Access Virus TI Desktop User Manual

Virus TI User Manual

This manual, as well as the software and hardware described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. The content of this manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice and should not construed as a commitment by Kemper Digital GmbH.

Kemper Digital GmbH assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this book.

Except as permitted by such license, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Kemper Digital GmbH.

Virus is a trademark of Kemper Digital GmbH. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All features and specifications subject to change without notice.

For the latest revision of this manual, visit our website:

www.access-music.de

Table Of Contents

Introduction

WELCOME 8

THE VARIOUS CHAPTERS 8

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 9

MAINTENANCE 9

THE REAR PANEL 10

ROTATING THE SOCKETS 11

SETTING UP 11

SWITCHING ON AND OFF 12

SELECTING PROGRAMS 12

ABOUT THE MENUS 13

DIFFERENT WAYS OF WORKING 14

ABOUT USB CONNECTION 16

CREATING NEW SOUNDS 17

ABOUT POLYPHONY 17

First Steps

CHEESE FOR STARTERS? 20

THE AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE SECTION 21

THE FILTERS SECTION 24

THE FILTER ENVELOPE SECTION 29

THE OSCILLATORS SECTION 30

THE MIX SECTION 35

THE MODULATORS SECTION 37

THE MATRIX SECTION 39

THE ARP SECTION 40

THE EFFECTS SECTION 41

THE MASTER SECTION 44

HYPERSAW AND WAVETABLE 47

VirusControl

INTRODUCTION 50

COMPATIBILITY 52

STARTING UP 53

LOADING VIRUSCONTROL 55

EASY PAGE 57

BROWSER PAGE 58

OSC PAGE 63

FILTER PAGE 65

LFO PAGE 67

MATRIX PAGE 68

ARP PAGE 69

FX PAGE 70

COMMON PAGE 71

REMOTE PAGE 72

GENERAL HINTS AND TIPS 74

Sound Parameters Reference

ARP 76

ARPEGGIATOR 76

MATRIX 79

SLOT 79

MODULATORS 81

LFO 1 82 LFO 2 84 LFO 3 84 LFO 1 DESTINATIONS 84 LFO 2 DESTINATIONS 86 LFO 3 DESTINATION 87

EFFECTS (UPPER ROW) 89

DELAY 90 REVERB 91 LOW EQ 93 MID EQ 94 HIGH EQ 94

EFFECTS (LOWER ROW) 95

DISTORTION 95 ANALOG BOOST 96 CHORUS 97 PHASER 98 VOCODER 100 VOCODER TABLE 104 INPUT FOLLOWER 105 INPUT RING MODULATOR 106

OSCILLATORS 107

OSCILLATOR 1 – CLASSIC 110 OSCILLATOR 1 – HYPERSAW 112 OSCILLATOR 1 – WAVETABLE 114 OSCILLATOR 2 – CLASSIC 115 OSCILLATOR 2 – HYPERSAW 117 OSCILLATOR 2 – WAVETABLE 118 OSCILLATOR 3 120

COMMON 121 SUB OSCILLATOR 123 NOISE 124 RING MODULATOR 124

MASTER 125

COMMON 128 UNISON 131 VELOCITY MAP 132 INPUTS 133 SURROUND 134 CATEGORIES 134 SOFT KNOB 135

STORE 136

MIX 137

FILTERS 139

SATURATION 140 FILTER-1 141 FILTER-2 143 COMMON 144 FILTER ENVELOPE 145 AMP ENVELOPE 146

FILTER ENVELOPE 148

AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE 149

Configuration Reference

RANDOM PG 152 MIDI 152 MIDI DUMP RX 154 MIDI DUMP TX 154 KEYBOARD 155 MIDI CONTROL 157 INPUTS 158 AUDIO CLOCK 159 SOFT KNOB (GLOBAL SETTINGS) 159 KNOB BEHAVIOUR 160 GLOBAL TUNING 160 SYSTEM 161

Multi Mode Reference

PATCH 166

Appendix A - Legal Declarations

COMPLIANCE 172

DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY 174

WARRANTY REGULATIONS 175

Appendix B - Glossary

GLOSSARY 178

Appendix - Patch Names

ROM-A 192

Index

INDEX OF FUNCTIONS ETC. 210

1: Introduction

Welcome

Dear Virus owner

Congratulations on choosing the new Virus TI, the latest generation in a deliberate process of evolution that has kept the Virus name at the forefront of synthesizer technology for many years. TI stands for Total Integration, meaning that the hardware can be fully integrated into a PC or Mac-based studio via the VirusControl

Before switching your Virus TI on, please read this chapter thoroughly!

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plug-in (VSTi or Apple Audio Unit).

The Various Chapters

This manual is structured as follows:

> Introduction: What you are reading now. Fundamental infor-

mation you should know before trying out your Virus.

> First Steps: A practical guide for beginners, intermediates

and experts alike. The best starting point before delving into the reference chapters.

> Sound Parameters Reference: The main body of this man-

ual. Every parameter concerning sound generation and treatment is listed here, with brief explanations and crossreferences.

> Configuration Reference: All global settings – parameters

used to adapt the Virus to suit your way of working.

> Multi Mode Reference: A list of the Multi Mode parame-

ters, with brief explanations.

> VirusControl: Introduction to the VirusControl application.

> Appendices: Legal matters, charts, diagrams, glossary.

>Index: Where to look when you are not sure where to look!

Safety Precautions

Please read the following carefully. Some of this advice concerns your health as well as that of your instrument!

 Avoid exposing your Virus to moisture, dust or dirt. Do not place

open liquids (e.g. coffee cups) anywhere near the unit. If any substances get into the Virus housing, you should switch it off, disconnect the power supply and contact a qualified service techician.

 Avoid exposing the unit to excessive heat or direct sunlight.

Especially when rack-mounting your Virus (desktop version), please ensure that relatively cool air can circulate freely around the unit.

 Avoid exposing the unit to physical shock or vibrations. Make

sure it is placed firmly on a flat surface or properly secured in a rack.

 If your Virus model requires a 12V DC external power supply,

only use the one that was included with the unit. Never connect the Virus to a power outlet that does not fully comply with national safety regulations. Never use an external power supply which wasn’t designed to match the local voltage requirements.

 Disconnect the power whenever you are unlikely to use the

Virus for a long period of time. Always pull on the plug itself, not on the cord. Never touch the mains plug with wet hands.

 The Virus is capable of generating levels that can cause irre-

versible damage to your ears, either via an external amplifier or

when using headphones connected directly to the unit. Please keep levels reasonable at all times! Make sure that the equipment you connect the Virus TI to matches the Virus’ requiremtents (+4dB Outputs etc.)

Maintenance

Updating the OS

Access Music is famous for improving their products via free updates to the operating system. We recommend that you visit www.access-music.de regularly and download the latest OS.

Cleaning

Only use a soft, dry cloth or soft brush to clean the panel – do not apply any liquids. Note that industrial or household solvents can cause severe damage to surfaces.

Repair

Never open the Virus yourself – there are no user-servicable parts inside. If your Virus ever needs repairing, please contact a qualified service technician.

Replacing the Battery

To prevent your sounds from being lost whenever you switch off the power, there is a battery inside your Virus. This may need replacing after 4 or 5 years by a qualified service technician. Remember to backup your data beforehand!

The Rear Panel

Sockets

>USB: Audio and MIDI communication with computers.

Disposal

Disposal of old Electronical & Electronic equipment (Applicable throughout the European Union and other European countries with seperate collection program).

The marking shown on the product indicates that it should not be disposed with other household waste. Please take your Virus TI to an applicable collection point for recycling of electronical and electronic items.

For further questions on an ecological friendly disposal of this product, please contact your Access dealer respectively your local government office.

> MIDI IN / OUT / THRU: The usual trio

>S/PDIF: Digital audio I/O

> INPUT: Audio input jacks

>OUTPUT 1: Main audio output jacks

>OUTPUT 2 / 3: Additional audio output jacks

> 12V DC IN (desktop model): Power supply input socket.

> HEADPHONES: Stereo audio output jack.

Rotating the sockets

The sockets on the rear panel of the Virus TI desktop model can be rotated 90° so that the unit can be mounted in a 19” rack without requiring free space above the “back” panel. Many owners will consider themselves skilled enough to attempt the following themselves – although this should ideally be done by a professional technician. We recommend to contact your Access dealer for further assistance.

Important notice: Kemper Digital GmbH takes no responsibility whatsoever for any damage incurred while attempting to carry out these instructions! Rotating the sockets does not void the warranty of a Virus TI Desktop.

 What you will need: A flat and soft working surface (e.g. your

couch), a bowl or similar for the screws, a suitable crosspoint screwdriver and hexagonal key.

 Remove any attached cables and turn the unit upside down.

Remove the end-cheeks using the hexagonal key.

 Using a small cross-point screwdriver, remove the 6 screws in

the baseplate. Carefully remove the baseplate and set it aside for the moment. Remove the 6 screws between the rear-panel sockets.

 Pull up the “sockets unit” a little and perch it on the ledge of the

back panel. Using both hands, carefully pull the 40-way con-

nector from its socket on the motherboard. The sockets unit is now free.

 Using the latest set of screws (i.e. the ones without pointed

ends), attach the sockets unit firmly into the baseplate, which has all the necessary holes.

 Position the baseplate (with the sockets now firmly in place) so

that the 40-way cable can reach the socket on the motherboard. Carefully but firmly plug it all the way in.

 “Close the lid” and use the remaining 6 small screws to reattach

the baseplate. Turn the unit “right side up” and attach the power cable to ensure that the 40-way plug has been properly fitted.

Setting Up

The following steps include several important precautions. In addition to the simple setup described here, the Virus TI can be connected in a variety of ways to suit virtually any audio environment.

 Please do not plug the Virus into the mains power yet. First of

all, temporarily switch off any devices you will eventually be connecting your Virus to, and turn all main volume controls (mixer, amplifier) down to minimum.

 If your Virus is a desktop version, connect the MIDI OUT from a

keyboard or sequencer to the MIDI IN socket on the Virus.

 Connect both the OUTPUT 1 sockets (standard mono jacks) to

two line inputs on your stereo amplifier or audio mixer. Make sure to only use qualified amplifiers. Check back with your local Access dealer for further details. When using two separate mixer channels, pan them to the extreme left and right respectively. If you prefer to use headphones, use the HEADPHONES socket on the rear panel.

 Connect your Virus to the mains power. Press both TRANS-

POSE buttons at the same time to “wake up” the Virus. Switch the rest of your equipment on in the following order: the MIDI send device (keyboard or sequencer etc.), then the mixer and finally the amplifier.

 Set up the MIDI send device (keyboard or sequencer) so that it

sends on MIDI channel 1 (for now).

 Turn up the MASTER VOLUME on your Virus to maximum and,

while playing some notes, adjust the volume controls on your mixer/amplifier to a reasonable listening level. If you are using a mixer, you might find some useful advice on setting optimum levels in the mixer´s own documentation.

Switching On and Off

Virus TI models do not have a physical on/off switch. To put the unit into standby mode, press and hold both TRANSPOSE buttons until the countdown reaches zero. Press the same buttons to “wake up” the Virus again.

Selecting Programs

Your Virus TI has 20 banks of memory (RAM-A to RAM-D, ROM-A to ROM-P), each containing 128 SINGLE programs numbered from 0 to 127. A total of 2560 sounds...

To try out some sounds, make sure you are in SINGLE mode and that no menu is open – you might have to press the SINGLE button (in the Master section to the right of the display) first. There are three basic methods of selection:

Sequentially

The most obvious way to select programs is by stepping through them using the BANK and PROGRAM buttons to the right of the display. When any menu is open, these buttons are used for PARAMETERS and VALUE instead – see “About the Menus” below. To scroll automatically, hold one of them down for a while.

A quick method of reaching any program within the current Bank: Hold down SHIFT and turn the VALUE 3 knob.

By Category

Because there are so many sounds to choose from, programs can be assigned one or two so-called “Categories”. This information is stored within each program. A practical demonstration:

Press the SEARCH button to the left of the display and use the VALUE 1 knob to change the category to “Drums”. Then use the VALUE +/- buttons to browse through programs – in the bar at the top of the screen you will see programs that are in the “Drums” category only. When you have found a suitable program, press the

ÛEXIT button.

About the Menus

How to open menus

The main menus are opened via the EDIT buttons you will find in most of the sections. The usual method is to SELECT an element first (e.g. LFO1, OSC 2 or REVERB) then press the EDIT button in that same section.

All buttons in the MATRIX section as well as CONFIG in the Master section also open menus.

Via MIDI

All MIDI sequencers and professional MIDI keyboards are capable of transmitting Bank and Program change messages via MIDI.

How to make full use of Edit Buttons

If pressed repeatedly, the EDIT buttons in the FILTERS and MASTER sections will step through the menu pages. Those in the OSCILLATORS and lower EFFECTS sections toggle between the selectable (element-specific) pages and additional, non-selectable parameters e.g. the Vocoder. Similarly, the one in the MODULATORS section toggles between the selected LFO’s main settings and its Destinations menu.

How to navigate within menus

Many menus in your Virus require more than one page. These can be found by using the PARAMETERS buttons (in the Master section, to the right of the display).

If a menu is already open, selecting a different element within the same section (e.g. LFO3 instead of LFO1, OSC1 instead of OSC2 or LOW EQ instead of REVERB) will jump to the new menu.

How to change values within menus

Use the VALUE knobs below the display. Whenever you enter a menu page, one of the parameters will already be active (indicated by a triangular cursor). Its value can be decremented/incremented via the VALUE buttons. To move the cursor without changing values, hold down SHIFT and press one of the PARAMETERS buttons.

There is actually a system parameter which governs how the PARAMETERS buttons work – see “Navigation” on page 163.

How to close menus

To exit any menu, press the ÛEXIT button to the left of the display. It is not necessary to press menu. Re-selecting the current basic mode (SINGLE, MULTI) will also exit menus.

ÛEXIT before opening a new

Different Ways of Working

Single mode

This is the standard mode for playing just one sound at a time. The next chapter is a simple but detailed tutorial to help you become familiar with Single mode operation.

Multi mode

Your Virus can play 16 different sounds at the same time: MULTI programs contain 16 PARTS, each equivalent to a SINGLE program plus a few additional parameters such as MIDI channel, fine tuning, key range etc..

Unlike earlier Virus models and many other synthesizers, MULTI programs in the Virus TI do not simply reference individual sounds, but actually contain the data, including all effects. Multi mode is therefore predestined for more complex programs.

Whenever the Bank or Patch parameters (see “Patch” on page 166) are changed, the corresponding Single program is copied into the current Part of the Multi program. For details about Multi mode parameters, see the “Multi Mode Reference” on page 165.

Sequencer mode

Whereas Multi mode offers maximum flexibility for layering sounds, defining keyboard splits etc., Sequencer Mode is usually the better choice for multitrack MIDI sequencing purposes.

Press the MULTI and SINGLE buttons at the same time (or start the VirusControl application – see below). Sequencer Mode accesses an area of memory containing 16 Single programs. It couldn’t be simpler: the MIDI channel is always the same as the PART number (1 to 16).

Remote mode

The Virus TI can be used as a MIDI controller i.e. the controls can be configured to suit a variety of MIDI devices. There are several Remote setups suitable for popular devices already included in your unit. Remote mode is accessed by holding down SHIFT and pressing the CONFIG button to the left of the display. User-defined remote setups can be created using VirusControl...

VirusControl

The VirusControl application (for PC or Mac) makes the Virus TI appear to be a multi-channel VST/AU soft-synth within any suitable host program e.g. Logic, Cubase etc.. Virus TI is the world’s first hardware synthesizer featuring sample-accurate

timing and delay-compensated audio/MIDI. See “VirusControl” on page 145 for details on setting up, compatibility and how to work with this revolutionary feature.

About USB Connection

Don’t use a hub! To achieve the level of performance and integration the Virus TI series provides, you must reserve a USB slot exclusively for the Virus TI i.e. this specific port should not be shared with any other USB device. During beta-testing with various PC and Mac setups, we found that using certain USB hubs not only slowed down the connection speed but often made the entire connection unreliable. For this reason, we eventually decided not to support the use of USB hubs at all.

Note: Virus Control constantly checks the MIDI and AUDIO connections and displays an alert message if it sees any problems.

A Typical Setup

Changing knob response

A global parameter (see “Response” on page 160) affects how most of the knobs on your Virus react, and the current value of this parameter may not suit your needs...

Press the CONFIG button to the left of the display and use the PARAMETERS buttons to scroll through the pages until you reach the one shown above. Using the VALUE 1 knob, change Response to “Jump” if this is not already selected. Press the

ÛEXIT button to return to normal operation. Later on, you may

prefer one of the other options (Snap or Rel) to prevent glitches during live performance.

Note that some knobs will have no audible effect because they depend on other parameters e.g. the RATE of an LFO that isn’t being used, or the DECAY of an envelope when SUSTAIN is at maximum etc..

Creating New Sounds

The INIT Programs

The end of bank ROM-A has been reserved for a few simple templates, which you can use whenever you want to create sounds “from scratch”. For instance, the instructions in the next chapter will often ask you to select one of those.

About Polyphony

The average number of voices the TI series (with its two DSPs) can deliver is quoted at about 80, with a maximum of more than

100. However, to reach such giddy heights, the TI makes very dynamic use of resources i.e. using certain features can lower polyphony to well below these figures. For instance, doubling the number of Unison voices e.g. from 3 to 6 will reduce polyphony by half.

If you ever find you need to maximize polyphony (e.g. in Multi mode), try minimizing your use of the following “prime suspects” first: Unison mode, Reverb, Analog Filter models and Oscillator 3.

2: First Steps

This hands-on tutorial introduces every physical control on the panel, as well as a few important parameters in the menus.

Cheese for Starters?

If your Virus TI is a desktop model, you should have a MIDI keyboard connected...

The most effective way of getting to know your Virus is by performing very simple exercises “hands-on”, and that’s why many of the sounds you will be asked to make are cheesy to say the least! Despite the risk of compromising your aesthetic sensibilities or overstating the obvious, I hope you will appreciate the advantages of this method.

Throughout this chapter you will often be asked to “Restore ROM-A126” or “Restore ROM-A127”. To do this, press the

ÛEXIT button (closes any open menu), then use the VALUE

buttons to step to the neighbouring program then back again.

Make sure you are in SINGLE mode, then select program ROM-A127 (i.e. Bank ROM-A, program number 127). Play a note on your keyboard. Like an organ, the sound starts abruptly, sustains as long as you hold down the key, then stops abruptly. Unlike an organ, you can change this behaviour by adjusting a few “envelope” parameters...

The Amplifier Envelope Section

The four knobs at the bottom right of the panel control the amplifier envelope i.e. how volume changes during and immediately after each note you play:

ATTACK

Turn the ATTACK knob down to minimum to reach the value already stored in ROM-A127 (which is 0). Now turn it up slowly while repeatedly playing notes on your keyboard – you will hear the start of each note becoming progressively slower. Leave ATTACK at around 40 for now.

>ATTACK: How long it takes for the level to go from silence to

maximum.

>DECAY: How long it takes from maximum to the SUSTAIN

level...

> SUSTAIN: The level of sustained notes immediately after

DECAY.

>RELEASE: How long it takes to fade out after notes are

released.

Here are a few practical experiments for novices.

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DECAY

Turn the DECAY knob up to maximum. The original value was already 127 – you should see the white “original value indicator” LED in the MIX section light up. Slowly turn DECAY down while repeatedly playing a note on your keyboard. You will hear the note getting shorter until it becomes a very short blip when DECAY reaches minimum. Leave DECAY at minimum for now.

SUSTAIN

Turn the SUSTAIN knob down to minimum (the original value was already 0). Now turn it up again while repeatedly playing a note on your keyboard. The original value indicator should disappear, and you should hear the volume of the sustained note change accordingly. Leave SUSTAIN at 64 and take DECAY back up to around 40.

21 FIRST STEPS

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Turn the RELEASE down to minimum (the original value is 4). Then, while playing notes on your keyboard, gradually turn it up again: The sound fades more slowly after you release keys. Set RELEASE to around 40 – the amplifier envelope now looks something like this:

PATCH VOLUME

Via SHIFT + ATTACK. The overall volume, stored as part of each program. Mainly used for balancing levels between different programs. The best value to start with is 100, leaving you some headroom to make this particular program louder in future.

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SUSTAIN SLOPE

Via SHIFT + SUSTAIN. If SUSTAIN SLOPE is set to any value other than 0, the sustain phase (which is normally flat) turns into a gradient:

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All the red labelling (blue in the case of the Pølar model) you can see on the panel identifies the SHIFT functions. To access these, hold down the SHIFT button to the left of the display immediately before using the knob or button, then release it afterwards.

Take SUSTAIN SLOPE down to -32. Negative values cause the sustain phase to fall (eventually reaching silence – you can check this by playing a relatively long note on your keyboard).

So what do positive SUSTAIN SLOPE values do to an envelope? The sustain phase rises, eventually reaching maximum if you don’t release the note beforehand. Set SUSTAIN SLOPE to +32 and play a long note.

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All these envelope “times” (Attack, Decay and Release), as well as what appears to be a gradient (Sustain Slope), are actually rates. This technicality can be safely ignored in practice.

TEMPO

Via SHIFT + RELEASE (in the AMP ENVELOPE section). The Virus has a master clock to which the arpeggiator is always synchronized. LFOs and delay effects can also be synchronized to this clock.

Locate the program ROM-A 26 “Dr.What?HS”, switch on arpeggio HOLD (via SHIFT + ARP ON), and play a note on your keyboard. You can see the LFO1 indicator blinking in time with the arpeggio because, in this particular program, it is synchronized to the clock. Now experiment with TEMPO (SHIFT + RELEASE in the AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE section). Did you notice how smoothly the delay effect catches up with any tempo changes you make?

TEMPO has a range of 63 to 190 bpm. However, the master clock automatically slaves to any incoming MIDI clock data (including rates which are beyond these limits). In this case, the TEMPO parameter is simply ignored.

23 FIRST STEPS

The Filters Section

In comparison with “Dr.What?”, the few sounds you have been asked to create so far have been primitive and harsh. In subtractive synthesizers such as the Virus, the tonal quality of the oscillators can be radically altered by sending them through filters.

There are two main filters in your Virus, but before learning how to access them individually, let’s start by experimenting with the three parameters you will find on any subtractive synthesizer: CUTOFF, RESONANCE and ENV AMOUNT (as it is called in the Virus):

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CUTOFF

Restore ROM-A127. Vary the CUTOFF while playing notes on your keyboard. At low values, even medium frequencies are filtered out – the sound is very mellow.

As you turn CUTOFF up, higher frequencies are allowed to pass through the filters, until the sound becomes brightest at maximum CUTOFF. This is typical of lowpass (LP) filters, one of the four basic types available in the Virus.

You have actually been using two lowpass filters in series here – in ROM-A127 they have been configured to appear as just one “double-strength” filter – we will come to the responsible parameter (“Routing”) shortly.

RESONANCE

RESONANCE emphasizes any frequencies close to the cutoff position. Play a note and sweep CUTOFF as you did just now, then turn up RESONANCE and try again. At higher RESONANCE values, the cutoff frequency becomes quite dominant. You should be able to hear individual harmonics being picked out if you turn CUTOFF slowly enough. If you like, go back to program ROM-A 26 and try a lot more RESONANCE.

ENV AMOUNT

Controls how much the filter envelope affects cutoff – like automating the CUTOFF knob with each and every note you play. Here's how to make a very simple analogue bass sound:

Restore ROM-A127 and turn CUTOFF down to minimum. Play individual notes while adjusting ENV AMOUNT until you hear a satisfying “plunk” (somewhere around 70), then take the RESONANCE up a little. Locate the TRANSPOSE buttons to the left of the display, and change the setting to -1 or -2. Play your favourite funky bass riff…

The FILTER ENVELOPE section has the same structure as the AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE, so you should already know how to use these knobs effectively to modify your bass sound. Don’t forget to try SUSTAIN SLOPE (SHIFT + SUSTAIN). You should try adjusting ENV AMOUNT and RESONANCE again – filter parameters are highly interactive!

FILTER BALANCE

At -64 you can only hear the output of filter 1. In the central position (0), both filters contribute equally. At +63 you can only hear the output of filter 2.

SELECT (FILT 1, FILT 2)

Use these buttons to select which of the filters you would like the RESONANCE and ENV AMOUNT knobs to control. If you press both buttons at the same time, the knobs will apply to both filters simultaneously (as they already do in ROM-A127).

CUTOFF 2

A separate cutoff control for filter 2. This can be either an offset (i.e. a constant amount below or above filter 1) or an independent value, depending on another parameter in the filter’s EDIT menu (see “Cutoff Link” on page 145).

MODE (FLT1, FLT2)

Using the FILT1 and FILT2 buttons, you can set each filter to one of following types:

> LP = Low Pass: Allows frequencies below the cutoff point to

pass through i.e rejects those above the cutoff point

> HP = High Pass: Allows frequencies above the cutoff point to

pass through i.e. rejects those below the cutoff point

> BP = Band Pass: Allows frequencies close to the cutoff point

to pass through i.e. simultaneously rejects those above and below the cutoff point

25 FIRST STEPS

> BS = Band Stop: Rejects frequencies close to the cutoff

point (within a certain “band”) i.e. allows frequencies above or below the cutoff point to pass through.

Your Virus actually has yet another filter mode which simulates the classic Minimoog oscillation). This cannot be selected directly from the panel, but only from within the filter EDIT menu. If you simply can’t wait to try it out, bookmark this paragraph and see “Mode” on page 142.

At this point you should experiment with each filter mode in isolation i.e. listen to only one of the filters at a time: Restore ROM-A127, take FILTER BALANCE down to -64 (this isolates Filter 1), and use the FILT1 button to select another mode. Play your keyboard while adjusting CUTOFF and RESONANCE. Repeat until you have become familiar with all four modes.

While experimenting with BS (Band Stop), did you notice how turning the RESONANCE knob up doesn't actually add resonance, but narrows the band instead? Very subtle...

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low pass (including it’s typical self-

SHIFT + RESONANCE for on-the-fly adjustments because you don’t have to check the status of the LEDs above the SELECT buttons first.

KEY FOLLOW

Via SHIFT + ENV AMOUNT. High notes are generally brighter than low notes when played on acoustic instruments. KEY FOLLOW can emulate this effect by making Cutoff follow the notes you play...

Restore ROM-A127, take CUTOFF down to around 64 and play the keyboard to get used to the sound of a “flat” filter across the entire keyboard. Then hold down SHIFT and turn KEY FOLLOW (i.e. the ENV AMOUNT knob) up to maximum. Play your keyboard again.

>Into the Filter Menu

RESONANCE 2

Via SHIFT + RESONANCE. Filter 2 resonance only. Although you can press the SELECT button labelled FILT2, then use the RESONANCE knob (without SHIFT), it is often faster to use

There are several important parameters in the filter menu, a few of which have already been mentioned in passing – here are the ones you should become familiar with first. Press the EDIT button in the FILTERS section and use the PARAMETER buttons to find the following page:

Routing

Here’s that “Routing” parameter mentioned earlier – twist the VALUE 1 knob to see the various options...

So far you have used the filters either in series (the output of filter 1 is sent to the input of filter 2) or in isolation (by setting extreme FILTER BALANCE values). Here is a list of all four routing options – you might like to look up the word “Pole” in the glossary:

> Serial 4: The filters are routed in series, with two poles each

(12dB per octave). This adds up to a total of four poles (i.e. 24dB per octave) if FILTER BALANCE is dead centre (0).

> Serial 6: The filters are routed in series. Filter 1 has four poles

(24dB per octave) and filter 2 has two poles. This adds up to a total of six poles i.e. 36dB per octave if FILTER BALANCE is dead centre (+0).

> Parallel 4: The filters are routed in parallel, with two poles

each.

> Split Mode: The filters are also routed in parallel, with two

poles each. Unlike the Parallel 4 mode, each filter processes a different set of sources: Oscillator 1 and the sub-oscillator are routed to filter 1, whereas oscillator 2, its FM signal and noise are routed to filter 2. The ring modulator (see “RING MODULATOR” on page 137) is disabled.

To step through filter routings without having to open the menu, hold down SHIFT and press the Filter 2 button (labelled FILT2).

Cutoff Link

When set to “Off”, the CUTOFF knobs are independent of each other. CUTOFF controls filter 1, CUTOFF 2 controls filter 2. When Cutoff Link is set to “On”, the CUTOFF knob can control both filters at the same time – CUTOFF 2 becomes an offset i.e. it determines how much lower or higher filter 2 is than filter 1. Note that Cutoff Link is normally left on (as it is in most programs, including ROM-A126 and ROM-A127).

About Saturation

The term “Filter Saturation” was originally coined to describe the effect caused by pushing the input of a filter beyond its natural limits. Jan Hammer’s work on “Birds of Fire” (Mahavishnu Orchestra) is a classic example but, depending on your age and/or musical tastes, you might be more familiar with the searing techno “bass lines” and various other distorted synthesizer sounds used in more recent music.

27 FIRST STEPS

In the signal flow, the saturation stage comes immediately after Filter 1. Therefore if you have added a lot of overtones, you can still filter them out using filter 2 (assuming the routing is serial see above).

Access have kept the term “Saturation”, but greatly expanded on the idea – several different Saturation types can be selected (via SHIFT + OSC VOLUME). Here are a few experiments to get you started:

Hold down the SHIFT button and turn the OSC VOLUME knob to see the various SATURATION TYPEs. Select one of the more drastic types e.g. “Digital”, release the SHIFT button and experiment with OSC VOLUME (i.e. without using SHIFT). You might like to filter the results now!

Now let’s try out some of the other saturation types. Turn the SHAPE knob down to minimum and try out the Wave Shaper and Rectifier types in turn. Again, you should experiment with OSC VOLUME because this parameter affects the tone.

The Bit Reducer, Rate Reducer and Rate+Follow types can be used to emulate the tonal characteristics of early digital synthesizers and samplers. You may not like these at first, but they can certainly add “grit” to a sound.

Finally, you should try out the four additional saturation types (which are actually additional filters). High+Follow is especially useful for thinning out a sound without using filter 1 for this purpose.

The Filter Envelope Section

This obviously has the same structure as the amplifier envelope. Using your knowledge from previous experiments, use all the filter knobs and buttons (plus the Routing parameter in the filter EDIT menu) to make a new sound from scratch. If you feel the need to save your work at any point, bookmark this page and read the information about “Store” on page 136.

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29 FIRST STEPS

The Oscillators Section

This is where the raw sound is generated. There are three main oscillators but only one set of knobs in the top row, so we'll start with a very important button – the one that selects which particular oscillator you want those knobs to control...

SELECT

Restore ROM-A127 and take a look at the row of LEDs above the SELECT button. OSC1 is currently active, so whatever you do with the top row of knobs will only affect oscillator 1. There is actually an exception to this rule (DETUNE 2/3), but we'll get to that in due course.

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SHAPE

In your experiments so far you have only used one type of wave – a Sawtooth. Now it’s time to try out some of the other

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waveforms:

Restore ROM-A127 and play your keyboard while turning the SHAPE knob. At minimum you will hear a pure Sine wave, in the centre a pure Sawtooth, and at maximum a pure Pulse. Listen to those extremes for a while, then try out different mixtures using the SHAPE knob. You will see the percentage mixture of waveforms being updated whenever you turn the knob.

Again, the Virus TI has much more under the hood than is immediately apparant: As well as the “Classic” oscillators we have been using so far, the TI offers two other highly interesting types called “HyperSaw” and “WaveTable”. Please be patient – you will be trying these out soon enough!

I only mentioned Sine, Sawtooth and Pulse above. However, the Sine is only one of 64 waves available in Classic mode, and the Pulse can change it’s “width”. The very clever knob labelled WAVE SELECT/ PW controls both of these parameters, but not at the same time...

WAVE SELECT/ PW

Turn SHAPE down to minimum (the display should read “Spectral Wave” for a short while) and play a note on your keyboard while turning the WAVE SELECT/ PW knob. The first two entries in the list of WAVEs are available in many different synthesizer models – Sine and Triangle. All the others (3 to 64) are more complex additive waveforms. If you are interested in seeing a graphic image of all these waves, have a look at the Oscillator page of the VirusControl plug-in.

If the value of SHAPE is the central “Sawtooth” or above, there is no “WAVE” in the mixture at all. In this case the WAVE SELECT knob is free to change its function entirely – it becomes a Pulse Width (PW) control instead...

Turn SHAPE up to maximum for a pure Pulse wave i.e. no Sawtooth at all, then try turning WAVE SELECT/ PW up again. The display now reads “Oscillator 1 Pulse Width”. As the pulse becomes narrower, the sound becomes progressively thinner – it even disappears entirely when you reach 127.

Now play a low note on your keyboard and move the WAVE SELECT/ PW knob fairly rapidly back and forth – this is the typical cyclic “pulse width modulation” effect which you will learn how to automate (using an LFO) later on.

SEMITONE

Use this knob to adjust the pitch of each oscillator over a range of -48 to +48 semitones:

Go to ROM-A126 -START- (we are using a slightly different template this time!) and play your keyboard. You are obviously hearing two oscillators at the same time – and they are slightly out of tune with each other. Use the SELECT button to choose oscillator 2 and turn the SEMITONE knob up to +7. The steps are automatically smoothed while you turn the knob, but the pitch will always settle on semitones. This means you don’t use SEMITONE for fine tuning...

DETUNE 2/3

...this is the knob you can use for fine-tuning oscillator 2 and/or oscillator 3. Take SEMITONE back to the centre (0) and try out different DETUNE 2/3 values while playing your keyboard.

31 FIRST STEPS

At moderate values you can get some pleasant phasing effects. High values can make the oscillators sound completely out of tune with each other – also a useful effect when used in the right context!

OSC 3 ON

Although the third main oscillator may appear to have all the same options as the other two, it is highly dependent upon what is currently happening with oscillator 2:

SYNC

When this function is active (while using “Classic” oscillators), oscillator 2 is synchronized to oscillator 1. Look up Sync in the glossary if necessary. One popular use of Sync is to create an effect similar to a bandpass filter with a lot of resonance and some distortion:

Restore ROM-A126 and press the SYNC button – the rhythmic beating between the two oscillators is eliminated. Select oscillator 2 and play some notes while sweeping the SEMITONE control from slightly below centre to maximum. If you would like to hear oscillator 2 in isolation, turn the OSC BALANCE knob (you will find it in the MIX section) up to maximum. If you leave SEMITONE at certain fixed positions, you can get some interesting static overtones.

Tip: If a sound ever gets annoying, filter it!

Restore ROM-A126, select oscillator 2 and change SEMITONE to +7. Press the OSC 3 ON button (its status LED will light up) and select oscillator 3 (both LEDs above the OSC3 ON button are lit). If you now try changing SEMITONE, you won’t notice any effect. This is because oscillator 3 is currently a slave to oscillator 2. Try changing WAVE SELECT from Slave to Saw, then adjust SEMITONE to +4.

Tip: When oscillator 3 is active, you can control oscillator 3 volume from the panel via SHIFT + SUB OSC VOLUME.

MONO

This button selects whether the entire sound is polyphonic or monophonic (there are several mono key modes available). Although your Virus is polyphonic at heart, monophonic sounds can be particularly expressive, especially when portamento (coming shortly) is applied.

Tip: To step through all Key Modes, hold down SHIFT before pressing the MONO button.

FM AMOUNT

FM stands for Frequency Modulation. This means that the frequency of one audio source is modulated by another – the FM AMOUNT parameter determines how much. As well as being able to create bell-like tones, FM is often used to add grit to a sound.

UNISON DETUNE

Via SHIFT + DETUNE 2/3. Unison means several instances of the same note at the same time. For UNISON DETUNE to have any effect, the number of stacked (layered) voices must of course be greater than 1. For this we need to go into one of the EDIT menus...

You should always think of the FM signal as being an integral part of oscillator 2.

Restore ROM-A126 and turn oscillator 1 SHAPE down to 0 for a pure sine wave. Select OSC2 and turn its SHAPE all the way down as well. Now find out what the FM AMOUNT knob does to the sound...

FM MODE

Via SHIFT + FM AMOUNT. Selects one of several different FM modulator sources. If you feel like experimenting with this parameter, start by changing the FM mode from Pos Triangle to Tri ang le .

Restore ROM-A126, press the EDIT button to the left of the display and use the PARAMETERS buttons find the UNISON page. Set the Voices parameter to maximum (8) and Play your keyboard – quite a powerful lead sound already. Now use SHIFT+DETUNE 2/3 to take UNISON DETUNE up to maximum.

For much more of a “Hoover” type sound, turn DETUNE 2/3 (without SHIFT this time!) up to around 115, and add some SUB OSC and NOISE (look in the MIX section). Might as well activate Oscillator 3 as well for maximum power: Press the OSC3 ON button...

This type of sound is actually much easier to make using the new HyperSaw oscillator mode (see the end of this chapter), but you should learn about the “Classic” oscillator models first.

Now add a simple delay effect by turning delay SEND and FEEDBACK up a little (you will find both these knobs in the EFFECTS section). Play your keyboard while tweaking the CUTOFF knob.

33 FIRST STEPS

ÛEXIT the menu.

PORTAMENTO

Via SHIFT + SEMITONE. Often called glide, portamento means slurring / slowing down the pitch changes between consecutive notes. Take the portamento value up and play your keyboard. Portamento is particularly effective in mono modes (see “Key Mode” on page 122).

The Mix Section

Most of the knobs here are self-explanatory. They are volume controls for the signal sources:

SUB OSC VOLUME

The sub-oscillator is always an octave below oscillator 1 – restore ROM-A127 and try turning it up. The sub-oscillator is one of several sources whose level is ultimately controlled via OSC VOLUME:

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OSC BALANCE

This knob controls the relative mix of oscillators 1 and 2 while keeping the total level constant. The 12

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o’clock position is a 50:50 mix of both these oscillators. Try this:

Restore ROM-A127. Play a note and turn SEMITONE down to -5. Keep playing your keyboard while turning OSC BALANCE slowly up to maximum. You can only hear oscillator 2 now. Turn up FM AMOUNT and leave it at a medium level. Now turn OSC BALANCE down again. You can only hear oscillator 1. No oscillator 2 and – perhaps surprisingly – no FM. That’s because FM is really part of oscillator 2, remember?

OSC VOLUME

This is a group level control for all the following sources: Oscillator 1, oscillator 2 (including FM), oscillator 3 and the sub-oscillator. Noise and Ring Modulator levels are independent of OSC VOLUME – that’s why the knob for these parameters is located below it. Here’s a short practical demonstration:

Restore ROM-A126 and change SEMITONE (oscillator 1) to -5. Hold down a note on your keyboard and listen to what happens as you turn up the following:

FM AMOUNT (in the OSCILLATORS section) = 20 SUB OSCILLATOR = 80 NOISE VOLUME = 80 RING MODULATOR (SHIFT + NOISE VOLUME) = 80

Now turn OSC VOLUME all the way down. Which sources can you still hear, and why?

35 FIRST STEPS

The upper half (at least) of OSC VOLUME also has another important job. It controls the amount of filter saturation, mentioned a few pages earlier. The idea was to make OSC VOLUME similar to the gain control on a guitar amplifier – the signal starts distorting when you turn it up “too high”.

RING MODULATOR

Via SHIFT + NOISE VOLUME. Ring modulation means multiplying two signals together. Like FM, the result is highly dependent upon the basic frequencies and complexity of the two sources. For pure bell-like tones, use Sine waves only:

NOISE VOLUME

Simply the volume of the Noise generator.

PANORAMA

Via SHIFT + OSC BALANCE. Pans the entire program across the stereo outputs.

OSC 3 VOLUME

Via SHIFT + SUB OSC VOLUME. The volume of oscillator 3 when it is switched on. If you would like all three main oscillators to have the same level, you should set OSC BALANCE to the centre and OSC 3 VOLUME to 64.

SATURATION TYPE

Via SHIFT + OSC VOLUME. See above.

Restore ROM-A126, take SHAPE down to minimum. Select oscillator 2 and do the same. Turn OSC VOLUME down to minimum and RING MODULATOR (SHIFT + NOISE VOLUME) up to maximum. Turn amplifier RELEASE up to around 90, select oscillator 2 and experiment with the SEMITONE knob.

The Modulators Section

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The three SELECT buttons are used to switch between LFOs – the upper row of buttons and the RATE knob will only apply to the LFO you select here. Try pressing the LFO2 SELECT button, turn the RATE knob and see which (white) LED changes speed. Here’s another experiment...

Restore ROM-A126. The row of LEDs to the right of the LFO1 and LFO2 SELECT buttons indicate which parameters you can modulate directly. For LFO1 these are Oscillator 1 pitch (OSC1), Oscillator 2 pitch (OSC2/3), Pulse Width (PW), Resonance (RESO), Filter Gain (FILT GAIN) and another destination called ASSIGN. None of the LEDs are lit up at the moment because you haven’t specified any modulation yet:

LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) are often used to add some cyclic movement to otherwise static



sounds. There are three LFOs in your Virus, and each one has a different assortment of preset destinations it can modulate directly.

Although it is already active, try pressing LFO1’s SELECT button again – this opens the LFO1 Destinations menu. Repeatedly press LFO 1 SELECT to switch between the 3 available pages (of course you can use the PARAMETERS buttons instead), then stop at the page containing the Osc1+2 Pitch parameter. Play a note on your keyboard while turning Osc1+2 Pitch (via the VALUE 2 knob) all the way up.

Press the SHAPE button once to select a falling Sawtooth instead of Triangle. While playing a note on your keyboard, turn RATE up to 90, then use the VALUE 2 knob to take Osc1+2 Pitch slowly down to minimum. The modulation becomes inverted because this parameter is bipolar (meaning it can have positive or negative values). Now turn Osc2 Pitch (the VALUE 3 knob) up to maximum. The oscillator pitches are now moving in opposite directions.

Hold down SHIFT and press the SHAPE button once to return to the Triangle wave. Take Osc1+2 Pitch to +10 (which brutally overrides the other values in this page). You should hear a mild vibrato effect. Try turning CUTOFF down and ENV AMOUNT up – it doesn’t matter that you haven’t closed the LFO Destinations menu yet.

Turn the SHAPE knob in the OSCILLATORS section up to maximum. Oscillator 1 is now a Pulse wave. Press the LFO 1 SELECT button once again to open the next page. Take Pulse Width (the VALUE 1 knob) up to maximum and play your keyboard. This is deep cyclic “pulse width modulation” (PWM). The

37 FIRST STEPS

top three status LEDs for LFO1 are now lit up because you have now defined some modulation for each of these destinations.

Press the LFO1 SELECT button yet again. The value of Assign Target (VALUE 1 knob) is one of many possible destinations that are also available in the MATRIX section...

The Matrix Section

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This is where you can route just about any control source to almost any parameter you like – modulation wheel to vibrato, velocity to panorama, filter envelope to phaser frequency, a random offset to delay time etc.. The MATRIX is a playground for anyone who wants to go beyond what the Virus already

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monophonic lead sound:

has been set to “Mod Wheel” and the destination is LFO3 Assign Amt i.e. the wheel will control the amount of whatever LFO3 has been assigned to.

Try out the left-hand controls on your keyboard. Pushing the mod wheel (or stick) away from you adds vibrato to the entire sound because LFO3 has been set to modulate the pitch of all oscillators – press the LFO3 SELECT button (in the MODULATORS section) twice in succession to check this. Go back into the MATRIX by pressing its SELECT button.

Press the righthand DESTINATIONS button, change the amount to +5 and the destination to “LFO3 Rate” using the VALUE knobs. Remember that you can nudge values using the VALUE buttons!

Restore ROM-A126. Turn CUTOFF down to 64, take ENV AMOUNT up to 75 and set DETUNE 2/3 to 64 for a bit more “thickness” than before. To make the program monophonic with a typical “legato” portamento, press EDIT in the OSCILLATORS section twice (!) and locate the first Common page (via the PARAMETERS buttons). Change Key Mode to Mono 4, navigate to the next page and set Portamento to 32. Play your keyboard and listen what you’ve managed so far.

Now to the MATRIX. In ROM-A126, the uppermost LED should already be lit – meaning Slot 1 has already been used for something in this program. Press the SELECT button in the MATRIX section to open Slot 1 and see what it is. The modulation source

Exit the menu and play your keyboard, making use of its mod wheel (stick, ribbon or whatever). Vibrato will now get slightly faster as it deepens...

If your keyboard also features channel pressure (i.e. aftertouch), you could try this: Press SELECT twice in succession to open Slot 2, set the source to “Chan Pressure”, the first amount to +32 and its destination to “Filter1 Cutoff”. Exit the menu again and play your keyboard again – try pressing harder on the keys this time.

39 FIRST STEPS

The Arp Section

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Arpeggiators are so much fun that I will leave you to experiment on your own – the following is just to help you get started:

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amplifier RELEASE down to 42 and press the

ARP ON button. Hold down a note, tap several more notes at random with your other hand, then release the first one. All notes are played back in a regular rhythm, from the lowest upwards. Of course you can change this behaviour: Press EDIT in the ARP section, locate the first page, change the Mode to “As Played”, change Octaves to 2 and Pattern to

If all those preset patterns are not enough, you can program your own using the VirusControl software (see “VirusControl” on page 145).

The Effects Section

This section is split into two halves (with separate EDIT buttons). The top half is dedicated to Delay, Reverb and EQ effects, while the lower half features Distortion, Analog Boost, Chorus and Phaser. Any or all of these effects can be applied at the same time – just press the SELECT button to choose the required effect (e.g. REVERB), then adjust values using the knobs.

DELAY

Restore ROM-A127 and select DELAY in the effects section. Set all the following knobs to their central positions: OSC BALANCE, FM AMOUNT (exactly 64), DETUNE 2/3, CUTOFF, ENV AMOUNT and SEND (in the EFFECTS section). Take TRANSPOSE down an octave. Play the keyboard – you should be able to hear a single delay. Now experiment with the TIME and FEEDBACK knobs.

The most useful parameters for realtime performance are directly available – to reach all the others, open the EDIT menu.

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REVERB

Now let’s add some reverb to the delay (which, by the way, was not possible with earlier Virus models): Press the upper SELECT button in the EFFECTS section once, and try adjusting the same three knobs (now SEND, TIME and DAMPING)...

Although often overlooked, the 3-band equalizer is a very powerful feature of the later Virus models. Of course EQ can be used in a conventional way to manipulate the overall tonal characteristics of a sound, but at least the MID band can be used a little more creatively than that:

41 FIRST STEPS

Restore ROM-A127. Transpose down an octave. Select MID EQ in the EFFECTS section. The three knobs now control EQ GAIN, EQ FREQ and EQ Q-FACTOR respectively. Experiment with these knobs to change the character of the raw oscillator sound for a while, then try this:

Make sure MID EQ is still selected, press EDIT and set the QFactor to maximum (15.4). Set Gain to maximum (+16) and Frequency to around the centre (747.8). The sound should now be rather nasal. Press LFO1 SELECT repeatedly until you see the page containg the Assign Target parameter. Change this to "EQ Mid Frequency" and Amount to +32. The result is an automatic wah-wah effect which is independant of the filter section – try adjusting CUTOFF, RESONANCE and ENV AMOUNT...

The following effects are accessed using the lower half of the effects section.

Distortion

Especially if you remember your experiments using Saturation, this effect should be fairly obvious – the names of the distortion types are the same.

The difference between (filter) Saturation and (effect) Distortion is that the former is applied to each individual voice, whereas the latter is applied to the sound as a whole. This means that if you would like e.g. to emulate the sound of an overdriven guitar amplifier, you should use Distortion, not Saturation.

Analog Boost

Analog Boost is a special type of equalization used to emulate the tonal characteristics of real analogue synthesizers. These tend not to have a flat response. The difference is often subtle, but well worth trying out after you have programmed a basic sound.

Chorus

Chorus is especially useful to give “pads” more movement. In combination with Feedback, the Chorus in your Virus is also capable of Flanging and other related effects:

Restore ROM-A126, select CHORUS and turn the MIX level up to 64 (via the TYPE/MIX knob). Experiment with the INTENSITY knob (controls Feedback). Press the lower EDIT button once and try out all those other parameters...

Phaser

This is a very good emulation of a multi-stage analogue phaser using up to six so-called “All-pass filters”. The parameters are similar to those for Chorus, but here you cannot select a Mod Wave (it is always Triangle). The Stages parameter specifies the number of allpass filters used, and the Spread parameter sets how far apart their cutoff frequencies are.

Starting from ROM-A126, turn down OSC VOLUME, turn up NOISE VOLUME and try out all the Phaser parameters!

43 FIRST STEPS

The Master Section

If you have carried out all the little experiments in this chapter so far, you should be quite familiar with how the PARAMETERS/BANK and VALUE/PROGRAM buttons work in SINGLE mode. Which leaves us with the following:

ÛEXIT, SHIFT,

STORE

1st press: Set the location (Bank, Patch Number) of the program you wish to overwrite. Press UNDO to compare with the original sound at this location.

2nd press: Use the PARAMETERS buttons and any VALUE knob/button to change the name.

TAP

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MULTI EDIT

Via SHIFT + EDIT. This is only used in Multi mode – see “Multi Mode Reference” on page 165.

CONFIG

Press this button for access to many global parameters which govern how the entire Virus works – see the chapter “Configuration Reference” on page 151.

3rd press: Finally, store the program.

REMOTE

Via SHIFT + CONFIG. This instantly turns your unit into a MIDI controller box, including presets for a wide variety of popular devices and the capability of creating your own (see “VirusControl” on page 145).

If you only see a message here, your Virus TI has a very early version of the operating sytem. Go to www.access-music.de for operating system updates and additional Remote Templates – as well as many other useful downloads!

RANDOM

Via SHIFT + STORE. Randomizes the current program to create a new sound – the CONFIG menu contains parameters which determine just how “random” the results will be. Start

with any sound you like and use the RANDOM function several

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VALUE buttons to scroll through programs (the names appear in the upper bar). When you have found a suitable one, press the

ÛEXIT button.

UNDO

Try pressing UNDO after a particularly unsuccessful press of the RANDOM button (see above).

UNDO actually has 3 related functions: While a program is being edited, it cancels the most recent parameter change. Immediately after selecting another program, it retrieves the most recently edited program. During STORE, use it to compare your edited program with the one you are about to overwrite. Just press UNDO again to return to your sound.

REDO

Via SHIFT + UNDO. Restores the current program to its previous state i.e. before you pressed UNDO.

SEARCH

Opens a menu in which you can scroll through all programs belonging to the current category (see “Categories” on page 134). Use the VALUE 1 knob to select a category and the

AUDITION

Via SHIFT + SEARCH. Plays a note (C3) without you having to connect a keyboard or sequencer.

MULTI

Switch to Multi Mode – see “Multi Mode Reference” on page 165.

PART

These buttons have no function in Single mode – see “Multi Mode Reference” on page 165.

SINGLE

Switch to SIngle Mode. Also exits any open menu.

45 FIRST STEPS

SEQ MODE

Via MULTI + SINGLE. Switch to Sequencer Mode, the mode of choice for multitrack MIDI sequencing (see “Sequencer mode” on page 15 and “VirusControl” on page 145).

HyperSaw and WaveTable

To supplement their “Classic” Virus oscillators, Access has added two very powerful oscillator modes...

WaveTable

Restore ROM-A127, open the oscillator 1 EDIT menu and change the Mode to WaveTable. The other two parameters in this page should now read “Index” and “Table”. Set the Table to e.g. 10, and play your keyboard while adjusting the Index parameter. Try out other Tables...

HyperSaw

Restore ROM-A127, open the oscillator 1 EDIT menu and change the Mode to “HyperSaw”. The other two parameters in this page should now read “Density” and “Spread”.

Density (also via SHAPE knob) sets the number of saws. Spread (also via WAVE SELECT) detunes them.

Set Density to 9.0 and Spread to about 80. Turn CUTOFF and FILTER BALANCE to minimum and ENV AMOUNT to maximum. Experiment with filter DECAY and RESONANCE...

Experiment with SUB OSC VOLUME, then press the SYNC button and try turning the FM AMOUNT amount knob. All three of these controls have different “meanings” in HyperSaw mode: SUB OSC VOLUME determines the balance between HyperSaw and its own integrated sub-oscillators. SYNC activates the integrated synchronization . FM AMOUNT controls sync offset.

Note: The preceding paragraph applies to oscillator 1 only

Index sets a nominal position within the current wavetable Ta bl e selects one of the many available wavetables

Each Table (except Sine) consists of multiple waveforms. Unlike scrolling through the spectral waves available in Classic mode, the indexed waves are cross-faded for smooth transitions. To make full use of wavetables, the Index should be modulated by using e.g. the LFO2 “Shape 1+2” preset destination (see next paragraph) or using e.g. “Wavetable 1 Index” as destination in the MATRIX.

Press LFO2 SELECT a few times until the “Shape 1+2” parameter appears in the menu. Take the amount up to +32. Activate ENV MODE and change SHAPE to the falling sawtooth. Adjust the Index to taste using the oscillator SHAPE knob. Again, try out different wavetables via WAVESELECT/ PW...

END OF TUTORIAL – HAPPY PROGRAMMING!

47 FIRST STEPS

3: VirusControl

Introduction

The aim of this section is to help you get the most out of the VirusControl plugin – the hub of Access’ Total Integration concept. For detailed information on the functionality of all the various parameters within VirusControl, please refer to the Virus TI User Manual.

By means of a single USB connection, the TI not only handles communication of all the MIDI data, but also up to 4 stereo audio streams (2 x stereo for the Virus itself, plus 2 x stereo for the soundcard functionality). External audio signals can be processed via the balanced analog inputs or S/PDIF I/O, or routed directly to your sequencer host. The studio-grade audio convertors even allow the Virus TI to be used as your computer’s soundcard, meaning your sequencer can send its master output signal to the outputs of the Virus, and the external MIDI ports can be used as a MIDI interface for controlling external hardware.

What is VirusControl?

VirusControl is a VSTi or AudioUnit plug-in which runs in your sequencer host, and is effectively a software representation of your Virus TI. Audio and MIDI data from all 16 parts of the Virus are streamed directly into your sequencer, making the TI feel just like a native plug-in. The myriad sound-editing parameters available in the Virus are presented in convenient pages, and the extensive librarian functionality allows you to manage not only the patches on your harddrive, but also in the TI itself.

Why use VirusControl?

Over the last several years, increasing numbers of musicians have been turning to so-called ‘softsynths’ or ‘virtual instruments’, largely due to a number of perceived benefits that they offer over their hardware counterparts, for example: sampleaccurate playback and automation of parameters, total recall of patch data and virtually limitless storage space for patch

libraries.

What is ‘Total Integration’?

‘Total Integration’ describes the way in which the Virus TI can sync with your computer far more deeply than has previously been possible with hardware synthesizers, thus enabling it to function within a software host as comfortably as any native VST instrument or Audio Unit.

The main downsides to softsynths have always been the lack of a dedicated, tangible control-surface and not least the heavy load some of these instruments can place on the host CPU.

This is where the combination of the Virus TI synthesizer and the VirusControl plug-in comes into it’s own – since the heavyduty calculations required to produce the incredible sounds of

the Virus TI all happen outside of the host computer, your computer’s CPU is free to do other things, whilst you get to enjoy what all good synthesists love best, which is twiddling with our knobs.

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Compatibility

VirusControl requires either a Windows or Macintosh computer with a USB 1.1 interface, and a host application which supports the VST 2.0 protocol or Apple Audio Units. Whilst we are working hard to maintain compatibility with as many sequencer hosts as possible, we currently recommend the following hosts for full compatibility:

Mac OS X:

· Apple Logic 7.2 or higher

· Steinberg Cubase SL/SX3.1 or higher

· Ableton Live 5.2 or higher

Windows XP

· Steinberg Cubase SL/SX3.1 or higher

· Ableton Live 5.2 or higher

· Fruity Loops Studio 5 or higher

For the latest news on compatibility, check our website at http://www.access-music.de/?go=compato

Starting Up

Before you can use VirusControl, it must be installed to your computer’s harddrive along with the ASIO/Core Audio and MIDI drivers. Please run the Virus TI Software installer which can be found on the CD supplied with your TI – alternatively, visit the following website and download the latest version.

http://www.access-music.de/?go=support

Installation on Windows XP

Steps to perform

Do not connect the virus to your computer until the installer asks you to do so

‘Found New Hardware’ Wizard

It is likely that you will also encounter the ‘Found New Hardware’ Wizard a couple of times – please click ‘Cancel’ whenever these appear, as the Virus Installer will take care of everything by itself.

If the installer appears to hang for a while during the installation process, please check to see if there are any alert messages hidden underneath the currently displayed window.

Once the driver installation is complete, you will be presented with the Virus TI Firmware Installer. Please run this to ensure that the OS in your Virus TI is up-to-date.

Please ensure a stable power supply whilst installing the firmware, and don’t go touching any knobs, no matter how tempted you may be, until the installation is completed!!

1) Run the file ‘Virus TI Software.msi’

2) Follow the onscreen instructions carefully

Driver Signing

During installation of the audio and MIDI drivers, you will encounter several warning messages alerting you to the fact that the drivers are not ‘signed’. This is nothing to worry about please click on ‘Continue Installation’ each time you see this.

It always makes good sense to perform a system reset after updating the firmware – to do this, simply power off the Virus by pressing both of the Transpose keys, and press ARP EDIT.

In the unlikely event that the installation process fails, you will need to put the Virus into Update Mode before running the firmware installer again. To do this, remove the power cable and hold down the EXIT button whilst you reconnect it.

53 VIRUSCONTROL

Missing drivers

Under certain circumstances, Windows doesn’t automatically find drivers. All Virus TI related drivers can be found here, in case you need to point the installer into the right direction:

C:\Program Files\Access Music\Virus TI\Audiodriver

Please ensure a stable power supply whilst installing the firmware, and don’t go touching any knobs, no matter how tempted you may be, until the installation is completed!!

It always makes good sense to perform a system reset after updating the firmware – to do this, simply power off the Virus by pressing both of the Transpose keys, and press ARP EDIT.

Re-running the installer

Once the installation has been completed you can run the installer again by choosing it from within the Access Music/ Virus TI folder in the Start Menu.

Installation on Mac OS X

Connect you Virus TI to any USB port

1) Run the file ‘Install Virus TI Software.mpkg’

2) Follow the onscreen instructions carefully.

Although it’s not mandatory, it’s always a good idea to run Disk Utility after an installation and perform “repair permissions”.

Once the driver installation is complete, you will be presented with the Virus TI Firmware Installer. Please run this to ensure that the OS in your Virus TI is up-to-date.

Sequencer host related tips & tricks

Before you start working, please have a look at the setup hints within the host tutorials. At the time of writing there are tutorials for Apple Logic, Steinberg Cubase and Ableton Live.

Loading VirusControl

Before you start your host application, please ensure that the Virus TI is switched on, and connected to your computer via USB.

Part Status

No matter which page you are on, the left side of the VirusControl will always display the status of each of the Virus TI’s 16 parts. The text of the part currently selected for editing is displayed in red.

Once the host application is running, load VirusControl in exactly the same way as you would any other VSTi/Audio Units – please refer to your host’s manual for details on how to do this. When you open the list of available VSTi’s, VirusControl is listed under ‘Access Music’ as ‘Virus TI’

Whenever you load VirusControl in your host software, you will see a progress bar in the VirusControl, and a ‘Syncing Patches’ message in the TI’s display – this process is necessary to ensure that the RAM banks in VirusControl are a true representation of those in the TI. Please wait until all messages have disappeared before attempting to play anything, since playback is disabled during this process.

Please be aware, that since a single instance of VirusControl manages all 16 parts of the Virus TI, it is not possible to open more than one instance in your sequencer, and as such you should not attempt to do so.

For specific information on how best to use VirusControl in your chosen host, please refer to the host-specific tutorials which are

included in the installation.

Page Tabs

Across the top of the VirusControl interface you will see a row of tabs, labelled ‘Easy’, ‘Browser’, ‘Osc’ etc. Click on these to switch between the available pages. To the right of this row, there is a switch labelled ‘Patch’ and ‘Utility’. ‘Patch’ displays all the pages containing parameters which affect only the currently selected part - select ‘Utility’ to access the Remote page.

Adjusting Parameters

Click+Hold on any knob, slider or parameter value, and drag the mouse to adjust.

To achieve a finer resolution, hold the Shift key while you adjust the parameter. When adjusting knobs, try moving the mouse away from the knob, and following a wider arc.

To set a parameter to its default value, hold the Ctrl key (Mac users hold the Cmd key) whilst clicking on it.

55 VIRUSCONTROL

Most pages contain certain parameters can be adjusted by clicking the graphical representations of the parameter and dragging them with the mouse. For example: both resonance and cutoff can be controlled simultaneously by dragging the little square in the middle of the Cutoff knob for that filter; the oscillator waveforms can be adjusted by grabbing the picture of the waveform and moving the mouse – in fact, nearly every page of the VirusControl offers the user an opportunity to manipulate the parameters of the Virus in a more intuitive and fun way than just turning another knob.

Alternatively, you may wish to use the knobs and buttons on the hardware itself - you’ll be glad to know that any change you make on the hardware will be reflected in the Virus Control simultaneously.

Automation of Parameters

Most of the parameters you see in the VirusControl can be automated by your sequencer host. Please refer to the user manual of your preferred host for instructions on how to do this.

Some hosts do not list all the parameters as immediately available – if you wish to add a parameter to the list, right-click (Mac Alt+Click) on the parameter’s controller and choose ‘Add “parameter” to Automation”.

If you wish to send CC data to your host instead of automation data, then you can use the ‘Virus Default’ template in Remote Mode (see REMOTE page).

Automating Volume and Panorama can be somewhat special. Some hosts, such as Apple Logic for instance, do assign Ctrl #7 and Ctrl #10 to the channel strip controls and therefore filter those data. In order to automate Volume and Panorama with those hosts, you need to choose the appropriate entries within the list of automatable parameters instead.

Information Bar

Extending along the bottom of the VirusControl you will see a black rectangular box with blue text. This displays the full description of the parameter on which the mouse pointer is positioned.

Patch/Utility

This tab determines which pages are selectable.

EASY Page

Once the synchronisation is completed, you will be presented with the ‘Easy’ page. Here you will find a small selection of powerful sound-sculpting controls, along with the 3 Soft Knobs and a few effects.

The large controller in the centre of the page is the filter control – turn the dial to change the Cutoff, or try moving the little red square to sweep Cutoff and Resonance simultaneously. The filter type can be adjusted by clicking on ‘Lowpass’ and moving the mouse vertically.

For a full description of any parameter, simply manoeuvre the mouse pointer over it, and take a look at the Information Pane located at the bottom of VirusControl.

If you wish to learn more about the functionality of a particular parameter, please refer to the Sound Parameters Reference chapter in the Virus TI User Manual. You will find PDF versions of the manual in several languages on your harddrive, under

Windows: Start Menu: Access Music\VirusTI\Documentation

Mac: Applications/Access Music/Virus TI/Documentation

(as it is a PDF you can search the document for specific parameter names).

57 VIRUSCONTROL

BROWSER Page

The Browser page is where you can locate and manage all of the presets on the TI, as well as all your personal patch libraries.

As you can see, it is always possible to view two banks at a time. Select which banks to browse by clicking anywhere in the long red box above each one. You will be presented with 3 options: ‘Virus TI’, ‘Categories’ and ‘Personal Libraries’.

Those are located here:

Windows: ~\My Documents\Access-Music\Virus TI\Patches\

Mac: /LibraryApplication Support/Access Music/Virus TI/Patches

‘Virus TI’ represents the RAM and ROM banks in the TI itself since VirusControl always checks for any altered RAM patches at startup, you can be sure that RAM A-D will always reflect the exact status of the equivalent banks in the hardware.

‘Categories’ allows you to browse for patches by their assigned categories - just move the mouse pointer over a particular category and select one of the pages available.

‘Personal Libraries’ contains all of the banks you have collected in your Patches folder*. Any names with a little arrow to the right of them represent a sub-folder containing more libraries - hover the mouse over one of these to display another drop-down list.

*If you wish, you could easily download every Virus Patch ever published on the Access site, drop them into the Patches folder,

and have instant access to them all via the Browser.

Selecting patches for auditioning

Double-click on a patch in either of the libraries to assign it to the currently active part.

Alternatively, you can drag/drop it into the patch name area in the Part column.

To copy a patch used by one part into another, click+hold the patch name in the original part, and drag/drop to the patch name of the destination part.

Some hosts allow key commands to be directed to plugins – if yours supports this function, once a patch has been selected, you can browse the rest simply by using the arrow keys on your

computer keyboard.

Search

With the thousands of patches at your disposal, you’ll no doubt be grateful that we included a Search function into the browser of VirusControl. To use it, simply click in the area to the right of the magnifying glass icon, and type in a string of letters. If you know the patch you’re looking for, just type in the first few letters and press Enter - alternatively, you could try locating all the patches by your favourite sound-designer by typing in, say, “BC” for instance.

59 VIRUSCONTROL

The results of your Search will be displayed in the browser pane, and if the return is greater than 128, any additional patches will be organised into temporary banks. To find them, click on the arrow in the browser bar and choose the ‘Search Results’ menu.

Note: When you save to a RAM location, the VirusControl informs the TI to store it internally as well, so you can be sure that the RAM banks in the VirusControl always repre-

sent their hardware counterparts.

Tip: Any of these patches can be drag/dropped into another library to create a permanent, new compilation of your favourites.

Tip: Try searching random sequences of 2 or 3 letters - you might discover some great patches you’d otherwise have

missed!

Saving Patches

There are two ways to save an edited patch:

- Click on the Save button by the patch name in the Part column. Choose a TI bank or user library and scroll to the slot you wish to overwrite.

- If you wish to save to one of the TI’s RAM banks, open that bank in the browser, and simply drag/drop the patch from the Part onto the desired slot in the bank.

Save as Multi

If you wish to transfer the patches of all 16 parts to the multi buffers: press STORE on the TI, select Destination = ‘Multi Edit Buffer’ with the Value 1 knob, and then press Store again. When you have disengaged the Virus Control, switch the TI to Multi mode, and Store to the desired Multi location.

Library Management

The fact that the browser allows two libraries to be viewed means you can effectively manage your patches by copying them from one to another.

Say, for instance, you wish to create a ‘Favourites’ bank in RAM A, first open up Virus TI>RAM A in the lower library. Now you can use the top library to browse your patch libraries, and drag/drop your favourite patches from these into the desired

slots in RAM A.

How to make new libraries

- In the Virus TI/Patches folder, create a new folder called ‘My Patches’

128 sounds maximum - any surplus will be deleted! Please be sure to export your SoundDiver library patches in batches of no more than 128!

- Copy/Paste the file ‘My Patches.mid’ to this folder

- Rename the copy e.g. ‘My Patches 1.mid’

- Repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as required, incrementing the version number each time

- Use VirusControl to delete the patches in the additional copies.

Importing sounds from earlier Virus models

If you already own an older Virus synthesizer, you will probably want to use your favourite patches in the TI now.

The easiest way to do this is to transmit a Dump of each bank into your sequencer, and export each bank as a separate MIDI file (.mid). Once you have done this, place a copy of the .mid(s) in your Patches folder. When Virus Control is next started, the banks will appear in the Personal Libraries list.

You may well have accumulated large numbers of sounds in SoundDiver, of course. These should be exported in .mid format as well, but beware that Virus Control will only import banks of

Exporting Sounddiver libraries

- Open a library within Sounddiver

- Select the patch/patches to be exported*

- Select File/Export as MIDI file

- Save the .mid file to the Patches folder

SoundDiver can be downloaded free of charge here:

http://www.access-music.de/?go=sdupdates

*If the selected patches do not have a patch location (e.g.‘A000’) assigned to them, they will not export. To assign a patch location, click the ‘E’ in the location field in the Parameters box (this must be enabled in View) and type in the desired location. Alternatively, you can drag/drop patches from the library into the RAM bank locations displayed in the Device window – this way the patches will automatically be assigned a location, and you can select the patches directly from there for exporting.

61 VIRUSCONTROL

Re-organising patches within a library

There are a couple of ways you can change the exact location of patches within a RAM bank or library without overwriting any patches:

Hierarchical patch-management

It may be helpful to organise your libraries in separate folders within the Patches folder. The Virus Control will list them in a hierarchical manner when you click on the Libraries menu.

Sort Alphanumerically

Right-click (Mac = Alt+Click) within the bank and select ‘Sort alphanumeric’

Swap

Drag/drop a patch from one slot to another within the same bank – the patches at either location will swap places. It is also possible to swap blocks of different patches like this – Shift+Click on a second patch to select several continiguous patches and then drag/drop them all in one go. To select discontiguous patches, Ctrl+Click (Mac = Cmd+Click) on the patches you wish to select.

Copy

If you drag/drop patches from one library to another, this acts as a Copy function.

Renaming a patch

If you wish to rename a patch (RAM or user library only) you can do so by Alt+Click. The name will be highlighted blue, at which point you can type in your preferred patch name.

Deleting a patch

You can delete any number of patches from a user library by right-clicking on any selected patch and choosing ‘Delete selected patches’. Please note that it is not possible to do this with the RAM or ROM banks of the TI, hence the option is not available for these libraries.

Undo

If you make a mistake in the Browser, simply Right-click (Mac = Alt+click) anywhere within the libraries and select ‘Undo last operation’.

OSC Page

Here you will find all the parameters relevant to the oscillators as well as the mixer section of the Virus TI.

The two big dials represent Oscillators 1 and 2. The graphic in the centre of each represents the current waveform – grab it with the mouse and move it around to ‘morph’ between

sine<>saw<>pulse. Notice how horizontal movements affect the width of the pulse wave – Click+Drag the little square in the Pulse Width display beneath the dial to adjust.

When the Shape dial is turned to the left of centre, the graphic underneath will display the currently selected ‘spectral’ wave. By dragging the wave vertically you can scroll quickly through all of the available waves – alternatively you can click on the little arrow beneath ‘Wave xx’ to open a list of all the waves.

When you switch the oscillator to HyperSaw mode, you will see some red vertical lines instead of the waveform. These represent the individual sawtooth waves within the HyperSaw oscillator – as you increase Density the number of lines increases toward the maximum of 9, and as you increase Detune Spread the lines move further apart. Try grabbing this graphic with the mouse and dragging it around – vertical movements affect Density, whilst horizontal movements affect Detune Spread. Try diagonal movements to adjust both at the same time!

In Wavetable mode, the graphic displays the name of the wavetable above the current Index position. Click+drag the wavetable name to scroll quickly through the tables, or click on the wavetable name beneath the dial to open a list of all available tables.

The abbreviation ‘Vel’, i.e. ‘Vel>Osc1’ is short for ‘Velocity’.

63 VIRUSCONTROL

For a full description of any parameter, simply manoeuvre the mouse pointer over it, and take a look at the Information Bar along the bottom of VirusControl.

If you wish to learn more about the functionality of a particular parameter, please refer to the Virus TI User Manual.

FILTER Page

This is where you will find all the controls relating to the filter (duh!) and the amplifier section.

The two large dials represent the filters of the Virus TI, with a graphical representation of the cutoff frequency and resonance level. Just like the equivalent control on the Easy Page, you can control Cutoff with the outer dial and Resonance with the separate, dedicated controller. Alternatively, you can grab the little red square with the mouse pointer and sweep both simultaneously - definitely the cooler option!

Click the little silver button between Env Amt and Vel to switch the polarity of the filter envelope modulation.

Grab and drag the keyboard graphic to adjust the keyfollow base key.

FILTER LINK button

This button links the Resonance, Env Amt and Keyfollow controls for both filters, whereby adjusting one snaps the equivalent parameter in the other filter to the same value. This is essentially the same as pressing both Filt1 and Filt1 Select buttons on the TI hardware.

Envelopes

There are two ways to adjust the envelope stages – you can either turn the knobs, or grab and drag the little red squares. Note that depending on which stage you wish to adjust you must drag the square either vertically or horizontally:

For a full description of any parameter, simply manoeuvre the mouse pointer over it, and take a look at the Information Bar along the bottom of VirusControl.

65 VIRUSCONTROL

If you wish to learn more about the functionality of a particular parameter, please refer to the Virus TI User Manual.

StepSegment Direction

1 Attack

2 Delay

3Sustain

4Slope (Time)

4 Release

Horizontal Horizontal Vertical Vertical Horizontal

LFO Page

Surprisingly enough, this is where you will find the controls for the Virus TI’s 3 LFO’s.

There are 3 ways in which you can select the waveform for each LFO:

1) Clicking on one of the buttons depicting the main waveforms

2) Click the name of the waveform and drag vertically

3) Click the picture of the waveform and drag verticallyClock mode can be enabled either by clicking the ‘Clock’ button, or by clicking CLK ‘Off’ and dragging vertically.

Clock resolution can be adjusted either by dragging the CLK value vertically, or by turning the rate dial.

LFO rate or clock resolution can also be adjusted by grabbing the number displayed within the rate dial and dragging vertically.

LINK button

These buttons link the two adjoined parameters so that their values synchronise when one or the other is adjusted.

For a full description of any parameter, simply manoeuvre the mouse pointer over it, and take a look at the Information Bar along the bottom of VirusControl.

If you wish to learn more about the functionality of a particular parameter, please refer to the LFO section.

67 VIRUSCONTROL

MATRIX Page

Select up to 6 control sources to modulate up to18 destinations. Take the red pill - sorry, I mean click on the red bars to open the menus containing all possible sources and target parameters.

If you wish to learn more about the functionality of the various controller sources and available targets, please refer to the Mod Matrix Section in this User Manual.

ARP Page

This is the page where you can adjust all of the parameters relating to the arpeggiator. You can also create your own custom arpeggiator pattern per patch.

Pattern Editor

The pattern editor controls only become active when you select “Pattern = User”.

The vertical red bars represent the active steps of the pattern – in the default User pattern, we have activated alternate (oddnumbered) steps only. The numbered buttons above each bar are used to toggle each step on or off – those that are on are highlighted in red.

The height of the bar represents the velocity value, with the width of the bar representing the length of the step.

1) Adjust the knob below the step

2) Click on the bar and drag horizontally

It is important to understand that the length of a step is not absolute, but relative to the proximity of the next active step. Therefore, when you deactivate the steps ahead of any given step, you will see the width of the bar increase accordingly. To ensure a ‘legato’ effect between this and the next step, increase its length to maximum.

“End”

To create patterns less than the default 32 steps, drag the ‘End’ tab to the desired location. For instance, if you want a 16-step pattern, place the ‘End’ tab between steps 16 and 17.

For a full description of any parameter, simply manoeuvre the mouse pointer over it, and take a look at the Information Bar along the bottom of VirusControl.

There are two ways to adjust Velocity for each step:

1) Adjust the knob above the step

2) Click on the bar itself and drag vertically

Likewise, there are two ways to adjust the Length of each step:

If you wish to learn more about the functionality of a particular parameter, please refer to the Virus TI User Manual.

69 VIRUSCONTROL

FX Page

‘F’….’X’ – sounds like ‘Effects’, doesn’t it? How clever is that?! Needless to say, this is where we thought it would make sense to put all the controls for the Effects section of the Virus TI.

For a full description of any parameter, simply manoeuvre the mouse pointer over it, and take a look at the Information Bar along the bottom of VirusControl.

If you wish to learn more about the functionality of a particular parameter, please refer to the Effect section in this manual.

COMMON Page

Here you will find all the performance parameters, such as Poly/ Mono, Pitch Bend range etc. as well as the current version info.

Main Out

Click to select the output channel for the currently selected part – you can select between the 2 stereo USB outputs, or the 3 stereo analog outputs* of the Virus TI.

*If you use the analog outs (Out1/2/3L+R) the audio signal from the TI is no longer sent to your sequencer. If you wish to render your TI tracks to audio in the same way as your other plugins, you must use the USB outs.

Please note that you cannot use the additional outs for the soundcard functionality, since this would require more bandwidth than is available.

For a full description of any parameter, simply manoeuvre the mouse pointer over it, and take a look at the Information Bar along the bottom of VirusControl.

71 VIRUSCONTROL

REMOTE Page

Here is where you can create templates which will allow you to remote control your favourite plug-ins and other hardware synths using the knobs of your Virus TI. There are 32 locations in the TI for storing templates – we have included a full bank containing ready-made templates for some of the most popular plug-ins to get you started. To access the Remote page, you will first need to click on Patch/Utility at the top right of the GUI.

It is only necessary to use the VirusControl to create new templates or load in new ones from additional libraries – Remote mode is fully functional in standalone mode.

Please check www.acccess-music.de for new templates – we will be adding to the public library regularly. If you create any new templates and are happy to share them with other users, please send them to support@access-music.de

Remote Mode

In order to use the TI’s Remote functionality, you must first switch it into Remote Mode. To do this, press SHIFT+CONFIG.

Selecting a Template

To select a remote template, double-click on one of the 32 templates listed at the top of the Remote page. These represent the templates which are currently stored in the TI’s internal RAM.

If you wish, you can now click the LOAD tab and select a template from the available libraries on your computer’s hard drive – the one you select will over-write the currently selected template.

Basically, ‘B0’ makes it a MIDI CC command, where 0 = MIDI channel 1 (the 16 channels are numbered 0-15). ‘%70’ makes it controller number 70, and ‘*’ tells it to use the value of the assigned knob. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the alien language – it works, and once you’ve done it, it’s easy!

Creating a Remote Template

1) Select a template.

2) Click on a knob

3) Name the knob (click in the Knob Name field)

4) Type in the MIDI string for the parameter you wish to control

5) Name the template (click in the Template Name field)

6) Repeat with remaining knobs as required

7) Save (click on Save tab and choose location)

How to write a MIDI string

Firstly, you will need to consult the user manual of the 3rd party plug-in you wish to control remotely, in order to find the controller numbers for each parameter.

Let’s say that you want to assign the Cutoff knob of the TI to control Cutoff in the plug-in, which according to it’s user manual, has MIDI number 70 assigned to it. In this case, type the following into the MIDI STRING field in the REMOTE page:

B0 %70 * (with spaces)

Press Enter on the computer keyboard to confirm the text.*

*When you press Enter to confirm the MIDI String, the text will be altered to a hexadecimal number – please don’t worry about this either! The exact description of the current knob behaviour can be seen below the MIDI string text field.

Assigning the Soft (Value) Knobs

A nice little bonus of the TI’s display is that the names you give the 3 Soft Knobs will appear in the display.

MIDI Channel Behaviour

Select whether or not the controller messages are sent to the specific channel as determined by the MIDI string, or whether this part of the string is ignored, and the messages are sent to the currently selected channel.

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General Hints and Tips

Pre-roll

As with other VSTi’s/Audio Units, it is advisable to insert one or two bars of silence at the beginning of any song in which they are the first thing to be heard. This way you can ensure the first notes always plays perfectly.

‘Latency-free’ monitoring

If, even after setting your latency as low as your system will allow, you still find the response is not fast enough for you, try setting the part’s Main Out (Common Page) to Out1 L+R. This way the USB audio is bypassed for this part, and you will be able to play and/or record with no perceptible latency. Once you have recorded the part, you should return the Main Out to a USB port, otherwise this part will be played back ahead of the beat due to the sequencer’s delay compensation.

Bouncing or Freezing other plugins or audio tracks

If you wish to bounce/freeze other plugins or audio parts faster than realtime, we recommend you bypass the Virus Control plugin before doing so.

Tutorials

A range of setup tutorials can be found on the Access Music homepage and on the installer CDROM which comes with your Virus TI. Those tutorials usually consist of a demo session along with a written description on how to get the best out of the totally integrated Virus and your favourite sequencer host.

Note: Some older installer CDROMs might not contain all tutorial files and sessions.

4: Sound Parameters Reference

ARP

>EDIT MENU

ARP is short for Arpeggiator, a clocked processor that normally takes a chord and outputs individual notes, one after the other. The Arpeggiator in your Virus also features repeated chords, preset and custom rhythmic patterns, shuffle, infinite hold etc.

>PANEL CONTROLS

EDIT

Opens the Arpeggiator menu (see opposite).

ARP ON

Toggles the arpeggiator on and off.

HOLD

Via SHIFT + ARP ON. Toggles the Hold function (see “Hold” on page 78).

Arpeggiator

Mode

>Off: No arpeggiation. No other arpeggiator parameters will

be visible.

>Up: Ascending notes, starting with the lowest note

>Down: Descending notes, starting with the highest note

>Up+Down: Ascending then descending notes, starting with

the lowest note

> As Played: In the same order as received MIDI notes

>Random: Random note order, random octave (see Octaves

parameter below)

>Chord: Plays all entered notes at the same time.

Octaves

Resolution

>1 to 4: Notes can be successively transposed up an octave at

the start of each new arpeggio cycle. The value here is equal to the number of cycles before the arpeggio reverts to its original pitch – so a value of 1 means no transposition.

Pattern

> User, 2 to 64: Selects the arpeggiator pattern. A “User” pat-

tern can be created for each program using the VirusControl application (see “VirusControl” on page 145). As well as positions and lengths, most patterns contain extra velocity data for added rhythmic effect. To apply velocity data, set the Velocity parameters (see “Velocity Map” on page 132) or use the modulation matrix (see “MATRIX” on page 79) with Velocity as the source. Modulation destination “Arp Pattern”.

> 1/128 to 1/2: The Arpeggiator’s rate expressed as a fraction

of a bar in 4/4 time. The minimum rate is therefore one complete arpeggio every 4/4 bar. The standard setting is 1/16 (i.e. 16 beats per bar), and normally does not need to be changed. The actual rate is determined by the Tempo parameter – see “Tempo” on page 129.

Note Length

> -64 to +63: Scales the lengths (hold time) of all notes. Nega-

tive values shorten the notes, positive values lengthen them. The audible effect of this parameter is highly dependant upon the envelope settings. Modulation destination “Arp Note Length“.

Swing Factor

> Off, 50.2% to 75.0%: Affects the position (in time) of every

other 16th note. At 66% the rhythm is “full swing” i.e. triplets. The values 16C, 16D, 16E and 16F are the same as those in Apple Logic (a popular sequencer program). Note: Swing will not affect the original “User” Pattern because this is made up of steady 8th notes only. Modulation destination “Arp Swing“.

77 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

Hold

Accessible from the panel via SHIFT + ARP ON.

>Off: The arpeggio stops as soon as all notes are released

>On: The arpeggio continues after notes are released. Playing

new notes after releasing all previous ones resets the arpeggio (i.e. the original notes disappear). Note that releasing a Hold pedal will stop the arpeggio until new notes are played.

MATRIX

>SELECT MENU

The modulation matrix is used for custom control routing. Six sources can be routed to three destinations each. Available sources include the internal envelopes and LFOs as well as most MIDI controllers, channel pressure (aftertouch) etc.. The list of destinations includes almost every Single Mode parameter in the Virus.

>PANEL CONTROLS

DESTINATION

This pair of buttons is used for up-and-down cursor control within the menu (required because each page displays all three destinations and amounts at once). Either of the DESTINATION buttons will open the menu if it is not already open...

SELECT

Opens the modulation matrix menu. If pressed again, moves on to the next slot (SHIFT + SELECT will move to the previous slot). Alternative navigation: use the PARAMETERS buttons.

Slot

The information below applies to any slot in the matrix. Use the DESTINATIONS buttons to move the cursor up and down.

Source

(VALUE 1 knob)

> Off, Pitch Bend ... Random: Specifies the modulation source

(envelopes, LFOs, MIDI controllers etc.). This source can be simultaneously routed to a maximum of three destinations per slot.

Amount

(VALUE 2 knob)

79 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

> -64 to +63: Modulation amount for the specified destination.

The range is bipolar so that modulation can be inverted, and amounts are internally doubled so that unipolar destinations can be modulated over their entire range (i.e. 128 values). The Amount itself can be controlled by another modulation source – modulation destination is e.g. “Slot4 Amount2”.

Destination

(VALUE 3 knob)

> Off ... Wavetable 2 Index: Specifies a destination parame-

ter. Use the DESTINATION buttons to move the cursor up and down.

MODULATORS

Traditionally, LFOs (low frequency oscillators) are used for cyclic modulation e.g. vibrato, tremolo etc.. Alternatively, two of the three LFOs in the Virus can serve as simple envelopes (see “Envelope Mode” on page 83), so the label “Modulators” seems more appropriate than “LFOs” for this section.

Note that each LFO in the Virus has a different set of preset destinations, and that LFO3 allows just one destination to be selected.

>PANEL CONTROLS

EDIT

Opens the LFO menu corresponding to the selected LFO (see SELECT below). Selecting a different LFO after opening this menu will jump directly to the menu for the newly selected LFO.

ENV MODE

Toggles the Envelope Mode parameter on and off (see “Envelope Mode” on page 83).

SHAPE

Quick selection of Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square or WAVE – the waveform specified in the Edit menu (see “Shape” on page 82).

RATE

Controls the speed of the currently selected LFO (see “Clock” on page 82 and “Rate” on page 82).

LFO CONTOUR

Via SHIFT + RATE. Continuous control over LFO waveform (see “Contour” on page 83).

81 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

SELECT

These buttons are used to switch between the three LFOs – the upper row of controls (ENV MODE, SHAPE and RATE) will apply to the selected LFO only. Pressing an already active SELECT button will jump into the LFO destinations menu, and pressing it repeatedly will step through the pages.

>EDIT MENUS

> 1/64 ... 16/1: LFO1 rate is synchronized to the Clock,

expressed as a fraction of one bar in 4/4 time. See “Tempo” on page 129.

Rate

Accessible from the panel via the RATE knob if “Clock” is set to Off.

> 0 to 127: The speed of LFO1 when not synchronized (see

“Clock” above). Modulation destination “LFO1 Rate“.

LFO 1

Clock

Accessible from the panel via the RATE knob if a value is defined here.

>Off: LFO1 is not synchronized.

Shape

> Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square, S&H, S&G,

Waves 3 to 64: Specifies the LFO waveform. If S&H, S&G or

one of the additional waves is selected, this can be accessed directly from the panel via the SHAPE button (select “WAVE”). If Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth or square is selected here, the status LEDs will move accordingly.

Contour

Accessible from the panel via SHIFT + RATE.

Envelope Mode

Accessible from the panel via the ENV MODE button.

> -64 to +63: Continuous control over LFO waveform. Modula-

tion destination “LFO1 Contour“.

SHAPE NEGATIVE POSITIVE

Sine to Triangle to Square

Triangle to falling Saw to rising Saw

Saw concavity convexity

Square pulse width <50% pulse width >50%

S&H --- ---

S&G --- ---

3 to 64 zoom into wave ---

Mode

>Poly: Each voice has its own LFO, and these are slightly

detuned against each other.

>Mono: All voices share a common LFO. Only applies if the

parameters Envelope Mode and Trigger Phase (see below) are both set to “Off”.

>Off: Standard (cyclic) LFO mode.

>On: The LFO effectively becomes an additional Envelope.

LFOs in Envelope Mode are unipolar (see glossary) and stop after completing exactly one cycle. The start/finish point within the wave can be specified via Trigger Phase...

Trigger Phase

> Off, 1 to 127: When set to Off, LFO1 runs freely i.e. its phase

is not reset by every note played (except in Envelope Mode). All other values set the starting point within the wave.

83 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

Key Follow

> Off, 1 to 127: How much LFO1 rate (see “Rate” on page 82)

is affected by MIDI note number. Note that Key Follow does not apply when LFOs are in Envelope Mode (see “Envelope Mode” on page 83) or are synchronized to the Clock (see “Clock” on page 82).

LFO 2

All edit parameters for LFO2 are the same as those for LFO1 – see “LFO 1” on page 82.

LFO 3

The edit parameters for LFO3 are the same as those for LFO1, except that Contour, Envelope Mode and Trigger Phase are not available in LFO3. See “LFO 1” on page 82.

>SELECT MENUS

LFO 1 Destinations

Osc1 Pitch

> -64 to +63: How much LFO1 modulates oscillator 1 pitch.

Modulation destination “LFO1>Osc1 Pitch“.

Osc1+2 Pitch

> -64 to +63: How much LFO1 modulates the pitch of all oscil-

lators, controlling the other two values in this page at the same time.

Osc2 Pitch

> -64 to +63: How much LFO1 modulates oscillator 2 pitch.

Note that oscillator 3 automatically follows any pitch modulation applied to oscillator 2. Modulation destination “LFO1>Osc2 Pitch“.

Pulse Width

Assign Target

> -64 to +63: How much LFO1 modulates the pulse width of

both main oscillators. Modulation destination “LFO1>Pulse Width”.

Resonance

> -64 to +63: How much LFO1 modulates the resonance of

both filters. Modulation destination “LFO1>Resonance“.

Filter Gain

> -64 to +63: How much LFO1 modulates the total level of all

signals before entering the filters. Modulation destination “LFO1>Filter Gain“.

> Off, Amp Env Attack ... WaveTable 2 Index: Select from a

list of available destinations for LFO1.

Amount

> -64 to +63: How much LFO1 modulates the Target parame-

ter. Modulation destination “LFO1 Assign Amt“.

85 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

LFO 2 Destinations

Cutoff 1

> -64 to +63: How much LFO2 modulates filter 1 cutoff fre-

quency. Like automating the CUTOFF knob when Cutoff Link (see “Cutoff Link” on page 145) is switched off. Modulation destination “LFO2>Cutoff1“.

Cutoff 1+2

> -64 to +63: How much LFO2 modulates filter 1 and filter 2

cutoff frequencies simultaneously, controlling the other two values in this page. Like automating the CUTOFF knob when Cutoff Link (see “Cutoff Link” on page 145) is switched on and CUTOFF 2 is set to 0.

Cutoff 2

> -64 to +63: How much LFO2 modulates filter 2 cutoff fre-

quency. Like automating the CUTOFF 2 knob. Modulation destination “LFO2>Cutoff2“.

Shape 1+2

> -64 to +63: How much LFO2 modulates the shapes of oscil-

lators 1 and 2 simultaneously. Like automating the SHAPE knob for both these oscillators at the same time. Modulation destination “LFO2>Shape“.

FM Amount

> -64 to +63: How much LFO2 modulates the amount of fre-

quency modulation. Like automating the FM AMOUNT knob. Modulation destination “LFO2>FM Amount“.

Panorama

> -64 to +63: How much LFO2 modulates the position of the

signal across the stereo outputs. Like automating the PANORAMA knob (SHIFT + OSC BALANCE). Modulation destination “LFO2>Panorama“.

Assign Target

> Off, Amp Env Attack ... WaveTable 2 Index: Selects one of

the many possible destinations for LFO2.

Amount

> -64 to +63: How much LFO2 modulates the specified Assign

Target (see above). Modulation destination “LFO2 Assign Amt“.

LFO 3 Destination

Fade In

> 0 to 127: The amount of LFO3 can be faded in after each note

is played: 0 = instantaneous, 127 = about 40 seconds. Particularly useful for delayed vibrato effects etc..

Assign Target

Unlike LFO1 and LFO2, LFO3 has only one modulation slot, offering a choice of one of the following targets:

>Osc1 Pitch: Oscillator 1 pitch.

> Osc1+2 Pitch: The pitch of all oscillators.

>Osc2 Pitch: Oscillator 2 pitch. Note that oscillator 3 automat-

ically follows any pitch modulation applied to oscillator 2.

>Osc1 Pulse Width: The pulse width of oscillator 1.

87 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

> Osc1+2 Pulse Width: The pulse width of both oscillators at

the same time.

>Osc2 Pulse Width: The pulse width of oscillator 2.

> Sync Phase: When Sync is switched on (see “SYNC” on

page 110), this defines the absolute phase of oscillator 2 each time it is reset by oscillator 1. Modulating Sync Phase can cause effects similar to pulse width modulation, thus giving the (typically rather cold) sync-sounds more warmth.

Amount

> 0 to 127: How much LFO3 modulates the selected target.

Note that, unlike the other LFOs, this is a unipolar parameter. Modulation destination “LFO3 Assign Amt“.

EFFECTS (upper row)

The upper half of the Effects section is responsible for delay, reverb and 3-band equalisation, all of which can be applied simultaneously.

>PANEL CONTROLS

SELECT

Determines whether the three knobs apply to DELAY, REVERB or one of the EQ bands, and which menu will appear when the EDIT button is pressed once.

EDIT

Opens the menu for DELAY, REVERB or one of the EQ bands, depending upon which of these is currently selected.

SEND, EQ GAIN

If DELAY or REVERB is selected, this is an effect send control (dry/wet mix). If one of the EQ bands is selected, this knob controls the Gain parameter.

TIME / COLOR, EQ FREQ

If DELAY or REVERB is selected, this is usually a Time control. However, if one of the synchronized modes is selected (see “Clock” parameters below), it controls the Coloration parameter instead. If an EQ is selected, it controls the Frequency parameter.

FEEDBACK / DAMPING, EQ Q-FACTOR

If DELAY is selected, this is a feedback control. The same applies for REVERB modes with feedback (see “Mode” on page 92), otherwise it is a Damping control (see “Damping” on page 93). If the MID EQ band is selected, it controls the MID EQ Q-Factor (see “Q-Factor” on page 94). If LOW or HIGH EQ is selected, this knob is inactive.

SHIFT+TIME/COLOR as well as SHIFT+FEEDBACK/DAMPING will control the “other” parameter if both are available in the selected effect.

89 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

>EDIT MENUS

Delay

Send

Accessible from the panel via the SEND knob.

> Dry, 1 to 126, Wet: Effect send – actually a crossfade i.e. the

overall level remains fairly constant (the dry signal is faded out at higher values). Modulation destination “Delay Send“.

Mode

>Off: No Delay effect.

> Simple Delay: Standard delay effect, the left and right chan-

nels have the same nominal delay times.

> Ping Pong 2:1 ... Ping Pong 8:7: The left and right channels

have different delay times, indicated by the ratio.

> Pattern 1+1 ... Pattern 5+5: The left and right channels can

have different delay times. Pattern modes are always synchronized to the Clock. The TIME / COLOR knob controls the Coloration parameter (see “Coloration” on page 91).

Clock

> Off, 1/64 ... 3/4: Synchronized delay rate expressed as a 4/4

bar division. Although not labelled as such, this parameter (or Delay Time – see below) is available from the panel via the TIME / COLOR knob.

Delay Time

> 0.0 ms to 693.6 ms: Non-synchronized delay expressed in

milliseconds. This values is used if Clock (see above) is set to Off. Available from the panel via the TIME / COLOR knob. Modulation destination “Delay Time”.

Feedback

Mod Rate

> 0 to 127: For repeated delays. Determines how much of the

output signal is fed back into delay input, affecting the number of audible repeats. Modulation destination “Delay Feedback“.

Coloration

> -64 to +63: Applies progressive filtering within the feedback

path (see “Feedback” above). Negative values make repeats successively mellower, whereas positive values make them brighter. Modulation destination “Delay Coloration”.

The Delay effect has its own dedicated LFO for modulating the delay time. Note that this can cause interesting pitch modulation and stereo effects.

> 0 to 127: The speed of the delay LFO. Modulation destination

“Delay Mod Rate“.

Mod Depth

> 0 to 127: The amount of modulation applied to Delay Time by

the delay’s own LFO. Note that the left and right channels are affected differently, so this parameter can be used to create stereo effects. Modulation destination “Delay Mod Depth”.

Mod Shape

> Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square, S&H, S&G: The delay

LFO’s waveform. Use S&G for “tape echo” type effects.

Reverb

91 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

In the signal path, delay and reverb are routed in series i.e. the dry signal plus any delay is sent to the reverb input.

Mode

>Off: No effect. All other parameters will not be visible.

> Reverb: Standard reverb effect with predelay (see “Prede-

lay” parameter below).

> Feedback 1: Reverb effect with a feedback loop in the pre-

delay line, thus allowing multiple reverb tails.

> Feedback 2: The same as Feedback 1, except that the first

reverb tail appears immediately.

> Dry, 1 to 126, Wet: Effect send. Actually a cross-fade

between dry and wet – the overall level remains fairly constant. Modulation destination “Reverb Send”.

Clock

> Off, 1/64 ... 3/4: Used to synchronize Predelay to the Clock

(see “Predelay” below). Expressed as a 4/4 bar division.

Type

> Ambience, Small Room, Large Room, Hall: Different types

of room simulations, in order of size. This parameter affects the so-called “early reflections”.

Send

Accessible from the panel via the SEND knob.

Time

Accessible from the panel via the TIME / COLOR knob

> 0 to 127: The length of the reverb tail. Modulation destina-

tion “Reverb Time”.

Damping

> 0 to 127: For simulating different surface materials by pro-

gressively removing higher frequencies. Carpets and drapes etc. tend to absorb a lot of high frequencies, while tiled floors and walls do not. Modulation destination “Reverb Damping”.

Coloration

> -64 to +63: Post-EQ for the reverb signal. Negative values are

mellower, positive values are brighter. Modulation destination “Reverb Coloration”.

Feedback

Only visible in Feedback 1 or Feedback 2 modes. Accessible from the panel via the FEEDBACK knob.

> 0 to 127: How much of the reverb signal is fed back into it’s

own input. The repeat rate is determined by the Predelay parameter (see “Predelay” above). Modulation destination “Reverb Feedback”.

Low EQ

Predelay

Only visible if the Clock parameter is set to Off (see above).

> 0.0 ms to 300.4 ms: The time between the original signal and

the reverb signal, expressed in milliseconds. This can be fed back for multiple reverb tails (see “Mode” on page 92). Modulation destination “Reverb Predelay“.

Frequency

> 32 to 458: Low shelf (1 pole) cutoff frequency in Hertz.

Gain

> -16 dB to +16 dB: Low shelf cut or boost.

93 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

Mid EQ

Frequency

> 19 Hz to 24.0 kHz: Centre frequency of the MID EQ. Values

above 10,000 are given in kHz. Modulation destination “EQ Mid Frequency”.

Q-Factor

> 0.28 to 15.4: Bandwidth around the centre frequency. Low

values are wider, high values are narrower. For wah-wah effects, set very high Q-Factor and Gain values, then modulate “EQ Mid Frequency”. Modulation destination “EQ Mid Q-Factor”.

Gain

> -16dB to +16dB: Mid frequency cut or boost, in decibels.

Modulation destination “EQ Mid Gain”.

High EQ

Frequency

> 1831 to 24.0: High shelf (1-pole) cutoff frequency in Hertz

(values above 10,000 are given in kHz).

Gain

> -16 dB to +16 dB: High shelf cut or boost.

EFFECTS (lower row)

The lower half of the Effects section offers distortion, analog boost, chorus and phasing effects, all of which can be applied simultaneously. Effects which involve audio input (Vocoder, Input Follower, Input Ring Modulator) are also available here (see EDIT below).

>PANEL CONTROLS

SELECT

Determines which effect the knobs will control, and which menu will appear when the EDIT button is pressed.

TYPE/MIX

If DISTORTION is selected, this controls the distortion Type (see below). If ANALOG BOOST is selected, it controls the frequency (see “Frequency” on page 97). If Chorus or Phaser is selected, it controls the Mix parameter (see e.g. “Mix” on page 97).

INTENSITY

If DISTORTION or ANALOG BOOST is selected, this controls the intensity parameter (see “Intensity” on page 97). If Chorus or PHASER is selected, it controls the feedback parameter (see “Feedback” on page 98 and “Feedback” on page 99).

>EDIT MENU

EDIT

Opens the menu for to the currently selected effect. Repeatedly pressing EDIT toggles between the audio input effects pages and the selected effect. See “Vocoder” on page 100, “Input Follower” on page 105 and “Input Ring Modulator” on page 106.

Distortion

The choice of “Distortion” effects in the lower EFFECTS section are similar those available in the FILTERS menu (see “Saturation” on page 140), but here they treat the signal as a whole, i.e. not each individual voice. The difference is particularly noticeable when playing chords.

95 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

Type

Accessible from the panel via the TYPE/MIX knob

>Off: Distortion is disabled.

> Light, Soft, Medium, Hard: Four analog-style distortion

curves with differing characteristics.

> Rate Reducer: Variable reduction of sampling rate. For gen-

erating the aliasing effects typical of early samplers and digital synthesizers.

>Low Pass: Single pole low pass filter for variable reduction

of high frequencies. This effect is only included to ensure compatibility with older programs (early Virus models did not feature a dedicated EQ section).

> High Pass: Single pole high pass filter for variable reduction

of low frequencies. Also included for compatibility reasons.

Intensity

Accessible from the panel via the INTENSITY knob.

> Digital: Digital clipping. Can even turn a Saw wave into a

square wave.

> Wave Shaper: A sinusoidal waveshaper, the effect of which

is often similar to linear FM. Note that the results of the Shaper are highly dependant upon the signal level (see “OSC VOLUME” on page 137 and INTENSITY below).

>Rectifier: Full wave rectification with subsequent DC-com-

pensation. See glossary.

> Bit Reducer: Variable reduction of bit-depth. For generating

the digital quantization effects typical of early samplers and digital synthesizers.

> 0 to 127: Generally determines the amount of effect. In the

two filter models (see “Low Pass” and “High Pass” above), this is the cutoff frequency. Modulation destination “Distortion Intensity“.

Analog Boost

Analog Boost can be used to emulate the frequency response of various real analogue synthesizers. Note that boosting bass frequencies will reduce the proportion of high frequencies in the resulting signal.

Intensity

Accessible from the panel via the INTENSITY knob.

> Off, 1 to 127: The degree of Analog Boost. Modulation desti-

nation “Analog Boost Int“.

Frequency

Accessible from the panel via the TYPE/MIX knob. Only visible if Intensity is not set to Off.

> 0 to 127: The frequency where Analog Boost is applied. Very

high values will even boost mid-range frequencies.

the Chorus effect in your Virus is also capable of flanging, ensemble, vibrato or resonator effects. Note that if the Mix parameter is set to Off, the other parameters will not be visible in the menu.

Mix

Accessible from the panel via the TYPE/MIX knob

> Off, 1 to 127: Cross-fade between the dry and wet signal. Set

this to 64 for maximum Chorus, or to 127 for a vibrato effects. If set to Off, none of the other parameters in this menu will be visible. Modulation destination “Chorus Mix“.

Delay

Chorus

Typically, Chorus is a thickening effect caused by modulating a pair of very short delay lines via a dedicated LFO, then mixing this with the original dry signal. In combination with Feedback,

> 0 to 127: The nominal delay time, modulated by a dedicated

LFO (see “Mod Rate” etc. below). Very high values result in a short but noticable stereo delay effect. Modulation destination “Chorus Delay“.

97 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

Feedback

Mod Shape

> -64 to +63: The amount of signal fed back into the Chorus

input. The Feedback parameter is bipolar because positive and negative values have different tonal characteristics. Modulation destination “Chorus Feedback“.

Mod Rate

> 0 to 127: Modulation rate – the speed of the dedicated LFO.

Modulation destination “Chorus Mod Rate”.

Mod Depth

> 0 to 127: How much the LFO modulates the Delay parame-

ter. Modulation destination “Chorus Mod Depth“.

> Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth, Square, S&H, S&G: Selects the

waveform used to modulate the Delay parameter.

Phaser

Typically, phasing is the classic “whoosh” effect originally achieved by running two tape machines in parallel, then slightly changing the speed of one of them. The Virus phaser uses up to six “all-pass” filters to achieve a very similar effect. In combination with Feedback, the Virus phaser is also capable of resonator, ensemble, vibrato and flanging effects. Note that if the Mix parameter is set to Off, the other parameters will not be visible in the menu.

Mix

Accessible from the panel via the TYPE/MIX knob.

> Off, 1 to 127: Cross-fade between the dry and wet signal. Set

this to 64 for normal phasing (together with zero Feedback see below). Modulation destination “Phaser Mix“.

Frequency

> 0 to 127: The average frequency of resonant peaks (see

Spread below). Modulation destination “Phaser Frequency“.

Feedback

> -64 to +63: The amount of signal fed back into the Phaser

input, causing a resonance effect. The Feedback parameter is bipolar because positive and negative values result in different tonal characteristics. Modulation destination “Phaser Feedback“.

Mod Rate

> 0 to 127: Modulation rate – the speed of the Phaser’s dedi-

cated LFO (a triangle wave) used to modulate the Frequency parameter (see above). Modulation destination “Phaser Mod Rate“.

Mod Depth

> 0 to 127: How much the Frequency parameter (see above) is

modulated by the Phaser’s LFO. Modulation destination “Phaser Mod Depth“.

Stages

>1 to 6: The number of all-pass filters used in the Phaser. This

value affects the complexity of the phased signal.

99 SOUND PARAMETERS REFERENCE

Spread

> 0 to 127: How far apart the resonant peaks between multiple

stages are. Modulation destination “Phaser Spread“.

Vocoder

To enter these pages, press EDIT (lower EFFECTS section) once or twice so that its LED flashes, then navigate using the PARAMETERS buttons. Although available as “effect”, the Virus Vocoder actually replaces the entire filter section i.e. Vocoder and normal filters cannot be used at the same time within a single program.

The Virus vocoder has two banks of up to 32 bandpass filters: One to analyse the frequency spectrum of a modulator audio signal (see “Input Select” on page 134), and the other to process a carrier signal (usually the internal oscillators) accordingly. Please refer to the “Vocoder Table” on page 104.

As well as the functions of a few knobs in the filter section, two of the parameters appearing in the first page of the vocoder menu are sensitive to SELECT status in the Filters section: If FILT1 is selected, carrier parameters will appear here. If FILT2 is selected, modulator parameters will appear.

Mode

Specifies the carrier signal...

>Off: The Vocoder is disabled, no other Vocoder parameters

will be visible.

> Oscillator: The carrier is the entire oscillator section, includ-

ing any noise.

>Osc Hold: Identical to “Osc” except that Hold mode (see

“Key Mode” on page 122) is activated for the vocoder.

>Noise: The carrier is the noise signal only. The rest of the

oscillator section is disabled, thus saving polyphony.

> In L, In L+R, In R: The carrier is one or both of the audio

inputs.

100

Access Virus TI Desktop User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

1: Introduction

Updating the OS

Cleaning

Repair

Replacing the Battery

Sockets

Disposal

Rotating the sockets

Sequentially

By Category

How to open menus

Via MIDI

How to make full use of Edit Buttons

How to navigate within menus

How to change values within menus

How to close menus

Single mode

Multi mode

Sequencer mode

Remote mode

VirusControl

About USB Connection

A Typical Setup

Changing knob response

The INIT Programs

2: First Steps

Cheese for Starters?

The Amplifier Envelope Section

ATTACK

DECAY

SUSTAIN

RELEASE

PATCH VOLUME

SUSTAIN SLOPE

TEMPO

The Filters Section

CUTOFF

RESONANCE

ENV AMOUNT

FILTER BALANCE

SELECT (FILT 1, FILT 2)

CUTOFF 2

MODE (FLT1, FLT2)

KEY FOLLOW

RESONANCE 2

Routing

Cutoff Link

About Saturation

The Filter Envelope Section

The Oscillators Section

SELECT

SHAPE

WAVE SELECT/ PW

SEMITONE

DETUNE 2/3

OSC 3 ON

SYNC

MONO

FM AMOUNT

UNISON DETUNE

FM MODE

PORTAMENTO

The Mix Section

SUB OSC VOLUME

OSC BALANCE

OSC VOLUME

RING MODULATOR

NOISE VOLUME

PANORAMA

OSC 3 VOLUME

SATURATION TYPE

The Modulators Section

The Matrix Section

The Arp Section

The Effects Section

DELAY