Preset-wise I agree they are a bit rusty. But the Virus can sound super modern, too! Wavetables, FM, wavesshaping and folding, different bit crushing types, mod matrix with multiple destinations per slot + lfos… dude, that’s stuff that is just appearing on new released gear the last few years. IMO it is just recently that companies start to put that kind of stuff into their units and that’s why we won’t see a Ti3 any time soon.
Again, if you want it can sound classic, but if you know the buttons it’s far from old-school.
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Coincidentally, I preordered the JD-08 and it will be my only other source for synth sounds besides the Virus in my main hardware setup right now.
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True. It can sound totally fresh with some digging.
Unfortunately there only seem to be a few Iridium demos out there and they kind of only show one side of it. It’s very capable of being in the same territory of the Virus TI demos I’ve heard. I may have to do my own demo. Even so I am much more impressed with the TI than I was before when I was basing it off of my experience with the C. I would like to pick one up one day but probably won’t be ditching my iridium for it, or at all any time soon. I just wish it was in a 37 key format similar to the Polar.
Also I have zero interest in presets even if they’re really good. I just don’t care to use other peoples sounds, I love the process of creating everything from scratch almost more than writing music itself
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then there is the Waldorf M which I think is a remake of the classic Waldorf Microwave or PPG?
Anyways it sounds even better than the Iridium and has a crude user interface like the Virus.
I am really more into modular synths now but I did order an OP-1 for fun jams around town.
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Op-1 is a fantastic little device, tons of fun and can be very inspirational. I had one years ago but unfortunately it got stolen after a show one night and I haven’t been able to replace it since. I do plan on getting another one when I can though, so fun to take it away from the studio with some headphones and just jam.
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Yea the Op-1 will be fun to sketch ideas on the fly. Would like the new Waldorf and Rytm at some point
I have been using a TI snow since 2011. I used to make soundsets for it. I went to sell mine this year, Then decided I have way too much sentimental attachment to it. Its awesome cos you can use 4 part multitimbral with elektron gear. 
Is that how you have it set up?
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ATM I don’t have a Virus but if Access ever does a remake or update and it looks better then yes may consider one. I also like the Nord Lead A1, Prophet 6, OB6 and Waldorf as well as Roland Jupiter. These synths are used by film composers so on my list as time and budget allows. I am getting mileage out of my Elektrons and modular gear so far.
You can put a Rytm, Digitakt and Digitone or Octatrack on the 61 key version which is cool. I used to play 4 tracks via MIDI, right now I only have the outputs of the Virus going into the Digitakt and I sample it if I have a nice sound or chord.
And I might have mentioned this several times in different threads, but the keybed of this thing is just soooo lovely, It is a joy to play.
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Finally caved about bought a Virus for myself, ended up picking up the TI polar, should be here next week. I’m not expecting it to be the be all end all synth or to feel like it’s going to make me want to sell all my other synths but I am expecting a nice VA with an okay amount of modulation with a superb effect engine built in and I’m also expecting a lot out of the multitimbral aspect of it…we’ll see. I bought it pretty much as a couch synth that I can have out of the studio for periods at a time to just sit with and make tons of patches with for when I take it back into the studio.
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Hope you enjoy it!
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I have recently being playing my Virus Snow via the audio inputs on my MOXF.
The FX on the MOXF are (subjectively) better than the Snow so what was a great sounding synth anyway, now sounds even better.
I’d love to hear some if you have any to share! I’m a huge fan of that late 90s/early 00s prog sound, especially the stuff around the time when the production really matured. Maybe we should split this into a thread, I’d love to chat more about the production techniques behind these kinds of tracks!
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He will!
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Unfortunately, I am still far from the acceptable level, but I can recommend my friend! I love this release from him:
By the way, most of the sounds are used from the Virus. I also bought it recently, and later I want to write a post about this wonderful tool.
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Such a handsome synth. The Virus B is the only poly I intend to own, other than an eventual upgrade to a TI2. I have a soft spot for analog monosynths, particularly semi-modulars, so have a Neutron to compliment my Virus. That along with the Pulsar-23 is a very flexible and powerful setup.
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Okay yea the virus rules!
I finally got my TI polar and it’s much better than I remember the C being.
I didn’t expect to be impressed with the sound of the raw oscillators before any saturation or EQ but they really do sound great, the wavetables are very nice as well as are the filters.
It’s definitely a little cumbersome to edit there are an assload of menus but it’s not horrible once you start to memorize where certain parameters are tucked away. I haven’t figured out how to use multi-mode yet but that’s my next step.
I can see why people feel like it can replace a lot of synths, I was surprised at the range of genuinely good sounds I could get out it it quickly, easily enters Juno territory and basic Moog stuff and even CS80-like sounds, never mind the digital sounding stuff it’s just as good. The FM is fantastic as is the sync. it covers so much sonic territory way more than I anticipated.
That being said I don’t feel like it replaces anything, my Moog or Sequential stuff, or modular Not even my Novation but I’m a firm believer in that every synth has its own specific sound and it’s own quirks that bring out different sounds and different ways and ideas of programming. Even if the virus can get into the same sonic space there’s something very unique about any good synth that makes them worth owning.
But anyways, yea I’m a believer now I absolutely love the virus.
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I really love the Virus too, but I also love the Digitone. You can program really great sounds with both. If you had a Digitone and sold it, that seems like a mistake.
The menus are pretty well implemented on the whole apart from the main one which has a lot of the extra features that were added in OS updates such as Envs 3-4, so it’s a bit large, but the 3 knob editing makes up for that quite a lot. As you say once you get where they are and because they have dedicated edit buttons to get there, it’s actually a pretty good design. I never really feel like I’m menu diving on it as I do on the Peak, which is great until you want to delve beyond the surface, the 3 edit knobs really make a difference.
Glad you like it, and I agree it’s not a replacement, it’s an instrument that carves its own space in the studio.
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