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Few synths have the mix-ripping sonic potential of Access’ range of synths. Over the years, we've watched (and salivated) as the original wedge-shaped desktop instruments have grown keyboards, gathered new functions, added effects, increased polyphony, spawned arpeggiators and so on.

 

The Virus TI comes in three forms – as the aforementioned desktop wedge, as a 61-key keyboard and as the Polar, a three-octave affair, which is perhaps the most desirable design of all. The Polar is dominated by bright white LEDs, and despite offering the same feature set as the wedge and keyboard versions, it just adds a little more ‘wow’ factor.

 

So, we hear you ask, ‘what’s ‘TI’ all about then’? Well, this is the seriously cool bit. Previously, unless you owned it as a Pro Tools or PowerCore plug-in, your Virus has existed only as an external synth, hooked up to your sequencer as a MIDI module.

 

No longer. ‘TI’ stands for ‘Total Integration’ – this Virus works as a synth, a software plug-in, an audio interface, a MIDI interface and as a control surface for your sequencer. And it does all of this at the same time. Hold on to your hats.

 

Sounds good

 

First and foremost, though, the Virus TI remains a synth module, and if you want you can use it exclusively in that way. As such, it comes armed with four RAM banks of 128 sounds, and 17 banks of ROM sounds, which means you have a little over 2,500 presets just to get your started.

 

And two new waveforms are available in this model - there’s no question that on paper this is the best sounding Virus yet.

 

The first waveform, Hypersaw, is a kind of über-sawtooth affair, layering multiple sawtooth waves on top of one another to produce sounds to which the word ‘power’ does no justice. Alongside this, you’ll also find the new ‘Wavetable’ oscillator that allows ‘step-like’ sounds, either as cascades, sweeps or sample-and-hold type sounds.

 

Both waveforms are fabulous additions and bolster Virus’s awesome sound-making potential. The presets show the unit off wonderfully. If you make any kind of electronic music, there’s plenty for you here, from the warmest or growliest basses, to shimmering, ethereal pads, to searing leads and crunchy sequences.

 

Other improvements on offer here include increased polyphony via Virus’ new dual-processor structure and a much-improved LCD backlit display with three soft knobs beneath, offering instant access to useful parameters for any preset loaded. Up to this point, all of this makes the Virus not only a wonderful synth to load into your rack – it will also enhance your live sound no end.