Korg Radias vs. Access Virus TI—an unfair comparison . . .

Daz · Post by **Daz** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 3:15 pm

Good call DimensionFour !!!

Also try doing this :

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=23816

... on a Virus

DimensionFour · Post by **DimensionFour** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 3:28 pm

Daz wrote:Good call DimensionFour !!!

Also try doing this :

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=23816

... on a Virus

Awesome post Daz

That's what I always say to people that are not impressed how the VA sounds.

Just tweak the damned thing lol
Truth is most of the VA's can create many outstanding sounds if you work with them. They do have a unique sound attached (and that is a good thing!) but most of them can do pretty much same stuff.
Hell I'm still using my Novation Nova till this day to get a different sound in my mix. And if I want something totally different I go with my Nord Lead 2X which can not reproduce anything that virus does lol but sounds so good that there is more than a million ways to stick it in the composition.

If you get to know your stuff you're home whatever piece of gear you have.

To all those factory preset users I strongly recommend to go and get the 'Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook' publication. It comes with a CD and gives you a really great explanation and demonstration (you have tutorials in which you create specific sounds by yourself) on synth programming. Good thing about it is that it's not aimed at any specific brand of synth and gives you a great example how many common things are shared in those different manufacturer machines.
After you get familiar with it I'm sure you will do what most of VA's programmers do. Wipe out all possible sounds and start woking on your own ones.

Best thing is you can get it cheap on ebay

gdh · Post by **gdh** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 3:38 pm

just went back to look at some of the organ presets - if you like Pete Townsend/The Who, Eminence Front is right there for you as well (of course the Baba O'Riley patch) load up B13 tum arp to trigger, under th FX section turn the edit up to about 50% play G F G (@ 95 bpm) or whatever key you want it in. C13 (Funky Wurly) is great for the piano part. As unknown stated above sometime the presets do not sound great or you think useable but play around with them there is usually a good sound basis in them.
Sorry about not answering your main question but the 2 you are comparing just have a different structure - great that you bought the polar. Its funny but I've been told that the presets on the Ti are weak as well by many who own it and play on a regular basis - what r ya gonna do eh? The 2 do work so well together as do my Voyager and R.
I can see you gassing over the Solaris when it comes out as well oh and maybe the Origin. Its all fun and expensive.

sewa · Post by **sewa** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:11 pm

Daz wrote:p.s. just for larks ... when I first started doing this stuff and wasn't fully au fait with at all, I had a simple rule that I followed; if in doubt buy the German thing.

Excellent advice!

LEVEL4 · Post by **LEVEL4** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:17 pm

Thought I'd post some pics, since I didn't know what these were. The Origin is super-cool looking! Since my goal is not necessarily to model every famous vintage analog synth ever invented (it's more sound design for film), the Origin's probably not for me, even as cool as it is. The Solaris should be interesting (but not nearly as pretty). Anything else coming around the bend that I should consider before throwing all that money at the Virus TI Polar?

Arturia Origin

John Bowen Synth Design Solaris

Unknown Sound · Post by **Unknown Sound** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:41 pm

rezfactor wrote:Thought I'd post some pics, since I didn't know what these were. The Origin is super-cool looking! Since my goal is not necessarily to model every famous vintage analog synth ever invented (it's more sound design for film), the Origin's probably not for me, even as cool as it is. The Solaris should be interesting (but not nearly as pretty). Anything else coming around the bend that I should consider before throwing all that money at the Virus TI Polar?

You shouldn't come around here talking like that! Many of us are still recovering Synth addicts and it's a long painful road to normality! (hmm what is normal

).

Nice pics though, I like the Solaris features actually. If I was in the market for more synths I would probably add to my collection a Moog Voyager, Dave Smith Poly-Evolver and would even look at a Solaris (if it ever comes out). and there's the problem...buying from boutique Synth companies. You see they don't seem to survive long term. The 'no compromises' design approach the independents like to take, end up translating into expensive product, late delivery and ultimately lost revenue, purists don't make good business people. I know...been there done that!

The 'cost cutting' measures Korg employs on some of it's products is based on commercial reality. This ultimately ends up benefiting customers. I.e. Korg lives to design/develop another day.

-US.

LEVEL4 · Post by **LEVEL4** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 10:04 pm

Hi. My name is rezfactor, and I'm a synthaholic. I'm starting the first day of my 12-step (sequencer) program.

botega · Post by **botega** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:15 pm

rezfactor wrote:Hi. My name is rezfactor, and I'm a synthaholic. I'm starting the first day of my 12-step (sequencer) program.

that would be a tripled treatment program

Daz · Post by **Daz** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:53 am

rezfactor wrote:Hi. My name is rezfactor, and I'm a synthaholic. I'm starting the first day of my 12-step (sequencer) program.

LOL !

LEVEL4 · Post by **LEVEL4** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 9:42 am

Holy sh*t! I just read a few of the hundreds of posts over there at the VirusTI forum. Do those people ever talk about anything BUT the VC software integration issues??? I mean, I couldn't find a single post that talked about the Virus' great sounds or how to make cool patches or whatnot. I mean EVERY post is about pops or clicks or latency or how some dial doesn't turn its software-twin dial in the DAW or some crap. Does anyone but me plan to use the Virus in a totally hardware-driven, non-computer connected fashion?

Right now, I have one PC that can't make sound anymore (thanks to the crappy Windows MIDI driver problem) when I had to use that PC to update the firmware in my Radias yesterday. It took me six hours to solve the MIDI driver registry errors and have the PC finally recognize the Radias. Again, I don't even use that computer with my Radias—I just needed it to update the Radias' firmware! And this is a "dedicated" PC. This only hosts my video editing and audio software. No Microsoft Office, no games, etc.

Tonight, on my second PC, which is equally well-equipped (2GB RAM, up-to-date XP install, no "frivolous" software installed), I can't type any symbols or use any of the home, end, page up, page down, control, alt, or delete keys on the keyboard that I'm typing this post with right now. I just "installed" it today (i.e., plugged it in). I installed it without using any of the manufacturer's "special" drivers (you know, the kind of drivers that tend to screw up other stuff on your PC as well?). It's a keyboard for crap's sake—it should just f*cking work! It's the SAME brand keyboard that works perfectly fine on the other PC (which I also simply "plugged in")! See why I HATE computers?

LEVEL4 · Post by **LEVEL4** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 11:03 am

By the way, sorry to take this thread SOOOO off-topic, even, "off-forum," but, I just noticed the Alesis Andromeda on zzounds.com. I can't demo one locally, but if I really like the Virus' sounds, will I have any envy over the Alesis later? I'm not hellbent on vintage analog synth sounds—I like the Virus because of its specific sound design character for film soundscapes.

LEVEL4 · Post by **LEVEL4** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 1:08 pm

Well, after all that, "I WANT A VIRUS TI, AND I WANT IT RIGHT NOW," business, I'm enjoying the sh*t outta my new Radias. I've been up all night, nearly every night since I got my Radias last Wednesday, playing my Radias with my Fantom-X. They really do sound neat together! Synthesizers sure are fun! I think my head's gonna explode when I get my Virus next Tuesday (yes, I had it shipped overnight!).

It's really the creativity that these powerful tools inspire that's so fun . . . and so addicting. Remember, the last synth I bought was like 15 years ago, a JV80—no DAW, no multitrack, JUST a JV80. I had that, and my broken, lame-ass, 12-bit Roland S10 sampler keyboard (floppy drive broke).

sewa · Post by **sewa** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 1:08 pm

rezfactor wrote:By the way, sorry to take this thread SOOOO off-topic, even, "off-forum," but, I just noticed the Alesis Andromeda on zzounds.com. I can't demo one locally, but if I really like the Virus' sounds, will I have any envy over the Alesis later?

Probably not; A6 is a powerful synth in its own right but if your're after the Virus type of sound don't look elswhere.

BTW I don#t really like the computers either so I bought a used Virus C. It fits my needs perfectly.

LEVEL4 · Post by **LEVEL4** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 1:13 pm

Oh, good! Thanks, sewa! Yes, I REALLY love that Virus sound! It's so dark and complex—it's perfect for film score stuff. The Andromeda is really for those after more analog-ey, fat monophonic-ey, kinda vintage sounds, yes? Oh, I was also considering a V-Synth. But I can't find one to demo. If I like the Virus, am I gonna have a V-Synth envy, too? Or is the Virus that distinctive from the V (without the sampling capabilites of course)?

sewa · Post by **sewa** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 3:22 pm

The Andromeda is really for those after more analog-ey, fat monophonic-ey, kinda vintage sounds, yes?

Yes, it's sound is very different from that of the Virus.

If I like the Virus, am I gonna have a V-Synth envy, too?

LOL, I can't answer that because I don't know the V synth that good. However, since I bought the Virus, no other VA really impresses me.

Are you buying the TI Polar or the 61 key version?