Andromeda A6 or Access Virus TI2????

[DLovas]

So today I ventured into Times Square around 10 O'Clock, (Managed to avoid the chaos), and was messing around at the Sam Ash store. I've had my eye on the Alesis Andromeda A6 Synth for a bit, and was planning on purchasing one somewhere, but I really want some opinions about what I should purchase. I am into Trance, (Armin Van Buuren, Markus Schulz, Robert Nickson, JayB, Orjan Nilsen...) And i've heard wonders about the Virus. The thing is, at the store, i just felt as if i didn't click with the Virus. It felt very foreign and complex compared to my JP8000. I also played around with a Nord Lead 2x, and it blew me away, i think i'll purchase one of those as well, but this thread is between the Alesis and the Virus. As you know, i'd be lucky to find a listing for an andromeda, let alone test one. So what you guys think about this? Any who help I thank in advance.

Prices: Andromeda - 2600 - 3600 (Ebay prices...)

Virus: around 3000

-DLovas

[Roby31]

Incidentally I'm the same guy you commented on the 'tube a couple of hours ago and I happen to both have a Virus (and it's now actually mine instead of the bank's!) and talk about it more time than I actually play it
The Virus is generally though of as a trance synth, because of the high number of producers in that genre that use it, and although I don't really love dream trance I'd say it can deliver. For my personal taste its sound is a bit too dark for dream trance (that's why it's so abused in hardstyle). It has this distinct character that seldom leaves indifferent (i.e. you either like it or loathe it), but it can produce a very wide variety of sounds so that the character itself is not a "curse". The interface requests a bit of learning, but through accurate use of the shift button there's often very little need to use the sub menus for most operations. The synth itself requires learning and spending time on it to get the most out of its engine, unless you want to use it as either a ROMpler or a very traditional VA (Nord Lead?). It can be very rewarding if you like its tone, or frustrating if you don't get the wanted results. There's a couple threads you might find interesting, one about "trancy" synths and the others about the different Virus models, you can find them searching through my few latest forum posts.

[ninja6485]

when i bought my virus, i also played a moog little phatty. diddn't connect with the lp, and still don't. but i instantly connected with the virus. i'd say go with your gut, but then again i would have thought that i would be into the lp sight unseen. imo, you'd probably be better off buying a few cheaper synths then one virus or andromeda, especially if you're prepared to shell out the full 3k for a virus. if you just want to own it, then by all means - pick it up, but be aware that there are other alternatives. you could even get away with using software. a song written with alchemy or tone2 gladiator would be perfectly at home on an armin van buuren album. the new os of the virus IS pretty amazing though, i must say...brand new vst editor with new reverbs and delays and the atomizer...very nice...

[DLovas]

Thanks for the replies guys, and roby that is pretty funny hahah. But in terms of the Andromeda - of the videos of seen / audio demos i've heard, it is a supposedly a great machine, especially for the genre. Based on the vibes im getting here, i might just go for the virus (It is true i didn't get to really understand what i was doing) so if i end up with a virus and get time to read the manual, i may then begin to click with it.

Also which edition of the virus' is it that you guys have.

I was interested in the polar, cause of its small keyboard (I can play it at the same time as the JP, and control it with the JP if i need more octaves.)

[ninja6485]

i have a tI 1 kbd:

[DLovas]

lol this has nothing to do with sound, but i personally think the virus TI you have looks better than the new TI2

[n3wt15]

Having had a virus TI, and owning an andromeda, I will add my comments.
I personally am not a huge fan of the virus line, they are good synths, I have had the first indigo, the Ti polar, and the ti snow, but never end up keeping them more then a few months.
I think they are useful synths, and very versatile in what they can do, but I feel like its hard to make it not sound like a typical virus sound, its very digital. It has great effects, and can be very deep. I actually like the virus more as an effects unit then I do a synth.
Theres also a bajillion free patches for it available online.
I like them, and ill probably pick up another TI in the future (polar or rack, the interface on the snow really pissed me off), but im in no rush, they dont hold their value once new ones come out.
You can find a used ti rack for the same price of a new snow if you look around and are patient.
i think another thing that kind of annoys me about the virus, is that everyone seems to use them, I can usually point out a virus when I hear a mix, and that kind of bothers me for some reason.

The andromeda was my dream synth for many years, and now after owning it, its not my dream synth, however I really do enjoy it.
Its very flexible, i feel like I can get most any sound out of it that I can think of making, the routing on it is great and has a lot of hands on control.
Its a lot deeper then that, which can get very confusing if you dont pay attention, or know what your doing, most of the knobs have sub menus and the routing and functions can sometimes get confusing.
The internal effects aren't anything special, and I usually end up using external effects instead.
I find it very fast to work with, especially now that I have had it for a while and know it better.

If I were you, I would buy a DSI tetra (or prophet), and a Virus Ti rack, this way you will still have the virus sound and power, plus the nice warmth of a real analog synth.
You can get both of those together cheaper then one of the two that you want.
You probably don't need the extra processing power that the TI2 offers over the TI1.

[DLovas]

thanks for the advice, ill take it to heart. Also i checked out ur site and your video - it was really catchy, and i could hear the analog sound from your moog there . Ill check in once in a while see on how ur EP is goin. Gotta love NYC though right. So many opportunities....

[n3wt15]

I help with what I can, I'm more of a lurker on this site then an informant, I feel like most the others on here are a lot more knowledgeable than I.
The moog in the video is actually just being used as an effect, the bass coming out of it is actually my spectralis being run through the voyagers filter/lfo.
Glad you enjoyed it though, now if I could actually finish that song I would be much happier

[DLovas]

how is the prophet 8 by DSI anyway? They had it at the Samash store i went to, but i didn't really give it that much time. It definently looked very nice and if im not mistaken it does have analog oscillators, correct? If you believe that the Prophet would be a good synth for me to get then by all means ill consider it.

[griffin avid]

This is going to sound totally left-field and I probably shouldn't say this, but I would forsake all and get a Spectralis 2.
The VA engine NAILS the sound of many other analogs. I used to drool over the synth examples of bass tinkerings on the SE site. Even in Spectrasonics Trilogy you can hear the raw power of any patch named after SE.

BUT the Speccie does those kind of tones and then some.
I have some super-warm Moogy patches that are really mellow where you can't really hear any transition between one note and the next and I have some that bite like a mutha.

I have an A6, a Moog Voyager RME, tons of Mooger Foogers...A DSI Tetra...tons of ROMplers and I find that the Spectralis can pretty much do all the flavors. It's got the one-click patch generator (it's even category based) so if you're ever stuck for a sound, something inspiring is a click away. And unlike most random patch generators, there is almost NEVER a bad sound.

I would battle other synths with the speccie. Pound for pound, bass for bass, lead for lead.
It can do Access cheese, Moog Meat and DSI movement.

It is THE best purchase I have made in recent years.
I actually DON'T use it as a groove box and it's worth the investment and then some as a total tone generator.

And to totally break my habits...here is an Un-mastered track from my artist Domino Grey. This has tons of Speccie on it. Honestly, you can hear the rawness.

And it's only because it's Sunday night and I'm a little loose and mixing this album that the hinges are off.

[smoothcriminal]

Pretty sure I see a TI2 in the "Hanz Zimmer Studio Pics" thread, in case you happen to want "Zimmer-esque" sounds.

[Roby31]

Zimmer has pretty much everything He has all the Virus strains and used TI in differend movie soundtracks (notably the Da Vinci Code is Virus and Minimoog). I read in another interview he is also a fan of plug-ins like Zebra2 (and IIRC used that + Virus in the Dark Knight)

[DLovas]

Thanks for the replies, and griffin avid, I'll check out the spectralis if you so strongly find it a very good synth. I'm sure it is very good and ifbits in mynprice range i will probably get one.

[n3wt15]

you can find a prophet 08 keyboard used for 1300 or less if you look around, even cheaper for the rack and tetras
I like them quite a bit.

As for the spectralis, I have one as well, one of my main synths actually, and love it to death.
However It being a monosynch (the hybrid anyways) usually puts off people, especially when they are looking at poly synths.
I will say that it does have a lot of unique character, but it also requires more time to work with, its very deep, and I dont find the interface to be very user friendly.
And if you are looking just for a tone generator, then you can get the spec one a lot cheaper then the 2, which just adds more memory for samples

any of the above mentioned synths are great, however they all have different characteristics that make them stand out from eachother, im sure whatever you pick you will be happy with