Access Virus TI User manual

Virus TI User Manual

2
Copyright 2004-2006 Kemper Digital GmbH. All rights
reserved.
This manual, as well as the software and hardware described
in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only
in accordance with the terms of such license. The content of
this manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to
change without notice and should not construed as a commit-
ment by Kemper Digital GmbH.
Kemper Digital GmbH assumes no responsibility or liability
for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this book.
Except as permitted by such license, no part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, record-
ing, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Kem-
per Digital GmbH.
Virus is a trademark of Kemper Digital GmbH. All other trade-
marks contained herein are the property of their respective
owners. All features and specifications subject to change with-
out notice.
For the latest revision of this manual, visit our website:
www.access-music.de

3
Table Of Contents
Introduction
WELCOME 8
THE VARIOUS CHAPTERS 8
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 9
MAINTENANCE 9
THE REAR PANEL 10
ROTATING THE SOCKETS 11
SETTING UP 11
SWITCHING ON AND OFF 12
SELECTING PROGRAMS 12
ABOUT THE MENUS 13
DIFFERENT WAYS OF WORKING 14
ABOUT USB CONNECTION 16
CREATING NEW SOUNDS 17
ABOUT POLYPHONY 17
First Steps
CHEESE FOR STARTERS? 20
THE AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE SECTION 21
THE FILTERS SECTION 24
THE FILTER ENVELOPE SECTION 29
THE OSCILLATORS SECTION 30
THE MIX SECTION 35
THE MODULATORS SECTION 37
THE MATRIX SECTION 39
THE ARP SECTION 40
THE EFFECTS SECTION 41
THE MASTER SECTION 44
HYPERSAW AND WAVETABLE 47
VirusControl
INTRODUCTION 50

4
COMPATIBILITY 52
STARTING UP 53
LOADING VIRUSCONTROL 55
EASY PAGE 57
BROWSER PAGE 58
OSC PAGE 63
FILTER PAGE 65
LFO PAGE 67
MATRIX PAGE 68
ARP PAGE 69
FX PAGE 70
COMMON PAGE 71
REMOTE PAGE 72
GENERAL HINTS AND TIPS 74
Sound Parameters Reference
ARP 76
ARPEGGIATOR 76
MATRIX 79
SLOT 79
MODULATORS 81
LFO 1 82
LFO 2 84
LFO 3 84
LFO 1 DESTINATIONS 84
LFO 2 DESTINATIONS 86
LFO 3 DESTINATION 87
EFFECTS (UPPER ROW) 89
DELAY 90
REVERB 91
LOW EQ 93
MID EQ 94
HIGH EQ 94
EFFECTS (LOWER ROW) 95
DISTORTION 95
ANALOG BOOST 96
CHORUS 97
PHASER 98
VOCODER 100
VOCODER TABLE 104
INPUT FOLLOWER 105
INPUT RING MODULATOR 106
OSCILLATORS 107
OSCILLATOR 1 – CLASSIC 110
OSCILLATOR 1 – HYPERSAW 112
OSCILLATOR 1 – WAVETABLE 114
OSCILLATOR 2 – CLASSIC 115
OSCILLATOR 2 – HYPERSAW 117
OSCILLATOR 2 – WAVETABLE 118
OSCILLATOR 3 120

5
COMMON 121
SUB OSCILLATOR 123
NOISE 124
RING MODULATOR 124
MASTER 125
COMMON 128
UNISON 131
VELOCITY MAP 132
INPUTS 133
SURROUND 134
CATEGORIES 134
SOFT KNOB 135
STORE 136
STORE 136
MIX 137
FILTERS 139
SATURATION 140
FILTER-1 141
FILTER-2 143
COMMON 144
FILTER ENVELOPE 145
AMP ENVELOPE 146
FILTER ENVELOPE 148
AMPLIFIER ENVELOPE 149
Configuration Reference
RANDOM PG 152
MIDI 152
MIDI DUMP RX 154
MIDI DUMP TX 154
KEYBOARD 155
MIDI CONTROL 157
INPUTS 158
AUDIO CLOCK 159
SOFT KNOB (GLOBAL SETTINGS) 159
KNOB BEHAVIOUR 160
GLOBAL TUNING 160
SYSTEM 161
Multi Mode Reference
PATCH 166
Appendix A - Legal Declarations
COMPLIANCE 172
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY 174
WARRANTY REGULATIONS 175

6
Appendix B - Glossary
GLOSSARY 178
Appendix - Patch Names
ROM-A 192
Index
INDEX OF FUNCTIONS ETC. 210

1: Introduction

8
Welcome
Dear Virus owner
Congratulations on choosing the new Virus TI, the latest gener-
ation in a deliberate process of evolution that has kept the
Virus name at the forefront of synthesizer technology for many
years. TI stands for Total Integration, meaning that the hard-
ware can be fully integrated into a PC or Mac-based studio via
the VirusControl™ plug-in (VSTi or Apple Audio Unit).
Before switching your Virus TI on, please read this chapter
thoroughly!
The Various Chapters
This manual is structured as follows:
> Introduction: What you are reading now. Fundamental infor-
mation you should know before trying out your Virus.
> First Steps: A practical guide for beginners, intermediates
and experts alike. The best starting point before delving into
the reference chapters.
> Sound Parameters Reference: The main body of this man-
ual. Every parameter concerning sound generation and
treatment is listed here, with brief explanations and cross-
references.
> Configuration Reference: All global settings – parameters
used to adapt the Virus to suit your way of working.
> Multi Mode Reference: A list of the Multi Mode parame-
ters, with brief explanations.
> VirusControl: Introduction to the VirusControl application.
> Appendices: Legal matters, charts, diagrams, glossary.
>Index:Where to look when you are not sure where to look!

9
Safety Precautions
Please read the following carefully. Some of this advice con-
cerns your health as well as that of your instrument!
Avoid exposing your Virus to moisture, dust or dirt. Do not place
open liquids (e.g. coffee cups) anywhere near the unit. If any
substances get into the Virus housing, you should switch it off,
disconnect the power supply and contact a qualified service
techician.
Avoid exposing the unit to excessive heat or direct sunlight.
Especially when rack-mounting your Virus (desktop version),
please ensure that relatively cool air can circulate freely around
the unit.
Avoid exposing the unit to physical shock or vibrations. Make
sure it is placed firmly on a flat surface or properly secured in a
rack.
If your Virus model requires a 12V DC external power supply,
only use the one that was included with the unit. Never connect
the Virus to a power outlet that does not fully comply with
national safety regulations. Never use an external power supply
which wasn’t designed to match the local voltage requirements.
Disconnect the power whenever you are unlikely to use the
Virus for a long period of time. Always pull on the plug itself, not
on the cord. Never touch the mains plug with wet hands.
The Virus is capable of generating levels that can cause irre-
versible damage to your ears, either via an external amplifier or
when using headphones connected directly to the unit. Please
keep levels reasonable at all times! Make sure that the equip-
ment you connect the Virus TI to matches the Virus’
requiremtents (+4dB Outputs etc.)
Maintenance
Updating the OS
Access Music is famous for improving their products via free
updates to the operating system. We recommend that you visit
www.access-music.de regularly and download the latest OS.
Cleaning
Only use a soft, dry cloth or soft brush to clean the panel – do
not apply any liquids. Note that industrial or household solvents
can cause severe damage to surfaces.
Repair
Never open the Virus yourself – there are no user-servicable
parts inside. If your Virus ever needs repairing, please contact a
qualified service technician.

10
Replacing the Battery
To prevent your sounds from being lost whenever you switch
off the power, there is a battery inside your Virus. This may
need replacing after 4 or 5 years by a qualified service techni-
cian. Remember to backup your data beforehand!
Disposal
Disposal of old Electronical & Electronic equipment (Applicable
throughout the European Union and other European countries
with seperate collection program).
The marking shown on the product indicates that it should not
be disposed with other household waste. Please take your
Virus TI to an applicable collection point for recycling of elec-
tronical and electronic items.
For further questions on an ecological friendly disposal of this
product, please contact your Access dealer respectively your
local government office.
The Rear Panel
Sockets
>USB:Audio and MIDI communication with computers.
> MIDI IN / OUT / THRU: The usual trio
>S/PDIF:Digital audio I/O
> INPUT: Audio input jacks
>OUTPUT1:Main audio output jacks
>OUTPUT2/3:Additional audio output jacks
> 12V DC IN (desktop model): Power supply input socket.
> HEADPHONES: Stereo audio output jack.

11
Rotating the sockets
The sockets on the rear panel of the Virus TI desktop model can
be rotated 90° so that the unit can be mounted in a 19” rack
without requiring free space above the “back” panel. Many
owners will consider themselves skilled enough to attempt the
following themselves – although this should ideally be done by a
professional technician. We recommend to contact your Access
dealer for further assistance.
Important notice: Kemper Digital GmbH takes no responsibility
whatsoever for any damage incurred while attempting to carry
out these instructions! Rotating the sockets does not void the
warranty of a Virus TI Desktop.
What you will need: A flat and soft working surface (e.g. your
couch), a bowl or similar for the screws, a suitable crosspoint
screwdriver and hexagonal key.
Remove any attached cables and turn the unit upside down.
Remove the end-cheeks using the hexagonal key.
Using a small cross-point screwdriver, remove the 6 screws in
the baseplate. Carefully remove the baseplate and set it aside
for the moment. Remove the 6 screws between the rear-panel
sockets.
Pull up the “sockets unit” a little and perch it on the ledge of the
back panel. Using both hands, carefully pull the 40-way con-
nector from its socket on the motherboard. The sockets unit is
now free.
Using the latest set of screws (i.e. the ones without pointed
ends), attach the sockets unit firmly into the baseplate, which
has all the necessary holes.
Position the baseplate (with the sockets now firmly in place) so
that the 40-way cable can reach the socket on the mother-
board. Carefully but firmly plug it all the way in.
“Close the lid” and use the remaining 6 small screws to reattach
the baseplate. Turn the unit “right side up” and attach the power
cable to ensure that the 40-way plug has been properly fitted.
Setting Up
The following steps include several important precautions. In
addition to the simple setup described here, the Virus TI can be
connected in a variety of ways to suit virtually any audio envi-
ronment.
Please do not plug the Virus into the mains power yet. First of
all, temporarily switch off any devices you will eventually be
connecting your Virus to, and turn all main volume controls
(mixer, amplifier) down to minimum.
If your Virus is a desktop version, connect the MIDI OUT from a
keyboard or sequencer to the MIDI IN socket on the Virus.

12
Connect both the OUTPUT 1 sockets (standard mono jacks) to
two line inputs on your stereo amplifier or audio mixer. Make
sure to only use qualified amplifiers. Check back with your
local Access dealer for further details. When using two sepa-
rate mixer channels, pan them to the extreme left and right
respectively. If you prefer to use headphones, use the HEAD-
PHONES socket on the rear panel.
Connect your Virus to the mains power. Press both TRANS-
POSE buttons at the same time to “wake up” the Virus. Switch
the rest of your equipment on in the following order: the MIDI
send device (keyboard or sequencer etc.), then the mixer and
finally the amplifier.
Set up the MIDI send device (keyboard or sequencer) so that it
sends on MIDI channel 1 (for now).
Turn up the MASTER VOLUME on your Virus to maximum and,
while playing some notes, adjust the volume controls on your
mixer/amplifier to a reasonable listening level. If you are using
a mixer, you might find some useful advice on setting optimum
levels in the mixer´s own documentation.
Switching On and Off
Virus TI models do not have a physical on/off switch. To put
the unit into standby mode, press and hold both TRANSPOSE
buttons until the countdown reaches zero. Press the same but-
tons to “wake up” the Virus again.
Selecting Programs
Your Virus TI has 20 banks of memory (RAM-A to RAM-D,
ROM-A to ROM-P), each containing 128 SINGLE programs
numbered from 0 to 127. A total of 2560 sounds...
To try out some sounds, make sure you are in SINGLE mode
and that no menu is open – you might have to press the
SINGLE button (in the Master section to the right of the dis-
play) first. There are three basic methods of selection:
Sequentially
The most obvious way to select programs is by stepping
through them using the BANK and PROGRAM buttons to the
right of the display. When any menu is open, these buttons are
used for PARAMETERS and VALUE instead – see “About the
Menus” below. To scroll automatically, hold one of them down
for a while.
A quick method of reaching any program within the current
Bank: Hold down SHIFT and turn the VALUE 3 knob.

13
By Category
Because there are so many sounds to choose from, programs
can be assigned one or two so-called “Categories”. This infor-
mation is stored within each program. A practical demonstra-
tion:
Press the SEARCH button to the left of the display and use the
VALUE 1 knob to change the category to “Drums”. Then use the
VALUE +/- buttons to browse through programs – in the bar at
the top of the screen you will see programs that are in the
“Drums” category only. When you have found a suitable pro-
gram, press the ÛEXIT button.
Via MIDI
All MIDI sequencers and professional MIDI keyboards are capa-
ble of transmitting Bank and Program change messages via
MIDI.
About the Menus
How to open menus
The main menus are opened via the EDIT buttons you will find in
most of the sections. The usual method is to SELECT an ele-
ment first (e.g. LFO1, OSC 2 or REVERB) then press the EDIT
button in that same section.
All buttons in the MATRIX section as well as CONFIG in the
Master section also open menus.
How to make full use of Edit Buttons
If pressed repeatedly, the EDIT buttons in the FILTERS and
MASTER sections will step through the menu pages. Those in
the OSCILLATORS and lower EFFECTS sections toggle
between the selectable (element-specific) pages and additional,
non-selectable parameters e.g. the Vocoder. Similarly, the one
in the MODULATORS section toggles between the selected
LFO’s main settings and its Destinations menu.
How to navigate within menus
Many menus in your Virus require more than one page. These
can be found by using the PARAMETERS buttons (in the Master
section, to the right of the display).

14
If a menu is already open, selecting a different element within
the same section (e.g. LFO3 instead of LFO1, OSC1 instead of
OSC2 or LOW EQ instead of REVERB) will jump to the new
menu.
How to change values within menus
Use the VALUE knobs below the display. Whenever you enter
a menu page, one of the parameters will already be active
(indicated by a triangular cursor). Its value can be decre-
mented/incremented via the VALUE buttons. To move the cur-
sor without changing values, hold down SHIFT and press one
of the PARAMETERS buttons.
There is actually a system parameter which governs how the
PARAMETERS buttons work – see “Navigation” on page 163.
How to close menus
To exit any menu, press the ÛEXIT button to the left of the dis-
play. It is not necessary to press ÛEXIT before opening a new
menu. Re-selecting the current basic mode (SINGLE, MULTI)
will also exit menus.
Different Ways of Working
Single mode
This is the standard mode for playing just one sound at a time.
The next chapter is a simple but detailed tutorial to help you
become familiar with Single mode operation.
Multi mode
Your Virus can play 16 different sounds at the same time:
MULTI programs contain 16 PARTS, each equivalent to a
SINGLE program plus a few additional parameters such as
MIDI channel, fine tuning, key range etc..
Unlike earlier Virus models and many other synthesizers,
MULTI programs in the Virus TI do not simply reference indi-
vidual sounds, but actually contain the data, including all
effects. Multi mode is therefore predestined for more complex
programs.
Whenever the Bank or Patch parameters (see “Patch” on
page 166) are changed, the corresponding Single program is
copied into the current Part of the Multi program. For details
about Multi mode parameters, see the “Multi Mode Reference”
on page 165.

15
Sequencer mode
Whereas Multi mode offers maximum flexibility for layering
sounds, defining keyboard splits etc., Sequencer Mode is usu-
ally the better choice for multitrack MIDI sequencing purposes.
Press the MULTI and SINGLE buttons at the same time (or start
the VirusControl application – see below). Sequencer Mode
accesses an area of memory containing 16 Single programs. It
couldn’t be simpler: the MIDI channel is always the same as the
PART number (1 to 16).
Remote mode
The Virus TI can be used as a MIDI controller i.e. the controls
can be configured to suit a variety of MIDI devices. There are
several Remote setups suitable for popular devices already
included in your unit. Remote mode is accessed by holding
down SHIFT and pressing the CONFIG button to the left of the
display. User-defined remote setups can be created using
VirusControl...
VirusControl
The VirusControl application (for PC or Mac) makes the Virus TI
appear to be a multi-channel VST/AU soft-synth within any suit-
able host program e.g. Logic, Cubase etc.. Virus TI is the
world’s first hardware synthesizer featuring sample-accurate
timing and delay-compensated audio/MIDI. See “VirusControl”
on page 145 for details on setting up, compatibility and how to
work with this revolutionary feature.

16
About USB Connection
Don’t use a hub! To achieve the level of performance and inte-
gration the Virus TI series provides, you must reserve a USB
slot exclusively for the Virus TI i.e. this specific port should not
be shared with any other USB device. During beta-testing with
various PC and Mac setups, we found that using certain USB
hubs not only slowed down the connection speed but often
made the entire connection unreliable. For this reason, we
eventually decided not to support the use of USB hubs at all.
Note: Virus Control constantly checks the MIDI and AUDIO
connections and displays an alert message if it sees any prob-
lems.
A Typical Setup
Changing knob response
A global parameter (see “Response” on page 160) affects how
most of the knobs on your Virus react, and the current value of
this parameter may not suit your needs...

17
Press the CONFIG button to the left of the display and use the
PARAMETERS buttons to scroll through the pages until you
reach the one shown above. Using the VALUE 1 knob, change
Response to “Jump” if this is not already selected. Press the
ÛEXIT button to return to normal operation. Later on, you may
prefer one of the other options (Snap or Rel) to prevent glitches
during live performance.
Note that some knobs will have no audible effect because they
depend on other parameters e.g. the RATE of an LFO that isn’t
being used, or the DECAY of an envelope when SUSTAIN is at
maximum etc..
Creating New Sounds
The INIT Programs
The end of bank ROM-A has been reserved for a few simple
templates, which you can use whenever you want to create
sounds “from scratch”. For instance, the instructions in the next
chapter will often ask you to select one of those.
About Polyphony
The average number of voices the TI series (with its two DSPs)
can deliver is quoted at about 80, with a maximum of more than
100. However, to reach such giddy heights, the TI makes very
dynamic use of resources i.e. using certain features can lower
polyphony to well below these figures. For instance, doubling
the number of Unison voices e.g. from 3 to 6 will reduce
polyphony by half.
If you ever find you need to maximize polyphony (e.g. in Multi
mode), try minimizing your use of the following “prime sus-
pects” first: Unison mode, Reverb, Analog Filter models and
Oscillator 3.

18

2: First Steps
This hands-on tutorial introduces every physical control on the panel, as well as a few important parameters in the menus.

20
Cheese for Starters?
If your Virus TI is a desktop model, you should have a MIDI key-
board connected...
The most effective way of getting to know your Virus is by per-
forming very simple exercises “hands-on”, and that’s why
many of the sounds you will be asked to make are cheesy to
say the least! Despite the risk of compromising your aesthetic
sensibilities or overstating the obvious, I hope you will appreci-
ate the advantages of this method.
Throughout this chapter you will often be asked to “Restore
ROM-A126” or “Restore ROM-A127”. To do this, press the
ÛEXIT button (closes any open menu), then use the VALUE
buttons to step to the neighbouring program then back again.
Make sure you are in SINGLE mode, then select program
ROM-A127 (i.e. Bank ROM-A, program number 127). Play a
note on your keyboard. Like an organ, the sound starts
abruptly, sustains as long as you hold down the key, then
stops abruptly. Unlike an organ, you can change this behaviour
by adjusting a few “envelope” parameters...