Price Paid: US $2000
Ease of Use: 4
The current OS 4.07 fixed more bugs but there are still plenty of them. The presets are very good to excellent. Editing patches is somewhat difficult because the very limited interface is early 1990's technology.
As for the manual, it is the WORST EVER PRODUCED! If you aren't a hands-on learner, then forget it because the documentation is downright awful.
Features: 7
24 voices are very well used in the presets. The keyboard action is semi-weighted and feels a bit heavy. There are no expansion possibilities. The MIDI is buggy, especially for Cakewalk users. No on-board sequencer.
Expressiveness/Sounds: 9
Some sounds are realistic, most are not but very well done. A high percentage of the preset patches use reverb. The Virus is best suited for dance and techno.
Reliability: 5
The buggy OS worries me. Users have reported all kinds of problems. Imagine having this thing go crazy during your gig!
Customer Support: 5
They are understaffed. They also cannot meet the production demand. It is common to wait months before being able to buy a Virus. If you are impatient, then this is not the synth for you.
Overall Rating: 7
Despite numerous shortcomings, I would buy another if it was lost or stolen. I have tons of gear, and this is a nice addition to my collection. I neither love nor hate this synth. If I end up hating it some day, then I will sell it. I wish it had a RAM card expansion slot. There are no empty patch slots, which means you must overwrite the factory settings. This presupposes you will be using a computer to load and back up. I hate using computers with synths.
Submitted by Anonymous at 09/09/2001 04:43
