Digidesign
Jun 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Remix Staff
ACCESS VIRUS 1.0 TDM PLUG-IN The Access Virus is one of the most popular analog-modeling synths, and over the last few years Access has released several variations, including the Virus b, the Virus kb keyboard, and the upcoming Virus Indigo and Virus Rack. Now the Virus is available in a software-only version as a TDM plug-in for Digidesign's Pro Tools/24 Mix and 24 Mixplus systems for the Mac OS and Windows NT running Pro Tools 5.0 or later. The plug-in provides most of the features in the Virus a and b modules, and offers several significant advantages that make it an excellent investment even for Pro Tools users who already own Virus hardware.
Like the hardware version, Access Virus features two oscillators with 66 wave shapes, a suboscillator, a noise generator, two Multi Mode filters, a saturation stage, a stereo VCA, and three LFOs. The oscillators offer ring and frequency modulation as well as a sync mode; the filter section, which provides a maximum of six filter poles for a 36 dB slope, includes serial, parallel, and split routing options. The plug-in can process external sound sources including Pro Tools audio tracks (via its filters), VCA, and internal effects such as delay, chorus, and a vocoder with a maximum of 32 filter bands. The Modulation Matrix provides three separate routing matrixes that allow you to assign just about any control source to any Virus parameter. The plug-in also includes the Analog Boost feature found on the Virus b.
INSTANT GRATIFICATION One of Virus's biggest advantages over the hardware version is its ability to provide immediate access to every editing parameter. The hardware equivalent has 32 knobs and 27 switches on its front panel that let you edit commonly used controls such as oscillator, filter, and envelope settings, but it buries many parameters deep in pages you can access only by scrolling through the Edit window. Virus, by comparison, has six different windows (Oscillator, Filters/Envelope, LFO, Effects, Miscellaneous, and Modulation Matrix) that provide access to 119 virtual knobs and 57 virtual switches. You can type in values for the knobs from the computer keyboard, and if you own Virus hardware you can use it as a control surface for the plug-in.
An even cooler and more powerful feature of Virus is the number of voices and timbres it provides compared with hardware boxes. The Virus a is 12-voice, 16-part multitimbral, and the Virus b is 24-voice, 16-part multitimbral. Each Virus plug-in module offers 16-voice polyphony and 8 parts, but you can use up to eight modules at once for a staggering total of 128 voices and 64 parts. In addition, each part in each module can have independent chorus and arpeggiator settings; however, only one delay and master-tempo clock setting is available per module.
Each Access Virus module requires a single DSP chip on a Mix core or Mix Farm card. You can load a maximum of three modules on a card, so you're going to need at least a Mixplus system and an additional Mix Farm card if you want to access all eight modules. I loaded five Virus modules on my Mixplus system in a 32-track session, which gave me a total of 80 voices and 40 parts and still left five DSP chips for other plug-ins. The plug-in had a limit of four instances within a 64-track session with a Mixplus system. For most applications, two modules provide plenty of power-enough to create entire songs without any other instruments.
Virus comes with a large library of more than 500 sound patches. You can store an unlimited number of patches in folders within the plug-in's Librarian pop-up menu (the hardware version can handle only 512 patch locations). You can also edit and save patches, create new folders, and even import patches from Virus hardware and download them from the Internet. The folders and patches appear in alphabetical order, making it easy to find what you're looking for.
INFECTIOUS GROOVES The Virus TDM plug-in sounds and responds just like the hardware version when you play it via a MIDI keyboard-it suffers from none of the latency problems so commonly encountered with processor-intensive software synths. Because the Virus plug-in integrates so well into Pro Tools' audio and MIDI sections, you'll be tempted to use it for purposes you'd never think of trying with the hardware module. You can create incredible sounds by assigning two Virus modules to the master fader of a session, using one module as a vocoder and the other as a highpass filter. You can add to the madness by controlling an auxiliary track via MIDI with the arpeggiator of a third Virus module. Then you can automate several controls, either through MIDI or with Pro Tools automation playlists, to take the sound to yet another level of complexity. In minutes you can create unusual, even insane sounds that traditionally would require several pieces of hardware, a confusing clutter of cable routing, and the patience of a child psy-chologist to generate.
If you have a Pro Tools Mix or Mixplus system and you're into analog synthesis, you'll find the Virus TDM plug-in absolutely essential. For a relatively small investment, it provides a massive selection of awesome sounds and a wellspring of creative inspiration.
DIGIDESIGN Access Virus 1.0 TDM plug-in $795 PROS: Virtual knobs or switches for every parameter. Up to eight Virus modules available at once. Unlimited patch storage. CONS: Available only for Pro Tools systems. Overall Rating (1 through 5):5 Contact: tel. (650) 842-7900; fax (650) 842-7999; e-mail prodinfo@digidesign.com; Web www.digidesign.com
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
