Access Music Virus kb

The front panel makes adjustment of the sound very simple and immediate. The layout of the knobs is intuitive and logical. However, some more advanced functions are hidden inside menus in a fairly small LCD screen. The presets sound very dance-oriented and many have arpeggiation built into the program in a way which could be obtrusive if this is not the way you want to use the sound. The manual is very easy to read and well-organized.

Polyphony is 16 voices (?) and the velocity and pressure-sensitive keyboard is a dream - somewhere between a plastic synth-action and a wooden piano-action feel. Not exactly weighted or even semi-weighted, but much more satisfying than the Yamaha "click" key action I'm used to. Although there are no built in effects, the sounds are quite useable right out of the box and are easily adjusted if you're not interested in hard dance synth textures in your music (which is how the presets tend to be programmed). Upgrades are simple and Access has upgraded the OS for this keyboard several times since its initial release. MIDI implementation is quite thorough. No sequencing other than the built in arpeggiator is included (which I have not used much).

The sounds are very fat and warm but the attacks can be set to be very fast and sharp so it makes a good thick sound. The filters can be arranged in a variety of ways that gives the sound a lot of animation although some of the more advanced modulation routing parameters are hidden inside the small LCD menu. It's perfect for dance/techno/hip-hop/electro genres but I use it as a texture within my more traditional pop arrangements quite well. My setup includes some sampler and FM sounds and this synth balances them quite nicely. I sold my Nord Rack 2 because the sound was too static and hard for my tastes and the Virus kb is much better in this category and much easier to blend with other synths.

It's never had a problem once in three years.

I've never had to contact Access, but since they are in Germany, I think this might be hard since I'm in the United States. However, their English website is very good and I have been able to find all of the technical documentation I need on the site including OS upgrades and alternative patch sets.

If I lost it I would probably buy the newer Virus models out there to replace it. I bought it at the peak of its popularity which means I probably overpaid a little for it. I've been playing for 20 years and I own gear from E-mu, Roland and Yamaha in addition to software synths / samplers from MOTU and Native Instruments. I love the way the keyboard feels and the way the sounds respond to my playing. I don't like the more techno patches that came with it since they are more limited in use. I wish more of the filter parameters were available on the front panel, but otherwise that's it! It is my main keyboard and one of my primary synthesizers so it plays a part in almost every song I write.

I had a long experience of digital rom synths, such as the Korg M1, and I earlier had fiddled with the occasional Roland Juno...but that was the late 80's and early 90's: digital synths like the M1 or the T3 were the thing back then.

So, a few years pass and there's this Virtual Analog synth...rrright.

But...something's wrong, this thing is..hmm...there are no words to describe it. I'm not kidding.

The documentation is great, different language versions are available on the manufacturer's webpages as .pdf documents.

This beast deserves a 10/10, but I honestly have to drop it one notch because of the position of the global midi properties in the menu hierarchy. They should be available at the press of a single button.

I am sure everyone has said enough on this matter already. Nothing to complain about.

This beast keeps surprising me. Punish it, and it will take you further.
The sounds are...spectacular.

German quality, and I'm not German. It's solid. The wood corners might be a problem in 20 years, but that's about it. :)

My only complaint is that it doesn't have a standard-type grounded power inlet. A 9/10 for that.

As a previous owner of several Korg and Alesis synths...with the Virus I finally know what customer support really is. Constant OS upgrades, helpful answers to emails, patch-sets from dedicated users from around the world...on the official website.

I bought my Virus kb used about 1,5 years ago, and I would never sell it. If it were stolen, I would most certainly try to find a replacement, or even get the newer kc version.

I'm somewhat a newbie about analogue synths, but when I hit the keys I often get the feeling that the sounds are just what I was looking for. The preset sounds are deep, spacey, and futuristic. Surely you find something to almost every taste in the bank of 1024 presets. You have a compare function when editing and saving presets, which is really practical.

Theres lots that I haven't bothered totally comprehending, I just play on it, trying to make music...but when you buy a synth at this price it is a good idea to use it for all it is worth:)

The keys are great, you can have some sensitive playing if its needed. I've sometimes thought that I maybe just should have bought the Virus B, so the keys aren't that important for me. The synth works well for music like Rammstein, Underworld, and trance music. Thats my opinion. I could have mentioned more styles also but as a potencial buyer you should download the audio demos at the manufacturers site.

Truly dependaple - I think. Feels rock solid. But I've ONLY used it at home so... I guess you could say I'm not in a position to really judge it in this category.

Asked for an english user manual, they said that they couldn't give it to me. The only way I could get one was maybe through the retailer which I bought it? I don't totally remember what they mailed me, but I remember it was no use in trying. I live in Norway, and bought it from Germany. Software upgrades have been issued quite a few times, the best was when they upgraded it o use the demosound memory as additional soundbanks. Which led to a doubling of bank presets from 512 till 1024 available sounds. Upgrading is easy, and I've done it many times.

If lost, I think I would have bought an indigo or a rack version.

I am using OS V4.52...presets are great, but tend to be very techno oriented. Some are overdrenched in effects, but most are very effective (no pun intended). It came with SoundDiver software, but my computer won't load it up. Editing is more difficult than my Nord Lead 3 because many of the parameters on the Virus are hidden behind various Edit buttons (deep, but somewhat tricky to find what you want to edit sometimes), wheras all of the Nord parameters are accessable instantly from a ton of front knobs. The Nord has me spoiled !!

I believe the polyphony is 24 note...dropping to 16 if you use all 4 oscillators. The keyboard is to die for...the best of any non-piano action...fast, great feeling, quiet, and smooth. It is expandable thru the Access website with tons of patches and software updates available for free. MIDI transmits note, velocity, and aftertouch parameters. There are no sequencers here, but 16 arpegiators.

As far as imitating acoustic instruments, FORGET IT !! Thats not what VA's are about...they are meant to sound like analog synthesizers, not sample playback machines...and this the Virus does very well. The effects are many and very good. This machine responds very well to my touch with both velocity and aftertouch.

So far, it has been extremely reliable. I don't think that a backup would ever be necessary.

I have only emailed them twice, and both times I received a timely response (very friendly responses at that).

I love it, although it is my second favorite VA (I have to be honest, my favorite is the Nord Lead 3..even with no effects, it ROCKS). Maybe I just don't the Virus as well yet (I've only had it for a couple of weeks). If it was lost or stolen, I would probably try to replace it with another(although the kb has been discontinued). The Virus is a killer board, and having both the Virus and the NL3, I feel that I have two of the best synths on the planet (believe it or not, the Waldorf Q did not impress me).

Ths synth is deep, considerably deeper than its predecessor the Virus A. Unfortunately, the interface is leftover from the Virus A. Because of that, many of the functions are burried in menus, although the most important functions have their own knob. Also, some functions share a knob, which can be confusing at times. However, most of the functions are simple to use. I have the most recent version at this time (I forget what number it is). It works quite well.

Very nice polyphony, great onboard effects, beautiful keyboard, mahogany endbells... The previous reviewers have gone over the details. To sum up: the Virus KB is classy and powerful. I use it as the centerpice of my studio. It functions as a controller, and its sounds appear in all of my compositions. It can be used as a giant effects box, but I tend not to do that, as my music would sound too Virus-y.

Ah, to the fun part!!! The Virus sounds great. Does it sound analog? Well, sorta kinda... When I first got my Virus, I was used to romplers and had never played a REAL ANALOG synth, the closest I had was a Korg Prophecy (which is a great synth that I wish I still had, but alas). So anyway, when I first got it, I was completely blown away by the Virus' power. Now I have more experience and have owned three different Real Analog synths, so I have some more frame of reference. My conclusion is that the Virus kicks major ass, but it doesn't sound exactly analog. Now this is not a bad thing. The Virus has regular saw/pulse/tri analog style oscs, but it also has screwed up digital waveforms (like an ESQ-1) that can make strange digital sounds. It also has limited FM. In that way, it can do a few things that many real analogs cannot. That is not to say that the Virus cannot sound analog-like. It is very capable. However, in order to get the most from this synth, one should think of it as a digital subtractive synth, rather than a Virtual Analog. The Virus is capable of thick, beautiful pads, ripping leads, crazy blips, sweeps, digital clangs and clinks, and many other sounds that I lack the vocabulary to describe. The only real drawbacks are that it doesn't have the punch of a real analog. I does good bass and leads, but these are the areas where an analog synth would put the Virus to shame. In my current setup, I generally use an Akai Ax-60 for leads, a Waldorf Pulse for bass, an Emu Esi-2000 for drums and the Virus everything else (plus teh odd bass or lead, where it fits the song). The Virus is great in the midrange. It falls a little in the low end bass area, and in the high end lead area. Nobody is perfect.

I had some issues with it when I first got it, but after I updated the OS, it healed itself.

They seem nice and replied to my questions quickly, even though they didn't give me a straight answer.

I really like this synth. When I got it, I was amazed. Then I got bitten by the Real Analog bug, and I wanted to sell it, but now I'm glad I didn't. The Virus has a wonderful keyboard, loads of poly, and is great in the mids. As long as my other synths are string where the Virus is weak, I am all set. When I want to write a song, I turn to the Virus. When I flesh the song out, I turn to the rest of my studio. I wouldn't want to use the Virus exclusively, but as part of the team it really shines.

Came with OS4.01 but I upgraded it to OS4.5.2 right away. The upgrade process went trough without problems. Just loaded the .mid in my sequencer and voila.
The presets were nice (1024 singles where 256 user patches) but still the rule of thumb is "The presets are made to be overwritten.".
The patch editing can't get easier. Most frequently needed controls are on the panel and the rest are in the menus. The amount of menus is kept minimum and the menus are logical and clear. Even I got Sound Driver for Virus software in the package I prefer manual editing.
Manual is ok. No complaints. Editing can't get easier than this.

I believe no one uses this machine for orchestra imitation so the polyphony is enough unless you use unison on every track.
Effects are excellent. Reverb and phaser are superb! The editing is done via menus and it's easy.
The arpeggiator is great. Loads of patterns and settings but I don't use the arp very much though.
The most excellent thing in Virus is the internal audio routings. You can process the internal sounds or external audio through the Virus many times and you can use the surround cabapility to create a fx loop for external fx processors and loads of more!

Sounds very good and thick. Virus is capable to create all kind of synthetic sounds from soft pads to nice leads but Virus is really a king of the hill when you want distorted and gritty stuff. Saturation stage on filters and another saturation stage on the effects does make wonders. But as I mentioned earlier Virus can also produce soft and lush sounds.

This is the point where the problems start. I could depend on this thing if my unit would work correctly. When I got it it had a manufacturing fault. Loud beeb noises and other funny stuff. I sent it for repair to Germany and it had been there over a month now. The keyboard is exceleent and is a true enjoyment to play.

I have to give two ratings for this category:

1 for the broken unit.
10 if my Virus would be working properly.

I've dealt with the company when I noticed that my unit was broken. I sent e-mail for them and I got friendly and helpful answer right away.
As I said earlier my unit is in repair right now. Access doesn't repair their units by themselves so the delay isn't their fault.

If it would be lost or stolen I would buy KC instead.
I've been playing few years. Besides Virus I own Alesis QS7.
I wouldn't never sell my Virus... Except if I would get KC for it.

Currently using version 4.5.1. Despite my limited experience with programming synths, I found the virus to be relatively easy to use (though the waldorf q is easier). The presets are very useable and can serve as a great starting point for some incredible sounds. I found the manual to be straight forward. Though, the best way to figure this machine out is to smoke the manual and just spend some one-on-one time with the virus.

Great effects! Has the best keyboard action I've ever played on a synth. At 24, the polyphony is enough to create some seriously intricate sounds

This is where the virus shines. I also ordered a Waldorf Q at the same time so I could do some side-by-side comparisons. I found the virus to be a lot warmer, more fluid, more musical than the Q. I love the LFO's on this beast

At first, the virus occasionally made some odd, random sounds - almost like a chirp. But somehow it just stopped doing it and has since performed flawlessly. I would have no problem using this on stage wihtout a backup.

I e-mailed access with a question and they responded within 24 hours with an informative answer. Awesome comapny!!!!

If this were lost or stolen I think I would slip into a severe depression. I have looked long and hard for a synth - currently have waldorf microwave xtk; auditioned Q, micro Q, Nord lead 2 & 3, Novation. This synth has a personality, a soul like no other. Plus, the full-sized keys (waldorf's as well as other synths are shorter, more stubby)make playing so much fun and just add to the musical potential. Not to mention it is about $500 cheaper than th Q.

This synth is fairly easy to program. Most of the functions have a knob, although some knobs control on thing from the 12 o'clock to 5 o'clock, and something else from 12 o'clock to 7 o'clock. I'm still not sure when I'm seleting digital waves or analog waves on it. Some editing is done with menues, but there are plent of knobs for realtime tweaking. Kicks the hell out of editing a JV synth.

Two things really stand out with the Virus, the aggression (due to filter saturation and distortion effects) and build quality. The keyboard feels great on this synth. After the Super Nova II, this is the best feeling synth action keyboard I've ever felt. It has pretty good polyphony, but using the 3rd osc reduces it (not counting the sub, the sub is free). Also, unison mode reduces polyphony as well.

This is a virtual analog synth, so don't look for pianos and guitars, unless you want messed up synth versions (which can be cool.) It has the standard issue analog waveforms (sine, sawtooth, square), as well as many digital spectral waves. This allows for (very) limited wavetable synthesis, but is more suitable for hybrid, digalog sounds.

The Virus has 2 multimode filters with nice resonance (no self oscillation), and a saturation stage placed inbetween them in the signal path. This lets you distort (in many different ways, including analog, digital, waveshaping, rectifier, and bit/rate reduction distortion) a filtered sound, and then filter it again. Then, you can apply effects (including more distortion!!!) after filter 2. Good stuff. As I said, the Virus excells at aggressive sounds. Look out, though, because it is becoming the standard for EBM/Industrial music. Of course, that is because its so good, but @ the same time, it might be a tad over exposed. Oh, btw, this synth sounds great when its not all distorted, in fact it can be very pretty.

My only gripe with this synth, and it is a gripe that has gotten progressively more annoying, is the lack of clear high frequency sounds from the oscs. The sounds are great from the deep lows to the middle mid range, but one you hit the upper mids, the sound changes. Aliasing developes, and the sounds lose their balls, and become shrill. Not shrill as in "hey, how did you get that cool metal sound?", but more like "where's the Tylenol?" shrill.

Hmm...I got this one on the grey market, imported from Belgium to he US. It had the wrong power ord, but I replaced it with a $3.00 cord from Radio Shack. It had some issues when I got it, as it would just decide to not make any sound sometimes. After I upgraded the OS, it was fine. I don't gig right now, but if I did, I would want to have some sort of backup just in case, although the Virus KB has been rock solid for many months now.

They were helpful when I told them my problem, and suggested getting the OS upgrade. If I needed repairs or something, I don't know that they would honor the warranty due to the grey market nature of my purchase.

This synth has been my main axe since I got it, and it occupies the place of honor in my studio. If it were stolen, I would be really pissed, but I don't know if I would replace it. It's a great synth, limitations an all, but its really expensive for what it does. I got one cheap, but the average Amerian pays about $1,800 for a new one. For $1,800, you could buy (used, of course)an Oberheim Matrix-6 as a controller ($300), an Ensoniq ESQ-M ($150), a Roland JV-1010 ($300), an Electrix Filter Fatory ($150), a Sherman Filter Bank ($500), a Sequential Circuits Six Track ($250), and still have $150 left over for a multi effects box. I guarantee that the latter course would provide a wider sonic pallatte, with many different types of osc's, samples and filters (the Virus has a distinct sound due to its crappy osc's and nice filters), and yield much more polyphony. I don't think I'd buy one again, but maybe I'd get the cheaper Virus Rack instead of the Sixtrack and Filter Factory.

Manual probably does need a complete rewrite.
Editing is pretty staightforward although some new hardware would be nice for the 3rd oscillator, and the third LFO.
Presets are very good, but perhaps understandably have a dance edge to them.
(OS 4.06T)

Polyphony is generous (18 notes even with 4 oscillators!)
FX are of very high quality (in particular the phaser)
Hardware is of exceptionally high standard - keyboard is infinitely better than the Indigo (have owned one of these also)

Probably the most expressive VA synth I've used.
Black keys need to be struck slightly harder than white keys to achieve same velocity.

This is where I have a problem! Originally I had an Indigo but this was returned to the dealer as the keyboard went mute (this usually happened when playing processor-intensive sounds, eg 3rd oscillator active and unison set to 16 voices, with reverb). I decided to pay the difference for the kb version but have since found this to have an identical fault! My third may be my last...

E-support (so far) has been very efficient.

I'd love this synth (if it worked). E-mail me if you've had similar problems!

I updated to vesion 4.50. The extra memory space is great! So far, no bugs (touch wood). WHat can I say about the manual. Better than most, but not the best I've ever seen. Prior experience with synths definitely helps. Patch editing is fairly easy. A more direct access (no pun intended) to the arpeggiator would be useful.

The keyboard action is awesome, which is why this is my master keyboard controller. It feels GOOD!!!!! On-board effects are fine. Nice added feature, but it still sounds good without them IMHO. Since I've been doing this awhile now, and have been lucky enough to either play or own almost every major synth since the end of the 70's, one of the features I judge a synth on, is how long will it take me to get bored with it. I expect that my Virus and I will be together for many years to come.

ME LIKEY!!!!!!! It's a blast to play with and I think the sounds are killer!!! It's very easy to create an inspiring vibe on this synth. In perusing the net, it seems people either love this machine or hate it for some reason. For comparison, I have a Roland JP-8080, Yamaha FS1R, and Nord Lead 2, plus some software synths. Obviously, each one has its own unique sound (which is why we all try buy more than 1 synth when we can) and special little cool features. I think the Virus has its own sound which I would describe as fatter and closer to the Nord, but smoother and not as harsh as the Nord can sometimes get. The Virus sounds fuller and warmer to me, so for me, the Nord and Virus are balanced nicely by the JP-8080 and FS1R. These are all very capable and full featured synths which can sound very similar with careful programming, but if you listen closely, their individual personalities shine through.

Not failed me yet, but it stays home with the rest under a nice dust cover when not in use, so I haven't really ambused it.

Free upgrades, sounds, and quick response and help when you e-mail them even though they're an ocean away!?!??! What is Access trying to do?? Actually build a customer base or something? All other manufacturers, please take a lesson (Yes, Roland I'm talking to you!).

It was relatively expensive (thus I'm not giving it a 10), and I had to wait 2 months for it, but it was definitely worth it! I would sell a kidney to replace it if I had to.

My virus kb is running 4.06 right now, but I haven't gotten around to downloading the 4.07 update/bug fix. The presets are. . .interesting. It's kind of unusual to see the patch designers' initials on the right of the display next to the patch name (RP=Rob Papen, CK=Christoph Kemper the inventor of the virus, etc.), but each patch designer has kind of his own sound. Basically the presets are kickass. They're some monster 909 style kicks, fat detuned pads, instant Paul Van Dyk trance arpeggios, meaty basses, and strange pulsating noises and rhythms.

It's not difficult to edit the patches, but it's not very easy either. Many of the synth parameters have dedicated knobs, but some of the major new features that were added to the synth's software (like a 3rd oscillator and 3rd LFO) have no knobs, so you have to wade through a pretty small LCD menu system. The virus does come with a custom version of SoundDiver, which helps you visualize these features, but I would still prefer the immediacy of dedicated controls. Overall it's still a lot easier to edit sounds than with a ROMpler of course, and you could argue that the most important parameters have dedicated knobs so this means more to some people than others I guess.

The manual is really not bad at all for a synth manual--it reads as though it was written by someone who is fluent with English, unlike some of the garbled nonsense (with verbs that are never conjugated properly or are completely absent) that passes for a typical Japanese synth manual.

The polyphony is 24 voices, and it's 16 part multitimbral. One "voice" can consist of up to 2 oscillators + a sub oscillator + a noise oscillator. If you activate the 3rd oscillator, the polyphony count drops slightly--to 18 if you are using all 3 oscillator patches. Ring mod, FM, 3 midi-syncable LFOs, up to 16 arpeggiators, 2 spectacular-sounding multimode filters (4 filter types and multiple routing options), etc etc.

I LOVE the keyboard action. Apparently the virus kb uses the same keyboard as the Waldorf Wave and the Kawai K5000S (except the black keys on the virus kb are different--they're flat like piano keys). It's aftertouch sensitive as you would expect for something in this price range. All of the knobs send MIDI CCs, and a huge number of parameters (probably about 40-50) can receive CCs.

The effects sound great in general, with surprisingly good sounding reverbs for a first effort (Access added reverb in version 4.0), great pattern/groove delays, and very solid chorus and phaser sections. The distortion sounds a little too digital, but all you need is a $50 guitar pedal and you're set. The only real drawback here concerns the reverb/delay--due to memory limitations you can only have one or the other, which is a big hassle in multi mode. Surprisingly all the other effects can act independently per midi channel in multi mode (like the Supernova II, except the SII can provide an independent reverb and delay per channel). Fortunately with 6 outputs (can be configured as mono or stereo pairs) you can use your external effects units or software plugins on the dry parts. The way the effects are implemented, especially in multi mode, is logical and very easy to follow. I figured out how to use the effects in multi mode right away, which is something I've never been able to do (I own 5 other synths/samplers) with my gear.

No expansion per se, but the Access team provides free OS updates every month or two. Apparently a major new release is due soon, but I don't know any specifics.

In a word, stunning. This is quite simply the best-sounding synthesizer I have ever heard, bar none. There is a depth and fullness to the sound that I have never heard in a digital synth (including Supernova II, JP-8000, MS2000, Z1, AN1X, etc), with a fast, aggressive attack, combined with a beautiful clarity and sparkle. Also, very few of the factory presets use the 3rd oscillator, if any, and once it's enabled, you can out-"fat" any VA easily, and many true analogs. The effects complement the sound very well, especially the analog boost and groove delay effects. The basses are phenomenal, the pads equally amazing, the leads outstanding; the liquidy sound to the filters makes these sounds really come alive and are what really makes this instrument sound so incredible. It reacts reasonably well to velocity and afterouch, although the velocity scaling is a little on the heavy side.

What kind of music? Well if you play with it in the store and don't like trance you might be disappointed at first because the factory presets tend to run in that direction. Don't be put off though, this synth can do anything--hiphop, D&B, techno, psy, ambient. There's a really strong online community for the virus, and you can download a huge number of VERY good patches that are intended for every genre out there--even rock/fusion (check out M@ Picone's set if you don't believe me). If you can tolerate the commercial "castles in the sky" kind of trance, there are some arpeggios in Cosmic Dreamer's set that I swear sound exactly like that song I heard the other night when my ears started to hurt from the reverb-drenched kick drum hits, as well as some great pads and basses without the cheese factor.

So far so good. Some people on the virus mailing lists reported random lockups and freezes about a year ago but there have been several rounds of OS bug-fix updates and I haven't heard anything bad at all since then. It's a beautifully crafted instrument, with solid wood end panels that I can knock on as soon as I finish this part of the review.

Absolutely fantastic. The virus mailing list is always the best source of information, and having 3 Access employees on the list including the founder makes things very easy. I have asked their lead support guy a few questions by email, and have received replies in as fast as 15 minutes. Usually it's more like a few hours because of the 6 hour time difference.

If it were lost or stolen I'd be in serious trouble. I would buy another one right away if I could afford it, but as it was I had to wait for months to get mine, and $2000 is a lot of money. In July 2000 I walked into the local music store, saw a Virus kb in the showroom, and played with it until closing time. The next day I came back ready to buy it, but someone had already bought the display model, and the store had no idea when they'd get another shipment--as it turns out they still haven't (though they do have virus racks). I placed orders with mail order places but had the same problem for months.

I seriously compared it with the Supernova II, which, objectively speaking has a few more features (and a better interface), but there's something about the sound of the virus, the way it plays, and they way it looks that made it stand out. It's hard to describe, but it "feels" like a musical instrument, not like a souped-up calculator or VCR like so many keyboards do nowadays (e.g. Roland, Korg, Yamaha). I wish it had a little more polyphony, and could do separate reverb and delay effects at the same time, but other than that I have no other real complaints at all. I really like Access' no-compromise attitude and attention to detail, especially when compared with Roland, whose philosophy seems to be "never give the customer exactly what he wants in order to lock him/her" into buying whatever it is that seems like a panacea, but always leaves out something critical (so you need to buy something else, which leaves out something else). I really like this synth, and even with the honeymoon period long since ended, this would be the last material possession I would ever get rid of!

It's a bit complex - but only because it's powerful. Considering it's power it's definatly got a GREAT user interface (the knobs are incredible).

Thte biggest featurset for your buck. The only synth that I'd rather have is a $4000+ Waldorf. But then again, that's $4000 - no thanks!

SOUND is the name of the game, and it's the Virus KB's claim to fame :-)

Not only are the on board sounds good, but there are a TON of free (or really cheap) sounds available on the Internet. Effects are VERY REAL, except the distortion needs a "little" tweaking (I'm sure the'll tweak it in the next OS update). Then again, for a digital distortion, it's probably the best I've heard.

The keys feel GREAT. Probably the best touch sensative keyboard that I've ever played with.

Never had it crash/break/etc. 100% rock solid tank.

Haven't needed it!

The best VA synth for a reasonable price - hands down the best investment I made last year on a single piece of gear.

i hate this thing.
every single preset sounds like an 80's tears for fears sound.
i listen to them and think "this sound is just stupid no creativity."
i can't make any original sick bass lines. and a stupid amount of drums that are directly spread out over the preset banks in no smart order.
this thing is hype and crap.

Using version 4.02. The presets are nice, the kicks are pretty sick and can be modified a lot. More presets are available from the web. I don't use a patch editor, because the interface controls are pretty solid, and use double key shortcuts for traversing submenus. The manual is OK, and it comes in PDF. As always, it could be more extensive (like the 700+ page VST manual) but it does a good job for it's length.

I think its polyphony is 24 voice. It's pretty sick. If you use all of those at once in combo with a bunch of other mods you'll produce sounds fat enough to require acapella mixing. ASHdja. The keyboard action is decent. The onboard FX are pretty damn cool, the distortions are both subtle and harsh, and can be applied to each part individually which is dangerous, in both the good and bad sense. The delays are dope, mad pattern and offset possibilities, and even though they cant be set for each individual part, you can adjust the sends. I would like to see that change, BTW. INDEPENDENT DELAYS! I don't know if you can expand, it, but it has 6 outs, and 2 *INS*. On a synth. For vocoder and ring modulator. I kinda wanked on other vocoders too much so I haven't tried it yet, but I think it's 30 band, which is I think even more than the EMS Vocoder 5000. It has wanker stuff like the aftertouch and such, I'd love to have a ribbon. No sequencer.

The filters on this thing are nutty, as well as the FM. I personally find them to be so distinct that I often recognize the board when I hear it in other recordings. This isn't a rock synth, even though I hear that guy programmed Britney Aguilera on it. It's a trance/electroindustrial synth, and its in short supply, so if you're a rocker looking for bleeps and bloops, buy a Fizmo or something. It feels and sounds like a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 on crack. It's got a pretty decent velocity control section too.

It locks up sometimes. Less so on 4.02 than 4.01, but it still does. Access? Sometimes it goes dead. Rarely. But the nice thing is you only have to power cycle it, because it uses a EEPROM to store your settings.Sometimes it lets out these F*cking heinous CHIRP sounds like HAL9000 for no apparent reason, which is devastating to my nerves because sometimes I monitor through a pretty large PA system, and I'll be on IRC goofing off and it will scream at me, but I guess it just wants attention.

They rock, and fully support their product. Unlike most companies, they don't put total f*cking idiots in the line of fire to waste your time and protect theirs. They provide interesting links to new patches, groups, lists, etc. A company made up of clued people.

If it was stolen, I would track the bugger down and beat him to death with my defective Yamaha An1x. If I lost it, I would throw myself up against a wall, exchange some harsh words with me, and then punch me several times until I bled and cried. I've been doing electronic music for about 10, acoustic for about 20. I don't want to get into gear listing. I have less than some with bigger dicks, more than some with smaller dicks. And all I really need is my sampler and my Virus. I love the 16 part multitimbrality, the interface, the ease of use, the intuitive design, the efficient sysex. I hate that silly chirping noise, and the limitations on the delays. I also hate some of the presets. D&B Woover? Come on. And all analog snares must die. More kicks and wigged filtery basses!!!! Like the Microwave XT Ubass!

The kb was delivered with OS 4.01 installed. I updated to 4.02 after a
few days the main reason being a shortcut to changing the arpeggiator
tempo. The update process was easy to do and I encountered no problems.
The preset sounds are very good. The layout of the control knobs is very
logical and easy to use.
Although this is my first synth utilizing subtractive synthesis I had
no problems to adjust parameters to my liking thanks to the very well
written manual. There are examples for editing sounds which help you
understand the various parameters as well as give you a hands-on
approach to adjust/create sounds.
synthesis is wThis is mainly due to

Though I haven't fiddled

The Virus offers quite a lot of features. I suggest you go to Access'
website http://www.access-music.de to look at the Virus' impressive
feature lists or/and for a comparison of the Virus a/b/kb/indigo/rack
models. The keyboard feels nice although - being a piano player - it
took some time to adjust to the light feel of the keys.
Having aftertouch is nice, although a controller pedal fits my style
of playing better.

I really like the Virus sound. However, having never played a real
analogue synth I can't say how close the Virus comes to emulating one.
IMHO the Virus sounds great!

The kb feels solid. Until now I have experienced no OS hangs.
Also updating the flash EPROM was easy as can be.

Being able to install new OS updates via your sequencer and thereby
adding new features is great. As I am from Germany getting customer
support shouldn't be a problem.

Well, being able to take the kb to a gig is nice and was the main
reason for buying the kb. I really feel the Virus is a unique
instrument and can really add to a performance.
Some things that would be nice to have on the kb:
1. additional optical out (DAs sound very good, though)
2. WX socket for a Yamaha wind controller (I own one...)
3. I really like Clavia's pitch-stick idea on the Nordlead.
Anyways, having an extra nifty controller sure'd be nice (KAOSS pad,
D-beam)...

I would like to start off saying I had to wait several months for the virus kb, but in a nutshell, it was well worth the wait. Also, I have a Waldorf Q, and several people emailed curious to know how the 2 compare side by side, so I will try. Currently I have the OS 3.0. Simply put, this thing is probably the best sounding synth I have ever played. The presets are incredidle, though the fun lies within creating/altering sounds. The knobs and switches are intuitive for anyone who knows about VCOs, LFOs etc etc. The editing menus can be a little tricky at first, though after awhile, things fall into place. The manual isn't the greatest of manuals; I did like the Q manual a little better.

Features are extensive (won't repeat them, since most people have read about them), and the effects truelly sound really good; the distortion is quite admirable as are the other effects. The casing is wood and metal, and does not have the cheap budget look or feel to it. It is a very nice-looking synth. The keys feel nice, and are velocity and pressure sensitive. The arpeggiator is pretty easy to use, though I haven't messed with the sequencer too much yet.

This is what is important....how it sounds. Like I mentioned above, it is simply one of the best synths I have ever heard. No lie......The sounds are truelly amazing and addictive. It is everything you would want an anaolog synth to sound: fat basses, rich stringy pads, dirty distortion, etc etc etc. It pains me to say this, but yes, when it comes to sound, the virus slightly outdoes the Q. I don't know why (DSP engine??), but it does. It shouldn't because the Q out-performs the virus. It is good for any type of music, though the preset sounds seem to be more reminiscent of techno, industrial, groove.

Never had any problems with it yet.

Never used customer support. Though the upgrades seem to be easy. I am eagerly awaiting the OS 4 upgrade which should be out soon.

If it were stolen, I would definitely replace it. It is definitely worth the price paid. No question. As I said it is one of the most awesome sounding synths I have ever heard......you will never regret getting one. Overall, how does it compare with the Q? It is difficult because believe it or not, they certainly sound quite a bit different. As I had mentioned, the virus does sound a little better. The Q sounds are more complex and unusual as well as quite awesome (however, complex doesn't always equal better sounds). The Q is a little more solid construction and the knobs/rotaries are more extensive and easier to use.....the editing menus are a little easier on the Q, but that may be simply because I have had the Q a little longer and am more familiar with it. The other thing to realize, the Q is still not near its completion, so it is always changing via os upgrades. In a nutshell, the Q is a better synth, but the virus manages to somehow sound better. The virus is certainly cheaper than a Q (I paid $3200 for the 32 voice yellow Q). In addition to the virus an Q, I also have the following: Korg Trinity ProX, Korg MS 2000, Future Retro 777, Kork ER-1. I am also the proud new owner of a very old minimoog and am on the look out for an ARP Odyssey.