If I can't get Virus Control to work with USB, would it be any different with an external audio/MIDI interface?

  • I have been trying for about 3 months to get Virus Control to work on my Asus G73jw Windows 7 64-bit 14GB RAM laptop and just can not get it to work. In 10 years of using Macs, I had far, FAR less trouble than the few months since I made the mistake of going back to this horrible, HORRIBLE operating system.


    HOWEVER, if I am unable to sell this computer, I need to find a workaround. So, my actual-question-not-a-rant is: If I buy an external USB audio/MIDI interface, aren't I going to be right back in the world of hurt I'm in now? All of my USB2 ports share the same bus, and when I try to connect to the sole USB3 port to the Virus all I get are error messages. Isn't the external audio portion of the interface going to be held up by these *@(*&!%$ing USB2 ports? If I can't even get Virus Control to allow me to exchange MIDI signals, am I going to be hosed just as with VC? I would be THRILLED if I could disable the USB audio until I'm ready to record the audio, but I can't even get that to work after countless tries (re-booting with the ARP Edit key down...again...and again...and...). The ONLY communications I can get to/from the Virus are to do the reboot-with-Exit-button-held down and put the Virus into USB Transfer Mode (or whatever it's called). My computer cannot see the Virus unless I reboot it, and then all I can do is backup/restore/burn.

  • I should note that I realize that I'm likely to encounter the same sort of problems on a Mac with Virus Control, but I have an old MOTU 828 Firewire interface and a MOTU Express XT USB interface that I know will work with a Mac, so that's my fallback if I can sell the Windoze machine.

  • If you route a Virus TI through an audio interface you can't use Virus Control, correct?


    I think you'll be able to use the Virus TI just fine routing through an audio interface, unless you have a TI Snow, in which case you pretty much need the VC plugin while working in your DAW because menu diving and parameter changing is way too intense on 6 soft knobs and a 2x3 inch LCD.


    Did you even get the VC plugin to load in your DAW?


    I have a similar system, I think, and I needed to install an old version of the OS for it to even recognize the Virus TI. I'm using Win7x64 btw.

  • Thanks for the replies. I have completely given up on Win7. Months upon months of trouble. My son has graciously traded the iMac I had previously given him for the Asus "Replublic of Gaming" laptop, which is much more suited for him because he's into gaming and I couldn't care less about gaming. And guess what? Virus Control worked on the first try. No unplugging, turning off for 30 seconds, turning on while holding the Arp Edit key down, yadda yadda yadda. It just plain worked on the first try. It even walked me through finding a more appropriate USB port than the one I was using. I don't know what possessed me to switch to Windows. Well, actually, I do; not as expensive, being convinced by an instructor that it was a rock solid OS, thinking that after 10 years or so M$ had their act together, lots of users claiming to have no troubles with it, etc. I can only assume that they were all smoking crack. I will never try to go back to that horrid, HORRID operating system again. 3 months of agonizing, swearing, re-installing, un-installing ad infinitum ad NAUSEUM. And setting up my LAMP stack took about a half hour, compared to many hours on that other POS OS before finally giving up and using WAMPServer.
    Perhaps this is a useless rant, but let's just say that if there is anyone reading this who is wavering between OSs to use with their Virus, my advice is to STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. I thought The Blue Screen of Death was a thing of the past, but I can tell you right now that you'll only avoid it if you don't install any software. In 10 years of using Mac OS X, not one system crash. In 3 months of Windows, I lost count.

  • AMEN to that, brother/sister/fellow earthling! I got so used to cringing and preparing myself for the worst (which inevitably ensued) that I am almost surprised to see things work on the first attempt on Mac OS X. Very, VERY pleasantly surprised. I can't help but think that the Windoze versions of the software are ported from the Mac by engineers not fully versed in the intricacies of the porting process. Not to disparage the folks at Access. I can only imagine the nightmares they faced in having to deal with that horrid OS, especially being used to such a stable OS as OS X. I understand that plenty of folks have no problem at all on Windoze, that it must be my hardware, etc., etc., etc. But after FOUR OS RE-INSTALLS and countless install/un-install/re-install cycles on that "other" dysfunctional system, I'm done.


    Yes, this is a bit of a rant (which I think I promised not to do), but for anyone considering whether to spend a bit - maybe even a lot - more on a Mac, IT IS SO WORTH IT. They "just work." I'm guessing it will be a significantly different experience on a desktop with a dedicated USB card, I don't know, but beware before buying a notebook and make DAMN sure it has dedicated USB ports, a rarity on notebooks these days.

  • Im on the same boat when it comes to the USB issue. I use an iMac 27" Core i7 and no matter which USB I use the Virus will always share with another device on the internal hub. I have no option to add an external USB card and it sucks. The best thing I can is have the Virus share the Internal USB hub with iSight and IR Receiver (which I think are disabled)
    To this day, I have been unable to use my Virus to its full potential. I am unable to set my project in Cubase and Logic to 48KHZ. It only allows me to use 44KHZ.
    Virus Control just freezes when I open it while the project is 48KHZ and I get an error. (something about the Virus cannot transmit midi data etc etc)



    Its doing my head in!


    PS... im a MR lol

  • Basically, I have been to get back with them in 2 or 3 weeks (until Access get back from the NAMM show).
    When they return apparantly software engineers are going to look at VC to see what goes.
    It definitely is VC doing it like. It works perfectly when I have a 44KHZ project.

  • Well i'm sure they will get to the bottom of it for you, i myself only work in 44.1k as this is cd standard which in itself has been distorted down to this and all mp3 are even worse than this!!


    But lately have been considering working in 48k but as of yet have not tried it and whats been putting me off is all samples in logic have to be 48k to begin a session i think so i have been lazy not getting to the bottom of it...is the difference really noticeable...do you think that once i try it i my want to work in 48k all the time.