My New Baby ...

[AxeD]

Don't know a lot about Virus synths but I do know most vst's don't sound that good compared to the average
hardware synth. But 90% of producers only use digital nowadays anyways.

An oscillator is still a hardware 'device' though, so every vst is a digital representation of that.

Well that may have been true 10 years ago but the latest softsynths sound pretty awesome. Check out DCAM Synth Squad and U-He Diva, both use circuit modelling techniques so they're like a simulation of hardware components. They both sound amazing and i doubt anyone here could tell the difference if you heard them in a tune.

And remember the Virus is basically a softsynth - it runs on 2 dsp's(that cost about £30 each) and as someone else pointed out is basically a vst in a box. There's no reason that a modern PC couldn't run a Virus VST now, modern cpu's could do this without breaking a sweat. But i doubt Access will release a software version due to piracy.

I believe dedicated audio equipment still sounds better than software designed to sound similar, through a computer.
Although I don't know for sure. What I do know is that effects still sound way better in hardware form than in plugin variations.

As an owner of Access Virus synths for many years, multiple models, I would say you're both right.
Modern VSTs can definitely sound just as good, but not nearly all of them do. When Albino came out, it was known as a Virus killer and in some ways it's an unofficial Virus clone as it has many of the same type of unique features. When I first got it, I didn't touch the Virus for a good while.

The Virus (and to an extent, digital hardware synths) still sound different. After owning them, I can usually hear them in tracks as the Virus has a very distinct sound. You can also get into the Virus' famous digital/analogue converters making it sound 'better', but that's a whole other can of worms. I agree the TI is overpriced though, and is definitely the closest model to a VST in a box... I didn't keep it, but I kept the older Virus models.

Besides sounding different, I've said before the thing that makes me keep the synths most is the ability to get away from the computer and go program some patches (or even make a whole tune on it, with drums) outside or on the sofa without needing to be inside the box. Computers can kill the creative process imo, too much multitasking etc.

I agree. I was using the word 'better', but I can only hear a difference. I'm more interested in the classic models myself so I
don't know a lot about the newer hardware synths.

[Promise One]

I've got a TI desktop, its great but yes wouldn't have bought it at full price. Stupidly overpriced, 2nd hand is the only way to go. It is pretty difficult to use and they should update the VST interface much more than they do but it does have a screaming set of filters on it which do provide much of its character. I run mine using the USB interface for convenience, but after reading the comment about its DACs reminded me I should really bounce finished tracks using the audio outputs into some other analogue gear so its less "out of the box"

[ehbes]

I love how we're all bumping his threads after he gets locked up