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Average rating:
4.7 out of 5
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Of the VA's virus is by far the best. Deeper cutting bass, searing leads etc. Still you know it's digital... this isn't a bad thing if you want a VA sound and you like the extra functionality of VA midi, but there is still some stuff the virus can't do well. For VA the filter is quite nice and having two is quite sweet. I think the tiny lcd on this thing sucks ass and found it to be very limiting in most respects the UI in general just didn't feel right to me... yeah you get some knobs, but in the end so many usefull functions are buried in the menus that the knobs really only serve for quick patch fixes not for patch construction. I'm sure sound diver or midi quest use would resolve these problems quite nicely if you like using computer patch editors. I wil say that the virus is of a very sturdy build, and the outputs feel extremely durable. Biggest complaint: Access should have included rack ears with this unit... wood end pieces are cool and all but it should've been readily rackable out of the box.
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These are my inital impressions after spending some time with it for a couple of weeks after trading my OB-8 for it.
I've owned several vintage analogs and other decent analogs throughout the years and I think the Virus A compares favorably in terms of lushness and warmth. All of this VA vs. Real Analog stuff is a bunch of bs perpetuated by a bunch of immature morons. True, I love old analogs, but I'll take reliability, size (I don't want a battleship in my band's rehearsal room), and more flexibility anytime over overpriced vintage gear.
That being said, it's fairly easy to get around, even without the manual. I'm sure I'll learn more tricks as I go, but it's been a blast to play and I love, not only the richness and warmth of the analog sounds, but also the crisp, cutting sounds of the FM sounds. Complements my MicroQ quite nicely and rounds out my setup very well. I don't regret trading my OB-8 at all.
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Let me tell you this about the 'Virus b'
We have a lot of hot synths in our studio (Triton, JP8080,Nordlead,K2000r,JV2080,Marion, Matrix 1000,QSR,FB01, etc etc) When i bought the Virus b, i was realy amazed with the sounds it came with. There is complete warmth and fatness in this machine!!
We compared it with our JP8080 and AN1X sure they all have there own sound characteristics but when it comes to warm/smooth pads, instant Fat Moog basses, heavy filters then the Virus leads!!
We made a melody wich combines a sound from the JP8080 and a almost exact sound of the Virus, so in Cubase we have two tracks with the same melody one is JP the Other is Virus When we mute the Virus track, the JP sounds empty and when we mute the JP track it sounds already full and clear, but misses the screaming of the JP
When you look at the specs, the Virus leads in every way, 24 voices, 82 FX, 6 outputs, 4 Osc!! And is mostly cheaper then al the other VA synths out there.
Don't get me wrong about the JP and other synths i mentioned i love them too.
I can't wait to get my new Alesis "Andromeda" synth, 16 voices REAL ANALOG POWER, 72 knobs 144 buttons, individual outs etc etc If one synth can take my breath away then it must be the Virus and the Andromeda.
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the virus, in my ears,is the leader of the virtual-analogue mania. while the nordlead 2 is very close to the analogue grandfathers and the microwave xt sounds wavetablish-unique, the virus is the ultimate tool for every kind of mayhem. its hard to make a simple bass or pad sound because of the fun you have during the process of creating. the manual offers a quick introduction to adsr synthesis with a step by step first sound creation. i have read nothing more. another great thing about the virus is the os update (but i think we have reached the end with 2.5 (but dont be sure)). they implanted a ringmodulator and a vocoder, doubled the number of sounds in the memory. i would never give it away (except for the virus b) and when the virus was female, i'd marry her.
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Hey Jimmy, the Virus B only have more features, it doesn't sound any better than our A. I tried the OS3 patches on the B. Most of them don't use the OSC 3 or new effects so most of them sound just the same on my A. By the way, I used to own an Xpander. I don't think they sound even close. That doesn't mean the Virus sounds any worse in anyway. They are just different.
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