In other words, a laptop, a certified DAW, the Virus TI Snow and a small keyboard controller could be all you need for a complete music workstation! Continuously updated versions of the OS that can be downloaded and installed into the Virus TI series ensure that this hardware synth will always have the most sophisticated software under its hood. If you've ever wanted to get yourself a Virus TI and can sacrifice hands-on controls or have been out-priced by previous models so far, the Virus TI Snow may be the the right choice for you.
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About This Listing. This item is sold As-Described This item is sold As-Described and cannot be returned unless it arrives in a condition different from how it was described or photographed. What's nice, though, is that this works the other way round too — you can continue to work with the Snow's physical controls as if it were in Multi mode, selecting and editing patches in any part using the soft knobs, easy edit or the 'full monty' edit mode.
Then it's the plug-in that updates, and you've effectively got a highly specific control surface. There are a few things that can only be achieved with the Virus Control plug-in, though.
One is searching for patches by name — there's a text field and associated search button on the Browser page for this. Another is graphical editing of the arpeggiator.
And there's another really neat feature — Section Lock. This allows you to basically freeze the parameters for one or more parts of the synth architecture as you switch patches. So if you had loaded up a slowly evolving pad sound and wanted to try that same basic 'shape' with different timbres you can lock just its envelope generators while you load up some other patches. This is done with just a few right-clicks of the mouse, and some section lock presets are even provided.
Now, generally this is no worse than with any other soft synth, and can normally be reduced to unnoticeable levels by setting your DAW buffer size to or samples. If you need a crisper response, there's a work-around built into the Virus: Direct mode.
This can be engaged for one part at a time by clicking the 'Direct' button nestled in amongst the part's parameters in Virus Control. That part is then muted from the USB audio feed into the DAW and instead emerges from the Virus's hardware audio output pair, which you'll need to be monitoring through a mixer or zero-latency audio interface.
While any reliance on additional hardware seems a little inelegant in the light of TI's fundamental ethos, Direct mode does at least ensure near zero-latency recording, regardless of DAW buffer size. Virus OS 2. Playback of recorded parts is completely straightforward, and is sample accurate in the 'official' host DAWs. You're not obliged to send all four parts down the same USB-based output pair either — an additional stereo pair is always available, and you can choose to have up to three independent audio pairs feeding your DAW if you're willing to sacrifice the Snow's input channels.
These additional stereo USB channels allow you to route Virus parts individually into your DAW, and treat them with your favourite plug-ins. Now, when a new patch is selected, these LFO settings will be retained, opening up all sorts of possibilities for sound design and experimentation. When using Virus Control there's no concern over memory locations, and you can load up part slots with patches from any banks already in the Virus, or from banks saved elsewhere on your computer.
The 'memory', such as it is, is your DAW project file, so you get to enjoy full recall of different Snow setups every time you open a project in which Virus Control is present. Throughout the course of testing I couldn't find any flaw in this scheme — software and hardware were completely reliable, and all the claimed benefits of Total Integration were borne out in practical use.
It's a really impressive system. There are one or two practical considerations concerning Virus Control. One thing it doesn't offer is the full range of 'utility' parameters that the hardware unit itself does: you can't, for example, use it to change hardware input sensitivity or LED brightness.
You also shouldn't try to include it in a faster-than-real-time track freeze, although a conventional real-time bounce should be fine. MIDI Patch Change data can be sent to Virus Control parts, and they'll act on it sometimes after a very short delay , but in general this is not an easy area to work with. Possible, but not too friendly. Finally, if you're a person who lets their computer sleep a lot, you might have to change your habits. The TI USB link effectively drops if your computer goes to sleep while it's enabled, and no amount of USB lead re-plugging or power-cycling of the Snow will get it going again.
However, as a committed sleeper myself, I found everything was fine so long as I closed any projects that included Virus Control and put the Snow in standby before letting my Mac sleep. Again, a minor inconvenience at most. Using reasonably straightforward sounds, you'll be able to squeeze out above 50 voices in Single mode. At worst, a patch using Grain Complex oscillators, the analogue filter emulation, all the effects, including reverb, and complex mod matrix routings, might give you no more than eight or nine voices.
Polyphony count per patch is also slightly reduced in Multi or Sequencer mode, and you'd want to be very careful not to dial up four parts all with complex oscillators, analogue filters and reverbs. In practice, I never came up against polyphony limitations, and for those times when it could become an issue it's possible to specify which part or parts should be given priority, to avoid note-stealing. Virus synths have always been a class act, and the TI Snow upholds that tradition admirably.
At the heart of it all is the sound — it's engaging, sophisticated, and flexible enough to work equally well for mainstream pop, virtually any dance style, music for picture and sound design, along with the most experimental electronica.
The Atomizer looping and beat-slicing tool see box elsewhere in this article is a handy additional feature, too, and further extends the range of application.
The user interface is about as good as could be imagined for a small unit with relatively few physical controls, and allows the user to decide on the level of programming complexity required without ever becoming confusing or relying on unfathomable menu hierarchies. Total Integration, for those who can make use of it, is just great. Minor latency and compatibility considerations aside, you really feel like you're having your cake and eating it, and the ability to seamlessly jump between working with the Virus Control plug-in and the physical controls on the Snow itself is revelatory.
If you're one of the growing number of home and project studio owners who have replaced mixers with interfaces, and MIDI and audio leads with USB and Firewire cables, you'll find TI is a dream come true.
Get a demo of the system in use or try it out first hand and you will be reaching for your wallet. The Direct button in each Virus Control part routes the part to the Snow's hardware outputs with near-zero latency, regardless of the buffer size in your DAW. So the Virus TI Snow is an unqualified success, then? Actually, no, I'm not sure it is. While it's a beautifully designed, immensely desirable synth, and I enjoyed every minute of using it, I have a serious reservation: namely, value for money.
Not a big deal if you only ever play live, maybe, but using the Snow with a DAW I found I used up its four multitimbral parts in no time at all. As well as this being a limiting factor in the complexity of arrangements that can be achieved using those great Virus sounds which you will want to layer up repeatedly , it also limits the usefulness of the TI concept as a whole.
The more expensive Virus models could quite conceivably shoulder an entire, complex synth arrangement, leaving your computer's CPU free to run, say, samplers, audio tracks and plug-ins — a really attractive proposition, especially for laptop users or owners of slightly older machines. Not so with the Snow — you'll still need to rely on further hardware or software synths to fulfil many common types of production. If only Access could have squeezed eight parts out of the Snow, it would be a much more useful tool.
Before I'm finished moaning, I've got a few more 'if onlys' too. I'm sure there are good reasons why this can't happen, but it would have been wonderful if the Snow could have run from USB power.
Then you could have grabbed it, a laptop, and some headphones and done some serious work on the move. As it is, the power adaptor feels like an ugly encumbrance in many situations. And would it have been too far-out a concept for the Snow to have been conceived more along the lines of a mini TI Polar, with its simplified user interface married to a short keyboard?
That, for many laptop-based and home studio users, could have made it the ultimate single add-on, fulfilling the role of DSP-driven synth, audio interface and portable controller keyboard all in one box.
But the Snow is what it is. It's a fabulous sounding, inspiring synth in a dinky package — a serious musical instrument that will appeal to gigging and studio-based musicians alike. If you fancy adding a splash of Virus to your set-up, it's the cheapest option just now. But make sure it really does all you need it to before you discount the other Virus TI models. However, if your priority is live use, or you're comfortable using conventional MIDI-based communication with your DAW, three alternatives to the Snow stand out.
Wavetable-based, and powerful in its own right, Waldorf's new Blofeld is around half the price of the Snow. Capable of 'up to 25 notes' of polyphony and 16 multitimbral parts, it's got undeniable pedigree and offers a lot for the money, including a convenient USB MIDI connection in addition to conventional MIDI sockets.
Also undercutting the Snow, Korg's Radias needs to be taken seriously. It's less good at the dark, dirty timbres that the Virus manages so effortlessly, but in all other respects it's a great machine with ample polyphony for its four multitimbral parts. Finally, don't discount the venerable Nord Lead 2X Rack. No on-board effects, but it's affordable, has drum maps, four multitimbral parts, and a fundamentally decent sound that has won it many admirers.
As Access suggest, though, you may also do OK in other versions of these hosts, or even in other hosts. As an experiment I did a bit of testing in my usual DAW, Digital Performer 5, and everything worked great except automation I could manually write data for a few parameters, but nothing could be recorded and arpeggio timing all over the place unless I always started playback from the beginning of the sequence.
Remember, too, that you're not bound to use the TI link with your computer — the Snow will sound just as good used as a conventional MIDI module running in Single or Multi mode. A little too expensive to be the 'Virus for the masses', the TI Snow is still a truly great synth that will appeal to live performers and studio musicians alike. Pro Tools 7. Ableton Live 5. Cakewalk Sonar Producer 7. Image Line FL Studio 5 or higher. Pros Classy, sophisticated sound that works for many genres — it doesn't get much better than this!
The same synth engine as, and patch compatibility with, the more expensive TI models. Total Integration — now a mature and reliable system that you'll find hard to do without once you've experienced it. Ingenious, easy front-panel editing. Clunky power adaptor that feels cumbersome on the road and precarious on stage. Summary A little too expensive to be the 'Virus for the masses', the TI Snow is still a truly great synth that will appeal to live performers and studio musicians alike.
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