Namm 2012

[enfield]

Well, Christmas 2.0 has just started in Anaheim and maybe I'm not the only one who's excited about the news coming right along the road... is anybody out there/on teh internets who've seen anything new from Access?

[Timo]

The NAMM show starts today (19th) through to the 22nd. Access usually make their announcements toward the end.

In time tested fashion they usually pull something out the bag for NAMM each year, operating system based at least, so watch this space. :)

[Berni]

So this got my interest, so I did a little digging & found out access share a booth with a company called Kemper who are the actual manufacturers & distributors of the synth according to there web site...very interesting, although there web site is very spartan with only very basic info. Access are only the developers of the synth apparently & due to there obvious lack of understanding of the software side of it I am convinced that they dont write the software for this thing either.
So my question is this...apart from marc & jorg ( the ONLY 2 people on support ) who the hell is access & can I get my money back please from you jokers? ; )
I'm hoping they announce they have finally made a stable, usable VC for all. Lets fix the old shit before we do anything else is what I say....its been 7 YEARS already!

[MBTC]

So this got my interest, so I did a little digging & found out access share a booth with a company called Kemper who are the actual manufacturers & distributors of the synth according to there web site

I had looked up the floorplan a few weeks back and was a little disappointed to see they had a relatively small space rented (20'x20') and shared with Kemper who has a line of amps and such, because it seemed to be not a good omen suggesting a really interesting new announcement, but then I realized Moog had about the same amount of space and they are bringing out the Minitaur which is an interesting piece of gear, so I was trying not to read much into these things until I see what comes of NAMM officially.

Personally something like a Snow with more DSP power and fixed USB implementation for about the same as the current Snow would probably get my dollar. The dreamer in me thinks about a 3rd Gen TI, the realist/pessimist in me says don't expect more than a couple of software features which consume resources away from fixing the existing.

[Berni]

[quote=MBTC;300794]I had looked up the floorplan a few weeks back and was a little disappointed to see they had a relatively small space rented (20'x20') and shared with Kemper who has a line of amps and such, because it seemed to be not a good omen suggesting a really interesting new announcement

Lol, I was thinking the exact same thing...if anything I hope its software improvements ; )

[FSTZ]

I'm following all of the updates via Synthtopia.com and I am shocked at the number of very small analog synths that are coming out.

the minitaur by moog, the arturia mini brute and waldorf dropped a micro desktop analog synth called pulse 2.

I must say that the moog looks sexy as hell

http://cdn.synthtopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/moog-minitaur-synthesizer.jpg

[enfield]

The NAMM show starts today (19th) through to the 22nd. Access usually make their announcements toward the end.

In time tested fashion they usually pull something out the bag for NAMM each year, operating system based at least, so watch this space. :)

yeah...will do... :/ but I can't control myself already :D I still have a strange feeling about that silence... no news from people visiting NAMM / not a hint from Access about anything in the pipeline via FB or Twitter just an invitation to a "users unite" hour for the last day... they should change their approach to marketing because

1. the earlier they show the new things the more people's gonna visit them and actually place orders on new piece of hardware if there's gonna be any

2. the earlier they show the new things the more time I have for my exams instead of checking major coverages on the net :)

So this got my interest, so I did a little digging & found out access share a booth with a company called Kemper who are the actual manufacturers & distributors of the synth according to there web site...very interesting, although there web site is very spartan with only very basic info. Access are only the developers of the synth apparently & due to there obvious lack of understanding of the software side of it I am convinced that they dont write the software for this thing either.
So my question is this...apart from marc & jorg ( the ONLY 2 people on support ) who the hell is access & can I get my money back please from you jokers? ; )
I'm hoping they announce they have finally made a stable, usable VC for all. Lets fix the old shit before we do anything else is what I say....its been 7 YEARS already!

http://virus.info/page/render/lang/en/p/17/do/Contact_sales_media_and_press.html

everything is here you need to know :)

/me impatient

[enfield]

I'm following all of the updates via Synthtopia.com and I am shocked at the number of very small analog synths that are coming out.

the minitaur by moog, the arturia mini brute and waldorf dropped a micro desktop analog synth called pulse 2.

I must say that the moog looks sexy as hell

http://cdn.synthtopia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/moog-minitaur-synthesizer.jpg

+1
pulse 2 is sexy as well, even if the design is a little bit Blofeldish :) but it's good to see they are looking after their legacy products

[Berni]

yeah...will do... :/ but I can't control myself already :D I still have a strange feeling about that silence... no news from people visiting NAMM / not a hint from Access about anything in the pipeline via FB or Twitter just an invitation to a "users unite" hour for the last day... they should change their approach to marketing because

1. the earlier they show the new things the more people's gonna visit them and actually place orders on new piece of hardware if there's gonna be any

2. the earlier they show the new things the more time I have for my exams instead of checking major coverages on the net :)



http://virus.info/page/render/lang/en/p/17/do/Contact_sales_media_and_press.html

everything is here you need to know :)

/me impatient

Oh really...the job opportunities link on that web page was last updated in 08. Seems like they where looking for a mac/pc developer back then...wonder what happened?
P.S. Dont believe everything you see on the net... best to use intelligence & experience ; )

[MarPabl]

Hey check out this new 100% analog synth from Arturia. Looks quite cute :rolleyes:
http://www.arturia.com/evolution/assets/scripts/wdtd/minibrute_wdtd_top.jpg

And for more information: http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/minibrute/details.html

[MBTC]

Hey check out this new 100% analog synth from Arturia. Looks quite cute
It does look neat, but if I'm going to dink with hardware I need something that says "I will sound as good as the best VSTs in your plugin toolbox, yet take up no CPU". The audio demos on this puppy did not grab my interest, then there was this:

"MiniBrute comes with no electronic presets. You build yourself every sound you hear. Believe us, this is fun, this is creative and this helps make better music (and honestly, this is not harder than browsing sub-menus). Now of course you can still play sounds made by other programmers. And you can store your sounds. How is that ? Arturia delivers preset sheets that fit on the surface of the MiniBrute. Following instructions set on the preset sheets, you get a preset sound in a minute. And if you want to store your sound, just take one of the blank sheets and write your marks. "

[Timo]

Cute. But only two octaves, lol?

The Moog Minitaur looks and sounds great.

I'd love for Access to release a oscillator waveform designer for Virus, then I'd sell a kidney. Cherry on the top would be if it sported the whiteout scheme. :)

http://musicindustrynewswire.com/META/MIN-VirusTi62white.jpg

[feedingear]

Does look cute, lack of preset recall is an instant killer for me for what I would mainly want it for (additional live synth on stage).

Minitaur is mighty tempting!

As far as Access updates/bugs, guess we will see what happens, if anything. That said the only problem I get with mine is the occasional clock slip out of time.

[MarPabl]

Of course the Minibrute is just cute, nothing more ;) That's the reason I chose my description carefully!

I think this is a concept similar of the Roland Gaia, with no presets or LCD screen and every single parameter with a dedicated knob/controller... But this one has got 100% analog path, super portable, nice keybed action (but I prefer 37 keys) and it seems built like a tank (just like the Virus). All of those points make the Arturia Minibrute to look more desirable in comparison with the Roland Gaia. And it's on a similar price range. Maybe this is a great beginner 100% analog synth to learn programming...

But I still think it looks quite cute :rolleyes:

[Rick Boogie]

The Minitaur is for sure destined for my music room. The MiniBrute is still a big maybe, but I do like this analog revival we've got going on this year.

[Timo]

http://www.soundonsound.com/newspix/image/large-sospulse2perspective-lores.jpg http://www.sequencer.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/pulse_2_backside-LoRes.jpg
^ Waldorf Pulse 2

http://www.sonicftp.com/news/images/korg_sv1_black73.jpg
^ Korg SV-1 (Stage Vintage) Piano

http://www.sonicftp.com/news/images/korg_monotron_family.jpg
^ Korg Monotron Duo (two-osc analog synth with MS-20 filter) and Monotron Delay (one-osc analog synth with MS-32 filter and space echo)

_NXrSPQ7aHY
^ Moog Minitaur

T7O946lG7Ik
^ Arturia Minibrute

bZt7ZUqzOkc
^ Nord Virtual Dum

Would be nice if Access branched out from the same Virus line all the time. I don't think they innovate (in sonic terms) as much as they could.

http://www.sonicftp.com/news/images/nord_piano2_ha88.jpg
^ Nord Piano 2

http://www.sonicftp.com/news/images/nord_c2d.jpg
^ Nord C2D, dual-manual organ with drawbars

http://cdn.mos.musicradar.com/images/Product%20News/Tech/Jan12/casio-xwp1-xwg1-main-660-80.jpg
^ ho ho, Casio XW-P1 and XW-G1.

wyWs87ebi-o
VA, PCM, noise, drawbar organ, also with waves from CZ.

http://i44.tinypic.com/21karmr.jpg
^ Jomox Moonwind analogue filter with seq

[enfield]

so... I was right :( nothing new from our beloved manufacturer this winter indeed... :/ the preceding inactivity on FB before NAMM somehow already suggested me that or maybe I'm a Jedi, not to mention the more and more suspicious unsuccessful Google searches throughout the show...

[FSTZ]

I refuse to buy another casio haha

I am also hyped on a lot of the iPad development

I'll have one soon

[MBTC]

so... I was right :( nothing new from our beloved manufacturer this winter indeed... :/ the preceding inactivity on FB before NAMM somehow already suggested me that or maybe I'm a Jedi, not to mention the more and more suspicious unsuccessful Google searches throughout the show...

A company that stops innovating is pretty much doomed. I've worked in countless technology organizations that exhibit the same outwardly visibile symptoms Access is displaying today, and I could write a book on what leads to the decline of a tech industry leader. I of course have no insight on what is really going on with Access right now or if they are really on the decline, but I do know that I've always been fascinated at how synth manufacturers never seem to be able to uphold their mojo.

For example, why is it that today we cannot buy something like a JP-8000 on steroids? Instead, Roland comes out with some piece of crap synth and slaps the Jupiter name on it, almost mocking one of the greatest synths every created. I would be impressed with Roland if they still made the original JP-8000 for example. Yet, nobody ever does that. As soon as they have a great product, you can rest assured it will find a place in a museum somewhere but that not only will that product not evolve into better offspring of same, that they won't even be able to sustain same!

In technology and engineering in general, I have watched so many companies take a product about 90% of the way to perfection, then abandon the last ten percent because the last 10 percent is the hardest to pull off. Or in some cases, upper management says "well, we've got the product we want now, we just have to sell it harder" so they start laying off the engineers that know how the product works and start filling their seats with more salesmen. Problem is, that last 10 percent of bug fixes was never worked out, and the collateral damage from such catasrophic management decisions is too great, the aftershock lingers, the product goes in the museum of technology history of great things that might have been.

I hate to seem down on the Virus but I was really looking forward to what they might announce. I know there is that .0001% they can make a liar out of me and introduce something outside the NAMM window, maybe later this year, but I get the feeling there was a bunch of folks that got tired of standing on a sinking ship and have moved on. Maybe they perceived the soft synth movement to be unstoppable, so what is the point of working on Total Integration and Virus Control and getting them actually working?

[enfield]

A company that stops innovating is pretty much doomed. I've worked in countless technology organizations that exhibit the same outwardly visibile symptoms Access is displaying today, and I could write a book on what leads to the decline of a tech industry leader. I of course have no insight on what is really going on with Access right now or if they are really on the decline, but I do know that I've always been fascinated at how synth manufacturers never seem to be able to uphold their mojo.

For example, why is it that today we cannot buy something like a JP-8000 on steroids? Instead, Roland comes out with some piece of crap synth and slaps the Jupiter name on it, almost mocking one of the greatest synths every created. I would be impressed with Roland if they still made the original JP-8000 for example. Yet, nobody ever does that. As soon as they have a great product, you can rest assured it will find a place in a museum somewhere but that not only will that product not evolve into better offspring of same, that they won't even be able to sustain same!

In technology and engineering in general, I have watched so many companies take a product about 90% of the way to perfection, then abandon the last ten percent because the last 10 percent is the hardest to pull off. Or in some cases, upper management says "well, we've got the product we want now, we just have to sell it harder" so they start laying off the engineers that know how the product works and start filling their seats with more salesmen. Problem is, that last 10 percent of bug fixes was never worked out, and the collateral damage from such catasrophic management decisions is too great, the aftershock lingers, the product goes in the museum of technology history of great things that might have been.

I hate to seem down on the Virus but I was really looking forward to what they might announce. I know there is that .0001% they can make a liar out of me and introduce something outside the NAMM window, maybe later this year, but I get the feeling there was a bunch of folks that got tired of standing on a sinking ship and have moved on. Maybe they perceived the soft synth movement to be unstoppable, so what is the point of working on Total Integration and Virus Control and getting them actually working?

+1
Not only going after the money and releasing a 'master of nothing jack of all trades' palette of unfinished products is disgusting and disappointing, but abandoning them as well... mainly support-wise.

The situation now with Access is not that serious at all, I'm just simply disappointed because I've been waiting for months for something big from them in vain :)

[Berni]

+1
Not only going after the money and releasing a 'master of nothing jack of all trades' palette of unfinished products is disgusting and disappointing, but abandoning them as well... mainly support-wise.

The situation now with Access is not that serious at all, I'm just simply disappointed because I've been waiting for months for something big from them in vain :)

Access' situation is very serious & it doesn't look like whoever access are care

[enfield]

Access' situation is very serious & it doesn't look like whoever access are care

Maybe they're just workin' :) have enough money, have one product to work on... just give some info what's going on, that's what I want ESPECIALLY this time of the year when all the others come out with great innovations...

[Berni]

Maybe they're just workin' :) have enough money, have one product to work on... just give some info what's going on, that's what I want ESPECIALLY this time of the year when all the others come out with great innovations...
They've been 'workin' on this TI thing for nearly 7 years & it is STILL a long way off a finished product. To be honest I think they are dead in the water. Anybody here want to put money on it?

[Rick Boogie]

I'd rather they wait until they have something worth releasing than rushing out with something sub par just to make a spalsh.

[Berni]

I'd rather they wait until they have something worth releasing than rushing out with something sub par just to make a spalsh.
are u serious, Lol ; )

[MBTC]

My thoughts on this overall is that Access is a company that needs to either adapt to the realities of modern softsynths and either provide a competitive advantage over softsynths or modify the price of their expensive hardware to make more sense in the wake of competition.

The Virus came to popularity at a time when Core i7 processors did not yet exist and soft-synths were not quite where they are now, both in quality and variety. Back then it took a different approach to incorporating a signal from hardware and all the latency that comes with it into a fully produced track. These days, once you've tried a pure software approach and not had to deal with as many middlemen steps, it becomes much harder to justify external hardware and all the timing niggles.

Clearly Access acknowledged this when they introduced the notion of DAW integration. My personal belief is that they are currently experiencing a case of arrested development, living in the spotlight of past hardware successes without acknowledging how important the software integration really is. That could lead to their downfall and that is not going to change if folks keep patting them on the balls telling them how awesome the Virus is. It sounds nice, but there are a lot of modern softsynths that sound just as good if you route them through equivalent processing and signal paths. The difference is that many of us would like to use the computer for sequencing and general arrangement, while not being limited to the CPU or threading limitations of a single piece of hardware. At least, this is what I wanted out of the Virus, great sounds that didn't load up my CPU. But if I have to give one or the other up, guess which wins? The fact that I don't have a Virus today answers that question, as I am happily composing along with amazing softsynths like Zebra2, Synthmaster, Dune, Sylenth, etc. The synths you're more likely to hear in professional tracks these days anyway, for the same reasons I've described here.... easier to work with, easier to produce music with. This is what Access is missing.

Beyond that, I cannot bring myself to buy a simple TI Snow, because it seems everywhere I look (at dealers I'm familiar with) the price is fixed to something like $1386 US. See a problem there? Especially when the last two digits are 8 and 6? Funny coincidence eh? Meanwhile I can get a wide assortment of synths that sound indistinguishable but cost a fraction of it.

As I see it, the ball is in Access' court now. They can fix shit or die, plain and simple.

[oscillator]

MBTC +1 right thinking

[TheHobbit]

Glad Access haven't bought anything out....I wouldn't have any cash left (or a wife lol).

Existing TI and now I can add a MiniBrute + MiniTaur + QuNeo which will be finding their way into my rack =:•)

Going to be good fun!

[Ruari]

Check this out

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2012/01/30/wnamm12-access-virus-ti-os5/

[enfield]

Check this out

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2012/01/30/wnamm12-access-virus-ti-os5/

wow... good morning SonicState...

[feedingear]

Heh 'available soon'. Some interesting new additions, the new envelopes are very welcome.

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

7 years of Total Integration...that is a long time in software development terms. I have been a Virus owner/user in the past...but for me...the TI departed from where I wanted the Virus to go...

I never liked being forced to stream audio over USB whenever it was connected and I found loading/saving/organising patches a total pain in the arse. The number of duplicates is a headfuck...and the sheer volume of presets actually killed my creativity. Hours upon hours of aimlessly cycling through presets that had been too heavily effected. Honestly...that onboard EQ has been abused and alot of the sounds on the TI are dry, flakey and crusty 'n' crunchy. The Virus KC...and in particular the factory presets made prior to OS6.5 were the best sounding. Silky, warm and smooth. The TI is brittle in comparison...and this is down to EQ abuse and possibly inferior DACS. But dont quote me on that...

I'd love to see Access put the TI aspect to bed. Just fuck it off into cyberspace. Stop wasting time and money adding a couple of filters, envelopes and bug fixing. Instead, expand the control surface, streamline the menu system, develop NEW synthesis (Phase Distortion, true FM DX7 style, User Importable Waveshapes etc) and get INNOVATING. Just think....all that time and effort spent on Total Integration...could have been spent on a new product line, new synthesis etc etc. They really are reluctant to let this go. Unfortuntately, history shows us what happens to companies who can't let go of a bad idea. It eventually sinks them. I say fuck it...before it fucks you.

The Virus is way over priced in this economic climate. Back in 2001/2 the Virus KB cost £1299. In the space of 10 years your paying £1999. Im pretty sure thats damaging sales. You would think they'd sell alot more of £1200 synths than a warehouse of £2000 synths...but I guess Im just clueless.

I dont want this post to be taken as a negative. I love Access...I love what they've done for the music industry (alot of my favourite songs have obvious virus on them) and I want them to survive this econonmic downturn. I dont wanna see them goto the wall. Just refine their business model and get innovating as opposed to dragged down by their TI legacy.

Cheers, DS

[ontherun]

7 years of Total Integration...that is a long time in software development terms. I have been a Virus owner/user in the past...but for me...the TI departed from where I wanted the Virus to go...

I never liked being forced to stream audio over USB whenever it was connected and I found loading/saving/organising patches a total pain in the arse. The number of duplicates is a headfuck...and the sheer volume of presets actually killed my creativity. Hours upon hours of aimlessly cycling through presets that had been too heavily effected. Honestly...that onboard EQ has been abused and alot of the sounds on the TI are dry, flakey and crusty 'n' crunchy. The Virus KC...and in particular the factory presets made prior to OS6.5 were the best sounding. Silky, warm and smooth. The TI is brittle in comparison...and this is down to EQ abuse and possibly inferior DACS. But dont quote me on that...

I'd love to see Access put the TI aspect to bed. Just fuck it off into cyberspace. Stop wasting time and money adding a couple of filters, envelopes and bug fixing. Instead, expand the control surface, streamline the menu system, develop NEW synthesis (Phase Distortion, true FM DX7 style, User Importable Waveshapes etc) and get INNOVATING. Just think....all that time and effort spent on Total Integration...could have been spent on a new product line, new synthesis etc etc. They really are reluctant to let this go. Unfortuntately, history shows us what happens to companies who can't let go of a bad idea. It eventually sinks them. I say fuck it...before it fucks you.

The Virus is way over priced in this economic climate. Back in 2001/2 the Virus KB cost £1299. In the space of 10 years your paying £1999. Im pretty sure thats damaging sales. You would think they'd sell alot more of £1200 synths than a warehouse of £2000 synths...but I guess Im just clueless.

I dont want this post to be taken as a negative. I love Access...I love what they've done for the music industry (alot of my favourite songs have obvious virus on them) and I want them to survive this econonmic downturn. I dont wanna see them goto the wall. Just refine their business model and get innovating as opposed to dragged down by their TI legacy.

Cheers, DS

I do agree, also I dont have a computer in my studio, so all that TI stuff is a waste of resources to my thinking.
I would love a hardware where I can access more directly on the surface, had and indigo and will get one again soon.