There seems to be a lot of people out there that have problems with their virus. And it runs the gambit of genuine problems to people just bitching and being stupid.
But I don't think the problem I'm having is unique, and it's also frustrating so i wanted to post about it.
I was playing a show last weekend and like it has done before, my virus took a crap on me. I set up my rig with the virus running VC in a Ableton Live track. Everything worked fine for a few minutes, but after i change patches or play the patch that pulled up when i turn the virus on, the sound freaked out. It stoped playing all together, it had a low volume hiss, or just sporadic tones that pop out here and there. When this happens in the studio, i just restart the virus and my DAW and sometimes it works fine, sometimes it doesn't. But in a live situation, that is never a option. So i restarted the virus a few times, powering all the way down and bringing it back up again. All this while i'm trying to play and not fuck up the rest of my set.
But it was no good. Didn't get a useful sound out of it all night.
And that is what is heartbreaking about this synth. I love it more then any other synth that i own. I would never sell it. I use it on every track that i have written since i got it. And i want to play it live, but with VC in a host, it's just not reliable. If there is even a chance that a piece of gear might crap out, it has no place in a live situation. In my case, i have taken it off main duties and use it only for fills and transitions and the like, because i can't depend that it will work. And now, i'm up in the air about even taking it out.
I have a work-a-round that i'm trying now. I have ditch VC all together. I have Live set up with a external instrument plug in sending midi from my monome thru my interface to the virus. the audio is then routed to a audio track in live. In the end i'm not really loosing any functionality. I use the virus interface to change patches, and that is a lot less friendly, but nothing that can't be done. I don't have access to all my sounds, just what i can stash in my RAM banks, but i don't play more then 20 patches at a show, so no problem there. And more importantly, it will most likely not crash in a middle of my set. (oh, and people like to see you touching all the junk you have on stage, so it will look like i'm doing something, not checking my FB page).
So, why am i writing this then? I'm saying all this because it is so upsetting to have the best synth in the world and have to compromise on how i use it. Too be fair, everyone make compromises in a live situation. There are always things you just can't pull off at a show. And while i hope to find better luck with the new update, the truth is, i just don't trust the virus. And that is a shame.