A few weeks ago the core of my home studio went bipolar. Without going into too many details - during the last five years my studio has been build around a Virus TI, mainly because of its nifty plugin integration and built-in sound card.

The Virus and I already hooked up with the B-model and when the C-model came out I was one of the first to order a huge Darth Vader-esque keyboard version. When the TI series landed I didn't give it much thought and as I was moving to a new country the Virus Polar was the perfect solution - and not just that: it looked seriously good.

So right now, while my old companion now lives tucked away under a table in its own world of personal guru meditation, I've been wrestling with the questions: why Virus.

My personal relationship with the Virus is double in the extreme.

I am by no means a pop icon, nor an artist with any kind of fame. But I've sold my share of records and I've earned a few bucks as well, and while I don't know on how many productions I've used the Viruses - I know it's a lot.
The Virus is an extremely versatile synthesizer. Just by looking at its specifications it's quite clear that the Virus is a synth programmers wet dream come true.

No, wait. Stop it, right there.
This, is exactly the problem.

I would describe myself as a experienced synth programmer - and if there is anything I hate with the Virus, it is to program it. In my opinion the Virus has grown too big for its own good. A few months ago I started out on a new soundset that would be a highly personal take on electronic music. I must have come two thirds into the soundset when the Polar died on me, but I'll tell you... if it wouldn't have died by its own I wouldn't have been surprised if I on one of my more choleric stoned-on-classy-espresso-days would have jammed a hammer right through it.

The Virus is a damn fine synthesizer, capable of a huge range of sounds. It's way more versatile than the anti-Virus camp would like to admit. In order to become a Certified Spokesperson of Product X is only a matter of going to the local music shop for fifteen minutes with a pair of headphones, and the Virus is no exception. "It sounds just like a Virus" is a phrase almost as popular as the question "does it sound like a 303?".

But this is actually the core of the problem: it's capabilities are too damn vast.

By comparison, to whip of a gnarling sawtooth with a odd-rhythm lfo bringing in some swing on the filter is an operation that takes less than ten seconds to do with Sylenth 1. With the Virus this takes two or three times as long. And if you are starting to do some complex modulation - you're finding yourself spending lots of time flipping through pages or searching through long lists for the right destination. To put it short: there's too many damn options.

The Virus certainly doesn't lack mojo. In fact, it's pretty high up on the mojo-scale. But in order to do anything really cool you have to be equipped with a serious dose of patience (Ben Crossland - you have my total respect). In this respect the Virus is like Microsoft Word. It can do almost anything you want but the average user only use a fraction of its functions as nobody has the time and energy to learn how it really works.

My final verdict on the Virus is that is has to go. But only the way to Germany to have it serviced and fill it up with new cream. The reason for this has nothing to do with its design, thousands of free well-programmed sounds or that pulsating logo at the back. No - among all sounds there are a handful sounds that are just... perfect. Those kind of sounds that you remember so well, that you can be in the middle of a production and suddenly have a audio-mental vision of that sound. You try it out and it works just as you thought it would.

I only had this experience once before and that was with the original Nord Modular. I can't remember the name of the sound - but it was a very simple, synthesized bell kind of sound that was just... perfect. Melodies just jumped out with that sound. Still - after more than five years since I sold the Nord Modular, I still miss that sound and I won't make that mistake with my Virus.

But one thing is sure. I'll never finish my soundset for it.

/Carl