Is it Honestly True That Access Virus = VSTI's

[ThomasN]

IMO, the appeal of the Virus is rather the sweet spot. It's where many soft synths simply suck. There are a couple of exception now, though. But, in essence, for me, a instrument has to be musical. It has to be fun to play.

Finally, someone gets it! That one is huge. Another thing is, I have no clue what the Virus is doing under the hood, but its sound has a silkiness, that I never found in any native VSTi.

But Viper can get you close.

Not in the slidest. I'm really sorry for Adam to say that, but Viper sounds like a cheap Chinese imitation of the real thing.

A real native Virus VSTi from Access would be a dream come true, but most certainly that will never happen.

[kenny saunders]

They did have a plugin version years ago.

Was that the TC powercore hardware dsp one?

Yes, it was locked to Powercore or Protools hardware so it was essentially the same thing as Virus Control plugin that goes with Virus TI, except that it was 32 bit only afaik.

As others said, Viper is the closest. Still misses some of the important features of TI and sounds somewhat different but worth trying if you are on Win.

I'll try the Viper Demo. I used to think the proprietary 'hypersaw' algorithm was a big part of the Virus sound, but its probably not that different to the one in Avenger.

[recursive one]

They did have a plugin version years ago.

Was that the TC powercore hardware dsp one?

Yes, it was locked to Powercore or Protools hardware so it was essentially the same thing as Virus Control plugin that goes with Virus TI, except that it was 32 bit only afaik.

As others said, Viper is the closest. Still misses some of the important features of TI and sounds somewhat different but worth trying if you are on Win.

I'll try the Viper Demo. I used to think the proprietary 'hypersaw' algorithm was a big part of the Virus sound, but its probably not that different to the one in Avenger.

Hypersaw in Virus sounds great but I think it's not that special anymore. To my ears Spire does convincning approximation of Virus hypersaw. I can also get agreeable hypersaws from Sylenth, Dune3, Rapid etc. Getting a Virus just for hypersaw would be an overkill but it can do really much more than that. It's more than the sum of its parts, all components - oscillators, envelopes, filters, effects - work together and give that big and fat, very musical sound character with wide range of sweet spots.

Browse various Virus demos, there are plenty of them online.

One thing to keep in mind, if you are into modern trance/EDM sound with very brigtht top end you'd be better off with something like Serum or Spire. Virus oscillators are bandlimited so it sounds somehwat darker than most modern VSTis (I personally like it tho)

[foosnark]

I never had a Virus and never was specifically excited by them... but I just automatically disbelieve everyone who says something "sounds like a plugin."

Usually it means they're closed-minded either about hardware or about plugins, depending on the context, and being a little too dismissive of what makes each individual piece of gear (hard or soft) interesting.

[Distorted Horizon]

I just automatically disbelieve everyone who says something "sounds like a plugin."

Waldorf Rocket is a great example.. It's a VA but has a sound of a hardware.

[Vectorman]

Obviously you won't get quite the same sound with anything else - the Virus sound is very distinctive. I'm still very fond of my TI and will probably always want one around. Having a better keybed than what's in most dedicated MIDI controllers these days is an extra incentive to keep it, of course.

For my taste, probably the first softsynth I've used that I felt hit me almost immediately with the same kind of overall sonic impact is NI Massive X. The solid core sound, the great effects, the huge and immersive stereo field - IMO, it's all there. Obviously it differs sound-wise from the Virus in many ways - it has a more open and present top end for one, but to me it's easily as potent sound-wise in its own right. (Though it's unfortunate MX's release was so troubled and that it still isn't fully developed. NI need to get it 100% ready for prime time like it should've been on day one and roll out some high-quality expansions for that synth like NOW if they hope to regain any momentum.)

[Robmobius]

I've not heard any soft synth (yet) that can equal the virus. I've been using the polar a lot these days and it sounds a lot richer and beefier then any of my soft synths. Having said that... It would want to considering the price.

But soft synths with a lot of processing and FX will get you very close indeed. That said you don't need a virus to make great music or any hardware. But I still think in terms of sound HW is still superior.

[thecontrolcentre]

I just automatically disbelieve everyone who says something "sounds like a plugin."

Waldorf Rocket is a great example.. It's a VA but has a sound of a hardware.

Rocket is hardware ... did you mean analog?

[Distorted Horizon]

I just automatically disbelieve everyone who says something "sounds like a plugin."

Waldorf Rocket is a great example.. It's a VA but has a sound of a hardware.

Rocket is hardware ... did you mean analog?

It's digital like virus.. But has the sound of hardware, not the sound of a vsti (stupid explanation I know )

[thecontrolcentre]

I just automatically disbelieve everyone who says something "sounds like a plugin."

Waldorf Rocket is a great example.. It's a VA but has a sound of a hardware.

Rocket is hardware ... did you mean analog?

It's digital like virus.. But has the sound of hardware, not the sound of a vsti (stupid explanation I know )

It has a multi-mode analog filter. Could be why it sounds like "hardware" ...

[Distorted Horizon]

I just automatically disbelieve everyone who says something "sounds like a plugin."

Waldorf Rocket is a great example.. It's a VA but has a sound of a hardware.

Rocket is hardware ... did you mean analog?

It's digital like virus.. But has the sound of hardware, not the sound of a vsti (stupid explanation I know )

It has a multi-mode analog filter. Could be why it sounds like "hardware" ...

No? It's a beast. That's why it sounds like one, even when filter is open.

[chaosWyrM]

i have an indigo. ive had it now for nearly 20 years. if i were in the market for "that kind of sound" now...i would use software, and if i really really wanted hardware, id look into a waldorf kyra.

i wouldnt get a virus now....its completely abandoned. ive had a broken crystal messing up my keyboard for like 15 years or so. good luck finding anyone who will even look at it, let alone try to actually fix it. it works fine with a controller, but if i wanted to use it that way i wouldnt have got the indigo.

does it sound good? you bet it does....can you get 95% the way there for 1000s less and in a far more convenient format....also yes. i dont reach for it hardly ever as its just so much easier to use a vst...any number of them will work, spire, thorn, diversion, hive, dune, ect. ect. ect...

ive even toyed with the idea of selling it...but its my first synth, i saved up for months to buy it (used mind you...it was $2k used in 2001)...and it was at the time a dream instrument for me. its hard to let it go.

with all that said, if i didnt have one, and i was looking for that sound, knowing what i know now...id find alternatives.

[4damind]

A Virus emulation where everyone says that it clearly sounds like a Virus does not exist. Viper is a joke and most others don't even say they sound like a Virus
I don't know if the Virus is still being used that much today (I have a Virus XL since 16 years and hardly use it anymore). Yes, the Virus was rather "the" trance synth and not everyone liked it.

If you look at what also known trance musicians use today, I only see plugins. These are the typical plugins like Falcon, Ana, Sylenth, Spire, Dune, Massive etc. What is known is also used. Often it sounds like a Virus (mostly this typical pluck sounds or saw leads) but in the end it is one of those plugin-synths.

[Elektronisch]

A Virus emulation where everyone says that it clearly sounds like a Virus does not exist. Viper is a joke and most others don't even say they sound like a Virus
I don't know if the Virus is still being used that much today (I have a Virus XL since 16 years and hardly use it anymore). Yes, the Virus was rather "the" trance synth and not everyone liked it.

If you look at what also known trance musicians use today, I only see plugins. These are the typical plugins like Falcon, Ana, Sylenth, Spire, Dune, Massive etc. What is known is also used. Often it sounds like a Virus (mostly this typical pluck sounds or saw leads) but in the end it is one of those plugin-synths.

You are a joke.

[AdvancedFollower]

I've owned a Virus TI Snow in the past. No VST sounds exactly like a Virus, but then again, no two VST's sound exactly alike, either. Without the source code for the sound-generating algorithms used in any plugin or digital hardware synth, all a developer can do is use the black box approach to approximate it. A perfect 1:1 recreation would require the original source code.

Many newer VST's sound objectively better than the Virus (ZDF filters, less severely bandlimited oscillators, cleaner sync algorithms, less aliasing etc.), but if you absolutely must have precisely that "Virus" sound including its imperfections and faults, you still need the real thing. Otherwise using modern, supported plugins is a lot more convenient and cheaper. The plug-in part of the Virus hasn't been updated in years, and the DSP chips used in the synth are EOL and no longer being manufactured.