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Nord Lead 2X, Virus, or should I get a hardware synth at all?
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
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1352
Posted : Apr 15, 2013 21:30
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Dude, I make dark psy and I own a Virus and am very happy with it. Any synthesizer is not genre specific, you just have to learn how to pull the sounds you want from it. But I can't think of a person getting a Virus and not being happy with it. It's a very deep machine with tons of options and it sounds wonderful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you're looking for digital synthesizers (virtual analogues), this is one of the best products out there.
There's tons of dark psy artists using the Virus, I'm thinking Furious for example, had the following quote on his "supremacy" album:
"much respect do access music"
It also allows you to integrate it directly in your daw and easily automate the beast within the software, save your patches in the project just like a software synth, saves you cpu cycles and sounds much better (my opinion) then almost any plug-in out there. The TI range (like the snow) has the classic oscillators present in the previous versions, plus wavetables, hypersaw, granular, formant, plenty of fx (with all parameters available to modulate), 4 envelopes, plenty of filters... You can make almost any sound you can dream of with this! This is a fact!
What we're talking about here is another thing: some people like the sound of a synthesizer more then another. But that's different! The Virus also has plenty of in board fx, which you can use with another stuff (in the desktop or keyboard units) and they sound wonderful. The Nord doesn't have any fx, until version 4. The Virus has two filters, which you can use in series or parallel, or split (one filter to each side), the envelopes are bipolar and you get 4 of them (since the last OS update), whereas you only get one multi-mode filter in the Nord with a dedicated envelope, which is positive only (can't be inverted).
I'm saying this because you should see if you like the sound first, and then check the specs and think about what you're looking for in the first place. There's no right or wrong option here. I'm sure you'll be very pleased with either of them. |
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PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
162
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8087
Posted : Apr 15, 2013 22:51
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yep both are very capable it s more about taste..
plugins can cover some virus caractere more or less. |
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Djones
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
267
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1766
Posted : Apr 15, 2013 23:00
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Just get the Virus Snow and a Nord 1 or 2.
Second hand it should be just about 1000 euros for both of them. |
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Bacchanale666
Started Topics :
8
Posts :
64
Posted : Apr 15, 2013 23:12
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Quote:
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On 2013-04-15 21:30, frisbeehead wrote:
Dude, I make dark psy and I own a Virus and am very happy with it. Any synthesizer is not genre specific, you just have to learn how to pull the sounds you want from it. But I can't think of a person getting a Virus and not being happy with it. It's a very deep machine with tons of options and it sounds wonderful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you're looking for digital synthesizers (virtual analogues), this is one of the best products out there.
There's tons of dark psy artists using the Virus, I'm thinking Furious for example, had the following quote on his "supremacy" album:
"much respect do access music"
It also allows you to integrate it directly in your daw and easily automate the beast within the software, save your patches in the project just like a software synth, saves you cpu cycles and sounds much better (my opinion) then almost any plug-in out there. The TI range (like the snow) has the classic oscillators present in the previous versions, plus wavetables, hypersaw, granular, formant, plenty of fx (with all parameters available to modulate), 4 envelopes, plenty of filters... You can make almost any sound you can dream of with this! This is a fact!
What we're talking about here is another thing: some people like the sound of a synthesizer more then another. But that's different! The Virus also has plenty of in board fx, which you can use with another stuff (in the desktop or keyboard units) and they sound wonderful. The Nord doesn't have any fx, until version 4. The Virus has two filters, which you can use in series or parallel, or split (one filter to each side), the envelopes are bipolar and you get 4 of them (since the last OS update), whereas you only get one multi-mode filter in the Nord with a dedicated envelope, which is positive only (can't be inverted).
I'm saying this because you should see if you like the sound first, and then check the specs and think about what you're looking for in the first place. There's no right or wrong option here. I'm sure you'll be very pleased with either of them.
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Which do you own, the TI or the Snow?
 There is no good, there is no evil, there is only flesh |
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Nectarios
Martian Arts
Started Topics :
187
Posts :
5292
Posted : Apr 15, 2013 23:20
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The Virus C (with rack ears) cost me 450€.
The Nord Lead 1 rack 325€
Both of them cost half than what the Polar TI costs nowdays.
Glad I got rid of it.
http://soundcloud.com/martianarts |
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
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1352
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:06
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I own the Virus C desktop, like on Nectarios's picture above. I'm thinking about getting the TI, I don't even care much for the integration - I must tell you that some people run into trouble with that, even though this last update seems to have solved the problem for most - but would really like the extra oscillators and features on it, even if I had to run it in old school midi style mode, like I do with the C.
If you can spare the extra money, I'd go for the desktop version (even ti1, which has only 25% less dsp power on it, but exactly the same sound engine, much better then snow, and cheaper  ), mainly because of the extra knobs which are great fun for programming your own sounds and the audio ins - to use it as an fx processor, vocoder, and it's got the envelope follower function, which analyses any audio input and can be used as a modulation source for say, filter envelope's decay parameter (couple that with pitch modulation on the matrix, or fm amount, or something like that) which can give you mind melting sounds, very organic (since it's much more unpredictable).
I do think it's a very good bread and butter machine. Specially if you've been working only with plug-ins up until now, the interaction with the physical interface (that's why I say go for a desktop unit!!!) brings you special inspiration, and that's granted! That's also valid for the Nord, of course.
I know the specs on the TI range, because some friends have it and I've had the chance to use it. Same goes for the Blofeld. It's got a somewhat more limited interface, kind like the snow, but you can get your way around it easily. Even though you still need some menu diving, although you can easily use the midi chart to build your own template for some controller. There's a couple of them flying around for such things as Novation SL controllers, or the M-audio's, so forth and so on. You can also do it with the Snow, of course, if you go for it I can get you the CC parameter list, so you can build your own templates for your controller if you want to.
Also, there's some plug-ins for both the Nord and the Virus (before the Ti range), from rekon audio. And MidiQuest also has some handy interfaces that allow you to edit the synths (with full view of parameters), save patches to disk, etc.
If you use Ableton and have Max (or version 9) you can get free templates for editing your hardware (virus, nord, waldorfs, whatever) and it makes it very easy to automate stuff.
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Nectarios
Martian Arts
Started Topics :
187
Posts :
5292
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:12
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It all has to do with what you want. A Snow costs as much as I payed for the C that has lots of knobs (but lacks features, although the sound is there) and the Nord Lead 1 rack.
The Snow is like an over expensive dongle to run a plug in.
The TI desktop has knobs but it costs even more and for the the TI is not as good as having the C and the NL1 and a Slim Phatty. There are sounds the NL1 makes the Virus count touch. Its just a whole different synth altogether that sounds brilliant and is all over classic records I love.
Then the Slim Phatty is an analog Moog synth.
But like I said, it all has to do with what you want and if Total Intergration is important to you.
Me I made the best Virus sounds on the C (especially through the Moogerfoogers), even if it has less features, simply because I used the box to program it. But that's just me.
http://soundcloud.com/martianarts |
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
1352
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:17
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Quote:
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On 2013-04-15 23:20, Nectarios wrote:
The Virus C (with rack ears) cost me 450€.
The Nord Lead 1 rack 325€
Both of them cost half than what the Polar TI costs nowdays.
Glad I got rid of it.
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seems like the right choice to me. two is always better then one!
but the features that the TI range has gained with the last updates are very tempting!
Now that I've said this. One of the special features on the Virus is: all the spectral waves you get can be used for both the oscillators and the lfos - which means it's a machine that's suitable for very wild kinds of modulations, that's got many more options than the usual analogue-like waves you find on most lfos in other synthesizers. It still doesn't do stuff like Massive in performer mode, nor can you draw your own wavetables like you would on Zebra. The lfos don't go into audio range (I wish they'd implement that), and thus they're not selectable as FM sources. You get that with the Waldorf's.
Virus also has very cool distortion fx, which can easily be modulated. It's become a trademark of the Virus sound, modulating the distortion amount with an envelope, for example. There's also the "Random" source, which means parameter changes randomly for each note pressed - which is very cool and not easy to find on most synths (I can only think of Diversion having that).
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Nectarios
Martian Arts
Started Topics :
187
Posts :
5292
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:20
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The Virus distortion sucks, imo. Much better overdrive distortion from Foogers, ProCo RAT, Big Muff. For the money you could pay for the TI, you can get a C with an OTO Biscuit and have the Virus sound engine, with a stereo analog multimode VCF, distortion, delay and all the other stuff (including a full blown synth). That shits over the TI in terms of sound if you ask me.
http://soundcloud.com/martianarts |
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Bacchanale666
Started Topics :
8
Posts :
64
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:28
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Quote:
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On 2013-04-16 00:12, Nectarios wrote:
It all has to do with what you want. A Snow costs as much as I payed for the C that has lots of knobs (but lacks features, although the sound is there) and the Nord Lead 1 rack.
The Snow is like an over expensive dongle to run a plug in.
The TI desktop has knobs but it costs even more and for the the TI is not as good as having the C and the NL1 and a Slim Phatty. There are sounds the NL1 makes the Virus count touch. Its just a whole different synth altogether that sounds brilliant and is all over classic records I love.
Then the Slim Phatty is an analog Moog synth.
But like I said, it all has to do with what you want and if Total Intergration is important to you.
Me I made the best Virus sounds on the C (especially through the Moogerfoogers), even if it has less features, simply because I used the box to program it. But that's just me.
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You love to mention synths that are no longer available and that I cannot find anywhere for sale. Unless of course I am on ebay, which, I've checked, and they are there, but I've never bought anything from ebay and I'm not sure what I can trust and what not to trust. Know what I mean?
There is no good, there is no evil, there is only flesh |
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Nectarios
Martian Arts
Started Topics :
187
Posts :
5292
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:32
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I did not get the C and the NL1 from ebay. I've only bought my Slim Phatty off there from a user that had great feedback and he was selling it brand new.
But generally I prefer to check what I buy my self before I get it. 2nd hand synths I make sure I check before I get them and bought them off people I found on local Greek synth forum.
If you want something bad enough, you'll get it.
http://soundcloud.com/martianarts |
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
1352
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:36
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Got my C from ebay. No problems at all. Same story: very high (98%) positive feedback.
Hmmm... Nectarios, how much would I pay for that unit you mentioned for distortion? I do like the Virus distortion, guess it's because I have nothing else that puts it to shame, uh?
On the plug-in side, really do like Fabfilter's Saturn! |
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Nectarios
Martian Arts
Started Topics :
187
Posts :
5292
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:40
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The Big Muff Pi bass costs less than 80€, the Pro Co RAT 2 costs about the same.
Try Soundtoyz Decapitator, I used that before I got analog distortion pedals, I still use it actually. MUCH better than the Virus distortion. Don't forget that the Virus is a digital synth that came out over a decade ago. Plug in have come a long way in the last decade.
I also use the Soundtoyz Filterfreak instead of the Virus filters, many times. But its all down to taste and what you are going for.
Saturn is nice, I've used it on analog basslines from the Moog Minitaur. It works great for some kind of timbres.
http://soundcloud.com/martianarts |
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frisbeehead
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
10
Posts :
1352
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:45
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Yeah, use filterfreak a lot and don't know why never really got into decapitator. Soundtoys team has worked with the Eventide, back in the says - or so I've heard somewhere. Their panning machine is also very nice, used that a lot!
Will check the hardware, thanks for advice! |
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Bacchanale666
Started Topics :
8
Posts :
64
Posted : Apr 16, 2013 00:50
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