maybe thats you who is under the illusion that such a reverb can say anything truthful about sound
do you make patches through this kind of reverb too? A have a good one for you:


Valhalla Supermassive
Infos and Free Download: https://valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/valhalla-supermassive/

Valhalla Supermassive Review https://www.musicradar.com/news/valhalla-makes-supermassive-even-more-massive

Try out ideas that might be too weird otherwise": version 3 of Valhalla DSP's Supermassive is the most "super massive-est" yet, and it's still completely free!


There was already a lot to love about Valhalla DSP's Supermassive reverb plugin, not least the fact that it's free. However, it's now reached version 3, which adds two more 'Zodiac' modes to its already impressive roster.

Released in 2020, Supermassive was originally designed as some kind of home for stray reverbs, including eight reverb/delay algorithms "that didn’t fit into the standard categories". Since then, the plugin has exploded, with more modes added on each update. That count now stands at 20 with the addition of the latest Leo and Virgo modes.

These take their place next to other astrological sign-named modes like the Aquarius and Pisces echoverbs, and more general Scorpio and Libra reverbs. And just in case you're thinking what we were - that there are 20 modes and only 12 signs of the Zodiac - we can tell you that Valhalla has labelled other modes in the 20 with names of galaxies. Simply because it can.


And while Leo (the lion) and Virgo (the virgin) are next to each other in the astrological year (late July and late August, astrological fact fans), according to Valhalla, they are chalk and cheese. Which is to say that they are very different from one another – not the astrological signs of chalk and cheese.

Valhalla says Virgo is the "smallest and sparsest" of all the modes now in Supermassive. It acts like a stereo delay with a fast attack until you crank the Density control up, and then it turns into a grainy delay/reverb. It is "great for pointillistic echoes, spring-ish reverb sounds, and other sparse effect," Valhalla says.

Leo, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. It is the "most super massive-est" of all the modes in Supermassive – so that must be pretty big then, considering what's already on offer. It features a very slow attack, and a potentially very long decay which is controlled by the Density and Feedback parameters. With high and low EQ filters, the reverb decay can be "bass heavy or whisper light, or just perfectly balanced".

Spoiler: more

Where Virgo has space between its delayed sounds, Leo is that wall of reverb you turn to for huge synth sounds or to make your music sound like it's being played in St Paul's cathedral. (Which all of our music does, to be fair.)




Commenting on the freebieness of this most massive-est of reverbs, Sean Costello, the Valhalla 'algorithmic reverb plugin wizard' says: "I’ve loved working on Supermassive over the past few years. Since Supermassive is a free plugin, I don’t feel the pressure to make things perfect that I do with the paid plugins.

"With less pressure, I’m able to experiment with new things, and try out ideas that might be too weird otherwise. All that being said, the last few rounds of Supermassive research have resulted in algorithms that refine some of the original concepts, and just make them better."

 

BTW I listened yesterday to Virus patches by WS Olo Grab (Jexus) who really knows how to patch and push a synth to its limits. Usually, his work produces jaw-dropping sounds that I really love his demos, but even his demo of the Virus TI left me mostly indifferent which is rather strange for me just about 15% of his patches were really interesting

ahaha I never read his review because was never interested Virus for all these years,
but his review is almost my thoughts about Virus sound:
https://sounds-for-synths.com/legacy/access_virus_ti.htm

 

Last edited: Nov 16, 2025 at 2:03 PM

You're just not infected with the Virus, not a Virus type; the Virus probably has too much treble.

Rick Wakeman on Minimoog

 

Looks like a ChatGrok joke, which is kinda funnier because of our forum context

 

'Both saws cut wood. Why compare them? Pointless.'

 

Last edited: Nov 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM

he hasn’t provided a single example of the “incredible power of Surge,” and he completely ignored the example of the Ultimate X Sounds banks, which are the best illustration that the Virus TI is, in a way, an "industry standard" in electronic music.

But I’d like to emphasize once again that I’m not against other plugins or instruments — we’re simply talking about the most universal one. As someone already said earlier, it’s like a precise Japanese tool — it just works, without driving you crazy or forcing you into endless, pointless experiment.

PulseWave, since I have the chance — thank you for your sound banks, there’s a lot of interesting stuff in them

 

I think "inspiration" factor can be a reason to have equivalent instruments that do the same thing. Premade presets is another. Good GUI for programming your own can be a third.

 

@argo3k

There is nothing inherently stopping Surge from being as good (or maybe better for some type of sounds) than Virus. The same guys that programmed your favourite patches for Virus can for sure make Surge also sound great.

 

@argo3k Before you start demanding proofs from others, perhaps you could demonstrate where your precious Virus supposedly outshines everything. .

 

That's never how this works and you know it. A Virus sounds like a Virus. If you want to say that a free plugin sounds like a real trumpet or a fender bass; it's up to you with the free plugin to prove it.

Next we can play the null test game, which still is meaningless when you compare a physical instrument such as a synth or a cowbell, to a sample. Totally meaningless. I know this is difficult for people who do not have any hardware to speak of to understand.

These people are all wrong, so we should take your word for this one. right?

Trent Reznor / Nine Inch Nails
Yes. Reznor has used several Access Virus generations. The TI was in his rig during the Year Zero/With Teeth era, and the TI2 keyboard appeared in studio gear photos later on. Alessandro Cortini has also used the TI live with NIN.

Depeche Mode
The band has used Access Virus synths since the B/C era, and the TI was a staple for their later tours. Martin Gore is one of the most famous Virus users of all time.

The Prodigy (Liam Howlett)
Virus TI and TI2 are both part of his writing setup. He has talked about it in multiple gear rundowns.

Deadmau5
Owned and used multiple Viruses (TI, TI2, Polar). He’s said a lot of Random Album Title / For Lack of a Better Name era patches came from it.

Armin van Buuren
TI and TI2 were core synths for his supersaw stacks for years.

Hans Zimmer
Zimmer owns multiple Viruses and has used them in scoring sessions (though he uses everything, so it’s not his “signature” sound, just part of the arsenal).

Sasha
Used the TI2 extensively, especially for his live Ableton-based rigs.

The Crystal Method
Used Access Virus extensively across several records.

Filter (Richard Patrick)
Virus was part of their studio around the Anthems for the Damned era.

Gary Numan
Used Virus TI live and in the studio during his mid-2000s/2010s albums.

The Knife / Fever Ray
Known Virus users — the TI was part of their setup for the darker, evolving pads.

BT
Long-time Virus Ti user, especially for his more designed, rhythmic synth textures.

KMFDM
Virus has been in their studio setups for many years.

Front Line Assembly / Delerium
Also well-documented Virus users.

Skrillex
No TI2 onstage, but he has mentioned using Virus TI patches in his early sound design sessions.

 

Last edited: Nov 16, 2025 at 6:38 PM

Access Virus TI - FREE presets (demo by Jexus / WC Olo Garb)

The Power of the Virus: Access Virus Ti Polar Synth Demo

 

Let's also compare Blofeld vs. ARP2600 vs. FL's 3xOSC vs. distorted 808. The winner is..... my claps recorded with any cheap stream microphone , processed by AI granular resynthesis and shimmer verb :D add some Behringer JT Mini lead and kobol expander fart arpeggio woooow. Don't forget real tapes and drunk female sex vocals.

Ostirus, surge xt are both cool.

Serum 2

Cowbell (any)

Behringer (all)

My claps

 

@clone, you can find plenty of users for any hardware synths (except absolute failures like Timbre Wolf, I guess), so notable users of Virus means nothing (especially when some of the guys listed have owned like any released synth out there...) And let's not forget that Yamaha and Roland etc romplers have done more work for live gigging musicians than any "real" synth, does this make them better as instruments? (Interestingly, romplers were also very popular among producers even back in the day -for example Emu had editions for specific genres that would look completely pathetic today - imagine paying 1000 USD for 8mb of data, wow, that's like more than 2000 USD today adjusted for inflation).

 

These kinds of artist endorsement arguments don’t work either. To tell the truth most of this close to mainstream music in the Virus era was actually rather boring to me. The only artists who might have released something genuinely original from that list were The Knife and The Prodigy. I hadn’t heard Sasha or Filter, though. of course you really have to look at each track individually you can never be sure it’s a Virus. There could be plenty of other instruments involved, and maybe the Virus was used for just a single filter sweep. Still, you can’t claim that an album was made possible solely because of the Virus. Just because an instrument exists in a studio doesn’t automatically make it actively usable. Their studios have hundreds of instruments, and we all know how some people buy gear whatever’s popular, flashy, or expensive is automatically assumed to be the best, could even be a promotional photo. so no doesnt work
Again, even if the Virus doesn’t have a distinctive personality, that doesn’t make it bad. It can surely do a lot of things well, but it feels a bit like shlock FM music—rather uninspiring to me and my experimentation spirit too, while Surge easily satisfies this synth curiosity.

 

^ Maybe start a new thread topic?
____
OP:

"Hi All, just wondering what your thoughts are on these two synths.

I have both installed but might like to focus on only one of them but am unsure which.

If you had to choose, which would you and why?"
____

Nice logo.

 

Last edited: Nov 17, 2025 at 5:53 AM

The gear that successful people use is irrelevant when, for every one of those, there are many millions of people recreating scenes from Idiocracy on that same gear in their basements right now.

Many people specifically buy that gear because, trust me, this new $8,999 Gibson is going to elevate my playing to Slash levels, bro. Well, it just won't. I'm not Slash, you're not Slash. Slash is Slash. To stick with the guitar theme from earlier.

Learning and trying new things is one of the best (and imo fun) ways to use your time. Stop telling people they're dumb for learning. This has to be the only forum where this many people are violently opposed to giving their brains a workout.

"Only dumb people spend time learning, bro. Smart people just do. Yeah."
Taps temple.

One should not underestimate how much more important accessibility, availability and affordability were in the 20th century. Sound and features aren't the only deciding factor when 3/4 the synths out there aren't even sold on your continent, or they're sold for the price of a decent car, or when there's no Amazon or ebay for synths.

 

^ 2:36 (the green alien)

You take the Virus home and start playing it and you hear that behind you. You stop playing, turn around and look at your partner and they say, "What?".
You say "Nothing." and resume playing, immediately after which you hear it again, stop playing, turn around and glare at your partner and they say, "What!?"

 

Last edited: Nov 16, 2025 at 8:46 PM

When someone can afford to use anything they want, they will never pick junk.If they record using junk, it does not matter how well someone can play it. Unless of course, it is on purpose. I like Slash as a guitarist too, but he would have much less success using a ukulele. Instead he is primarily known to use Les Paul Standard. Les Claypool, handmade Carl Thompson, etc. The list of musicians who prefer various high quality instruments goes on and on; and the list of emulations goes on and on ad infinitum.

 

Well sometimes ol' grandpa takes the kids up on his lap and says stuff like that and other times he just lets them scrap it out amongst themselves and learn on their own.
Regarding your second point, that's what file-sharing can be for of course, but you still need some sorts of hardware. It's not like you can run OsTIrus/Serum on coconut shells... although you could probably align tuned shells for something else.

As an aside, your part in quotes makes me think of that expression I've heard before, "Those who can't do, teach.". But teaching is doing.

Seems, too, that there's more at stake in getting a hardware synth (including the software part of it) right than a software synth. Was Surge XT ever a hardware synth? But Linn has made it his official synth, so there's that...

"Surge XT is my new favorite synth and the new official synth for LinnStrument." ~ Roger Linn

Maybe give SXT time.

 

Last edited: Nov 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM

Not true, lots of musicians more like experimental musicians use lots of junk instruments like Casio VL-Tone or SK-1, Yamaha PSS line and other home keyboards Moby, Board of Canada, Bjork, Imogen Heap. Pascal Comelade made whole carier playing crappy child an learning instruments Yann Tiersen also uses a toy piano all the time
Richard James can afford anything he wants but used a junkiest synth in the world Cheetah MS800 to record the whole album