TI2 keyboard + new imac

I think the situation right now is that you don't know until you try... It might install and run without a hitch or it might give you hell. In case you are facing the latter, there is a setup guide that describes what you can do. It is not downloadable directly from the website, but you can download a TIOS bundle and install it without having a Virus, and it will be there with all the rest of the documentation. If this guide doesn't help you have Access support and this forum.
In short, it might involve trying out all your USB ports while watching them with the system profiler, and possibly disabling a few of the internal devices that use USB such as webcam or bluetooth. If all of the above doesn't help then a multy-TT external USB hub might come in handy in various configuration options: everything but the Virus through the hub, the Virus alone through the hub and all the in-betweens.
Regarding Live 9, there have been indications that it doesn't handle delay compensation well, which is one thing that the VC plugin relies on heavily, so maybe you should check this issue first.
Regarding additional soundcard - the Virus can act as a soundcard, but when it does you can not side-chain it or use it as an external FX unit, so if this is your plan by all means get a separate soundcard. MIDI is completely covered by the USB, so no problem having it as master keyboard, just make sure you place it on a flat and firm workbed.
Hope this helps.

Hey all,

I am very much new to all of this (producing music), so please be nice

Due to my friend's advice in buying a hardware synthesizer
(rather an external MIDI keyboard), I am in the market of purchasing a Virus
Ti2 Polar, however I come up with a question that would love your clarification
before actually buying:


1) I know the Virus can be plugged in to my Mac via USB, but
wouldn't that make the Virus an External MIDI controller? In that case,
wouldn't it be better if I just buy a much cheaper Akai - MPK61? (Countering my
friend's advice) The Virus Ti2 Polar is very expensive!

2) If I create a sound in Virus Ti2, how can I
"import" this sound to Logic and use it?

3) Can I simultaneously mod my sound (messing with Side chains,and
effects etc) on the keyboard, and have Logic pick it up/detect right away? (Like an external MIDI keyboard + Sylenth) Do I need an external sound card for that?

I know this is part of the "Total Integration" of
the Virus, but I am a it uncertain with the concept haha.

(FYI, I live in Hong Kong, where I cannot buy any synthesizers locally... I can only buy it on eBay or go to the US to buy locally, which I'm doing due to a family trip! I just want a few more answers before pulling the trigger)

Thank you for your reply and help!!!

Zitat von DSP2go

1) I know the Virus can be plugged in to my Mac via USB, but wouldn't that make the Virus an External MIDI controller? In that case, wouldn't it be better if I just buy a much cheaper Akai - MPK61? (Countering my friend's advice) The Virus Ti2 Polar is very expensive!

The differences between the Virus and a controller keyboard are (1) when the Virus is disconnected from the computer you can still produce sounds by playing it (just connect monitors/headphones) (2) When connected to the computer, on top of letting you input MIDI by playing the keyboard the Virus adds its DSP power to the computer through a DAW plugin (AU/VST), and optionally can be used as a soundcard.

Zitat von DSP2go

2) If I create a sound in Virus Ti2, how can I
"import" this sound to Logic and use it?

You can record clips of the Virus audio output and turn them into loops and the such, if that's what you mean.

Zitat von DSP2go

3) Can I simultaneously mod my sound (messing with Side chains,and
effects etc) on the keyboard, and have Logic pick it up/detect right away? (Like an external MIDI keyboard + Sylenth) Do I need an external sound card for that?

If I understand your question correctly, you can stack up separate FX on the output tracks of the Virus in logic. Generally, I recommend watching videos (youtube etc.) of how people integrate the Virus TI with their DAW.
Hope I helped somewhat.
thetechnobear, you're up next...

Zitat von thetechnobear

a) syncing midi clock - affecting arps and start of recordings - due to latency.
b) audio input /output

These are two separate problems with two separate causes. The arp/LFO sync problem is a result of a misunderstanding between the Virus and the DAW. In some situations the DAW doesn't update the MIDI clock as expected, other times it doesn't consider the plug-in's processing delay that should be compensated for.
The throughput issue is a problem with USB.

Zitat von thetechnobear

why syncing issues would happen usb is pretty fast (even 1.0)

The Virus is a USB1.1 device to which some USB chipsets have bad attitude (the single-TT ones), and the bandwidth on the USB bus is often shared among more then one device. All that causes the Virus to send its information in bursts, even if the total bandwidth is enough. The plugin employs a buffer in order to turn the bursts into a steady flow, but this buffer calls for the aforementioned delay compensation.

Zitat von thetechnobear

is using the TI as a external sound card ... for effects processing, i likely contributor to issues? i think this is something i can live without?
also, taking TI output back into live via USB... again is this contributor to problems?

It is impossible to use the Virus as a soundcard and as an FX processor at the same time. Those two functions need the same resources. Regarding the return audio (which is supplied to the DAW through the plugin, as if it was a softsynth), you can configure how many return streams you want to use (between 1 and 3 stereo raw audio streams) so this helps reduce the bandwidth demand.

Zitat von thetechnobear

I guess im ok, if i can setup the TI to be used for MIDI output as a master keyboard over USB, and to use VC via USB for control.
(does VC/TI allow you to specify only midi and vs setup data to go over usb, and no audio data)
and then potentially, buy an audio interface for audio back into live for recording.... i guess thats should be connected via thunderbolt (firewire adapter), so as not to introduce contention with internal ubs hub.

VC starts the audio streams you configured even if you are using analog ouputs only. It simply sends silence over the USB, and the delay compensation causes the analog oupts to play too early.

Zitat von thetechnobear

finally, Ive not bought Live yet, so pretty open to another DAW, if there is something which is known to work much better... though i do like ableton's 'clip' feature.

Cubase is the golden standard for VST (as I guess Logic is for AU), regarding workflow, I saw a DAW called Reaper that is constantly 'stealing' ideas from Live.

Glad I could help

Zitat von thetechnobear

This seems like a bug... why would it send any data, if it knows no output is required (which is must, to have decided to send silence), is this something Access acknowledges as a bug, and is planning to fix?

If I put my engineer cap on for a moment I think the excuse I may give will be that the output still needs to be sample accurate in the case that you toggle between the output options (per MIDI part). And it does'nt decidedly send silence, it simply has nothing else to send...

Zitat von thetechnobear

Ok, I assume this is if you are sending the midi from the DAW, and then using a separate audio interface to bring the output back from the access back into the DAW?
(ie. the access plays the incoming midi too early because it assumes the delay compensation reported from the VC plugin will be applied to the output, but then that output is not delayed, as it coming thru a different interface)
again, seems like a bit of bug, but surely the DAW should use the compensation of the incoming interface, rather than the VC outgoing midi - no?

The plugin can only report one delay value while it can send 16 different parts to different destinations.

Zitat von thetechnobear

I assume this issue, does not occur when you dont use the VC plugin (as there is no VST audio stream)?

do you need to use the VC plugin for midi over usb?

True. Without VC loaded you get a "Virus synth MIDI" port you can use with your MIDI tracks. So you can design sounds with VC, save them in a bank on the Virus, unload VC, call up those patches using a MIDI bank/patch command and play them using pure MIDI.

Zitat von thetechnobear

ok, will have a look at this, as not sure when this is used ... splits and multi parts? so that you can then mix the level in the DAW?
i assume you can set levels in the virus, in which case for my needs i can probably set to 1 stream.

I'm old fashioned, so I like to bounce before and while I mix. Many people today like to go directly from MIDI to final mix, and find this feature useful.

technobear -

i would take posts on sync and delay with a pinch of salt. we use macs on all trade shows and for all demos and it works fine for us.
just as a random example of the "quality" of some posts: as for _overloading_ USB, there´s barely a chance to do so since the bandwidth is allocated when the connection is created. if the bandwidth is not available for whatever reason, the operating system throws an error. if you're not presented with an error for whatever reason, the connection still will not take place and you will hear nothing.
the crackling some experience is USB packets not arriving and that's an entirely different story. we have mentioned that fact numerous times but that will not stop some to pretend that they understand what's going on.
best, marc