[namnibor]

Hello! May I ask if the "set-up was way too complicated..." is refering to perhaps the M-Audio Axiom Pro controller keyboard with the Virus C Desktop?
I ask because at one point was going to go the Pro Tools route (have since gone to REAPER and never looked back), and I also own the Axiom Pro 61 but my Virus is the KC. Was hoping to use the Axiom Pro with some of my rack synth's and am not so much a software synth guy as a love my hardware. The "Hypercontrol Mapping" on Axiom Pro indeed has many templates but because it's AVID, the Hypercontrol really only works efficiently WITH ProTools and any hardware synths like your Virus C Desktop would need to physically assign/map everything yourself and hopefully it saves it as one of your own templates. AVID/proTools came across rather snobbish and elitist when I requested help then when they told me that my dedicated, custom-build video editing and audio recording desktop (WIN 7 64 bit) was NOT on their "list" of approved AVID compatible systems, AND was told and I quote, "...NOBODY uses an AMD+ motherboard, hex-core unlocked, 3.3Ghz, 12 GB ram,nvidia higher end video card with 2 GB, to successfully run ProTools....blah,blah..."!! That irked me because I actually had a simple question but basically was told to spend a few thousand dollars on a "real PC" then get back to them! EEEEEK!!!
My PC has run REAPER quite fine and actually some other DAW's I was allowed to try before buying (pro tools does not allow this at all BTW).
So, I also have a Novation SL61 MKII controller that has AUTOMAP, something similar to the Axiom's Hypercontrol, but have since found it much easier to just use them as midi controllers without using either Hpercontrol, Automap, or even "midi Learn".
Sorry so long but thought I'd tell you that novation SL61 MKII is SO easy to map and make your own templates and store and it has two physical midi outs, and it's just a matter of turning whatever knob on say your Virus then touch or slightly turn the phsical knob, slider, button, pad, etc, on Novation and it will also show this in screen. Manually assigning on Axiom Pro without using Hypercontrol is very similar. The key-action on the Axiom Pro is probably the best i have experienced in any M-Audio controller tried in music shops. Now that AVID has sold off M-Audio to owners of Akai, Alesis, and (mostly DJ equipment now), with AVID only retaining a few M-Audio products DOES make me worry about whom will and if there will continue to be updated drivers, bug fixes, etc.
Lastly, am I totally off base in aforementioned and it simply is the amount of menu-diving required on the Virus C Desktop that you found cumbersome? FYI--Reaper is only $60. unless you are doing commercial music production and make a good living from it. Reaper also has much more flexability, always free and often updates, not a PC or Mac CPU hog,and has excellent support via Reaper community and you actually can talk to or get pretty immediate emails back addressing any given problem....it is also free to download and try the full version for 30 days and there's only ONE version of Reaper with no limitations oof track counts, et al. Hope this helps in some way. The Virus C is a wonderful beast with incredible filters and with your desktop virus c, you need only a rather basic midi controller or use a synth you may have in closet that has aftertouch and use that. Peace and Merry Christmas!!'Robert