Salvaging Virus Snow custom banks by transferring to Virus TI2 desktop using the Access Virus editor software

  • Hello everyone. I own a snow that has died and have ordered the TI2 desktop. I've tried the mystery software editor, and like many, have not been able to get it to work. I've reached out to them, NO support. So, I'm going back to pre-catalina/Mac, loaded the Virus software but it's been over 10 years since I actually used the software. My main interested is to salvage my custom made banks from my snow and load them into the TI2. Can Virus snow banks created in the Access editor software be "transfered/moved" to a Virus TI2 desktop? If so how? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

  • It's really a shame! Because I'm on M1 (Vntura) minimac and it works at 100/100 since April 2022 in version 3.00 If you want, I can see to help you where the problem comes from



    It must be plugged into a MIDI cable (converter: Usb>Midi) to use it in AU

    And in a DAW there is the choice: Direct Usb> usb or USB cable> midi

  • Can Virus snow banks created in the Access editor software be "transfered/moved" to a Virus TI2 desktop? If so how? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

    Yes. The presets for TI, TI2 and Snow have the same format. Some well known sound designers (e.g. Ultimate X) even create and showcase their commercial libraries on the Snow.


    AFAIK the TI VC preset library files themselves are actually MIDI files consisting of sysex messages.


    How do you plan to approach to leverage your custom presets from the dead Snow? Do you have backups of the VC library files or do you need to read them from the hardware RAM banks?

    Bass Player and Synthesist.
    Virus TI2 Darkstar | Virus TI2 Desktop | Sub 37 | Voyager RME | Machinedrum | Analog Four | Digitone | MPC Live | NI Maschine+
    Mac OS 13.5.1 (Ventura) | Cubase Pro 11.0 | Ableton Live 9.6 | Logic 10.4 | MainStage 3.4 | NI Komplete Ultimate 13 | RME Fireface UFX+

  • Oh, those are not the Library files of the Virus Control Plugin but hardware backup files of Virus Control Center. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t expect to be able to restore a Snow backup to a TI2 since they have a differing internal memory structure. IIRC, the Snow stores only 64 presets per bank, while the TI2 stores 128.

    Bass Player and Synthesist.
    Virus TI2 Darkstar | Virus TI2 Desktop | Sub 37 | Voyager RME | Machinedrum | Analog Four | Digitone | MPC Live | NI Maschine+
    Mac OS 13.5.1 (Ventura) | Cubase Pro 11.0 | Ableton Live 9.6 | Logic 10.4 | MainStage 3.4 | NI Komplete Ultimate 13 | RME Fireface UFX+

  • Oh
    So: the format . ti2backup AURA does not take them! it needs .mid or .sys
    You would have to load each backup (one by one) in the TI (with Catalina) then, connect the TI with AURA, then Aura will read all the RAM and ROM and from there, you export them in .mid (bank edit/ store/ ……….mid) to have them in "universal"

  • Not entirely sure, but I think those are the paths:


    • Factory Libraries in: /LibraryApplication Support/Access Music/Virus TI/Patches
    • Custom Libraries in: ~/Documents/Access Music/Virus TI/Patches

    Bass Player and Synthesist.
    Virus TI2 Darkstar | Virus TI2 Desktop | Sub 37 | Voyager RME | Machinedrum | Analog Four | Digitone | MPC Live | NI Maschine+
    Mac OS 13.5.1 (Ventura) | Cubase Pro 11.0 | Ableton Live 9.6 | Logic 10.4 | MainStage 3.4 | NI Komplete Ultimate 13 | RME Fireface UFX+

  • Ok so what would be the library files (where would I find them/identify them) in case I have the actual banks I guess as midi files?

    from memory, it's laborious, you have to do it by hand, one by one (your .backup (dans catalina) / drag the patches in your TI/ And changed: connect the TI to the M1

  • Access support offered this to me as well:


    The sound dump from one Virus TI model to another is done on a per-bank basis. If you enter the CONFIG menu and use the PARAMETER buttons to switch between menus, you will find the Transmit Midi menu in the TI Snow and also the Receive Midi menu in the TI2 Desktop. In the TI2 Desktop you can set the RAM Bank you want to transfer the incoming sounds to, while in the TI Snow you simply start the dump of the selected bank with the STORE button.



    With best regards,

    Access Music Support

  • Access support offered this to me as well:


    The sound dump from one Virus TI model to another is done on a per-bank basis. If you enter the CONFIG menu and use the PARAMETER buttons to switch between menus, you will find the Transmit Midi menu in the TI Snow and also the Receive Midi menu in the TI2 Desktop. In the TI2 Desktop you can set the RAM Bank you want to transfer the incoming sounds to, while in the TI Snow you simply start the dump of the selected bank with the STORE

    Interesting, thanks for sharing!


    I didn’t understand your Snow is still able to communicate.


    In that case, I would definitely use the VC plugin to backup all the presets into custom library files and then transfer them to the TI2 banks. Several reasons for this approach: Get a copy of them on the computer, being able to organize the banks while transferring… and I just like using VC ;)


    Goid luck with the transfer!

    Bass Player and Synthesist.
    Virus TI2 Darkstar | Virus TI2 Desktop | Sub 37 | Voyager RME | Machinedrum | Analog Four | Digitone | MPC Live | NI Maschine+
    Mac OS 13.5.1 (Ventura) | Cubase Pro 11.0 | Ableton Live 9.6 | Logic 10.4 | MainStage 3.4 | NI Komplete Ultimate 13 | RME Fireface UFX+

  • Oh, those are not the Library files of the Virus Control Plugin but hardware backup files of Virus Control Center. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t expect to be able to restore a Snow backup to a TI2 since they have a differing internal memory structure. IIRC, the Snow stores only 64 presets per bank, while the TI2 stores 128.

    Oups exactly: