Whats Little Snow like???

[Hashim]

Hi,ive seen all specifications but havent herd from any Snow users yet.Are there any Snow users that could tell me a bit about it?

How it sounds?
Is it easy to edit?
Is it very limited beside his older brothers?
Is it easy to use on live sets?
And basicly,is it worth the money you pay,because for 500euros more you can get the TI Desktop?

[LQdb]

Hi,ive seen all specifications but havent herd from any Snow users yet.Are there any Snow users that could tell me a bit about it?

How it sounds?
Is it easy to edit?
Is it very limited beside his older brothers?
Is it easy to use on live sets?
And basicly,is it worth the money you pay,because for 500euros more you can get the TI Desktop?

Hi, exactly my thoughts. After 4 weeks of deep thinking and writing down all pros and cons, this is what happened today ;)

This morning I ordered my TI Desktop, later this day I noticed that the Snow is in stock and this made me change my order ! Just a minute ago I received the shipment confirmation. The Snow should be in my hands tomorrow or friday :p

I've got a 30 day money-back guarantee, so let's wait and see if the "little" virus can meet my/our expectations...

Just a quick thought:
I'm not a "professional producer"...I make music just in my spare-time AND mainly for fun ! So maybe I'm not the best benchmark. But I think, that I most likely won't need 16 multi-timbral thingies, 2 DSPs, tons of knobs, etc. Which might be different, if you are trying to make money with your virus as a producer / composer/ or sound designer.

Maybe there will be - some fine a day - a situation where I wish, I had more multi-sounds, DSP-power for effects, etc. But hey, I saved more than 600 EURO-bucks on this littler sucker compared to the big TI. Money that I surely will spent on some other rarely needed gear ;) So what the hell...:D

In addition to that, I travel quite often in my main job and therefore really liked the idea of having a virus "to-go" (I should trademark this *gg*).

To make a long story short: yes, it seems to be a bit of a compromise, but for me personally!! it seems to be bearable.

Anything I should check, when the little smacker arrives ?

-Cheers LQdb

[LQdb]

Ok, after a few testing sessions here's what I think:

- first of all: the Ti Snow looks cute :-)

- it is quite easy and fast to edit the sounds:

most patches have five common parameters laid out on the five knobs (named: Value1-3, Cutoff, Reso). So you can quickly change (as always) cutoff and resonance but also lets say: Phaser Rate, Elevate, Hype if it was assigned to the VALUE1-3-knobs (or you change it as needed).

Changing "deeper" parameters, is a little bit more tricky: push EDIT button, select the Edit menu (e.g. OSC1) with the approp. button and change 3 OSC-paramters via Value-knobs at a time (e.g. density, Local detune, Balance).

I think for most live sessions these three parameters on the VALUE1-3 knobs will be enough, in studio situations you may use the TI-software anyway.

- yes, it plays (all) TI-patches: i've tried various sounds from the incl. TI ROM banks, sounds ok to me, like patches on a TI desktop!?

- one DSP - too weak ?
Hmm, maybe yes, note-stealing beginns with two complex patches already in seq-mode. Putting 4 more complex patches together will surely "kill" the little snow. For heavy studio production situations with 6 or more complex patches playing at the same time via sequencer, you may wish to have the bigger TI Destop.

- glitches ?
-Yes, Ableton Live 7 (demo) crashed several times operating with the TI software, under Logic 8 it seems to be more stable.
-The sound via USB1-2 sounds rather flat to me ?! All my VSTi (all set to 0db) "overpowered" somehow the virus patches. Had to push the virus track up to +5db to level this out ??! Maybe i did something wrong, donno.
-Doing some realtime bouncing in Logic gave me some strange blips und cracks from time to time. (I used the recommended Logic settings from the video tutorial on my MacBookPro 2Ghz).

Conclusion: nice little smacker, but surely not as powerful as his bigger brothers. More suiteable for live-sessions playing 1-2 complex patches. It's more the "live session" virus, as it is less "the entry-level music production virus" IMHO.

Will I keep it ?
-Don't know yet. Depends on my future "workflow" needs. If the little virus is only to play some unique Lead sounds in my tracks, I'll keep him. If I'll find out, that I always use drums, leads, pads from the virus in my tracks, the snow is too weak and bouncing 4 tracks to audio and continue the production workflow with another 4 tracks from the virus, will be a pain in the *#&%&. Thank god for the 30-day-money-back guarantee, Though decision :confused:

-Cheers LQdb

[plaid_emu]

-The sound via USB1-2 sounds rather flat to me ?! All my VSTi (all set to 0db) "overpowered" somehow the virus patches. Had to push the virus track up to +5db to level this out ??! Maybe i did something wrong, donno.

This is the only part that puzzles me. Everything else seems about what I expected from the Snow.

My experience with the Virus TI has been that it sounds quite bold compared to my other hardware. The Evolver is the only one in the same ballpark.

Actually, when I first got the thing a few months ago I initially freaked out because the signal from it was so hot (with or without USB). It sounded much more full and better than most everything I'd ever used up to that point. I knew I needed to reach a higher plateau.

I've since sold off loads of gear to upgrade my AD/DA signal chain and even bought an Eventide Eclipse.

Now it's on.

[thelike5]

Would love to hear more (sounds!)

How is the overall build quality? Comparable to other Access gear?

Does Snow ship with 2.7 (Atomizer) installed?

Congrats on the purchase! Mine should be here Wednesday!

[LQdb]

Would love to hear more (sounds!)

How is the overall build quality? Comparable to other Access gear?
Does Snow ship with 2.7 (Atomizer) installed?
Congrats on the purchase! Mine should be here Wednesday!

The overall build quality is excellent. Solid metal case, nice knobs, good display. IMHO it is abs. comparable to the other Access gear.

The Snow comes with OS 2.7.0.37 (dated 23-March 2008 ). The TI software has to be downloaded from the website. The Snow comes without a CD. Just download the 2.7beta. During installation the Snow OS will be autom. updated (at least under Mac OS, still shows 2.7.037 though).

The sounds are IMHO equal to the sounds on other TIs...the content of the "normal" TI ROMs are included.

Hope you enjoy your little snow flake :)

-Cheers LQdb

[thelike5]

Thanks for posting! Just a couple of quick questions...

Is the power supply for Snow a "wall wart" or a "lump in line"? I assume the latter but I'm just curious as I want to make room on my power strip now!

When using ti patches form the Access Music site, does it automatically overwirte the factory sounds on the Snow or is there room to accomodate these new patches?

How is the case build-quality-wise for the Snow? Is it on par with Timbuk2 bags or anything similar?

Sorry to be asking these questions if they seem annoying. I jhust can't wait until Wedneday!

If you have the chance, I would love to hear some demos! You are just the first person I have met that has received thier Snow! Lucky you!

[LQdb]

Thanks for posting! Just a couple of quick questions...

Is the power supply for Snow a "wall wart" or a "lump in line"? I assume the latter but I'm just curious as I want to make room on my power strip now!

When using ti patches form the Access Music site, does it automatically overwirte the factory sounds on the Snow or is there room to accomodate these new patches?

How is the case build-quality-wise for the Snow? Is it on par with Timbuk2 bags or anything similar?

Sorry to be asking these questions if they seem annoying. I jhust can't wait until Wedneday!

If you have the chance, I would love to hear some demos! You are just the first person I have met that has received thier Snow! Lucky you!

No problem :-)

I don't exactly know what you mean by "wall wart", I've posted some photos the other thread. There you can see the power-jack on the backside of the Snow.

When applying TI patches via the TI control software in your DAW, you can choose what to do, put it into a RAM bank or just keep them temp. as a LIB sound for just the actual session.

The bag seems to be of good, almost high quality. Nice velcro strips on the outside, good zipper, comfort shoulder strap. Looks quite fancy...

You are just the first person I have met that has received thier Snow! Lucky you!

I've got good connections to the german supplier ;)

[AlexHall74]

So, what's the make or buy point between a Ti desktop and a Snow? If you use more than one Virus Ti patch in a track is the Snow a No-Go, or is it some other breakpoint???

I have only ever used my Virus KC in single mode while recording, MultiMode is a pain in the arse as far as I'm concerned, maybe life is different with a Ti, I wouldn't know...

;)

[LQdb]

So, what's the make or buy point between a Ti desktop and a Snow? If you use more than one Virus Ti patch in a track is the Snow a No-Go, or is it some other breakpoint???

I have only ever used my Virus KC in single mode while recording, MultiMode is a pain in the arse as far as I'm concerned, maybe life is different with a Ti, I wouldn't know...

;)

I wouldn't say that the Snow can't handle more than one patch. I've just startet a new tune, where the Snow uses all four available tracks with rather simple sounds (Kickdrum, Bassline, Pad, Lead) and as far as I can hear it, no note-stealing so far *keep-fingers-crossed*

But you're right, it depends on your personal production workflow. And that's why I ended up buying the Snow.

I think that I wanted the typical Virus sound and was sure that I won't need 8-16 patches playing at the same time. But most Ti desktop users seem to do so.

"Hey, the TI software offers 16 slots, let's use them" ;)

I think, if the Snow will be the only HW-Synth in your setup, you better buy a Ti Desktop. If you are a sound-designer kinda guy who need all the knobs, buy the TI desktop.

If you just want the typical Virus-sound for your Lead etc. sounds and a "small" entry-price to the virus world, go for the Snow.

[AlexHall74]

I wouldn't say that the Snow can't handle more than one patch. I've just startet a new tune, where the Snow uses all four available tracks with rather simple sounds (Kickdrum, Bassline, Pad, Lead) and as far as I can hear it, no note-stealing so far *keep-fingers-crossed*

But you're right, it depends on your personal production workflow. And that's why I ended up buying the Snow.

I think that I wanted the typical Virus sound and was sure that I won't need 8-16 patches playing at the same time. But most Ti desktop users seem to do so.

"Hey, the TI software offers 16 slots, let's use them" ;)

I think, if the Snow will be the only HW-Synth in your setup, you better buy a Ti Desktop. If you are a sound-designer kinda guy who need all the knobs, buy the TI desktop.

If you just want the typical Virus-sound for your Lead etc. sounds and a "small" entry-price to the virus world, go for the Snow.
That's a fair and reasonable answer, I understand your thinking.

Considering I just blew my cash reserve on gear for the summer (oopsy!) I will continue to wait on purchasing a Ti and stick with my KC for a bit longer. I don't know if I can ever sell it honestly because I like the keyboard so damn much!

Now I've got Frank Sinatra's "Let it Snow" going through my head...

[LQdb]

That's a fair and reasonable answer, I understand your thinking.

Now I've got Frank Sinatra's "Let it Snow" going through my head...

Can't help it, now you mentioned the Sinatra song...I'VE got "Raindrops keep falling on my head" on my mind. Maybe it's the local wether ;)

-LQdb

[AlexHall74]

Can't help it, now you mentioned the Sinatra song...I'VE got "Raindrops keep falling on my head" on my mind. Maybe it's the local wether ;)

-LQdb
Ha! It's gorgeous here in Florida today, so I'll start singing Sinatra's "Summer Wind." Funny stuff!

[thelike5]

So today, my Snow arrived to me at at work!

Overall, I am very impressed! This synth totally kills anything I have owned! There are a ton of patches on this thing, I haven't even had a chance to hear them all yet and I've been playing with it for almost 3 hours! So much nice sounding stuff... filters are excellent same with on board effects. I can't wait to fully get into programming this synth. My girlfriend is going to hate me!
:p


Not so hip on the bag. I suppose it's ok and certainly better than nothing. I'll probably get a steel case for it sooner than later.

What I'm having trouble with is the implementation of TI software... My Snow OS is 2.7.0.37 but the TI software is still 2.5 I believe. I went to the Access site and all I could find were 2.5 TI software (which specifically says NOT FOR SNOW right on the site.... Any ideas? Inside of Ableton Live on my macbook every box is checked "green" except the OS. TI seems disfunctional for the most part (all the tabs are unavailable/grayed out) although if its not the right version this makes total sense...

Is this synth worth $1,250? I dunno yet. For me it seems to be. It really does sound amazing but I've never owned a Virus before. I find it pretty easy to navigate around; even after 2 1/2 hours. Having minimal knobs to tweak is fine with me. My controller with Automap can make up for most of that If you have a huge sounding VA and do not play out a lot maybe it's not the right synth for you. Between the Snow, my monitors, macbook, Novation Remote 25, my soundcard and cables my Ikea Jerker desk seems cramped. I couldn't imagine having to exchange the controller and Snow for a Virus KB. I simply wouldn't have space in my apartment.

I'll be broke for a few months between this and all of my bills but whatever... I was broke for years before! No big deal. I have a Virus now!

[LQdb]

Congratulations to your new toy and welcome to our little Snow community ;-)

I had the same problem first. You have to download the 2.7 VC software from the access-virus site as stated on the included black info card (link: http://www.access-music.de/start).

During the software installtion process the Snow has to be already connected via USB to your Macbook. The installtion software searches for the Snow and updates it, so that both versions (OS & software) actually match.

Even though the boot screen on the little Snow already showed OS Version 2.7.0.37 before, the inital update is needed for proper function, as it seems.

HTH, Enjoy :-)

[thelike5]

Congratulations to your new toy and welcome to our little Snow community ;-)

I had the same problem first. You have to download the 2.7 VC software from the access-virus site as stated on the included black info card (link: http://www.access-music.de/start).

During the software installtion process the Snow has to be already connected via USB to your Macbook. The installtion software searches for the Snow and updates it, so that both versions (OS & software) actually match.

Even though the boot screen on the little Snow already showed OS Version 2.7.0.37 before, the inital update is needed for proper function, as it seems.

HTH, Enjoy :-)

LQdb,

Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, I never connected the Virus via USB during the install as I never noticed a prompt telling me to do so. I even recall the notation saying DO NOT hook up the Virus via USB until you are told to do so. In any event, I'll try this when I get home (which will feel like a week knowing what I have at home waiting!)

I also noticed the boot up screen of the Snow saying was version 2.7.0.37. Weird.

Other than that, I'm running LOW on USB ports. Have to go searching for a hub (which I hate using) after work. Either that or buy a Firewire soundcard...

Anyways, thank you very much for the help. I'll be frequenting this board on a daily basis from now on. Hopefully, I'll be able to help someone out the way you helped me.

Thanks.

[LQdb]

LQdb,

Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, I never connected the Virus via USB during the install as I never noticed a prompt telling me to do so. I even recall the notation saying DO NOT hook up the Virus via USB until you are told to do so. In any event, I'll try this when I get home (which will feel like a week knowing what I have at home waiting!)

I also noticed the boot up screen of the Snow saying was version 2.7.0.37. Weird.

Other than that, I'm running LOW on USB ports. Have to go searching for a hub (which I hate using) after work. Either that or buy a Firewire soundcard...

Anyways, thank you very much for the help. I'll be frequenting this board on a daily basis from now on. Hopefully, I'll be able to help someone out the way you helped me.

Thanks.

Keep in mind that the snow doesn't like being on a usb-hub (I guess that why you are running out of usb ports). He (or is it "she") needs a dedicated USB port for proper use...I had several issues and later found out that even a long usb-cable could be part of the problem...just in case :-)

-Cheers LQdb