Access Future,hardware or software or both?

[oblivion]

What is the future for Access?

I think they should go software but with a hardware controller as dongle.

What do you think?

Is Summer Namm when Access release something new? I think it is time for Access to come up with a Virus TI3.

What is their next move?

[MBTC]

Well one perspective -- if one could consider a Powercore as a dongle of sorts :) then the argument could be made they already have what you're suggesting.

What I found to be goofy about the Powercore solution, at least the last time I looked at it, was that it seemed they had set up the pricing model so that you were limited in how many instances of the Virus VST you could run (regardless of hardware power)... basically they tried to eliminate the cost advantage of softsynths by requiring per-instenace license for the powercore version!! Unbelievable.

With so many good softsynths over the last couple of years I think they are going to have to do something really dramatic fairly soon. Either get total integration working properly in all hosts and get issues like latency resolved, otherwise lunch gets eaten by increasingly powerful CPUs on the PC and increase in synth programming skills by softsynth makers.

I think there will always be a market for a hardware Virus, I just think the potential size of the market is shrinking. They can always continue to make a pricey hardware synth, because its got sort of a legendary-mystical-mythical place in the minds of so many, and I think in many ways it was a very important instrument in modern day electronic music, so just like Moog they can probably always have a high-end hardware product for those who play on stage and such, at a high price point (just less software based producer-types would buy it).

[Timo]

I'm not so sure if Access focus too much on Summer NAMM, similar to many other music tech companies. Usually the Winter show is the biggie.

Depends how much spare juice is left in those ol' TI DSP chips! They consistently surprise me.

[feedingear]

Timo by the time the new 'TI3' comes out, hopefully youll get your hands on a TI!

[infraction]

What is the future for Access?

I think they should go software but with a hardware controller as dongle.


You're forgetting that the virus is an instrument (as in performers buy it too), it's not just an alternative to a soft synth.

[MBTC]

You're forgetting that the virus is an instrument (as in performers buy it too), it's not just an alternative to a soft synth.

Almost anything is an instrument in the right hands! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4mmc5Vadg4&feature=
related

[Roby31]

Way to completely miss the point :D

[Ruari]

The Powercore wasn't made by Access, it was licensed out to TC Electronics & it was them who would have decided how people would use it & pay for it.

[oblivion]

infraction! so you mean that with software and controller you can not perform?

I mean as a performer you use computers today right? so there is no problem to use software.

There is almost no limits of features and synthesis possibilities with software, only the computer.

I think this is the way to go, software is going to dominate and I think the big 3 hardware (workstation) companies are going software soon also, because workstation synths is dying.

[feedingear]

On the workstation side of things - I had a Korg Triton Ex for a while that I used mainly for cover band gigging, got a Korg M3 after selling it. I thought the Triton actually sounded better in most regards.

The M3s keybed was beautiful and expressive, but theres just no damn good reason to use it anymore when softsynths come as close if not closer for the pads, eps, and organ tones. String banks are okay but for the price you could buy Vienna Starter edition for a full orchestra and have far more powerful and functional sounds, then supplement with the various EP/Organ vsts that are out there that sound killer at a fraction of the price.

The combis are flat out useless, and the synth presets are just woefully naff - its hard to imagine any discerning dance producer using those synths, not to mention that by most reports (I didnt personally use it) the firewire connectivity function was a flop.

I sold the m3, bought a laptop. Never looked back.

[MBTC]

The Powercore wasn't made by Access, it was licensed out to TC Electronics & it was them who would have decided how people would use it & pay for it.

How software is used is more likely decided by those who license it out, which means Access was more than likely charging TC Electronics per-instance.

[MBTC]

Way to completely miss the point :D

Not at all. The point was that the definition of an instrument is blurry. A Virus is simply an integrated midi controller with knobs, DSP and software. You can achieve same with your computer.

So what's the difference? You could say that externally running cables between the controller and DSP make it no longer an instrument, and I might even agree with you. However coming up with something logical to present in your arguments might be a little out of character for you :)

[Roby31]

No in fact it was an ironic comment (with the :D) I don't think you missed the point in presenting other kind of "instruments"; more like you went to a parallel road than the other user that said that people use the Virus to play music instead of producing music (and people that do both) because it's still meant to be a performer's instrument designed to be a musical instrument rather than a series of glasses filled with different amounts of water :)

[infraction]

infraction! so you mean that with software and controller you can not perform?


I didn't say that, but the fact that it's an "instrument" is access's selling point. They design the thing to be used in or out of the studio, with or without a computer.

I don't perform myself so it doesn't apply to me but even though a lot of performers are going full on software route anyway if access did decide to do the software and controller thing it would lose it's appeal fast I reckon, not only the fact there's better more universal midi controllers out there for controlling software but the fact that you have to use it with a computer, wouldn't go down too well with people just looking for a keyboard to play ;)

[gfb]

You're forgetting that the virus is an instrument (as in performers buy it too), it's not just an alternative to a soft synth.

yep, i'm currently working on a new project where my Virus TI Polar is very much at the centre of my live performance rig

[maelstrom808]

Personally I hope they focus on improving the approach they have now. I like the TI for the fact that when I'm working at home I can offload the processing from the PC rather than have everything in the box..yet I can still unplug the USB and go play a gig or jam with someone and leave the comp at home. I'd like to see more features, more reliability, and more power. Leave the rest of it alone.

[thomas]

Nicely said

[cl516]

I'm curious about the same thing, specifically when a new version might be released, because I'm thinking about buying a Polar.

2005 = TI1, 2008 = Snow, March 2009 = TI2. OS4.5 coming up...

I think Musikmesse is early April. As long as a new one doesn't come out then, I wouldn't mind buying now...

What is the future for Access?

I think they should go software but with a hardware controller as dongle.

What do you think?

Is Summer Namm when Access release something new? I think it is time for Access to come up with a Virus TI3.

What is their next move?

[infraction]

Personally I hope they focus on improving the approach they have now. I like the TI for the fact that when I'm working at home I can offload the processing from the PC rather than have everything in the box..yet I can still unplug the USB and go play a gig or jam with someone and leave the comp at home. I'd like to see more features, more reliability, and more power. Leave the rest of it alone.

I wouldn't like to see it go native anyway tbh, you'd have every warez kiddie with an internet connection abusing it after it's cracked a week after launch.

[Roby31]

Hay guize listn 2 dis tuun i made wid mazzive!11

[feedingear]

hey now. lets not go bagging out massive :D. it complements the TI well.

One thing id like to see the TI take from massive is the LFO step sequencing function with drawable curves.... That would take the TI to an entirely new level for me.

[Roby31]

I was using it as an example of cracked and overused

[maelstrom808]

Hell I'd be happy if they'd just increase the speed of the LFOs

[///OSS]

Hell I'd be happy if they'd just increase the speed of the LFOs


tell me about it... paitiently waiting for them to catch up with more modern synthesis approaches...also some logic modifiers and some low pass gates. Id also like to see them implement a good filter model that doesnt turn the original signal to a caca when you bring up the resonance.

[boreg]

Id also like to see them implement a good filter model that doesnt turn the original signal to a caca when you bring up the resonance.
What about the "analog" filter model? It's much better than the standard Virus filter.

[Roby31]

What about buying something else instead? FFS, why did you buy a Virus in the first place if you didn't like how it sounded? Seriously. You don't buy a synth whose sound you don't like. You don't buy a synth THINKING something will be updated and/or included. You buy stuff for what it currently does. End of the question. If it didn't meet your expectations, sell it, return it or whatever - don't go complaining, nobody tricked you into buying it or forced you to :/

[MBTC]

If it didn't meet your expectations, sell it, return it or whatever - don't go complaining, nobody tricked you into buying it or forced you to :/

Save your breath... I returned mine yet I still get continually harassed by the likes of you :p

[Roby31]

It's not harassing, it's human curiosity. I genuinely want to know why there's all these complaints. I want to know what in the human mind brings somebody to spend that kind of money for something he doesn't find joy in.

Let me try to explain why I find this annoying with an example, will you follow me?
I like motorbikes. I enjoy riding. For some reason, I like dirt bikes more than regular touring or sports bikes. For some (stranger) reason, I buy a Yamaha R1. Then I go on an Internet forum and complain that Yamaha doesn't provide an off-road set of wheels and suspension settings.

What foundations are there to sustain my complaints? Why have I bought the bike in the first place if it wasn't made for the purpose I wanted?

Also, you did the right thing, you returned the synth and hopefully you got your money back. You're not on this board just to complain but also to show your suggestion that I'm sure many people appreciate. I don't see why you felt "accused" here apart for the earlier discussion that I intentionally left behind because I feel a bit of a language barrier preventing us from understanding each other (just like in the Dune thread).

[feedingear]

This thread turned into more of a dream feature/request style thread instead of a discussion of where Access might move to in the future, which may be where some of the confusion about what constitutes complaining/whinging about features has risen up.

Theres already a good thread about feature/requests to peruse or add to.

As for the bickering, take a chill pill, make some bleeps, have a coke and a smile and shut the **** up :D.

[MBTC]

It's not harassing, it's human curiosity. I genuinely want to know why there's all these complaints. I want to know what in the human mind brings somebody to spend that kind of money for something he doesn't find joy in.

Let me try to explain why I find this annoying with an example, will you follow me?
I like motorbikes. I enjoy riding. For some reason, I like dirt bikes more than regular touring or sports bikes. For some (stranger) reason, I buy a Yamaha R1. Then I go on an Internet forum and complain that Yamaha doesn't provide an off-road set of wheels and suspension settings.

What foundations are there to sustain my complaints? Why have I bought the bike in the first place if it wasn't made for the purpose I wanted?

Also, you did the right thing, you returned the synth and hopefully you got your money back. You're not on this board just to complain but also to show your suggestion that I'm sure many people appreciate. I don't see why you felt "accused" here apart for the earlier discussion that I intentionally left behind because I feel a bit of a language barrier preventing us from understanding each other (just like in the Dune thread).

I was mostly just having some fun on the last comment, I wouldn't visit forums at all if I didn't enjoy it.

I am actually one that doesn't appreciate incessant whining, either, but I do try to differentiate between constructive complaints and those who just like to bitch.

I've always considered the Virus a really interesting study in all of this, because on one hand it is such a beautiful and sought-after instrument in the world of synthesis, yet many folks experience with it seems to be kind of like having a high-maintenance, tempermental girlfriend with a perfect body that you can't really seem to just force yourself send packing for various reasons but can never get to do what you want her to. I accepted the Virus as a similar entity, and I keep coming back here looking for maturity in certain areas of the product so that I can hopefully re-kindle the relationship. So on one hand I don't like unwarranted whining but I can understand why, at the current price point vs. what's available in software based plugins, a lot of folks have expectations that are not met by Virus hardware.

[Roby31]

To me "tell me about it... paitiently waiting for them to catch up with more modern synthesis approaches...also some logic modifiers and some low pass gates. Id also like to see them implement a good filter model that doesnt turn the original signal to a caca when you bring up the resonance" IS a pretty big complaint about something the instrument wasn't designed to do.

But whatever floats your boat (or should I say, whatever does not float your boat because you bought it not to).

[Roby31]

I was mostly just having some fun on the last comment, I wouldn't visit forums at all if I didn't enjoy it.

I am actually one that doesn't appreciate incessant whining, either, but I do try to differentiate between constructive complaints and those who just like to bitch.

I've always considered the Virus a really interesting study in all of this, because on one hand it is such a beautiful and sought-after instrument in the world of synthesis, yet many folks experience with it seems to be kind of like having a high-maintenance, tempermental girlfriend with a perfect body that you can't really seem to just force yourself send packing for various reasons but can never get to do what you want her to. I accepted the Virus as a similar entity, and I keep coming back here looking for maturity in certain areas of the product so that I can hopefully re-kindle the relationship. So on one hand I don't like unwarranted whining but I can understand why, at the current price point vs. what's available in software based plugins, a lot of folks have expectations that are not met by Virus hardware.

This I can understand a lot. But I don't understand buying something without certain missing features that one seems to need so much, especially when the object we're talking about costs a very high price. They weren't forced to buy it I suppose :? yet when there is/was the option to return it (again) many didn't use it and complain :?

Another example: I wanted LFOs that could do FM and go in audio range, and more than two envelopes - I bought a Waldorf synthesizer. The Virus didn't have those features and I didn't consider it. I wanted the versatility of the Virus, I didn't consider buying a Voyager

I feel the same limitations in most software instruments: many of them don't have nearly as many features that I would consider enough, while they are in some hardware instruments. If my processor is way more powerful than current DSPs, why not use it? Yet I don't find many plug-ins that do what I want them to do, and until I program one myself I will refrain from buying those that don't satisfy me.

Some of these "I wish..." "Why the fuck don't they..." "The filter sounds like shit..." have never belonged to this thread, yet they're here as the usual complaining, sort of a microwave background radiation in the synth universe.

[to-pse]

Hi everyone,

I think the next version of the virus will most probably
contain the newest generation of Motorola 56k DSPs

Instead of the two single-core 150Mhz (TI) or 180Mhz (TI2),
they will probably use the newer single-chip dual-core DSP
at 250Mhz. This will decrease the price for the PCB and
increase performance by a good amount...

USB 2.0 integration would good, to allow for 24bit VSTi
Integration with more parallel channels.

Even better than using USB might be the usage of Ethernet AVB,
a new standard supposed to replace all the proprietary ways to
transfer audio over network cables. There are quite a few
manufacturers going in this direction (Dante, MyMix for example)

This way a virus could be integrated via AVB for the audio path.
Since more & more people start using digitial snakes for live,
This would also make sense for gigging...

Tobias

[MBTC]

To even discuss Mhz in the days of multicore Ghz is a total embarassment for Access. The difference in processing power cost to them from a manufacturing standpoint is more like the difference between one postage stamp and two, yet the see this as the money ticket for slow upgrades and rolling out a new multi-thousand dollar product every few years.

Unacceptable, they should get with the times.

[feedingear]

@Roby: my post was an attempt to put an end to a fruitless path of discussion

@Mtcb..c.b .Isn't the above pure speculation? Do you have any facts to back up that statement?

Make music, not forum posts :D

[MBTC]

@Mtcb..c.b .Isn't the above pure speculation? Do you have any facts to back up that statement?


To back up which statement? I do have several decades of software engineering experience and could talk a lot about why a processor measured in gigahertz is more modern than one measured in megahertz, but that seems a bit like explaining why or justifying that a mile is longer than an inch? Anyone can research this easily enough.

[feedingear]

"To even discuss Mhz in the days of multicore Ghz is a total embarassment for Access." You dont know what they are making for the new Virus product, so yes, that is speculation.

"The difference in processing power cost to them from a manufacturing standpoint is more like the difference between one postage stamp and two, yet the see this as the money ticket for slow upgrades and rolling out a new multi-thousand dollar product every few years."

Again, this is an assumption.

"Unacceptable, they should get with the times."

You don't know what they are doing with the next model? So a scathing comment barely hiding your clear animosity to Access (which comes across in every post, no matter how you go about wording it) seems like speculation to me.

Anyway, whatever they put out, will be received with interest from me, as I prefer to make music then forum banter...

[MBTC]

I understand your point of view there and how my words came across different than intended -- in retrospect they could be a little read as a little more scathing than I wanted them to be. Sometimes the lighter side of my personality does not come through very well in my day to day posts.

If I were posting a more humble version of that, I suppose I could simply say that clock speeds measured in Mhz are a bit passe, much faster processors are available at a negligible cost and have been for many years.

To put everything in perspective, the only reason that I throw out negatives like I do is in an effort to be included in the voices that hopefully shape the direction of future Access products. If I don't complain about the issues that are important to me, I am simply sitting back hoping someone else complains about same.

But animosity is a misguided term for my feelings toward Access. I have no animosity toward them whatsoever, just want to see some aspects of the product line improved.


Anyway, whatever they put out, will be received with interest from me, as I prefer to make music then forum banter...

Actually I've noticed you fairly regularly post to the forums about how you wish others would make music instead of posting to forums :)

But yes, I will be keeping an eye on future Access products as well.

[IamEvil]

so you believe that the virus would be improved by having a ghz cpu, one which no doubt would require some form of cooling.

Given that, even in its poor old mhz state :-

A) the virus is probably one of the most feature packed synths out there
B) the virus holds its own with all these soft synths that I have tried on my multi-core, multi ghz cpu in my pc
C) that small 20mhz boost on 2x cpus can give the virus 25% more power.
D) the virus doesn't seem to be lacking grunt unless you play massive chords with all oscs turned on.

What exactly do you believe these hugely more powerful ghz cpus would have given you extra ?
The virus has to compute waveforms out of data, not multitask running operating systems and various software programs. My old 333mhz pc quite happily ran windows + cubase 3.7 + antivirus + firewalls etc etc so given that the relatively small amount of data that the virus has to compute on the spot, I fail to see where you're coming from with your latest attempt to get a reaction.

[MBTC]

The cooling issue is a good point but since it can be done in laptops I don't see why it would be challenging in the Virus box.

The main benefit of hugely more powerful processors, in my mind is polyphony/voice count, and the ability to use more onboard FX. I saw some very sad cases of note stealing on some of the default patches on the Ti2.

As far as holding its own against soft synths, yes it does hold its own against a couple of instances of a soft synth, but with something like a Core i7 processor and an efficient plugin you can often have more instances than you'd know what to do with and still be under 50% total CPU utilization.

[oblivion]

Is it possible to use the mobile cpu:s Qualcomm Snapdragon in a future Virus synth or must it be a Motorola cpu?

[MBTC]

Is it possible to use the mobile cpu:s Qualcomm Snapdragon in a future Virus synth or must it be a Motorola cpu?

I'm not sure, but it seems to me mobile processors would put a priority on battery life and small size over performance. My iPhone 4 struggles sometimes with the simplest of tasks like a chat conversation that grows a little bit.

[Berni]

Well I dont think access will come out with a proper software version of the virus for several reasons, 1. There are already lots of good ones out there already that can do a pretty good job of creating the virus sound, NI's Massive springs to mind. 2. The whole VC fiasco proves that they are'nt that good at creating solid, reliable software. 3. They are hardware manufacturers first & foremost, thats what they are good at, making sexy looking, great sounding synths & will probably continue to do so as long as there is a viable market but as another poster said this is going to be an increasingly smaller consumer base as soft synths & computers get better & faster.
Akai used to be, arguably, the worlds No1 sampler manufacturer but there software was buggy for a lot of models, even some of there late high end machines (MPC 4000, S5/6000) & there Aksys software (there version of virus control) was a complete joke which just about put the last nail in there sampling coffin when cheap soft samplers came on the market. To this day they have not made a decent software version of any of the Akai samplers & now concentrate on making hardware because thats what they are good at. I think the same is true for access.
Just my 2c ; )

P.S. Spoon Dad was cool!

[MBTC]

Just my 2c ; )

P.S. Spoon Dad was cool!

:)

Well it seems your opinion is similar to mine. Do you get lots of haters here too? I'm feeling the heat. Maybe my choice of words is what sets people off? Actually when I consider comments across other threads I've gotten the impression there are more folks that agree with me than disagree.

However I am definately feeling like I am making enemies here lately and that was never my intention. I've learned that Virus owners can be extremely sensitive and brand loyal when something negative is said about this synth. Even I've mentioned many times over I think highly of this beautiful piece of hardware as an instrument on the whole, I just want to see improvements around total integration, USB and DAW integration, more power/voice count, or at least a trade off in price so that there is more bang for the buck compared to soft synths.

But, the positive things I say never get noticed.. lol. I am just going to try to force myself to back off for a bit, because my membership on these forums is for a reason (I hope to own the next-gen Virus). Lately I'm getting accused of being a troll and I never wanted to come here to make enemies or piss folks off.

[Berni]

Hey its a public forum, say what you want...the haters dont make any music with it anyway so fuck em ; )

[to-pse]

Is it possible to use the mobile cpu:s Qualcomm Snapdragon in a future Virus synth or must it be a Motorola cpu?

I think performance-wise it would be possible to port the Virus algorithms
to quite a few currently available processor-architectures (especially
since most CPUs even in the embedded domain now contain special
instructions for SIMD operations)

But I suppose that this would be a tedious task. Access has used the
Motorola 56k architecture right from the beginning. I would suppose even
coding lots of high-perfomance-parts directly in the 56K DSP-assembler not
to induce any overhead due to compilers and inefficient automatic optimization.

Best regards,
Tobias

[to-pse]

2. The whole VC fiasco proves that they are'nt that good at creating solid, reliable software.


Well - as the whole Virus is primarily software I would dispute this claim.

But there is a big difference between writing embedded code for a specific
hardware (which one has total control over) and writing low & high-level
software for two totally distinct OS-architectures (Win & OS X) which
is meant to run on all kinds of different OS-versions, architectures (32 &
64 bit), with all kinds of different USB-hardware as basis for realtime
low-latency communication and a truck-load of different hosts which
need to interoperate with the higher-layer.

I don't know how many people are working for Access or how much of
their development for the total Integration was outsourced.

But this whole thing is a giant task - and unfortunately one that constantly
needs to be refinded due to OS-Updates, hardware-updates, host-updates
etc.

And it seems to be one task that IMHO no other hardware-synth manu-
facturer has burdened themselves with...

Best regards,
Tobias

[to-pse]

I just want to see improvements around total integration, USB and DAW integration, more power/voice count, or at least a trade off in price so that there is more bang for the buck compared to soft synths.


I don't know if anyone outside Access knows the sales figures of
the various Viruses. But I would suppose that they won't sell
in the numbers that the DX7 sold in his time.

Manufacturing quality hardware in small batches cannot really be done
for cheap. And development of hardware, software and support needs
to be payed for (not to forget marketing ;-)

I really think that Access should move to a hybrid approach in the
future. The support & development of the total integration is more
hassle than could be worth if they did this:

a.) port their DSP-routines to x86 (I would suppose that somewhere in
their labs they have done so already).

b.) Release a VSTi/AU version of this for integration into hosts.

c.) Have an external Virus "D" without the "TI" part but complete
processing power necessary for live (which is probably much less
than whats used in the production environment)

d.) Use the external Virus "D" as a "dongle" & controller for the virtual
instrument running on Mac & PC

It is much easier to maintain a virtual software instrument than to
maintain their total integration over the years (see my other post).

Tobias

[feedingear]

:)
But, the positive things I say never get noticed.. lol. I am just going to try to force myself to back off for a bit, because my membership on these forums is for a reason (I hope to own the next-gen Virus). Lately I'm getting accused of being a troll and I never wanted to come here to make enemies or piss folks off.

You are welcome and entitled to your opinion. I just think that with less then a months experience on the virus before you returned it (for your reasons youve stated), there are a few areas you post about (sound quality as in relation to VSTS etc) that its hard to give you credibility for, particularly without getting to hear your own music/production output as a way for others to judge your level of expertise. My 2c.

[Berni]

Well - as the whole Virus is primarily software I would dispute this claim.

But there is a big difference between writing embedded code for a specific
hardware (which one has total control over) and writing low & high-level
software for two totally distinct OS-architectures (Win & OS X) which
is meant to run on all kinds of different OS-versions, architectures (32 &
64 bit), with all kinds of different USB-hardware as basis for realtime
low-latency communication and a truck-load of different hosts which
need to interoperate with the higher-layer.

I don't know how many people are working for Access or how much of
their development for the total Integration was outsourced.

But this whole thing is a giant task - and unfortunately one that constantly
needs to be refinded due to OS-Updates, hardware-updates, host-updates
etc.

And it seems to be one task that IMHO no other hardware-synth manu-
facturer has burdened themselves with...

Best regards,
Tobias

So what are you disputing? VC is a great piece of software?

[to-pse]

So what are you disputing? VC is a great piece of software?

Like I wrote in my reponse I dispute that Access is not able to write
solid, reliable software - as obviously the Virus itself (since the A
version in the 90s) is primarily software.

I could repeat my whole post again, but the essence is that there
are various kinds of software:

a.) embedded software (stuff in the virus)
b.) system-level software (USB-drivers for TI-integration)
c.) user-space software (VSTi plugin)

And at least in the part a.) they know how to deliver!

But especially the b.) part is tricky to get right (again like I wrote
in my last post).

Look how many companies still struggle to provide high-performance,
reliable drivers even after years in the business.

It might be that Access overstrained themselves in this task, but it
seems that the quality of the integration has improved over time.

Tobias

[MBTC]

Hey its a public forum, say what you want...the haters dont make any music with it anyway so fuck em ; )

I know, but the point of my presence here is for information exchange. When I have something to contribute (usually sound design or generally synth oriented but not specific to the Virus), I try to help others out. If I own a Virus one day, I would visit here to benefit from others' experience, so I do not really want to isolate myself from those folks or build up a hate club that ignores everything I say because they think I'm always going to say something negative about the Virus.

Beyond that there is nothing anyone could say over an internet forum that's going to irk me or make a difference between me having a good or crappy day :)

[MBTC]

You are welcome and entitled to your opinion. I just think that with less then a months experience on the virus before you returned it (for your reasons youve stated), there are a few areas you post about (sound quality as in relation to VSTS etc) that its hard to give you credibility for, particularly without getting to hear your own music/production output as a way for others to judge your level of expertise. My 2c.

That's largely because between my job, dating & social life, and the rest of life's time-sinks, I have not had the time to complete a fully produced track I'm proud of in a very long time, so posting a full musical track is not necessarily indicative of my expertise, it would only be a demonstration of my emphasis on melodies and prove that I still have a long way to go before I am good at mixing. And since I've never aspired to be a professional musician or DJ I am not motivated to spend a lot of time on the art of mixing when I just enjoy creating melodic trance as a sort of therapeutical exercise.

When it comes to sound design, it is easier to post small snippets of examples, to illustrate a point. And I did that as recently as a couple of weeks ago.

[Berni]

Like I wrote in my reponse I dispute that Access is not able to write
solid, reliable software - as obviously the Virus itself (since the A
version in the 90s) is primarily software.

I could repeat my whole post again, but the essence is that there
are various kinds of software:

a.) embedded software (stuff in the virus)
b.) system-level software (USB-drivers for TI-integration)
c.) user-space software (VSTi plugin)

And at least in the part a.) they know how to deliver!

But especially the b.) part is tricky to get right (again like I wrote
in my last post).

Look how many companies still struggle to provide high-performance,
reliable drivers even after years in the business.

It might be that Access overstrained themselves in this task, but it
seems that the quality of the integration has improved over time.

Tobias

Yeah I got it the first time...what your saying is that they can write software for the synth they manufacture, & lets face it, not much good without it, although it has had a lot of problems. But the other stuff, the 'tricky' kind...not so much. I concur...
They HAVE been at this for years btw...

[zahush76]

There are several things access must add to their next generation virus. Some of the features are already out there on other synths:

1) The firs most important improvement is adding the ability to upload user samples and be able to manipulate them. This feature can be found on the waldorf blofeld, nord wave and solaris. It is definetly the time for the virus to join that wagon.

2) It seems that a lot of synths today have more of everything. So more lfo's, more envelopes (with more stages), an "everythin modulates everything" matrix etc.