Its The One! 
by DJ Haldane from Montgomery, AL USA, October 2008
Music Background:  Nightclub DJ/Pro Music Producer

Wondering where is the synth that is going to help you craft your sound? Here it is! I've searched so many synths, trying to find my sound. Started from $300 synth and had to move up, and finally I have arrived at Virus TI. the TI had all the sounds and tweaks needed to help me achieve the sound that I was looking for.
The massive library of presets will have you making tracks in no time. Especially if you're looking for a synth for production of electronic music, it will definitely prove worthy of your time and money.
The fact that you can control the synth via a plug-in in your DAW, makes it indispensable in todays music production. After exploring the versatility of this synth, I truly believe that this synth can reproduce a great number of synth with very little difference.
It is definitely the one!

  A First Rate Synthesizer 
by David Ryle from USA, September 2007

This was a hard decision for me to make - choosing between the Moog Voyager, Korg Radias and Roland V-Synth. I must say, I have heard and played with the Korg and Roland and was expecting quite a lot from the Virus, but was not really prepared for what I heard. The Virus TI is unbelievable! There are so many useable features on it which are right up front and 'access'-able (pun intended). There are a couple of things I found lacking but overall, the sound generating and modelling capabilities are unmatched by any of the other competitors. The first thing I noticed upon receiving the box in spledid time and form (thanks Sweetwater!!), was the careful and considerate packing job. The whole unit was suspended and wrapped perfectly in a manner that would be nearly impossible to damage (a hard to believe claim - I know). The next thing I found was a well displayed cover sheet with the appropriate cautions regarding setup and installation. That was nice. Too often you must read extensively about what you did wrong after the fact.My plan was to use the Virus TI as a rack unit (4U) so I needed to do the interface flip and install the provided (!) rack wings. I noticed also that the unit even came with a USB cable for the Virus Control software and an extra knob in case of a front panel issue. (These guys think of everything).There are two books, one is the user manual which is very well documented for first time users as well as seasoned veterans, and a nicely done tutorial manual. These are invaluable for finding all the cool things inside this unit. Back to the installation. I was able to do the plug panel flip in about 20 minutes and found every screw and drilled hole perfectly aligned. The thing I noticed about the craftsmanship was how the fit and feel was absolutely perfect. This is no plastic, lightweight whimpy synth. Every attention to detail was taken in the manufacturing process. I work on CNC machines both as a programmer and maintenannce person and manufacture a line of precision products so I know how difficult it is to maintain this kind of quality. I guarantee the buyer will not be disappointed with the unit.After rack installation, I needed to install the software. The installer (mine is Mac OS) was very clear about upgrading first and provided a link to Access's website. After the download, installation and reboot the Virus came alive and did it's upload. I opened Cubase4 and found the unit as a ready-to-go VSTi. No problems at all. What happened next was the best part.The sound library was huge!!. This thing has more great sounds than I could ever believe and there are tons more downloadable from Access. The sound is so rich and big that it doesn't even compare in the least with the ones in my choice list (save the Voyager). I have been a loyal Roland, Korg, Arp, Sequential Circuits, PAIA, Waldorf and Emu user since the early 80's annd have never heard anything that sounded this good right off the bat. The control software is very easy to learn and the front panel is even better. Both are full of extensive control features way too deep to list, but a few of my favorites are how you can use a modifier to effect another modifier or even itself. Sort of a feedback for modifiers. Also the arpeggiator is too cool. Get this - hold down a chord, switch to another preset. The sound doesn't change (except effect routings), until you either add a note, which then it just adds the new preset sound to that note! True polyphony in one hand without a painful keyboard split process. Too cool!The only things that I found to be a little lacking was the "Shift" key isn't a latch so it takes two hands in some cases to do some oddball tweaking. The other thing was that there is no front panel dedicated control for velocity routing. It is in there but a little harder to deal with on the hardware interface. It is a breeze in the VC software.This unit has been rated by some as not for the beginner, and that could be the case for someone that is not dedicated to learning synthesizers, but I found the included manuals and easy access to everything to be extremely easy to deal with. This is a "performers tool" style of synthesizer. It is capable of the best sounds and the easiest real-time control. If you cannot finnd the sound you are looking for here, then you are not trying. This is not a sample-based Rompler, but has more great synth sounds than any synth in it's class - period!I made the right choice!

  Pure Fat 'n' Lush Sounds 
by Andy from NJ, November 2006
Music Background:  10 years

I just picked up the rack version of this fab synth. The build quality is superb. The moment i got it home, i ripped open the box and connected my cables right up to my powered monitors, along with my little keyboard controller. Powered up the little beast with the two transpose buttons, and WOW...the leds came alive.

The First thing i noticed was the control of the thing, its fully layed out, easy on the eye. I picked a patch and played some keys, i was taken away by the atmostheric sounds of this thing. The pads sounds are very animated, and have a surround type sound to them. I was amazed by the depth of the pad sound alone.

I tried some leads with the different filters, was again dazzled by the raw cutting edge sound. The oscillators are superb, you can shape anything from thin to super fat sounds.

So many presets, thousands of them. I dont think i would ever be able to go through all of them with stopping by another gem sound.

The tweaking possibilities of this synths seems off the chain. Its very powerful and so contollerable. I have not yet connected the usb features to my computer, but will do so in the future.

For now, it happy playing though. Probably the best music purchase i have ever made. I play all sorts of musical styles, and this thing fits in perfectly.

  THE MYTHS ARE TRUE 
by Jordan Pollard from Boston, MA, November 2006
Music Background:  Student, Trance Producer

If I were to marry an audio producer, I would propose to her with this rather than a diamond. I've had my Virus for about two months now and it has replaced most of my VST's, my soundcard and my midi controller. If you're trying to find a sound chances are you will find it in the massive soundbank already included with the Virus...but there are many more soundbanks available from the Access website...but why spend all that time searching...if you have the access virus, when you need a sound, you can simply design it...anyone that's familiar with their synthesizers will find the Virus very user friendly. Most importantly is the sound. The sounds of the access virus mix well and cut through your songs like a blade. The converters used in the Virus are of the highest quality and the 24/192 interface puts my soundcard to shame. For the trance genre, the Access Virus is a coveted synthesizer. I use it for almost all of my melodic work because I can make the exact sounds I'm looking for. I would recommend this synthesizer for anything...hell if you're out in international waters...you could marry this thing...it's beautiful. It's worth every penny.

Kösmos

  Next generation of synthesizers... 
by H.B. Stone from Palm Desert, CA, September 2006
Music Background:  Mastering engineer, hobbyist musician

The Access Virus TI desktop synth is an incredibly powerful synthesizer. Its Hypersaw is fatter than the venerable JP-8080, its 3 oscillators sound extremely warm (virtually NO aliasing, even in the highest octaves), its filters and effects are excellent, and it has more polyphony than I would likely ever use. It also has several wavetables for those who prefer a more digital sound... Looks cool, too.

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