Access Virus TI

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FutureMusic
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REVIEWS
existed only as an external synth,
hooked up to your sequencer as a
MIDI module. No longer. ‘TI’ stands
for ‘Total Integration’ – this Virus
works as a synth, a software plug-in,
an audio interface, a MIDI interface
and as a control surface for your
sequencer. And it does all of this at
the same time. Hold on to your hats.
Sounds good
First or foremost though, the Virus TI
remains a synth module, and if you
want you can use it exclusively in
desktop wedge, as a 61-key
keyboard and as the Polar, a three-
octave affair, which is perhaps the
most desirable design of all. The
Polar is dominated by bright white
LEDs, and despite offering the same
feature set as the wedge and
keyboard versions, it just adds a little
more ‘wow’ factor.
So, I hear you ask, ‘what’s ‘TI’ all
about then’? Well, this is the seriously
cool bit. Until now, unless you
owned Virus as a Pro Tools or
PowerCore plug-in, your Virus has
C
HANCES ARE THAT if
you’re reading this, you
own some sound-making
gadgets. And what’s
more likely still is that at some stage,
along with all of the gear you’ve
bought to add functionality to your
studio, you’ve splashed out on
something truly original and
spectacular, which has brought
something out of the ordinary to your
productions and which may have
had the added benefi t of inducing
jealousy amongst your mates. You’ll
know what I’m talking about if you’ve
ever owned a Virus.
Few synths enjoy the mix-ripping
sonic potential of Access’ range of
synths, and for nearly a decade
we’ve watched (and salivated) as
these original wedge-shaped
desktop instruments have grown
keyboards, gathered new functions,
added effects, increased polyphony,
spawned arpeggiators and so on. If
you own a Virus, you feel like part of
a club – one of a group ‘in the know’.
Let me warn you that the latest
instalment, the TI, is going to refresh
all of those pangs of longing.
The Virus TI reaches us in three
forms – as the aforementioned
DETAILS
PRICE £1,199 Desktop
Module, £1,499 Polar
Module, £1,499 Keyboard
version
CONTACT
Web: www.turnkey.co.uk
www.access-music.de
TECH SPEC
16-part multitimbral sound
module
Dual DSP Core (accelerated
from previous Virus engine)
6 outputs – 192kHz, 24-bit
D/A converters
S/PDIF I/O
USB 2.0
Synth plug-in ‘Virus Control’
within host sequencer
New oscillators – Hypersaw,
Wavetable
Increased polyphony
Independent delay and
reverb
24-bit audio interface
MIDI interface
Access reveal the long-awaited new addition to their classic
Virus family. Jono Buchanan feels a fever coming on…
Access Virus TI
®
These days it’s hard to fi nd good
hands-on control, although
clearly not impossible!
In keeping with all things viral even the software looks nails – here, for example, the fi lter pane
FMU170.rev_virus 60FMU170.rev_virus 60 5/12/05 3:10:25 pm5/12/05 3:10:25 pm