Access Music Virus b

Using the OS 4.9, not a big fan of the presets. Patch editing is a breeze and the manual is a reliable reference.

24 voices is fine for me, and the effects are good, although I prefer to use my daw for that, 16 part multitimbral is fine although I've been battling with the multi mode. I use it mainly to get a specific sound I'm looking for. It seems to work intuitively enough that I can get exactly what I want out of it.

Its a great sound design tool and does what its told. I use a supernova which I know very well for general and clean stuff. But nothing does dirty and filthy like my virus b...

Great man! The thing is 8 years old and it still works perfectly.
On OS 4.9. Access give great after sales service! For this reason, I want to sell this and get the virus ti.

I wanted a button replaced onit and it was no problem thanks to our local agent in SA. Cheers Jay!

I would replace it if I could. This is Africa baby! I'd probably have to buy a TI. Been playing for 2 years. I love the oscillator section! I hate the arpeggiator section. It is the most creative tool I own. I make electronic music.

I didn't hack the manual and I was able to twist knobs and get the sound I want.. call it luck at first use.. NOw, the Sound Editor is good too but I thouhght it's twist and knobs on the machine and not to stare at a computer and make the editing there. The ARpreggio is hidden in a menu which is kinda weird.

12voices, 24 part multitimbral.. I dont need is as I sequence and bounnce right away to wave..

The sounds sounds very German or European.. You can create that SUPer Saw Wave from the Jp8000 if you work with the 2 filters. If you sequence a sixteenth while you twist knobs, that's techno heaven. Good for pads, basses, leads, it can produce bell type sounds too.. Mind you again I havent read the manual. I twist and twist and I get the sounds. It's fat sounds. Erase the bank a sounds and b bank and create from scratch.. Do save the patch called "Vuk" on bank b because it's the sounds of the band LASGO.

It's a weapon.. I can use this as a freezebee and it will knock you head off.

never dealt with CSR

10

Using OS 4.9, it's not nearly as intuitive as my Waldorf Q when it comes to editing patches, but they're not in the same league anyway so I won't complain (nothing compares to the Q except for real analogue stuff). That said, however, the Virus is far from hard to use. The interface has most filter and envelope settings easily accessible with knobs, and most of the basic settings are often just a click away at the most. The mod matrix is an exception though, and it can be tricky to navigate the menus, but it doesn't take many hours of playing around to learn the interface quite well. The manual is very thorough, at almost 300 pages, and covers everything you need to know from the basics of subtractive (analogue modeling) synthesis to the quirks and perks of the Virus. As others have pointed out, the unit could have come with endless rotaries for easy switching between patches; it's a pain trying to edit two sounds in a multi at the same time as you keep forgetting the knob positions and screw things up.

At first glance, the Virus can seem like a synth for making edgy trance basses and not much else (since that's what everyone seems to use it for), but it's really capable of a lot more. It can produce lovely atmospheric evolving pads, as well as cool percussive sounds. Most everything is editable and controllable from within a sequencer or studio app like Cubase or Logic, and there are devices and controls for remote editing within those programs downloadable off of the Access website.
As far as expansion capability goes, there's not much available. However, Access did address the issue in an OS update and the Virus now has room for 1024 patches instead of the original 512; I can't think of another VA synth that can even come close to approaching this number of storable patches! There's no on-board sequencer per se, but there is a very nice little arpeggiator.

The Virus has a very characteristic sound; it's definately a synth that stands out in a crowd, and whether you like the effect or not, it definately can turn heads. It's pretty much a techno/electronica instrument and it works great for related genres. Many EBM bands use/have used this synth as their main tool; Icon of Coil and VNV Nation for instance. It's earned a reputation in the synthesizer world as being an instrument "with an attitude". Although mostly used for upbeat techno:ish stuff, it's not at all limited to this approach. I find it very inspiring to work with, and as stated above, the evolving pads and filter sweeps it can do are great for a more laid-back and ambient sound. As most VA synths, its sound is a bit thin, but backed up with the right production and a pure analogue backbone, it can easily add that final touch that you need to give your piece some extra edge.

At an Icon of Coil-concert, their Virus synth fell a good four to five feet and hit the (stone) stage floor quite hard; one of the keyboardists picked it up, dusted it off, and the band kept playing on. No problems. Also, I've never had it hang on me or freak out or anything. I have no problem using it live, it just works.

I've had no dealings with the company directly, but all the OS updates they've released and the care they're showing for their customers by making tons of free soundsets, updates etc available for free on their website makes me think very highly of them. Definately a top synthesizer maker, and one of my favourites since Waldorf ceased to exist (bless them).

This is one very unique little synth. Basically, it's a question of taste, but considering its' eight-or-so years on the market and the (nowadays) pretty low price you can find it for on eBay etc, it's incredible value for money. If you're looking for something "more", something that can do everything the Virus can and more, then I'd recommend the Waldorf Q over this one, but if you're really interested in the unique qualities of the Virus then I'd say go for it. Unless you find a Q with the 32 voice expansion it's probably not worth the money anyway, and the Virus B is a lot cheaper, generally.
I give this baby a 10 for its uniqueness, because it really does stand out. It's become a legend in its own right, and not many VA synths have come to deserve that level of fame. This one ranks with the top of the crop in my book, together with the Nord Lead and the Waldorf Q.
No synthesizer-based studio should be without a Virus.

OS 4.5.8
the presets sound absolutely awfull, unless youre into cheesey trance.
i make organic trippy deep techno, dancefloor but experimental.
i've never used a single preset, i start from scratch every time.
it's not too difficult to edit, but i dont like menus, and still i find the menu system confusing, even after having the machine for two years.
i find the manual very informative, it's thick !!

the built in effects are ok, not amazing, but i never use then anyway, as i use various lexicon outboard, which make the onboard effects pretty much redundant. Midi implementation is very good, polyphony seems to struggle when you approach 24, with glitches appearing here and there, ( not good)

i dont try to emulate other instruments, i'm strictlty into creating new sounds, and i have to say that the modulation matrix is awesome, it's why i bought this machine in the first place. the big let down is the quality of the sound. It's just so thin and weedy. I have numerous analogue synths in my studio, and i also own a Nord lead, and a Nord 3.
i've been producing electronic music since the mid eighties, and it think i know good sound when i hear it, this is very weak. The Nord lead is seriously fat, but the nord 3 falls into a similar catagory to the Virus b, -features high, sound neglected.
one exception is bass. i can get some awesome bass out of the virus.
In the end, it comes down to the fact that i dont rate virtual analogues or software synths very highly, they are packed full of potential for creativity, but put them next to a moog, and then you can tell why people pay so much money for the real thing. there's really no comparison.
i'm about to buy an Andromeda and sell my virus b for that very reason.

oh dear, i must have bought a lemon. it started to go wrong after about 3 months, the LCD display started jumping about and it became unusable.
i sent it to the Synthesizer Service department in Germany, and they sent it back saying they couldnt find anything wrong with it. Sure enough, it was working fine, the journey must have joggled it back into action. 6 months later, and it packed up again, same fault, so it's been gathering dust in the corner of my studio. i'm about to send it back to be fixed again, beause i'm about to sell it.

see above category for story. i contacted Access, and they werent very simpathetic to the fact that i was in the middle of a big remix job when it went down, and wouldnt send me a replacement to see me through.
they seemed bemused that it had gone wrong in the first place.
but the SS department guy was very helpful.

no i'm afraid i wouldnt buy one again if it was stolen, i'd buy an Alesis Andromeda.
i've been making electronic music since 1983 ( electro ), now i make non-generic abstract music that is probably nearest to deep techno, i own lots of hardware gear, too much to list here.
ok i got a bad one, but overall i'd say the virus b has too much in menus, something i think has been sorted on the newer virus machines, the sound is thin, even when layered up, but the modulation possiblities are unbelievable, so it's a bit of a mixed review i'm afraid

I personally am not new to synthesis per se (I've used quite a few software synths), but quite new to hardware synths.

I found the synth itself pretty intuitive, since the many knobs and buttons give instant feedback of your actions. Quite a few options are within the menus, but the main stuff editable directly via the interface.

If you don't know what an envelope or and LFO is, it'll take you a while, but with minor experience you'll be on top of it in no time.

Great. Simply great. Two oscillators, plus one third (added in an OS update), lots of voices, sixteen parts. Tons of FX. Two LFOs (I think there was a third one added in another update), it has almost everything you could wish for.

I think it sounds very very good. Make sure you got a good setup or at least great headphones to make the most of it.

Evil, scratchy, noisy trance leads....soft, hovering pads. Throbbing, fat, deep basses. Seventh heaven for the electronic music producer.

I use it in homestudio surroundings, but this far I've never had any problem with it.

Never had to deal with them, however, for getting manuals and updates, you need to log in, which I find unnecessary, especially since their homepage will not let me in when using certain proxies.

I got it, unpacked it, loved it. Together 'till the end of time!

prior to aquiring a virus b desktop i was working mainly in reFX vanguard and linplug albino (both software synths). the virus is more complex than both of those, in terms of the number of variables that can be changed, the number of parts that can be modulated and the sometimes abstract way in which features such as unison, the third main oscillator and all the effects are hidden away in the LCD display menus. the manual is gigantic and comprehensive although it does refer to terms without fully introducing or explaining them. there are very few illustrations and when the jargon is flying thick and fast, it can sometimes be overwhelming if you are like me and have only a rudimentary knowledge of subtractive synthesis. some sections, in particular the section about updating the OS, are quite brief and dont explain anything about sysEX midi or the problems that can occur when attempting to update the OS - the virus doesnt seem to like updating from certain sequencers (it works only sometimes in fl studio). sometimes if you force the virus to sync to the clock of your midi interface through your sequencer, it just wont update until this option is disabled. sometimes if you choose to update the OS or load new patches into the virus through windows media player, you have to uncheck the midi box in the file types window exit out, go back in then check it again before it will work. having finally updated the OS to the latest 4.9 (from 4.01) and finally got user patches onto the virus i feel that some of the pitfalls of this operation could be explained in the manual. there are not many open forums or bulletin boards or resources that specifically deal with virus related problems.

aside from that, there are enough patches that are varied enough for most people to just dive right in and start experimenting with sounds, although, without going through the manual page by page, you'll probably find yourself overtweaking every patch into a bassy, sludgy evil mess more often than not. i found the nord lead 2x was more intuitive because the entire control surface is laid out in front of you and the lack of effects on that machine made it easier to recognise in what way you were manipulating the sound. the virus is a synth where its preferable to read the manual and follow it through to the end whilst you are fiddling with it as opposed to ignoring the manual completely and jumping in at the deep end.

most of the features of this unit are well documented and are available from access' website. for the 2nd hand retail value of one of these you would be hard pressed to find a virtual analogue synth in its class taht offers as many features as the virus b. you get a vocoder, multiple effects ranging from various types of distortion to chorus, reverbs, delays and a phaser. you can also run external sound sources through the virus and manipulate them using the filter and effects on the virus. this flexibility was one of the reasons why i picked a virus over a nord lead 2 as my first hardware synth.

its also brilliant how access offers free OS updates (some of which contain really quite major revisions and additions) that can be aquired from access' website and loaded straight into the virus from your sequencer as a midi file. no need to buy extra storage mediums or memory cards.

the virus definitely has a character of its own. the filter is *smooth* and in the right configuration, sweeping the filter cutoffs can make it seem like it screams. i find that i can coax alot of filthy leads and basses out of it and warp them in realtime by fiddling with the semi tone rotary and the filters to create dying/screaming electronic noises. the bass end on it is fat and solid and prominant all the time if you have the sub oscillator turned up. you can also make lush pad sounds with it and ambient sounds that are wildly different from the screaming leads. if you keep twiddling a patch though and dont really know what you are doing it will, more often than not turn to evil sludge, so there is a tendancy for it to sound quite dark although it is capable of doing the polar opposite if you know what you are doing. 'virus' is a pretty appropriate name for this synth - it is particularly suitable for dark drum and bass reeces and hard house leads, although sitting and twiddling opens up a mind boggling variety of sounds that can be created on this machine, i find it is easiest to let it slide into hard, warm and distorted grime. which i personally quite like.

the effects section i didnt particularly find that useful. the reverb and delay werent what i thought they would be and i prefer to use software impulse response reverb instead of the virus reverb. similarly i prefer the much more versatile psp 84 delay to the virus's in built delay. the distortion is more subtle than i thought it would be. alot of the really twisted, bitty fat quality you get from the virus is more from the configuration of the osc/sub osc/filter than from the distortion effect. unison mode does make sounds more...'massive' but i tend to agree that it sounds a little messy sometimes.

despite the flaws, its the only instrument i own that consistantly makes me smile when i switch it on and play with it and i think its a credit to access that they have made an instrument that is fun to play and which has a character of its own.

the wooden panels on either side dent fairly easily but the metal case feels quite solid. it is deceptively light for its size though and i imagine dropping it from a height of 5 feet onto a hard concrete surface would do quite alot of cosmetic damage to the unit although i think it could take a battering and still function as intended. the power supply chord sits loosely in the back of the virus and its possible to quite easily pull it out if another cable snags on it. the rubber rotaries wobble slightly if you rock them left and right. i doubt it could stand up to alot of rotary abuse although the action of the rotaries is smooth and as a general rule the entire synth is well put together. maybe because i want to keep it in perfect condition i am treating it more delicately than it needs to be treated.

access returned all email inquiries the next day or on the same day. all the problems that i have had thus far have been ironed out. they didnt have a problem with the fact that i purchased the virus 2nd hand on ebay.

they support their old products long after they have been discontinued with free OS updates and free patch banks. i recently just installed an update that allowed me to have 8 patch banks instead of the original 4. another 512 presets in total. which was a pleasant surprise to say the least. overall, i wish more companies do what access does with their customer support. double thumbs up.

this is my first hardware synth after a year of working entirely in a software based environment. overall i am glad i purchased this instead of the nord lead 2 rack (although im itching to get one of those too, im glad i got the virus first!). since ive got it, i find the synths i was working on before have in many cases become redundant. these were reFX vanguard, linplug albino and g media impOSCar. virus seems to do everything all of those instruments can do and most of the time i find using the virus is preferable to those instruments for the sound i want to create. i have only had it for a week but it is quickly becoming the centrepeice of my productions and i am beginning to re evaluate a number of the ways i programmed those softsynths and the sounds i found desirable based on my increasing use of the virus. the i spend time with it, discovering new things about it, the sicker this instrument gets. hence the name i suppose. for the price i paid for it on ebay i consider this incredible value for money.

This is an updated review (I posted first in November--go down a review or two).

First off--about evolving pads: Holy shite! The Virus is the total king of that.

It's modulation options are mind-numbing. The control is you exert is unbelievable--the Virus is powerful, but it is *so* easy to program and build sounds from total scratch. If you know how to program a basic synth, you can figure out the rest.

You can get a huge variety of sounds out of this. Whenever I have a problem with a softsynth bass not sitting in a mix well enough, I go to the Virus, and 95% of the time it's worth the effort.

Since November there has been at least one OS update. Note: Access is updating the OS of a synth that's. been. discontinued.

It's fun and inspiring. Since I got it I have owned a Nord2 (sold it) and a Waldorf Q rack (going to sell it.) The Nord2 was hard to use and underfeatured. The Q is a great synth, but is definitely digital in character compared with the Virus. (Spend some quality time with the two running next to each other, and you'll agree.)

I love this thing. Could you tell?

this is a wonderfully laid out synth. one of the aspects that makes this synth so simple is the manual: its laid out like a tutorial, going over every feature, every parameter, and briefly goes into detail of how every parameter shapes the sound. if youre familiar with subtractive synthesis, youll pick up very quickly with the virus. if youre not, this is a great synth to learn on. a good bit of the features are in menus, but thats because they were added as OS updates- after the hardware was designed. keep in mind that i consider myself fairly seasoned when it comes to synth programming, and that is why i rate this category so high... your mileage may vary.

the B model is 24 voice, in OS 4.5 you have ring modulation, distortion, reverb, delay, vocoder, chorus, and phaser as effects (i think thats all of them). I dont really care for the reverb, and the chorus seems to take away a bit of the 'fatness', but i have external effects that im really fond of. osc saturation is a great way to get edgy sounds. the dual filters are great too, and really flexible being that you can route them several ways. the people at access are great- they are (or were, until the c came out)constantly upgrading the OS, with many new and exciting features (ex: 3rd lfo, addition of reverb, etc).wish there was a wet/dry effect knob, but its not too big of a gripe, because i just set one of the assignable knobs to wet/dry in the initial patch. also wish you could overwrite more than just the first 2 sound banks, or at least have a method of storing patches to external memory. and i do really REALLY wish the virus had those endless rotary encoder knobs found on the waldorf Q and nord 3. who knows, mabye access will take this constructive criticism and incorporate it into the virus D....

i think the virus is a godsend. the sound is the reason the virus got the buy. i auditioned the microwave xt and the nord 3 as well as the virus, but i thought the virus just had more than the competition. not that im saying the nords or waldorfs are bad instruments... i still want a microwave, and i used to own the original nord lead, but the virus stood out because it had diversity. while the nord sounded 'hard' more often than not, and the microwave sounded digital, the virus could sound both hard and soft, digital and analog, fat or thin, and everywhere in between, in my humble opinion. and the FILTERS... oh my fucking god... they can scream, gargle, hiss, bubble, and anything else you can think of. some people say the virus sounds too digital or too sterile. to me, theres very little difference between the fat analog sound of this and, say, a mini. again, not bashing moog, but the virus can sound very analog, at least to my ears. Ive been able to make moog and 303 sounds that are very convincing.

all metal casing, knobs are rubber, but feel a little bit wobbly. noticed a loud pop in the output when the unit is turned on, but this is apparently normal virus behavior. the build quality is superior compared to roland, yamaha, korg, etc.

joerg at access should be given a medal. when i have a question, i email him and get a superfast response. access' site even has a live support chat room so if you can catch someone on it, you can get immediate answers. i feel that access and metasonix are tied for best customer support.

if lost, i would just shell out the extra cash for a C model. unfortunately, we're in a digital age where most companies are focusing on soft synths and such... they just lack the excitement and magic of a hardware box. i feel that access has made one of the last great hardware synths of our time. i rate this category, and all the categories prior based on MY experience with this product. you may buy it and hate it, and the only way to judge a piece is to sit down and experiment. this box does what i expected it to do, and does it well, and i have no reservations on rating it a 10. i ahve tried a lot of synths, both analog and digital, and even though ive been doing this for only 6 years, i feel i am fairly experienced. a lot of the new stuff coming out just doesnt impress me, but i feel confident when i say that access has created a classic. if youre new into synths and want to learn subtractive synthesis, but dont want to spend the big bucks for a minimoog or prophet 5, get a virus. you wont regret it.

I *really* wanted to buy a Nord 3. Really. I had the dough. I'd played one a friend had. At music stores I lusted after the totally SEX look and dynamite usability. I actually bought one on ebay, but the deal fell through cause the seller was a cafone. After that I did some research into alternatives after someone tipped me off about the Viruses. Anyhow, I picked up a mint, used Virus B on ebay for $705. More about the change-of-heart reasons as we continue...

Right now I'm using OS 4.5.1., but tonight I'm going to go up to the final version, 4.80. The Virus b is pretty straight-forward, but it's deep. I have been using softsynths for almost 3 years (Reason and some of the scary-deep Reaktor), and several years ago I sold my Moog Opus 3. Knowing what I know I can get around and it's pretty easy for me to tweak a preset into something I like even more, but it's going to take some time to get to the point where I can execute an idea that I have for a sound. Then again that's the fun part; figuring it out!

That being said, it's no Nord Lead/Rack 3 when it comes to ease of use. I would absolutely, definitely, and highly recommend that Access figure out something akin to Clavia's endless rotary LED knobs (which set Clavia back 9 months in their Nord 3 development cycle since they had to design and build those knobs, proprietary-wise). If the Virus C had had that, I would've gladly dropped the extra bux for it.

Since the Virus b has had so many (free!) OS updates, it has a bit of a Frankenstein's monster quality where add-on features (LFO 3, some FX, etc) are only accessible via a menu system. This I can live with, especially since a lot of the extras, like FX, I pretty much don't touch that much. I have set one definable knob to be a global effects send so I can just turn all effects off and add them later in Cubase SL.

The main knobs and buttons (and there are plenty of them) make the Virus b eminently tweakable. The LED display is great and even though it only gives the knobs MIDI values of 0-127 (the Nord 3's give real values in Hz, etc.), it lets you know what the original settings were and what you've changed them to.

The manual is *really* good for an electronics manual. I have almost never seen a more useful contents page in my life: Every time I have a question I can find the relevant section quickly. (For fun sometime, go try figuring out something Roland wrote.)

So, all in all: Not "Nord easy" but pretty good.

This thing is all chocky with features. The updated polyphony is 24, 16 part multi-timbrality. I am not a "power user" who's going to program this thing to do live shows, so the 16 parts is academic; I pretty much record 1 part at a time into Cubase SL which makes everything fast--no hassles about routing MIDI and audio or worrying about polyphony and multi-timb.

The simultaneous 96 effects are ok. I am mainly using sends and inserts in Cubase, but if a patch has good effects, why not use some?

The arpeggiator plain embarrasses the Nords: The Virus is *way* more flexible than the 4-ish patterns of the Nord, even including the Nord's Arp editor thing. I am not a big arpeggiator guy, but used subtly and routed interestingly they can do a lot with the sounds.

The Sub Osc is a dream. Again, the unison (up to 16, detunable and pannable) embarrases the Nord 3's. As a matter of fact, many Nord patches without its weaker Uni sound ultra-cheap.

The increment buttons have a neat feature where you if you hold the "+" button to increment up and then click the "-" buttom it will go superfast--good for workflow.

It has a pretty versatile sounding vocoder and audio input. I haven't used these yet, but I am expecting the best.

Overall, the features *far* outweighed the Nord 3's. For the price (used B or new C) it spanks a new Nord 3. For the price I paid for my used B it is a stone-cold, rockbottom deal that out-values both the Nord and a new Virus C.

The sounds are great. Period. This is where I really started to depart from my Nord ideas. Okay, we all know presets generally suck, and demo songs are written BY dorks FOR dorks. The Virus b presets are actually pretty good: 1024, and a wide variety. In my decision phase (among other things) I d/l'ed all the mp3's (demo songs and preset compiltations) I could off of the Access and Clavia sites. The sound quality and variety of even the B outstripped the Nord 3. The Virus B can sound smooth, wide, nasty, clipped, fat, skinny, pretty, ugly, pretty ugly and above all, mix-useful. The Nord had an inherent cheapness of sound and I was not a fan of its filters which I could hear in everything, naturally. The Virus can get sounds like my old Moog as well as terrific stack basses, TB sounds, pads, etc. One area where the Nord was better was with evolving pad sounds. I think this had to do with its morph feature which is pretty cool. The Nord has more in-depth FM capabilities, but to me, that was a liability; I'm not big into FM.

In general the Virus B can do a lot of things and do them well. I would consider its sounds to be of the scope and quality I want, especially since it's going to be my only VA for a while.

Haven't had it long enough to comment on this. But consider: It's used, built rock-solid and the knobs are very high quality. I don't forsee problems.

Again--too soon to tell, but God bless Access and all of their free OS upgrades and shared user patches, etc.

The Virus B, as I mentioned above, for $700-ish bucks is one of those things I just walk around feeling good about. The value is astounding.

My dream is to have the engine of a Virus in a Nord 3 package. Just thinking about that gives me shivers, but it also makes me want to get on the horn with Access and tell them to get a move on! As an aside, the Virus B (and A and C, for that matter) have a very unispired and pedestrian look. Boring, actually. Have they ever seen a Nord? As well as being a musician I am a painter and a computer graphics designer, so nothing gets a pass from me in the looks department--if you're going to make something...make it look cool for Chrissakes!

Also, I have been pretty hard on the Nord 3--I realize that. But I did huge research after my Nord deal fell through, and part of my getting all fervent now is that my "vision" of the Nord was mostly hype that I'd picked up from being in electronic music circles; I almost made a mistake by buying into that hype. If you like Nords--great. I'm just saying that in my little journey I found them to be WAY overpriced and not as sonically flexible as the Virus B.

Maybe someday after the Nord 4 comes out I'll be able to pick up a used Nord 3 for about 400 bucks, which is about what it'd be worth to me for getting that interface for some eveolving pads and FM stuff.

But back to the Virus B: They're all used now: Go get one, enjoy the huge value to dollar ratio--and enjoy the (crazy many) good sounds.

.nick
millionVALVE
www.ampcast.com/millionvalve

I used 4.0 version. I'm giving the my opinions of Virus B which I have already sold. I'm not going to say it's crap machine because it didn't fit to me. It's great synth and I would everyone go for C who has a bit more money. New 4.0 soundset is great and there is many great arpeggios which you already heard in many tunes. Editing patches is relative easy. I just missed to third osc-knob and third LFO-knob which are now fixed in C. I would use patch editor since I used to edit Wavestation, Korg M3r, Roland D5 and so on times ago without programmer. So I'll tell it's very easy to use who has a bit experience of synths. Very logical VCO -> VCF -> VCA with tons of effects and other goodies.

Polyphony is 24 which cut to 18 using all the features. Sometimes I was able to use only two monophonic (very big sounding) sounds and all the poly was gone. I'll agree when someone mentioned you have to layer the most of oscillators to get a bit like FAT real analog sound. I mean FAT not true analog sound. There is tons of effects and phaser is quite much used in those patches. I don't like heavy effected sounds, they sound too messy in the mix. But that's matter of taste of course. I like all sounds are too effected as in Novation synths. The biggest miss is own delay for every part. I would let other effects go to exchange 'em to delay. Raw VCO's don't sound the best of VA's but filters are so great sounding. Extra env wouldn't be bad either.

Why Virus is so popular now? It has tons of sounds (more free sounds from the net) and they sound good. Effects can make the lame patch sound good. That's not bad since there is no matter how the sound has made if it sounds good, right? I used Virus for arpeggios, synth stabs, some leads and much more. You can make cool trance tune without making own sounds! I make mostly electro-ambient stuff but I was going to make some trance tunes to becoming game and it was just great machine for 'em.

I had some problems using MIDI. Don't know what was going on...

Haven't tried.

So I had three complains:
(1) No knobs for 3rd OSC/LFO (2) Only global delay/reverb (3) Third assignable envelope. Raw OSC's don't sound so great but it sounds great if you have some analog synths etc. That's really matter of taste. I prefer more Waldorf -sound. I was going to buy Q Rack or Virus B and I got quite good offer of B so I got one. My other stuff with Virus B was: Roland Juno 106/Jupiter 6/XV-3080, Yamaha AN1x/FS1r, Elektron Machinedrum/Sidstation, Waldorf Microwave XT/Pulse. Great buy, but think twice if you could get the C instead.

Software version is 4.58, but I am planning to upgrade it to 4.8.
I just purchased the Virus and what I write here,
are my first impressions on the machine.

The preset sounds are very nice. Actually there are only few ones
that I may not find any use. And the selection of sounds is enormous
on Access's website. Editing the patches is easy. The user interface
is excellent. No need to even look at the manual :). The manual is
very good too, much better than the manual of my Korg Wavestation.

Polyphony is enough for my use since I use the synth mostly
in single mode and record everything as audio to sequencer.
Built in effects are very easy to use.

The sounds fit excelelently to the musical style I am doing.
I am doing pure electronic music and the 1024 patches is so
enormous collection that I need quite some time to go through them
all. The onboard effects are
excellent. Very nice reverb and delays.
The phaser is good, not as Jarreish than the real Small Stone
(that I also own), but still very good. And the distortion,
well, it is the first one I have heard to sound very good.
I tried to route the Wavestation through the Virus effects and
in a fraction of second, it's a bit cold and harsh sound was
beefed up with the delicious effects of Virus. Very very nice.

I have backed up the Virus to computer. I have encountered no
software bugs so far. No problems so far during my currently
short owning period.

Access seems to update the Virus software excellently. Actually
the secret of Virus doesn't rely in hardware, it relies in the
software instead. The Virus software is excellent.

The Virus sounds excellently analog, fat, and also lush.
There is nothing bad to say about the synth.
If this would get stolen or broken or something, I would buy it again.
If I would be able to own only one synth + keyboard, the Virus
would be my choice currently. All other synths that I have tried,
have been quite unimpressive so far, but the wow-factor of
Virus is many many times higher.

To see details of my studio, please have a look at the following
page:
http://www.karoliinasalminen.com/studio.php3

Using version 4.0 will be upgrading soon to newer version. Very user friendly, lots of documentation available with Virus and on their web site. Creating patches is simply a matter of turning knobs, definitely a very organic process. It certainly helps if you have an understanding of sound design. But they do walk you thru the process and explain how each parameter affects the sound in their tutorial.

I don't even know where to start, this machine is increadibly versitile and packed with quality features. But what is truely amazing is that with each and every software upgrade it becomes a dramatically more versatile and richer instrument. Unlike other vendors they don't just fix bugs, they actually significantly improve the instrument by adding substantive features.

The Virus is the best analog modeling synth I have ever seen or heard. If you are into any form of electronic music, this is the instrument to own, nothing even comes close. Comes with some truely amazing sounds, and thousands more are available for free on their web site and other virus related sites.

Have never had a problem with it in any shape or form, whether it be mechanical or software related.

Anyone that pans thier customer support is on crack. They would be hard pressed to find a single other company that still offers software upgrades for a long discontinued product, they are still putting out upgrades for the Virus A for gods sake. Not to mention they offer thousands (yes thousands) of free quality sounds for free download on their site. Any other manufaturer is going to charge you hundreds of dollars for one or two banks of mediocre sounds. As far as technical support, it may not be as quick as some (assuming you need an answer in the next hour or two), but it's significantly more thurogh, and they will get back to you every time, can't say as much for Korg who never respond.

The Virus and Access as a company are the standard by which all others should be measured by. However, that will never happen as all others would fail miserably. As a keyboard it just sounds amazing and you could get lost for hours just fidling with one sound and a couple of chords. The beauty is that it just keeps getting better with age and each and every upgrade (like a good bottle of wine). While other instruments fall to the way side as newer models come out, the virus just gets a tune up and stays on the cutting edge. As a company you will find no other with as much of a comittment for it's products and to it's customers. You will not find a better value for the money, expecially when you take into consideration the significant library of free sounds available on it's web site. A+

Using OS4.5. This version comes with 1000 presets, and there are some corkers in there. Everything from mellifluous pads to dirty fat woovers. Amazingly, the Rhodes patch and Hammond patch are actually good enough to use...

The manual is great, and leads you by the hand - anyone who complains it is too difficult to use is clearly very lazy or stupid. It's a complicated beast, but if you want to keep it simple, just use the presets...

No keyboard. 3 LFOs (can be assigned to any destination, sin/tri/pulse/s+h,s+g etc.), 3 oscillators (main osc has fm/pwm & detune) + sub, two filters + envelope, amp envelope, arpeggiator.

Built in effects are fantastic, and the device can be used as an external FX unit. Indeed in multi mode you can process the input with one part, and still have another 15 for synthesis! Everything you'd need: phaser, chorus, flanger, ring mod, input follower, 32-band vocoder, loads of types of distortion, the best filters money can buy (I mean this - the filters are UNBEATABLE. No stepping, warm, lush, dirty, they give the virus it's characteristic sound). And you can use them all at once!

24-voice polyphony, which I've not yet exhausted, although you could pretty quickly in principle as the unison mode allows you to assign as many voices as you want to each note. The way I see it though, the only time this would be a problem is if you were playing loads of pre-sequenced stuff live. If you're recording, you can always put down parts separately, after all.

Everything is MIDI-controllable, and there's a comprehensive PC-based patch editor if you want to see everything at once. There's also a mod matrix which allows you to mix things up a little. No expansion (the only niggle - there is only 1 global reverb/delay).

Well, the sounds rock. This beast can do pretty much anything you'd ever want out of a synth. The oscillator has 64 (single cycle) waveforms, in addition to sine, triangle, pulse; there's PWM, FM, everything you'd expect. The signal path is fixed, but you can get around this: on Multi-mode, you can feed the output of one patch into the effects and filters of another part, so in effect you can chain osc -> FX -> filters -> FX -> filters ad infinitum. Did I mention the FX were amazing?

The box tends to get used in trance/techno stuff, but I'm in a jazz/funk band and I use it to sound like Sun Ra :) Seriously, with this, a sampler and a copy of logic / cubase / sonar, you're sorted.

I use it to gig all the time without backup. I've never had any kind of problem with it at all, which is more than I can say about my laptop. The thing is built like a brick shithouse - I knock it about quite a lot, and it's still going just fine.

There's a very lively mailing list which WILL be able to answer your question. I emailed tech support once and they responded in a timely manner.

The best thing about this beast is the fact that Access constantly provide FREE OS upgrades. We're on 4.5 at the moment - and it really is an amazing OS.

For the cash - it's brilliant. You can use it as your external FX AND as an incredibly versatile analogue synth. It's incredibly good value for money, and an incredibly powerful beast. OK, it may not be as configurable as a Nord Modular or have as many features as the Supernova, but it has everything you'll need to make great, beautiful / dirty sounds.

vocoder info in manual could do with more detail

good realistic sound.
good for any electronic music
effects are good, the vocoder very hard to operate,

very dependable, should never do a gig without backup anyway

bit dubious about the memory upgrades.

been waiting for a reply from support for a while

certainly helped me with my music, would definately buy another, could only be outdone by the nord lead

The Virus is my favorite synth, so right off you know my bias. I've had it for about a year. Currently using OS 4.50. I find editing using the front panel controls or menus quite easy. Any manufacturer must make choices about what controls to include on the front panel versus what to keep in the menus and I think Access did a pretty good job balancing things. For those with a PC/Mac, the SoundDiver Virus module puts all parameters on a single page, which also easy to use, especially if you have a big monitor. The ability to automatically sync the delay, LFOs, and arpeggiator to incomming MIDI clock is a huge ease of use feature for me. The manual does a good job explaining things (better than most) but the layout seems a bit odd. You can download it from the Access site and take a look.

For me the key feature of the virus is the sound. With over 1000 presets there's a lot to hear. Most of the presets are very good, and seem to come from several different sound designers. Each designer tends to have their own style, so you get several different flavors of how the virus can sound. They range from the standard analog emulations to odd effects and a few using the audio inputs for effects processing or vocoding. The presets keep on getting better with every (free) OS release too. The Multi setup is very flexible, with options to internally route one patch to the input of another.
The only thing I wish the Virus had was a digital out.

I expect everyone has their favorite synth, and the Virus is mine. I just keep coming back to it. I love the sound. It can be fat and gritty or bright and bell-like. You'll read many times about how it has it's own character. It does. You can listen to MP3s on the Access site that will show some of that, but really you need to use the Virus for a while before you truly see it's character. In all honesty, when I first got the Virus (with OS 2.5) I thought it sounded similar to other things I had. After working with it for a few days I changed my mind completely and since then use it all the time. I do wish that some of the stock presets used more controllers like modulation or aftertouch, but that's easy to change and there's always the front panel controls.

Very reliable. All metal case with real wood sides. Knobs have that heavy "oily" feel when you move them and are very solid. The OS (through several versions) has never crashed or glitched on me.

Support via email is very good. Haven't had to call. The email list was great too, but was fairly high volume so I had to unsub.

If my equipment was stolen not only would I get the Virus again but it would be the first synth I'd get, followed by a standard piece like the Roland JV/XV line. When I was deciding on the Virus I also considered the Nord Lead 2 and Waldorf XT. The Q wasn't out yet and I wasn't interested in the Novation. Other things I have are the XV-5080, Z1, Wavestation EX, K5000R, FS1R, Micro Modular. I have been in and out of giging bands for about 10 years, mostly as a drummer (using both acoustic and electronic drums and triggers).

I am using the newest operating system, 4.5, just made available this month. It came with about 1000 sounds, maybe 30 of which I use. There are a lot of very good patches, several which have inspired song ideas. There are also a lot of sounds that I wouldn't really have a use for on stage or in the studio, but are still fun to play with. I'm more of a plug and play guy, but the Virus has made me enjoy tweaking sounds and creating new ones. I'm not a synthesis expert by any means, but after a year now of performing with it and using it in my home studio, I feel completely at home with it, and can do all sorts of sound creation and manipulation on the fly. I have a patch editor for the Macintosh, which is an older one, but it does make some things easier, and eliminate the need to scroll through menus. But I don't find the Virus difficult to program at this point. The manual for me has been very helpful, and a lot easier to learn from than those from Roland or Kurzweil, which in my experience suck. I use a lot of Roland gear, but their manuals are horrible.

24 voice polyphony, knobs feel good, some buttons seem to have the contacts worn a bit, and sometimes I need to hit a few of them twice, but I've never tried to address it. It has been about a year and a half now. Lots of effects - chorus, phaser, reverb, delay, distortion, ring mod., analog boost. Easy to use, I am very happy with the sound and flexibility of each. Great phaser and versatile delay effect. Cool arpeggiator - I can't compare it to others, since I have just recently just begun experimenting with it. Good midi flexibilty - Multi patches can have a separate midi channel assigned to each instrument, any parameter on the Virus, it seems can be assigned to almost any controller (knobs, mod wheel, pitch bend, aftertouch, pedals, etc)

I love the sounds - I am a pro-touring keyboardist/songwriter for about 15 years, and use it for rock / pop / funk / fusion / and lately for trance/rave and textural stuff.
I love the synth leads and basses, the pads and strings are very lush, and there are actually some usable electric piano patches (and I'm pretty damn picky about that). It's easy to make a patch sound ridiculously fat. Real cool arpeggiator patterns and patches - 40 patterns to choose from as a starting point. It reacts very well to my playing and its easy to get a patch to be more responsive to my playing if I don't like the feel initially. I have gotten nothing but oohs and aahs about the sounds in it, even guys I know who still cart around mini-moogs are impressed by it.

It hasn't failed me once in a year and a half. The one time I emailed Access with a question they got back to me within a few days. Access always offers new OS updates and sounds free. The seem to really care about their product and their customers. I have heard hellish stories about people waiting months to get the Indigo, but that's all I can say about that. I had bought the Novation Nova before the Virus, and thought it sounded great, but was never really inspired by it that much like I am with the Virus. That's the bottom line for me.
There are a few people who have posted some negative reviews here, and of course it's a personal preference issue, but I think after reading some of them that some points are well taken, others kind of stupid, and that beginners may have a hard time getting used to the unit at first. I've been around keyboards and midi for a long time and this is one of the funnest keyboards (modules) I've ever owned. The best way to learn synthesis is to experiment with the knobs and buttons - period. Don't spend too much time reading the manual too learn how to create sounds - just do it. Doesn't take long to figure out what each knob does. And the manual even tutors you through some sound creation from scratch.

Never needed a repair, so I can't comment on that. Upgrades are as easy as logging on to their site and downloading it. Installing it is a piece of cake - the instructions that come with the upgrade are right on the money.

I'd buy it again in a heartbeat if it got stolen. I've messed around with Nords and Waldorfs in stores, but don't have much pratical experience with them. I have owned an ARP Odyssey and Solas years ago, but would never again buy an old vintage synth - way too much maintenance. I'd love to get my hands on the Virus KB keyboard.
My rig is a Roland XP-80 and RD-600, Korg CX-3 organ, Virus and various mixers, amps, and leslie speakers.
I have some songs posted on my website that use the Virus. Go to http://daveosoff.com/music.shtml and click on the song
'Why Not?' - fusiony Tower of Power/Herbie Hancock-ish instrumental with synth leads, pads and layered clavinet sounds at the end that were all made with the Virus.
Also go to http://daveosoff.com/Vykki.shtml for other songs in a rock context that use the Virus. Check Out 'Hold On', 'Water' and 'On Your Side'. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

4.07
good variation, using most cross mod options
KnobsKnobsKnobsKnobs!
manual friendly if not amazing for reference

Both distortions (for each of the patches) r xcellent+ others

only 1 global delay/reverb
Toyal midi/sysx

fantastc

Y

Presets aren't great. The synth can obviously toss out wikkid sounds but the OS isn't very user friendly and the screen/user interface is pathetic.

24 voice polyphony is good, but no expansion possibilities as with the Novation synths where you can expand to 48 voices should you need it. However, 24 voices would do for most of us. No onboard sequencer but not really in issue for me since I use the comp for that. A big plus to Acess for updating the OS regularly and offering Virus users to exchange sounds on their website and mailinglist.

Can create amazing sounds, I find it most useful for hard/distinct basses and leads, i don't find it very allround. My Waldorf Q was much 'warmer' in it's sound and if I could afford it I would like a combination of the two :)

I find the Virus OS quite messy and unlogical. The feel of the knobs are rather chep and the design if the box is rather dull despite Access' attemp to create something stylish retroesque, I wouldn't use it live if I was a live musician.

Very small german company, basically impossible to get in touch with, email responses are VERY slow, and telephone is not even in the question. If you're lucky you have a dealer in your country who can help you out,,,

I got my Virus from musicians-gear.net before the Virus got 'hot', I don't know if Access raised their prices or if the current prices are a result of currency changes. It was definetely worth the $1250 but with the current pricing I would probably go with something from Novation instead.

The Virus B is a synth that can make amazing synths, but it COULD (and should!) BE so much easier and intuitive to use.

Virus B OS 4,7
Nice Presets, needs tweaking
hardly ever use sounddiver coz it's so easy to program
have not read the manual yet, had it about a year

24 voices, 16 midi channels, nice effects, love the midi implementation (you can control about every parameter by midi).

I have a ms2000, jv-1010, tr-rack, bassstation, pulsar2 and none of them comes close to the virus in terms of sounds

never had any issues

never had any issues

If mine were stolen I would by one again in a minute, the only thing I wish it had were double or triple the voices

- OS 4.07

Presets are very good, they need some tweaking and a little tip is to e.g. disable the arpegiator and listen to the basic sound.
Overall though they are good and you can download more at Access's
website.

Editing patches are easy for the soundshaping part but effects are through a menu system on the LCD display and takes some time to scroll through. The menues are well laid out but sometimes it takes a bit of clicking to get to the place you want.
As a plus you get Sound Diver for free when you buy a new synth (for the virus only though).

Manual is quite good but you'll probably want to read some more to learn the synthesis of the synth and not just the functions.
It explains the layout of the synth and what everything does but no short tutorials how to make a certain sound.

Polyphony : 24 Voices

Effects : Delay, Reverb, Chorus, Phaser, Distortion, 32 Band Vocoder and more. Easy to use though you need to read the manual for the vocoder layout but other then that no probs.
There are also external inputs to the Virus B so you can use the unit as a effectbox if you need and want to do it.

Sequencer: Nope, for me that is no biggie since that's what the computer is for.

Since this is my first "real" synth it's hard to realy compare it to other synths but it sounds realy realy good and I choosed between the Virus B, Supernova II and Nord Lead 3.
It became a Virus B and I'm very pleased with it.

I have had no problems with it and so for it seems to be very reliable. I'm using it in my studio and it seems sturdy and well built.

I had a quick question and mailed Access, I got a quick response so thumbs up for the support.
There is also a discussion forum and the people there are friendly and helpfull.

If it were stolen I would replace it as soon as I got the insurance money. I realy like the sound of the Virus B and I compared it to more expensive synths (NL 3 and SuperNova II).

I am using v 4.05 now. The presets sound ok but the majority of them needs al little work.
Editing sounds is as so easy...just turn the knobs and listen.
The manual is very clear but is al little complex but so is the virus

I have no idea what the polyphony is, the virus has some built-in effects such as chorus and delay, i actually don't know how to use them though (i have to start reading the manual properly...)
The virus has 16 midi channels and is key-sensitive (if your keyboard is..) There is no on-board sequencer but that's ok, what else would i use my computer for.

The sounds are good and you can transform them into something great, The effects can also be recorded and controlled by logic. The virus sounds amazing.

i would use it on a gig without a doubt...My computer on the other hand isn't so reliable...

there has been no reason up until now why i would need customer support. Everything is clear and works fine

if my virus was stolen i definately would buy a new one.
I have been making music for about a year, I own a behringer 4mono-2stereo mixing desk (cheap but it sounds good, perhaps i just don't know better...), i own two gemini decks( I have had those for about three years now) and about 500 records to sample from which i practically never do, they do give me inspiration though.
I own a crappy pentium 3 which is totally unreliable (I bought it at a bargain price), an access virus,jv-2080,korg electribe phrase sampler, a stupid 170$ keyboard (it is touchsensitive though, and so much software which i hate to use because it takes ages to create or edit sounds and they usually sound alot worse (accept for vocals though)I also own a guillemot maxi studio isis soundcard, which is great and logic audio, which also is great. that's about it...Oh yeah, and a sure mic!(no compressors or sampler yet, but I'm planning on buying them when i know the rest of my instruments inside out)
I have had the virus for about two months now.

* Virus OS 4.07 with Cakewalk Sonar
* Presets? They sound amazing.
* Editing patches? Pretty easy but I use the presets a lot.
* manual is good and new manuals are released with major OS improvements.

Polyphony is more than many synths in its class...built in FX are great and you can use the FX with external gear. Also, it has a 32 band vocoder! Doesn't take cards (who cares) but you can update the operating system when there is a new one, and that adds to functionality. No onboard sequencer nor does it need one.

Instruments are not realistic, they just rule. If you want general MIDI this is not the machine for you...awesome sound. Very gritty and nasty..hence the name virus heh.
* I use this for Synthpop, I think anything synthesized would be perfect...especially trance, techno, europop, dance, etc.
No keyboard, B version sits on the desktop (which I like) and the knobs are right there for tweaking.

Very reliable and I'd use it in a gig no problem.

Access is awesome..they care. They have good support and many forums and mail lists for Virus. Access is good about OS releases and updates, and have added lots of functionality since I got it!

I would replace this in a second..tho perhaps with an Indigo. It is well worth the price I paid...it sounded better than the $1700 Supernova II I almost bought. I love everything about it, the sounds, the FX, the vocoder rules! There is really nothing bad about this puppy...well, the power cable could plug in more firmly..one flaw.

It inspires me to no end..every preset is valuable I think...there are few I don't like and of course, I can make my own. The Virus looks great as well. This is the hub of my arsenal! Listen to my musik at www.mp3.com/NukleoN if you want to hear it in action. ;) Check out 'Escort' and 'Reasons', two heavy Virus tunes.

i'am using OS 4.5... very complete set, a few weeks for have machine under skin. Manual is very complete, but architecture of banks descriptive is succinct.

a little difficult without keyboard, midi setup is hell !!!
Down for the banks C and D where i can(t store my patches.

Great sounds and flexibility, perfect for hard-techno or industrial.

Great whit a sequencer like cubase 5 : VST instruments like pro52 or PPG complete the "solo-type" of the virus sounds

two month for have a virus B, and i discover the first day that the effect button was over !!! return in germany for one month, and a new virus at the end...

maybe a waldorf Q ?

i am using the access virus(os 4.1) for about a week now and i have to say that the rumors of the difficult interface are exaggerated.
i hardly had to read 20 pages of the manual to know how it works.
i find the virus very easy to use and it sounds fantastic!!!
the manual isn't very well structured but it is still fair.
there are about 400 presets or something and alot of filters.
you can practically create any sound you want (exept for instruments like organs or strings)
editing sounds is a piece of cake

the virus has 16 midi channels and all the filters you need.
unfortunately, it doesn't have effects like chorus,reverb or flange but you can use it as a vocoder.the virus doesn't have a sequencer but who doesn't own a computer?

the virus sounds amazing!!!! it contains the sounds of wich alot of great tracks are made of.the effects are amazing and i personally haven't heard a better sounding module...serious
the supernova or the jp-8000 are no match for the virus.
you can use the virus for all types of dance oriented music but if you want to include instruments in your music you are gonna have to buy another module because the virus doesn't have alot of instrument presets
the virus sounds the best

i would definitely use it on a gig

i have been making music for about a year now and own a midi keyboard, a pentium 3,a roland jv-2080 and the virus

I've been using V4.01 for about 3 months now. Although I had no idea about programming synths when I purchased it the manuals walkthrough soon had me making some excellent sounds. Some things could be easier to use and find(Input settings + sub-osc for example) but overall very easy for a novice like me!

The virus can do just about anything you want it to. Everything I wanted to control in real-time could be by MIDI.
So many different features I didn't know where to start so I turned everything on and it sounded great!

I use the Virus to create sounds for my Drum and Bass tracks.
The built-in presets (although a lot sound roughly the same) are good starting points for modifying.
Point is- Sounds incredible. I cranked the volume 1 day with 1 of my own patches and the whole place was shaking! Hehe!

Never given me a problem apart from occassional sync-lost but I doubt thats the virus' fault.

Never had to try - speaks for itself.

Updates always free. Free sounds all the time as well. Excellent.

Would have a early-life crisis if I lost my Virus. Didn't have to compare it - everyone said it was great and everyone was right.
P.S To hear some examples of the virus you can visit:
http://www.mp3.com/stations/access
Peace from the land of tower blocks! Safe to Cyndicut FM kru! 12 Years on air in South East England!