TI2 Desktop vs. 61-Key

Good morning,

I had the same decision to make, desktop or keyboard version, and yesterday I decided for the desktop version.

Mainly because of the following reasons:

- space, the Virus keyboard is a big instrument (37 cm wide), and I also have another midi control keyboard

- i'm using ableton live and I wish to have a good controller keyboard that is easy to use with Ableton, as such I have the Novation SL 61 MK3 as main midi keyboard, which has aftertouch and semi weighted keys; The keyboard can also control the virus desktop directly via Midi Out and Virus control template in the menu.

I thought about to buy the keyboard version and use that as main midi controller, also for Ableton Live, but I was not sure how that would work with USB integration.

The Virus TI keyboard is one of the best people say (fatar keys).

Any of the 2 will be a good choice.

It all depends on your own preferences and setup.

Zitat von badgernoises

Desktop Module (+ controller/synth #2):

• Is it possible to route TI2 aftertouch to something like a mod wheel or pedal?

General Virus Questions:

• Do those of you with the Virus use aftertouch often, or is this something I'm overthinking and don't really need?
  
• Are there good Virus piano patches out there by chance?

1. You can route any source controller to any modulation destination within the Virus synth engine but AFAIK there is no way to change the outgoing MIDI events to something else.
2. For me Aftertouch on my Darkstar is hard to control. It needs some force to activate but the difference in pressure for the lowest and highest values is very small. I rarely use it, but it is nice to have in certain situations.
3. The Virus is not sample based and therefore doesn’t do Pianos very well. There are a couple of nice EP and Piano synth sounds also preset packs by sound designers such as Ultimate X Sounds which can be really nice for an arrangement. But none of them replace a real piano. There’s a thread about this topic on the forum.

My situation: I own a Darkstar TI2 and a Desktop TI2. Currently the Darkstar is set up in my home studio to act as main keyboard for everything via USB into the computer and then routed from Cubase to other synths. I like the fact that I can switch on just the Darkstar by itself and try something out without the necessity to fire up the whole setup (which I do rarely). Out of space restrictions I’m currently thinking of swapping the Darkstar for the Desktop and using a NI Kontrol 61 keys as main controller, because that keyboard is much smaller than the Virus 61 keys and would additionally allow to have better integration with NI Komplete (which I use rarely as well). So - first world problems. If I had plenty of space I would go with the 61 keys version, no question.

I ran a 61 Key for a long time with a Roland A800-Pro controller keyboard slaved up to it to basically give me "2x Virus'"

Long story short I purchased another virus (two to be exact).

IMO there's simply no substitute to having the keyboard and all the knobs right there at your disposal in front of you.

I can't operate with a desktop - it just feels disjointed to me - a bit like VSTs in a computer, I'm constantly coming away from my creative flow to mess about with something away from my keyboard.

I'd go with a 61 every day of the week.