Intro....

[MBTC]

Hi everyone,

I'm newly registered.. I've dropped in occasionally to read posts here over the past year and kept the site in my favorites list. I'm registering today because I finally ordered the TI2 Desktop -- it's not here yet, but should be on its way, so I figured I would register in advance, since I expect to be participating soon.

I am an amateur music guy.. I write non-audio related software for a living so this is just a hobby. I am as much into sound design as I am making music. Primary music making interests revolve around melodic trance (I'm much better at creating the melodic message I want to send than I am at sound design and mixing but trying to get better at all three!).

I knew simply from research back in the days of the first Virus that I wanted the synth, it's just that I also knew I wouldn't be able to get where I wanted, even as a hobby, in terms of overall sound / polyphony / DAW integration etc back then. Even the PC I had at the time did not have the power to do what I wanted. A lot has changed in 10 years, I have focused mainly on soft-synths, but I think with USB integration and such, I think I will get out of the TI2 what I want out of a hardware synth. I think I've learned a staggering amount about sound design, synths, and how to start with a default patch and create the sound I want (this is admittedly not necessarily rocket science with trance sounds).

I saw some demos of Virus Control, and it seemed to typify everything I want in synth programmability (not to mention I already knew that the Virus had the sound I really wanted). The VST user interface and features is an important purchase factor for me, for a $2k synth module! I can tell by reading other's posts I am going to be impressed with it compared to soft-synths I'm used to, even my favorites like Sylenth and Zebra2. I also see the posts about things like defective hardware out of the box, latency issues and such and it makes me wonder what my out of box experience is going to be like when it arrives, but we'll work it out.

My father used to always say the time to think about selling something is right before you buy it.... that doesn't really apply here, but I am definately thinking to myself, okay, assuming everything goes as planned and the TI2 becomes the centerpiece of my music making, what's next? Will the TI2 offer enough power and polyphony to be the only component in my music? (I doubt it, I tend to like epic super saw sounds that eat processors for breakfast).. assuming I need more hardware, what's next, a second Virus? A next gen model? I don't know, I just know that my ears have focused in on two synths that really catch my attention, the Virus and Roland JP8000/8080. They don't make the JP anymore and the VSynth is like 3 grand and not even multi-timbral?

I don't know, if you have any suggestions, please do pass them along.

How are the trance-pluck and stabby type sounds (think Armin Van Buren) on the Virus BTW? From what I've read about the filters they've got to be good.

Look forward to conversing with each of you!

MBTC

[feedingear]

If you like trance, then the TI is your instrument. The trance presets are rather ridiculous (in a good way). The first time I turned the TI on, I was absolutely blown away by what I heard in terms of filter quality. It really is an incredible synth (despite its many, many flaws).

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by feedingear

If you like trance, then the TI is your instrument. The trance presets are rather ridiculous (in a good way). The first time I turned the TI on, I was absolutely blown away by what I heard in terms of filter quality. It really is an incredible synth (despite its many, many flaws).

Thanks for the reply. I'm sure I won't be disappointed. From all my research (reading, listening to other's music using Virus, youtube vids etc), this is no doubt exactly the piece of gear I need. The only thing that could disappoint me is for them to come out with a TI-Quad or something in the next year for only slightly more money that has twice the processing power of the TI2 and full speed USB 2.0 support.. Unlikely I'm sure, ultimately a risk I'm willing to take.

The biggest question in my mind at this point is whether one Virus will really be enough for me, especially with USB limitations. I went with the TI2, because although I really liked the price point of the Snow, I wanted the extra DSP. I would love to put as much of a track as I can on this single box, I'm just not sure how realistic that is until I actually try it. And, assuming I do add another piece of gear in the next year or two, I'm not sure what it would be? Another Virus? Can I use two at once without issues in the DAW (can I have to instances of Virus control)?

Not expecting anyone to really answer those unless they are able and willing, but those are the kinds of things I'm considering. I will spend a lot of time mastering the first one to learn the quirks and limitations before figuring out what's next.

I'm just looking forward to getting my hands on this one at this point. Just got the e-mail that it's been shipped, which I was a little worried about, because the price dropped recently by about $130 US and a lot of places were saying they were backordered. Hopefully this one doesn't arrive borked!

Does anyone know if it will have OS4 on it out of the box (I'm guessing no)?