The Access Virus TI Snow Black Synthesizer

This teaser image has leaked out for the Virus TI Snow Black Edition – a 15th anniversary special edition of the Access Virus TI Snow.

No official announcement has been made yet, but Access has teased an introduction for ‘Black Friday’. For now – here’s what we know about the rumored new synth…..

Virus TI Snow Black Edition

The Virus TI Snow features the same sound engine as its bigger Virus TI brothers.

The Snow features 4 multimode parts and about 50% of the polyphony in comparison to the bigger models. Those result in everything in between 10 and 50 voices cranking out the same powerful signature sounds as other Virus TIs. Each voice can use up to four oscillators in parallel, including Virtual Analogue, Wavetable, HyperSaw and Grain Oscillator models. The filter section comprises two independent multi-mode filters with optional Mini Moog emulation and self-resonance. An extensive array of parallel effects enable you to compose highly complex sounds in virtually no time.

In Multi mode, your patches 100% identical and include all of the effects. The 4 independent parts can be routed to 1 Stereo Analogue or 3 USB outputs streaming audio directly into your sequencer workstation. The software suite includes a VST, RTAS and AU compatible plug-in allowing for total recall, sample-accurate timing and modern automation features.

The audio inputs and outputs can be optionally used as a sound card in your sequencer. The hardware knobs can be used to either control the Virus’ sound engine or compatible third party software plug-ins.

Pricing and availability for the Access Virus TI Snow Black special edition are to come.

via joerg

61 thoughts on “The Access Virus TI Snow Black Synthesizer”

  4. So I can sit the Black VIrus on top of the white Little Phatty, leaning against the gold Voyager, and it will look like the trunk of a Honda Civic on Pimp My Ride.

  5. I’m happy about the wings that Access gave to the TI, but please don’t tease something this mundane.

    I was already dreaming about something new, and now this “news” made Virus looks unnecessarily old.

  8. this actually is worrying for Access. No real innovation for a while. A lot of competition from virtual / analog / hybrid guys, including surprising moves like Minibrute. What is the future of Virtual Analog ? Certainly not black paint.

  9. If these companies want to move more product, instead of changing colors they should try a SALE. Works every time. I’m pretty sure there aren’t a lot of people holding back from buying great sounding gear like a Virus or Voyager just because it’s just not the right color.

  10. I think one of the things that has made access so viable, especially in this line is that they do upgrade os often. What type of “new” synth would we want from a company like access. I say better software integration. That has been difficult

  11. I dont know what you are all complaining about, this is clealy a vastly difference synth to the snow white. Clearly the black paint will effect the colour of the sound and filters on a quantum level. Black being more dense as the atoms are more tightly packed should give and overall tighter sound with more punch and depth at the low end.

  12. I agree with the sentiment that painting a product a new color doesn’t make it new, though the Snow was discontinued I think for quite a while and it’s nice to see it back for a while. However, I disagree with the claim that Access isn’t innovating. TI OS v5 is in the beta phase and each major release has included major new features. It’s good for a specialized company to make such a powerful platform that can be extended and improved on through software for years after the hardware’s release. I mean, it’s a digital soft synth that runs on DSPs, software is where all the innovation is supposed to happen.

  16. They are seemingly regurgitating the same nonsense over and over again. Regardless, the controls look rather similar. Do not get me wrong, I mean I think the Virus sound engine is simply brilliant. Yet it seems strange for instruments that are supposed to harken the sounds and aura of the future, they still employ retro design themes, casing, and even layout.

    At some point someone has to break free of this retro stranglehold.

  17. for crying jeebus unholy name… will you please just fix the fucking operating system you absolute wankers
    if my virus ti does not get a full release v5 OS in two months, i am selling the bitch.
    no more beta bullshit… it has gone on long enough..
    and to tell you the truth, i think there are better softsynths out there… but i love the dsp total integration.. so i stay… tenuously…
    soon enough tho, i , like the rest of us, will tire of all these fake releases, new paint jobs, and fake blowjobs, and go and get myself a new girlfriend. not just an expensive interface dongle that plays synth sometimes.

    but behaviour like this “release” is pure mockery… you have become a bunch of wankers

    1. While I do not plan on selling my (white) TI Snow, I have to agree: instead of an unnecessary black-colored special edition model I had hoped for a stable release version of the current Virus OS. The whole beta thing is already running for quite some time now…

      Less painting and more coding please, dear Access guys 🙁

  19. When will synth manufacturers realize that there is NO point in releasing digital synths in custom hardware anymore? Real analog, yes, in custom hardware, there’s no other way. But digital synths should be in software form (vst, au, etc) – a laptop and a cool keyboard controller are enough, compact, cost effective , etc …

    1. I so agree with this statement, just about to sell my TI. Absolutly no point in owning external digital synths anymore. Analogue yes, but digital no… The Virus TI is more of a fasion choice, it sounds great, the digital in sucks and has always needed wordclock, all in all, VAZ modular or Zeta sound just as good/better and are far more flexible…,

    3. Basically, you are right: digital hardware synths are nothing more than custom computers running software.

      But still, I think that digital hardware synths have their right to exist. I can only speak for myself, but I find myself far more motivated to play around with a real hardware instrument and hardware knobs than with a mouse via a computer screen. So there’s a certain workflow advantage in hardware, given you are the kind of person who appreciates this.
      Secondly, I think that the purchase of a hardware synthesizer is a more long-range purchase. As long as the hardware doesn’t break, a physical synthesizer will last for many decades – meaning that you will really spend time learning to use the instrument rather than just clicking through presets. Software synthesizers are definitely the better value for price, but they are replaced much quicker, so most people do not really learn them but rather use them as preset catapults.

      Again, that does not have to apply to everybody, but at least for me, that are two big reasons why I still own (and sometimes buy) hardware synthesizers, no matter if they are digital or analog.

  23. I too was awaiting a new synth 🙁 I’ve been a fan of Access and watched their progress from a distance. Having been a longtime MPC user, I absolutely love the OS updates! I have yet to buy a virus personally and am not dissuaded by this marketing fiasco about a new color. As much as I appreciate a synth that can integrate with a daw, I want some real bang for my buck that explores the possibilities of standalone production. At the moment, i am extremely impressed with what Elektron recently released! A price drop would make me rethink that position but it would have to be 20% or more.

  24. Has a synth user for almost thirty years. Some of these expensive synths makers would do well, to give us a very basic rack mountable version. eight voices and memories and knobs and sliders.
    When will virus make a ‘budget’ price synth?
    The Virus stuff sounds great but is very expensive and really does cost too much for me. I do spend money on synths but they have to be worth and earn their place. Virus is luxury stuff .
    I recently did a track and I was asked for the bassline sequence, as the person wanted to recreate the sound .It was written on a Roland Jp 8080.
    The person spent hours on their Virus and it sounded shit!! for me a cruder synth had more bollox.
    The great thing about the early techno days , is people had relatively ‘poor gear’ but took the gear to the limit, now such relatively bland music is made on over specified equipment.
    It is good have a good rack of synths and a selection of different makers gear.
    Virus is not in my rack, and is unlikely to be.
    Oh and by the way the definition of a rack is below.
    A 19-inch rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple equipment modules. Each module has a front panel that is 19 inches (482.6 mm) wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws.

  25. I wish the software fanatics could be happier persons and feel better about their gears softness, so that not quite every fucking news article would turn into a ethnic cleansing of hardware synths.

    There is room for every kind of synth in hardware market, and even though PC processors have grown this powerful, so has DSPs improved, and DSP is still more efficient way to count 1s and 0s. Considering my 4 core pc starts hissing and coughing when I put 2 synths and 2 effects in my supposedly “extremely light VST host” and I fear it will catch fire if I put one more synth into it, I would think it would vaporize immediately if I put John Bowen Solaris inside of it.

    Software is very convenient, but I have thrown so many unsupported sound cards into thrash can and bought approx 2000-3000€ worth of PC hardware and OSs in ten years, that I know how convenient it is also to have the processor and sound card in the same specialized box with the software and controllers. Not to mention the Windows’s habit of bloating and going slower in time.

    And even the most unstable mess of a synth I have ever had is 1000 more stable than any and every Windows I have had.

    I want new digital synths too. I want new V-Synth. New Nord Modular. I want new flag ship from Novation and Access and many more. I cannot buy all of them, which is the inconvenience of the hardware, but I can only store so many unsupported computers.

    And strangely, Virus TI has had longer support than most, if any, software i have had, and often software synth updates cost around 100€.

  26. So, a new colour for people interested more in feng shui than inovation.
    I agree the Virus is great, and the free software updates are probably market leading, but what I realy want is a ‘software’ virus Ti – I sold my Powercore Virus due to lack of 64 bit support, I was realy hoping as this platofrm is no longer being developed Access might do something realy origonal like a DSP/card box dongle software Ti….

  27. I only now noticed that it says “we are releasing 15 special edition Snows”. They release 15 special edition models of the TI Snow and make a marketing campaign for that? Now that’s kind of…sad.

  28. I’ve had a VirusTI since 2006 and although I know my way around it pretty damn good, it still amazes me just how vast it is. Then when I feel like I’ve caught up with just about everything it can and will do, Access makes a software update that adds new features and its like a whole new synth all over again.

    This is particularly important to me because I’m in place where I’m very happy with not having to spend a shitload of money on the latest and greatest, but it is nice to own a piece of hardware that doesnt get old… and part of this is because of the way Access provides continuous software support for the VirusTI. I cant think of any other company in the synth business who have continually supported ANY of their flagship synths for as long as Access has the VirusTI… and that’s going on over 7 years strong.

    You wanna talk about innovation? In this day an age, with the speed in which consumers buy and dispose of technology… SUPPORTING SOMETHING THAT LONG IS INNOVATION, and they do it FREE OF CHARGE.

    2. Come on. The Virus TI is just an over hyped, over rated, over priced stand-alone VST that only produces dance sounds, that sounds worst than many VSTs. Or that’s what “they” say.

      I got one a month ago and regret not having bought one earlier…. excellent synth. Just love the way it sounds.

      But I did expect something more than a new paintjob.

  29. Dave smith is where it’s at I think – his price point isn’t rude or unreachable – korg I think has a good feeling for people and money as an owner of an emx – I am intrigued by maschine as it is hardware and software but can give you the feeling of soley hardware. I think analogue machines are the new fav right now but gold plated and stupid prices suck ass – I wish one day a hardware NI massive synth would be great – the mini brute is a great example –

  31. My comment sounds like at the end I said the mini brute is an example of massive as hardware but that’s not what I meant the mini brute is what I would love to see more of true creative hardware with a real journey hidden inside

  32. Targeted on those young guys with rich parents. They can look cool and spend one nice week with black Virus before they throw it to the corner and start to search for something new and fancy again … usualy they spend most of the time on reviews, youtube, forums and minimum time on making music … So don’t bother guys, forget on black Virus and go back to work. 🙂

  34. I’d like to see a USB 3.0 port or Thunderbolt port, and latency issues fixed for this next release. I’ve had my virus ti for 2 years now and love the warm digital sound from it, but can’t successfully use the vst that comes along with it due to latency issues.

    Once they fix that, I’ll def. buy a new virus. Lately, I’ve been using NI Massive and at first I was a little bit close minded about it. But it’s actually a real monster and I’m impressed with it’s sound. It definitely is one of the best software synths and competes with the Virus. So please Access! I think the future is integrating your hardware with software seamlessly. Because I still like to touch the hardware to change parameters of the sound really easily.

  35. Two thoughts:

    A “dance” synth is only “for” dance if too few people use it in any other way. I hate hearing that label, because it says DUPED in big red letters. What a lousy fate for an instrument whose TONAL range is so broad.

    I keep seeing people bitch about there being no new innovation, but really, a synth that retains effects per patch in a Combi, acts as a hardware accelerator and offers even granular as an option is pretty much at the edge of the human envelope for sound options and sonic feng shui. Once you have a few synths of this quality, complaining about the lack of “new” things makes you appear short on inspiration. If someone has a positive idea for a fantastic new approach, I’d sure love to hear what they have that beats the V-Synth GT for live playability or a physical modeling synth for going in a million organic directions.

    Yeah, new color schemes make me roll my eyes, too, but incremental improvements aren’t a let-down; they’re a logical progression and a common-sense courtesy.

  36. There’s something with dedicated hardware synths which is quite often missing in MIDI-keyboard+computer+plugin+soundcard -type of setups? I have Virus and Arturia Origin and also plenty of softsynths in my mac. I wouldn’t even consider taking these plugins on stage… Origins Minimoog emulation beats for example beats in my opinion Arturia’s (software) Mini V even it’s probably quite same model. Dedicated hardware just feels much more present (immediate), it sounds more real and powerful. Sound is one thing, playing feeling (with real knobs etc.) is another important part of the game.

    1. Hear hear. I spend far more time in the box nowadays, because the high quality of things makes it effective and fun, but I’d never be without a couple of actual keyboards. My first tactile joy at it came from playing a couple of good pianos. Every bit of playing time or left-field experience feeds the process, even the bad bumps. I have two workstations, one tweak-happy module and a fistful of softsynths. No one of ’em could cover the bases alone and each one is a beast in its own right, so I am perfectly happy being my bad cyborg self. Complaining so fiercely about synth design & marketing is like complaining because you were given a flying skateboard in green when you wanted purple.

  37. With the price of the dsp chips they use having gone down they must make huge profit on these units. Back in the day the story was their profit was low. I can’t imagine what it is now.

    Why not release a snow with 16 channel output and 2 dsp chips. Make it a real virus in snow form.

    SO many people have to be thinking this.

  38. A few people have mentioned latency when using a TI as a plugin but I have to say it works flawlessly for me in Live most of the time. The only time I have had issues is when I start to approach my CPU limit or sometimes when using my virus and Maschine as plugins in the one projects – although I suspect this is a Maschine issue rather than Virus.

    As I have mentioned in previous posts, Access’s TI is still the best integration of a hardware unit into a DAW out there. Plus it sounds fantastic.

  39. i will paint black my Snow this weekend haha. By the way i enjoy both sides of the systems, analog synths sound very different to analog virtual there is no doubt, but both are great, is like past and present, i had enjoy the dave smith instruments, but also the jp 8000, acces virus is great, the Roland series like the v-synth or others and the vst are nice too just listen omnisphere or zebra, i hear a lot of stuff that analog or virtual analog can not do at least in an affordable way. So lets enjoy both sides and make music. Cheers.

  40. i love my virus. i love the TI aspect, and rarely have issue with software. in fact i am always stunned with how well it works. i would like OS5 to pass from beta, but it must be said, i am very impressed with all the OS updates so far.

    like many in this thread, i was a little perturbed by this colour release, in fact, we can look forward to15 colour releases this year… i was wondering if i can name 15 different colours. i am looking forward to these different 15 now!!

    either way, considering that Access look after their existing clientel very well, i do not think we should begrudge them doing a little superfluous colour editions that may {or may not} attract new clientele ..

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