Timo,
I mentioned in another post that I recently bought a new TI2 desktop, and after reacquainting myself with the Virus, I'm convinced more than ever that this site is a resource that's worth preserving. There is a lot of future value here, one that you might also be able to monetize if desired, and even if not, I think you may be glad you kept it going one day. I will explain my logic.
First, the vintage synth market has gone crazy. As evidence of this, we see Yamaha CS-80s listed for over $100k and Roland Jupiter-8s listed at $35k+ on Reverb.com. One might say this is because they are long discontinued and based on discrete electronics compared to digital synths, but price increases on current models as well as other digital synths are starting to see increases as well -- partially fueled by chip shortages and inflation, but also because a generation of producers that grew up on soft synths are starting to realize that the sound of plugins have largely plateaued, and will probably never fully match the benefits (sonic and otherwise) of hardware, even if they have advantages of their own (such as lower cost of entry and flexibility). This is creating increased demand for music hardware.
To give an example of this phenomenon, I bought a used Roland JP-8080 not long ago (a similar VA synth to the Virus). Not long after my purchase, I noticed these going for twice what I paid. There's been a trend of noticeable resurgence in the community seeking that particular VA sound that began appearing on tracks toward the late 1990s-early 2000s. Simultaneously, people are realizing that synths like the Virus, JP-8000/8080 and similar are sonically versatile -- far beyond the specific musical genres they are known for.
Having been involved with hardware synths since the 80's myself, I've witnessed this phenomenon of certain synth models being forgotten for a period of time, then making a big (and permanent) comeback. Many of us can tell stories of older synths we sold off for a couple of hundred dollars that we wish we had back, because they are now going for ten times as much.
I believe the Virus is going to experience a similar resurgence in interest in coming years, regardless of whether the synth is still being manufactured or not. It is a unique instrument in the sense that I cannot identify another synth that has had a manufacturing lifecycle this long. It's like a vintage synth that's still being produced and can be purchased new.
So, while one side of the synth market is a bit fickle and only interested in new and shiny gear, there is also sort of a preservationist culture that seems to growing in size and momentum, and I think there is a potential perfect storm on the horizon (so to speak) that will seal a permanent seat for the Virus in this movement.
As you pointed out there is already a treasure trove of information here, so that could be part of the reason for less user participation ? less reason to post if the answer is already there; this doesn't diminish the value of the site as a resource, though. What I mean to say here is that I'm not sure the value of a site like this is defined by how much active user participation there is. It's also probably a text book case of the old saying that we don't know what we have until after its gone. Bottom line is, there is not another resource out there which fulfills the same need as infekted.org, and it would indeed be a significant loss if it goes away.
I wish I could offer specific technical know-how on upgrading, but that's a bit out of my wheelhouse. I can only offer a strong vote of support for keeping it going, and the offer to occasionally post and try to contribute something meaningful to the content posted to it.
Whatever you do decide, I will thank you now for having creating infekted.org and kept it going all this time - it is a unique and valuable resource.
Best,
mbtc
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