My TI opinion...

[LivePsy]

Hi All,

I've had my TI desktop for 2 months now and the biggest surprise to me was how *musical* it is. Its a real instrument, and I find the edit menus and select buttons don't turn it into an editing chore like say a V-Synth.

Some things I wasn't expecting to like:-

The envelopes are fast! Useful envelopes, not coarse like Roland and Korg synths. Mastering the attack, decay and release curves in the mod matrix gets the sounds just right. I can't imagine working on a synth without adjustable slopes now

The TI is much better than I thought. I wasn't expecting to ignore the VST gui and use the hardware knobs for everything. Very cool.

The filter is deep and complex. Overall quite dark, but I'd call that warm and rich compared to most VA keyboards.

The effects are extremely good, not some stock standard module stuck on the end. If anything, individual reverbs for all 16 parts is going overboard a bit

Modulating with single cycle LFOs or the complex waves is a brilliant idea.

So overall, it exceeds my expectations in most respects. How many keyboards achieve that?

Cheers,
B

[Technophile]

DS, I have also noticed pops and clicks as a result of Delay! Glad I'm not the only one.

[Technophile]

LivePsy - What do you mean by mastering the ADR in the mod matrix?
The effects are good, except for the Vocoder which should be removed entirely. Its like they threw it in just to say they have it.

I think the 16 reverbs/delays is less about having 16 simultaneous reverbs/delays, and more about not having to have all the parts share one set.
I don't think the polyphony can even really back up 16 delayed and reverbed parts.

[LivePsy]

Originally Posted by Technophile

LivePsy - What do you mean by mastering the ADR in the mod matrix?

You can change the envelope slopes between convex, linear and concave. If the MOD source is "Filter Envelope" and the destination is "Filter Env Decay" then a negative amount makes the decay drop quickly and get slower near the end. Whereas a positive amount keeps the decay slow at the beginning and fall faster near the next. End result: negative gets you a better fast analog pluck sound, like a charging and discharging capacitor on an old analog synth would do. I find a linear decay slope now doesn't sound right and I general tweak it in the mod matrix.

To really test it out, make up a template patch with the following mod slots set up:-

Slot 5
Filter Envelope 0 Filter Env Attack
Filter Envelope 0 Filter Env Decay (try -12 for analog pluck)
Filter Envelope 0 Filter Env Release

Slot 6
Amp Envelope 0 Amp Env Attack
Amp Envelope 0 Amp Env Decay
Amp Envelope 0 Amp Env Release

Then change the various amounts, keeping in mind that you will also need to adjust the time of the relevant parameter to get the sound right.

Cheers,
B

[F5D]

Originally Posted by Technophile

I think the 16 reverbs/delays is less about having 16 simultaneous reverbs/delays, and more about not having to have all the parts share one set.
I don't think the polyphony can even really back up 16 delayed and reverbed parts.

Exactly what I've been trying to say since the TI was introduced.

[LivePsy]

Originally Posted by Technophile

I think the 16 reverbs/delays is less about having 16 simultaneous reverbs/delays, and more about not having to have all the parts share one set.
I don't think the polyphony can even really back up 16 delayed and reverbed parts.

Having a simple reverb is far too limiting if you want 4 or so parts. If the only choices are to share one reverb or independent reverb for each part, I'll have a TI thanks.

However, I was thinking you could make a patch which did nothing but feed the audio input through the effects. So if you then cable the Output 3 pair to the Input, you should be able to send from any *other* part through this patch for a comon reverb. For each patch go to the global edit Surround page and set Output to Out3 L+R and Balance to the wetness you want.

Has anyone done this yet?

Cheers,
B

[Wandering Kid]

Originally Posted by DIGITAL SCREAMS

Hi Alex. Yes I had a Virus KC back in May2003-Sept2004.

In terms of programability I actualy felt a bit more comfortable with the KC. I think the addition of Wavetable and hypersaw in the oscilator section has confused things a bit (for me atleast). Its just not intuitive to me to be using the pulse width knob to be selecting spectral waves (provided ive set the waveform knob hard left - oh headfuck) then to flick over to a different osc and then find that same knob doing a complettly different function. When you add into the mix, hypersaw density, spread functions, wavetable index position etc etc it becomes a little headachey.

Also bear in mind, that part of the sound designing process involves flicking from function to function (quickly) and to edit parameters when you've got a vibe going. The last thing you want is to be slowed down. The TI interface is becoming slow now. Ive battled with it for 4 weeks and it still doesnt feel intuitive to me. Read into that what you will....but bear in mind....i enjoyed programming a DX7.

In terms of sound quality, I have noticed some differences. The upgraded dac's, in my opinion have imparted a slighty dryer sound to the virus. I remember the KC being quite wet/warm sounding for a digital. I dont have the same feeling about the TI. There could be other reasons for this - Alot of the presets now heavily feature EQ. Surely EQ should be used further down the line on the production side of things? Ive never been a fan of heavy EQ'ing....and alot of the perceived lack of warmth in the new TI is probably due to this. Again, this would not be such a problem if I could just click a button and all the effects are turned off. Please correct me if im wrong, but is there already such a function on the TI? If so, why isnt it on the front panel?

The Virus Still sounds inherently dark. Functions such as analog boost and distortion deaden the tone into unuseable/muffled oblivion (IMO). There is still a distinct lack of definition in the virus's tonality (dull raw sound to begin with + effects). When I compare the digital waves to anything the DX7 puts out, then its really eyebrow raising. The DX puts out bright and energetic sounds, the Virus puts out sluggish, lazy dark tones. I really think that the Virus would benefit from 8 stage envelopes as used in the DX - the virus has/will never sound defined to my ears...but we might one day be able to make more intricate (read: interesting) sounds from it.

Another thing that rests uneasy with me, is the sheer number of factory presets. I love sound designing to the point reckless obsession. But when confronted with so many presets, the Virus ground is pretty much covered. I feel a dinstinct lack of motivation to get under the TI's hood. What point is there in me making an acid sound, an 80's bass sound, or a swooshing phaser pad/string or a wavetable bell/pad......when its already been done 100 times over? The TI is a synth workstation - Access's Analog Factory. Some may suggest I just wipe them all and do my own, I suppose I could do that...

So far, you might think im slating the TI - im not. The TI can do things no other synths can do. It can create textures and atmospheres unique to the virus and thats where it excels. For bread and butter analog sounds, I personally dont like it - im too critical as im biased towards true analogs.

The mark of a great synth is when, depsite some shortcommings, you have a desire/need to own it and use it anyhow. I sold the KC back in 2004 and I waited till xmas 2006 before I could afford the TI. I have a strange relationship with the Virus, I often bitch about its short commings....but at other times its the perfect tool for the job.

To answer your last point Alex, the VC is 65% of what the TI does. The hypersaws/sqaures and wavetables put out completly different tones to what a C can do, reverb and delay and be used to create unique effects.

DS

I have the same love/hate thing going with my Virus B. I love the workflow on the VB. So much so that I continue to use it despite not really liking the sound of it that much these days. For most things virtual analogue, G-Force ImpOSCar has just taken over for me.

The raw oscillators have always been...emm...weak. I dont think this can be changed without really altering the sound of the instrument which some people seem to like. But man, the Saw, The Square, the PWM square just sound so feeble until you pile a tonne of effects onto them by which point the sound is so processed that I just feel...meh.

I tend to use my VB for spaced out effects mostly now and ambient pads which it is excellent at doing but I agree - for analogish mono leads I just stay away. You might be biased towards analogues but there are better virtual analogues for that particular job too in my opinion. ImpOSCar being one of them.

[synthetic]

I feel the same toward my TI desktop. It feels like there is no use to make own sounds because there are a hell lot of presets.
I started with a Virus-A, then later upgraded to C desktop. First I hate the C with its ugly Yamaha FB01 display, the A looks nice. But I had to accept it.
In sound I think there's a bigger difference in sound between C and TI than it is between A and C.

Now I'm so tired of the TI, it contains all sounds I surely need but I don't like them. As a VA synth my old beloved Nordrack2 is better, but all other modern sound the virus is better, no doubt.

I'm selling off my TI and will buy another virus, A,B, C, it doesn't matter. The sounds I programmed on my A sounds all the same in both C and TI and for using these sounds I think a TI is too expensive for me.

Anyone with A,B,C who wants to upgrade, just emal me....