The VCV modules are also a great way to learn how to use Surge, you can start off with a smaller set and work your way up, even go beyond what the original architecture lays out if your hardware can handle the big enough rack… I use a bunch of them because they’re polyphonic, and especially the envelope vca module

 

Don’t fool yourself — Surge is decent in terms of architecture, but it can’t even come close to the Virus TI in terms of musicality, filters, “proper” ADSR, modulation effects, and distortion. Even simple Virus TI patches drop into your track without any significant correction, while Surge gives a rough, “plastic” sound that requires lots of EQ, “resonance taming,” and so on.
Virus TI is the BEST VA synthesizer in history: unmatched and unique.

 

is this a joke? huuuh?

ostirus is the sound of virus ti

 

Strange thread.
Osirus\OsTirus if you want more streamlined common synth workflow but Surge really makes you feel the need to learn basics of synthing. For learning - definitely Surge

 

Words of wisdom from a true preset surfer

 

The dumb irony of an idiot who has nothing to do with real production. Hahaha

We’ve all heard (and still hear) a million tracks that use the Virus TI, while Surge has remained ‘creativity for homegrown ‘geniuses’ (that nobody needs). If I need deep, from-scratch synthesis, I’ll use a Nord, Softube, or VCV Modular. If I need a musical instrument that gives me an ‘in-the-box’ sound without a million processing plugins — it’s the Virus TI. And you’ll just keep fiddling with your ‘creative Surge’ with no real hope of getting any results.

 

Ah yes, more bold statements from not just a preset surfer, but a Grandmaster of Real Production proudly browsing Virus TI patches someone worked hard creating for you, because making your own sounds is apparently not for real production only for homegrown ‘geniuses.’ And yet you got so offended you started insulting me? Bad bad behavior...

Spoiler: >

which really just proves that you’re just not capable of creating patches yourself in "Nord, Softube, or VCV Modular" at the level of ‘real production,’ and so of course you have to rely on the 10,000 ready-made of the "best VA in history" Virus TI patches which will be for you unmatched and unique.

I hope your ‘Real Production’ is better than your behavior, dear.

 

Last edited: Nov 15, 2025 at 8:02 AM

Virus TI was mostly used as a supersaw machine in the mid 00s when native computers had lots of limitations, it was very convenient to offload so much processing outside the computer without bouncing to audio. Sylenth1 (which, ironically, was released soon after TI, but it needed time to get well known) getting popular killed it, because of the high quality presets it was loaded with. Later on many more vsts with great factory presets and computers getting more powerful and cheaper made it completely irrelevant. Thinking it was the best VA is simply delusional.

 

While there are countless plugins, only a few sound truly good. All LinPlug plugins have excellent audio quality, and still do. They have that warmth and power. Ultimately, it's always the ear that decides whether something sounds good or not.

Some manufacturers have invested a great deal of work, expertise, and attention to detail. I call them the exceptional programmers; they stand out from the crowd. You can hear this, for example, in Lennar Digital's Sylenth 1 and Spectrasonics' Omnisphere. Many synthesizers lack sufficient bass, and when you increase the bass or drop two octaves, the volume exceeds 0 dB and the sound distorts. Synapse Audio has a built-in limiter button.

Synapse Audio is also an excellent programmer who anticipates user needs and asks for feedback.
Synapse Audio is an excellent programmer who anticipates user needs and asks for feedback.

I created these two soundsets myself; if you'd like, you can download them for free:

LinPlug - CronoX 3, Octopus, Spectral VSTi
- The 'Spaceflight' Soundset by CHE 2012 for the LinPlug - CronoX 3 VSTi
- The Space Soundset by CHE for the LinPlug - Spectral VSTi

https://ohlenbostelhelge.wixsite.com/sonic-sirius-sound-d
https://mega.nz/file/zngniAbQ#w2L56tryMfjF6LHkisM4EMBZfiGJeyaXLZd4S-7G4aQ

End after almost 20 years in the plug-in business - June 2, 2017

LinPlug announced today that the development of its plug-in instruments has been discontinued. Company founder Peter Linsener made the decision for personal reasons. When he started developing plug-ins, the market was still manageable and receptive. Now, however, everything is available in vast quantities and a huge variety. The developers of Linplug consider their mission for the computer-oriented musician accomplished.

Source: www.amazona.de/top-news-linplug-stoppt-entwicklung

 

You’ve got one chance to prove you’re not just another anonymous dumb clown who runs his mouth without knowing a damn thing. So go on — show your "brilliant custom SURGE presets", tough guy ))))

 

Virus TI is NOT ONLY SUPERSAW machine, and is VERY widely used in various electronic music, pop, movie and TV series soundtracks. I don’t want to diminish Sylenth1’s fame, but MOST of its users are school kids with FL Studio making completely meaningless "yet another shiit-trance". that’s exactly the gap: the Virus TI is a serious studio tool that shaped entire genres, while Sylenth1 mostly fuels an endless stream of copy-paste trance loops made by kids who don’t understand sound design beyond turning up the reverb and layering ten identical supersaws counts as creativity.

So why was the Virus pushed out by all those plugins? The answer is simple: the Virus was expensive and required some willpower and intention to buy and actually learn, while the plugins were cracked and available to any idiot who suddenly decided he was the next musical genius. What happened was a kind of musical inflation, where both the music itself and the tools used to create it suffered.

 

Bro, you can make music even on a kazoo, of course, Virus or Sylenth can be used in any genre. But the primary user group for both was exactly trance producers (just like Massive was known mainly as a dubstep toy, people jump on the same tool as everyone else). If you look at the specs of Virus, it wasn't impressive compared to softsynths even a few years after it was released and softsynths were both cheap and as good or better sounding in terms of filters and emulated vintage oscillators.
Your claims about being the best VA are total delusion. The engine was at best basically early 00's tech and they added more functionality without major noticeable changes.

 

This thread caused me to create an account lol.


A lot of goofy hyperbolic statements in this thread. Kind of reminding me of some PlayStation vs Xbox convos or something.

I’ve used both of these extensively. They’re both fantastic and can make any type of sound you want. They both sound great out of the box.

I will say that I’ve gotten some of my favorite sounds ever out of the TI. It was just a very intentionally crafted machine that does everything tastefully. And for the record, this is coming from someone who kind of hates supersaws. It can have an incredibly modern sound. I think the wavetables it has were particularly well crafted, and the additional modes (granular and formant) really increase the pallet in a huge and interesting way.


Surge is also incredible. It has fantastic oscillators and filters, and a basically perfect modulation system. If you can’t get good sounds out of it, it’s definitely not the synth. That said, I’m a little less fond of the “everything including the kitchen sink” approach these days, as I have a tendency to just experiment until the cows home.

maybe I’ll upload some virus patches. It really is a great synth. Sometimes I wish I had more modulation slots, but usually I realize I don’t need em. I say use them both.

 

Last edited: Nov 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM

Actually, it was you who started throwing around loud words here pretending to be some Real Production expert, and now you feel the need to insult me again to prove your weak position. Claiming other synths aren’t worthy, or that Surge lacks ‘musicality, filters, proper ADSR, or modulation effects,’ just proves you’ve either never opened Surge or only auditioned patches — and that you’re clearly a Virus fanboy.

There’s nothing wrong with being a power preset user if you don’t know how to program sounds or like Virus to death— Virus is your preset machine, and that’s totally fine.

But let me explain why the ‘true preset surfer’ comment, which you strangely found offensive, actually matters: the topic starter asked about something to learn and devote time to, rather than mindlessly browsing thousands of presets. That why he askes can somebody update the 2000s code to add more features to Virus. That’s why Surge is a better choice here. Your fanboyish and preset-surfer digs are completely out of place. And if you continue behaving like this on the forum, you’ll be out of place here too.

 

Stacking features, synthesis and such NEVER made SOUND.
I tried to like Surge since the first version ... and it never worked.

You can try all the sounds you want from all presets makers you want, it has no balls compared to Virus/Ostirus, Spire, Sylenth, ImpOSCar ...

Same with Absynth, Omnisphere and almost every "meta synth" on earth pretending to do a bunch of synthesis, filters ...
It just don't produce sound with character.

I prefer one filter with character than 100 with no balls.

I totally understand ppl wanting more tools to shape the sound, but most of time it ends like buying a pile of average wood tools from Temu instead of ONE high end english chisel.

Each his own, but on my side i prefer several good sounding limited synths than one pretending to replace them all (and failing).

 

You have a choice when you go shopping about what you want to eat, and as we all know, tastes vary. Variety over simplicity. What sounds great to one person might not sound so great to another.

If I play a wav file, for example a bell, I want the synthesizer to play it neutrally and not color it.

 

Last edited: Nov 15, 2025 at 1:23 PM

lol, welcome to the thread.

Everyone here certainly has a point or more, and agreed that it ultimately seems to boil down to personal ear-appeal, existing setup, and time-constraints/priorities.

 

Last edited: Nov 15, 2025 at 2:11 PM

It is not a matter of taste.
It is a matter of pretending souding like analog synthesis / analog filter ... and such.
Surge XT sounds nothing like that.

It remembers me ppl pretending to make Serum sounding like an analog sub synthesis monster ... and they do a 1 hour tutorial.
You can do that with Sylenth in seconds.

YES i use sometimes Serum and other "neutrals" synths. But they don't hold a candle facing Virus/Sylenth/Spire ...

So back to OP : Ostirus win by a large margin quality side.
Being "bland" is not a quality. Because any synth can be "bland".

 

The comparison of "not being able to hold a candle to it" is abstract and wrong. I've created sound banks for a total of 146 different software and hardware synthesizers, including the Virus TI, Serum, Sylenth1, and Surge XT. You can download them for free from my website: https://ohlenbostelhelge.wixsite.com/sonic-sirius-sound-d. This way, you know you're talking to someone who isn't just spreading opinions but has actually worked with the instruments. Every instrument is meant to be played. If you don't like it, then don't play it, but please stop condemning and badmouthing instruments that others play and like in every single one of your posts. This constant arguing is unbearable. It's actually pointless trying to talk to you.