So, how does Access feel about the Venom?

  • I ask only because the Virus is my favourite synthesizer and I want only the best for Access. And I ask because all my Virus-owning friends want to know too!


    For those who don't know, M-Audio (now a part of Avid, a very large audio company who makes Pro Tools and a Hollywood film editing standard) released their first hardware synth, called Venom. Its similarities and obvious inpiration taken from the Virus in name, sound, and design are very thinly-veiled. Avid positions this synth as an evil-sounding virtual analog synth with an integrated, real-time software editor.


    I truly believe competition is good and this is probably the first time the Virus has ever had any real competition. While obviously the Virus sounds and looks better, and is better built, the Venom is cheaper (but offers much less polyphony) and has much larger marketing muscle behind it. Even though Access may not see this synth as a threat (and to people who really know synths, it's not), when a competitor muscles in on your market and uses your exact value proposition to sell their cheaper knockoff of your product, it's important not to ignore it and hope it goes away, or just hope people will recognize it for what it is and come to you for the better quality or just "the real thing". People are very fickle and have short memories. It could very well happen in a few years that people start accusing Access of making an expensive Venom ripoff!


    I'm sure you guys have thought of all this, but on the off-chance you haven't: why not turn this whole ploy around on Avid by leveraging the existing maturity and vast sound library of the TIOS/VC and make a plastic, 49-key version of the Virus with a single, cheaper Sharc processor (as long as it can do more than Venom's 12 voices; ignore multitimbrality), call it the Virus | Toxin, sell it for $600 MSRP, and let Avid unwittingly do the marketing for YOUR entry level synth...possibly increasing sales to new levels.

  • i own some m-audio products like a sound card and monitor speakers and an old axiom midi k version but the quality wasn't good enough as i felt .the electronic stuff like capacitors were used on speakers they are out of quality and made from china and board assembling was awful , although the sound quality isn't too bad at their price but the circuit electronic board is out of quality.it's including keyboard as well..
    the companies like access,clavia,dave smith,waldorf have more experience on designing synthesizer..
    i suppose ,anyone can build anything but when access have their product why avid should build a new one and put it self on the competition road...
    avid built perfect devices like their audio interfaces,audio converter and post production software..and it was the secret of their success way...
    in my idea everyone should work on their major which they have own it...

  • this is probably the first time the Virus has ever had any real competition. While obviously the Virus sounds and looks better, and is better built, the Venom is cheaper (but offers much less polyphony) and has much larger marketing muscle behind it. Even though Access may not see this synth as a threat (and to people who really know synths, it's not), when a competitor muscles in on your market and uses your exact value proposition to sell their cheaper knockoff of your product, it's important not to ignore it and hope it goes away, or just hope people will recognize it for what it is and come to you for the better quality or just "the real thing". People are very fickle and have short memories. It could very well happen in a few years that people start accusing Access of making an expensive Venom ripoff!


    There's nothing totally amazing or new I see about the venom, a lot of synths in the past other than the virus have been there and done that. It doesn't even include a vst/au editor which a lot of synths are doing atm, also 12 voices over 4 parts??


    However there are synths out there that do give the virus a run for it's money, more recently the novation ultranova which is probably as feature packed as a TI and even offers things the virus can't do like loop-able EG's. However it's only mono-timbral which is pretty much a fail for such a synth.

  • I agree with infraction. It's definitely a weak attempt to imitate the Virus. M-Audio makes some great entry level products, and I bet the Venom is great synth for beginning to intermediate users. If you want professional, Access is the way to go. One feature of the Venom that caught my eye was the fact it only has non-balanced TS outputs and can only provide 2 channels at 24bit/44.1k, pretty weak. I also am not a fan of Avid Pro Tools, especially their M-Powered products. It looks like you need to use the Venom with Pro Tools M-Powered to reap all of the benefits it offers. Only in the past couple of years has Avid even tried to make Pro Tools a viable alternative to DAW's like Apple Logic for electronic music production. Pro Tools HD gets all the good updates and support, while M-Powered and LE get left in the dust. If my TI2 Polar had loop-able Envelopes, it would be the perfect synth. But hey, nothings perfect. I would much rather own a TI Snow than a Venom.

  • I've got to be honest and maybe this is my self pride and respect for Virus.


    The Virus is the supreme in what it does and I have listened to a lot of soft plugins (Dune comes to mind) and alternatives that claim to reproduce. Whilst they come close, as soon as i have introduced the Virus into the mix the competetion seems lacking and lacks lustre. Just my thoughts.


    It's the old analogy in my book like buying a Fiat and believing it's a Ferrari, if you know what I mean :)

  • I tried the Venom for a few days and found many of the patches inspiring - some great patch programming. The audio interface doesn't really need to be used with Pro Tools. I don't have it but was able to use the synth as a sound card. The value is outstanding - but I returned it because when I tried to use it the first time at practice, my bandmates and I thought the sound was thin and lost in the mix compared to the Virus Snow and my other synths.

  • ...my bandmates and I thought the sound was thin and lost in the mix compared to the Virus Snow and my other synths.


    Of course... 8)


    Not impossible to make synths that aren't the virus sound... dare I say it... phat... ok, I did.... but you have to know what you are doing on something as wiry as a venom or a microKORG or something... maybe even external FX, although not strictly necessary...


    I have got my microKORG to do a genuine (!) PolyMoog Vox Humana clone, even... although there was nothing 'poly' about it...

  • However there are synths out there that do give the virus a run for it's money, more recently the novation ultranova which is probably as feature packed as a TI and even offers things the virus can't do like loop-able EG's. However it's only mono-timbral which is pretty much a fail for such a synth.

    While the UltraNova might be as featured packed, it doesn't hold a candle to the Virus. I have both a T1 Snow and the UltraNova. The UN is almost a joke at this point. The sounds are thin and have nowhere near the depth that the Virus has. While the controller is interesting, that's about it. The build quality is very cheap. I have 20 other HW synths and short of my V-synth, nothing else even comes close.

  • Comparing the Venom to the Virus is like comparing a Boeing 737 to the Space Shuttle... I have played both and I can honestly say that the Venom is an awesome synth until you play a Virus and thats the point that you realize that there is really no comparison. If you spent the same amount of money as a Virus on 6 Vemons you would still be lacking some


    SERIOUS PROFESSIONAL GRADE PREFORMANCE.


    The Venom is totally geared toward someone that has never owned hardware and is newer to synthesizers. So is the Venom a bad synth? No. It destroys a lot of crappy softsynths and even hardware, but to suggest it can even compete with a Virus is in my opinion crazy because people that want superior quality will pay superior prices. A better comparison to the Virus would be an Andromeda and even it is lacking in terms on Total Integration. I feel like for now and the forseeable future the Virus will stand alone in terms of quality, power, respect and support.


    That's just my two cents.

  • Hadn't heard about this until this thread. Couple of you tube vids later, I relised I'd wasted my time, don't like it.


    Yeah it's cheaper, lots cheaper. Thats half the problem. I was expecting to see something in the £1000 range not that cheap thing. It doesn't even come close in features, control etc.


    People who buy that will still dream of owning a virus.

  • Virus is like a fine wine , just because a cheaper wine comes out and does well because it tastes ok does not mean that you should cheapen yourself to get more sales ! Virus is very well built , rugged amazing machine and venom does not and will never compare ! If access was to make a cheaper version than the snow , (which is a great deal IMO) then more people would buy them and have a crappy view of access synthesizers , please don't cheapen yourselves you are a fine wine that was not meant to be sold at the corner store , your product is for dedicated musicians and lets keep it that way !!! :thumbup: