my virus is a disease
 

just for the hell of it i bought a bunch of audio magazines this weekend. a lot of them had best of 2007 rundowns including bunch of soft synth plugs. they rated zebra and nassive as top two. anyway, down to the point..
i tried zebra demo, and it sounds great (so does massive).

but my virus still sounds better. i'm not trying to compare synthesis or synth architecture - my virus just sounds warmer, more pleasing, richer then any other plug i have weather it's fm, sub, add, modeling, any synthesis.

so...am i deaf? or am i so much in love with my ti that i have a curtain over my ears and automatically assume my soft plugs sound harsh. the virus is a VA as well.

most of those plugs got effects, so it's not like i'm listening them dry. then again, i'm comparing presets and to my taste 99% of patches really suck, not to mention you're only getting about 200 or so (seems like a patch number standard).

what's your take? i was very much a soft synth person before i got my virus (virus and nord lead where only two hardware VAs i ever wanted) but after three weeks of owning a hardware synth i want more hardware - not to mention i want to fix my kawai k4 (what a b!tch of a synth to program) that's been collecting dust in my basement!

adrian

p.s. bored at work, might as well start a new thread :)

I don't think you are deaf, you have just identified your preference in sound.

I own a KC and used to own a Motif ES Rack. I have a good number of fairly high quality soft synths.

Most of the time I have to say I like the sound of hardware too. But there are a also alot of instances where I have heard some pretty remarkable sounds coming out of VSTs....

The one thing hardware will always have as a benefit over software (in my book anyway) is (1) the ability to jam/play live without dependency on a CP/Mac, and (2) tactile workflow via integrated knobs/fades/wheels/etc. that speak to the capabilities of the board in question. But (2) above is maybe becoming less of an issue with smart controllers out there like the Novation Remote xxSL series...

The one thing software synths will always have as a benefit over hardware are (1) affordability, and (2) expandability. Look how much additional material you can buy to expand the capabilities of Wusikstation, its mind boggling, affordable, and sounds great.

Stylus RMX blows the pants off any drum machine I've ever heard (not to say there aren't better hardware one's, I just haven't been exposed to them) and the SAGE expanders are a ridiculous value. GURU is pretty freaking impressive too.

The good news is that for those with an open mind they can enjoy the benefits of both...

:)

-Alex

I haven't tried too many VST-Is, but out of the ones I've tried only one has come close to the Virus (perhaps even surpassing it) and that is Reaktor. The breadth and quality of Reaktor is superb.

I haven't tried Massive yet, though. Building my own computer (finally!), so will do soon however. :)

Can't wait to get everything integrated at long last. But I digress.

One VST I can't wait to check out is 'Sylenth 1' by LennarDigital. From what I've gleaned from video and audio demos it is VERY Virus-sounding, and for just 100 British smackers (139 Euros) it looks like an absolute steal!

http://www.lennardigital.com

RMX is amazing, no question about it and so will omnisphere.
Reaktor is on my list of what to get next, acutally who whole NI komplete package.
i dont know how it sounds, but i want to build a nord lead with it. here the tutorial.

http://www.audionetwork.be/tutorials/reaktor/

anyone has reaktor?

i'm also thinking of investing in arturia synths, prabobly their hardware version - can't justify spending 3k on a moog :D

adrian

ImpOSCar has much character. Easy to overcook, but a beauty.

Timo, what's your new computer spec, mate? Perhaps a new thread in Studio gear, please?

<... realises there may already be a Timo's new computer specs thread in Studio Gear..., Yikes... But if not, why not?...>

Arturia soft synths are outstanding. I'll never forget the first time I loaded the MinimoogV up and auditioned a preset called "Numan2" or something like that. It had this rich, silky high end to it that just sounded sweet. I was given a copy ov the Gmedia version and it doesn't even come close to the sound quality ov the Arturia minimoog.
The next Arturia synth I bought was the Modular, that thing is just great. I love its design and if you learn some ov the shortcuts you can get around the wires dangling in your way. Ov course, Arturia synths are very CPU heavy but what an incredible sound for as little as they cost. I highly recommend them.

My little story:
So, roughley 5 years ago, I bought a Nord Lead 3. At the shop i asked an assisstant which was the best synth for making basslines, and he said either the nord or the virus (c). Anyway i went with the nord as from messing around with both in the shop, it was the most fun and seemed easier to understand and make sounds on (ok so i dont have as good an understanding of synthesis as some people :))

I really enjoyed learning the synth and made tons of crazy spacey style sounds on it, but not many phat basses as i couldnt quite manage those too well. Although i think the nordlead3 is a very sexy synth, nice lights and stuff, i allways wished that i'd gone with the virus.

I stopped using the nord as much, and by then i'd bought Atmosphere by Spectrasonics, and for some reason used that a lot instead. Anyway, my nord got stolen while i was at uni, from my room.... and so....i used the money i got from the insurance + a little more to buy a virus ti desktop, and havnt looked back since! Its just an amazing synth. Although i still don't make basses- just amazing natural paddy sounds. i think having effects built in is the only way to go, as you tend to experiment more with them. Im so glad i got robbed lol

Personal preference is just one of those things. Reading all the reviews and stuff only gives you a rough idea half of the time. Also, I always wonder how many mags get kick backs of some description.

I was in the same situation when I purchased my Access Virus KC. I had a KC for awhile and since I had purchased it through Sweetwater, I exchanged it to try out the Nord 3 for awhile. While I LOVED the interface, it just didn't have the low end that the Virus had (I was covering bass parts in a touring synth punk band at the time). In the studio, I didn't notice so much on my reference monitors but when I would play live through my stereo JBL 2X15 cabinets and a Crown 2000 watt amp, I could definately notice a difference.
I really wanted the Nord 3 to be better than it was. Those knobs were absolutely killer! But the Virus has a weight to it that I haven't found in any other synth ov its type.

Yep, that nord lead3's a beut all right ;)

I was making drum n' bass at the time, but since then i've moved on and now do experimental ambient type stuff (ther no name for it). Still though, i could do with learning to make basslines properly.