What polysynth VA can do more than a Virus with newer tech and features and sound as good in 2022?
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maybe the iridium, but i’m not really sure about the sound - i don’t have iridium.
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Following. I’m looking for the same but nothing seems to have a similar featureset.
Digitone comes close minus number of voices and diversity of effects. And soundwise, no good VA (ducks thrown objects)
Nord lead comes close on VA and number of voices /4 part multitimbral… but no external inputs for effects processing
I’m thinking of combining a Blofeld, bluebox, Minitaur, AS1 and effects pedal to get the best of all worlds
Or Nord lead A1 plus bluebox and effects pedal…
The virus tone is versatile but doesn’t “grab” me like I wanna be grabbed when listening to a VA.
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Yeah possibly the Iridium might get you close since its from a similar heritage but it’s the effects in the Virus distortion delay etc that give it an extra world of its own they really are good.
Unfortunately the only real way to get a Virus is to get a Virus! But given that they do not update or enhance the OS in any way its a bit of a gamble… Shame really I would love if they came out with a new updated Virus with analog filters.
if you can get a virus at a good price it might be worth it they are built like tanks and have endless possibilities with a very good interface.
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Grab a second hand one for a good price and you will be amazed by the quality, from the build to the sound.
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Have you tried one in person? You might want to try before making the assumption it doesn’t make sounds that grab you… It has literally some of the grabbiest! sounds ever made used by the biggest Psy Trance producers around the world for decades… The sounds are intense! if you want them to be haha!
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Id just get the emulator working in ableton ( with easy access to all those fx and processing )and keep the money for something else
Or Waldorf M, Udo , minifreak + ps5/Xbox
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The combination of a digitone / MM2 is exceptionally versatile, but doesn’t cover all the ground. Missing all the FX for starters.
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The Virus TI2 still outclasses modern synths in features, sound quality, and build quality imo. It’s old tech, but it sounds and feels better than new tech to me. I don’t like my synths sounding too hi-fi though. I enjoy the character of the Virus.
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To replace the Virus, you need:
- 16 Hydrasynths
- 8 Eventide TimeFactors (most modes have dual delays)
- 16 Eventide Spaces
- 16 Elektron Analog Heats
Get the Virus.
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I would argue: If you are okay with the Blofeld Sound and FX, you will be overwhelmed by what is possible with the Virus.
I am as far from being able to do all that, but browsing the web for Soundpack-Examples helps a lot in seeing, what can be done. It’s not just 90th Trance stuff (while that’s very easy to do on the Virus). I would say: the available presets on the Virus TI2 is not really showing off the device.
And while I would argue, if the Virus FX matches the Eventide-FX Boxes, that were mentioned, the Virus FX come closer than most FX on Synths I heard yet.
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Plus 3000+ storage slots & you can write over all of them via burning preset banks into the ROM banks. You can also use a single channel as a dedicated effects unit via the inputs & the effects are powerful, superb and per channel. It’s amazing that after all this time nothing can touch the sheer scope of the TI.
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The boost/drive/distortion/waveshaping and filters make external drums sound ridiculously good. And it can be a drum machine itself, with 16 different sounds, all going through different FX and filters. Truly ridiculous.
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Yeah, I totally don’t understand, that no one was able to build a successor. With modern CPUs it should be easy to do so, compared to what was available back in the days.
I think those creative mind now build modular stuff, because while people rant about 1.8k, people buy a single oscillator for 400$ or more…
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Yeah, the trend has been using extra CPU for increasing digital quality/modelling quality rather than multi-timbrality, and whilst the TI definitely has it’s own dark sound, it sits in a mix pretty easily even with itself which is great in a multi-timbal synth. I think the quality is still absolutely fine.
One other aspect is that the TI had a long development cycle, the major OS updates really expanded it to the beast that it is, not many production products see that many additions. All that stopped a decade+ ago, but it’s left a very sophisticated instrument that started out building on the C.
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exactly what I think is happening now as new tech seems mostly in modular world now.
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Stand-alone of via TI?
Kyra maybe? I don’t know I’ve had neither.
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Just the number of voices is almost totally absent in modern synths. Analog I get bit modern digital synths with only 8 voices. The essenceFM and workstations / kurzweil type beasts - but even if you take out multimbrality as a core, the limitation in voice allocation for modern hardware is annoying.
The suggestions for modern successors will get you some interesting sounds for VA (I think the micromonsta2 gets close in a more limited feature set) but not in function. To match what the virus can do for a digital synth you really have to get software.
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one that can do both and fix the weak links of Virus with Mac OS and Logic X software for recording. I like how easy it is to use new Elektrons with Overbridge to record tracks in stereo super fast and easy!