My experience with the Access Virus KC:

C

cubbyhouse

Guest
Hello.

I just want to tell you my personal experience with a synth that I’ve bought for two months ago. The synth is: Access Virus KC, a synth that I had very big expectations of.

Well, if we are talking about the sounds and sound quality, I must say that I some times forget that I’m playing on a VA synth! Some sounds of this synth come scary close to a real analog synth like the Andromeda Alesis, and it must be using high end DA-converters because of the extreme sound quality.

The other side of this synth is the hardware quality! And that side is a VERY dark one! Both the knobs and piano keyboard sucks in quality. I have a 150$ Roland PC-180a midi controller with a 100 times more keyboard quality than the KC, and this Roland MIDI controller have been used every day for the last two years, even by kids playing for fun(!) -- It still feels like new! The KC I have played carefully on for a two months period, and the keyboard start now to give cracking sounds. I can’t even sell it for a normal used-price, because who want bad knobs and cracking piano keyboard? The knobs aren’t THAT bad, but one knob has a light fabric failure, and the others have lesser quality than the knobs on a cheap amplifier!

I have regretted many buys in my life, but this buy I regret most of them all! I regret so mush, as a computer musician, that I didn’t buy the XL rack! Then I would have the same sounds, the same sound quality and the same possibilities to make patches via Emagic Sound Diver. If you’re not a computer musician, for God sake; buy the C (desktop version) with a cheap MIDI controller, and maybe you will have a way better feeling after the buy than I have right now! :-(

But just so it is said: The Virus C is a killer in sound, but a looser in hardware quality. I would gladly saved some more money and given 1000$ more for a durable synth to have and own for many, many years. It’s sad that they don’t make a platinum or signature version with high end hardware quality for those who want to own a synth for many years, especially collectors. This one, I hope lasts until I get finish producing my album! Well, that is what I feel right now. And this is just MY experience, and I can have been unlucky with a real “bad Monday product”.

That’s all. Be ware! Don’t make the same mistake as I did!

-cubbyhouse-
 
If your virus is under 6 months old, it`ll still be covered by the warranty. Contact your local dealer and they will replace it.

The Virus rules.


:D
 
hmmm, i have the Virus C. over a month now...
it seems pretty solid to me. The knobs are all excellent, i tweak them like mad. but then, i don't bring my gear out to gigs at all, so maybe on the road it is not durable, that i don't know. in my opinion, virus C is solid, a big hunk of intense ultimate virtual analog piece of loving. the sound is unbeatable.
 
You're not the first one who has complaints of the soidity of his Virus... I'm only asking myself:

what the hell are you guys doing with those knobs and keys ? :confused:

I'm playing and testing synths for ± 15 yrs now, NEVER broke a key or slider or knob or whatever, and my synths are going from really vintage (MOOG and Juno) to VA (JP, SupernovaII).
 
i think recording fast & live knobs movements may harm them. I try to turn my vrius knobs as slowly as possible, just to avoid later problems.
 
??

i have my indigo I for somewhat more than half a year in everyday use (almost) and it´s built like a tank; never experienced no problems at all not with potis not with keys!
so basically i ask myself the same question like THM...
 
THM said:
You're not the first one who has complaints of the soidity of his Virus... I'm only asking myself:

what the hell are you guys doing with those knobs and keys ? :confused:

I'm playing and testing synths for ± 15 yrs now, NEVER broke a key or slider or knob or whatever, and my synths are going from really vintage (MOOG and Juno) to VA (JP, SupernovaII).

This isn’t about braking keys, knobs and sliders with brutal force, but hardware quality and durability of a new synthesizer.

In the good old days they did make durable gear, whatever it was. I know a several people with vintage audio production gear, even gear used in concerts, and their gear are more solid, 10-20 years after production date, than my Access Virus KC which is two months old and carefully played on over this time, now beginning to sound like cheap plastic when playing on the keyboard. That explains how much quality it’s been laid in some synth productions these days; it’s nearly nothing at all! I’m aware of the expensive technology behind a VA synth like Virus, and to get it down to a “comfortable” price level, they have to compromise. But the price of a new Virus KC is high enough for everyone with an ordinary back pocket, so way don’t they lay some extra more dollars (or German marks) in the production of their gear and get more hardware quality for those who like that, and (not least) like to have a synth for at least 20 years from now? I don’t dear to think of the quality status of my Virus synth in 2023! :rolleyes:

You say that I’m not the only one complaining about this...
Well, that didn’t come as a surprise, really! Actually; everything on my synth is in 100 % technical order, but one knob is very loose when using it -- not horizontally or vertically, but when just turning it, and the looseness is variable. The rest of the knobs have variable quality. The keyboard is starting to sound more and more like cheap plastic when playing on it. I don’t think this is good enough reasons to reclaim a new synth, but it’s sure good enough reasons to say what I’m saying here: The hardware quality of this synth sucks!
 
Well, I think every one of us have a complaint about some models we like or dislike.

6 years ago, the only synth I had was a Yamaha W5. I broke allmost all the buttoms, I had to repair it, because, the enter, the numeric pads, the track pads, I broke all of them, because I use it 2-3 hours per day during 2 years...

I love the logic used on grooboxes for managing patterns and tracks, but I HATE the 16-keys pseudo-keyboard, and I already broke the pitch, the effects, filter and resonance knobs of the MC 505, also three of the 8 sliders are useless. But this poor machine have a lot of miles traveling.


For example: the 16-keys of the Electribes are OK: they are easy to push, soft, and they seem to last for an eternity, they are the best grooveboxes in the market. But if you are rude with the knobs..... I already broke the delay knob of the ER-1... :(
 
cubbyhouse said:

The keyboard is starting to sound more and more like cheap plastic when playing on it. I don’t think this is good enough reasons to reclaim a new synth, but it’s sure good enough reasons to say what I’m saying here: The hardware quality of this synth sucks!

This should be enough for you to claim a new synth as long as its no older than 6 months. There`s been a few people on the virus forum who have had similar problems. They have had replacement synth(s) given to them by their local dealer without problems. The rest of the members dont seem to have a problem at all with hardware quality.

Get a replacement and I`m sure your views will change. Access must be doing something right, when the Virus has been given "best hardware synth" awards and its the number one best selling synth at this moment in time.

:D
 
TommyS said:


This should be enough for you to claim a new synth as long as its no older than 6 months. There`s been a few people on the virus forum who have had similar problems. They have had replacement synth(s) given to them by their local dealer without problems. The rest of the members dont seem to have a problem at all with hardware quality.

Get a replacement and I`m sure your views will change. Access must be doing something right, when the Virus has been given "best hardware synth" awards and its the number one best selling synth at this moment in time.

:D

Yes, I’m sure gonna complain! But right now I’m middle of an album creation, so I need the bloody thing right now. :D

When they stamp this synth as the “best hardware synth”, they do it after a one hour test or something like that. They don’t test it continuously over several months.
 
My Virus B seems very durable after many years, with an editor it is a real pleasure to use... but I would hate to use it using its front panel.. that is slow and somewhat counter-intuitive for me.
Even after nearly two decades, its sound can be very futuristic and modern.

 
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