Virus TI 2 or Origin?

[BrandonR]

Can anyone with any experience using both of these offer their opinion? I'm currently trying to decide which one to buy, and it's a difficult decision since there's no where around me to try out the Origin. To those who have used both, if you could have only one which would it be and why?

It seems to me that the Origin has the potential to be the best hardware VA in existence, but it's still has a ways to go on the software development side. On the other hand while not as flexible, the Virus TI is a much more mature platform with loads of great features, it's 16 part multi-timbral, and typically can produce more than 32 voices. 

[BobTheDog]

Well the TI is a classic you wouldn't be disappointed by it.

I myself would keep away from the origin even though I would love one, this is due to basically awful support from Arturia and a history of very buggy software with no bug fixes.

But this is just an opinion.

Andy

[Antoine]

The Virus TI is a powerful synthesizer, no doubt on it. For however searches a fixed synthesis architecture, with comfortable modulation capabilities, it really is a nice tool, and also are other well-known red synths from Northern Europe, among others.
But these are really "classical": not pejorative words, simply a fact, these are powerful but fixed structure synthesizers.
Origin radically is different: *you* are encouraged to create your synthesis line from scratch or from simple patches, with elements *you* can stack and route in any order *you* decide. Apart from the fact that theses elements are modeled from the beloved analog monsters, but also Arturia original and innovative modules, Origin simply is the sole synthesizer in the world to be able to do so, and we rendered it so easy even for the newcomers to synthesis. And the upcoming new modules (still under heavy tests) are even more extending the sound capabilities of Origin.
Origin has been publicly released slightly more than 6 months ago, the first Virus has been released in 1997. No doubt the second one is a bit more "mature", but how long did it take to have a stable firmware? How long did it take to get a "usable" Total Integration? Again, no denigration here, just a remind. 

@BobTheDog:
So bad you experienced "awful" support in the past, even if I cannot trace such literal experience in our database; however in 2009 we received only one inquiry from you (during MiniMg-V 2.0 Beta Test period), which was handled and responded same day. And updates are being released regularly, even if you might find them too spaced (major updates instead of minor bug fixes). Little by little this is evolving, moreover a bunch of updates are coming (end of summer'09).

[BobTheDog]

Hi Antoine,

I have had more support calls that that!

Here is the last one I sent, which I sent to sales and actually got a reply from:

"Hi,

I wonder if you can help me.

I have put in two technical support requests over the last three months.

I have received nothing back at all apart from the automated response.

The Case Numbers are 22501 and 25722, both concern the same problem.

Is it normal for your company to ignore support requests?

Thanks

Andrew Capon"

Cedric then answered me but the problem was never sorted. This problem is still there and this is that the CS80, Mg Modular, and ARP all use 100% cpu when the GUI is displayed, this causes problems as you may well imagine, this problem has never been fixed. The new MiniMg doesn't do this but unfortunately doesn't display the top half of the screen correctly for me.

Any user looking at your forums will see the same sort of complaint, I am sure this is not your fault but it doesn't mean that it is not true.

I would love an Origin, your products have always sounded excellent, but in the end it comes down to customer trust and for me that has been eroded.

All the best

Andy

[Antoine]

The Case Numbers are 22501 and 25722, both concern the same problem.

Okay, I could retrieve them, dated December'06 and March'07, they have been dispatched to the development team for bug inspection and resolution. I assume you should have received a mail keeping you informed for that.
As far as I heard, these CPU peaks due to GUI bug have been corrected in upcoming Mg Modular V update release.

Any user looking at your forums will see the same sort of complaint

Fortunately, these are now pretty rare. I could have deleted all the old ones, to lower the noise/information ratio and keep the forums "clean" (maybe a summer work after all), but for the moment I let them for testimonial purpose. 

Hopefully we will be able to gain again your confidence in our products, and moreover in our company. Words go by, facts remain, the synths updates shall reconcile you with Arturia.  (we still can continue this discussion via private mail)


And now, let's go back to the subject!
Any other competitor to the Origin modular synthesizer?

[BobTheDog]

Hi Antoine,

Thanks for looking into it for me a Fix would be great, then maybe I would buy the Origin

Thanks for the interest.

Andy

[BobTheDog]

As far as competitors I can think of no direct ones, the Nord G2s would be the nearest but they are out of production now.

[glen dale]

What about "both" They're quite different from the sound and handling. And both make fun

Cheers,
Chris