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Few questions concerning hardware
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Misd
Hello.


1) Is Access Virus TI really worth buying?

2) If I buy it, what else I need to buy?

I am using FL Studio at the moment to produce music, do I need to
change program?
Derivative
Fruity has no impact on sound quality as has been discussed on this forum before. I run my Virus B in FL Studio and have been doing so for nearly 2 years.

The virus saw and square wave oscillators are not very bright and yes, it doesnt sound as crisp as a JP or a nord lead, both of which have brighter oscillators. However, you can make up some of the difference with saturation, FM and a little bit of post EQ if you know what you are doing.

The virus is quite difficult to program at first and I would seriously recommend you get a solid foundation in programming subtractive synths before taking it on. Otherwise you wil lget lost really quickly and alot of the sounds you will build will sound . The Virus presets are mostly interesting sound tests and are great for experimentation and learning some of the modulation capabilities of the synth but the majority of the presets are unusable. It is not a preset synth by a long shot. To get the most out of it you build all your sounds yourself from scratch.

The important thing is - for the love of god try it out before you buy one. Some people really hate programming the Virus. Some people just dont like taking ages flicking through sub menus, meticulously changing abstract variables on a tiny LCD screen. Some people dont like having to set up every envelope and LFO for non conventional, non linear waveshapes. So many people buy a Virus because has one - thats probably why you see so many people selling them on over ebay.
hey cheggy
The Virus is good mate. Don't know about the Ti. I know there have been problems with them in the past, new updates are supposed to be an improvement, but I couldn't tell you how stable it is.

The Virus C is stable though. I've been running one for a few years now. It does lack a bit of brightness up top, but you can get around this as mentioned.

The problem with the Virus is the amount of options that are available when designing the sounds. The Mod-Matrix can be a little overwhealming but once you get your head around it, it's a wicked synth for bass, leads and pads. The mod matrix does allow for some amazing pad structure. Once you realise the key features in the synth that make it sound good, then you will love it. It is capable of creating very full sounds without the need for fx.

What else do you need? A midi controller if getting a version without keys. I wouldn't buy a virus if I didn't have a midi controller.
Derivative
I agree with everything you said except:

The Virus sounds until you pile on a TONNE of effects. Virus sounds dont really come alive until you start making meticulous use of modulation, saturation, sync, FM and the built in effects including analogue boost.

The raw oscillators and filter envelopes on their own sound pretty crap.
hey cheggy
quote:
Originally posted by Derivative
The Virus sounds until you pile on a TONNE of effects. Virus sounds dont really come alive until you start making meticulous use of modulation, saturation, sync, FM and the built in effects including analogue boost.

The raw oscillators and filter envelopes on their own sound pretty crap.


Wouldn't agree to that. You don't need to pile on a lot of fx to get some really nice sounds out of it. You just need to know a couple of essential little functions that make the sound come alive. eg Sub-osc, unison, a touch of noise sometimes to add character to the high end, some filter and pulse width mod, perhaps a bit of ring mod, resonance, add a touch of chorus and you're away.
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