no.

First off, I don't buy the argument that the code is too tricky to write for half a second. All of the other manufacturers making software versions are doing just fine. If Access wanted to, they could do it to.

As for the whole warez thing...that's something that all the software manufacturers are dealing with in their own way. Yep, only 1/3 of the customers pay. Welcome to the software industry. And just because this runs on Powercore doesn't mean there won't be cracked versions of it, anyway...they'll still be out there...you'll just need a Powercore to run the crack. The premise that proprietary hardware defeats piracy is ridiculous: I can tell you as a PROFESSIONAL musician that more than the majority of commercial studios I've been to use cracked TDM plugs ALL THE TIME...yeah, they have the hardware....but they still didn't pay the 3rd party vendors for their software. Makes no difference.

If Access had chosen to release a native plug, approximately 1/3 of prospective users would buy it, the other 2/3 would get the crack. BUT the audience to whom they would be selling grossly overwhelms the number of Powercore users who might choose to buy the plugin (still...versus the number of Powercore users who will wait for a crack).

There's NO WAY IN HELL I'm going to pay a thousand dollars for Powercore, even if it comes with great plug-ins. Modern computers are more than capable of handling these processing duties. Christ...for the cost of Powercore, you could nearly buy a computer advanced enough that outboard DSP processing becomes redundant. And you know what else are great plug-ins? WAVES! At $800 for the gold bundle, they tear apart their respective offerings from TC.

I'm sorry, but from the consumer side of things, there is not one good reason for Access to take this route. Also, from the consumer side, there is not one good reason to buy a Powercore (i.e.- investing the same money in an advanced computer makes much more sense).

It need not cost $1000 dollars for a PowerCore card. In fact it costs more like $500 for the PowerCore Element package.

You may assume that it would be easy for Access to port the code across to a different system, but you are forgetting that they are in fact a small company in terms of manpower, and whilst I'm sure it would indeed be *possible*, that doesn't mean that it would be *feasible*.

I was demonstrating the Virus PowerCore for Access at the NAMM show, and judging by the response I was getting, I can tell you for certain - this is going to be very popular. There are loads of existing PowerCore users who are going to buy this as soon as it comes out, loads of people who are going to buy a PowerCore just so they can get the Virus plug, and even existing Virus owners who see that owning a PowerCore Virus system could be very useful as well.

Access is already a successful hardware synthesizer manufacturer - by releasing the Virus PowerCore, they will be expanding their user base further. I don't see a problem myself.

Will access ever consider a move into the mainstream audio plugins for pc/mac ?

:D

With all due respect, I'd prefer they didn't.
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Coach handbags

Yes. It would be waste of time and efforts to start making VSTi's. It's better that Access concentrates on only one thing (Virus and Virus' DSP card ports) instead of doing everything from industrial autoclaves to VSTi's and for a small company like Access all the piracy would just make the whole project unprofitable.

i'm always amazed by the knowlege people like you have. you have no access to the code, no access to information ben has but you know that what he says must be wrong.

in difference to probably all VST/RTAS etc. plug-ins, the Virus has been programmed in hand written, optimised assembler. and believe it or not, the only way why somebody would go though this unpleasant experience this is to gain speed. that's why there is more voices and effects on one DSP than any other company i'm aware of can do.

you're right, just because this runs on powercore it doesn't mean that i can't be cracked. it's just much saver than any other authorisation scheme we know.

that's what i personally don't get:

assuming you would have a hardware virus, if i would be you i would welcome a company protecting my investment. do you really believe that you could sell your second hand virus b for a couple of hundred bugs with a VST crack out there?

apologies in advance for being "selfish". yes, we like Access to be a healthy and 100% privately held company and we certainly will do everything in our power to continue being like this.

marc

including buying 4 maybe 5 viruses each :mrgreen:

exactly. now we're talking 8)