quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley In a bit of a pickle here. Been thinking very hard about expanding further by picking up things like a Korg Trinity Rack, Motif ES, Alesis QSR, XV3080, Matrix 1000, etc. Just not as happy with my Virus as I used to be and mainly because the presets are swamped with FX which for the most part make them un-usable in my work unless they are a primary part of the track, and the synth itself is quite tedious to program. I'm on the "mono" train right now and the Virus goes against everything it stands for. Don't get me wrong, i LOVE it and will probably keep it. I'm only entertaining selling it in order to finance some of the outboard gear listed above.

Actually, if you want my opinion, I think its a terrible idea. I mean why would you want to sell a programmable synth for a bunch of hardware ROMplers? I mean sure they CAN be programmed if you have the patience, but none of them is going to be as programmable or versatile as a subtractive synth, especially for dance music. If you are going to get rid of the Virus, get another subtractive synth.

Also, why just use the presets? The real strength of the Virus is its programmability and modulation matrix. That's how you really make the synth shine. If you don't like the FX, just turn them off and use your own.

Sell it and buy a Powercore.


That's what I did.



The SH101 emulation (included) is monstrous.

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^ what Eric said.

Sounds like a severe case of GAS. Been there many times. My advice is to keep the Virus - not because I love MY Virus, but because:

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley Don't get me wrong, i LOVE it...

The GAS will pass, trust me.

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Sonar Platinum | Ableton Live 9 | Logic Pro X | Access Virus TI2 Keyboard | Kurzweil PC3X | Nord Lead 4R | NI Maschine

i wouldn't part w/ my virus unless it was for another virus. it's the best workhorse and probably the only synth i will NEVER let go of

I'm assuming GAS is some sort of hardware disorder that only fortunate wealthy people can suffer from.

So knowing that I'm poor and in the clear, I will say TURN OFF your fx if you're having issues mixing. Than slowly reintroduce them on your own terms, so the sound "fits".

And I never saw the Snow as hard to program, I just really think you're not trying for w/e reason. Maybe because you think the presets sound better than anything you could make, but half the fun of the virus is turning the speakers up as loud as they go, and turning knobs blindly to see what comes out your speakers. Don't turn it into a task, keep it lighthearted and fun. It shouldn't feel like something you need to do. Granted I'm not master at programming, but the virus is fairly easy to get simple warm basses for layering, and it really does help wash out that cold sterile digital edge imo. Not to mention I find when you do the presets from scratch, and add your own fx, it always seems to fit 1000 times better. If you're trying to squeeze virus presets straight into your tracks its no wonder you're getting sick of it, I did the for the first 2 months I had mine, than got bored with the presets and wanted to learn how to program basic saw patches. I was MUCH happier with it once I learned how to do simple sounds myself, not to mention the arpegiator and fx on the virus are really amazing imo.
And lastly, I've haven't heard acids/syncs on a lot of other hardware, but the ones that come from a virus are really in its own league.

___________________
Sequencers: FL Studio 9XXL & Reason 3.
Main Synth Bass GTs - Pro-53, V-Station, Sytrus, Subtractor, Trilian, Blue, Sylenth & Z3ta.
Main Synth Lead/Pad GTs - Z3ta, Sytrus, Sylenth, Vangard, Albino & Nexus.
Main FXs GTs - Waves Plugins, Soundtoys, Volcano, FL Native FX.
Hardware - Truths, Echo Audiofire, Virus Snow, & Novation Xio Midi-Synth.

well if we're going to let all our feelings out here i F'ing HATE Virus Control and the way it integrates with ableton. I can't put ANY external insert FX on the other channels (Only 3 total mind you) except the first one. Irritates the living shit out of me.

And when it comes to the Virus FX I don't have a problem with them. The problem I have with them is every preset is washed in all of them along with the sub osc. Almost EVERY patch I load I have to turn down the sub osc unless it is a bass type sound. It's like these clowns specifically design these patches to sound good on their own. What purposes that serves I have zero clue. Deprogramming presets that shouldn't be designed that way to begin with is already annoying enough. Having to do it with nearly every preset I load is maddening.

Yes. I'm a preset whore. They are my "home base" - Can I program sounds on my own? Sure. But they are very basic and bare and require tons of processing and time.

And amen on the modulation matrix eric I have recently begun studying it and it's amazing how in depth the Virus is. It's a shame that banks are not being put out that utilize this matrix to the fullest. Theres a new one out, I think it starts with a K, that is F'in unreal that tears the modulation matrix up.

___________________
Please send your demos to [email protected]
For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/olympikrecords

should make it a habit to only use initialized sounds. Develop your own sound. Only use presets while your learning not to actually use but to deconstruct thus learning synthesis. If the preset is exactly the sound you need, which it most likely isn't, i suppose you can use it. EDM is about sign design. If you sound the same, you are irrelevant.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley well if we're going to let all our feelings out here i F'ing HATE Virus Control and the way it integrates with ableton. I can't put ANY external insert FX on the other channels (Only 3 total mind you) except the first one. Irritates the living shit out of me. And when it comes to the Virus FX I don't have a problem with them. The problem I have with them is every preset is washed in all of them along with the sub osc. Almost EVERY patch I load I have to turn down the sub osc unless it is a bass type sound. It's like these clowns specifically design these patches to sound good on their own. What purposes that serves I have zero clue. Deprogramming presets that shouldn't be designed that way to begin with is already annoying enough. Having to do it with nearly every preset I load is maddening. Yes. I'm a preset whore. They are my "home base" - Can I program sounds on my own? Sure. But they are very basic and bare and require tons of processing and time. And amen on the modulation matrix eric I have recently begun studying it and it's amazing how in depth the Virus is. It's a shame that banks are not being put out that utilize this matrix to the fullest. Theres a new one out, I think it starts with a K, that is F'in unreal that tears the modulation matrix up.

I do agree about that sub osc thing except for one thing, in most of my patches even though the sub osc option was programmed in, its NOT EVEN TURNED ON.
How many patches are you getting with the sub osc already turned up? Because most of my presets its def programmed in, but not even on. So It doesn't usually bother me. We must have vastly different presets lol.
And its ok if your a preset whore, but I don't think a lot of preset whores understand how difficult they actually make their lives in the long run by restricting themself to the "best" patches they can find. I couldn't produce like that cause I'd lose my mind.

ESPECIALLY with the virus. VSTs are much easier imo to mix presets (I know its all software but the virus is terrible with this), virus just never sat well with me using its presets. So again, I understand you love them, but I think they're driving you off the brink of sanity.

___________________
Sequencers: FL Studio 9XXL & Reason 3.
Main Synth Bass GTs - Pro-53, V-Station, Sytrus, Subtractor, Trilian, Blue, Sylenth & Z3ta.
Main Synth Lead/Pad GTs - Z3ta, Sytrus, Sylenth, Vangard, Albino & Nexus.
Main FXs GTs - Waves Plugins, Soundtoys, Volcano, FL Native FX.
Hardware - Truths, Echo Audiofire, Virus Snow, & Novation Xio Midi-Synth.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley well if we're going to let all our feelings out here i F'ing HATE Virus Control and the way it integrates with ableton. I can't put ANY external insert FX on the other channels (Only 3 total mind you) except the first one. Irritates the living shit out of me.

There has to be a way to do this in Ableton. I know that this was a major bitch of mine in Logic until I discovered that you can create an arrange track for these multi output channels and then apply processing at that level. It makes it function a bit more like a typical Software Instrument. If Ableton is unable to do this that would be a major problem, but i suspect that it can be done.

If for some reason it is NOT possible, you can always create a MIDI clip and send CC messages to the appropriate port and channel, although thats a bit more of a PITA. Still, it is how you would interact with any other piece of outboard hardware and I KNOW Ableton is capable of doing that.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley And when it comes to the Virus FX I don't have a problem with them. The problem I have with them is every preset is washed in all of them along with the sub osc. Almost EVERY patch I load I have to turn down the sub osc unless it is a bass type sound. It's like these clowns specifically design these patches to sound good on their own. What purposes that serves I have zero clue. Deprogramming presets that shouldn't be designed that way to begin with is already annoying enough. Having to do it with nearly every preset I load is maddening.

You almost always have to turn the effects down when using them in the context of a track. The presets are created that way to make each one sound big when played in isolation. Think of it as a selling tool for the unit. However, in practice, in a track, you almost always have to turn them down or completely off to get the unit to sit well in the mix.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley Yes. I'm a preset whore. They are my "home base" - Can I program sounds on my own? Sure. But they are very basic and bare and require tons of processing and time.

It is worth the time to try and get better at doing this, because it makes your life a whole lot easier one you know how to do it. Sometimes you may find an inspiring preset and tweak it, but its real easy to spend too much time scrolling through presets looking for a sound you have in your head. Its easier to just know how to make it.

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Wiley And amen on the modulation matrix eric I have recently begun studying it and it's amazing how in depth the Virus is. It's a shame that banks are not being put out that utilize this matrix to the fullest. Theres a new one out, I think it starts with a K, that is F'in unreal that tears the modulation matrix up.

Actually, I see this being used quite a bit on the presets on my unit. Almost all of them have 4-6 mod slots already used up, especially on the downloadable banks from people like Charlie May. Its actually sort of annoying in a good way, because quite often I'll find a preset that I want to tweak only to find all the mod slots used up. Then I have to find out which slots I can turn off and reuse and not destroy the original sound.

Eric you can set up midi tracks and configure them as Virus 1, Virus 2, Virus 3. However, the instant you try to insert an audio FX, the track wipes and goes audio. I have no problem setting up the MIDI track, I actually prefer it that way, but when I try to add audio FX it wipes the track. It's weird. The MIDI track behaves as though there is nothing there (it sends back to the VirusControl track) so in reality, there really is nothing there except midi CC. No true VST loaded on the track, just a basic midi track with routing on it. I'm guessing because of this, Ableton automatically turns it from a MIDI tracks to an Audio track.

And when it comes to presets, I just havn't put forth the effort to learn to create from INIT very well yet. Whenever I'm making a sound I usually open up a basic synth like Sylenth1 or my new Arturia Jupiter V2 where things are obviously a ton easier to lay out. It's all right there in front of you (Much easier to turn off those GDAMN FX in Sylenth1 too)

___________________
Please send your demos to [email protected]
For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/olympikrecords

I have a a blofeld knocking about. Let me know if you are interested.