Product: Access Music Virus TI Desktop
Price Paid: 2000 (euro)
Submitted
12/05/2005
at
08:59am
by
lni55
Ease of Use
:
9
Well it's been a long wait for this. Is it any good then. Oh yes. It's the new star on the Virtual analog synth heaven. New smooth 24 bit converters give it the edge against all it's old siblings. It's supplied with 16 banks a 256 patches so everybody should find something. It will accept old soundsets from former models of which at least 25 are avaible for download from the access web site.
For the time being you should as soon as possible check the web site for latest OS since mine was shipped with a beta. Lots of troubles.
The OS is not in its finished state at this moment, there are still issues but mostly in respect to the TI features
Features
:
10
16 part multi timbrale and it works. The TI feature is not there quite yet, it will also present you with the problems other USB soundcards has due to the bandwith. It will though work and I have for time being disabled my PCI based soundcard and are using the TI as my soundsorce. Midi interface and the VST plugin works but as soon as you push it glitches shows up, but that is not a problem because this i why I have my EMU PCI emulator card anyway.
The fun starts in the VST plugin that gives you acces(s) to all parameters. It's a real joy to use the arpegiattor in this mode, much like xphraze. This is really good.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
10
The sound, that's really good. It's much more polished than f.ex. waldorf synth. E.g. the simulation of analog sounds are up with the best, but you can still get it to scream if you like.
Rompler wise it has some organ sound and keyboard stuff in it as well as some flute sound that's okay, but it not in that genre you expect it to shine.
Effects are up with the best on any other synths, but i still prefer external ( Have a T.C. 4000 reverb unit ), and you can expect it to compete with unit that cost even more than the synth.
Since the desktop needs a mother keyboard it's fair to say that it react to all controllers as expected.
In it's area it simply great.
Reliability
:
9
It seems well built. Only issue is that the OS in not finished but as a hardware synth the only glitch i've encountered so far is that voices from one preset, from time to time hangs, into the next.
I've encountered the same on Alesis Andromeda 6, but it's no big deal in a studio enviroment and the OS is updateted regulary so I expect this to be solved.
Customer Support
:
8
So far no problems. They react to emails
Overall Rating
:
10
This is good synth. It has a great future. If you have not had a chance to try it out go and do so, but be aware that this might soon set your cashflow back.
I would consider it against the Roland V-synth XT which in some respect has an edge. It has sampler capabilities, though limited, it has variphrase and the 2 VC card in it.
But sound wise the access filters i.m.h.o. gives the virus the edge and the TI feature is totally integrated into your host enviroment as well as the ability to act as soundcard.
Well I could not make up my mind so I have both. :-)
If you need a really good synth this one will not disapoint you.
