Reasons to buy a Virus TI2 today over a plugin?

[V0RT3X]

Ok so i've been going over the Virus Ti specifications & listening to sound demos galore and I am wondering, what is the major benefit of owning a Virus apart from the internal DSP processing.

The sounds of the Virus Ti are not that impressive to my ears and it is nowhere near the quality of something like DIVA in terms of the Oscillators or filters..

I mean it is nice that you can use it with barely any CPU usage, but is it really that much of a deal breaker? Now see I feel in a lot of ways that for a majority of the sounds that the Virus excels at, that there equally capable plugins that can do the same! It could be that I am just not listening to the right sound demos?

So is it really worth it? Has anyone sold a Virus in favour of the sounds that modern plugins are now capable of?

Im not creating this as a thread to flame the Virus Ti, I am very interested in what people think.

[Cyforce]

The Virus TI is just a great synth, there is no real reason to not buy it! Also through the TI features, kind of usable like a VSTi synthesizer. If my Virus TI gets broken or something like that, i will buy a new one - also if i have DIVA, DUNE, ACE, Synthsquad, Zebra, Massive & Co in my VST folder.

[Kaboom75]

Having DIVA and ZebraHZ, ACE, it makes the decision very hard. I've only listened to the Virus ti2 demos on Access site and on youtube and also preset bank makers sites and I cant tell if it has anything over u-He Zebra or ACE.

U-he synths cost less than a mountain bike but the Virus costs more than a decent second hand car for the same performance.

What would really worry me is I spend £1500 on a Virus and at any time they bring out the Virus Ti3 I would want the Ti3 but cant spend that kind of money again.

I would get to grips with Zebra HZ first thats Zebra with DIVA filters get used to the sound then try a Virus in a shop.

[V0RT3X]

Having DIVA and ZebraHZ, ACE, it makes the decision very hard. I've only listened to the Virus ti2 demos on Access site and on youtube and also preset bank makers sites and I cant tell if it has anything over u-He Zebra or ACE.

U-he synths cost less than a mountain bike but the Virus costs more than a decent second hand car for the same performance.

What would really worry me is I spend £2800 on a Virus and at any time they bring out the Virus Ti3 I would want the Ti3 but cant spend that kind of money again.

I would get to grips with Zebra HZ first thats Zebra with DIVA filters get used to the sound then try a Virus in a shop.

I own DIVA,ACE, Uhbik, Synthsquad, and I will soon own Komplete. Im really thinking that for the price I am getting a much better deal by owning multiple plugins.

Also when you throw Moore's Law into the equation, then in a few years the Virus TI 2 will be nothing more than a dated sounding paperweight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law

"Moore's law is the observation that over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years. The period often quoted as "18 months" is due to Intel executive David House, who predicted that period for a doubling in chip performance (being a combination of the effect of more transistors and their being faster).[1]"

[bronxsound]

Virus looks good and it's VSTi interface looks better than other plugins.
Hence it sounds waaaay better.

[danbroad]

..it has a signature sound, you have to like it to own it. Still, there's no point trying to compare one signature sound to another - if you want the Virus sound, nothing other than a Virus will give you it.

Aside from that, it's a beautiful instrument, one which you can learn over time and get more intimate with.

[4damind]

Yes, there is something like a "Virus signature sound" which is often the same sound preferred and used by many trance guys. IMO many of the pop/dance guys are not the biggest fans of such a sound and the Virus. If they have hardware I see more Nord Lead or Roland synth. Some Chart guys like Redone ("Lady Gaga") are 100% plug-in users, they using no hardware.

But with the big Virus usage, this has IMO a bit changed because there are some plug-in synth with many features and great sound. Virus was a lot used by trance guys because in the past not many softsynth had the features, the stability and this sound. I see the last time that some of this known guys, don't use the Virus very often. Infected Mushroom used in many tracks Massive and for lead sounds the Nord Lead. It see that some of this guys bought the last time real analog synth like a Moog...

I bought a Virus XL (C based version with some improvements) some years ago but don't use it very often this days. It's not that the synth is bad but the sound is not better or different enough compared to some plug-ins. So I personally stopped with the idea to upgrade to the TI. If I need some VA sound I use Massive or Sylenth...

[Oopfoo]

I must disagree with the idea that Moore's Law is going to make the Virus a paperweight. 1) Moore's Law has pretty much gone out the window, as the speed increases in computing have become less about transistor size and more about parallelism. 2) Moore's Law generally refers to the general-purpose processor, not special-purpose machines. Dedicated machines like the Virus TI2 make their sound, maintain a UI and some basic management functionality, and that's pretty much all they do. Even if processors become irrationally faster, the Virus TI will continue to act as a usable synthesizer.

Okay, back on topic...

I have all the things you've mentioned: a house full of synths (including a Virus TI2), and a computer full of plug-ins.

While I love hardware synths, even I will admit that plug-ins can provide you a wide sonic horizon that some of the most popular hardware can't touch. That said, hardware provides physical feedback that is hard to duplicate with a plug-in, no matter what controller setup you are using. In addition, the ability to just turn on the box and start playing is more conducive, for me, to creative play. And that's what I'm doing, much of the time....PLAYING. Some nights it's easier for me to sit at the computer and mess with things, but some nights I need the keys, the strings, the sticks...or even a slide (I teach trombone).

Sonically, I'd say plug-ins are a MUCH better bang for your buck than a Virus TI. But as an instrument, the Virus is a LOT of fun. Which is more important to YOU?

[polyslax]

No huge reason to buy one specifically to out-do plugins. It is, however, a very nice synth. Well built, well supported, great sound, the integration works beautifully. Probably my favourite synth to program. Although it's well known for it, this synth isn't limited to dance/trance by any means... I certainly don't use it for that anyhow.

[xamido]

Plus :
1. Fun to tweak, knobs is always fun.
2. Great effect section.
3. Beautiful.
4. Have its own sound character.

Minus :
1. Latency is some cases.
2. Expensive.
3. DSP power is limited.

[vata44]

The TI2 is amazing... no CPU power and a blast to program. VST's, are point click, assign, etc, and sometimes have high CPU. If i had the money, i'd get a Virus.

[Deranger604]

1) signature sound
2) easy to use
3) no cpu hit even on huge sounds
4) fun to play
5) all the oscillator modes and distortion types in the filter section
6) integration

could go on forever...

[cryophonik]

The sounds of the Virus Ti are not that impressive to my ears and it is nowhere near the quality of something like DIVA in terms of the Oscillators or filters..

The Virus is not trying to sound like Diva, nor is it trying to be the most perfect emulation of vintage analogue synths on the market. It's far more diverse than that and, as mentioned, certainly not limited to trance only. But, if perfect analogue emulation is your preference, you probably won't be impressed by a Virus.

So is it really worth it

See the response above. For you, I would guess probably not. For me, absolutely (and I do own Diva, Zebra, and probably 4 dozen or more other soft synths). My Virus TI2 and Kurzweil PC3X are my go-to instruments and controllers and they are the centerpieces of my studio.

Has anyone sold a Virus in favour of the sounds that modern plugins are now capable of?

Yes, many people have. You don't have to search very far in KVR or gearslutz threads to see how many people had a Virus and sold it in lieu of software. If all a person is concerned about is sound, then they have the option of many soft synths that can adequately cover much of the Virus' sonic range. But, there are also a lot of people who would trade their software for a Virus in a heartbeat.

Im not creating this as a thread to flame the Virus Ti, I am very interested in what people think.

Fair enough, but why are you singling out the Virus? It's not the only hardware VA ever produced, nor would many people consider it one of the best analogue emulations available.

[ford442]

Hardware always has unique character - but, with a Virus you are also assured very good VA processing. I expect to get a very digital sounding voice when i fire up my virus poco - Diva is for when you want a Korg analog OSC/filter - Virus is for perfect, cutting, digital tonality.

[djanthonyw]

Even with the Virus TI, you still have to bounce your audio in realtime. You can also not have more than one instance. It does not sound any better than plugins that are available. Don't waste your money.

I've had a Virus Classic and a Virus PoCo before, as well as other hardware synths that are both digital and analog. If you really want to buy hardware, get an actual analog synth, but even then I think DIVA is the smarter alternative since it sounds just as good and is also way less expensive.

I'd say get z3ta if you want the Virus sound and features. No one is going to be able to tell the difference!

http://soundcloud.com/refxaudio/vengean ... cubation-4
http://soundcloud.com/refxaudio/vengean ... z3ta-vol-1