BLACK HELICOPTERThis is what comes up for product=virusd on the Access site. Anything else not released comes up with broken gifs.
Update: Check out the comments. Apparently this page has been there for some time, and I wouldn't be surprised if I saw it before. Too much to track and so much to forget, however:
"From Access Music email newsletter:
On a lighter note, we will celebrate the Virus' 10th anniversary starting 1st of November. Watch our website - you won't regret it ..."
I'd buy that.
ReplyDeleteThat has been there for years...even before the TI was announced. :)
ReplyDeleteyeah, obviously the TI was the "D".... and by the way they handled the TI release, even if this was a new product, I would expect a very, very long wait.
ReplyDeletebut then again, who cares, Access have given us the best synthesizers ever produced, hands down, so even if they never released again I would be happy.
best synths ever produced, hands down?
ReplyDeletei want some of what you are smoking
From Access Music email newsletter:
ReplyDeleteOn a lighter note, we will celebrate the Virus' 10th anniversary starting 1st of November. Watch our website - you won't regret it ...
wake up yeti....I smoke herb and the Virus is the best VA out and arugably one of the best synths ever (I happen to think it is, but of course this is a rather subjective thing).... What synth can you name that comes close? It's the only modern synth that isn't built solely for the purpose of making generic trance techno sounds and it does an amazing job of emulating some of my original stuff like the mini and odyssey. The filters are amazing and even the onboard reverb is class A.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth noting that the Virus series is the only VA I've heard that can cover the Oberheim Matrix line of synths.
ReplyDeleteMatrix-
ReplyDeleteWhat about the OB12 and the Ion? :D
Also, regarding Anonymous, the Virus doesnt come anywhere close to the synthesis possibilities afforded by the Q ;)
I haven't been able to get that tonal quality out of an ION or OB12 yet. You can get similar sounds accross all synths, but there's that certain timbral quality that's somewhat unique to each. The Oberheim Matrix-6, Matrix-12 and the OBX-a are all capable of a similar timbre that I haven't heard on other synths like a Prophet 5 for example. You can get similar sounds but there is just something different. It's like different types of IPAs if you're into beer. There's a different background quality to each. The Virus for some reason is capable of this. The Ensoniq ESQ-1 is as well. There's a certain buzz to them. I haven't heard that sound come out of an ION or OB12 yet and I've had extensive hands on experience with them.
ReplyDeleteAlso the first time I started creating sawtooth pads on the Virus, it screemed Oberheim Matrix. I remember thinking, "Wow! This is it! I can't beleive how much this can sound like a Matrrix" There was no effort at all creating that timbre. With the OB12 I remember thinking, "hmm.... this doesn't quite sound like the Matrix line of Oberheims at all." I think Viscount should have released it under another name/moniker. A lot of people wrote it off because of the Oberheim badge. The ION reminds me of old brute force VSO monosynths. It can do the Moog sound pretty well and it can do a decent Roland SH, albeit it probably sounds a lot cleaner. I haven't had any hands on experience with the SH Roland, so this is just based on what I've heard on samples. But I have had a lot of hands on with the Matrix line, the ION, the OB12 and the Virus. The Matrix alias and the Matrixsynth name were inspired by the Matrix line of Oberheim synths. The Matrix-6 was my first and favorite.
ReplyDeleteYeah, in terms of emulating classics, the Virus is in a league of it's own I'd say... but it has it's own style too and does that just as well. I've owned a Q and was never very impressed, yes, it has some pretty impressive specs and capabilities on paper, but the actual sound of the thing never got me like the Virus. Novation stuff is worth mentioning, I have a KS4 and love it....it's pretty limited in the types of sounds it does well, but it has a very nice, I'd say liquid character that's really mellow and very melodic.
ReplyDeleteYep, Virus is simply the best of all the modern synths. Sounds great right out of the machine, external effects are rarely needed.
ReplyDeleteThe "Black Helicopter" Joke started on the access-list@ampfea.org mailing list, some years ago .. it refers to the fact that one of the programmers who works for Access doesn't talk much about what he's doing for Access, only that "its a black helicopter project" .. For some reason, this was associated with the Virus_D, but it never actually was confirmed that he was working on the Virus product, so .. who knows .. maybe there are some deep secrets in the Access/Kemper Digital labs still yet to be revealed ..
ReplyDelete