Namm 2013

[Berni]

Originally Posted by Timo

Firewire's on its way out (try buy a laptop with one now, or even a desktop PC, your choice is very limited).

USB is a stalwart and here to stay. USB v3 is fully back compatible with earlier versions. USB v3 is also forward-compatible, allowing USB v3 devices to be used on older USB v2 ports (albeit at USB v2 speeds).

Thunderbolt is still seemingly fairly elusive, unless you're using Apple stuff, otherwise it's still not mainstream, a niche market.

All comes down to cost. Firewire was technically superior to USB, but firewire was deemed a premium product and USB won the battle overall because of cost - the lower cost of both the interfaces and separate devices. Again, Thunderbolt is superior to USB v3, but USB will win again, due to cost and relevancy to the userbase. If you need speeds that require Thunderbolt, odds on your usage is deemed a 'niche' thing compared to average people's usage.

For relevancy, compatibility and cost, USB is still the best bet to target most users as possible. If Access need more bandwidth, then a USB v2 HighSpeed chipset is needed (instead of the Full Speed chipset they've used in the TIs), or USB v3.

Yeah I agree, firewire's days are numbered but so is usb. The latest macbook pro's sport 2 usb 3 ports & 2 thunderbolt ports & flash drives. The only reason the usb ports are there are to plug your mouse or flash drive in. If you use it to connect to a large display, audio interface or whatever why would you use the usb ports on a computer that can go way faster than the usb bandwith & have the faster thunderbolt option?
I really dont think thunderbolt is a 'niche' market (apple computers are not a niche market, everyone I know uses them) & everyone wants there computer set up to run faster & more efficiently & the old technology will go the way of all old technology. Who knows what is next but the future connectivity is not usb as far as I can see. Even at 3 thunderbolt still smokes it.
Just my experienced 2c.

[Ashe35]

Originally Posted by Berni

Yeah I agree, firewire's days are numbered but so is usb. The latest macbook pro's sport 2 usb 3 ports & 2 thunderbolt ports & flash drives. The only reason the usb ports are there are to plug your mouse or flash drive in. If you use it to connect to a large display, audio interface or whatever why would you use the usb ports on a computer that can go way faster than the usb bandwith & have the faster thunderbolt option?
I really don't think thunderbolt is a 'niche' market (apple computers are not a niche market, everyone I know uses them) & everyone wants there computer set up to run faster & more efficiently & the old technology will go the way of all old technology. Who knows what is next but the future connectivity is not usb as far as I can see. Even at 3 thunderbolt still smokes it.
Just my experienced 2c.

I really don't see USB going anywhere. It is installed on the vast majority of PCs that are out there and/or being shipped, Thunderbolt isn't. Yes, Apple is a niche market, at somewhere around 15% of the market (unless you count iOS devices....). Thunderbolt still currently requires the Mux/Demux chips in each cable,. which makes even a short cable cost $40. The cost of implementing thunderbolt is higher as well... especially for storage type devices.

[TweakHead]

Besides, it's kind of stupid for apple to drop support on firewire so soon, since there's tons of people (like me) who still have firewire soundcards and are not selling them on ebay to get new ones just because Apple decided that thunderbolt is the thing... It really isn't, so far. Besides the Apollo soundcard, I don't see many audio stuff out there with the thunderbolt option. So that's just an unfortunate case of big corporations pushing for their favourite standard, like when Sony has decided to adopt blueray for their gaming console - thus forcing the industry to follow. It's always the same with this kind of thing.

But guess what, we have a hard time deciding upon a good format that would solve the possible bandwith problems that the TI line is facing with the usb connection, now imagine you had to make such decision for the next Virus line. I think the above post makes a very valid point: usb is still the most global of all options, present in literally all computers nowadays, while firewire isn't on some of the new apples, and thunderbolt is mainly an apple thing, still - even though you can get it for intel pcs as well. So it isn't an easy solution for them. Maybe they could do something similar to what Universal Audio has done with Apolo, if it was feasable. But this just shows how much of a challange it must be to have a hardware unit in perfect sync with a daw, streaming audio in and out, and all of that. So much so, that even though everybody recognizes it's a good idea, not a single other company has tried such a thing. And I'd bet that Clavia or Waldorf wouldn't mind having their products advertising total integration as well. And even without it - here I go again - those synths have fewer options then the Virus line, and, even though this is my oppinion, hence totally subjective, I dare say that the Virus still owns it in terms of sound quality, specially the filters.

Since the industry hasn't really reached a new standard with more bandwith then usb, I really don't see them jumping to a new synth so soon. I think the chances of seeing them do an analogue are very remote, if any. They could throw some new totally virtual synth to get some revenues on the meantime, that would be cool, but somehow I doubt it... I'd bet that nothing is going to happen! Maybe they'll have a cake their, since it's they're celebrating 15 years down the line.

[Berni]

Originally Posted by Ashe35

I really don't see USB going anywhere. It is installed on the vast majority of PCs that are out there and/or being shipped, Thunderbolt isn't. Yes, Apple is a niche market, at somewhere around 15% of the market (unless you count iOS devices....). Thunderbolt still currently requires the Mux/Demux chips in each cable,. which makes even a short cable cost $40. The cost of implementing thunderbolt is higher as well... especially for storage type devices.

I think you miss understood my post. I didn't say usb was going anywhere I just don't think it has much of a future for connecting audio, video or whatever devices. It's good for plugging in your mouse, flash drive etc.
Of course with all new technology the price is always initially high, look how much hard drives have fallen in price these last few years compared to what they used to cost & now internal flash drives are coming down in price now they are becoming more widespread. Its just a matter of time

[Timo]

Back on topic.

Access: "Another day closer. The darkest night of winter is approaching."



The darkest night being the winter solstice (Dec 21) in the northern hemisphere.

Looks like a Polar TI2 Dark Star, but that's already been previously released.

It's got white knobs, so maybe a new Snow TI2?

Edit: Just realised the image is mirrored. Flipping and enlarging it gives this:



... with an exit/mode button on the left, and a Whiteout patch loaded up.

The existing TI Snow also has an exit/mode button to the left, and has a volume knob directly underneath the exit button (with the same 'swish' above the volume knob):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...us_TI_Snow.JPG

Whereas the Desktop and other versions don't:

http://www.sweetwater.com/images/ite...esk-xlarge.jpg
http://www.sweetwater.com/images/ite...Key-xlarge.jpg
http://www.sweetwater.com/images/clo...DS_detail1.jpg

So, looks like the Snow is getting a limited edition Dark Star treatment or similar.

That's a shame, as it likely means that Access are not going introduce a new line of Viruses any time soon as Snow DarkStar and OS v5 will tide them over for another year. Good news for those who have existing TI1 and TI2s, however.

[Timo]

Confirmed, looks like they're releasing just 15 of them for this weeks so-called Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in America.





So the possibility of a new Virus TI3 line at NAMM 2013 may not be written off just yet.

[AndrewM]

Way to be original about the color scheme access.

[TweakHead]

Yeah, how could we have forgot this? There was still th e alternative paint for snow missing... Looks sexy!

[namnibor]

Originally Posted by TweakHead

Besides, it's kind of stupid for apple to drop support on firewire so soon, since there's tons of people (like me) who still have firewire soundcards and are not selling them on ebay to get new ones just because Apple decided that thunderbolt is the thing... It really isn't, so far. Besides the Apollo soundcard, I don't see many audio stuff out there with the thunderbolt option. So that's just an unfortunate case of big corporations pushing for their favourite standard, like when Sony has decided to adopt blueray for their gaming console - thus forcing the industry to follow. It's always the same with this kind of thing.

But guess what, we have a hard time deciding upon a good format that would solve the possible bandwith problems that the TI line is facing with the usb connection, now imagine you had to make such decision for the next Virus line. I think the above post makes a very valid point: usb is still the most global of all options, present in literally all computers nowadays, while firewire isn't on some of the new apples, and thunderbolt is mainly an apple thing, still - even though you can get it for intel pcs as well. So it isn't an easy solution for them. Maybe they could do something similar to what Universal Audio has done with Apolo, if it was feasable. But this just shows how much of a challange it must be to have a hardware unit in perfect sync with a daw, streaming audio in and out, and all of that. So much so, that even though everybody recognizes it's a good idea, not a single other company has tried such a thing. And I'd bet that Clavia or Waldorf wouldn't mind having their products advertising total integration as well. And even without it - here I go again - those synths have fewer options then the Virus line, and, even though this is my oppinion, hence totally subjective, I dare say that the Virus still owns it in terms of sound quality, specially the filters.

Since the industry hasn't really reached a new standard with more bandwith then usb, I really don't see them jumping to a new synth so soon. I think the chances of seeing them do an analogue are very remote, if any. They could throw some new totally virtual synth to get some revenues on the meantime, that would be cool, but somehow I doubt it... I'd bet that nothing is going to happen! Maybe they'll have a cake their, since it's they're celebrating 15 years down the line.

LOL....Access having an exact scale model Ti2 shaped cake, and cakes looking exactly like the Virus KB and KC and maybe a Belgium Chocolate Fountain made up with the Snow bodies on toing down to the Indigo at base of chocolate fountain...LOL!!! Sorry, my imagination went wild with you flip comment that "....maybe they will have a cake or something...", LOVE IT!!!

[namnibor]

Originally Posted by TweakHead

Yeah, how could we have forgot this? There was still th e alternative paint for snow missing... Looks sexy!

What's even more surprising is Mr. Hartmann has worked concurrently with Waldorf AND Access on industrial design so do not know how someone missed this OBVIOUS "looky-like" as they would say on "Absolutely Fabulous" reruns!!! LOL! It would be akin to Waldorf, when releasing the "Shaddow Edition" of the Blofeld Black Keyboard (which I own), and instead calling it their "Darkstar Edition Blofeld"....WTF?~~~