Great Synth Mysteries Ep. 6: There will NEVER be another Access Virus 

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Glad you are back brother, the RU-vid community has missed you !

Access Virus: the only keyboard used by the keyboard player in loud guitar bands that you forgot had a keyboard player.

"There will NEVER be another Access Virus" Behringer, "hold my beer !"

My desktop TI2 blows my mind every time I sit down for a sound design session. I've learned to live without the total integration and just use it as a hardware synth, which works fine.

After wanting a Virus for 20 years, I finally got a used one last month. It is very cool and such a beast. Perhaps this is why modern synths are seemingly less capable: it's a little intimidating to have so much available in one box.

The Virus has such a warm natural sound i never hear in all VSTs i got. And i got em all: Diva, Ni Massive, Omnisphere etc. it always sounds big and cut through the mix and sound so unique. I love em

Welcome back! As official TI 2 sound designer, I would say "We don't need another Virus".

Access was almost 20 years ahead of the competition. It's amazing what they managed to achieve. This equipment still surprises me even though I have spent thousands of hours programming it.

That last bit sounded like the intro to Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior album. You nailed it.

I’m so fortunate to actually have the 61 Access Virus Ti2. So happy to see you cover this synth. It’s hard to comprehend how resourceful and great-sounding this synth is.

I had a TI Snow back in the day and used it in some bands I was in. The thing was such an absolute monster for how little space it took up! I have a Waldorf Iridium and it has filled that void for me. It's so intuitive and visually pleasing and while it does lack polyphony and some of the shaping, it feels like you can create anything you want on it if you're clever about what you do.

I think what all these synthesizer manufacturers have realized is that the long feature list isn't actually useful if the interface to access all those features isn't great. And even if the interface is great, with all those features you end up overwhelmed with choice paralysis. I have had a Hydrasynth for like 6 months and I think I have used the 4th and 5th envelope like once. There are just very very few people who actually need and use the phonebook sized featurelist of something like the virus. But we are techno-fetishists who think that a longer featurelist will make us happy. Or that we think that missing features are what is holding us back creatively.

Great piece, glad to see you releasing this high quality content. Keep it up!

Awesome video. I really enjoy your calm voice. Beautifully put together, and an excellent homage to an amazing instrument. I owned a TI keyboard for many years, and wrote many songs with it. What a tank. A total dream synth. I gigged with it and it put up with a lot.

Bruh, so stoked to see you still at it. Always with that quality content too.

This synth is just so beautiful. Using the DSP vst has opened my eyes and helped me to remember just how much I can love using a synthesizer.

Episode 1 was one of the first videos of yours that I saw, and still remains my favorite synth related video. Getting to see this made me pretty happy :)

In 2005 when I was drooling over the Voyager, there were only two other synths in the catalogs in that price range: The Andromeda A6 and the Acess Virus. Those were the days before the analog explosion.

I have a dream... of designing a Virus inspired successor based on open RISC-V chips, so it's open all the way down to the silicon. That way, in theory, we would never run into the issue with the synth's processor being discontinued. You could always take the design to another fab. I was thinking of learning embedded C++ and seeing if I could leverage Mutable Instruments' open source code as a starting point. If only I didn't need a day job...

Brooo! You are a BEAST! What an amazing video dude, please start posting again, I could watch all day🔥🔥 RIP Access Virus❤️

This channel is becoming the Summoning Salt of synth RU-vid, and I'm here for it!

This is an ongoing problem throughout, so many useful tools rendered obsolete prematurely (I know, I know 20 years, etc, etc). I really admire the open source community for the efforts they make. Excellent video.

Awesome video brother amazing work. Enjoyed this.

Gonna be real, didnt even onow they were still producing these synths.

Thanks for making this video! I’ve been using the Virus since the Virus power core in 2005! I later got a virus snow which I lost in a house fire and finally ended up with a TI2 about 6 years ago. Sad to see it discontinued but happy I still have access to it. The sound of it is softer than most synths but it can still cut thru a mix like a hot knife in butter

Your playing and patches at the end were just excellent sounding, especially the very last one. Man... I can't seem to make anything but ugly and brash sounds with my Virus. :P

I have an access virus classic. Definitely love that sound. Hopefully they can come back some day

Damn, that teaser at the end. A TI3 would probably reign for the next two decades.

you really made me wait for this one :)

This synthesizer is been used by Alternative band Linkin Park on their last tours. This also appeared on the music video of their song "New Divide" which was featured in the Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen film.

The story of access is crazy ! I loved the TI

Had an Access Virus A, then a KB and finally a Darkstar (which I still have). The Darkstar is an excellent instrument and with the AuraPlugin Editor the Mac-connection is no problem. So many features, a wonderful design and solid built quality. But most important ... the sound. So wonderful and this synth is fun to program. A classic but with so many features other modern synths hardly offer. Thank you for keeping the Access Virus "alive" 👍.

Insane synth! I’ve owned loads of synths over the years (hardware & software) and the TI has always remained a favourite.

Mood in this video resonates with mine a lot.

After all that build up the demo was too short! But I enjoyed the little bit you gave us. Well done!

Much appreciated! Thank you.

The concord of synthesizers!

Most of the factory presets are already excellent, their names feature the initials of their creators (mostly internationally acclaimed, professional sound designers).

Thanks for the heads-up on the DSP56300 emulation project! I was working on those things back in college! 😅 Nice to have a new playground to stomp around in….

Awesome video :) Just a correction: the new Yamaha Montage has digital I/O over USB, allowing you to send up to 16 channels to your DAW :) And they have the plugin that makes a kinda total recall style possible as it reproduce the entire synth engine in your DAW with patch recall etc.

I had the pleasure of being asked to make a signature soundset for the Virus TI a few years back and it as my first experience of a Virus (although I remember craving the Virus B in the late 90s!). It remains one of my favourite synths in the studio. Such a great, timeless sound.

Awesome video, Noir!

The king of all digital synths💜

awesome video. I love this synth.

There will never be another Access Virus TI2, but the capabilities (audio over USB-C and plug-in control of hardware) in a different product by other companies will show up I'm certain. I have a TI2 and original red Virus 1b desktop that I will be buried with. They're great synths for certain.... I know where you shot that Kyra video footage, I did the same and published the video. Great video once again man, love the HQ levels you are hitting!!

One of the best synthesizers ever!

Christoph Kemper is a genius. He revolutionized synths and guitar amplification in last decade. Kemper amplifier is still one of the best (if not the best) amp modellers on the market and all other brands are playing catch up with more than decade old hardware.

I picked up a Ti2 a few years ago. I have had a lot of synths. It sounds incredible and the build is top notch. It sounds so good. Hopefully one day there will be something like it again in the future.

I have a Ti2 desktop. Gorgeous synth, sounds fantastic and unlimited options for me. I would never sell it!

Thanks for the music at the end of vid.

Great video! UVI has a little bit of Virus in their Synth Anthology, as well. It is definitely limited, but sounds amazing. I still want to do an all Virus album. There is something about that sound...

I bought a Ti2 Desktop in 2017 or so, sometimes wished I got a Darkstar or Polar but the discontinuation of the whole line made me realise I'm lucky to have a Ti2 at all. It's not easy to afford for everyone and I can't imagine how much it would hurt to save for months or years only for it to be discontinued before you can buy new.

So happy I have my TI2...beast of a synth!

I bought one of the last production new Virus TI2 synthesizers a year and half ago and still love it and it can outperform most new and more expensive hardware synths! Quirky old LCD interface and issues with new Mac OS but I am used to the interface and love the sound and power!

Bravo! You are the Quinns Ideas of synths!

Great video man!

awesome video!!! you've just ignited my GAS 😆

I have an Access Virus KB and still love it. They keyboard is beautiful IMO.

My favorite synth. I was lucky to get one in 2020 during Covid and I cried when I first heard what it could do. I will never let the sickness go.

The lack of multi-outs is why I ultimately got rid of my waldorf iridium. It's an amazing synth, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to have to do 16 part mixing internally when I'd rather do it on my actual hardware mixer. I ended up sticking an 18i20 onto my MPC key61, while not as robust or capable, it gets the job done.

This was a dream synth of mine for a long long time. Never picked one up, wasn't sure if it would fit in with my current stuff and style. Maybe eventually I'll grab one.

Love the video.... I agree...the Virus was a beast.....keep em coming

I don't know how many of you have heard about Adam Szabo Viper Vst which is kind of modeled after Virus TI. It has all of those oscliators (formant, grain, wavetable, multisaw and classic). It can also run all of the Access Virus sounds via mid.format. I also made couple of soundbanks (Trance, Synthwave and Cinematic) in this vst and i must say it is really really close to the real Access Virus except of real knobs of course (it has 128 polyphony).

nice love letter to the Virus 🙂 I still love and use my Access Virus TI rack I bought in 2008 - a shame they stopped production I also use a lot of the digital stuff you mentioned including the Fusion, Neuron, and others, and they all offered something cool and different - I even made my own sound models with the Hartmann Neuron Model Maker software new features and ideas in synthesis are always promising, but the lack of polyphony and usable multitimbrality these days is sad, but Kemper figured it out long ago - that is why I can make elaborate hardware jams with just an Arturia Keystep Pro and my VIrus TI rack - it can handle anything I throw at it and it sounds great hopefully a Virus TI 3 or something similar will be on the distant horizon... Kemper makes great stuff

I am still gutted I went through three of those (brand new)and they all had major issues so was forced to return them. Such an awesome instrument!❤

Great investigative journalism! I have long lusted for a TI2. Now what am I going to do?

Keep Hope Alive! The Ti is one of my favorites off all time and platforms

I'm grateful that I have the Darkstar. Oh I use it for my new track. Every track I do there's a Virus sound in there.

Also owned two miniak at same time...they are amazing!!!!!

I love Osirus. It's pretty awesome. I contributed to the project.

Amazing synth, really hope there is a ti3

I understand, very sad to see our synths go out of production when they are relevant and powerful today. I am a hardware person; I get physically ill attempting to sound design with software. Because I am a 56 year practiced solo pianist, the mind/body control of the instrument is embedded in me. So, with synths I want that tactile hands-on control too. Digital synths for creating sounds never heard before is our best option, so over the last 40 years I have gravitated toward digital. I understand also the deepness we go into our synths, the hours invested understanding them; an understanding to the point when I hear a sound, I know how to reproduce it on my synth (at least 80% of it :). But unfortunately, surface control of a digital synth is rare, and no manufacturer is willing to fill an 88key case full of knobs, faders and switches. It is getting better, my first synth was a JunoAlpha2 bought new in the 80s, don't want that interface ever again (could not afford the DT300 programmer). My favorite synth went out of production last year.

Super cool video!

This man deserves millions of subs.

That teaser at the end!!!

The cult of Virus is strong, and there may well never be another. But...there are quite a few lovely software alternatives, if not outright replacements. Spire, Hive, Sylenth, Lush2, Avenger, Dune, the new GForce Oddity and Minimonsta, most of the Tone 2 stuff, and Viper (a direct 'inspiration') can all get you close, IF you know what you're doing. While I've always wanted one, I think I'll get a fancy controller instead. With incredible advances in digital audio technology, interfaces and virtual analogue oscillator and filter modeling the Virus is no longer essential, but will forever remain desirable. Great video!

Something to consider about digital audio: The types of connections seem to limit the timelessness of the hardware. While plain old analog audio has entrenched itself as something that will never be truly obsolete, USB audio, software controllers, etc will always be subject to issues over time if not kept up-to-date. By avoiding that stuff and making a synth that is more of an "isolated island" that operates entirely within itself, it is more likely that the synth can continue to be used in exactly the same way it was originally designed decades from now.

My favorite synth. I have TI2 desktop and TI1 Polar. One of them should go but couldn’t decide and sell.

Had a classic desktop and the Power core card version . Could never quite justify a TI , but thanks to The Dsp56300 emulation project I got the craving for the B and C satiated and hopefully the TI one day soon !

I only just got into hardware synths in 2020. I had no idea the Virus TI series was this powerful. Here's hoping if they don't make a new version someone else starts bringing this kind of power and flexibility to a new generation of synth folk.

Touch for Virus on iPad is my favorite editor, I think I have tried them all. It has features like copying effect stacks from one patch and applying them to another, the sequencer control is fantastic. Rather than emulating the old software, I feel it pushed patch design further and faster.

I still love my Darkstar, and it is the synth I use the most often, hands down. I also have a Kyra, and use it more and more. It sounds _so_ good ...

This video is hot!! I’m looking for one now!! New Subscriber

my holy grail synth 🎉

I'm glad you covered the Virus. I always felt they fit into a certain era of when people were craving for virtual analog. Why Access ended development is a mystery to me. I mean look at Waldorf, there still is a market for compact, good sounding hardware synths.

I got a Virus B last week and loving it

I have a virus Ti2 polar darkstar that I got for a steal second hand over ten years ago. I’m a massive analog fan but the virus is mind blowing!

Really great video

Back when I was looking for a dedicated synthesizer the TI and the NL3 were the two main contenders on my list. Since I (still) play only dawless, I went for the NL3 and I still love that thing to death. My best guess is that nowadays there is more than enough power to do everything software based, that (for most manufacturers) there is no incentive to create a hardware based synthesizer when it is a) super expensive to produce and distribute and b) will always fall behind software capabilities. Most flagship workstations now come with pre-installed emulators for the legendary synths of the past, the time of great synths is just over. The one "new" synth I'd consider today is an OB-6 probably.

Yay another NeBV video! I had GAS for a Virus circa 2018 but that quickly passed. The word was already on the wall that the creator had moved onto guitar amps. Hydrasynth should be able to cover 80% of what any Virus does. That's just a guess tho 😄

The TI2 Keyboard was also the cheapest Option to get the fantastic Fatar TP/8S keybed. Since macOS total integration does not work any more, I use my virus only as a controller. best keybed and a bunch of high quality knobs to assign to soft synths.

Virus B still my all-time favourite. Most psychedelic sound from any synth i've ever played.

There will never be another Access Virus... but I feel like there doesn't need to be. It was great, but it's just not really needed any more. It was designed for a particular workflow which isn't used much these days, with a 16-track hardware midi sequencer driving a 16-track synthesizer. But then DAWs got popular, so Access added Total Integration to make the Virus stay relevant longer. This helped because computers didn't have the power to synthesize so many tracks at once. But when computers got more powerful, the Virus largely faded away because it was no longer necessary, and the hardware was inconvenient and limiting compared to VSTs. Hardware-based workflows stuck around, but they largely shifted toward other goals -- expressive hands-on performance controls, enhanced sound design interfaces, analog nostalgia, portability, and exotic feature sets... which are all things other synths do better. I used to want a Virus. Like, really really bad. But now, I don't even know what I'd do with one. It's not relevant to my needs any more.

The Montage has two sets of stereo outputs, not one - you literally show them at 5:30 as you pan past the jacks. It also has 32 channels of USB audio out (you can send a stereo pair from each of the 16 parts, each of which can be a separate sound made up of hundreds of elements, with unique effects). And if you like, it has 6 channels of USB in, so you can run other sounds through its effects. The Hydrasynth again has two sets of stereo outs, which (again) you literally show at 5:37 as you pan past them, just as you say it has a "pair of stereo in and outs". Actually the Hydrasynth has no audio input, but you can achieve kind of the same thing using its modulation inputs, which will read into the audio range. I agree with you about Osirus - it does sound amazing. The user interface leaves a bit to be desired, and the non-standard method which in which it integrates as a plugin to your DAW is somewhat limiting however.

Awesome video

Amazing i love my virus ti2 NEVER i ll sell it .... but a nos sens to put usb 1.1 on it when usb 2 was there also 3.

Been waiting for Behringer to rip this off... That would genuinely be good imo

Its mindboggling how poly timbrality went backward…

Legendary... I might buy a Snow once again but in the meantime (and beyond) there is OsTIrus :)