Thank you SO much for the continued content ideas that are refreshing. You have so much to add instead of more clickbait and reviews (from free gear). You have a great reputation on the web and it’s WELL deserved.
This is really nice to hear, thanks so much for sharing. I really do try hard and my goal has always been to educate and pass on all my hard earned knowledge, so others can carry the torch forward. Believe it or not, I actually don't get much free gear either! 😂
@@STRANJAHfor sure you’ve hit a sweet spot of a lot of people interested in old school production of DnB and jungle and using more modern VST (last 10years) there’s a lot of us. People who like the culture of the genre and not a huge focus on showcasing endless analog hardware synths even though they are cool and have a place. A lot of jungle was made on as you know minimal setup.
Great sound comparison! A test of features might be interesting as well. For instance the Virus does not allow you to modulate the lfo rate over midi cc, which severely limits it for the types of modern modulation tricks you can do in Serum.
Great video as always. I used to own a Virus Ti and sold it to fund other gear as I found Serum did the job for me. Can you please do a video on getting that deep drop bass sound from old school jungle like Photek and a bit heavier like Dillinja?
Some nice Virus B presets! Big fan of the synth. The DSP chip emulation is so close it would make no difference to me. The Nord Rack 2X (same chip) will be interesting (Nodal), have the hardware, a much simpler synth but with its own easy reach and unique sound. Both goa trance legends.
first of all an incredible showcase video. Just to my defense and as clarification, I used Vital first, got to Serum and have never heard a VirusTi so obviously used. Your recreations are top notch on all three, but Serum has a little bit more saturation, on the Reese with the lowcut, Vital definetly is missing the low-end. In the second example Vital has definetly a longer release time (dunno if its due to an applied Reverb or just a longer release time here). In example three, Serum takes the price because the low-end is more present than in Virus and Vital. Preset 4: Virus sounds best, because Serum & Vital have a bit muffleness to it. With distortion added: Virus sounds the most natural, Serum has these let me call it 8-Bit artifacts and Vital is completely out of competition (way to muffled). Preset 6: definetly Serum, because it sounds more heavy, Vital makes it sound boxed. Okay number 7 is very difficult: Serum and Vital give me this smiling warmth and Serum got a little bit more movement going on in the midrange, could be wrong, but to me Serum takes the cake, because it instantly says: "I've got the closest analog warmth you can get regarding to mids and highs". On the final preset: Virus & Serum sound very warm and Vital just has this extra "background unison effect" which makes it sound more captivating. :) Hope you read this comment and maybe respond to this, it was a fun comparison and I enjoyed listening. (BD DT-Pro 770 at Indepance of 250 Ohm)
Incredible breakdown! Thanks so much for taking the precious time to fully analyze and breakdown each and every patch comparison like you did! Much respect! It just goes to show that EVERY synth, (every plugin in general, really!) has its strengths and weaknesses and all are more than capable to create and exhibit top drawer sounds! The end user has to use what they have available, is most comfortable in using and fully understands and appreciates the strengths and weaknesses of all of their tools, so they know what to use and when!
Got myself a TI2 last year for the live PA, having all the tweakage right in front of me is a necessity. However if I can make my presets in the software when composing and then flip the presets to the hardware when I play live, then that will make life much easier.
Yes, different workflows for different scenarios and what you described above can absolutely be done. Simply save out and transfer the sysex between the plugin and the hardware!
I fully agree to this statement. They are so close that it likely wouldn't matter, but for those that own the hardware, you definitely have something special on hand.
New Ostirus plugin sounds exactly the same (actually a bit better to my ears, with RME UFX III) than my hardware Ti2... so I disagree that it's the converter.
Now this is where things get interesting. The hardware with the converters definitely sounds 'different', but yes, 'better' is subjective. For those that want a warmer, darker, more smeared sound, regardless of how good the plugin sounds on modern converters, this will be the 'better sound'. If you want surgically clean, bright and crisp, then yes, you would prefer the plugin with modern converters. Very nice card, that RME UFX III BTW!
Yup, the algorithms and wavetables are identical, but something very slight goes on in terms of the converters on the hardware (aging components may play a part as well), that the ITB emulator lacks. It is very minor, but technically there. In a mix, you would never notice the difference, but in an a/b comparison, on proper monitors/headphones, you can tell a slight difference.
As a total layman, the VST's all sound so very similar that I'd have never been able to tell the difference. After watching this demonstration, I'd say that Vital sounds either too bright or too muffled, but it seems to hold its own. And that Theseus Bass... absolutely filthy and the emulator sounds identical. Love it.
With more experience and training of your ears through practice, you will learn to pick up the small nuances between these things, but overall, they all sound 'good', which is what matters most! The general listener will never know these differences.
I think when it comes to comparisons between the Virus and the emulator, they're always going to sound pretty much identical. Being a digital/virtual analog synth, the Virus "sound" is a result of the Motorolla DSP chip being used, which the emulator is a like-for-like recreation of. Ultimately what it came down to for me is hands on control and the ability to have my Virus interface with my other hardware. If I didn't have the money for the hardware though, the emulator is definitely the way to go and a pretty amazing piece of software.
Yup, there is definitely something to be sad about tactile interaction and workflow when it comes to a synth. As strange as it sounds, 'sound' isn't the only factor to consider.
You should've tried comparing it to Viper VST but if you're a Mac-user, you can't use that one as it's a Windows only. It was the go-to for us windows-users if we wanted to get that Virus sound without selling our kidneys in order to get the hardware.
This is great! One thing i noticed though in the Osirus browser your presets are marked as viruc C version. Maybe you could load virus B rom in the emulator when comparing it with virus b hardware if u didnt already.. cheers!
There have been other requests for this very thing, so I think I will have to do this in the future. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for your support on the video!
From here to the end 7:14 The “Virus” sounds the best, even today. It sounds more expressive and warmer thanks to its analog model. All other synths have taken the “Virus” as a model, but they still lack something... The magic of the “Virus”. The other synths sound too clear and transparent, which takes away their expressiveness and warmth.
These can definitely go a long way to bring a little more life and character to a sound, whether it makes it more analog or not, or closer to a hardware synth can be debated, but definitely nothing to argue about. Whatever sounds good, is good!
Agree with @adirsab, there's a lot more going on in the sound generation of an analogue synth to be able to just emulate it perfectly by sticking on a plugin on the output. It's only post-processing at this point, for e.g, you can't achieve the same sound of the oscillators being driven hard into the filter of an analogue synth or pre-filter distortion just by slapping an effect on the output of the synth. You're better to choose a digital synth that has analogue modelling in the first place & then go from there.
You really don't understand how this emulator works. it's not a virus emulator, it's motorola chip emulator that runs the virus os. The sounds is exactly the same, not 99% close, like you say. If it sounds different is because the preset is programmed in a way that it will never sound the same, each time a key is pressed. Things like oscillators starting at random phase or fx that use lfo modulation, which also start at random phase will make the patch sound different every time you press a key. if you disable fx that have lfos and set the oscillator phase to restart at each key press it will sound exactly the same. the dac of the virus b will introduce coloration, if you use the digital out on the virus ti, and compare with the virus ti emulation it will sound exactly the same.
👍Thanks for the clarification. I actually do think I know what I am talking about, I just had the wording/phrasing wrong, which you aptly corrected me on above. I also did mention the above factors that could contribute to the presets playing back differently between the hardware and the Motorola dsp chip emulator and you even agreed that the dac of the Virus could contribute to the overal coloring of the sound being different. Thanks again and I appreciate you checking out the video!
2:02 it really isn't very close, lol. Anyway analog and digital can both be dope, it's nothing to argue about. I guarantee Autechre do better stuff with digital than 99,9999 (etc) percent of people can do with analog synthesizers.
Whatever sounds good to you is what should be used. You are right, both have their merits and wasting time splitting hairs on which is better than the other, just takes away from the creative process of actually making music. Use whatever you are comfortable with and if you get the results you are after, than they are the right results!
Hardware is great, but luckily you don't need any of it to be successful today. This definitely wasn't the case 20 years ago! If you didn't have a decent hardware setup, you were getting nowhere! Gotta love Steinberg for creating the VST format!
Interesting video, thank you. I was surprised I preferred the Virus emulator to the other VSTs mostly across the board. Any chance of those virus presets you used?
Any of the stock presets that come with the Virus are included in the ROM file. As for my custom patches, they will be included in my upcoming sample pack 'Vaults' which will contain WAV recordings of these patches, as well as the sysex files themselves for import into the emulator, or a hardware Virus. The Virus Emulator did a great job, but that is because the Virus itself is a fantastic synth!
Yes, the emulation software is 'apparently' a 1:1 copy and I don't doubt that, as it is only code, which is software to begin with. The only difference between the hardware and the emulation, is whatever is involved to get the sound physically out of the hardware and into your interface, where as the emulator is just running code on your cpu and outputting directly from your interface which has MUCH higher sound quality than the converters as back in the day.
For some, it is more than this however. Some producers like and need the tactile control and feedback of physical knobs and this is where hardware shines. Being able to interact with something other than your keyboard and mouse.
@@STRANJAH I totally get that. I’d definitely prefer to own more hardware synths than my EDP Wasp and CZ-101 but money and space are the constraints that I can’t overcome right now.
I have a Virus TI, Serum and Vital.... I'm shit at making music but bashing the keys and pressing buttons on the Virus and hearing the fuckery it plays back to me feels good 😂
In the end, depending on the kind of sound you want, you might want to consider using Osirus, Ostirus or a real Virus 😂 goddamn that plugin sounds good
Yup! Use whatever is available to you and you get along with. There is no wrong sound, as long as it sounds right! In the end, in a mix, the general listener isn't going to have a clue what was used, or likely even care. They just want to know if the track is slammin' or not!
The Virus sounds better every time, but if you took the vital versions and put klanghabitats Lyra on it followed by, wavesfactories specter, followed by silver bullet.. you'd have something as good..
Why not use the same distortion on all 3 VST? Unless it was a test on the onboard distortion Man I’m surprised the the emulator Got a link to it ? Do they make for OSX?
Do we really have to complain about a countdown for a prerecorded video? Does it really matter? This is the most important thing going on in your life right now, to bring up??
I think the Virus sounds better all around. The hardware vs the software, though this is minimal and probably not noticeable in a mix. When compared to the other plugins, I still find the Virus sounds the best, though Vital is pretty close most of the time. Either way, I actually find Vital sounds better than Serum. Why is Serum the more popular one?
I agree, Vital sounds pretty good. As mentioned in the video, each of these synths has their strengths and if you could have all on hand, then you could use whatever works best for any particular situation. Agree as well, the Virus Hardware sounds a bit fuller and warmer, likely from the converters, but in a mix, you would likely not notice. The emulation is pretty close!
And this is what makes music creation so good! There is lots of variety for everyone and things don't have to get stale from everyone always using the same thing. Definitely use what sounds best for you, but don't ignore the fact that those 'not as good sounding plugins' may actually be the best thing for another task!
Serum is the best for sub and low end elements, but mid range aspects like chords and melodics it's a no go personally it is to sonically dense your mix will sound plastic even with lots of post processing.
This is actually a really good way to put it! I mostly use Serum for bass related sounds and find it excels in this, hence my Gnarly Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 packs are Serum preset packs. Using it strictly for all other purposes and having it produce a 'plastic' sound is an interesting way to word it!
The Usual Suspects - DSP56300 Emulation. They simply emulate the Motorola DSP which, which many synths of the time used. By obtaining the BIN of the OS, you can load many different synths into this emulation, I just simply chose the Virus. There is also Waldorf and Nord synths that work.
Luckily I do think they got the final firmware OS where it should be, before they abandoned the product. I may be wrong, but I don't recall there being any glaring bugs or omissions in the hardware, from a lack of software updates.
The Alien Girl is very close. Hardware has less Highs/more natural space/deeper dip in the LFO. The Emulation is very “raw” and sterile. Tho the movements are the same
I think this has everything to do with the converters, especially as the hardware has aged over 20 years. The emulation is very sterile, because it is 100% digital and ITB, without having to go out of any converters on the synth, back into the converters on your interface. This is where the warmer (less highs) stems from. I agree, at least the parameters are translating properly between the emulation and the hardware.
Nice Vid. I have three of them, Virus Hardware, Software and serum. But I didnt compare them directly, so I didnt notice that serum actually sounds this Werk in comparison to good old Virus. Virus i a hell of a synth. If I just knew how to use it properly. Maybe there is someone on RUclips and he is able to do some tutorials?
To be honest, I learned it inside and out, very well back in the day, just from experimenting and trial and error. Back in 2001, the internet was not what it was now and it wasn't nearly as easy to look stuff up and learn from, like we can today. I think if you spent a solid week diving through all the menus and tried out all the functions, you would get to grips with it and then it just comes to further practice to get the synth to behave how you like. Studying the factory preset patches is another way to learn, as you can see how the developers themselves created the patches, in order to show off the capabilities of the synth.
It is 'Virtual Analog'. When it came out (1997 for the original Virus), it was suppose to replicate the functionality and sound of the analog gear that came before it. It was suppose to sound 'warm' and 'phat', while giving the user hands on control to all parameters like the analog synths on the past did. The Virus was ahead of its time at release because of this. The only real analog thing about the Virus, is the fact that it physically passes audio through its converters.
I dunno. I had a Virus back in the day, so I'm biased, but I still...still...still say analogue has something over digital. Its minor, but still there.
I won't disagree, but I guess it is up the user whether that small difference is worth the physical occupation in your work area of a synth, plus the cabling, power adapter etc... this is all before the slower workflow too!
No, you are right. It emulates what the analog synths were doing at the time, due to clever programming on the Motorola DSP Chip. But the converters due play a part in the final sound, although likely minimal if going straight into your interface. Back in the day, these synths would go through a hardware desk, outboard processers and effects, which just added to that '3D', hardware sound that is lacking today, from working in the box.
Nice test. Virus sounds fatter in the bass and warmer due to not as much high freq in top end. The distortion algo on virus sounds fatter too for same reason. The low end on the virus is just a bit more solid. Monitoring: Adam S2X + 12" Focal sub woofer
Man... Serum and Vital can usually do the exact same sound or at least 95% there, but you can still make and find your own wavetables... So why would anyone sacrifice that further customisation? The Virus plugin seems pointless. If you have the hardware then that's different, as it's a tactile experience..
Maybe people just want to work with something different? Slightly different workflows, can sometimes inspire creativity and as you can tell, the sounds are not 100% the same. Maybe the Virus can bring something different to the table, in just the right way?
If cleaner and brighter is what you want, then definitely choose that sound, but for some, the darker, more smeared sound, is perfect for their needs. Use what is best for the task and for the context of the track it is being used on.
The hardware always sounds better to me, idk why. Something about it sounds more cohesive and glued together The Virus VST also sounds darker and nicer than the other software synths, but Serum has a different kind of sound that is nice in its own way - very bright and wide. Vital somehow again sounds not really cohesive enough
Thanks for pointing out your findings, as it shows we all hear things differently and have different expectations from the plugins we use. While some are saying they prefer Vital's warmth and how it sounds closer to the Virus than Serum, you are saying you prefer Serum's sound, due to it being bright and wide. There is definitely a use case for all of these and I think people should have variety (but not too much!) when it comes to what plugins they use, as all have their strengths and weaknesses and can all compliment each other in a mix.
How do you go about learning synthesis and sound design back in the day? Twiddling knobs without understanding what I'm doing will only get me so far, and I could use RUclips but there's literally a million videos and it could take a lifetime to get through them all in a cohesive manner. What was the method like before? Did you take courses on this stuff?
Back in the day, ya, a lot of it was trial and error and experimentation. Back then, synths actually came with full fledged PRINTED!!! manuals that you could go through and easily reference. This was a huge help, unlike today, where there is no manual, or its a digital PDF, which isn't nearly as handy as having a hardcopy at hand. When it comes to synthesis, once you understand the basics and how functions work, they are more or less the same on every synth, so you could quickly translate from one synth to another, with the only adaptation being workflow and layout. An envelope is an envelop, an LFO an LFO etc. Just keep practicing and everything it will click and you will be off running at that point!
@@STRANJAH given the above, what do you think about someone picking up, say, a used virus desktop, getting a manual, and just using that to learn? they're not cheap considering something like Vital is free -- so maybe it's overkill?
Overkill? Perhaps, but if you have the money, it would be a GREAT way to get your feet wet and you would have an amazing synth to use for years after that. I think it all comes down to your style of learning. If you need tactile feedback, meaning physical knobs to interact with and a hard copy manual, then that is the way to go. If you are ok with a keyboard and mouse and a PDF file to learn from, that would certainly save you a lot of money. Decide what kind of learner you are and whether you can afford the 'overkill' route or not. Either choice will work, if you put in the time and patience to get to grips with things. Best of luck!
Thanks so much for your support and I am glad you enjoying the packs! The Fragments pack is definitely another good one! Some REALLY solid drum loops in there, with some great musical elements to boot!
Man.....I totally forgot about Virus..... another toy i want😂 Just bought AMS Hydrasynth...Which has insane sounds... Thx for this video, as always you the man👊🏾🤙🏾 SELECTAAAAA
𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁: 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀, 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗺, 𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 → dvnt.to/virus-vote
𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗩𝗢𝗟. 𝟮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝟭𝟴𝟬+ 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗻𝗕. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 → dvnt.to/gnarly-vol-2
𝗝𝘂𝗺𝗽-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 - 𝟭𝟮 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝟬% 𝗼𝗳𝗳! → dvnt.to/daps
Thank you SO much for the continued content ideas that are refreshing. You have so much to add instead of more clickbait and reviews (from free gear). You have a great reputation on the web and it’s WELL deserved.
This is really nice to hear, thanks so much for sharing. I really do try hard and my goal has always been to educate and pass on all my hard earned knowledge, so others can carry the torch forward. Believe it or not, I actually don't get much free gear either! 😂
@@STRANJAHfor sure you’ve hit a sweet spot of a lot of people interested in old school production of DnB and jungle and using more modern VST (last 10years) there’s a lot of us. People who like the culture of the genre and not a huge focus on showcasing endless analog hardware synths even though they are cool and have a place. A lot of jungle was made on as you know minimal setup.
Extremely minimal! An Akai Sampler and an Amiga was pretty much it (for the most part!)
OMG so many of the tracks I love are presets off the OG virus
That’s nuts
It was a HUGE synth back in the day. Came out of nowhere and definitely set its place, even against giants such as Waldorf, Nord, etc.
Great sound comparison! A test of features might be interesting as well. For instance the Virus does not allow you to modulate the lfo rate over midi cc, which severely limits it for the types of modern modulation tricks you can do in Serum.
Love to see you investigating a Hydrasynth, now that has a lot of cool modulation.
I think a better comparison focused on the Virus series would be something that's meant to be similar, like OSTiRUS or Spire. Good stuff either way!
dude this is sick! big ups \m/
surprised how good vital sounds
It is definitely a very capable synth. What do you use in your tracks?
Virus A 12bit was so rad, loved using a Virus KC and C in tandem, rarely turn on my Virus TI Snow anymore...
Do you still use the A hardware, or have you just moved onto soft synths now? Perhaps other hardware synths?
The A had 20bit converters
Great video as always. I used to own a Virus Ti and sold it to fund other gear as I found Serum did the job for me. Can you please do a video on getting that deep drop bass sound from old school jungle like Photek and a bit heavier like Dillinja?
Sure, I can try and look into this for a future video!
Some nice Virus B presets! Big fan of the synth. The DSP chip emulation is so close it would make no difference to me. The Nord Rack 2X (same chip) will be interesting (Nodal), have the hardware, a much simpler synth but with its own easy reach and unique sound. Both goa trance legends.
If it is anything like the Virus emulation, I think it will be spot on!
the charming midrange of serum is a winning aspect to me tbh... might use it more often in the future
It's great all around tbh. I mainly use it for bass sounds, as in my Gnarly packs, but its bright and crisp nature, makes for some nice leads etc.
Awesome test.:
1 Virus - 2 Vital - 3 Serum
thanks for your hard work on this test
You're welcome and although some may disagree (which is fine), I think I agree with your ranking above. Thanks for checking the video!
first of all an incredible showcase video. Just to my defense and as clarification, I used Vital first, got to Serum and have never heard a VirusTi so obviously used. Your recreations are top notch on all three, but Serum has a little bit more saturation, on the Reese with the lowcut, Vital definetly is missing the low-end. In the second example Vital has definetly a longer release time (dunno if its due to an applied Reverb or just a longer release time here). In example three, Serum takes the price because the low-end is more present than in Virus and Vital. Preset 4: Virus sounds best, because Serum & Vital have a bit muffleness to it. With distortion added: Virus sounds the most natural, Serum has these let me call it 8-Bit artifacts and Vital is completely out of competition (way to muffled). Preset 6: definetly Serum, because it sounds more heavy, Vital makes it sound boxed. Okay number 7 is very difficult: Serum and Vital give me this smiling warmth and Serum got a little bit more movement going on in the midrange, could be wrong, but to me Serum takes the cake, because it instantly says: "I've got the closest analog warmth you can get regarding to mids and highs". On the final preset: Virus & Serum sound very warm and Vital just has this extra "background unison effect" which makes it sound more captivating. :) Hope you read this comment and maybe respond to this, it was a fun comparison and I enjoyed listening. (BD DT-Pro 770 at Indepance of 250 Ohm)
Incredible breakdown! Thanks so much for taking the precious time to fully analyze and breakdown each and every patch comparison like you did! Much respect! It just goes to show that EVERY synth, (every plugin in general, really!) has its strengths and weaknesses and all are more than capable to create and exhibit top drawer sounds! The end user has to use what they have available, is most comfortable in using and fully understands and appreciates the strengths and weaknesses of all of their tools, so they know what to use and when!
Got myself a TI2 last year for the live PA, having all the tweakage right in front of me is a necessity.
However if I can make my presets in the software when composing and then flip the presets to the hardware when I play live, then that will make life much easier.
Yes, different workflows for different scenarios and what you described above can absolutely be done. Simply save out and transfer the sysex between the plugin and the hardware!
@@STRANJAH Great video as always! What are your TOP 3 vintage Hardware Synths for Drum and Bass?
As the owner of a access virus Ti 2
The difference really is the digital to analog converter
But in a mix, no one would know
I fully agree to this statement. They are so close that it likely wouldn't matter, but for those that own the hardware, you definitely have something special on hand.
New Ostirus plugin sounds exactly the same (actually a bit better to my ears, with RME UFX III) than my hardware Ti2... so I disagree that it's the converter.
Now this is where things get interesting. The hardware with the converters definitely sounds 'different', but yes, 'better' is subjective. For those that want a warmer, darker, more smeared sound, regardless of how good the plugin sounds on modern converters, this will be the 'better sound'. If you want surgically clean, bright and crisp, then yes, you would prefer the plugin with modern converters. Very nice card, that RME UFX III BTW!
@@STRANJAH im confused, the emulator literally runs the Software that is in the hardware. its exactly the same thing.
Yup, the algorithms and wavetables are identical, but something very slight goes on in terms of the converters on the hardware (aging components may play a part as well), that the ITB emulator lacks. It is very minor, but technically there. In a mix, you would never notice the difference, but in an a/b comparison, on proper monitors/headphones, you can tell a slight difference.
As a total layman, the VST's all sound so very similar that I'd have never been able to tell the difference. After watching this demonstration, I'd say that Vital sounds either too bright or too muffled, but it seems to hold its own.
And that Theseus Bass... absolutely filthy and the emulator sounds identical. Love it.
With more experience and training of your ears through practice, you will learn to pick up the small nuances between these things, but overall, they all sound 'good', which is what matters most! The general listener will never know these differences.
I think when it comes to comparisons between the Virus and the emulator, they're always going to sound pretty much identical. Being a digital/virtual analog synth, the Virus "sound" is a result of the Motorolla DSP chip being used, which the emulator is a like-for-like recreation of. Ultimately what it came down to for me is hands on control and the ability to have my Virus interface with my other hardware. If I didn't have the money for the hardware though, the emulator is definitely the way to go and a pretty amazing piece of software.
Yup, there is definitely something to be sad about tactile interaction and workflow when it comes to a synth. As strange as it sounds, 'sound' isn't the only factor to consider.
I am looking forward to the behringer version. I could not afford a virus when it was new.
You should've tried comparing it to Viper VST but if you're a Mac-user, you can't use that one as it's a Windows only. It was the go-to for us windows-users if we wanted to get that Virus sound without selling our kidneys in order to get the hardware.
Interesting, I will have to look into that one. While I do have a Windows PC, yes, I also use MAC.
I don't think it's a question of which one is best. More like which one are you more comfortable using to get the sound your after.
Yes, workflow and accessibility definitely need to be taken into account.
This is great! One thing i noticed though in the Osirus browser your presets are marked as viruc C version. Maybe you could load virus B rom in the emulator when comparing it with virus b hardware if u didnt already.. cheers!
Interesting, I swear I did, but let me verify!
Where can I find the emulator??
dsp56300.wordpress.com/ You are on your own to find the ROM's however.
I thought I saw you post the link somewhere but maybe I missed it
It'd be interesting to add Arturia Pigments to this comparison.
There have been other requests for this very thing, so I think I will have to do this in the future. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for your support on the video!
...and then with the hard distortion, I'd need an amp IR to filter down the overtones of serum, in this case vital sounds best
Great video, thank you!
You're welcome and thanks for checking it out!
From here to the end 7:14
The “Virus” sounds the best, even today. It sounds more expressive and warmer thanks to its analog model. All other synths have taken the “Virus” as a model, but they still lack something... The magic of the “Virus”.
The other synths sound too clear and transparent, which takes away their expressiveness and warmth.
little bit of filter, or tape saturation and any Digital is as good as any Analog
so many recreation plugins, the world is yours.
These can definitely go a long way to bring a little more life and character to a sound, whether it makes it more analog or not, or closer to a hardware synth can be debated, but definitely nothing to argue about. Whatever sounds good, is good!
Nah, analog has that juice, that 3D depth, and the kind of balls you just don’t get from plugins.
Agree with @adirsab, there's a lot more going on in the sound generation of an analogue synth to be able to just emulate it perfectly by sticking on a plugin on the output. It's only post-processing at this point, for e.g, you can't achieve the same sound of the oscillators being driven hard into the filter of an analogue synth or pre-filter distortion just by slapping an effect on the output of the synth. You're better to choose a digital synth that has analogue modelling in the first place & then go from there.
😋
Legend! Thanks
You really don't understand how this emulator works. it's not a virus emulator, it's motorola chip emulator that runs the virus os. The sounds is exactly the same, not 99% close, like you say. If it sounds different is because the preset is programmed in a way that it will never sound the same, each time a key is pressed. Things like oscillators starting at random phase or fx that use lfo modulation, which also start at random phase will make the patch sound different every time you press a key. if you disable fx that have lfos and set the oscillator phase to restart at each key press it will sound exactly the same. the dac of the virus b will introduce coloration, if you use the digital out on the virus ti, and compare with the virus ti emulation it will sound exactly the same.
👍Thanks for the clarification. I actually do think I know what I am talking about, I just had the wording/phrasing wrong, which you aptly corrected me on above. I also did mention the above factors that could contribute to the presets playing back differently between the hardware and the Motorola dsp chip emulator and you even agreed that the dac of the Virus could contribute to the overal coloring of the sound being different. Thanks again and I appreciate you checking out the video!
I like Vital alot. but if i rank.
1.Virus Ti
2.Serum
3.Viral
2:02 it really isn't very close, lol.
Anyway analog and digital can both be dope, it's nothing to argue about. I guarantee Autechre do better stuff with digital than 99,9999 (etc) percent of people can do with analog synthesizers.
Whatever sounds good to you is what should be used. You are right, both have their merits and wasting time splitting hairs on which is better than the other, just takes away from the creative process of actually making music. Use whatever you are comfortable with and if you get the results you are after, than they are the right results!
@@STRANJAH 👍 I'm aiming to use both btw, though I don't have much hardware yet. Cheers.
Hardware is great, but luckily you don't need any of it to be successful today. This definitely wasn't the case 20 years ago! If you didn't have a decent hardware setup, you were getting nowhere! Gotta love Steinberg for creating the VST format!
OMG the track is named after the Preset ?!!
That happened a lot back in the day, actually. Many tracks are named off of synth brand and models, too!
@@STRANJAH And of course Dom & Roland named his whole act after his sampler 😅
exactly this! 😂
I think I like viral the best out of all of them (never used it before)
Interesting video, thank you. I was surprised I preferred the Virus emulator to the other VSTs mostly across the board. Any chance of those virus presets you used?
Any of the stock presets that come with the Virus are included in the ROM file. As for my custom patches, they will be included in my upcoming sample pack 'Vaults' which will contain WAV recordings of these patches, as well as the sysex files themselves for import into the emulator, or a hardware Virus. The Virus Emulator did a great job, but that is because the Virus itself is a fantastic synth!
Isn't the software version a carbon copy of the hardware's internals? Surely then, the only difference would be the physical outputs of each(?)
The plug-in is the same code that’s in the virus, it just emulates the cpu
Yes, the emulation software is 'apparently' a 1:1 copy and I don't doubt that, as it is only code, which is software to begin with. The only difference between the hardware and the emulation, is whatever is involved to get the sound physically out of the hardware and into your interface, where as the emulator is just running code on your cpu and outputting directly from your interface which has MUCH higher sound quality than the converters as back in the day.
Yeah, Virus is basically just a softsynth in its own box.
For some, it is more than this however. Some producers like and need the tactile control and feedback of physical knobs and this is where hardware shines. Being able to interact with something other than your keyboard and mouse.
@@STRANJAH I totally get that. I’d definitely prefer to own more hardware synths than my EDP Wasp and CZ-101 but money and space are the constraints that I can’t overcome right now.
Can you share your Virus bass presets dude?
thanks,
Yes, WAV and original sysex of all my patches for the Virus, will be included in my upcoming pack VAULTS. Watch for it soon!
Poly Grid💪
who makes the virus emulator ? i cannot see it online anywhere
Check out the Osirus and Ostirus and more. They are 1:1 100% identical emus as they take the original hw code and run it on a PC/Mac. It's free.
I have a Virus TI, Serum and Vital....
I'm shit at making music but bashing the keys and pressing buttons on the Virus and hearing the fuckery it plays back to me feels good 😂
In the end, depending on the kind of sound you want, you might want to consider using Osirus, Ostirus or a real Virus 😂 goddamn that plugin sounds good
Yup! Use whatever is available to you and you get along with. There is no wrong sound, as long as it sounds right! In the end, in a mix, the general listener isn't going to have a clue what was used, or likely even care. They just want to know if the track is slammin' or not!
The Virus sounds better every time, but if you took the vital versions and put klanghabitats Lyra on it followed by, wavesfactories specter, followed by silver bullet.. you'd have something as good..
Why not use the same distortion on all 3 VST?
Unless it was a test on the onboard distortion
Man I’m surprised the the emulator
Got a link to it ? Do they make for OSX?
Yes, I was testing the included distortion from each instance. I do believe they have an MAC version, too!
Do we really need a countdown for a prerecorded video?
I agree, but that countdown is a RUclips countdown when the vid is released as a premiere
Do we really have to complain about a countdown for a prerecorded video? Does it really matter? This is the most important thing going on in your life right now, to bring up??
🤭
I think the Virus sounds better all around. The hardware vs the software, though this is minimal and probably not noticeable in a mix. When compared to the other plugins, I still find the Virus sounds the best, though Vital is pretty close most of the time. Either way, I actually find Vital sounds better than Serum. Why is Serum the more popular one?
I agree, Vital sounds pretty good. As mentioned in the video, each of these synths has their strengths and if you could have all on hand, then you could use whatever works best for any particular situation. Agree as well, the Virus Hardware sounds a bit fuller and warmer, likely from the converters, but in a mix, you would likely not notice. The emulation is pretty close!
I don’t really like using either, but Serum definitely sounds better than Vital to me.
And this is what makes music creation so good! There is lots of variety for everyone and things don't have to get stale from everyone always using the same thing. Definitely use what sounds best for you, but don't ignore the fact that those 'not as good sounding plugins' may actually be the best thing for another task!
Serum is the best for sub and low end elements, but mid range aspects like chords and melodics it's a no go personally it is to sonically dense your mix will sound plastic even with lots of post processing.
This is actually a really good way to put it! I mostly use Serum for bass related sounds and find it excels in this, hence my Gnarly Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 packs are Serum preset packs. Using it strictly for all other purposes and having it produce a 'plastic' sound is an interesting way to word it!
What is the emulator called?
The Usual Suspects - DSP56300 Emulation. They simply emulate the Motorola DSP which, which many synths of the time used. By obtaining the BIN of the OS, you can load many different synths into this emulation, I just simply chose the Virus. There is also Waldorf and Nord synths that work.
The virus is a digital synth, you could buy the virus for the powercore system
Oh right! I totally forgot about that old TC Powercore system! Those PCI cards were MASSIVE in length!
Hardware works with the flip of a on/off switch ,software is always not anymore supported one or more updates away
Virus isn’t supported now either
@@dbefore7165 i did try osirus vst ,pc generously meets specs worked like crap ,ended up buying a ti2
@@robe250weird, I had no issues and my pc is old amd 2700x, tbh the newer plugins are better anyway
Luckily I do think they got the final firmware OS where it should be, before they abandoned the product. I may be wrong, but I don't recall there being any glaring bugs or omissions in the hardware, from a lack of software updates.
@@STRANJAH just got it recently, it was fairly unused and collecting dust at the previous owner, i still have to find out if it was ever updated
The Alien Girl is very close. Hardware has less Highs/more natural space/deeper dip in the LFO. The Emulation is very “raw” and sterile. Tho the movements are the same
I think this has everything to do with the converters, especially as the hardware has aged over 20 years. The emulation is very sterile, because it is 100% digital and ITB, without having to go out of any converters on the synth, back into the converters on your interface. This is where the warmer (less highs) stems from. I agree, at least the parameters are translating properly between the emulation and the hardware.
Since the Loudness Wars are over and Loud has won, We should discuss how human hearing loss has been affected by Bass Music.
@@windowbreezes That's true have you noticed modern tracks have a lot of high frequency?
yeah and the in-house sound usually hasnt bothered to compensate!
@@STRANJAH when i hear some of the crowd complain about it being too loud, they really just mean the treble.
Nice Vid. I have three of them, Virus Hardware, Software and serum. But I didnt compare them directly, so I didnt notice that serum actually sounds this Werk in comparison to good old Virus.
Virus i a hell of a synth. If I just knew how to use it properly.
Maybe there is someone on RUclips and he is able to do some tutorials?
To be honest, I learned it inside and out, very well back in the day, just from experimenting and trial and error. Back in 2001, the internet was not what it was now and it wasn't nearly as easy to look stuff up and learn from, like we can today. I think if you spent a solid week diving through all the menus and tried out all the functions, you would get to grips with it and then it just comes to further practice to get the synth to behave how you like. Studying the factory preset patches is another way to learn, as you can see how the developers themselves created the patches, in order to show off the capabilities of the synth.
Virus is a digital synth. Or not? Why call it analog?
It is 'Virtual Analog'. When it came out (1997 for the original Virus), it was suppose to replicate the functionality and sound of the analog gear that came before it. It was suppose to sound 'warm' and 'phat', while giving the user hands on control to all parameters like the analog synths on the past did. The Virus was ahead of its time at release because of this. The only real analog thing about the Virus, is the fact that it physically passes audio through its converters.
I dunno. I had a Virus back in the day, so I'm biased, but I still...still...still say analogue has something over digital. Its minor, but still there.
I won't disagree, but I guess it is up the user whether that small difference is worth the physical occupation in your work area of a synth, plus the cabling, power adapter etc... this is all before the slower workflow too!
Yes but the Virus isn't an analogue synth, it's digital? It's got digital to analogue convertors sure. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying
No, you are right. It emulates what the analog synths were doing at the time, due to clever programming on the Motorola DSP Chip. But the converters due play a part in the final sound, although likely minimal if going straight into your interface. Back in the day, these synths would go through a hardware desk, outboard processers and effects, which just added to that '3D', hardware sound that is lacking today, from working in the box.
Very impressed by Vital. The virus had better dirt though
Nice test. Virus sounds fatter in the bass and warmer due to not as much high freq in top end. The distortion algo on virus sounds fatter too for same reason. The low end on the virus is just a bit more solid.
Monitoring: Adam S2X + 12" Focal sub woofer
Great observations and I don't disagree whatsoever with those mentioned points!
@@STRANJAH Love your vids; and have loved your music for years bro
Greets from NZ,
Obeisant
Thanks so much for the support, it really means a lot!
They all sound good, IMO. It is amazing what you can do in a plugin these days.
Yes and with a much lower power bill and free space on your desk, without having hardware everywhere! 😂
Man... Serum and Vital can usually do the exact same sound or at least 95% there, but you can still make and find your own wavetables... So why would anyone sacrifice that further customisation? The Virus plugin seems pointless. If you have the hardware then that's different, as it's a tactile experience..
Maybe people just want to work with something different? Slightly different workflows, can sometimes inspire creativity and as you can tell, the sounds are not 100% the same. Maybe the Virus can bring something different to the table, in just the right way?
Serum and Vital are great and are surpass Virus in many ways, but still Virus can make sounds with character that no other synth can achieve.
On pad Serum has much better "cleaner" sound than Vital, for me ears
If cleaner and brighter is what you want, then definitely choose that sound, but for some, the darker, more smeared sound, is perfect for their needs. Use what is best for the task and for the context of the track it is being used on.
The hardware always sounds better to me, idk why. Something about it sounds more cohesive and glued together
The Virus VST also sounds darker and nicer than the other software synths, but Serum has a different kind of sound that is nice in its own way - very bright and wide. Vital somehow again sounds not really cohesive enough
Thanks for pointing out your findings, as it shows we all hear things differently and have different expectations from the plugins we use. While some are saying they prefer Vital's warmth and how it sounds closer to the Virus than Serum, you are saying you prefer Serum's sound, due to it being bright and wide. There is definitely a use case for all of these and I think people should have variety (but not too much!) when it comes to what plugins they use, as all have their strengths and weaknesses and can all compliment each other in a mix.
How do you go about learning synthesis and sound design back in the day? Twiddling knobs without understanding what I'm doing will only get me so far, and I could use RUclips but there's literally a million videos and it could take a lifetime to get through them all in a cohesive manner. What was the method like before? Did you take courses on this stuff?
Back in the day, ya, a lot of it was trial and error and experimentation. Back then, synths actually came with full fledged PRINTED!!! manuals that you could go through and easily reference. This was a huge help, unlike today, where there is no manual, or its a digital PDF, which isn't nearly as handy as having a hardcopy at hand. When it comes to synthesis, once you understand the basics and how functions work, they are more or less the same on every synth, so you could quickly translate from one synth to another, with the only adaptation being workflow and layout. An envelope is an envelop, an LFO an LFO etc. Just keep practicing and everything it will click and you will be off running at that point!
@@STRANJAH given the above, what do you think about someone picking up, say, a used virus desktop, getting a manual, and just using that to learn? they're not cheap considering something like Vital is free -- so maybe it's overkill?
Overkill? Perhaps, but if you have the money, it would be a GREAT way to get your feet wet and you would have an amazing synth to use for years after that. I think it all comes down to your style of learning. If you need tactile feedback, meaning physical knobs to interact with and a hard copy manual, then that is the way to go. If you are ok with a keyboard and mouse and a PDF file to learn from, that would certainly save you a lot of money. Decide what kind of learner you are and whether you can afford the 'overkill' route or not. Either choice will work, if you put in the time and patience to get to grips with things. Best of luck!
@@fahadhabetter off with a hydrasynth or some of korgs offerings, things moved on a lot since the virus
VIRUS hardware
virus emulator
VITAL
SERIM
That order
Id say generally The Virus sounds better.
What was it about the Virus that you liked better?
I hit the 303 views!
Nice! From one Iconic synth from Germany, to another from Japan! Long live the TB-303! 😁
@@STRANJAH Glad I purchased those Gnarly packs, still looking to get the Crystl one.
Thanks so much for your support and I am glad you enjoying the packs! The Fragments pack is definitely another good one! Some REALLY solid drum loops in there, with some great musical elements to boot!
Man.....I totally forgot about Virus..... another toy i want😂
Just bought AMS Hydrasynth...Which has insane sounds...
Thx for this video, as always you the man👊🏾🤙🏾 SELECTAAAAA
Does someone have GAS?? 🤣
My emu skin from the usual suspects Website Looks different to yours.
How can i switch the skin?