Peak. It’s great for synthesis though and the filter models are decent.
As for the older Virus models, I couldn’t give up the effects or oscillator modes myself, especially as the FX are all per channel instead of Global.
I’m a sound designer, I find the virus is great for sound design. I’ve rarely used the arp myself, but not experienced any detrimental workflow.
I’d suggest trying a key step, the sequencer is fantastic for jamming interactively with the virus/any synth, works a bit like a midi looper. It’s essential for sound design work in my life, I hope they make a 4 octave version one day.
I have the Ti2 Darkstar, running on my imac with Big Sur using the Mystery islands software as a plug in within Logic pro X via a Roland UM One mk2 for midi. I can record audio in single mode but have no idea how to record in multi mode as would like to be able to edit my work too. With the Mystery islands software I can edit, play my patches and record in Logic but cannot bounce audio files. I have seen in the Mystery islands manual Audio isn’t supported, so how do you guys get around recording your work? Sorry if this is a silly question as I love my Darkstar and would dearly love to be able to utilise it’s potential in my workflow. Thanks in advance. Tara