Posts by abraxa

This bug bit me today, so I'd just like to leave this here and make people aware that it's still an issue with 5.1.7.

Symptom: Using sequencer mode, assigning a part to one of the analog outputs 1 to 3 has no effect and the part is still sounding on output 1.

Workaround: Switch to single mode and back to sequencer mode. The analog output assignment is now in effect.

This is especially annoying when the Virus starts up in sequencer mode since it means you'll have to apply the workaround every time you turn it on.

> For installation I´m using a MIDI interface

Which one? Not all MIDI interfaces handle big SysEx packets properly and cause data corruption. I'm guessing that's what's happening in your case as well.

> Die Demosounds sind alle sehr überfrachtet bzw Technomäßig. Das war bei dem Virus Rack damals nicht so.

Die Presets vom Rack entsprechen nach meinen Kenntnissen denen vom Virus B - diese Presets sind auch beim Snow da, nur sind sie anders sortiert.

> Ich hatte damals auch eine Soundbank mit einem OS Update bekommen, glaube ich.

Ja, es gibt für die älteren OS-Versionen eine zusätzliche SysEx-Datei, bei denen der Demosong deaktiviert wird und der Speicherplatz statt dessen für weitere Presetbänke genutzt wird. Diese Presets sind nach meinem Kenntnisstand beim Snow ebenfalls bereits mit dabei.

Viele Grüße aus Frankfurt!

Then that's a hardware defect. First course of action would be to measure the voltages to see if everything is in an acceptable range.

Do you get audio when you play the demo song (top left buttons next to volume pot)?

Yes, needs soldering experience, though. See https://joeyfehrenbach.tumblr.…he-synth-repair-adventure or https://gearspace.com/board/el…mf-25v-capacitor-fix.html

> Would controlling it with the Virus editor librarian plug-in solve anything

Since you replaced the battery already, the memory is wiped. There's no point backing up the factory presets.

Maybe you can route the patch to Output 2 or Output 3 and feed it back using the input on the Virus? That way, you could have one patch for the dry synth and use another part that processes the input just for the FX and outputs it on Output 2 or 3.

To be honest, I don't really understand the question. The Virus is a stereo synth, why would one want to record it in mono?

Sure, if you disable the stereo effects and pan everything to the middle, the left and right channels will carry the same signal. That's placing an artifical crutch on the synth though. I'd always run it in stereo and mix it that way.

You already solved the illegal RAM issue by replacing the battery. If it still shows, the battery that you put in is discharged as well.

The "on some sounds, there is a lot of harsh crackling and it has frozen with a screeching sound once" issue is separate. I suggest you check if the capacitor that will eventually wear out has already been replaced or not, see https://64.media.tumblr.com/c6…p8i3gqpKF71sy7a0i_500.jpg for a picture and https://joeyfehrenbach.tumblr.…he-synth-repair-adventure for the full story of that person's journey.

If it's brown, it likely hasn't been replaced yet and may be at the edge of failing. Either way, in my personal experience, if the capacitor is replaced and the DSP still crashes (= screeching sound or no sound), the DSP needs replacement.

The crackling appears to happen when the linear 5V regulator overheats. If you open a side panel and let a fan blow into it, the crackling should be gone if that's the cause. For a more permanent solution in this case, use a 9V external power supply instead of the original 12V one. It makes zero difference for the Virus but lets it run cooler.

The original DSP worked for some time but eventually, the sound issues re-appeared and the keyboard would stop working as well. Only a DSP replacement was able to fix it in the long run, unfortunately. Now it runs like new. Quite the strange affair, the whole thing, but since their power supply is so strangely designed, I'm left to assume that the DSP failure has to do with that. It's either that or the DSP itself failing after some time, which I would find rather hard to believe.

> support for current operating systems is lacking

Doesn't that only apply to OSX? I haven't heard anyone complain about Virus TI on Windows.

Since you bought it used it's possible that someone changed the RAM/ROM contents with other preset banks. You could save them for the future and then perform a factory reset of the Virus to get the default RAM/ROM banks back.

Also, the TI and TI2 have different presets and there's a known "issue" of the TI factory presets being used when resetting a TI2. If you give the names of the RAM A1, RAM B1, RAM C1, RAM D1, ROM A1, ROM B1, ROM C1, etc... presets we can take a guess at what's on there.

Virus Control Center "Restore Factory Settings" loads wrong ROM banks on TI2 Desktop and Polar is one of the posts describing the issue.

The MIDI device you see allows you to talk to other devices you connect to the Virus' MIDI ports. It's a neat feature that lets you use it as a MIDI interface.

The Synth device is the Virus' synth engine, which is what you want to use in almost all cases.

Hmm, unfortunately I have no idea. I suggest you contact the support, they do respond and would know what that error message means.

Hi Hannes, can you upload an example recording or maybe a video that shows what you mean regarding the envelope?

Also, has the brown filter capacitor for the switched 5V power supply been changed yet? It's known to break and while the usual symptom is that the Virus no longer boots, it may have other side effects in the early stages of failing.

The information is a little vague, so let's clarify some things. The instructions say

Quote

Load FIRST28.mid into your Virus. Proceed as stated in the display.

This file contains the new operating system.
Load SECON28.mid into your Virus. Proceed as stated in the display.

This file contains the ROM sounds.

...which matches the procedure for the other models. Only the first one contains the OS, the second one only the ROM presets. However, for older setups, Access provides these two files also in broken-up variants. Which variant did you upload? First_A_28.mid or first_a_part1.mid?

You say that the new OS version shows on the display when you start it, which suggests you used First_A_28.mid and the OS has been updated successfully. However, I haven't seen a Virus *requiring* the second file with the ROM presets to be sent. Does it ask for it when you turn it on and automatically goes into receive mode?

If so, did you try sending Second_A_28.mid when it says "Receive, waiting..."?

Sounds to me like the Virus is being flooded and subsequently overwhelmed with MIDI messages. Since you say that only USB is affected but both plugins cause it, I would suspect either the plugin host (FL?) or the USB driver to be buggy.

I'd try with a different VST host and see if it occurs there as well. If not then it's the DAW. If yes then a driver.

I'm really not sure why Access decided to use such a small heat sink for the linear 5V regulator, it certainly reduces its life span.

The NE5532 amplifiers in the audio output stage do use the 12V supply but with a 9V power supply they still receive more than enough voltage to be within nominal operating range, so a 9V supply works just fine.

If you want to keep using the internal 12V supply, you could have someone add a 4.7 Ohm, 5W resistor in line with the power switch. That switch only switches the 12V, so there's no dangerous voltage going through it. The resistor would drop the main board voltage from 12V to about 9.5V while warming up a little. Essentially, it generates some heat that otherwise would be generated by the linear 5V regulator.

Alternatively, the 5V regulator could also be replaced but that's a little more involved since the heat sink is soldered to the board as well as mounted using sticky tape.

> after about 30 minutes audio cuts out

That should be the 5V linear regulator on the heatsink. When the thermal shutdown kicks in or it's broken, the reduced output voltage makes the audio circuitry stop working while the DSP still runs fine as it's not running off of that regulator. The heatsink is sized inappropriately, so in my Virus the voltage regulator broke eventually. For yours, it may be the heat triggering the thermal shut down after 30 minutes.

If you use a power supply with a lower output voltage (9V instead of 12V), I would assume that the Virus should run longer or not have any issues anymore at all. Just gotta make sure it can deliver 1A and that the plug polarity is correct.