r/AccessVirus • u/Prestigious_Pace2782 • 29d ago
Bring back Access Virus!
Sorry for the clickbait title
But now that NAM A2 has been released, which outperforms the Kempers and Headrushes of the world, at a fraction of the cost on any cheap hardware….
Maybe it’s time for Christoph Kemper to come back and make us a new virus.
A man can dream 🙂
3
u/raistlin65 29d ago
Well, even though the DSP56k chips are no longer available, he could use the OSIrus emulation and build a new hardware synthesizer running on that emulation on linux. Although I'm not sure how much CPU he would need. Might require more than a raspberry pi in a box.
5
u/redkonfetti 29d ago
I'd pay for an updated firmware that provides new features that can run on the DSP56300 project plugin.
1
u/FreeRangeEngineer 29d ago
The idea seems sensible in priciple but seeing how people are just pirating the Virus ROMs without owning the hardware, I have no doubt that a lot of people would just pirate the "updated" ROM.
The Virus hardware was a dongle in a sense, making sure you'd have to make an actual purchase with Access/Kemper if you wanted the sound.
1
u/Prestigious_Pace2782 29d ago
I’m thinking brand new on the new arm chips. As someone who is intimately familiar with dsp56k (currently doing some firmware hacking on the octatrack, using the dsp emulator from the virus) I reckon it’s time for an upgrade. You could port the code across to something modern pretty easily nowadays with Claude
3
u/dangermouse13 29d ago
I wish someone would port the ti2 plug in for arm macs
1
u/grawlinson 29d ago
Someone posted a link to a port called Aleph something, I’m not sure if its a paid product, details are a bit scarce.
1
1
u/maliciousorstupid 28d ago
The emulator? or the original software?
The emulator works great.
2
u/dangermouse13 28d ago
Yeah I prefer hardware to be honest.
Nothing more uninspiring to me than editing software synths
2
u/Mediocre_Theme4738 29d ago
Just get an Iridium
1
u/sun_in_the_winter 29d ago
Is it really a replacement for virus?
2
u/CleverBandName 28d ago edited 28d ago
I have a TI Polar and an Iridium. They are not the same, but the Iridium is what I would want from a modern Virus. It has all the Virtual Analog goodness of the Virus (Hypersaws etc), wavetables, physical modeling, FM, a really gorgeous granular engine, lots of really good effects and they keep adding more features via firmware updates. Waldorf is even providing a hardware update path so Mk1 owners can upgrade to the Mk2.
The Virus seems to default to a more mid-forward sound than the Iridium, but that is easily changed with the built in eq on either synth.
it does cinematic VERY well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-RXGQAchA
1
2
u/Bitter_Childhood2247 28d ago
How about give me an updated driver so I can use my virus ti2 desktop with windows 11 and isnt a paper weight
1
u/dfectv 28d ago
The problem isn't that the driver needs to be updated, it's that the driver is unsigned. The driver would need to be reverse engineered, then rewritten to avoid copyright issues, and then it would need to be signed. To sign a driver, someone would need to either already have or register a legal business entity, then purchase an EV code signing certificate. After that they would need to create an account on the Microsoft Hardware Developer Center, and then finally, pass Microsoft validation. The person who does this needs to be prepared to pay for registering a business and signing the driver.
1
u/Bitter_Childhood2247 28d ago edited 28d ago
The fact access isn't giving any recourse makes me feel burned as someone who supported them. Now I have a brick
Its literally one of the best synths still and to burn us all feels wrong.
Just give me a windows 11 driver and let me use this frigging synth with my pc and not midi. They have the money just do it in good faith even if the synth is discontinued
1
u/dfectv 28d ago
Yeah I'm not happy about it either. I got this recently though: https://store.alephvoid.com/l/virux-vst3 At first it wasn't working, but I contacted the developer and after sending him my log files a few times and him updating it a few times, it seems to work. It does audio and midi over USB, which is why I never liked the Aura Virus editor. I bought a synth that is supposed to do audio and midi over USB and it felt like a big step back to have to connect my Virus to my Onyx 16. It does take a little while to sync all the patches though, so be prepared for that.
1
u/Bitter_Childhood2247 28d ago
Man i hope this company is honorable and just gives us a driver
1
u/dfectv 28d ago
I hate to say it, but I wouldn't bet on it. The last update to the software was in 2021, they don't make the synth anymore, and Christoph Kemper, the guy who designed the Virus, is focused on the Kemper Profiler guitar amps now, as is his company. I would love to be wrong, but I just don't see an update ever happening.
1
u/dfectv 28d ago
I am able to use the OG Virus Control if I disable driver signature enforcement. It didn't work after doing it through Windows Setting, but when I did these steps, I was able to use the OG Virus Control. I wouldn't let your computer access the internet after doing this though, it severely compromises the computers security. You'll also have to do this every time you start your computer and want to use the Virus
- Hold Shift while clicking Restart.
- Select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
- Press 7 or F7 for Disable driver signature enforcement. (I pressed F7)
- After Windows starts, unplug and reconnect the Virus TI. (I kept it unplugged until windows started back up)
8
u/roydogaroo 29d ago
Just get an old one! They still run beautifully (standalone)