Beiträge von DovGoldman

  • Acces Virus (TI/TI2) keyboard/deskop version still worth to buy in 2023?

    DJRobertV the Aura Plug-ins Hardware Editor for Virus does work, but there are two things it won’t do:

    1. Edit Virus “remote templates” so your Virus TI/TI2 desktop can control other plug-ins
    2. Manage the firmware version of the Virus synth itself

    Many of us maintain an older Mac (I have a 2010 MacBook Pro) or a Windows PC to load Access’ original Virus Control software for these two tasks.


    If the Virus you purchase is on current firmware, and using the synth to control plug-ins isn’t relevant, Aura Virus HC could be your solution.

  • USB for audio / DIN for MIDI - way to do this?

    I would like to sequence my Virus TI2 from a hardware sequencer (I use a Squarp Hapax, in case you’re curious), but send audio via USB.


    The reason is that I’ve got a few more channels of sound than my 18-channel interface can handle. Using USB audio and an aggregate audio over USB driver could solve my problem, without the requirement to buy an expensive mixer or interface that supports 24 or more channels.


    Is there a good way to do this?

  • Virus TI Polar and Darkstar removed from major music retailer catalogs and Kemper shop.

    ozon its still in stock at Sweetwater.


    When I had my Blofeld Desktop, I did request support on a few issues. It was slow, but I got answers.


    Just like Access, they aren’t updating the firmware any more, but other than multi-mode, it’s stable. It seems to be based on a variant of the same Motorola Freescale 56k DSP as the Virus, so at some point production will stop.


    As to the analog vs digital question, just like with the Virus, clever sound design can produce pretty convincing “analog” voices with Blofeld. Among others, I had this soundset on my Blofeld, which is quite good:


    Soundset Analog Voltage
    Encouraged by that, Solaris went one step further, pulling out his old vintage analog synths off the storage area and going for the hard work of measuring the…
    waldorfmusic.com

  • Why is there no support on the new Mac computers?

    volcanorocket a lot of people swear by the Kemper line.


    Curiously, the Kemper Profilers also use an end-of-life Motorola/Freescale/NXP DSP chip. At some point Mr. Kemper won’t be able to sell his guitar amp profilers either.


    Will there be a Kemper II? If there is, it will use a newer DSP architecture (SHARC or ARM as many others do in this industry) or an FPGA model. If so, all the code will be rewritten in C++ or some other language, as none of the original assembler DSP code will work on any new processor architecture.


    If we see a Kemper II, it could be a harbinger of a TI3.


    One can only hope.

  • Virus TI Polar and Darkstar removed from major music retailer catalogs and Kemper shop.

    GESchwalm I owned a Blofeld before I bought my TI2 Desktop.


    It’s a very cool synthesizer, and in some ways even more flexible than the Virus (example - the modulation matrix is really “anything modulating anything” in a Blofeld). If you like the sound and can live with the “matrix” control setup, buy it. It’s a great value. I never had a problem navigating the control matrix. It quickly became intuitive to me.


    I sold my Blofeld because I found it unreliable for multis, and for the brief period I had the two next to each other, I preferred the sound of the Virus. That’s just me. There’s so much to like about the Blofeld.


    What clinched the “deal” for me to sell the Blofeld was the feeling that the Virus was rock solid when I made and used multis. The Blofeld has much more limited polyphony, exhibits much more voice-stealing and has less useful effects. The idea that I had to think through how I would deploy effects in a Blofeld multi felt like a waste of my limited music time. Also, if you’re using a “multi” in a Virus TI, you’ve got 6 independently assigned outputs, with the bonus of 2 inputs that you can apply all of the TI’s vast sound shaping and effects powers to. I have not seen anything else that can do this, let alone a Blofeld. Just the ability to sequence multiple tracks and feed them to separate channels on my mixer made it easier. How do you gain-stage 3 sounds coming out of the same outputs?


    Now that I have had the TI2 Desktop for a year, I wouldn’t give it up. As you may have read, I’ve purchased 3 of the Virus TI2 DSP chips as an insurance policy. If I need to get the unit repaired, I’ve got a few extras of the one hard to source part. I hope to keep this synth running for many years!


    Even so, the Blofeld is truly a sound-design powerhouse and an incredible value. It’s also so nice that it’s very small, especially for a “bedroom studio” like many of us live with.


    If you have unlimited budget and can “live with” 24 voice polyphony and 4-part multitimbrality with 8 assignable outs, there’s the 3rd Wave desktop on its way out in November. The keyboard version is earning rave reviews.

  • TI2 Desktop Output 1 Left: No sound until the cable is wiggled

    I’m looking for some advice here.


    Other than this one problem, my 1 year old TI2 Desktop works perfectly.


    Many times when I turn the unit on and start playing a “Single” patch, there’s no sound coming from output 1 left. After I wiggle the cable, the sound returns. The problem is also present with a multi, so it’s seems its not a programming issue.


    This doesn’t happen on any of the other 5 outputs, leading me to suspect something is loose on this one connector.


    Should I open the unit and try to tighten this one jack? Is there anything to tighten?

  • TI 2 Desktop - couple of issues adding up.

    I don’t recommend trying to repair a synth yourself (heck, I would never try that!).


    That said, a number of contributors on this and other forums have talked about techs working on the Virus for them (some have even done their own repairs - obviously those are people facile with a soldering iron and PCB’s). As I understand it, most of the parts are easily replaced standard electronic components, with the exception of the DSP’s. The biggest technical difficulty is that the Virus is built in surface-mount fashion. If a qualified technician services a Virus TI or TI2 and finds that the problem is with the DSP, for the lack of that one very inexpensive part, your precious synth many not be reparable.


    I don’t know that having a few of the DSP’s on hand will solve everyone’s problems (or even anyone’s), but it seems like a pretty cheap form of insurance.


    My 5 year old Yamaha CP4 (digital stage piano) had an octave of keys which didn’t respond correctly to velocity. Fortunately for me, there’s a music gear chain here in Israel that is the official Yamaha importer and repair servicer. They had all the requisite specialized Yamaha parts on hand, including what they called a “voice card” (they told me this in Hebrew, so I’m not sure if we would really call it that - I’m translating - I suspect it was one the proprietary Yamaha DSP’s that drive this wonderful instrument). Since Yamaha has a very strong spare parts program, stocking parts for years after they stop manufacturing a given model, this was a complete non-problem.


    The Access importer here in my little country is much smaller than that chain. I doubt they have the requisite DSP’s in stock, so I didn’t want to take any chances. I love my Virus TI2, and I intend to use it for many years!

  • Where is the Soft limit?

    MichaelDow do you mean a “limiter” like a compressor?


    From the Addendum to the manual for firmware 4.5.1:


    “Adaptive Soft Limiter Algorithm


    “All outputs feature a build in soft limiter algorithm. The sophisticated algorithm prevents the Virus from clipping in case an output exceeds its headroom. The algorithm works transparent and doesn’t color the signal unless it clips. It won’t do magic though - heavily clipped signals cannot be repaired and will continue to sound distorted. Mildly clipped signals will remind you of a smoothly clipping valve instead of a harsh digital clipping.”


    You can’t control this effect. It’s automatic.