Virus ti

Loads of tactile controls make the Virus TI a dream for performers and those who like to tweak sounds.

Marry a virtual instrument plug-in with a hardware synthesizer and enjoy the most powerful combination possible. There are not many modern synthesizers which can claim to have shaped the sound of music -- from electronica to soundtrack -- as much as the Virus line of synthesizers has. The Virus is known as much for its flexibility and powerful sound as for Total Integration, our award winning way to interconnect a hardware synthesizer with your DAW.

The first Virus was released in and each new iteration has added more features more powerful hardware, and greater musical potential.

That evolution explains why the Virus TI series is so sought after and why it receives such praise from owners, press, and fans all over the world. Dre consider the Virus a core part of their studios. List more Virus users. The Virus TI line of synthesizers includes 4 different variations: two keyboard models and two desktop versions. The great news is that all of these instruments produce the same award-winning sound.

In this way, we offer you a choice of formats without compromising the most important aspect of any instrument: how well it performs musically. This synthesizer will make any desktop proud! The TI Desktop features an all-metal enclosure with a wooden strip on the front. Loads of knobs and buttons give direct access to the most important sound shaping parameters.

This range of instant access hands-on control will delight those who don't like menu diving. Like all other Virus TI synthesizers, a stereo analogue input offers the power to process external signals through the Virus' sound engine. An optional 19" rack mounting kit is available for purchase. Its compact form factor makes the TI Snow an ideal choice for traveling musicians. It's footprint is not larger than an issue of Mix Magazine.

The patch select buttons make searching for the right sound a breeze and allow you to access any of the internal patches with four or fewer button clicks. The wooden side panels offer a great "grip" and make transportation a more enjoyable task.

With over onboard sounds you will never run out of ideas while jamming. Designed as the ideal companion to any DJ or project studio, this key model is not only compact but also stunningly beautiful. The side panels are a mix of wood and pure aluminium, while the white LEDs add class and style.

On the Mac side, I set the buffer size in Logic to samples approximately 3ms at There's also the all-important USB 2. In addition to these facilities, the Polar and Keyboard models also feature a built-in PSU the Desktop has an external brick , two jack connections for Control and Hold pedals It'll look good on stage! Of course, the feature we've all been waiting for is to run the actual Virus synth engine as a plug-in.

And if you're wondering whether the Virus TI can still operate as an audio and MIDI interface when running the Virus engine as a plug-in, the answer is yes — which is really, really useful! The Virus TI's plug-in application is referred to as Virus Control , and when you start the plug-in on your host, the Virus TI will switch into Sequencer mode and no longer work as a stand-alone synth. The Virus control surface itself effectively becomes a control surface for the Virus Control plug-in, and this control is achieved by internal communication between the TI and Virus Control , so there's no additional work required by the user.

And despite the internal nature of this communication, you can still automate Virus Control with your host's own automation system. Again, this requires no setting up: just enable automation in your host, adjust parameters on the control surface, and the host will record the movements as if you were adjusting on-screen controls directly.

The beauty of this system is that you can control the plug-in at any time from the TI, regardless of which Track is selected in your host. A further mode Access have created for the Virus TI is Remote mode, and this enables the Virus' front panel to control other software instruments and effects in addition to the TI — or rather it will. Virus Control shown overleaf appears to the user as if it were any other instrument plug-in.

Behind the scenes, MIDI data from the instrument plug-in is sent to the synth engine via USB, and audio from the synth engine is sent back to Virus Control so that the plug-in outputs audio to the host application, allowing you to use other plug-in effects to further process the Virus' audio output. Like many products running over USB, the TI seems to work variably from computer to computer, depending on configuration and host. Check out the unofficial Virus user forum at www.

I fell into the latter category, aside from the non-USB related sound engine problems I've already mentioned, and a slight problem with latency. If you're using the TI as your main audio interface as well, the audio has to travel back down the USB cable again, and although the audio would be have to be sent out by the host at this point no matter what interface you were using, I noticed the latency when using the Virus as both a plug-in and an audio interface was greater than when using another main audio device.

Even with an additional audio interface, though, you have to be careful to keep your buffer sizes small no greater than samples to keep the TI plug-in playable. However, the upside to Virus Control is that latency is only an issue when performing in real time: on playback, the TI, like any other instrument plug-in, is capable of sample-accurate operation.

And another bonus is that the audio doesn't have to be routed back to your host sequencer when using the TI in Sequencer mode. Like the Virus hardware, the Virus Control plug-in also has multiple outputs: there are two stereo outputs available to your host, and in Virus Control 's Common page, you can set whether the main and secondary audio outputs are routed to an output on the plug-in, or directly to an output on the Virus TI itself.

This latter option has a few pros and cons; firstly, it's more useful if you're using the Virus TI as your main audio device, so you don't need an additional mixer, and also, it prevents you from further processing the audio output of the Virus in your host. On the plus side, though, you could use the direct routing for real-time performance, and then switch to the plug-in's output for playback and mixing.

It's a nice touch that addresses a potential problem. The Virus Control interface is pretty well laid out, and, as the manual points out, if you're familiar with using a hardware Virus or a plug-in version , the TI plug-in is pretty self-explanatory — which is just as well, since there is little documentation available for Virus Control at the time of writing, although more is planned. I particularly liked the Arp page, which makes programming the arpeggiator so much easier than on the Virus' control surface, and the new Easy page looks pretty cool, with the ability to adjust both the cutoff frequency and resonance of the filter with the mouse at the same time.

All 16 parts of the Virus are displayed in a column to the left of Virus Control , and here you can load and save individual patches, adjust the volume and pan of a part, and select a part for editing in the main display. Sequencer mode, which is the mode the TI uses when you're working with Virus Control , is similar to Multi mode, in that you have 16 simultaneous parts, but it actually works like having 16 simultaneous Single modes rather than one Multi mode.

In addition to storing patches directly on the Virus, Virus Control can also save patches to your local disk if you run out of space on your Virus, and as on the Virus Powercore plug-in, these are stored as banks of patches in MIDI file format.

Actually, the Browser page of Virus Control is the only aspect that slightly lets the side down. Access chose to display the patch list as if the patches were on an LCD screen a bit like NI's FM7 , and style aside, this just makes it hard to read the patch list. Some better faster search facilities would also have been good, although I hear this is another area Access are working on. While it's true that using audio devices with USB hubs can often be problematic, I decided to ignore this warning initially and see if the Virus TI would still be functional connected in this way.

However, I wasn't being awkward: the Windows computer on which I was installing the Virus TI was in a machine room some feet away from the main workstation where the monitors, keyboards and Virus TI were located. Since the maximum length for a USB cable to allow for reliable transmission is about So I ignored the initial warning during installation, and at first, all was well.

The installer detected that I had connected a TI even though it was via a hub , and the drivers were still installed correctly. At this point I was thinking 'hub, shmub! While this is annoying, it's understandable. Given the number of incompatibilities that users could encounter using the many possible types of USB hub, it does make a degree of sense for Access to ensure that the TI is used in a way that always gives the best possible results.

On the other hand, if you're using a computer with a limited number of USB ports such as an Apple Powerbook , it would be handy if an Expert mode could be added for those users who want to take their chances!

I really love the Virus TI. It's not perfect; there are some issues to be resolved, and features to be implemented. But, for me at least, there's nothing about the TI in its current state that would prevent me from having a good time or making a purchase, despite the fact it's not uncommon to see the odd bug.

For example, I noticed that when I was selecting patches from the TI in Sequencer mode, Virus Control didn't always display the correct patch name. Still, it's reassuring to see Access releasing regular updates on the Internet for users who have already bought the new Virus, continuing their good practice of offering regular updates for previous Virus models.

The Virus has always been a fine-sounding synth, and it's always been fun and intuitive to program. The TI takes this to the next level; the new engine, with its additional DSP resources, is fantastic, and the improvements to both the Virus' hardware user interface and the new software interface, in the form of Virus Control , make the TI a dream to program.

The 'total integration' features have been well thought out, and, for the most part, well implemented — everything you could conceivably want to do with a Virus attached to your computer seems to be possible. The only missing piece is the 'still to come' Remote mode, but I don't think this is a serious omission. I think I'm going to buy a TI Polar because, for me, it's the perfect desktop instrument. I can have it right next to my computer keyboard and mouse, it's the perfect master keyboard for generating MIDI data when an note keyboard isn't required, and, of course, it has the best-sounding Virus synth engine to date.

It's not particularly cheap, and the Polar costs the same as the note Keyboard version, but it's such a great instrument that I can't really criticise the price, because you really do get what you pay for. Access' latest Virus incarnation was worth the wait: users for whom the TI will be 'their Virus' and seasoned Access veterans alike are in for a treat. While it might be obvious, you can't run more than one instance of the Virus plug-in simultaneously, since you only have one Virus engine attached.

Fortunately, this does no harm, and you can simply remove the second plug-in instance and carry on using the first. One potential way around only having one Virus TI and let's not forget the TI is part multitimbral! Using Freeze in conjunction with the TI could be rather neat; imagine being able to use one instance, freeze it, move onto another instance, freeze that, move back to the first instance and make changes, and so on.

So long as all TI instances were 'frozen' before opening or unfreezing another, it could all work rather well. Unfortunately, Freeze-style features aren't compatible with the Virus Control plug-in at present — not even if you're using the Polar! The release notes promise it for 'a future upgrade'. This didn't stop me trying it nonetheless, but I got very corrupted-sounding audio, almost as if the Virus was trying to play at a faster tempo.

This makes sense, because most Freeze functions work by performing what is basically a faster-than-real-time bounce. Even if Freeze had worked, though, I noticed that the plug-in wasn't always released under Logic Pro ; the Virus TI stayed in Sequencer mode even after the original plug-in instance was frozen.

Even if you'll never need to use the Freeze function in your sequencer, the behaviour just described could still affect you, as it applies to all non-real-time, off-line bouncing, not just freezing. This means that if you do a bounce down or export of your finished mix inside your sequencer, you'll need to make sure that the real-time mode is selected for the time being.

Just as I was about to submit this article, Access posted a version 1. According to the company's release notes, v1. The Remote functions and Freeze support are still to be added in a future release, though. The cold realities of having to move house several times in quick succession, plus the difficulties and costs of keeping vintage synths well serviced, have conspired mercilessly to whittle down my studio.

Recording and sound design is now a percent computer-based experience for me. I have no regrets; I like contact with the hardware that's producing the sound I want, but I'm able to run more synths, samplers and effects in software than I've ever owned at one time. And I like a life which isn't drowning in leads and means that I have desk space to spare.

But working solely in software presents its own problems. Thus, the idea behind the latest breed of hardware synth — the type that adds DSP resources to your system rather than demanding more of their host — is one I like. Access's Virus TI is a particularly attractive implementation of this idea. The Virus family has become a classic in a relatively short time, and software implementations have been quite demanding, running on higher-end DSP-based audio systems.

Host-based options would suffer and, being frank, no doubt Access would suffer from piracy. The hardware-plus-software approach provides manufacturers with security, and users with power.

I haven't had the TI long, but even in that short time, digging deeper has been rewarding. Everything else — its solidity, weight, layout, and sound — I loved. And then there was Total Integration. It's rather uncanny being able to tweak and organise a synth of this power from within your favourite audio environment Ableton Live , Steinberg Cubase SX and Cakewalk Sonar for me , just like a normal plug-in, and without maxing out the CPU.

The MIDI interfacing makes up the little piped bits around the edges, and when the control surface software comes on stream, the Virus TI will be covered in hundreds and thousands! Like Mark Wherry in the main part of this review, I found it best to not demand too much of this side of things: audio in and out running simultaneously with busy multi-part synth playback is best avoided.

Despite this, the sonics are great. The Virus TI's modelling gives you access to a wide palette of sound; whether you like your analogue acid-fat or modular-clinical, and want to mix in modern digital textures that jump to the top of the mix or blend wistfully, it's here.

The presets even include drum sounds! In the 'leads' category, A 'Syncer' is classic with a modern edge, and C 'm stock' just sings! Pads also abound, from textured backgrounds to upfront movers. The outright simulations of instruments are variable, but this was always the way with real analogue or FM.

Here, the fake pianos, erzatz contrabasses and so on have the playability and 'feel' of the original without being fully imitative. Practically anything in this department that comes up on the category search will impress, but try shaking your woofer with A 'Bombasdr'. But by way of contrast, there are also incredibly delicate sounds, such as D 'AprilPad'. The Virus TI arpeggiator is particularly good, many factory patches showing this off. Add a drum loop and it's instant dancefloor-filling material.

I could use up another few boxes to summarise favourites, but I have some programming to do! This is one inspirational synth.