Outils compatibles

Description

Musical Instrument (Electronic) published 27 years ago:

Virus B (c) 1999 Access Music GmbH.

The Virus B is the second-generation desktop virtual analog (VA) hardware synthesizer in the acclaimed Virus lineage. Arriving as the direct successor to the original 1997 Virus desktop module, the Virus B vastly upgraded the internal processing power and software capabilities, solidifying the brand's reputation as a dominant force in modern electronic music production.

The core architecture of the Virus B is fully digital, driven by an upgraded, high-speed Motorola DSP microchip executing Access's refined physical modeling algorithms. It features a robust 24-voice polyphony engine—doubling the capacity of the original Virus—and a 16-part multi-timbral layout. Each voice is remarkably flexible, offering two main oscillators, a dedicated sub-oscillator, and a third auxiliary oscillator layer. Its legendary dual resonant filter system can be routed in series or parallel, offering variable low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and band-reject configurations alongside a specialized internal overdrive/saturation curve stage.

The physical desktop module is housed in a rugged metal chassis with vintage red-and-grey accents. True to the needs of live performers and sound designers, it features an incredibly hands-on control interface consisting of 32 rotary knobs, 31 buttons, and dozens of status LEDs arranged around a central backlit display. The back panel offers professional-grade studio connectivity, providing six independent analog audio outputs and two analog inputs for external audio processing.

- TRIVIA -

The OS Upgrade Milestones: Access Music famously supported the Virus B with massive, free operating system firmware upgrades throughout its lifespan. These software updates completely changed the instrument over time, retroactively adding an onboard loop-synchronized arpeggiator, enhanced modulation matrices, and a highly advanced 22-band digital vocoder that wasn't included at launch.

The Gritty Filter Saturation: While the later Virus C introduced more refined, linear digital algorithms, many electronic music purists specifically prefer the Virus B for its unique internal digital filter saturation stage. When pushed to its limits, the B engine introduces a distinctive, aggressive lo-fi digital grit that heavily defined the darker underground electronic sounds of the turn of the millennium.

The Birth of Indigo: The underlying Virus B synthesis architecture proved so massively successful that it gave birth to Access's very first keyboard variant: the Virus Indigo (2000). Sporting a compact, 37-key aluminum body with bright blue LEDs, the Indigo utilized the exact same internal circuit boards as the Virus B desktop module.

A Global Trance Blueprint: Alongside its standard sound banks, Access packed the Virus B's flash memory with signature preset libraries designed by legendary electronic music producers of the era, including Joof and Airwave. The instant access to these highly optimized super-saw leads and pluck patches made the Virus B the definitive blueprint hardware synth for late-90s and early-2000s uplifing trance and hard house anthems worldwide.

- CONTRIBUTE -

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