ACCESS VIRUS C TABLETOP SYNTHESIZER LIKE NEW - ORIGINAL Start Price USD 1,232.88 Current Price USD 1,232.88 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, October 30, 2008 End Time Sunday, November 23, 2008 Location Lynnwood, WA See more about 'ACCESS VIRUS C TABLETOP SYNTHESIZER LIKE NEW - ORIGINAL' Description First off, I GUARANTEE two things. This thing is almost BRAND NEW, and it's NOT stolen. I put a review on here if you're having trouble picking the best synthesizer in the world. Support a good cause and buy MINE! =)I babied it, used it for 3 songs and NEVER abused it. I was going to return it but it's just sat in storage for years... This one deserves a better owner.It is almost PERFECT. I have the original charger and box and everything.I can't find anything wrong with it, and I'm picky.I do NOT want to sell this as I know they will go up massively in value, so I put the most I think anyone would pay for a "used" one on eBay.I'm not gonna make my schpiel long but it's a good synth. Shipping is hard for me with big items so it's expensive. I lower the price on all of my auctions to make up for my high shipping rates. I found the CD for it too! Never even needed to use it...EMAIL ME IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A DEAL OR AN OFFER. (Through eBay of course!) ;)ALSO: VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!! I ACCEPT PAYPAL BUT ON THE CONDITION THAT YOU WILL NOT FILE ANY CHARGE BACK OR CLAIM (BASICALLY NO TRYING TO HUSTLE ME AFTER YOU GET YOUR ITEM). I HAVE MADE A VIDEO SHOWING THE PERFECT FUNCTION OF THIS SYNTHESIZER AND WILL INSURE THE PACKAGE FOR WHAT I PAID FOR IT. IF IT IS DAMAGED IN SHIPMENT, USPS CAN PAY, NOT ME. IF YOU BID ON THIS ITEM OR BUY IT NOW, YOU AGREE TO PAY ME THE FULL AMOUNT DESCRIBED AND UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A USED SYNTHESIZER IN WORKING CONDITION WITH ORIGINAL BOX, CHARGER, AND SOME SOFTWARE CDS. THERE IS NO SOLID GOLD KNOB, NO PLATINUM CHAIN INCLUDED, NO FULL RELEASE MASSAGE, AND I WILL NOT SHINE YOUR SHOES. OK, hopefully that covers my @$$...Thank you and here goes the review!The Access Virus has been around through three incarnations — first the Virus A, then the B, and now the C. The original Virus was one of the earliest and most popular virtual analog synthesizers, digitally generating and processing sounds by crunching numbers rather than by manipulating voltages. The latest generation continues the tradition of providing all the functions of a real analog synth and more, packaged in a compact form that offers plenty of hands-on control (see Fig. 1). FIG 1 - The Access Virus C is the third incarnation of a tabletop synth module that has inspired legions of enthusiastic fans. Plenty of front-panel controls make the Virus C a tweaker's delight.. Four models — the tabletop Virus C, Rack XL, Virus kc (five-octave keyboard), and Indigo 2 (three-octave keyboard) — have identical DSP engines that physically model analog synthesis. (A TDM software version of the Indigo is available for Pro Tools, too.) The user interfaces are identical as well, with the exception of the Rack XL's conservative five-knob front panel. For this review, I tested the tabletop Virus C. The Virus C's new DSP chip is an incremental step up — though a large one — from the previous Virus B units. Polyphony has been increased from 24 to 32 dynamically allocated notes. Flexible modulation routing has always been a significant element of the Virus architecture and sound; the number of simultaneous modulation sources has doubled to six, and modulation destinations have grown from six to nine. There are now 98 simultaneous effects in multitimbral mode, and each of the 16 parts has 3-band EQ, phaser, chorus, analog boost, ring modulator, and distortion modules. A global effects section provides reverb and delay. VIRUS SCAN I especially appreciate the Virus C's 32 knobs, 35 buttons, and 69 LEDs. Having access (pardon the pun) to so many simultaneous controls encourages the user to experiment and minimizes the need to navigate too deeply into buried menus. The functions and parameters are better organized in the Virus C than in the B models. Many of the dedicated knobs are self-explanatory, but you'll still need to spend some time acquainting yourself with the interface, as some functions are not immediately intuitive. For example, you navigate System and Multi Edit parameters using a combination of the Part, Parameter, and Value buttons. If you don't have the manual to guide you, however, it's sometimes confusing to perform a simple operation (such as changing the LCD contrast) that doesn't have a dedicated knob or button. I'm quite unimpressed by the Virus C's display. The red-on-red LCD looks cool, but the only good viewing angle is directly overhead. No matter what the contrast setting, leaning back from the synth really cuts down on readability, and the useful viewing range becomes even more limited when you move from side to side. The LCD is the only substantially weak spot of an otherwise stellar synthesizer. FIG. 2: On the Virus C's rear panel are connections for analog audio, MIDI, a pair of foot controllers, and an external power supply. As with previous generations, all models of the Virus C provide three pairs of outputs and a pair of unbalanced inputs (see Fig. 2). The inputs let you route an external source to the Virus's filter, Saturation (a type of filter distortion that adds overtones), vocoder, and effects processor. The most obvious use for the inputs is processing drum loops and the like, but the Virus's Saturation and filters sound so good that you can also use them to subtly or dramatically alter piano, guitars, or vocals in real time. The nearly 200-page manual is well written except for a couple of minor inaccuracies and a few grammatical and syntactic errors in the translated German text. The manual does a fine job of detailing the Virus's various features and functions without becoming a labored dissertation. It supplies an excellent introductory tutorial that acquaints you with the Virus and explains the basics of traditional analog subtractive synthesis. A PDF tutorial document on the Access Music Web site is a superb resource for analog synth programming and a must-read for synthesizer enthusiasts. ANATOMY OF A VIRUS The Virus ships with 512 Programs and 128 Multi setups, but you can delete the internal demo and increase the number of Programs to 1,024. All 1,024 Programs are supplied on CD-ROM, but you can overwrite any of them with user sounds. Because the factory sounds are so good, though, you'll want to keep them available; to that end, the Virus ships with a Virus-only version of Emagic's SoundDiver editor-librarian software for the Mac and Windows. SoundDiver Virus really helps with certain aspects of programming, and its librarian functions are essential for Program management. The Access Music Web site continually offers downloads of new Programs from professionals and hobbyists alike. Even before you start creating your own sounds, the number of available Programs for the Virus is easily in the thousands. SoundDiver Virus is a more elegant way to keep up with Programs and Multi setups than simple SysEx dumps. Each Multi, including layers and splits, can contain as many as 16 Programs. Each Multi has its own tempo, volume, transposition, detuning, and output assignments that override those at the Program level. It's a drag that you can't offset any filters or envelopes at the Multi level — a feature found in units as simple as the Roland Sound Canvas. However, the Virus C provides so many RAM locations that it's not a big deal to edit a Program and save it to a new location for use in the Multi, and you can still modulate Programs in Multi mode. A single Virus sound can have as many as three oscillators (four if you count the suboscillator). But because engaging oscillator 3 reduces the polyphony from 32 to approximately 24 notes, many Programs use only two oscillators. A variety of waveforms are available, with many steps in between that gradually change the shape from one form to another. The Virus lets you step through wavetables as you can in the PPG Wave and Korg Wavestation. Noise, FM, ring modulation, and sync features are also available for all three oscillators. The Virus's filters are simply outstanding. The dual resonant, multimode filters can operate independently in lowpass, highpass, bandpass, or band-stop modes, either in series or parallel. They offer four filter slope and routing choices: Serial-4 (two poles per filter); Serial-6 (four poles for filter 1 and two poles for filter 2); Parallel-4 (two poles per filter), and Split (identical to Parallel-4, but with an independent input to each filter). When the filters are in Split mode, oscillator 1 is linked to filter 1, and oscillators 2 and 3 are routed to filter 2; the results are panned hard left and right, respectively. A dedicated Filter Balance knob adjusts the output between the two filters; modulating the Balance sounds very cool. Regardless of the filter routing, the Saturation stage always follows filter 1. Ten Saturation types range from mild to wild. You can modulate Saturation using a knob, envelope, or LFO. In addition to creating distorted sounds, the Saturation effect is useful in subtler ways to simply fatten up timbres. Modulating Saturation has become a staple of the Virus sound, and it's not likely to fall out of fashion for a while. Each Program has three LFOs. An envelope mode allows each LFO to complete one cycle and then stop, which is useful for further modifying a sound's attack transient stage. LFO 1 and 2 can be synced and assigned to any destination. A modulation matrix provides six sources and nine destinations for more elaborate mod routings. In addition to the mod matrix, Note Velocity has its own dedicated modulation routing. Using knobs to modulate Virus parameters in real time is a gas. For me, it has made electronic music fun again, because I can work more quickly than I can using software. Because the latest OS increases the internal clock's resolution, the Virus can follow a multitude of sequenced modulations and drastic tempo changes simultaneously without the slightest hiccup when it's synced to MIDI Clock. CONTAGIOUS SOUND The Virus C is one of the best-sounding synths I've ever laid my hands on. I've either owned or used a variety of classic synths over the years, and I have a great collection of modern software instruments, but the Virus C is my favorite. Ballsy basses, sweet pads, otherworldly atmospheres, screaming leads, vocoder effects, pulsing arpeggiated beds, electronic percussion — you name it, the Virus C does it. The Virus can transparently float in the background like a sheer veil or stand shoulder-to-shoulder with heavy-metal guitar. This synthesizer is so versatile and sounds so impressive that it might never go out of style. The Virus has become the first place I turn for synth basses, pads, and arpeggios. The subbasses can rumble the pictures off the walls; when I layer them with some of the throatier bass Programs, the combination sounds killer on everything from a huge audio system with a subwoofer to a little Auratone mono cube speaker. I used to spend a lot of effort programming and processing to create massive bass sounds that still sounded good on little speakers, but thanks to the Virus, now it's a piece of cake. I love the Virus's transparency. Some synths are all meat, and others are thin as air; the Virus can be both. I have found and created pads that are so diaphanous that you hardly know they're there. I've used them to outline chord structures behind an acoustic guitar and voice, for example, without disrupting the basic feel of a simple duo. I set up the Saturation and oscillator balance to slowly fade in the sound's thicker elements. The result is like a transparent ghost that can slowly materialize into a solid form — a production technique that doesn't make the guitar and voice sound overproduced. The Virus's envelopes have a very fast attack — somewhere around 20 µs — allowing the Virus to sound extremely punchy. Coupled with the signature Saturation stage, the Virus can rip and roar with the heaviest guitar rigs. Basses thump and lead sounds blaze. Nasty industrial sounds are usually just a few knob turns away. If the envelopes aren't enough, a Punch parameter adds even more oomph to the attack. The Virus supplies a handful of analog drum and percussion sounds, but most are haphazardly scattered around the various Banks. It can emulate practically any analog drum machine, and several synthesized collections are available on the Web. I usually prefer the punchiness and beefiness of the Virus's sounds to most of my analog drum samples. Granted, a lot of ready-made analog drum samples are out there, but if you don't have a collection of vintage drum machines, it's refreshing to have so much control over percussive sounds rather than being limited to a sample's static nature. FLOWING ARPEGGIOS One of the features that first attracted me to the Virus was its implementation of arpeggiators. Forty preset patterns are available, some of them quite complex. All are geared toward 4/4 meter rhythms, however; perhaps a future OS update will provide programmable arpeggiators that support odd rhythms. The next update, which should be available by the time you read this, will include 24 additional patterns. In the past few years, the Virus's stock arpeggio patterns have become classics heard on many hit tunes. The usual suspects are accounted for: up, down, up/down, random, as played, and block chords. You can specify the Velocity, octave range, swing percentage, clock multiplier, and note length. Sixteen arpeggiators are available in Multi mode, with one assigned to each part or with multiple arpeggios assigned to a single channel. You can have 16 independent arpeggios running on a single sound, allowing you to create ostinatos that are truly inspiring — you have to hear it to fully appreciate it. Although the arpeggiators lack a dedicated tempo knob, you can assign one of the two soft knobs to control tempo. However, I'd rather leave the soft knobs for more important assignments, such as number of octaves or note length. Unless you're viewing the Edit menu, tempo isn't displayed in beats per minute (bpm); rather, because the soft knobs are unaware of what parameter you're editing, tempo is shown in arbitrary values from 0 to 127. Most of the time you'll probably want to sync the Virus to a sequencer anyway, so perhaps it's not a big deal; tempo chases MTC flawlessly. CATCH THE FEVER I love this box. I had grown bored with tweaking electronic sounds, but the Virus C helped me regain my enthusiasm by making it so simple and intuitive to grab knobs and start turning. I haven't even mentioned the vocoder, which offers as many features as almost any dedicated vocoder. I also like the Random button that generates new timbres on the fly when you're feeling stuck; I've created some great sounds using that feature as a jumping-off point. It's just impossible to cover this synth thoroughly within the scope of a review. I do have a few criticisms: I'm not crazy about the LCD screen, and I'd rather have a dedicated internal power supply than the Virus's lump-in-the-line external supply. Digital audio ports would be a welcome addition. And as great as the arpeggios are, I hope for even more features in future OS updates. Access Music has maintained an excellent policy of frequently updating its products, old and new alike. The company obviously wants to add as much power and as many features as the original hardware design will allow, which has led to significant updates for Virus A and B owners in the past. That policy makes me even more comfortable investing in a Virus product, because it's been demonstrated that I can expect more features in the future. But it's the filters, Saturation, arpeggiators, and modulation capabilities — and especially the sounds — that make the Virus C so desirable. If I could own only one synthesizer strictly for electronic sounds, it would be the Virus C. Its tabletop form factor is perfect for me because it's compact enough to transport easily, yet it's very easy to program. Whenever I put the Virus up against most of my other synths — hardware or software — it makes them sound kind of puny. The Virus C's heavyweight, professional tone puts it in the league of the elite. Producer and musician Rob Shrock has worked with Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello, Dionne Warwick, and many others. PRODUCT SUMMARY Access Virus C analog modeling synth module $1,995 FEATURES 4.0 EASE OF USE 3.5 AUDIO QUALITY 5.0 VALUE 4.5 RATING PRODUCTS FROM 1 TO 5 PROS: Killer sound. Smooth parameter control. Excellent arpeggiators. Random Program creation. CONS: LCD hard to read at certain angles. Somewhat complex menus and interface. Arpeggio patterns only in 4/4 meter. Scrolling through sounds by category requires two hands. Lump-in-the-line power transformer. No digital audio I/O. Manufacturer Access Music/GSF Agency/TSI International Sales (distributor) tel. (310) 452-6216 e-mail gsf.agency@gte.net Web www.access-music.de USING THE VIRUS AS AN EXTERNAL PROCESSOR If you're a fan of electronic-music timbres, I suggest wiring the Virus's inputs to your patch bay so that you'll always have them readily available as part of your everyday working setup. (The TDM version also allows you to process external signals.) As much as I love plug-ins in general, I find processing with hardware more desirable because it's more immediate, it allows me to process sounds before they're recorded, and it simply sounds better. (I've recently become enamored with taking some of my detailed orchestral string sequences and processing them through the Virus for a sort of updated Electric Light Orchestra sound.) I like to route good sounds from other synths through the Virus to create even better sounds. You can use your sequencer to record any parameter modulation you apply. You can also route external sources into the Virus unaffected, bypassing the internal DSP engine and simply mixing the external input with the Virus's output without an external mixer. Whether or not you're processing an external source, the Virus can boost its input level as much as 20 dB before and an additional 36 dB after A/D conversion. It can accommodate a wide range of levels, from a microphone to an electric guitar to a turntable, but significant input-level boosts can increase the source's noise. If you're using extremely low-level sources, then it's better to use a preamp or other high-quality gain stage. Still, it's convenient that the Virus's inputs can deal with just about any source level when necessary. The Virus has a phono-input setting with a special EQ curve to accommodate the frequency response of record players — perfect for DJs who want to use the Virus alongside a turntable. Virus C Specifications Sound Engine analog synthesis modeling Polyphony (32) notes Multitimbral Parts 16 Analog Audio Inputs (2) unbalanced ¼" TS Analog Audio Outputs (6) unbalanced ¼" TS; (1) ¼" stereo headphone Digital I/O none MIDI Ports In, Out, Thru Additional Control Inputs (1) ¼" TS switch; (1) ¼" TS pedal Program Memory (1,024) Programs; (128) Multis (all rewritable) DSP Resolution 24-bit internal; 24-bit D/A; 16-bit A/D Oscillators (3) main and (1) suboscillator per voice; sawtooth, pulse, sine, triangle, and 62 spectral waves; FM Filters (2) multimode (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, band-stop); (4) serial/parallel configurations Envelope Generators (2) ADSTR (T = time) LFOs (3) with (68) waveshapes Modulation Matrix (6) sources; (9) destinations Arpeggiators 16 Effects (98) simultaneous: boost, chorus/flanger, delay, distortion, EQ, phaser, reverb, ring modulator, vocoder Power Supply external in-line adapter Dimensions 18.50" (W) × 2.95" (H) × 7.28" (D) Weight 6.28 lb. 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