Access Virus TI2 Desktop

I have been eyeing for Access Virus TI ever since the first time I heard about it a few years ago (yes, I'm a bit late to the game). Initially, I was just curious: as the software synth grow more and more powerful these days, what's all the fuss about a virtual analog synth? I mean, there are many other synths that can do what virus can do and more... Or is there?

Well, first thing first, the Access Virus can do almost ANYTHING you desire out of a digital synth (be it software or hardware). I said almost, because there are few niche (complex FM with more than two oscillators) or new technology (resynthesis) that the virus can't do, but for most users, what the Virus can do is much more than enough. FM, Wavetable, Granular, Dedicated Supersaw (No the same as unison, which can actually be applied on top of the supersaw), and unique formant oscillators. On top of all that, the Virus also has some superb effects: reverb, delay, chorus, 3-band eq, vocoder, distortion (more than 20 modes!), character control (you can for example add some analog warmth or add enhancement to the lead or bass sound), a punch control (how much transient do you want).

Can I get all those using some software synths? Sure, I guess. But is there ONE synth that can do it all? Maybe, but definitely not as intuitive and straightforward as the Virus. I own Omnisphere and UVI Falcon, and they are deep and can get really complex, so they should do what the Virus can do and more, but when I use those synth, I often got lost in the GUI very quickly. The Virus somehow achieved the balance between depth and user-friendliness for general users like me. I said general users, because of course the complex software synth can do some crazy stuff the Virus is incapable of doing, but will those sounds end up in my music? Well they can, but probably won't. What the Virus can do is already more than enough for me.

Also, what I just wrote about is merely about capability, not the actual sound. The sound of the Virus is just so unique and can punch through the mix without doing collateral damage to other tracks. I think all the other software synth I have can only get "close" to the actual Virus, but it's never really the same.

One last note, don't be discouraged by the fact that the developer has stopped updating the software editor (but it doesn't mean we should stop bugging them). There is a third-party librarian/editor from Aura, which can even do audio over USB for newer macOS (the official one stopped working since Catalina, the Windows version however, is FINE).

For a late 90's underground electronic music enthusiast this is a dream synth. Controlled from a sampler/sequencer and using the multitimbrality the possibilities of creating soundscapes of past and present are literally endless.

The sound quality is great. Modulation and sounddesign possibilities are among the best that hardware synthesizers has to offer when using the multi mode. Learning how to optimize your programming to save the DSP resources and get the maximum polyphony out of the synth takes a bit time but the results are rewarding. As this is a quite complex synth it is highly recommended to read Access Music's / Howard Scarr's 'Programming analog synthesizers' and the user manual to understand the what, where, why and how.

The UI can be a hit or miss but the layout of everything is logical and most of the functions in menus are found from dedicated, labeled buttons, which go to the relevant menus. Some parameters need to be dug from deeper multi-page menus, especially the added features from the latest firmware updates.

The Total Integration can be tricky to get working without crashing and this I consider to be the Virus' weakest link.

Pro:
-Effects are good to great quality
-Can be used as an Aux multi effect processor and processing external signal
-Overall sound quality is great
-Modulation possibilities are among the best in hardware synthesizers
-Build quality is great

Neutral:
-Polyphony in multitimbral mode is good to average, depending on how efficiently it is programmed.

Cons:
-Total Integration part is quite unreliable and can cause crashing and other unexpected behavior of computer or software, resulting in BSOD in extreme cases
-Customizing some arpeggiator parameters can only be done from the TI-plugin

As a long-time fan of electronic music, this synth was on my wish list for a while. I use it mainly for tracks that need strong characteristic synth lines, as it has such a huge range of possibilities for synth manipulation.

The main pros for me are the comprehensive options for waveforms, voicing, filters, and all types of other effects you might want to put on the signal chain in one quality unit.

On the first day it arrived, I spent the entire afternoon programming perhaps the most disgusting distorted reece bass I've ever heard and I felt like I was 17 again. That is one of the main problems - there's so much you can do on this synth you can easily lose hours just tweaking and tweaking.

Another con is the fact that when you want to save a patch, you have to save it to the software, as the majority of the hardware banks on the synth are used up with presets. You can of course overwrite but they do have some great sounds for inspiration.

Overall though, an undisputed modern champion of the synth world, and well worth the investment.