This is a basic introduction to the Virus.
It's a very underrated synth. You can still pick up second hand ones on ebay
for under 1,000 AUD.
I think it's a classic and should be part of any studio.
I have a rack TI dating I think between 2005 & 2009, but the general layout applies to all the different models.
Access have evolved their synthesizer over the decades.
This can make it confusing if you are trying to decide which one to buy.
The latter synths share the same architecture of the earlier versions, and can do what the earlier ones can do and more. This is not to say that the first version isn't good. It's fabulous and can make really good 303 basslines.
They all use the same synth engine and hail from Berlin, Germany.
The Virus is a digital synth - not analog. The sound is processed with DSP.
There is no sampler or sequencer (but there is a arp). Most of the synths in my studio
are analog, but this is one worthy exception.
I reckon I can make "analog patches" with this synth that would fool the fussiest analog snob.
Virus A
The first Virus synth, now referred to as the virus A, came out in 1997. It had 12 voices and 16 multitimbral parts. 20bit ADC
It has 32 knobs and 27
buttons.
The two oscillators have the basic analog waveforms from sawtooth to pulse with PWM.
There are two filters, two LFO's with sample-and-hold and on-board
arpeggiators
and two ADSTR envelopes per voice.
Virus B
The Virus B came out in 2000. It had 24 voices.
It came with a 32-band vocoder, and loads of new effects like delay, phasers, flangers, chorus, ring mods, distortion and envelope followers.
It had the same black/red colour scheme as the Virus A
There are 3 LFOs with 68 waveforms.
There were a few rack & keyboard versions of the B
Virus Indigo 1
In late 2000, Access released the first Indigo with it's new grey/blue styling.
This had a 37-note keyboard
Virus C
In 2002, Access released the Virus C.
This had a new Grey colour scheme.
The Virus C had 32 voices.
There are 3 Osc per voice. Access added a 3 band EQ per patch.
3 LFOs, 2 filters, 2 ADSTR envelopes.
The mod matrix has 6 sources , 9 destinations.
There are now 98 effects - wow.
Again there are 16 multi-timbral parts.
Virus Indigo 2
The Indigo two was also released around this time (2002).
This shared the Virus C synth engine.
It had the grey white colour and a lovely 37 note keyboard.
The keyboard now responds to aftertouch.
32 knobs, 35 buttons and 69 lovely blue LEDs
This has more mod routings than the original Indigo.
Virus TI
Finally, in 2005, the TI was introduced.
The user-interface comprises 32 knobs and 42 buttons, and a elegant LC display
It's a huge leap from the Virus C.
The Virus TI has a 24bit I/O & between 20 to 100 voices of polyphony.
(The voice count varies from one sound to the next, depending on which features are being used).
TI = Total integration. This means you can plug it into a computer and access the settings
through a plugin on your DAW.
This combination of hardware & software is wonderful.
All audio and MIDI data can be streamed into and
out of your compatible software host via USB.
2005 seems a lifetime away, but this synth still holds its own.
It has three oscillators with a total of 64 source waves- including
"supersaw" mode, which allows you to generate up to 9 sawtooth waves in parallel... great for HUGE sounding patches.
It now has a dual-DSP configuration of faster processors than previous models. The Virus' A-D converters are now 24 bit.
The Virus TI uses OS5
The Virus TI can also act as an audio recording device for your computer. The module is a soundcard. It can act as a midi interface for you computer.
It has USB plus the usual MIDI In/out/through.
The Virus Control has 2 available USB outs. USB 1.1
The Virus TI Keyboard has a 61-note keyboard with mod and pitch wheels.
The Virus TI contains 4 banks of RAM, followed by 26 banks of ROM for storing sounds or ‘patches’,
with each bank containing 128 sounds. It is possible to flash a ROM bank with a customised bank using the Virus Control Center.
---------------------------------------
Virus TI2
The Virus TI2 series started in 2009
Physically, the TI2 looks very similar to the TI1
However, the TI2 has more rounded styling.
It can do 16 parts at once (Multitimbral).
Virus TI2 has more dsp power. ... about 25%
This extra grunt might be useful if you intend to use it multitimbrally.
The Virus Control now has 3 available USB outs whereas the old TI software was just 2 USB outs.
USB 1.1
Virus TI2 is still OS5 and
has more filters/envelopes etc. The TI2 just out performs the first TI's
although the sound of both units are amazing.
Virus Polar
The Virus Polar belongs to the TI line. There are both TI & TI2 versions.
This is a TI2 polar.
It has Total Integration using the Virus Control 3.0 plug-in.
The keyboard has 37 keys .
There are 3 main oscillators and one sub-oscillator per voice.
It has HyperSaw™ oscillators with up to 9 sawtooths - each with parallel sub
oscillator per voice (that's over 1800 stereo oscillators @100
voices!).
It boasts two fully independent miltimode filters and a 2-dimensional modulation matrix
There is independent delay and reverb for all 16 multi mode slots.
129 parallel effects. 6 balanced outputs
3 LFOs with 68 waveforms to choose from.
2 super fast ADSTR envelopes.
Compatible with USB 2.0 specifications, USB and High-Speed USB devices.
Virus Snow
The Virus Snow is also a TI synth. It's desk top size with fewer knobs and buttons.
It can only do 4 parts.
It's polyphony is limited to 50.
Links
