Access Virus TI Discontinued: End of an Era

08 Feb by Lasse Eilers |

4,7 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

Access Virus TI2 · Source: Access

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Access has reportedly discontinued the production of the Virus TI synthesizer after 15 years. This marks the end of an important chapter of modern synth history. As of now, it is unclear if there will ever be a successor.

Access Virus TI: End of an Era

According to a report by Amazona.de, developer Christoph Kemper has confirmed that the company ceased the production of the Access Virus TI2 several months ago. The manufacturer now focuses on the popular Profiler amps sold under the sister brand Kemper.

When the original Virus appeared in 1997, it was part of the first wave of virtual-analog synths that emulated analog circuitry using digital DSP technology. The Virus TI2 series, comprised of the four models Keyboard, Polar, Snow, and Desktop, was released from 2009 onwards. This means that the Virus TI2 enjoyed an unusually long and successful production run for a synthesizer. It has now reportedly come to an end.

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Besides its powerful synthesis capabilities, the Virus TI’s killer feature was the namesake “Total Integration”. The synth came with a plugin editor that not only enabled remote control and automation of all parameters from the comfort of your DAW, it also sent an audio signal from the synth directly to the computer over USB. At the time of its release, this level of integration was unheard of. Along with its massive sound, it’s what made the Virus TI a studio staple that can be heard on countless hits. The synth also remains a favorite of live players to this day.

Beginning in 2011, however, Kemper focused more and more on his equally groundbreaking modeling amps. As the years went by, it appeared that developing a successor to the Virus TI wasn’t particularly high up on his list of priorities. And now, the manufacturer has reportedly decided to close this important chapter of synth history forever. Whether there will ever be another Access synth remains to be seen. In the meantime, check out our recommendations for Access Virus Alternatives.