I’d really like to get an Access Virus. I know the virus is a somewhat divisive synth, but that aside I’m interested to hear from fans about the different versions of the synth. I tried looking on YouTube a bit but the coverage on YouTube was surprisingly sparse, for all versions of the synth.
So yeah basically I’m not opposed to spending $1500+ on the TI2 but its considerably more than a second hand A or C, which are not that different from what I can tell (at a basic level, obviously newer revs have more features). Interface and ergonomics are important though and so I’m not sure if I’d be compromising there.
So yeah I’d love to know peoples opinions. As an aside I’d be interested in solid resources / virus version comparisons if anyone knows of any.
Edit: didn’t search first, looks like a thread exists already. Feel free to delete if this is redundant mods.
For me the biggest driver for getting a TI over a A/B/C is that TI has per part Delay/Reverb versus the A/B/C global Delay/Reverb. Makes a world of difference imho.
I sold my C to get a TI; the main driver was per part Delay/Reverb, essential for playing live. The VST/Integration was a nice bonus.
I have a Virus C and it is an extemely capable device. Though I don’t really use it Multitimbral, so lack of fx per part doesn’t bother me. Some say the Virus B and Virus C sound more analog / less digital than the TI, but I’ve heard the specs are the same. Not sure how much truth there is to this.
What I like about the Access Virus C
the sound is the apex for Virtual Analog
mod matrix is very deep with plenty sources, destinations, lfo, etc…
there’s plenty of knobby controls easily accessible on the synth and much more features buried in menus (not too deeply buried though)
Arps are really great and it can deliver some nice soft ambient pads / melodies
Randomize feature is also helpful to inspire
Owned mine for about 4 years and only maintenance was changing a small battery inside that cost like $5. I don’t use it a ton, but whenever I turn it on I typically get something good and usable for a track. I can’t seem to get deep, growly bass out of it, but I have other gear for that.
I love the per-track-fx and that many voices of my TI2. I am quite sure, that I could get around with sampling, but as I do dawless stuff all the times, I have more MIDI tracks available then sampled ones.
I could not switch to a device with less capacity for multitimbral use.
Had a Virus B years ago and still regret selling it. They have such a solid sound and are super fun to program, plenty of knobs right where you need them.
Edit: Build quality is also amazing. Steel not aluminium casing, tight endorsers, makes my engineering-heart happy all the time.
Got a Ti desktop last year and this again is one of best investments I’ve done. Also because the implementation into a DAW works flawlessly and does everything I wished overbridge would do. But that’s a different topic.
How are you planning to use it? Do you have a version in focus you’d like to get?
I’ve got a Virus B (Indigo), got it real cheap as it’s a bit battered but works fine. The interface does feel a bit dated with the two line display compared to modern synths like Peak, but it is capable of some great sounds and isn’t too menu divey to program most stuff.
If it’s your only “big” synth then the extra features of the Ti (eg wavetables, multitimbral FX, better interface) may be worth the investment. If you have other gear that covers that stuff (or you are not interested in it) and you see a good price on an old one, I would go for it - the sound still competes with more recent gear, and they seem very solidly built.
I have my virus b, for at least 15 years. I still use it regularly when jamming and I always have fun with it. I like it in combination with the Digitone.
I had a B many years ago and sold it too cheaply. Bought a Snow a little while ago from TokinTone and the sound is just as I remember but with the newer additions. The TIs and above, for me at least, is where I’m happy. As stated above the fx per part are really handy if you’ve got nothing else.
I miss the knobs on the Snow and programming on the device is very click-heavy. I’m thinking of getting one of these
Having a TI2 for years now, I only wondered, why it has been often called a VA synth. We can use it as VA synth, but it doesn’t take to dig deep to find that the oscillators alone are so much more and versatile compared to many other machines. There are many sounds, which are only possible with the Virus. The TI has two multi-mode filters, a wealth of modulation options, even recursive modulation is possible, and many useful FX, which can be chained.
My recommendation would be to check out the specs of the different models and consider to get the one, which is fitting best to the workflow and sonic preferences.
It’s worth the wait! I messed with so much stuff and spend so much money because the virus was too expensive. Would have saved a lot, if I would have just waited and saved
i use to have a ti2 and sold few month ago，and regret because it’s SOUND
and i give up it because MENU
i hate virus uesr interface as a hardware，my understand of virus synth is：a hard ware have a soft soul，you just couldn’t feel hardware experience when programming it，i think dave smith synth or nord did this best.
on the other side，soft ware REASON trying to use soft ware body express some hard soul，but with compute mouse？or some midi controller？
by the way，if you thinking about buy a virus synth，buy ti2，because then you buy soft ware，newest always the best，No vintage in the soft world
That’s sad to hear. If all the functions of the TI2 had a single knob per function, it would be a monster machine.
IMO the UI supports quick editing on the hardware. Most primary functions don’t need a menu or a page selction anyway. The main groups like oscillators (3), filters (2), EQ, and FX have dedictaded select and edit buttons. Same goes for the basic modulation functions. Two envelopes have their standard knobs, two more can be addressed via a shallow menu selection. The major FX can be selected and edited directly. And yes, if many FX have about 10 parameters, there is some page swaping required. But all is kept logical and linear, no diving into menu levels required.
IMO the UI concept of the Virus is quite similar to the Elektron UI.
