Patches in RAM vs. ROM Banks

  • Sorry for n00bish question :)
    Are patches in ROM and RAM banks same (assuming Virust TI2 came with a factory default settings) or different? I know that ROM is Read Only Memory and RAM is where I can put my own patches, just was wondering about pre-installed patches (i.e. are they duplicates?)

  • The Quickstart manual explains the difference between RAM banks and ROM banks:

    Zitat

    RAM/ROM?
    The Virus TI contains 4 banks of RAM, followed by 26 banks of ROM for storing sounds or ‘patches', with each bank containing 128 sounds. ‘RAM' stands for ‘Random Access Memory', which means any of these locations can be overwritten with your own patches, whenever you like. ‘ROM' stands for ‘Read Only Memory', meaning these locations are permanent, and you cannot store your edited patches here normally. It is possible to flash a ROM bank with a customised bank using Virus Control Center however, which is ex-plained in detail later in this guide.


    However the sentence following the above in the Quickstart manual is wrong for my TI2. Perhaps it was right for the TI1:

    Zitat

    The RAM banks of the Virus TI contain a showcase of sounds selected from the ROM banks, so you needn't worry about replacing any of them.


    My TI2 came with all four RAM banks empty or, more exactly, with every RAM patch populated with an identical copy of the INIT patch. So there's no duplication, in my TI2 at least, in the RAM banks of the patches in the ROM banks. My TI2 came with ROM banks A to U populated with patches, presumably all unique, and ROM banks V to Z populated only with copies of the INIT patch.


    If the reference in the manual to a selection of ROM patches being duplicated in the RAM banks is true of the TI1, then having the RAM banks initially empty on the TI2 is an improvement in my opinion. It encourages the musician to save his or her own selection of favorite ROM patches in the RAM banks (or indeed to create his/her own patches!). Personally, in the couple of months I've had my TI2, I've been happily exploring the ROM banks and saving my favorite patches to the RAM banks. I have customised some of the RAM copies of the patches.


    Simon

    Virus TI2 Polar | TIOS 4.5.3.00 | Cubase Pro 9.5 | Windows 10 Professional

  • Great answer,thanks! Now it's clear to me :) I got my TI2 Desktop used so I don't know what previous owner did, plus I was also confused by the manual. I agree it's better if RAMs were empty. Now looking closely I see duplicates between RAM and ROM (as it should be), for example RAM-A 28 corresponds to ROM-B 0 (AcidBath M)... 8|

  • Thanks for the feedback. That's right, you've got some RAM patches that duplicate ROM patches because the previous owner did what I've been doing and has copied some of the ROM patches to RAM. Of course, just because a RAM patch has the same name as ROM patch, it does not necessarily mean it is is identical in every respect. The previous owner has quite likely made some modifications to some of the RAM copies of patches without changing their names. I have been doing that.

    Virus TI2 Polar | TIOS 4.5.3.00 | Cubase Pro 9.5 | Windows 10 Professional

  • Good to hear that other users have had the same experience I've had. i.e., I bought my TI2 used and the previous user had filled the RAM banks with patches from the ROM banks (and possibly his own patches, I haven't checked that) and banks V-Z contain only -INIT-. I hadn't thought of using the RAM banks for favorites, in fact I'm working on a program/website to store, rate, and notate my favorites. Much more fun than just using RAM banks for favorites (and then potentially forgetting where they are). The website is under development and therefore any information saved is subject to death-by-upgrade, but feel free to check it out at http://www.detachtour.org/virus/ if you're so inclined.

  • Documenting your patches like on your web site looks like a good approach. Of course the advatage of saving favourite and of course orignial and modified patches to the RAM banks rather than to computer files is that I don't have to have my TI2 tethered to a computer all the time. Handy for me personally for gigs. Irrelevent if you always use your Virus with a computer.


    It would be good if Kemper/Access would state in the Quickstart manual that the TI2 RAM banks are initially empty/INITs. The confusion has lead to some discussion on the forum. See most recently for example
    http://virus.info/forum/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=3212

    Virus TI2 Polar | TIOS 4.5.3.00 | Cubase Pro 9.5 | Windows 10 Professional

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von SimonO ()

  • It would be good if Kemper/Access would state in the Quickstart manual that the TI2 RAM banks are initially empty/INITs. The confusion has lead to some discussion on the forum. See most recently for example
    http://virus.info/forum/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=3212

    The reason is that when they come from the factory they're not empty and are populated as the manual states. If you bought one new that was empty either someone wiped them or missed puitting them there in the first place. Normally they're populated. I agree that they should be empty from the factory though. No need for doubles!

  • when they come from the factory they're not empty and are populated as the manual states. If you bought one new that was empty either someone wiped them or missed puitting them there in the first place.

    Interesting. OK, let's just double-check. Is yours a TI1 or a TI2?

    Virus TI2 Polar | TIOS 4.5.3.00 | Cubase Pro 9.5 | Windows 10 Professional

  • Ti2 from an unopened box. Access states that the RAM banks are populated as such so I don't find it surprising. Surprising would be getting a unit with empty ROM banks.

  • Documenting your patches like on your web site looks like a good approach. Of course the advatage of saving favourite and of course orignial and modified patches to the RAM banks rather than to computer files is that I don't have to have my TI2 tethered to a computer all the time. Handy for me personally for gigs. Irrelevent if you always use your Virus with a computer.



    That makes sense. I just have such a horrible memory and need some kind of reminder as to where my faves are. Thanks for the feedback.

  • SimonO - The idea is you would have your banks of favorites safely on your computer but can easily drop the bank onto the virus to take it with you. It's a safe way to make sure you've always got your patches backed up on your computer as well. I love the patch browser for the TI. So easy to drag sounds over and build banks.

  • Sorry for the delay in replying. I've been having some technical problems with this forum which, as I have just discovered, apparently include the fact that I've had no email notification that there have been updates to this thread, even though I've got the thread as a favourite and have the appropriate setting switched on in my profile.


    Zitat

    The idea is you would have your banks of favorites safely on your computer but can easily drop the bank onto the virus to take it with you.

    I'm with you on that one. I've just filled up RAM bank A. I'd better back it up to my computer.


    Zitat

    they are not intended to be empty. weird.

    Thanks Marc and everyone else for the info. It's clearly just me that ended up with empty RAM banks. I think I know why. If I am right, it is no fault of the manufacturer. As soon as I received my brand new TI2, I attempted to upgrade it to the latest (beta at the time) TIOS. It went horribly wrong. The upgrade died part the way through. After that, my TI2 would not boot up. Fortunately I fixed the problem. I had been using a longer USB cable to attempt the failed upgrade than is supported by Access/Kemper for use with a Virus. After physically moving things around in my studio, I was able to get a cable within the maximum supported length to connect. (I think the maximum supported is 1 metre.) With the shorter cable, I was able to get the upgrade to work. I've always used a short cable for subsequent upgrades without incident. What I think happened was that failed upgrade died before initialising the RAM banks. The first successful upgrade then assumed that I had previously deliberately set the RAM banks to all Init and so did not overwrite them with the usual selection of patches from the ROM banks. I've recently discovered that my ROM banks were wrong too. I ended up with the ROM banks that there would normally be on a TI1, not what ought to come with a TI2. Probably something to do with the same failed upgrade. I only discovered I'd had the TI1's ROM patches when I suddenly received the TI2's normal ROM patches when I upgraded to the latest and my first non-beta TIOS 4.5.3.00. (I did not get the factory RAM patches, presumably because I'd already made changes to the RAM banks.)


    Actually, I have not felt disadvantaged having the RAM banks all Init. I took that as an invitation to fill them up with my own or favourite patches. I've been busy doing that.


    Simon

    Virus TI2 Polar | TIOS 4.5.3.00 | Cubase Pro 9.5 | Windows 10 Professional