Everything you need to know about our product install, setup steps, configuration and usage of various features
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v3.0.0 - 2022-Sep-30
Custom Added Functions
Our plug-in / application includes a lot of custom added functions as requested by the users.
In this part we will walk you through each of the functions and how they can improve your workflow.
USER INTERFACE SIZE
You can resize the plug-in / application user interface in real time by clicking and dragging the white triangle [1] in the bottom right corner. This setting is saved with DAW project data, but Standalone Application always reverts to “zero” resize stage when Application is launched again.
Double click the triangle to reset the resize-setting.
UI SCHEME
You can choose from different user interface scheme that suits your setup. This setting is saved with DAW project data, but Standalone Application always reverts to default “skin” when Application is launched again. Scheme can be changed in real time.
- Virus A – Replicates the Virus A color scheme.
- Virus Classic – Virus Classic RED.
- Virus C – Replicates the Virus C color scheme.
- Indigo – Replicates the Virus Indigo color scheme.
- TI mk I – Replicates the 1st generation TI color scheme.
- TI mk II – Replicates the 2nd generation TI color scheme.
- TI Snow – Replicates the Virus TI Whiteout color scheme.
- VirusHC – Our original color scheme.
See section “Utilities Menu” to learn how you can set default User Interface Skin for new Editor instances.
GLOBAL SETTINGS / MULTI SETTINGS
When MULTIMODE MIXER [1] tab is open, you can view Global / Multi Settings from this view. You can view additional Global Settings when clicking through the horizontal buttons [2]. Settings within tabs vary based on the selected model!
EXTENDED MIXER VIEW
When extended mixer view [1] is activated, you get to control some extra parameters of each part from this view. View changes if selected model is set to “Virus TI-range”
TIP #2: To make the most out of Randomizer, use Section Locks [1] in conjunction with Randomizer to get better results. i.e., If your randomized Patch has a great Mixer & Filter setting, toggle on the Section Lock for those sections to prevent them being randomized! Read more about the Section Locks further below.
TIP #3: You can adjust Randomization “depth” from ADVANCED MIDI SETTINGS page with randomizer amount [1] knob.
TIP #4: You can trigger Randomizer with incoming MIDI CC command.
Select control in Trigger Randomizer [2] menu. This will trigger randomizer on value change.
Tip #5: You can adjust which parameters will be randomized by selecting Randomizer Target [3] from the menu.
All Parameters or Exclude Pitch parameters like Key Follow, Transpose and Semitone.
SECTION LOCKS
We added function to lock certain sections of the plug-in / application to prevent changes up on part program changes or when randomizing parameters. This is great when you find a perfectly adjusted filter or LFO modulation: you can lock the section to keep those settings while browsing other patches.
You can lock any of the sections which has the LOCK [1] symbol in it – There are more locks available in the other tabs too!
LOCK [1] on the “MINI MIXER” view locks the entire part. There are individual locks for each part right below the MUTE and SOLO buttons.
When LOCK [1] is toggled on at any section, RELEASE ALL LOCKS [2] button will allow you to release all locks with one click. This is ideal if you have overlooked your layers and data is being transmitted back and forth even if you don’t want that.
NOTE #1: When you have sections locked, there will double the amount of SysEx traffic in the MIDI stream due to the fact that the plug-in has to send the ”locked” info back to hardware after the patch is requested. If you scroll patches from librarian, then the data stream is normal.
PART SELECT
Part Select [1] is standard feature of the Virus, which will change the current MULTI Part of the synthesizer. Based on the currently set Part, data from the plug-in user interface will be sent to it. i.e., if you move Filter Cutoff from the UI while Part 1 is selected, then Filter Cutoff in the Part 1 of the synth will change.
Now, as we have mentioned earlier, single mode is not supported with the plug-in and the reason is: with MULTI- mode you can have 16 individual parts playing from the Virus.
i.e., you get 16 SINGLE-mode Viruses.
Each part has its own set of Parameters [2] – These parameters are spread across five different tabs [3].
- PART DATA TAB #1: OSC / FILTER / ENV.
- PART DATA TAB #2: LFO / MOD MATRIX.
- PART DATA TAB #3: FX / SETTINGS #1.
- PART DATA TAB #4: FX / SETTINGS #2.
- PART DATA TAB #5: ARPEGGIATOR.
REQUEST DATA ON PROGRAM CHANGE
REQUEST DATA ON PROGRAM CHANGE [1] means that if the plug-in / application receives program and/or bank change message from MIDI input, plug-in / application will initiate Patch request from the Virus to the plug-in / application user interface.
Inputs valid for this function:
- Plug-in MIDI In port (Plug-in).
- DAW gateway (Plug-in).
- Remote Keyboard MIDI In port (Standalone Application) (*1).
- Plug-in / Application Program Change buttons (per part) (*2).
- Plug-in / Application Program Number display (per part) (*3).
- Plug-in / Application Bank Number display (per part) (*4).
If this switch is toggled off, plug-in will only send the program change messages to the hardware but won’t request any data back. This is good in some cases where you might want to quick browse hardware patches.
(*1 See below for Remote Keyboard MIDI Input).
(*2 See below for Program Change Buttons).
(*3 See below for Program Number Display).
(*4 See below for Bank Number Display).
LIBRARY CONTROL ON PROG CHANGE
Library Control On Prog Change [1] switch allows you to take control of your library patches with incoming program changes via MIDI or with the plug-in user interface DEC / INC buttons and Bank Number Display / Program Number Display menus.
If the Library Control On Prog Change switch is toggled on and you send a program change message from your master keyboard / controller to the plug-in, it will send the corresponding program from the librarian to the hardware – isn’t that just neat?!
You can also quickly view the banks located in your Patches folder and programs contained in the current bank with the Bank / Program Control Displays. See below for instructions.
NOTE #1: Patches are sent to the hardware on currently selected part when menu is used to change programs.
NOTE #2: If the program change message is received from MIDI channel 4 and none of your parts are set to channel 4, no action will be taken.
NOTE #3: If the program change message is received from MIDI channel 1 and two or more parts are set to channel 1, no action will be taken. Change the MIDI channel temporarily to different channel.
PROGRAM CHANGE BUTTONS (*2)
– [1] button will change to previous program.
+ [2] button will change to next program.
This will trigger MIDI Out message with appropriate program number based on the Program Number Display (*3) value. Each part has its own set of Program Change buttons.
See above how it will behave when Request Data on Program Change is toggled on / off.
PROGRAM NUMBER DISPLAY / SELECTION MENU (*3)
Program Number Display [1] acts as a menu as well as a display to show the current Part Patch program number depending on the currently set mode. You can quickly navigate to different banks of programs without having to click Program Change buttons like crazy.
In default status, this popup menu will display program numbers in different banks of programs. See image below.
But things get exciting when you toggle on LIB CONTROL [1] switch:
You can now view currently active Librarian Bank patches on the menu and browse them directly from the main user interface!
Check above for further details about the Library Control function.
BANK NUMBER DISPLAY / SELECTION MENU (*4)
Bank Number Display [1] acts as a menu as well as a display to show the active Part Patch bank number. You can navigate to different banks based on your selected Virus model.
If your model is set to Virus A, Rack, C or Rack XL, bank menu does not have as many options as when Virus TI- range or TI Snow is set as a current model. This is because Virus TI-range has a lot bigger memory capacity than Legacy models. When Request Data On Program Change [2] is toggle on, this popup menu will display bank numbers available to browse. See image below.
Like with Program Number Display, Bank Number Display [1] will behave completely different when LIBRARY CONTROL ON PROG CHANGE [2] is toggled on. You can now view all available Patch Banks located in Patches folder.
PATCH LIBRARIAN
Patch Librarian [1] tab allows you to send, request, store and manipulate your patch and multi banks.
Double click any item to send it to currently active part. Drag and drop patches from one slot to another and save your custom bank as you go. Rename patches directly in librarian view.
Read more about patch / multi librarian functions in its own section.
NOTE #1: Renaming single patch from the “Mini Mixer” does not change the name in the librarian. If you want to rename librarian items, check further down the manual for librarian functions.
NOTE #1: Renaming multi from the “Global & Multi Settings” window does not change the name in the librarian. If you want to rename librarian items, check further down the manual for librarian functions.
TOTAL RECALL
This is one of the best features we can think about our plug-in, total recall. It does what it says: recalls your saved session data from the plug-in user interface to your synthesizer, without the need of doing it manually! It is all automated, if you have the same MIDI device hooked into your setup as it was when saving the project.
It there are any trouble with the total recall, please check below for further instructions how to Push Data to HW manually.
Possible reasons for failure of total recall are:
1) Your MIDI interface is no longer in the system, or it is hooked into a different USB port.
2) Plug-in update does not fully support the previous version data package. There is a work-around for that as well, so be sure to check out our knowledge base for more details about that.
MIDI LEARN
MIDI LEARN [1] is a new feature with version 3 release, which allows user to map incoming MIDI CC control message to certain controls of the plug-in / application.
To activate MIDI LEARN, toggle on the button and follow instructions given in the plug-in / application display.
- Move knob, slider or button on the plug-in / application display.
- Move your remote controller slider, knob or button to set CC.
- Toggle off MIDI LEARN once completed.
Plug-in and Application has a Assigned CC [2] display in the bottom bar to help you see what controller has been assigned to a set parameter.
When MIDI LEARN is toggled on in plug-in, incoming MIDI CC commands from the DAW bridge.
When MIDI LEARN is toggled on in Standalone Application, incoming MIDI CC commands are only accepted from the Remote Keyboard Input port.
CLEAR MIDI
CLEAR MIDI [1] opens a popup menu, where you can choose to Clear All Assignments at once, or Clear Active Parameter to remove assignment for set parameter.
Both options are greyed out in the sample, because there is no assignments for set parameter.
UTILITIES MENU
UTILITIES [1] menu can be found from the bottom bar of the plug-in / application. Once you click the UTILITIES button, a popup menu will appear giving you a lot of different utilities. We will go through these one by one.
- Initialize Active Part
Initializes currently active SINGLE part data from the plug-in / application to “init” state. - Initialize Active Multi
Initializes currently active MULTI data from the plug-in / application to “init” state. - Initialize Arrangement
Initializes MULTI data and ALL SINGLE parts data from the plug-in / application to “init” state. - Copy Part Data
Copies currently active part data to plug-in / application clipboard. - Paste Part Data
Paste part data from plug-in / application clipboard to active part. - Load MIDI CC Map
Loads custom MIDI CC Mapping data to the plug-in / application. - Save MIDI CC Map
Save custom MIDI CC Mapping data to HDD. i.e., MIDI Learn Data. - Manuals (see menu items below)
- Editor Preferences (see menu items below)
- Version Status
If new update is available, “Update Available” will be shown to user. This will open recent changes dialog in the plug-in / application and option to download updater.
- Manuals SUB MENU
- Setting MIDI Devices [1]
Open user guide how to setup MIDI Devices in Windows and macOS. - Hardware Config Guide [2]
Open Hardware Configuration Guide to get your hardware settings input properly. - Editor User Manual [3]
Opens this User Manual. - Librarian User Manual [4]
Open Librarian User Manual. Content copied from this User Manual to keep it focused on Librarian only. - View DAW Guides [5]
Open folder containing all the manuals relevant to our products.
- Setting MIDI Devices [1]
- Editor Preferences SUB MENU
- Use Specific Model on Load [1]
If you have only one Virus in your setup and you want the Editor to load a specific model during launch, select your model first and then check this option. - Use Specific Skin on Load [2]
If you have only one Virus in your setup and you want the Editor to load a specific skin during launch, select your skin first and then check this option. - Use Hi-Res Graphics (4/5/8K) [3]
Loads High Resolution graphics made for bigger displays. Consumes a lot of RAM. - Limit Search to Active Bank [4]
When making search query, you can limit search results to currently active bank. - Search results Containing… [5]
Old function of search started the search query from the beginning of the patch name. Check this option if you want the search to make the query from the whole name. I.e. search term is “way”, then patches with way in it, will be found. Like LD Subway - Enable LOG (CPU hungry) [6]
If you need to enable logging for our development team, check this option. Otherwise turn it off to save CPU sources. - Force Data to Active Part [7]
This option will make sure all incoming MIDI data is addressed to currently active part, no matter what the triggering channel is set at. I.E. If MIDI CC40 is coming in from channel 7 and part 3 is chosen with channel 3 in it, then data is pointed to part 3. Note: This works only when DAW playback is stopped.
- Use Specific Model on Load [1]
SAVE & LOAD UI DATA
Save and Load UI Data [1] as you go. This is the best option to back up and recall your favorite settings per project and it gives you portability to share your settings with someone else.
Save UI Data saves all the plug-in settings in single file, including global, multi and individual part settings.
Load UI Data will load all the plug-in settings from a single file back to the user interface. Once file is loaded, data will be sent to the hardware on MIDI Output port, just like Total Recall.
AUTOSAVE
When AutoSave is toggled on, any changes made in the librarian bank will be automatically saved. This is a dangerous function, but as per request, we included this feature.
Be aware that there is no UNDO function, so you cannot revert to the previous state if you make a mistake. Defaults to off state.
SHOW BUBBLE
Show Bubble [1] does what it says, when parameter is adjust with mouse, a bubble [2] will pop up above the parameter displaying the parameter value as you move it. You can also see the parameter name and value in the plug-in / application control display [3].
NOTE #1: When you have a lot of active parts, this could potentially start taxing your CPU.
TIP #5: Open ADVANCED MIDI SETTINGS page you can define if LEDs will blink when MIDI is being received or when it is being
transmitted. Default value is set to follow incoming MIDI data.
TIP #6: Plug-in / Application control display will also display the parameter name and value in its display when you move your mouse around the user interface. You can quickly check for values set per parameter before adjusting them further.
SHOW KEYBOARD
Toggle on SHOW KEYBOARD [1] to display “on-screen” keyboard, Pitch Wheel [2] and Modulation wheel [3]. You can play individual keys with mouse click or you can use your computer “QWERTY”-keyboard, in other words: normal typing keyboard to play in notes.
Keyboard also features velocity sensitivity when played with mouse.
- If you click closer to the “root” [4] of the key, the lower velocity input is given.
- If you click closer to the “end” [5] of the key, the higher velocity input is given.
Use keys A, W, S, E, F, T, G, Y, H, U, J, K, O, L to play the keyboard.
Use keys Z and X to adjust the octave range.
SHOW KEYBOARD & PART FOCUS
Now that SHOW KEYBOARD [1] is toggled on, we have another automated feature with the plug-in / application called Part Focus [2].
This function will convert all incoming MIDI data to a set part. i.e., If data is received from channel 3 while part 8 is active, then channel 3 data will be converted to part 8 data format.
This applies only when DAW is play head is stopped.
ABORT PROCESS
Cancel current request / writing task by clicking ABORT PROCESS button, if process is taking too long, or if you get constant Device ID checks while any data request is active.
This same button appears next to plug-in / application control display when Patch Librarian tab is not open.
Abort Process button will disappear after plug-in / application has scanned Device IDs and if the request process has timed out.
ADDITIONAL TI MENUS, BUTTONS AND FUNCTIONS
When you have Virus TI or Virus TI Snow synth in use, there are extra menus, buttons and features shown in the user interface. Select Virus TI-range [1] OR Virus TI Snow as your model and new items [2-5] will be drawn to the user interface. More features are shown to the user on LFO / Mod Matrix, FX / Settings #1, #2 and Arpeggiator tabs.
Loading patches between different models?
You can load legacy patches to Virus TI-family synthesizer as you wish. They work just like they’ve designed in the previous model.
We made a little function to our plug-in / application which allows user to load TI-formatted patches to legacy model.
Keep in mind that TI-enabled functions like
- oscillator 1 & 2 modes are disabled.
- extra envelopes are disabled.
- extra modulation destinations are disabled.
- new character, new distortion, new chorus and new delay modes are disabled.
- individual reverb per part is disabled.
- filter bank modes are disabled.
- arpeggiator pattern editor is disabled.