It's not a case of being crap at all. In fact, quite the opposite. It's just a case of learning how to use the virus and how it differs to other synths you have used.
With that said, you need to look for the characteristics of what dark atmospheres are all about. Typically, this is down to personal taste and opinion--so it's quite an open ended subject.
The virus is not a great hardware synth to start on due to the large number of hidden features which can appear to confuse you. You will learn it in no time, though. That said, what you need to do is look for the basic properties of the sound first.
With dark atmospheres, you obviously want to portray something very deep and thick sounding. The way that dark sounds are played equally contributes to how the sound is portrayed. Some pads are far too glittery and weak in this department(perfect for other apps but not dark). A basic example - use a couple of saws mixed with a thick sounding waveform or something to thicken it up etc. Introduce a sub oscillator to around the 1-3 mark. Detune the balance (but not excessively) of both oscillators.
Try experimenting with the LFO's to add some wobble. You don't need much in terms of modulation matrix right now. When I program these kinds of pads, I never modify ADSR much. Attack stays at 0 so this is a different kind of pad (instantaneous in nature) - maybe modify the release a little if you like. Next, you don't need to do much to the filters. Make sure resonance stays to 0 to ensure a flat and thick sound.
Tweak the cutoff to around half way to start with. Env amount should be modified with personal taste in mind. Next add effects - maybe a bit of phaser and chorus, but reverb is important for helping the atmosphere. Now for the magic unison >> take it up to about 3-4 (pointless for most/nearly all pads) but it really worked for me. The end result is to get something sounding deep, dark - but very smooth. Filters can have a big impact, though - and might make it sound warm even. Be careful here.
That's just the most basic 'characteristic' example (but not the whole thing) -- use it as an idea if you want. I do have a few pads here that I programmed with these few sound properties -- if you like, I can upload a demo sometime soon?
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