the watmm GAS thread

RIP Access Virus TI2, popular flagship digital synth is discontinued (Synth Anatomy)

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RIP Access Virus TI2, the popular flagship digital Synthesizer from mastermind Christoph Kemper is discontinued. 

Many bands use synthesizers on stage. Not only in electronic but also in rock and metal music formations with heavy guitar riffs are synths part of the setup. For example, the synths at Iron Maiden concerts are played live behind the curtain. Often with workstations or flagship synths. 

One of the most famous stage synthesizers is now off the market. According to information from Amazona.de, Access has stopped the production of the Virus TI2 Synthesizer—time to say goodbye. 

RIP Access Virus TI2

Access mastermind Christoph Kemper has confirmed to Amazona.de writer Sven Rosswog that the Virus TI2 has been out of production for a few months. So, the last units were produced in 2023, and everything that can now be found new are leftovers.

When asked whether Kemper was still interested in synthesizers in 2018, he replied yes. He answered, however, that the production line is fully utilized with the Kemper amps. I’m pretty sure, now they have even more to do with Kemper amp products, including the brand-new Profiler Player pedal. Theses products became super successful. 

I think Access would make new synthesizers if they had the capacity. Often forgotten, Access is a sister brand of Kemper Amps, and both are small companies from Recklinghausen, Germany. The development and production capabilities are not comparable with big players like Roland and Yamaha. 

The available resources are often used for the products that financially perform best. I think, in this case, it’s Kemper Amps. The guitar market is far more significant than that for synths. But there is hope for a new one. In a former interview, it was suggested that there might be an Access Virus TI3.

As a reminder, the Virus TI2 is a powerful digital synth with over 80 voices, 16 parts, three multi-wave oscillators + sub-osc + noise structure, dual filters, 3 LFOs, envelopes, various effects, built-in arpeggiator, and more. 

A highlight of the TI range is the total recall functionality, which allows you to route all the sound parts into the computer via USB, including full control over the engine, using the free editor.

Virus TI2 Emulator 

This clears the way for the Virus TI2 plugin from The Usual Suspects. These developers created the Motorola chip emulator DSP56300 and released two digital synths as software in the past. More precisely, the Waldorf microQ and Osirus (Virus B and C). 

The developers have already finished the TI2 but left it in the drawer until the discontinuation of the hardware. The moment is now. So it will be interesting if they will release it in the coming months of 2024.

A longtime user of the Virus TI2 is Peter Gordeno, tour keyboarder of Depeche Mode. Here is a tour rig video. 

Final Words

Either way, it’s sad news that the TI2 Virus will now disappear after 15 years (2009-2024) on the shelves from the market. But it was already foreseeable that this would happen. In the last two years, things have been very quiet around Access and synthesizers. But I hope that we get a new Virus TI in the future. 

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As much as I love my Virus TI, which has been my primary polysynth for more than a decade, I am looking forward to a VST version aka “Real Total Integration”

So… I’m now beta-testing the stripped-down teaser of a synth that been discussed a few posts earlier (that synth yeah) : it’s astonishing. And these 1024 partials are delicious, so sharp, paradoxically hyper digital and organic sounding at the same time.

The full synth will be a masterpiece, I can’t even imagine how deep it will be.

And now back to patching

  On 2/8/2024 at 2:56 PM, dcom said:

RIP Access Virus TI2, popular flagship digital synth is discontinued (Synth Anatomy)

 

Id buy a TI3 instantly 

New Moog polysynth on the horizon it seems. From what I have been reading it sounds like Moog are taking features and architecture from their Grandmother and Matriarch synths but with polyphonic voices. However, no official details have been released to my knowledge, just pics from YouTube synth personalities. This will be Moog's first major product since being acquired by InMusic.

This made me revisit some tracks from that Benge album Twenty Systems, very high quality album (imo) consisting solely of synth demos, and here is one with the Polymoog:

Moog Patriarch?

Moog Oligarch? 

Moog Suzerain

they talked about the Moog on here and seem to think it's going to be called Mirror

  On 2/15/2024 at 2:23 PM, auxien said:

they talked about the Moog on here and seem to think it's going to be called Mirror

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holy cow! In the preview for that sonic state video, it says 'Like a D-Beam but Menacing' - A very long time ago, probably like over ten years, I had a Roland Juno-D, one of their low budget digital recreations of a Juno, and it had a D-Beam, thing was so much fun. Assigning the pitch as the mod destination while holding a chord with the arpeggiator on was so much fun. You could instantly get sequences that sounded like the Ae song Rpeg. Still remember having so much fun on that. Just checked and it looks like their newer stuff has the D-Beam too, although they do not test it with the arp in this vid unfortunately

Anyone have a Division Department 01/IV? Any thoughts?

  On 7/30/2023 at 7:08 PM, Bubba69 said:

Ever since hearing aphex describe how he made Fenix Funk 5, using parallel bandpass filter section on a fenix modular to simulate vocal formants, I've been obsessed with finding an analog monosynth that has parallel multi-mode filters (via a switch or otherwise). You would think with the oversaturation of analog monosynths there would be SOMETHING capable of doing this by now. Even most of these huge flagship monos cannot do it. Modular could do it, but I don't feel like diving into that. Theres a lot of synths that come close, but I haven't found one. Some have a formant filter mode, some have one parallel high/low pass filters, but nothing quite like that sound.

I Just found out about the SER-2020, which seems to be a clone of the Synton Sryinx (which are incredibly rare and way out of my price range). And holy shit this seems amazing? Kind of the exact filter sound I've been looking to incorporate into my setup. Synton style formants for a reasonable price, not to mention it just sounds good, I love character synths. Somehow this completely flew past my radar a couple years ago.
 

 

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Looks like loopop just did a video on this synth. I'm still interested in getting something like this some day. Probably not any time soon but I still quite like the parallel filter architecture, need more of that in monosynths

  On 7/30/2023 at 7:08 PM, Bubba69 said:

Ever since hearing aphex describe how he made Fenix Funk 5, using parallel bandpass filter section on a fenix modular to simulate vocal formants, I've been obsessed with finding an analog monosynth that has parallel multi-mode filters (via a switch or otherwise). 

Sherman Filterbank is one solution.

Also, Fenix II is being reissued it seems:

Dreadbox Nyx v2 has a dual filter w/ bandpass and peak separation, I've made some formant patches with it. AnalogFX SER-2020 seems fun. I'm finding myself drawn towards Pittsburgh Modular Lifeforms modules, the SV-1 is wonderful, and I've got a few others coming in soon. Next month I'll have a chance to get a Microvolt 3900.

enjoying my Nymphes very much, but another 6 voice from Dreadbox with a TON more flexibility? sounds v nice. comes as a bundled kit with all needed components, so no separate Eurorack enclosure  needed.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/866230

Too expensive ugh

  On 3/17/2024 at 9:26 PM, IOS said:

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/866230

Too expensive ugh

do you really need the maps? for half the price I've bought a black Instinct 2x tactical edition and I'm satisfied with it 

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/884414/pn/010-02805-13

  On 3/17/2024 at 10:42 PM, xox said:

do you really need the maps? for half the price I've bought a black Instinct 2x tactical edition and I'm satisfied with it 

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/884414/pn/010-02805-13

Nice, good to know, thanks! I don't really need the maps. To be fair, there's probably lots of features in either design that I won't ever use.

  On 3/17/2024 at 9:26 PM, IOS said:

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/866230

Too expensive ugh

Don’t understand what people find appealing about what’s essentially a virtual analogue clock in a dedicated box. For 999,- you could easily get an iPhone 12 and enjoy way more added functionality, less restrictions, customisable interface, way bigger screen and arguably less menu diving. Plus you won’t have to worry about shit like timezones and daylight savings while touring. Sure you might get greater precision but as long as you show up who cares whether it’s 15:06:33333 or 15:06, plus no one can tell the difference anyway. 

Dedicated timepieces are for the insta crowd imho. 

 

  On 3/20/2024 at 7:54 PM, user said:

you could easily get an iPhone 12

It's too late now dude . Initially I went for the Instinct 2 tactile solar black like the one @xox has, but instead I was offered a fenix 7 for the same price; black friday remaining stock apparently, brand new, from an authorised dealer. Also Joe Biden just sued Apple for smartphone monopoly.

  On 3/22/2024 at 12:12 AM, IOS said:

It's too late now dude . Initially I went for the Instinct 2 tactile solar black like the one @xox has, but instead I was offered a fenix 7 for the same price; black friday remaining stock apparently, brand new, from an authorised dealer. Also Joe Biden just sued Apple for smartphone monopoly.

Uuu nice catch! Garmin watches are great! You’ll love it!

  On 3/22/2024 at 1:08 PM, xox said:

Uuu nice catch! Garmin watches are great! You’ll love it!

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Heart’s pumping 120 bpm after walking up the hill

 

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Mine keeps telling me to rest haha

  On 3/22/2024 at 10:32 PM, IOS said:

Mine keeps telling me to rest haha

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Well tbh my sleep improved immensely after getting the watch; it helped me to find a better pillow to lower the sleep stress value! The sleep statistics were pretty accurate and useful ime! Now im trying to go to bed earlier and more relaxed; im avoiding stress before going to bed (still playing rapid chess often before going to bed though but progressively less) and it shows in better heart rate variability numbers; hrv is 36 ms now and it was 29-30 before. V02 max is still low but i haven’t exercised much lately, i need to change that 

ps listen to your lovely watch

  On 3/22/2024 at 11:22 PM, xox said:

Well tbh my sleep improved immensely after getting the watch; it helped me to find a better pillow to lower the sleep stress value! The sleep statistics were pretty accurate and useful ime! Now im trying to go to bed earlier and more relaxed; im avoiding stress before going to bed (still playing rapid chess often before going to bed though but progressively less) and it shows in better heart rate variability numbers; hrv is 36 ms now and it was 29-30 before. V02 max is still low but i haven’t exercised much lately, i need to change that 

ps listen to your lovely watch

nice, great to hear all that, thanks! So far, it definitely looks like there's some accurate data analysis going on.

You're right, I defo need to rest more

  On 3/20/2024 at 7:54 PM, user said:

Don’t understand what people find appealing about what’s essentially a virtual analogue clock in a dedicated box. For 999,- you could easily get an iPhone 12 and enjoy way more added functionality, less restrictions, customisable interface, way bigger screen and arguably less menu diving. Plus you won’t have to worry about shit like timezones and daylight savings while touring. Sure you might get greater precision but as long as you show up who cares whether it’s 15:06:33333 or 15:06, plus no one can tell the difference anyway. 

Dedicated timepieces are for the insta crowd imho. 

 

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I'm still amazed by the wording in this reply haha. It's like, the lines between talking about a synth and a fitness watch are mad blurred lol.

"essentially a virtual analogue clock in a dedicated box" flol

My favourite one is "while touring"