Trend price : 250-350€
First of the famous VIRUS synthesizers family started at the end of the nineties.
Company: Access
Model: VIRUS A
Class: Synth Module
Dates: 1997
Price: 300€
Weight: 1,5 kg
Dimensions: 380 (w) x 250 (h) x 73 (d) mm
Display: 2 x 16 lines LCD
Synthesis: Virtual Analog
Polyphony: 12 voices
Multitimbric: 16 parts
Resolution: 20 bits
Oscillator: 2 digital OSC
Suboscillator: yes
Filter: BPF / HPF / BPF / BEF
Envelope: 2 EGs
LFO: 3 modulators
Effects: delay + chorus
Memory: 256 RAM slots
Arpeggiator: yes
Sync: Midi
PSU: 12 VDC
Demo: 1
Video: 1
Review: 1
DOWNLOAD: user manual -
Overview
Desktop module with optional rackmount.
The main panel features a 2 x 16 lines display, 27 buttons and 32 knobs
Back panel terminal connectors:
- 3 stereo outputs
- 1 stereo or 2 independent mono inputs
- Midi interface
Sound
physical-modeling core generates 12 digital voices at 20 Bit resolution.
The synthesis is a mix of virtual analog modeling and short PCM waveforms (harmonic waveshapes).
A voice is composed by 2 digital oscillators + 1 sub + 1 noise source:
OSC 1: sine / triangle or 1 out 64 spectral wavetable
OSC 2: sine / triangle or 1 out 64 spectral wavetable
SUB: square / triangle
Performance
system handles 16 parts with individual settings:
- velocity assigned to FM, pan, osc shape and width
- variable portamento time
- 4 monophonic playmodes with voice stack
- key zone, transpose and detune
Envelope
- EG1 AMP: 4 segments + 1 time
- EG2 filter: 4 segments + 1 time
Filter
2 filters (-12 dB each) can be combined in 2 serial, 1 parallel or directly to independent mode.
Both filters feature 4 different models: lowpass, highpass, bandpass and bandstop
LFO
LFO1: sin / tri /saw / sqr / S&H / sample & glide
LFO2: same as LFO1
LFO3: same as LFO1
Main destinations are: OSC pitch / width / resonance / filter gain
Effects
- DSP 1 chorus: rate, depth, delay, feedback and LFO shape
- DSP 2 delay : rate, time, modulation LFO and feedback
Midi
- full Control Change implementation
- Matrix control
Arpeggiator
Midi sync and 4 directions: up, down, up-down and sequence
Memory
- 256 RAM single
- 128 RAM multi
Review
OK: sound / knobs / cheap
NOT : polyphony / manual / sometimes cryptic
"Good sound , great wavetable and weird multimode filter"
