Beiträge von dimgrim

sorry, I misread your post. I read "fee" as "free".

agreed,

but I really doubt this would ever happen, once Access doesn't officially acknowledges the problem. According to them, if you have a newer system and you want "Total Integration" you need a usb-hub and theoretically your Total Integration should work.

If they don't acknowledge that this is far from what is actually going on, then I don't think they would ever offer you the chance of upgrading your system for free.

Slesh,
My problem is that I believe that Access should inform about their product not really being compatible with the newer technology. It is actually standard technology nowadays. It is not reproducing at 44,1 or 48 Kbit/sec.
I bought the device simply for the TI. and TI doesn't work as expected and my unit will never work as expected.
I have tried what you are describing, believe me, over numerous days and months. I don't believe this product is intented for consuming such an incredible amount of time in order to set up. And if it does, then in the end I would at least expect it to work as it should.

and about the blasts of noise. I can't simply put up with this. The levels are dangerous when working with headphones and Access should make sure that their machine should under no circumstance reproduce such an output. But as you see, nobody mentions anything about it. All they will come up and say is maybe: "The machine works fine here and we cannot reproduce the problem". It is all about implementing a damn limiter.

Anyhow, I am off the Virus Control now and I am trying to set up the device this way that I don't use the software at all. That would be the best way to go at the moment, once Access is not willing to help me ( I am still waiting for a reply since the 6th of December ) and I wouldn't feel good with myself to resell the device to a person with a modern computer to a good (for me) price. I honestly think it would be unfair as he/she would face the same problems I did.

I believe you Simon,

like back then, I don't know what to think, once our systems are practically the same. I have tried everything really. Over months. The only think I could conclude to is that the VC is not trustworthy. What might work one day might not work on the other. The only way I can get it instantiate is by NOT using a hub and playing at 44,1 kbits/sec. And then I need a little automation to start producing chaotic results. And with more than a few instruments I get distorted sounds. With the Belkin USB hub, I can't even instantiate the virus Control most of the time. I get communication errors.
I still believe that Total Integration is a joke on the new systems and even though I am glad it is working for you, I wouldn't be surprised if you came across difficulties one day with a larger project.
I am currently trying to work without it, in order to succeed something stable. With the Virus Control I wouldn't even think getting on stage as the risk of having the virus Control taking a big crap on me while performing is more than high.

Unlike you, I am quite disatisfied with Access when it comes to this. Their TI advertising policy and their support.

flabberbob,

you were absolutely right. I had the wrong part chosen on the Virus LCD screen. When I made sure that the part I am tweeking knobs for agrees with the track in Logic then all effects play as they should and I am able to apply patches now.

You were great help, thanks!

I tried to work with the support.
They replied to me a few times but nothing changed for my setup. One my last letter they actually never replied. This happened early December. I had a lot of patience. I guess they didn't...

Apart from that, I think we are talking about different things here. If you are running snow leopard then your macbook pro is probably not new enough! You can't install Snow leopard on a newer macbook pro. So, you are not one of the unlucky ones. Virus did not give me any problems with my old macbook 2006 either.

thanks for the help,

when I get home I will try to look over your suggestion.

flabberbob

thanks for the reply. I do not know much about midi routing, so I do not exactly know what to reply to you. So far, I have managed to route different tracks on logic arrange on different sounds coming from the Virus. I know I can do that to up to 16 different sounds.

Then, if I choose one of the tracks in logic and start tweeking the knobs on my Virus, then there is communication and all is working fine. The delay effect as well. Then I try to move the distortion knob , or the reverb and nothing happens. Do I need extra MIDI routing for that? Everything seems to work fine for all the rest of the parameters.

For browsing patches: I do it on the Virus LCD screen. I do not know how to do this inside Logic. I choose a patch oon Virus and all the LEDs on the virus are changing (as they should) but this has no effect on the sound coming from the Virus. If I tweak a knob however there are results on the sound, but the patch on the LCD does not apply. Do I need special routing setting for that too?

I would assume that once each logic track listens to a different sound coming from Virus and most of the knobs work then it would be logical to expect the effects and the patches to work as well. Like if I had the Virus on single mode for that track.

I don't know if I managed to help you help me. I hope you have more ideas on that. Or if you could guide me through it or send me a link somewhere where it is written how to set it properly, I would be glad. The Virus manual doens't say anything about this.

Thanks

Hi,

I am trying to find a way to bypass the Virus Control in a newer macbook as it is not working as it should.
Instead I am working in Sequencer mode, sending MIDI through USB and audio through the analog outputs 1 and 2.
This mode seems to work ok but when editing patches the effects don't seem to work. Apart from the delay. This works
but all the rest (reverb, EQs, Distortion etc) have no effect on the patch in this mode. Am I missing something here?

Moreover, when I browsing different patches from the banks of the Virus they don't seem to apply.
I can initialise a patch. This is done automatically when I am creating a new External MIDI instrument in Logic. And then all the knobs on the Virus seem to do what they should but choosing a preset patch will not make any change.

Please anybody with an idea just advice. I have been struggling with virus VC for more than 2 months with no result and I don't want to go through it again.

Thanks

Ok, then shouldn't we know this before buying a virus!??!?!

Access, shouldn't your potential clients have transparency in this before wasting 2500 euros on your Total Integration concept?!!?

Access,

after reading through the problems the users of newer macs are facing and also based on personal experience with my mid-2011 macbook pro i7, I think it would be about time you take some serious action on this issue.

I do not mean it is your intention, but you are misleading clients into buying your synth with your total integration advertising policy. What exactly do you mean by Total Integration? It does not work as promised with newer macs! It is a fact! And even if it did, then do you mean that people must struggle to get their machine work? Over days, weeks and months? Or do you mean that people should spend more money on buying extra equipment (usb-hubs etc?)

I paid you a serious amount of money to get your synth. To take advantage of what you promised it does. But it doesn't with newer macs. You should let people know this. Or do sth about it.

Moreover, and you should seriously think on this one. Your machine, due to all this USB communication errors between Virus and macs might occasionally produce very loud levels of noise. These levels could really cause a hearing impairment through headphones. IT IS DANGEROUS and you cannot simply overlook this. Your machine should not produce so high output levels at any time! How can you not be aware of this?

Then you will come up and say to me: "sorry, our systems work fine here", or "we cannot reproduce this problem". I think you are not being very professional on this one. It is many people having problems and you simply have taken no action.

I demand as a client for transparency in all the issues concerning your equipment that have troubled my life as a musician.
I encourage users with the same problem to take position on this as well.

You just can't promise people what you cannot give them. I am not implying you are doing this intentionally, but it is a fact and you should take action on this. Those problems are there!

Regards,

Dimitris

It seems so many people are having problems with their newer macbooks (including me) apart from Access. They just cannot reproduce your problems...I would honestly like to trust you Access, but it has been too long, too tiring, too expensive and I have started getting frustrated.

I call all users with the same problems to move against Access and their Total Integration advertising policy! Other people should not suffer the same problems! Your non-existing Total Integration has costed me my money, my time, it killed my creativity and it would almost cost me my hearing!!!
YOUR MACHINE IS DANGEROUS in plugin mode!!! You cannot imagine the loudness of the levels of noise coming out due to one of this communication errors when using virus in USB mode!!! If I had the headphones on my head when it happened (and it has happened more than once) then I could seriously damage my hearing permanently!

One more thing that I forgot to mention and it is VERY important!

Do not, and I really mean DO NOT, use the Virus in plugin mode while using headphones!!! NEVER.
The communication errors might occasionally make the Virus produce noise in such a level that it could blow away your hearing!!! Even when the volume knob is set quite low!

I have experienced this more than one times and luckily I had the headphones away from my head. I am talking about really loud levels. I am an acoustician and I know when a level is loud enough to cause hearing damage and I can assure you that this was. Virus is not only glitchy in plugin mode. It is also dangerous.


This needs to be opened on a new thread on that so people will know.

Hi TomFritz,

I feel your pain. I made the HUGE mistake to trust Access and buy their synth.
You see, the problem is those guys do not tell you one simple thing. That their synth is not gonna work nicely with the newer macbooks in the plugin mode. I experienced the same problems like you. I contacted the support. They told me to buy the Belkin USB hub. But the problems persisted. The behaviour of the virus plugin was totally random. The majority of the times would not even initialise. Sometimes it would. The support said there is sth wrong with my setup.
I tried every possible scenario! I wasted almost a month trying to resolve issues and start being productive. NOTHING WORKED. Or if it did then it would only solve the problem for a while and then communication errors would come back again.
I ended up having a device that costed me the savings of a year that is totally useless.
It all comes down to the communication of the virus in USB mode with your mac.
And if you want my opinion, Access has no good solution at the moment for this. It won't work like you expect to work no matter how hard you try.

My macbook pro i7 was totally new. It came actually after my virus arrived. The only thing installed on the macbook was Logic Studio and the Virus software. After struggling for days and days and days (plus nights), the only thing that actually seemed to work was get rid of the USB hub. If you are using the virus as your sound-card then set the bitrate at 44100 in your logic studio. It is the only bitrate that the virus can support in usb mode fairly decently with the primitive USB 1. But then again I warn you. When you start adding automation to your project or have more than a couple of instruments playing together from Virus then your machine will start producing distortion, glitches, it will not play on time, it will bypass playing some instruments and automations and other nasty things that it would take long to describe.

I couldn't possibly explain how disatisfied I am with Access. I don't mean to say antyhing bad about the Virus when not used in USB mode. It is a nice synth and you can make really nice sounds with them. But the Total Integration thing is a joke. And Access should have let their customers know about it, because the reason I bought the Virus was to use it in plugin mode.

I would gladly send my Virus back and ask for my money back. If you are with me then I would call other users that have the same problem to demand from Access to be honest with their potential customers. They also made me buy me buy the usb-hub for nothing. An extra spend to add up to my virus misery.

I guess that Access knows that newer macs are pretty standard nowadays. Their machine not working nicely with them is a major issue that in my opinion are trying to silence out. I cannot understand why access is not doing something about it. Why they do not ship a usb-hub with your overpriced equipment anyway and guarantee to you that the plug in will work as it should. In anyway, their advertising policy bases on Total Integration! I do not understand also why do they ask for every user with the same problem to email them in person. If you have individual solutions post them somewhere for god's sake! And let the users look through it.

I am sorry to hear about your problem, and I hope sth is done so people don't fall in the same problem that we did.
If you are in, I could take action on that!