Access Virus TI

FutureMusic
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61
ACCESS VIRUS TI
the Virus that as new functionality
was added, the physical surface of
the instrument would become
cluttered and fi ddly to use. Any such
worries evaporate with the software
version, and I’m certain that Access
will use the hard/software approach
as a benchmark for future products.
The arpeggiator page typifi es the
simplicity of the interface, as you can
select note lengths, velocities and
swing values for each step in no time
at all. Such a function is almost
incomparably complicated on the
unit itself.
Interfaced
No sooner have you caught your
breath than the Virus presents its
you’re away. A fully integrated Virus
awaits you, with the synth engine
broken down into 10 pages, which
take you through from the oscillators
at the beginning to the effects and
routing options at the end.
Each stage is well-designed and
unfussy, and the super-cool thing is
that you can actually use the Virus
unit itself to act as a controller for the
plug-in. When it comes to writing
automation this is so much more
enjoyable than reverting to your
mouse, and it means tweaking of
several parameters at once becomes
a serious possibility. Each page
becomes almost self-explanatory
when editing your sounds.
There was always the risk with
“THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO
QUESTION THAT THIS IS THE
BEST SOUNDING VIRUS YET”
Wooden end cheeks,
stacks of knobs,
great sound…
that way. As such, it comes armed
with four RAM banks of 128 sounds,
and 17 banks of ROM sounds,
which means you have a little over
2,500 presets just to get your
started. And two new waveforms are
available in this model. There’s no
question that on paper this is the
best sounding Virus yet.
The fi rst waveform, Hypersaw, is
a kind of über-sawtooth affair –
layering multiple sawtooth waves on
top of one another to produce
sounds to which the word ‘power’
does no justice. Alongside this, you’ll
also fi nd the new ‘Wavetable’
oscillator that allows ‘step-like’
sounds, either as cascades, sweeps
or sample-and-hold type sounds.
Both features are fabulous
additions and complement Virus’
awesome sound-making potential.
The presets show the unit off
wonderfully. If you make any kind of
electronic music, there’s plenty for
you here, from the warmest or
growliest basses, to shimmering,
ethereal pads, to searing leads and
crunchy sequences.
Other improvements on offer
here against previous Viruses include
increased polyphony via Virus’ new
dual-processor structure and a
much-improved LCD backlit display
with three soft knobs beneath,
offering instant access to useful
parameters for any preset loaded.
Up to this point, all of this makes the
Virus not only a wonderful synth to
load into your rack – it will also
enhance your live sound no end.
USB me!
But to use the Virus exclusively in
this way is to deny yourself the sheer
joy of connecting this monster to
your computer. The unit ships with a
software installer that loads the
software plug-in version and audio
drivers at the same time.
Installation is utterly
painless, but be aware
that the software that
ships is likely to
have been
updated by the
time you get
the unit home.
Access seem to be
posting updates with ‘fi xes’
every few days, so keep your eyes
peeled for improvements.
Once you’ve installed the
software and rebooted, connecting
the supplied USB cable is all that
remains. I booted Logic, and after
the AU Manager took a moment to
recognise it had a new friend to play
with, I was in. All you need do then is
select the plug-in from the ‘Access’
submenu of virtual instruments and
Effects
ONE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT is that Virus now offers separate delay and reverb
effects, which has ranked high on many Virus owners’ wish-list of improvements for some
time. However, it’s also worth recapping on those effects already on offer, as this section
of the instrument is as important a stage of the sound-making process as the oscillator
and fi lter sections. Amongst the effects on offer you’ll fi nd distortion, with variants from
regular distortion, through saturation to bitcrushing, a phaser, a chorus/fl anger, analog
boost, ring modulation, a 32-band vocoder and 3-band EQ. There’s something for
everyone here, from super-crunchy Benni Bennassi-style basses to warm, fl oaty retro
phased pads. The effects section is one of the main benefi ciaries of the software instance
of the TI – potentially complicated effects routing is rendered straightforward.
ALTERNATIVES
ACCESS VIRUS CLASSIC
£699
Want the Virus sound without
splashing the cash? The Virus
Classic could be the chap for
you. There’s none of the
software which accompanies
the TI though, so this is ‘just’
a synth module. Still sounds
great, though, and is half the
price of the desktop TI.
www.access-music.de
CLAVIA NORDLEAD 3 RACK
£1,349
The Nord range also enjoy a
fearsome reputation for
adding depth and substance
to any production, and
Version 3 of their Lead range
certainly provides a
memorable sound. The
feature-set looks limited
alongside the TI, though.
www.clavia.se
KORG TRITON EXTREME
WORKSTATION
£1,379
This is a different beast
entirely, but it’s included as
an alternative as it too
features a vast array of
features. Part synth, part
sampler, part sequencer, it
also enjoys USB connectivity.
Much more of a jobbing live/
workstation synth, though.
www.korg.com
FMU170.rev_virus 61FMU170.rev_virus 61 5/12/05 3:10:31 pm5/12/05 3:10:31 pm