The "Zebra2 plays Virus" challenge

[fgimian]

Come on fellas, this was such a good discussion. Hit your ignore button and let's continue

The supersaw example actually sounded pretty good to me, I couldn't hear aliasing. Helix VSTi actually has a similar feature and it nails it flawlessly I think

Fots

[Amblin]

Quite funny actually, we don't know anything about that frequency asshole, but something tells me he sits there in Fruity loops, trying to score some cash on soundclick for his "beats". There is simply nothing worse than random hiphopproducers trying to promote their average beats with their exclusive sales pitch. How i fuciking hate that! Maybe I'm a bit drunk, but I'm still not drunk enough to attack the majority of people that has built KVR.

Not everyone here care about getting signed, but have musicproduction more as a hobby. There aren't alot of cash in the musicindustry these days, unless you're big. And I for one would rather be a wannabeproducer who makes music for fun, than a beatselling-promo-whoring-wannabe-hiphopproducer who THINKS he's gonna be big.

There, I said it, now it's naptime. And I hope you die in cancer frequency-whatsyourname.

[kuniklo]

Come on fellas, this was such a good discussion. Hit your ignore button and let's continue

No kidding. I've got a thousand other threads to choose from on this forum if I want to read that shit.

Back on topic - the original Virus came out in 1998 and the Nord Lead 2 in 1997 and subsequent upgrades have been mostly refinements and haven't changed the core engines that much. How is it that such old VA technology still holds up so well today? They're still very competitive with the best software alternatives, I think.

[Muzik 4 Machines]

it holds cause the basic osc-filter-amplifier paradigm is as valid today as it was in 97 as it was in 67, you cannot add a lot to substractive synthesis that hasn't been done after 40 years, be it analog, virtual analog or pure software

[kuniklo]

it holds cause the basic osc-filter-amplifier paradigm is as valid today as it was in 97 as it was in 67, you cannot add a lot to substractive synthesis that hasn't been done after 40 years, be it analog, virtual analog or pure software

It's not the architecture of the Virus and the Nord that make them interesting. Subtractive VA's are a dime a dozen, hardware and software. It's the implementation. Both the Virus and the Nord have a distinctive sound that most people still find very attractive and musical. How many other seven or even ten year old VA synths will people spend twenty pages trying to imitate here?

[fgimian]

I think a lot of the Virus characteristic may also stem from the saturation / distortion types. Each synth I have tried is vastly different in that department. Zebra's saturation / distortion (in XMF) can also produce some rather nasty sounds.

Here's something I was putting together for fun last night. All Zebra2 (15 of them doin drums & synths & fx) with 2 Marquis compressors (one on kick and one on the drum buss). No other effects used. I clipped the final track to get it a little louder so no limiter was used.

You'll see WHY it's called Zebra has children when you hear it

http://www.savefile.com/files/944820

I've also had a go at getting that cool pad sound in the Virus example I posted (that's sound number 10). It's not quite there but usable in it's own right...

http://www.savefile.com/files/944827

On listening again to the Virus example I posted, I am now 100% certain there is compression on it. Sound 3, you hear the reverb come up during the gaps while the synth isn't playing. And I actually don't believe the Virus has a compressor built in, does it ? Still, a lot of the sounds do not sound compressed and are unbelievable

Cheers
Fots

[mkastrup]

You'll see WHY it's called Zebra has children when you hear it

http://www.savefile.com/files/944820

http://www.savefile.com/files/944827

Weee Zebra music Great stuff... i can hear the LOVE

I'd really like to see a Zebra only music thread down at u-he forums.

/Michael

[fgimian]

You'll see WHY it's called Zebra has children when you hear it

http://www.savefile.com/files/944820

http://www.savefile.com/files/944827

Weee Zebra music Great stuff... i can hear the LOVE

I'd really like to see a Zebra only music thread down at u-he forums.

/Michael

Thanks for listening

Cheers
Fots

[JonasNorberg]

The supersaw example actually sounded pretty good to me, I couldn't hear aliasing. Helix VSTi actually has a similar feature and it nails it flawlessly I think

Funny that you mention the super-saw feature of helix. I read about this challenge and couldn't help myself from trying out that midi file. I think I need to say that emulating a patch is way harder than it sounds, so I left out the phaser (since Helix does not have a proper one yet), and focused on staying "true to the genre" as mkastrup put it.

I went to guitar center earlier today to test the virus TI POLAR, and it's a nice synth, (and the vengeance patches (ROM-B)are really sweet ) and the demo-mp3s you find (presets on parade for instance) are very well made.

Anyway, I read alot that the virus does not sound like software and to me it sounds very digital and "software" (it was next to a little phatty at GC...),still the virus deserves its recognition as a kick ass synth.

Check out: http://www.audjoo.com/Helix/mp3/trance-arp.mp3

[edit: two cubase "dynamics" in serial is applied to the sound]

I hope Helix will be the go-to vst for "super-saw" when it's easier to use and there are some better patches to tweak.

[mkastrup]

Check out: http://www.audjoo.com/Helix/mp3/trance-arp.mp3

[edit: two cubase "dynamics" in serial is applied to the sound]

I hope Helix will be the go-to vst for "super-saw" when it's easier to use and there are some better patches to tweak.

Well i think it does a pretty good job but i'm also hearing the phaser/chorus and delay applied to it in my mind.

You really should try beef it up with effects and see where it ends.

Hmm perhaps those demos should be made like DRY first and then WET or the other way round.

/Michael

[fgimian]

The supersaw example actually sounded pretty good to me, I couldn't hear aliasing. Helix VSTi actually has a similar feature and it nails it flawlessly I think

Funny that you mention the super-saw feature of helix. I read about this challenge and couldn't help myself from trying out that midi file. I think I need to say that emulating a patch is way harder than it sounds, so I left out the phaser (since Helix does not have a proper one yet), and focused on staying "true to the genre" as mkastrup put it.

I went to guitar center earlier today to test the virus TI POLAR, and it's a nice synth, (and the vengeance patches (ROM-B)are really sweet ) and the demo-mp3s you find (presets on parade for instance) are very well made.

Anyway, I read alot that the virus does not sound like software and to me it sounds very digital and "software" (it was next to a little phatty at GC...),still the virus deserves its recognition as a kick ass synth.

Check out: http://www.audjoo.com/Helix/mp3/trance-arp.mp3

[edit: two cubase "dynamics" in serial is applied to the sound]

I hope Helix will be the go-to vst for "super-saw" when it's easier to use and there are some better patches to tweak.

Sounds great to me. I absolutely love Helix to bits, I'm just waiting for the new GUI to add it to my VSTi folder since the current one is just a little too hard to use. Still it's way better than when you had the text labels vertically and I had to turn my head 90 degrees every few seconds

Helix is surprisingly aggresive too. To say the least, if you add Synth1 + Oatmeal + Helix + xhip, you have an incredible!! synth line up for free

We should all be greatful that we live in such times

Fots

[JonasNorberg]

Helix is surprisingly aggressive too.

Keepin' it real all the way to Nyquist!

[fgimian]

Helix is surprisingly aggressive too.

Keepin' it real all the way to Nyquist!

[DevonB]

21 pages into this thread ...and countless other threads I think a pattern is emerging here.
As much as ppl knock the virus, deep down inside those who crave its sound are starting to realise it is indeed a magical mythical beast of a synth even if it was designed by pure luck ...perhaps its the mini-moog of our time?

Sometimes magic can happen

Well, depends. I own a Virus and I'm not all that excited. I wonder how many people bought a Virus because they've just *thought* that it sounds all that great - and were actually pretty disappointed.

To me it seems that all the "magical" examples are remarkable because of the production technique and not because of what makes the Virus special.

I bought the Virus C without ever playing one. I was looking for synths that had their own character, were in the under $1000 price range, and stored lots of patches (384+, if not into the 1000+ range.) The Virus seemed like the perfect little beastie. I also knew if I bought one, hated it, I could sell it and get all my money back pretty easily. Once I got one and played it though, I loved it, and am keeping it. It is one of the best VA synths I've played with, and see what all the 'hype' is about; it's a good, all around VA with excellent patch design and a good sound.

The magic? It's there without 'production tricks'. Unless you consider tweaking a knob or moving the mod wheel a 'production technique.' The free Manuel S. bank has a lot of good 'magical' patches.

Today wasn't a good day for me to post something. I hope I can get to something tomorrow.

Devon

[FaX]

Anyway, I read alot that the virus does not sound like software and to me it sounds very digital and "software" (it was next to a little phatty at GC...),still the virus deserves its recognition as a kick ass synth.

The Access Virus sounds about as Analog as a Waldorf Q or Xtk IMHO - in other words it doesn't.
Ditto the Korg Radias for example.
However they all have an incredibly unique sonic signature.
This is the hallmark of many a good synth be it digital, analog, va, modular etc ....
An Arp2600 sounds quite unique for example as did the OSCar or the Wasp or the Casio CZ range and the Prophet 5 or even the ProOne compared to a Moog for example.
Ditto synts like the DX7IIFde or the SY99 or Roland's JD990 and so on and so forth.