©2000 Access Music GmbH, Germany. VirusTM is a trademark of Access Music GmbH. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All features and specifications subject to change without notice. Written by Christoph Kemper, Uwe G. Hönig, Wiland Samolak and Marc Schlaile. Translation by Thomas Green. Graphic Design and DTP by Babylonwaves Media. http://www.access-music.de info@access-music.de CONTENT INTRODUCTION - 15 HANDLING - 59 The Virus ..................................................16 The Amplifier Envelope ....................... 20 The First Filter .........................................23 Filter Modulation ...................................25 The Saturation Stage ............................27 The Second Filter................................... 28 Filter Routing ..........................................32 The First Oscillator................................ 34 The Second Oscillator ...........................37 The MIXER Section ................................ 39 The LFOs ................................................... 41 LFO 2 ......................................................... 46 Velocity .................................................... 48 Unison Mode.......................................... 49 The Chorus/Flanger Effect.................. 50 The Delay Effect...................................... 51 More to Come .........................................52 Parameter Selection and Data Entry ...............................................60 Knob Modes ........................................... 63 Display of values ................................... 64 ALL ABOUT THE MEMORY - 67 Store ......................................................... 68 Compare..................................................69 MASTER CLOCK & MIDI-CLOCK - 71 Master Clock and Midi-Clock ..............72 THE MODULATION MATRIX AND DEFINABLE KNOB - 75 Creating Modulation Configurations via Assign ................................................ 76 The Definable Knobs.............................78 CONCEPT AND OPERATION - 53 THE EFFECTS SECTION - 81 Operating Modes .................................. 54 The Multi-Single Mode.........................55 Edit Buffers ..............................................57 The Effect Section ................................. 82 AUDIO INPUTS - 83 Menu parameters for Oscillator-2...107 Menu-Parameter for Oscillator-3... 109 Menu-Parameters of the Suboscillator ...........................................111 Mixer-Parameters within then Oscillator-edit-Menu ...........................112 Mixer ........................................................ 113 Filters ­ Panel.........................................114 Filter-Edit-Menu....................................118 Amplifier ................................................ 122 Main Edit Menu (Common)............... 123 Assign......................................................129 Velocity................................................... 133 Audio Inputs ........................................... 84 OSC Volume / Input.............................. 85 Input Level Indicator ............................86 INTERNAL AUDIO ROUTING - 87 Aux Buses................................................ 88 The Audio Outputs ...............................89 ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS - 91 Panic Function ....................................... 92 Audition function.................................. 92 Reset Function ....................................... 92 WITHIN THE CTRL-MENU - 135 COMMON ..............................................136 ARPEGGIATOR....................................... 137 DEFINABLE 1 / DEFINABLE 2 .............. 140 MULTI MODE parameters.................. 142 THE PARAMETERS - 93 Sound Parameters with a Dedicated Control Element .................................... 94 LFO 1 ­ Panel ........................................... 95 LFO 1 ­ EDIT Menu ................................. 97 LFO 2 - Panel ......................................... 100 LFO 2 Edit-Menu ................................... 101 LFO 3 ........................................................102 OSCILLATOR 1- Front Panel................ 104 Oscillator 2 ­ front Panel....................105 OSCILLATOR ­ EDIT-Menu................ 106 PARAMETER OF THE FX-MENU- 149 The internal Effects .............................150 Input........................................................150 Follower (Envelope-Follower) ........... 154 Ringmodulator ..................................... 155 Vocoder ..................................................156 Distortion............................................... 157 Analog Boost ......................................... 158 Phaser .....................................................159 Chorus..................................................... 161 Delay/Reverb.........................................162 THE VOCODER OF THE VIRUS - 201 Vocoder ................................................. 202 The parameters of the vocoder .......204 Notes about the vocoder ...................210 GLOBAL-, MIDI- AND SYSTEM PARAMETERS - 173 Global Parameters ............................... 174 System ................................................... 180 THE VIRUS AND SEQUENCERS - 213 Parameter Control via MIDI .............. 214 Organizational Information.............. 214 Handling MIDI Parameter Control ..216 Notes on Adaptive Parameter Smoothing ............................................. 217 Problems Related to Parameter Control.................................................... 221 DUMP: The Sound in the Song .........222 RANDOM PATCH GENERATOR - 183 Random Patches...................................184 CATEGORIES - 187 TIPS, TRICKS AND OTHER WORDS OF WISDOM - 227 MULTI SINGLE Mode .......................... 228 Value Buttons ...................................... 229 All abouts Inputs ................................. 229 About the Delay/Reverb..................... 231 The Virus as an Effect Device............232 Envelope Follower ...............................233 Oscillators ............................................. 234 Filters.......................................................237 SATURATION for Added Dirt ............ 239 Sound Categories.................................188 THE KEYBOARD VERSIONS OF THE VIRUS - 189 The Virus kb and the Virus Indigo... 190 Local off and "Three in One" ............ 190 Keyboard & Company.........................192 The Keyboard-Modes ..........................195 LFOs ........................................................240 Volume Control ................................... 242 ASSIGN and the DEFINABLE Knobs. 243 ARPEGGIATOR ...................................... 244 MIDI ........................................................ 245 PRIORITY ................................................ 247 Installing an operating system update.................................................... 247 Loading the Operating System from One Virus to Another .........................249 Software Updates ............................... 250 APPENDIX - 251 System Exclusive Data........................252 Parameters Describtion..................... 258 Multi Dump Table................................273 Classes ................................................... 276 Mod Matrix Sources ..........................280 Mod Matrix Destinations...................281 Definable Knobs Destinations ........ 282 MIDI Implementation Chart............. 284 FCC Information (U.S.A).....................286 FCC Information (CANADA)..............288 Other Standards (Rest of World).....289 Declaration of Conformity................290 Garantie Bestimmung ....................... 292 Warranty ............................................... 293 6 ACCESS VIRUS OS4 7 Important Safety Remarks Please read and heed the following safety guidelines! A few fundamental rules on handling electrical devices follow. Please read all notes carefully before you power the device up. Don't expose the device to direct sunlight. Don't expose the device to strong vibrations and mechanical shocks. Connections Set-up Operate and store the device in enclosed rooms only. Never expose the device to a damp environment. Never operate or store the device in extremely dusty or dirty environments. Assure that air can circulate freely on all sides of the device, especially when you mount it to a rack. Don't set the device in the immediate vicinity of heat sources such as radiators. Be sure to use exclusively the included mains power supply adapter. Plug the device only into mains sockets that are properly grounded in compliance with statutory regulations. Never modify the included power cord. If its plug does not fit the sockets you have available, take it to a qualified electrician. Always pull the power plug out of the mains socket when you won't be using the device for prolonged periods. Never touch the mains plug with wet hands. 8 CHAPTER 2 Safety Remarks Always pull the actual plug, never the cord, when you're unplugging the device. Memory battery change The Virus stores its sound programs in a battery-buffered RAM. This battery (general type designation: CR2032) should be replaced every three to four years. The housing has to be opened to change the battery, so take the device to a qualified service technician. Do your part in protecting our environment and take it to a shop that disposes of batteries properly. Before you have the battery changed, save the entire memory content of the RAM by loading it to a sequencer via "Total Dump". Be advised that RAM content is lost when the battery is swapped (see "Midi Dump TX" on page 174). Operation Don't set beverages or any other receptacle containing liquids on the device. Make sure the device is placed on a solid base. Set it on a stable tabletop or mount it to a rack. Make sure that no foreign objects fall into or somehow end up inside the device's housing. In the event that this should occur, switch the device off and pull the power plug. Then get in touch with an authorized dealer. Used on its own and in conjunction with amps, loudspeakers or headphones, this device is able to generate levels that can lead to irreversible hearing damage. For this reason, always operate it at a reasonable volume level. Care Do not open the device, it is not equipped with any user-serviceable parts. Repair and maintenance may only be carried out by qualified specialists. Use only a dry, soft cloth or brush to clean the device. ACCESS VIRUS OS4 9 Do not use alcohol, solvents or similar chemicals. These can damage the surface of the housing. Fitness for Purpose This device is designed exclusively to generate low-frequency audio signals for sound engineeringrelated purposes. Any other use is not permitted and automatically invalidates the warranty extended by Access Music Electronics GmbH. 10 CHAPTER 2 Safety Remarks ACCESS VIRUS OS4 11 Prologue Dear Virus Owner, Congratulations on your choice, the new Virus. You have purchased a cutting-edge synthesizer that comes fully loaded with several revolutionary features. Here are just a few of the highlights: The Virus delivers the sound characteristics and tone of traditional analog synthesizers - for instance the Prophet 5 or Memorymoog to name just two popular examples of the species - in a previously unparalleled level of quality and handling ease. We're not kidding, the Virus actual delivers the authentic response of an analog synth via a digital signal processor chip, although the sound shaping and voicing options out-perform those of it historical predecessors by a considerable margin. The Virus comes with 512 slots for storing SINGLE sounds. These are organized in four banks. The first two banks (A and B) are located in the RAM, so you can overwrite them with new sounds. The other two banks are "hard-wired", i.e. they're programmed into the FLASH ROM. The Virus offers a maximum of 24 voices. In Multi Mode, these are allocated dynamically to sixteen simultaneously available sounds. You have no less than three audio oscillators plus one suboscillator, a noise generator, a ring modulator, two Multi Mode filters, two envelopes, a stereo VCA, three LFOs and a saturation stage (SATURATOR) for cascade filtering, tube and distortion effects. The Virus offers a veritable arsenal of effects. You have seven powerful sound-sculpting functions, including chorus, phaser and distortion, at your disposal, with each effect available separately for every sound. Thus, in 16-way MULTI mode, the Virus offers 80 effects, no less!. You also get a global reverb/delay unit that lets you create high-quality reverb effects and rhythmic delay taps. Delay time can be synced up to MIDI clock. 12 CHAPTER 3 Prologue With the benefit of two external audio inputs, the Virus may also serve as an FX device and signal processor that you can use creatively to come up with all kinds of effects. External signals can be processed with filter, gate and lo-fi effects, routed to the Virus effects section and serve as a modulation source for frequency and ring modulation. Beyond that, you can use internal or external signals as sources for the Virus' on-board vocoder serve. The vocoder works with up to 32 filter bands and offers diverse manipulation and modulation options. The three main oscillators produce 66 waveshapes, three of which are dynamically mixable so that spectral effects are possible within the confines of a single oscillator. In conventional synthesizers, this type of effect requires several oscillators. Synchronization, frequency modulation and ring modulation between the audio oscillators delivers additional complex spectral effects that you can use for all kinds of sound shaping purposes. The filters can be switched in series or in parallel within the voices via several options. When you switch the filters in series, the saturation stage is embedded between the filters. Consequently, an overdriven filter resonance can be re-filtered within the same voice! A maximum of six filter poles (36 dB slope!) enables radical tonal manipulations. The LFOs feature 68 continuous variable waveshapes each, including a triangle with variable symmetry and infinitely variable aperiodic oscillations for random variation of the controlled parameters. The LFOs are capable of polyphonic as well as monophonic oscillation. In other words, if several voices are active, the LFOs can run independently or in sync. A number of keyboard trigger options enable you start LFO waveshapes with variable phase lengths at the beginning of a note and/or to cycle once only, like an envelope. Next to the numerous "hardwired" or fixed modulation configurations, you can assign three modulation sources to up to six different modulation destinations ACCESS VIRUS OS4 13 via the Modulation Matrix. For your modulation sources, you have LFOs, velocity, the pitch bender, aftertouch, the modulation wheel, numerous MIDI controllers and other sources to chose from. For your modulation destinations, you can select any sound parameter of the Virus that is conducive to being remote controlled. Up to 16 arpeggiators are available in MULTI mode. These give you countless options for creating arpeggios, which can also be synced up to MIDI clock. Sounds and effects are patched out via six audio outputs which of course can also be used to route three stereo signals out. In additional to its killer sounds and tone, the Virus was designed to deliver ultimate handling and control comfort. It is equipped with dedicated knobs and buttons for the crucial synthesizer functions, further parameters are accessible via data entry procedures. We distinguished between these two levels of expertise to enable you to create complex sounds while keeping the user interface as clear and uncluttered as possible. In all modesty, we are especially proud of a feature we developed called Adaptive Parameter Smoothing. For the first time in the history of synthesizers equipped with memories, you can manipulate a knob or control feature without an audible step or increment. In other words, the sound does not change abruptly but SEAMLESSLY. No more zipper noises! The Virus responds just as smoothly as analog synthesizers did prior to the introduction of digital sound storage And users of contemporary software sequencers will appreciate the fact that the Virus sends all sound shaping commands immediately in the form of MIDI Controller or Poly Pressure data (and of course accepts all of the corresponding Controller and SysEx messages). This feature lets you dynamically control the Virus and all its functions via computer. 14 CHAPTER 3 Prologue Although far from complete, the features listed above give you some indication that you now own an exceptionally versatile, highquality musical instrument that will give you plenty of joy for years to come. We certainly hope you can fully exploit the enormous potential of this fine instrument. Have fun and enjoy! Your Virus Development Team By the way: a rack mounting kit is optionally available for the Virus b. Feel free to get in touch with your local authorized dealer for more info. Many thanks to: Ben Crosland, Thomas Green, Axel Hartmann, Uwe G. Hönig, Jörg Hüttner, Oliver Käser, Andrea Mason, Thorsten Matuschowski, Paul Nagle, Kai Niggemann, Rob Papen, Wieland Samolak, Howard Scarr, Hans-Jörg Scheffler, Jenny Simon, Matt Skags, Joeri Vankeirsbilck, Jay Vaughan, Jens Wegerhoff and Daniel Wewer. Introduction 16 CHAPTER 4 Introduction THE VIRUS This section provides deliberate, step-by-step guidelines on operating and handling the Virus for those of you who are new to the world of synthesizers and MIDI. The following covers basics such as how to connect the Virus to an AC power supply, your MIDI system and your audio system. Then we will guide you through a series of experiments designed to demonstrate the different functional groups, their control features and the tasks they execute. After you have finished reading this section, you will be able to handle virtually all of the sound generating and sound shaping functions of the Virus. All of these are described in context, along with their control features. Even the majority of less significant functions, accessible via menus, are discussed here. You will find a detailed, comprehensive description of all functions of your new synthesizer in the section following this introduction. Please keep in mind that within confines of this introduction, we are unable to impart all of the knowledge and skills in acoustics, sound synthesis and MIDI control you might desire or need to acquire. If you are keen to learn more about these subjects, you should consider becoming a regular reader of one or several of the leading trade publications in your country. Your local musical instruments dealer or more experienced musicians will be able to recommend the best magazines to you. And of course there is a wide range of books available on these subjects. If you decide to read this section, we recommend you read it in its entirety from the start - rather than begin with a subsection that is of particular interest to you. A fitting metaphor for the basics discussed in this section might be a house where each bit of information in a subsection is a brick that builds on a preceding brick and interlocks with those next to it. You want your knowledge base to be a sound structure so you won't run into problems when you find one of the "bricks" is missing. ACCESS VIRUS OS4 17 The Virus Cable Connections Before you connect the Virus to an AC outlet and the rest of your equipment, ensure that all of the devices are switched OFF. If your Virus does not have a build-in keyboard, then connect the MIDI OUT of the desired MIDI send device (keyboard, computer, hardware sequencer, etc.) with the MIDI IN of the Virus. Connect the audio outputs of the Virus with the signal inputs of your audio system. In order to receive a signal, as a minimum you must connect the output OUT 1 R/ MONO. However, we recommend you also connect the output OUT 1 L so you are able to enjoy the stereo sounds of the Virus. Once you have established the desired cable connections, make sure the main volume controls of all the connected devices (Virus: MASTER VOLUME, located at the upper left hand of the control panel) are dialed to the lowest possible setting. Switch the devices on in the following sequence: the MIDI send device (computer, master keyboard, etc.) first, then the sound generators (Virus and the other signal sources), followed by the mixing console and finally the amplifier. Now while you are sending notes on MIDI Channel 1 of the Virus, turn the master volumes of the connected devices up in the same order that you switched the devices on. Be sure to keep on eye on the signal level indicators of your mixing console. Listening to the Factory Sounds The program memory of the Virus was loaded with sound programs (SINGLE PROGRAMs) and sound combinations (MULTI PROGRAMs) before it left the factory. To hear the SINGLE PROGRAMs (and gain an initial impression of the possibilities your new instrument has to offer in terms of sounds), first make sure your MIDI source is sending on MIDI Channel 1. Press the SINGLE button. A number, a letter, number and name appear in the display. These indi- 18 CHAPTER 4 Introduction cate the the MIDI Channel, the current Program Bank (A to D) as well as the number and name of the current sound program. Now if you play notes you should be able to hear this sound and a note (the round dot at the end of the note staff is solid black) should appear in the display every time you press a key and release a key. If you do not hear a sound but you see a half note (blank note head) check to see if you are sending on the wrong MIDI Channel. Press the VALUE button to call up the 128 single programs of Bank A in sequence. (The VALUE pot is inactive in this operating mode.) In order to hear the sound programs in banks B, C and D, simply use the PARAMETER/BANK buttons to step from one program bank to another. You'll find that some sound programs are labeled with the abbreviations "INP" or "VOC". These use the external audio input as a signal source for the filter section (INP) or vocoder (VOC). This means that you won't hear anything until you route an audio signal into the external audio inputs. Listening to the Multi Programs The Virus not only has the capability of playing SINGLE PROGAMs, but also combinations consisting of more than one sound simultaneously (MIDI Multi Mode). To call up the MULTI PROGRAMs, press the MULTI button and select these combination programs via the VALUE button. The Virus features "only" 128 MULTI PROGRAMs, so you don't have to switch back and forth between banks they way you just did while activating single programs. The majority of available MULTI PROGRAMs contain sound combinations that are controlled via a single MIDI channel. In these MULTI PROGRAMs, the sounds involved are allocated side-by-side (split) or on top of one another